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12 December 2025
Med Spa Owner Agrees to Plead Guilty to Performing Illegal Injections Using Unapproved Prescription DrugsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Quincy man has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty to allegedly injecting clients of his business, Rodrigo Beauty Inc., with unapproved botulinum toxin obtained from illegitimate sources outside the United States, resulting in numerous severe cases of botulism.
Rodrigo de Medeiros Siqueira, 33, was charged and agreed to plead guilty to one count of misbranding of a drug after shipment in interstate commerce with the intent to defraud or mislead. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court. Medeiros Siqueira was arrested and charged by complaint in October 2025.
According to the charging documents, beginning in or around August 2022, Medeiros Siqueira offered various cosmetic injection procedures, including the injection of botulinum toxin prescription drugs, to clients of Rodrigo Beauty, despite not being licensed to prescribe, dispense, or administer prescription drugs or perform injections. It is alleged that Medeiros Siqueira falsely represented to clients that he was a licensed medical professional authorized to perform injections and made false statements to clients regarding the identity and source of the botulinum toxin products he was using for their injection procedures. Beginning in or around late May 2025, numerous Rodrigo Beauty clients were diagnosed with botulism, allegedly as a result of injections Medeiros Siqueira performed using unapproved botulinum toxin.
Botulism is a rare and dangerous illness that can result from, among other things, the injection of botulinum toxin. Iatrogenic botulism is caused by botulinum toxin circulating in the blood and spreading beyond the injection site, potentially resulting in life-threatening symptoms, including blurred or double vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, and/or difficulty swallowing or breathing. While botulinum toxin is generally safe when administered by trained medical professionals, improper dosing, administration technique, or use of non-FDA-approved products can result in severe cases of botulism.
The charge of misbranding of a drug after shipment in interstate commerce with the intent to defraud or mislead provides for a sentence of up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, 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.
If you or a family member believe you received services involving illegal injections and/or unapproved drugs or devices from Medeiros Siqueira or Rodrigo Beauty, please complete the questionnaire located on the FDA’s website at: https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/criminal-investigations/oci-vw-assistance-rodrigo-beauty. Information about the status of the case is located on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/victim-and-witness-assistance-program/united-states-v-rodrigo-de-medeiros-siqueira.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Fernando McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie A. Wright of the Health Care Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
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.
McLaughlin Man Sentenced to 2 Years in Federal Prison for Assaulting His MotherRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on December 4, 2025.
Brady James Claymore, 38, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Claymore was indicted for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury by a federal grand jury in May 2025. He pleaded guilty on September 16, 2025.
On the evening of December 26, 2024, Claymore was drinking alcohol at his mother’s home in McLaughlin, South Dakota, in the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. When his mother reproved him, Claymore became upset, placed his hands around her neck and squeezed. After Claymore’s brother punched him several times in the head, Claymore let go of his mother and lost his balance. Both Claymore and his mother then tumbled down a short flight of steps. Claymore’s mother incurred a broken nose and fractured three teeth in the fall.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal Court as opposed to State Court.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.
Claymore was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Man Sentenced to 19 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Child Sex Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
A man who distributed child sex abuse material to his co-defendant girlfriend was sentenced Thursday to 19 years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
Skyler Shoemaker, 34, of Colorado City, Texas, was indicted in May this year and pled guilty three months later to Distribution of Child Pornography. He was sentenced on December 11, 2025, to 228 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix.
According to court documents, Shoemaker used Facebook Messenger to send a sexually explicit video of a four- to six-year-old child to his girlfriend, Angel Bradford. Additionally, information presented at the sentencing hearing indicated that Shoemaker used various platforms to distribute child pornography to other users online and that he also committed sex acts in front of minors.
Bradford, 33, of Hermleigh, Texas, was indicted with Shoemaker in May 2025. She pled guilty to Receipt of Child Pornography in July 2025. On November 6, 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Hendrix sentenced her to five years in federal prison.
The FBI Dallas Field Office – Abilene Resident Agency, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Abilene Police Department’s Cyber Crimes Unit conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Ohlhausen prosecuted the case.
The Justice Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation and brought this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc. The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org.
Lorain man sentenced to ten years in federal prison for Controlled Substance OffensesRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A 44-year-old Lorain man, Tiawan Taylor, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. He previously plead guilty to an indictment alleging that on July 31, 2024, he possessed with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine and another count of possessing with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing cocaine. After he serves his prison sentence, the court ordered that he be subject to 20 years of federal supervised release. Taylor has a lengthy criminal history with numerous prior convictions for violent offenses, theft offenses, and drug trafficking offenses.
“This kind of behavior is a direct threat to the safety of our communities. Drug dealers bring violence and poison wherever they operate, and we are pleased to see this defendant taken off the streets for the next decade. I commend the efforts of the FBI and Lorain Police Department for their hard work and continued partnership,” said United States Attorney, David Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio.
This case was investigated by the Lorain Police Department and FBI Cleveland Division.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Scott Zarzycki for the Northern District of Ohio.
Local man who allegedly committed 2 kidnappings, carjackings now faces federal chargesRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – A Dayton man who allegedly kidnapped two individuals at gunpoint in two different carjacking incidents in the greater Dayton area on Tuesday now faces federal charges.
Colby Smith, 32, has been in local law enforcement custody since the day of the alleged crimes. He is now charged federally with kidnapping, carjacking and using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
According to charging documents, on Tuesday morning, Smith brandished a firearm at a victim who was inflating his vehicle’s tires at the Speedway gas station on N. Dixie Drive in Harrison Township. Smith allegedly forced the victim into his car and stole the vehicle. The victim pleaded for his release, and Smith eventually let the victim out of the car.
Shortly thereafter, Smith allegedly brandished his firearm at a City of Dayton employee who was working leaf collection on Home Avenue. Smith allegedly entered the victim’s city truck on the passenger side and pointed the gun at the victim. Smith then kidnapped the second victim, forcing him to withdraw money at both an ATM and at a local bank branch. Smith then allegedly instructed the victim to exit the vehicle and stole the city truck.
Smith then abandoned the stolen city truck and returned to the vehicle stolen in Harrison Township. Deputies located Smith in this vehicle at a local tire shop. He attempted to flee on foot but was quickly apprehended.
Smith made his initial appearance in federal court on the afternoon of December 11, 2025, and is scheduled for a detention hearing on December 16, 2025.
Kidnapping is a federal crime punishable by up to life in prison. Carjacking carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison. Displaying a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence requires a mandatory minimum of at least 7 years in prison in addition to any other sentence imposed.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal and Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck announced the charges filed on Dec. 11. Deputy Criminal Chief Brent G. Tabacchi and Assistant United States Attorney Kelly K. Rossi are representing the United States in this case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Leader of Hampton Roads drug conspiracy sentenced to 40 years in prisonRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced today to 40 years in prison following his conviction relating to a Hampton Roads-based drug trafficking conspiracy.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Cortez Dayshawn Bumphus, 33, and his co-conspirators used Lux Auto in Newport News as a base of operations, storing illegal drugs in vehicles throughout the parking lot of the business. Members of the organization were frequently armed with handguns and other weapons. Between August 2020 and August 2023 at major airports in the Mid-Atlantic area, law enforcement seized almost $400,000 in drug proceeds and 1,000 pounds of marijuana and contraband relating to the conspiracy.
“Cortez Bumphus led a massive drug trafficking organization, armed himself, and operated from the organization’s base of operations,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The substantial sentence imposed today reflects Bumphus’ central role in the conspiracy and the sheer scope of the organization’s criminal conduct. This prosecution underscores our commitment to protecting Virginians and deterring violent and organized criminal activity.”
“This sentence removes a career criminal from our streets and reinforces the FBI’s commitment to protecting Hampton Roads,” said Dominique Evans, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Norfolk Field Office. “If you traffic drugs or use violence to protect your territory, we will find you, shut down your operation, and hold you fully accountable. Today’s result reflects the relentless work of the FBI Norfolk Safe Streets Peninsula Task Force, Virginia State Police, Newport News Police Department, and the Hampton Police Division."
Members of the organization had varying roles and responsibilities. The leaders, including Bumphus, engaged with the sources of supply outside Virginia and arranged for the purchase of large loads of marijuana. They also instructed other members of the organization to arrange for couriers to fly to the sources of supply, deliver money to them, and return to Virginia with the marijuana. The leaders further arranged for midlevel members to receive marijuana from couriers and distribute it to customers or have subordinate dealers sell the marijuana. Thirty-seven defendants were charged in a 127-count superseding indictment returned on Sept. 11, 2023.
On July 30, Bumphus was convicted at trial of continuing a criminal enterprise; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of marijuana; conspiracy to launder money; being a felon in possession of a firearm; possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime; maintaining a drug-involved premises; and use of a communication facility in furtherance of drug trafficking.
In addition to the 40-year sentence, a $6,396,000 money judgment was ordered against Bumphus. The Court also ordered Bumphus to forfeit $62,198 in currency, designer shoes and accessories, and four firearms.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric M. Hurt, Alyson C. Yates, and Luke Bresnahan prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:23-cr-54.
Kansas Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Marcus Abeyta will spend 15 years in federal prison for production of child pornography after victimizing a minor he met while playing an online video game. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker.
On June 4, 2024, Abeyta, 32, of Emporia, Kansas, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of production of child pornography. On February 26, 2025, Abeyta pleaded guilty to the count in the Indictment. Chief Judge Baker sentenced Abeyta to 180 months in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
An investigation revealed that on December 4, 2023, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations in Arkansas was notified by a parent, who is an active member of the Air Force, that they found sexually explicit and inappropriate conversations on their minor child’s iPad. The subsequent investigation revealed that on December 5, 2023, while the minor was interacting with others on an online game, Abeyta sent the minor an internet link inviting the minor to leave the current game and join him on another platform, Discord. The minor accepted the invitation and began communicating with Abeyta who made comments to the minor such as how “sexy” the minor was. During the interaction with the minor, Abeyta asked them to send him pictures of their private body parts, which the minor did. Abeyta offered money and game currency to the minor if they would send naked pictures. Abeyta knew the victim was a minor when he was communicating with the victim.
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. Parents are encouraged to always monitor your children’s online activity.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the U.S. Air Force, Office of Special Investigations and the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Bryant.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
X (formerly known as Twitter):
@USAO_EDAR
Justice Department Sues Four Additional States and One Locality for Failure to Comply with Federal Elections LawsRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced it has filed federal lawsuits against four states — Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Nevada — for failure to produce their statewide voter registration lists upon request. This brings the Justice Department’s nationwide total to 18. The Civil Rights Division is also suing one locality — Fulton County, Georgia — for records related to the 2020 election.
“States have the statutory duty to preserve and protect their constituents from vote dilution,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “At this Department of Justice, we will not permit states to jeopardize the integrity and effectiveness of elections by refusing to abide by our federal elections laws. If states will not fulfill their duty to protect the integrity of the ballot, we will.”
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.
Jonesboro Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute 500 Grams or More of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Arthur Ray Osborne, a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 180 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on December 10, 2025, by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.
On June 18, 2025, Osborne, 44, of Jonesboro, pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging him conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. On Wednesday, Judge Miller also sentenced Osborne to five years’ supervised release.
An investigation revealed that Osborne was actively selling large amounts of methamphetamine. On December 10, 2019, Osborne arranged for a confidential informant to purchase approximately five ounces of methamphetamine for $1,400. On December 18, 2019, Osborne sold three ounces of methamphetamine to the confidential informant for $1,400. On November 10 and again on November 11, 2020, Osborne sold almost eight ounces of methamphetamine to the confidential informant for $3,000.
On April 11, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted surveillance on a business in Jonesboro and observed Osborn arrive in a vehicle. Officers observed marijuana in plain view at the business and because of Osborne’s nervous behavior, they obtained a search warrant for the business. During a search of the business, officers located a Taurus, model Judge, .410 firearm and five rounds of ammunition between the cushions of the couch, a red bag containing two scales, approximately 100 grams of cocaine, 159 grams of methamphetamine, 380 grams of marijuana, and over 120 assorted pills, including ecstasy. Also located during the search was a backpack with Osborne’s name on it, approximately $3,840, a bottle of Promethazine cough syrup in the kitchen area, and an assortment of ammunition was located throughout the search of the building.
Because Osborne’s criminal history includes felony drug convictions for possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, he is classified as a career offender and received an enhanced sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Little Rock comprises agents and officers from the FBI, Second Judicial District Drug Task Force, Jonesboro Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Second Judicial Drug Task Force, and the Jonesboro Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Crews and Bart Dickinson.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
X (formerly known as Twitter):
@USAO_EDAR
Jacksonville Convicted Child Sex Offender Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Federal Prison for Using the Internet to View Child Sexual Abuse MaterialsRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Matthew Eric Baumgardner (50, Jacksonville) to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison for using the internet to access and view child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). The court also ordered Baumgardner to serve a lifetime term of supervised release and pay $10,000 in restitution to a child victim. Baumgardner is a registered child sex offender who was convicted in 2017 of possessing photographs depicting the sexual performance by a child, traveling to meet a minor for unlawful activity, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
Baumgardner was on state sex probation when he was committed this federal offense and was arrested on July 28, 2025. He pleaded guilty on September 10, 2025.
According to court documents, law enforcement received a notification from a company that owns a social messaging application (the “App”) that files containing CSAM were uploaded using the App between May 6 and June 5, 2024. Subsequent investigation revealed that these files were uploaded from a residence in Jacksonville, using an account that was associated with Baumgardner.
In April 2025, a warrant was issued for Baumgardner’s arrest based upon his violation of his sex offender probation. On that same day, a detective with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office contacted Baumgardner and seized his cellphone. Baumgardner admitted that the email address and phone number associated with the internet uploads of CSAM were his and that he had used the App in the past. Baumgardner also admitted using the internet to access and view photos of children being sexually abused, stating that none of the child victims were personally known by him.
Subsequent forensic examination of Baumgardner’s cellphone revealed that it contained 67 photos depicting CSAM, including sadistic sexual abuse and bondage involving young children.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Illinois Woman Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 FraudRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – An Illinois woman pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the United States by making claims for refunds of false COVID-19 related employment tax credits.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Lakeibia Fannin conspired with others in the State and Federal District of Nevada from June 2022 through November 2023 to file tax returns seeking fraudulent refunds based on the employee retention credit (ERC) and paid sick and family leave credit. Fannin and her businesses were not eligible to receive the refundable credits in the amounts claimed. Fannin used the proceeds for her personal benefit, including on vacations, a cruise, jewelry, designer clothes, and a car.
In total, Fannin requested more than $3.5 million and actually received over $1.4 million.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact, Congress authorized the ERC for small businesses to reduce the employment tax owed to the IRS. Congress also authorized the IRS to give a credit against employment taxes to reimburse businesses for the wages paid to employees who were on sick or family leave and could not work because of COVID-19. This credit was equal to the wages the business paid the employees during the sick or family leave, subject to a maximum amount.
Fannin is scheduled to be sentenced on March 19, 2026. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison as well as a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Fannin has agreed to pay over $1.4 million in restitution to the IRS.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jarom Gregory for the IRS Criminal Investigation's Phoenix Field Office made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigations and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney John C. Gerardi of the Criminal Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Anthony Lopez of the District of Nevada are prosecuting the case.
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Hinesburg Man Sentenced to More than Two Years for Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on December 12, 2025, Anthony Seagroves, 32, of Hinesburg, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 26 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release.
On August 25, 2025, Seagroves pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon on October 14, 2024.
According to court records, Seagroves was encountered in two different stolen vehicles within the last two weeks of October 2024, each time with a loaded firearm he was prohibited from possessing, within arm’s reach. Seagroves was first encountered by Burlington Police Department officers on the afternoon of October 14, 2024, when officers were checking on Seagroves and multiple other people slouched over inside a running car parked at the Fletcher Free Library. The officers learned that the vehicle had been reported stolen. While removing Seagroves from the driver’s seat of the vehicle, officers observed a black and green pistol on the seat where Seagroves had been sitting. The pistol was determined to be a Privately Made Firearm (colloquially referred to as a “ghost gun”), which was loaded with four rounds of PMC brand 9-millimeter ammunition. Seagroves had previously been convicted of a felony burglary and was therefore prohibited from possessing this firearm.
After being charged and released in Vermont Superior Court based on the October 14, 2024 incident, approximately a week later, on October 23, 2024, the Hinesburg Police Department was investigating a report of a stolen vehicle, which the owner had located in Hinesburg. The owner identified Seagroves exiting the passenger seat of the vehicle shortly after the owner had located it and officers later found a loaded Sig Sauer P365 9-millimeter pistol on the passenger floorboard. The owner of the Sig Sauer firearm had reported it stolen from his car in his driveway in Starksboro on October 22, 2024.
First Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Burlington Police Department, and the Hinesburg Police Department.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill. Seagroves is represented by Devin McLaughlin, Esq.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
High-speed ditching of bulk methamphetamine leads to 135-month sentence for convicted felonRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 45-year-old Houston man has been ordered to federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute bulk crystal methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Devon Shermaine Rhodes pleaded guilty Sept. 15.
U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now ordered Rhodes to serve 135 months in federal prison, followed immediately by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, Rhodes argued for a 46-month sentence, claiming he did not discard drugs or drive dangerously at the time of his arrest. The court rejected his request after reviewing video evidence and citing his extensive criminal record, the inherent danger of crystal methamphetamine and the risk he posed to the Houston community.
On Nov. 8, 2022, authorities conducted surveillance at a local fast-food establishment where they observed a drug transaction involving Rhodes. He had paid more than $10,000 in cash for approximately five kilograms of crystal methamphetamine earlier in the day.
When law enforcement attempted a traffic stop, Rhodes fled, reaching speeds of 100 mph. During the pursuit, he threw multiple kilograms of methamphetamine out the drivers-side window, which burst as they hit the road.
A search of the vehicle later uncovered a significant amount of crystal methamphetamine.
Rhodes has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, Harris County Sheriff’s Office and Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shelley J. Sullivan prosecuted the case.
Operation All Gas No Brakes is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes these organizations commit, 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 Houston comprises agents and officers from DEA, FBI, HSI and ATF with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas leading the prosecution.
Gloucester man who threatened deputies sentenced to three years in prison for unlawfully possessing firearmsRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Gloucester man was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The federal district court ordered the three-year sentence to run consecutively to the five-year sentenced imposed by the Commonwealth of Virginia earlier this year for offenses related to the federal conviction.
According to court documents, following the arrest of his adult son in August 2023 by the Gloucester County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO), Allen Dowell, 59, posted videos on social media threatening deputies and their families with violence if they were involved in his son’s arrest.
An investigation into Dowell’s threats revealed several videos posted to social media in which Dowell possessed a firearm and described his marijuana cultivation practices at his residence. As a previously convicted felon, Dowell is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. On Sept. 1, 2023, GCSO and the Virginia State Police arrested Dowell at his residence. From the residence, investigators recovered 20 firearms, approximately 1,000 cartridges of ammunition, an assortment of firearm parts and accessories, suspected silencers/suppressors, and over 400 marijuana plants.
“This case demonstrates how the convergence of multiple criminal acts heightens the danger to our communities,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “A convicted felon cultivating a Schedule I narcotic while stockpiling firearms and ammunition felt emboldened to threaten deputies and their families in retaliation for doing their jobs. This conduct is precisely why we remain committed to holding individuals like Allen Dowell accountable when they choose to disregard the law.”
“Today’s sentence sends a clear message: those who endanger our communities with illegal firearms and narcotics, and who attempt to intimidate law enforcement through threats, will be held fully accountable” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood. “We are committed to keeping our neighborhoods safe, and we will not tolerate violence, criminal activity, or efforts to undermine the safety of law enforcement.”
In January 2025, the Circuit Court of the County of Gloucester sentenced Dowell to five years for multiple convictions of obstruction and resisting arrest by threat/force after Dowell barricaded himself in his home while armed during the Sept. 1, 2023, standoff with GCSO and the Virginia State Police. Dowell’s three-year federal sentence will begin once his Virginia sentence is served.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter G. Osyf and Alyson C. Yates prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-cr-62.
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, Inc. (GD-OTS) Agrees to Pay $838,125 to Settle a Voluntary Disclosure Related to Phosphate Procedure Compliance IssuesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG, PA —The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, Inc. (GD-OTS) has agreed to pay $838,125 to resolve allegations of civil liability associated with phosphate procedure compliance issues identified in several Department of Army contracts. GD-OTS voluntarily disclosed the allegations.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, GD-OTS voluntarily disclosed that, between June 1, 2019 and April 8, 2021, GD-OTS (both as successor in interest to Medico Industries, and as the owner of GD-OTS-WB) submitted vouchers/invoices, and related documents and statements for payment for production of 60mm, 81mm, and 120mm shell bodies that did not receive phosphate tests with the frequency required by the contracts. After it discovered the problems, GD-OTS took prompt corrective action and disclosed the matter to United States government contracting personnel.
This matter was handled by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (Army CID), Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Haken and the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
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Four Family Members Convicted of Multimillion-Dollar Tax Refund Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A jury in Fort Worth, Texas convicted four family members yesterday of participating in a multimillion-dollar tax refund fraud scheme, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould and the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division.
According to court documents and statements made in court, David Hunt, of Arlington, Texas, his twin sons Brandon and Baylon Hunt, also of Arlington, and the twins’ half-brother, Corey Burt, formerly of Long Beach, Mississippi, orchestrated a scheme to file tax returns in the names of purported trusts they controlled seeking over $8.5 million in tax refunds that the trusts were not entitled to receive. Brandon Hunt also filed a false return in his own name, and Brandon and Baylon Hunt also submitted to the IRS additional fake documents including falsified financial instruments and altered money orders as part of their scheme. Some of these documents were submitted to the IRS in response to IRS efforts to collect the fraudulently-obtained refunds. The defendants continued filing false returns and other documents even after receiving warning letters from the IRS about their submissions.
Collectively, the defendants received over $1.7 million from the IRS based on the false tax returns they filed. Court records reflect that the defendants shared in the proceeds of their fraud by transferring money between themselves. They also used the refunds to purchase luxury goods, furniture, cryptocurrency, a Cadillac Escalade, and a house in Mississippi.
All four defendants were convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States. David and Brandon Hunt, as well as Corey Burt, were also convicted of multiple counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. Baylon Hunt was acquitted of two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns.
“Fraudulent tax schemes such as this rob the federal fisc and the American taxpayers,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “This verdict rightly held all four defendants accountable for their roles in the criminal conduct – a result garnered by the diligent work of IRS-CI, the Tax Section of DOJ’s Criminal Division, and those in my office to bring these individuals to justice.”
“Let this verdict serve as a warning: frivolous tax arguments have no merit and will not shield anyone from prosecution,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr. of IRS Criminal Investigation, Dallas Field Office. “Those who attempt to misuse the tax system through baseless claims and deceptive filings not only undermine public trust, but also face serious legal consequences. The women and men of IRS-CI remain steadfast in our mission to protect the integrity of the tax system and pursue those who seek to defraud it.”
Sentencing is scheduled for March 26, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The defendants face up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge and up to three years in prison on each false tax return charge. They also face monetary penalties, restitution, and terms of supervised release.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. The U.S. Marshals Service assisted in locating and arresting three of the defendants who fled mid-trial.
Trial Attorneys Melissa Siskind and Daniel Lipkowitz of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Mark McDonald of the Northern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
Former Technology Company Executives Charged with Defrauding Boston Private Equity Firm of $20 MillionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The former Chief Executive Officer and Senior Vice President of Mozaic Payment System, Inc. have been charged with defrauding a Boston-based investment firm out of $20 million in equity funding.
Marcus Cobb, 48, and Rachel Knepp, 39, both of Nashville, Tenn., have been charged with wire fraud conspiracy. Cobb was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston on Nov. 20, 2025 and was arrested on Dec. 8, 2025 in Chicago. He will appear in federal court in Boston on Jan. 8, 2026. Knepp was previously charged by an Information and, on Nov. 19, 2025, pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 19, 2026.
According to the charging documents, Mozaic Payment System was a technology company that purported to have an application that processed royalty payments for performers, recording labels and music distributors. Mozaic’s application did not work, however, and generated no revenue. Nevertheless, in the late spring of 2023, Cobb and Knepp allegedly engaged a Boston-based private equity firm to fund the business, which they represented to be growing and profitable. During due diligence by the Boston firm, Cobb and Knepp allegedly fabricated Mozaic bank and financial statements that falsely showed growing revenue and increasing cash on hand. It is alleged that based on these false representations, Cobb and Knepp obtained $20 million in funding from the investment firm in September 2023. Thereafter, to lull the investor, it is alleged that Cobb and Knepp regularly provided additional false financial documents that showed increasing revenue, when, in fact, Mozaic was burning through its cash. By February 2025, the investor discovered the alleged fraud and Mozaic collapsed.
The charge of wire fraud conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000, or twice the monetary gain or loss, whichever is more, restitution and forfeiture. 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. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kriss Basil and Elianna Nuzum of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Former Soldier Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Matthew Valkinburg, 35, of Pueblo, Colorado, has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material. Valkinburg was a solider at Fort Jackson at the time of the crime.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Valkinburg began uploading child sexual abuse material to his Discord account in 2023 when he was stationed in Colorado. Local authorities in Colorado determined that accounts tied to Valkinburg were responsible for the child sexual abuse material. After Valkinburg transferred from Colorado to Fort Jackson, Army investigators obtained a search warrant for Valkinburg’s home at Fort Jackson. Upon executing the warrant, investigators discovered child sexual abuse material on multiple electronic devices within Valkinburg’s home, including his cell phone.
United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie sentenced Valkinburg to 87 months imprisonment, to be followed by a 25-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. He is also required to pay $124,000 in restitution and register as a sex offender for life.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Army Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Matthews and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Beckham are prosecuting the case.
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Former New York Doctor Sentenced for Receiving KickbacksRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New York doctor has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for receiving kickbacks in exchange for ordering medically unnecessary brain scans.
Dr. Kenneth Fishberger, 76, of East Setauket, N.Y. was sentenced on Dec. 9, 2025 by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to two years of supervised release, one year of which will be served in home confinement with location monitoring. He also was ordered to pay a fine of $50,000, forfeiture in the amount of $48,000 and restitution of $342,876. In November 2024, Fishberger pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
Fishberger, an internist in Long Island, N.Y., was a licensed medical doctor in the State of New York for approximately 47 years. From approximately June 2013 through December 2019, Fishberger conspired with others, including a principal for a mobile medical diagnostics company that performed transcranial doppler (TCD) scans, to order hundreds of medically unnecessary TCD scans in exchange for kickbacks. TCD scans are brain scans that measure blood flow in parts of the brain. Fishberger and his alleged co-conspirators used false diagnoses to order the unnecessary brain scans, for which a co-conspirator would submit claims to Medicare and other insurance companies, including private insurance companies, on behalf of the medical diagnostic company for payment. In exchange, Fishberger was paid cash kickbacks of approximately $100 per test. The scheme resulted in fraudulent bills of approximately $891,978 to Medicare and private insurance companies.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; 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’s Criminal Investigation Division, Boston Field Office; Kelly M. Lawson, Acting Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Boston Regional Office; Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie Queenin, Chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit, prosecuted the case.
Former Madera County Welfare Benefits Employee Arrested for Improperly Using Other People’s Identities to Steal BenefitsRead the Press Release
Former Madera County benefits eligibility worker Leticia Mariscal, 55, of Madera, was arrested today on charges that she stole tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of other people’s CalFresh benefits during a multiyear scheme, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. CalFresh is a financial assistance program that provides qualifying California residents with monetary benefits they can use to buy food. It was formerly known as the food stamp program.
According to court records, between December 2020 and April 2025, Mariscal improperly used county databases to which she had access through her job to obtain identifying information for individuals who were elderly or deceased. She then secretly approved these individuals to receive CalFresh benefits, printed EBT cards in their names with the benefits deposited thereon and spent the proceeds. Altogether, Mariscal used the identities of more than 15 people to steal benefits totaling more than $40,000. She was placed on leave earlier this year when her scheme was discovered.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Madera County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Mariscal faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for stealing CalFresh benefits. She also faces an additional two years in prison for misusing other people’s identities to commit the crime. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Former Head of Lynchburg Community Corrections and Pretrial Services Sentenced to 12 Months and 1-day in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The former acting director of the Lynchburg Community Corrections & Pretrial Services Department (LCCPS) was sentenced yesterday to 12 months and 1-day in federal prison for accessing a protected computer system to provide her then-boyfriend and probationer with sensitive non-public information, lying to federal investigators, and destroying evidence.
Jennifer Peters, 43, of Madison Heights, Virginia, previously pled guilty today to one count of conspiracy, one count of obstruction of a proceeding before a United States Agency, one count of making false representations, and one count of destruction of evidence.
According to court documents, in 2022, Peters worked for LCCPS and supervised a probationer named Brendon Cole Webber – who was being supervised by that agency. In 2023, Peters assumed the role of Acting Director of the LCCPS. In approximately August 2023, Peters and Webber began a romantic relationship. Peters directly or indirectly supervised Webber’s probation throughout his LCCPS supervision. Peters, because of her role with LCCPS, had access to certain non-public, law enforcement materials, including the Lynchburg Police Department’s Records Management System (RMS). The RMS was a protected computer system that housed confidential non-public, law enforcement material.
Between November 11, 2023, and January 9, 2024, Webber and Peters conspired to have Webber access RMS information without authorization. Specifically, Peters provided Webber with access to non-public confidential material on RMS, and Webber disseminated that non-public information to others.
On November 30, 2023, Webber was charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm in violation of Virginia law and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Webber and Peters knew there was an active warrant for Webber’s arrest and knew there was an active U.S. Marshal’s fugitive manhunt for Webber’s apprehension.
On or around December 19, 2023, at Webber’s instruction, Peters drove Webber from Lynchburg, Virginia to Hughestown, Pennsylvania with the purpose of obstructing the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive mission. Webber further directed Peters to book a hotel room during the drive.
When questioned by federal law enforcement regarding her relationship with Webber, Peters lied. Peters told investigators she had not had physical contact with Webber since December, that she did not know if Webber had an active phone number, did not know where Webber was physically located, and did not know Webber was going to leave Lynchburg. In addition, Peters told investigators she did not know where her own cell phone was located, when, in fact, she had given her cell phone to a friend to keep it away from investigators. After her interview with federal law enforcement, Peters retrieved her cell phone and threw it in a local landfill to destroy evidence contained within.
Webber was arrested in Hughestown, Pennsylvania on January 9, 2024.
Webber previously pled guilty to state charges of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice, as well as to unlawfully possessing a firearm. Webber was sentenced to 57-months incarceration.
Robert N. Tracci, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, and Ian Kauffman, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the City of Lynchburg Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Vito Iaia is prosecuting the case.
Foley Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Attempted Enticement of A Minor and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Kaden Heard, age 31, was sentenced on December 12, 2025, to 121 months in prison for convictions related to the attempted sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child pornography. Heard entered his guilty pleas on September 19, 2025.
According to court documents, Heard was active on a social media application when he began chatting with an individual that he believed to be a 13-year-old female in Phoenix. Heard expressed a desire to travel to Arizona to engage in sexual activity with the 13-year-old and sent explicit photographs of himself to this individual. Heard discussed bringing alcohol, drugs, condoms, and a “secret” phone to their meeting. A search was conducted of Heard’s social media accounts, and investigators found thousands of chats during which Heard was actively seeking images of child pornography. Heard’s cell phone was seized and found to contain hundreds of images of child pornography, including images of prepubescent minors. Heard was interviewed and made a full confession.
At sentencing, United States District Judge Kristi DuBose imposed a 121-month term of incarceration and a 15-year term of supervised release upon Heard’s future release. Heard will be subject to sex offender treatment and mental health treatment while imprisoned. Heard will be required to register as a sex offender and is to have no contact with minors. Smith was ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution to the victim of his offenses and $200 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Phoenix and Mobile Divisions, investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources
Florida Man Convicted of Leading $300 Million Money Laundering Operation for Transnational Criminal OrganizationsRead the Press Release
Alain Bibliowicz Mitrani, a resident of Miami, Florida and a citizen of France and Colombia, was convicted today by a federal jury in Brooklyn on all five counts of a superseding indictment charging him with money laundering conspiracy, bank fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, and operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business related to his laundering of drug proceeds through financial institutions in the United States. The verdict was returned after a two-week trial before United States District Judge Carol Bagley Amon. When sentenced, the defendant faces up to 70 years’ imprisonment. The defendant was the leader of a scheme to launder more than $300 million, including for persons affiliated with cartels and other transnational criminal organizations engaged in drug trafficking, including the Sinaloa Cartel.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Ricky J. Patel, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), and Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI), announced the verdict.
“With today’s verdict, the defendant’s prolific money laundering of drug proceeds is all washed up,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “The defendant and his co-conspirators converted illicit proceeds in the form of cryptocurrency from drug cartels in Colombia and Mexico into dirty cash using a series of bank accounts and complex financial transactions, here and abroad. Then he sent this dirty money back to the drug traffickers, fueling their criminal enterprises while enriching himself with hefty fees he charged for his laundering. But thanks to the excellent work of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, the defendant’s operation has been shut down, and the only laundering he will be handling in the future will be in a federal prison laundromat.”
Mr. Nocella thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, for their assistance.
“The defendant’s $300 million money laundering empire fueled untold violence and chaos on behalf of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations. Our message to money launderers is clear: if you think you can bankroll drug cartels and criminal enterprises from the shadows, we will find you, expose you, and shut you down,” stated HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Patel. “We’re working relentlessly every day with our partners to trace illicit funds and dismantle transnational criminal networks.”
“Bibliowicz Mitrani is complicit in moving more than a quarter billion dollars in drug money through shell companies to locations around the world. In serving his criminal clientele with his dirty money-washing business, he lived a rich lifestyle with a multi-million-dollar mansion and lavish purchases. IRS-CI follows all money, even when it is dirty, and there is no hiding it from our expert investigators. Today’s conviction is a good reminder of that,” stated IRS-CI New York Special Agent in Charge Chavis.
As proved at trial, from approximately 2020 to 2024, the defendant led a scheme to launder more than $300 million, much of which represented drug proceeds belonging to drug cartels such as the Sinaloa Cartel and other transnational criminal organizations. The defendant was an owner and leader of a company called Treebu, which purported to be a legitimate technology business. In reality, Treebu’s public-facing operations were a cover for an elaborate multi-million-dollar money laundering enterprise based in Florida and Colombia.
Cartels and other transnational criminal organizations that engage in drug trafficking operate vast criminal enterprises that generate significant revenue globally by trafficking illicit narcotics. Because these organizations generate billions of dollars in illicit revenue annually from trafficked narcotics, they must find ways to repatriate these proceeds back to their home countries to fund their ongoing enterprises. In many cases, drug trafficking organizations rely on separate money laundering operations, such as Treebu, to repatriate their funds. In exchange, money laundering organizations and their associates, like the defendant, earn a significant commission for taking on the risk of laundering illicit proceeds for these criminal organizations.
The defendant established shell companies that were used to open bank accounts used to transmit the illegal proceeds in an effort to obscure the source of the funds. To protect the scheme from detection, the defendant lied to U.S. financial institutions about the purpose and activities of these companies, and he failed to register as a money transmitting business as required under state and federal law. In total, financial records show that the defendant and his organization laundered more than $300 million.
The defendant used his profits from this scheme for personal expenses and to fund his lavish lifestyle, including to purchase expensive jewelry from Van Cleef & Arpels, make payments towards his approximately $4 million Miami mansion, and fund luxury travel, including more than $16,000 on luxury hotel stays abroad in April 2023.
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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Adam Amir, Lorena Michelen, and David Berman are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialists Zoubida Bicane and Tareva Torres.
The Defendant:
ALAIN BIBLIOWICZ MITRANI
Age: 51
Miami, FloridaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-39 (CBA)
Fentanyl Dealer who Caused Two Overdose Deaths Sentenced to 17 YearsRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL – Patrick Carl Timberlake, Jr., a/k/a “King,” age 29, was sentenced Wednesday in United States District Court to 204 months’ imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release for two counts of Distribution of Heroin and Fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.
Timberlake is a drug dealer and a felon who is prohibited from possessing weapons. In 2019 and 2020, Timberlake sold poison—heroin containing deadly fentanyl—to two drug users who took Timberlake’s poison, overdosed, and died. The U.S. Attorney’s Office extends its profound condolences to the families of the victims of Timberlake and the deadly drug epidemic.
Specifically, on December 4, 2019, Timberlake sold Victim 1 approximately 0.5 grams of heroin that contained fentanyl. Victim 1 used the drugs Timberlake sold him. His father later found him unconscious on the bathroom floor and called 911. Victim 1’s father and emergency personnel attempted to revive Victim 1, but he was pronounced dead. A medical examiner later determined his death to be the result of the toxic effects of heroin and fentanyl.
On January 20, 2020, Timberlake sold heroin that contained fentanyl to Victim 2. The next day, emergency services received a 911 call requesting a welfare check on Victim 2 at his parent’s house for a possible overdose. First responders arrived and found Victim 2 unresponsive on the kitchen floor and pronounced him dead. A medical examiner later determined his death to be the result of the toxic effects of heroin and fentanyl.
A subsequent investigation determined that Timberlake had been dealing heroin containing fentanyl on a daily basis, first from his apartment in Saint Paul, then from his apartment in Plymouth, and finally from his apartment in Columbia Heights. The investigation also revealed that another drug customer told Timberlake of Victim 1’s death the day after it happened, to which Timberlake responded: “okay.” Despite knowing that his drugs had caused the death of Victim 1, Timberlake continued to sell drugs, including to Victim 2, causing his death.
A search of Timberlake’s apartment in Columbia Heights revealed a Glock 23 .40 caliber handgun, a 30-round extended magazine, and ammunition—all of which Timberlake was prohibited from lawfully possessing due to his prior felony convictions.
United States District Judge Donovan W. Frank sentenced Timberlake was sentenced Wednesday on two counts of Distribution of Heroin and Fentanyl to 204 months’ imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release. In sentencing Timberlake, Judge Frank spoke about the scourge of fentanyl deaths affecting our country and recognized the heartbreak to both of the victim’s families who lost their loved ones to the fentanyl epidemic.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Isanti County Sheriff’s Office and Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley M. Endicott and Nathan H. Nelson prosecuted the case.
Federal jury convicts Russian woman of the international kidnapping of her daughterRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Russian citizen today for the offense of international parental kidnapping following her absconding with her daughter to Kazakhstan and arranging for her to cross the border into Russia, all without the father’s knowledge or consent.
“Elena Pendergrass’ crime is an act of extraordinary cruelty and endangerment,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Pendergrass vengefully separated a parent from a child, abandoned the child in extreme isolation at just one month old, and took steps intended to move the child beyond recovery. Today’s verdict marks an important step toward achieving justice and reconciliation for the victims in this case.”
“When Pendergrass took her one-month-old baby to Kazakhstan without the child's father's knowledge or consent, she deprived a father of his parental rights and her daughter of a relationship with her dad,” said Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal Division. “The FBI will spare no effort to bring the child safely home to the United States.”
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Pendergrass, aka Elena Stukalkina, 35, resided in Alexandria prior to her daughter’s birth on May 21. Though a DNA test prior to birth confirmed the child’s paternity, Pendergrass ordered the father to cease and desist all communications. After the child was born, she listed “unknown” for the father on their daughter’s birth certificate, despite the father wanting to be an involved parent.
On June 5, the father petitioned a domestic relations court for paternity, visitation, and custody. In response, Pendergrass threatened that she and their daughter were dual citizens, implying she would take the baby to Russia. On June 26, 2025, Pendergrass filed an emergency passport application for the daughter in Washington on which she wrote “unknown” as to the father and submitted the birth certificate identifying only herself as a parent. On June 27 she received the U.S. passport and on June 28 she flew with the daughter from New York to Istanbul, Turkey, and then to Kazakhstan without the father’s knowledge or consent. In Pendergrass’ absence, the father was awarded sole physical and legal custody.
On July 13, Pendergrass returned to New York to obtain a Russian visa for the daughter, which was necessary to cross into Russia. Pendergrass then shipped the visa and the daughter’s passport to a trusted intermediary in Kazakhstan, enabling the child’s grandmother to transport her into Russia, where she is believed to remain today.
Pendergrass faces a mandatory sentence of three years in prison when sentenced on March 19, 2026. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meredith J. Edwards and Nicholas A. Durham are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-252.
Federal employee pleads guilty to selling drugs on the Fort Belknap Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS - A Harlem man and federal employee accused of selling methamphetamine on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation admitted to charges on Tuesday, December 9, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The defendant, Jess Louis Brockie, 35, pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of methamphetamine. Brockie faces 20 years of imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, and at least 3 years of supervised release.
The government alleged in court documents that in July 2024, the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General became aware of allegations a federal employee working at the Indian Health Services (“IHS”) in Harlem was selling controlled substances out of the facility. The employee was identified as the defendant, Jess Louis Brockie, who worked as a custodian at IHS. While being monitored by the investigating agencies, a confidential source purchased methamphetamine from Brockie after meeting at the IHS facility on August 19 and September 19, 2024.
Sentencing will be held on April 1, 2026.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Vestal is prosecuting the case. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, BIA, DEA, and Fort Belknap Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation.
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Federal Jury Convicts San Diego County Sheriff’s Deputy of Using Excessive Force, Violating Inmate’s Civil RightsRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – San Diego Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremiah Manuyag Flores was convicted by a federal jury today of violating the civil rights of a man in pretrial custody at the San Diego Central Courthouse by using excessive force that caused serious injuries and then writing a false report to cover up his illegal actions.
The jury deliberated for two hours before finding Flores guilty on both counts against him, including that Flores deprived the victim – identified as 57-year-old J.P. – of his right to due process of law under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and of falsifying a record in a federal investigation.
According to evidence presented at trial, Flores was assigned to the Court Services Bureau at the San Diego Central Courthouse on August 29, 2024, and was escorting J.P. to a holding cell following a court hearing. At the time, J.P.’s legs were chained, and his hands were cross-chained to his waist. At one point, Flores grabbed the back of J.P.’s shirt with both hands and pushed him faster down the hallway leading to the holding cell.
When Flores and J.P. arrived at the open door to the holding cell, Flores forcefully shoved J.P. into the cell from behind with both hands, causing J.P. to fly across the cell, smash headfirst into the wall on the far side, and collapse to the ground. Flores stated, “What? Nothing happened,” to another deputy as the door to the cell closed. He then walked away, failing to provide medical aid to J.P., and then also failed to immediately report the incident to his supervisor and prepare an official report, all of which are violations of the San Diego Sheriff’s Office’s Use of Force Policy.
According to the indictment, another deputy found J.P. over two hours later lying in the same position in his holding cell with a head wound and a pool of blood on the floor. As a result of Flores’ actions, J.P. suffered a spinal injury for which he underwent surgery and remained hospitalized for months.
More than an hour after J.P. was discovered in his holding cell, Flores falsely claimed in an incident report that “no force was used” in placing J.P. into the cell, though he knew that he had, indeed, used force against the detainee.
“Today’s verdict makes one thing unmistakably clear: the badge does not excuse brutality,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “When an officer abuses power and inflicts harm on someone in their custody, it is a crime — and this office will hold them accountable.”
“Law enforcement officers are not above the law—they uphold it, and will be held accountable for any actions they take not in line with their sworn duty to protect and serve the public,” said Mark Dargis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “Today’s conviction confirms the FBI and our law enforcement partners will not stand for anyone who tarnishes the badge and reputations of those who lawfully protect our communities.”
Sentencing is scheduled for April 1, 2026.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth Askins and Michael Deshong.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 25cr0254
Jeremiah Manuyag Flores Age: 45 La Jolla, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 242
Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and $250,000 fine
Falsification of Records in a Federal Investigation – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1519
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (Homicide Unit)
Fayette County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – William Joseph Kessler III, 44, of Beckwith, pleaded guilty on Thursday, December 11, 2025, to one count of distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl and one count of distribution of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 25, 2024, Kessler sold a total of 18 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant over the course of two transactions, one in Raleigh County and the other at Kessler’s residence in Beckwith. On June 26, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Kessler’s residence and seized approximately 45 grams of methamphetamine, 300 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and ketamine, and a firearm.
Kessler is scheduled to be sentenced on April 2, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $2 million.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Central Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force.
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Amy L. McLaughlin is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-146.
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Former Tallahassee Church Worship Leader Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Hunter Chase Eubanks, 31, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of a child. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Our children depend upon us to keep them safe from predators, like this defendant, who seek to sexually victimize them, and the excellent prosecutors in my office will use the full force of the law to protect the most vulnerable members of our community from exploitation.”
According to court records, between July 4, 2024, and October 9, 2024, the defendant engaged in a sexual relationship with a minor who attended Morningside Church, where the defendant served as a worship leader and led a church music internship program. The Leon County Sheriff’s Office opened a criminal investigation in October 2024 after it received a report about the sexual relationship. The investigation revealed that the defendant engaged in sexual activity with the minor on multiple occasions at the church and elsewhere in Tallahassee. During their communications using an iPhone app, the defendant requested that the minor produce and send him images that would constitute child pornography.
“Those who exploit children—especially from a position of trust—will be held fully accountable,” said Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno. “This case is a stark reminder of the harm done when an adult abuses their authority, their technology, and their access to target a child. We will use every tool under the law to stop that abuse, to protect victims, and to hold these predators fully accountable.”
The defendant’s sentence of imprisonment will be followed by a 10-year term of supervised release and a requirement to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Eubanks was also ordered to pay restitution to his victim.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case 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.
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 http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Eleven Individuals Indicted for Stealing More Than Two Million Dollars in Covid Relief FundsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Sherell Breus (40, Champions Gate), Jessie Perlado (63, Lakeland), Candice Harper (37, Pooler, GA), Yashica Carter (40, Ft. Lauderdale), Brandon Thomas (39, Champions Gate), Antwaun Jonson (39, Delray Beach), Jessica Sejour (33, Greenacres), Tameshia Roberson (44, Winter Haven), Vance Houston (30, Oakland Park), and Raymound Carvil Sr. (61, Ft. Lauderdale) with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and nine counts of wire fraud. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. The indictment also notifies the conspirators that the United States is seeking an order of forfeiture in the amount of $2,294,734.50, which represents the alleged proceeds traceable to the offense.
According to the indictment, between April 2020 and June 2021, the conspirators devised a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration by submitting multiple false and fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) applications. These programs were two sources of economic relief provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help small business during the COVID-19 pandemic. The conspirators’ applications all contained fraudulent documentation which at times included Department of Treasury - Internal Revenue Service Tax Forms. After receiving their fraudulently obtained proceeds, the conspirators transferred a portion of their funds to other accounts belonging to co-conspirators.
In a separate indictment, an associate of one the conspirators, Neil Bryant (45, Winter Haven) was charged with one count of wire fraud. According to the indictment, Bryant defrauded the Small Business Administration by submitting a fraudulent EIDL application. If convicted, Bryant faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison. Bryant was also notified that the United States is seeking an order of forfeiture in the amount of $52,400, which represents the proceeds traceable to his offense.
An indictment 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.
These cases were investigated by the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Merrilyn Hoenemeyer.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by contacting the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Indictment Indictment - Bryant FBI PosterDominican National Sentenced for Dealing FentanylRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national unlawfully residing in Lawrence has been sentenced in federal court in Boston on drug distribution charges.
Hector Santana Guzman, a/k/a “DJ Black,” 34, was sentenced on Dec. 10, 2025 by United States District Judge Patti B. Saris to 30 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of the imposed sentence. In September 2025, Santana Guzman pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl.
During an investigation of the transnational criminal organization 18th Street Gang, Santana Guzman met with a cooperating witness on two dates in June 2024 to sell fentanyl. On June 6, 2024, Santana Guzman sold approximately 50 grams of powder fentanyl to a cooperating witness. Later, on June 25, 2024, Santana Guzman again sold approximately 70 grams of powder fentanyl.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations; Suffolk County and Middlesex County District Attorney’s Offices; and the Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Falmouth, Lynn, Medford, Nantucket and Revere Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Doctor Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for $24M Medicare FraudRead the Press Release
On October 23, a New York doctor was sentenced to seven years in prison for causing the submission of over $24 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary laboratory tests and orthotic braces. He was also ordered to pay $2,210,384 in restitution.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Alexander Baldonado, M.D., 69, of Queens, received tens of thousands of dollars in illegal cash kickbacks and bribes in exchange for ordering laboratory tests, including expensive cancer genetic tests, that were billed to Medicare by two laboratories located in New York.
As part of the scheme, Baldonado authorized hundreds of cancer genetic tests for Medicare beneficiaries who attended COVID-19 testing events at assisted living facilities, adult day care centers and a retirement community in 2020. Baldonado was not treating any of the patients who attended the testing events and, in many cases, did not speak to or examine the patients prior to ordering cancer genetic tests and other laboratory tests for them. Baldonado also billed Medicare for lengthy office visits that he never provided to these patients. Several Medicare patients for whom Baldonado ordered cancer genetic tests and billed for office visits testified at trial that they did not know who Baldonado was and had never met or spoken to him. Baldonado did not contact the patients after the testing events to review the results of the cancer genetic tests, and, in some cases, the patients never received the test results.
In addition to the laboratory testing scheme, Baldonado also received illegal cash kickbacks and bribes from the owner of a durable medical equipment supply company in exchange for ordering medically unnecessary orthotic braces for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. The evidence presented at trial showed Baldonado on an undercover video receiving a large sum of cash in exchange for signed prescriptions for orthotic braces.
The medically unnecessary laboratory tests and orthotic braces that Baldonado ordered in exchange for illegal kickbacks and bribes caused Medicare to be billed more than $24 million. Medicare paid more than $2.2 million based on these false and fraudulent claims.
After a five-day jury trial in February 2025, Baldonado was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud; six counts of health care fraud; one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay, offer, receive, and solicit health care kickbacks; one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to receive and solicit health care kickbacks; and one count of solicitation of health care kickbacks.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy of the FBI Newark Field Office made the announcement.
HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case.
Acting Principal Assistant Chief Rebecca Yuan of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
District of Arizona Charges 173 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from December 6, 2025, through December 12, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 173 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 93 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 73 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 7 cases against individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Mario Alberto Herrera Jr: On December 11, 2025, Mario Alberto Herrera Jr. was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. An AZ DPS trooper observed Herrera driving on I-10 Westbound. The trooper conducted a vehicle registration check, which confirmed that the car’s registration was suspended, and the trooper initiated a traffic stop. The trooper observed Herrera in the driver’s seat and two passengers in the backseat of the car. Agents determined Herrera was paid to transport his two passengers to Phoenix, and that he was on probation for a prior, separate conviction for Transportation of an Illegal Alien in the United States District Court, District of Arizona. Immigration checks confirmed that the two passengers in the car are citizens of Guatemala, unlawfully present in the United States. Case number: 25-3484MJ
United States v. Miguel Hernandez-Cortez: On December 8, 2025, Miguel Hernandez-Cortez was charged by complaint with Re-entry of Removed Alien. Hernandez-Cortez was previously removed from the United States in March 2015 after being convicted of Aggravated Sexual Assault, a felony, in the 287th Judicial District Court, Bailey County, Texas. In that case, Hernandez-Cortez was sentenced to five months of imprisonment. Case number 25-3466MJ
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-176_December 12 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.District Man Sentenced to 24 Years for Murder of Woman Found in Mall DumpsterRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Richard Dyson, 58, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 24 years in prison for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Donnella Bryan, 62, whose body was found in a Hechinger Mall dumpster in Northeast Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Dyson pleaded guilty in Superior Court in October 2025 to one count of second-degree murder.
According to the government’s evidence, on April 15, 2025, at the Press House Apartments in Northeast, Dyson murdered Bryan by striking her in the head and suffocating her with a sock. Dyson then purchased a large container from Home Depot, and with the help of an accomplice, disposed of Bryan’s body into a dumpster. Bryan’s body was discovered on April 19, 2025, one day before Easter Sunday. Law enforcement arrested Dyson on June 11, 2025. He has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case form the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Grazy Rivera, Victim/Witness Advocate Karina Hernandez.
Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Cocuzza, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Des Moines Man Indicted on Federal Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – A federal grand jury in Des Moines returned a 13-count indictment Wednesday, December 10, 2025, charging a Des Moines man with offenses related to sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of children.
As alleged in the Indictment, Tyler Boyd Pavlick, 32, produced and attempted to produce sexually explicit visual depictions of minor victims at two cross-country meets for middle school and high school athletes in September 2025 held in Marshall and Clarke counties and one arts and crafts festival in October 2025 held in Polk County. The Indictment also alleges that Pavlick possessed a computer containing child sexual abuse material. If convicted, Pavlick could face up to thirty years in prison on each of the charges involving production or attempted production of the visual depictions.
Pavlick made his initial court appearance yesterday before a United States Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Trial is set for February 2, 2025. Pavlick remains in custody pending trial.
United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Kerndt is prosecuting the case. The FBI Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force, Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, Des Moines Police Department, and Iowa DCI Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force are investigating this 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.
D.C. High School Teacher Arrested, Charged in Production of Child Pornography, Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – John Aaron Gass, 35, a high school history teacher at the District of Columbia International School, was charged by complaint unsealed today in U.S. District Court with production of child pornography and with enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
FBI agents arrested Gass yesterday at his home in Maryland.
According to the charging documents, Gass allegedly sexually abused a minor child beginning in the Spring of 2025. He allegedly recorded that abuse. On multiple occasions Gass climbed through the child’s bedroom window at night to sexually abuse her.
On Nov. 21, 2025, the FBI received information from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) alleging that Gass met with a minor child on multiple occasions to sexually abuse her and, on at least two occasions, used the victim’s phone to record explicit videos of himself and the child.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.
This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Bohlen for the District of Columbia.
Anyone with further information may contact 1-800-CALL-FBI.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Cuban National Indicted for Assaulting Transportation Security Officers in Las VegasRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Cuban national living in Las Vegas made his initial court appearance today for attempting to access a secure passenger boarding area using a false boarding pass and assaulting officers at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
According to allegations contained in the indictment, on November 3, 2025, Jhon Raul Vizcaino Ramirez presented a Transportation Security Administration screening officer a boarding pass in the name of another person and attempted to enter the passenger boarding area. Ramirez refused to provide his identification. When another screening officer refused to return the boarding pass, Ramirez slapped the officer. Officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department who were working at the checkpoint were advised of a disturbance and responded to the scene. Officers attempted to detain Ramirez, and he resisted. During the altercation, Ramirez twice kicked an officer and kicked a Transportation Security Officer who was assisting to detain him.
Ramirez is charged with two counts of interference with security screening personnel; two counts of assault, resisting, or impeding person assisting certain officers or employees; and one count of entry by false pretenses to secure area of any airport. A jury trial has been set for February 9, 2026, before United States District Chief Judge Andrew P. Gordon.
Ramirez, a Cuban National, was originally found by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol on October 27, 2022, near Yuma, Arizona, after he illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico. Due to a lack of detention space, he was released. Ramirez has illegally remained in the U.S. since his release. Due to his most recent arrest, Immigrations and Custom Enforcement (ICE), has placed a detainer on him, which means he will be turned over to ICE upon conclusion of his Federal criminal charges.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah and Acting Special Agent in Charge Nicole Pfeiffer, San Francisco Field Division, TSA Investigations made the announcement.
TSA Investigations with the assistance of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Tina Snellings is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Cheektowaga man pleads guilty to pointing a laser at an aircraftRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Joseph L. Crapsi, 29, of Cheektowaga, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to pointing a laser pointer at an aircraft, which carries a minimum penalty of five years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who is handling the case, stated that on March 2, 2024, a Delta Airlines flight was in flight and on approach to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Crapsi lives in the flight path of the airport and aimed the beam of a green laser pointer at the Delta Flight.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Patterson, the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Coons, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 21, 2026, before Judge Vilardo.
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Carmel Man Found Guilty of Murder and Narcotics OffensesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that a jury found DWAYNE PULLIAM guilty today of Travel Act murder, participating in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine and heroin, and the distribution and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and heroin. PULLIAM was found guilty following a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge Philip M. Halpern.
“In Carmel, New York, Dwayne Pulliam, a local drug dealer and employee of a drug rehabilitation center who had previously been convicted of and served over two decades for murder, killed one of his customers—Lori Lynn Campbell—whom he suspected of stealing crack cocaine from his business, and then drove her body to North Carolina, where he buried her in a shallow grave in the woods,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “With its verdict, the jury has held Pulliam responsible for Campbell’s murder, as well as for the harm that he sowed in both New York and Connecticut with his shameless dealing of crack and heroin. This should serve as a lesson: if you commit a crime—if you commit a murder—law enforcement will pursue you relentlessly, and the career prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to investigating and prosecuting these righteous cases. If any member of the public has information that they wish to share with us about any unsolved murder, then we encourage you to come forward.”
According to the Indictment, public court filings, and the evidence presented at trial:
PULLIAM had a lengthy criminal history, including convictions in North Carolina in 1981 for breaking and entering and larceny and assault on a female, in 1985 for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, in 1988 for possession of a firearm by a felon and trafficking cocaine, in 1992 for assault on a female and hit-and-run, and in New York in 1999 for intentional murder, for which PULLIAM was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison and released to lifetime parole on December 1, 2020.
After his release from prison, PULLIAM, who used the nickname “Doc,” got a job at a drug rehabilitation facility in Carmel, New York. He also began distributing retail quantities of crack cocaine in New York and Connecticut, including for both money and sexual favors. Additionally, he would use his customers as workers, paying them in drugs.
On or about March 28, 2022, Lori Lynn Campbell—one of PULLIAM’s customers—was at PULLIAM’s apartment in Carmel, New York. PULLIAM suspected that Campbell was stealing crack from him and his business and “tested” her by leaving a small amount of crack cocaine in a room with her. When PULLIAM returned, the crack was gone, and he confronted Campbell. When Campbell tried to leave and to scream, PULLIAM strangled Campbell to death. As PULLIAM later told one of his customers/workers, he “stopped her from screaming.”
PULLIAM picked up one of his customers/workers—who, among other things, would drive PULLIAM in return for drugs—and had the driver move Campbell’s car. PULLIAM then brought his driver back to his apartment and showed the driver Campbell’s body, saying “there’s the culprit.” PULLIAM, cajoling the driver with the promise of more drugs and threatening the driver’s family, got the driver to help him move Campbell’s body. When PULLIAM put Campbell’s body in the trunk of his car, he used enough force to break one of her vertebrae. PULLIAM then made his driver accompany him to North Carolina, where PULLIAM wrapped Campbell’s body in a plastic sheet, covered it with sulfur powder, and buried it in a shallow grave. After PULLIAM and his driver returned to New York and Connecticut, PULLIAM continued selling drugs until he was arrested in this case.
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PULLIAM, 63, of Carmel, New York, was convicted of Travel Act murder, participating in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and 28 grams and more of crack cocaine, and distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin and crack cocaine. The Travel Act murder count carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, the narcotics conspiracy count carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, and the narcotics count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum and minimum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, which also supported the prosecution through trial. He also thanked the Danbury, Connecticut, Police Department, the Connecticut State Police, the Alamance County, North Carolina Sheriff’s Office, and the Caswell County, North Carolina Police Department.
This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Maimin and T. Josiah Pertz are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialists Allison Tull and Casey Wilcox.
Billings man sentenced to 10 years in prison for distributing methamphetamineRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Billings man who distributed methamphetamine in Billings was sentenced today to 120 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Stetson Claude Nash McBride, 30, pleaded guilty in May 2025 to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement learned from a confidential informant McBride was offering to purchase methamphetamine on the Dark Web. As such, on February 21, 2024, the CI learned he/she could provide McBride $500 and acquire meth. The CI was provided with buy money, and a body wire was installed. The CI traveled to McBride’s residence. On the wire, McBride can be heard telling the CI he would provide a tracking number once he got one.
On March 11, 2024, the CI contacted law enforcement and said the package should be there today. Law enforcement learned several packages had been located going to McBride’s address. Law enforcement collected them and wrote a search warrant for one of the packages. On March 13, 2024, law enforcement opened the package pursuant to the warrant and discovered roughly 142 grams of a clear substance inside a sealed bag.
McBride’s phone was collected as part of the investigation and, pursuant to a search warrant, reviewed for evidence. Numerous messages indicative of drug dealing activity between January and March 2024 were discovered. Moreover, the suspected drugs identified above were tested and found to contain roughly 98 grams of actual methamphetamine. Also, discovered on McBride’s cellular phone were images of child sex abuse material.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department, Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, and United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
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Benjamin L. Wallace Appointed United States Attorney for the District of DelawareRead the Press Release
Wilmington, Delaware – Acting pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546(d), the United States District Court for the District of Delaware has appointed Benjamin L. Wallace to serve as the United States Attorney for the District.
Ben is a native Delawarean. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia, and his law degree from Yale Law School. After law school, Ben clerked for Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Anthony Kennedy of the Supreme Court of the United States, Judge Sri Srinivasan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Judge Raymond Kethledge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Ben also served as an attorney-adviser in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel. In that role, he advised the President and Executive Branch agencies on complex questions of constitutional and statutory law. Immediately before returning home to Delaware, Ben was a partner at the Washington, D.C., office of a national law firm.
Ben has been a member of the U.S. Attorney’s Office since 2023. As a line prosecutor, he handled all manner of federal cases, from gang-related homicides to complex financial frauds. In July 2025, Ben became the First Assistant U.S. Attorney, supervising all criminal prosecutions and all civil suits brought by or against the United States in the District.
U.S. Attorney Wallace stated, “I am honored to serve my home state as the U.S. Attorney. I will work tirelessly to ensure that justice is administered effectively and evenhandedly here in Delaware. I want to thank the President, the Attorney General, and the Judges of our District Court for the confidence they have placed in me. I also want to thank my predecessor, Julianne Murray, for her partnership and her steadfast service to the state. I pledge to do my utmost to uphold the proud traditions of our exemplary U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware, please visit our website and follow us on social media.
Battle Creek Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Intending to Sell FentanylRead the Press Release
Carmouche-Heath possessed over 1 kilogram of fentanyl, including over 4,700 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that Nazzarie Acoy Carmouche-Heath, 29, of Battle Creek, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing and intending to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl.
U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey said, “Prosecuting fentanyl dealers is always a priority for my office because this drug is particularly deadly. It is easy for casual drug users to overdose on this drug, especially when it is disguised as some other controlled substance like it was here. The DEA and the Battle Creek Police Department saved a lot of lives when they seized Carmouche-Heath’s drug stash.”
During a search of Carmouche-Heath’s Battle Creek residence in March 2025, officers found over 1 kilogram of fentanyl, two firearms, thousands of dollars of cash, and what appeared to be an area designed to manufacture counterfeit fentanyl pills in the basement, which included scales, trays, packaging material, a blender, Tupperware sifters, a pill press, and cutting agents. Officers found 4,714 blue pills designed to look like the opioid analgesic Oxycodone (M/30), but in fact, contained fentanyl. During an interview, Carmouche-Heath admitted he possessed the fentanyl and intended to sell it. Carmouche-Heath previously pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl on August 21 2025, which was National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day.
“This sentencing underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting our communities from the deadly threat of fentanyl,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph O. Dixon. “We will be relentless in our pursuit of those who peddle this and other illicit poisons. With every resource and law enforcement partner, the DEA will continue to protect and save American lives.”
Counterfeit pills are fake medications that have different ingredients than the actual medication. They may contain no active ingredient, the wrong active ingredient, or have the right ingredient but in an incorrect quantity. Counterfeit pills may contain lethal amounts of fentanyl and are extremely dangerous because they often appear identical to legitimate prescription pills, and the user is likely unaware of what the pills contain.
For more information on counterfeit pills and they dangers they pose, see this Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Fact Sheet and the DEA’s One Pill Can Kill website, www.dea.gov/onepill.
DEA and BCPD investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan McGraw prosecuted it.
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 perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines the efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
316 New Immigration Cases Filed in Western District of Texas This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today that federal prosecutors in the district filed 316 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Dec. 5 to Dec. 11. Charges were brought against illegal aliens with past convictions for violent crimes and DWIs, as well as alleged human smugglers and aliens with prior removals.
Francisco Javier Navarro-Ramirez, a Legal Permanent Resident born in Mexico, was arrested near Tornillo and charged with human smuggling. A criminal complaint alleges Navarro-Ramirez was the driver of a vehicle travelling at high speeds with multiple individuals inside. Navarro-Ramirez allegedly did not yield to U.S. Border Patrol emergency lights and was eventually stopped by a tire deflation device deployed by a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper. The complaint alleges that Navarro-Ramirez was quickly apprehended after he attempted to flee on foot, and five illegal aliens were found inside the vehicle.
A Salvadoran national was arrested by USBP agents near Maverick for being illegally present in the U.S. Douglas Alexis Bautista-Arevalo was removed to El Salvador for the second time on Sept. 4 and has been previously convicted for two DWIs. In March, he was convicted for assault causing bodily injury to a family member.
In Austin, Mexican nationals Juan David Barajas-Armas and Noe Mendez-Salazar were each charged with illegal re-entry. Barajas-Armas has two prior removals and has been convicted of three DWIs and obstructing a highway/passageway. Mendez-Salazar has also been removed twice before and has three DWI convictions.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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11 December 2025
‘21st & Vietnam’ Defendant Sentenced to 16 Years for Fentanyl Trafficking and Assault While ArmedRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Trevon Palmer, 30, a key member of the violent D.C. drug trafficking crew known as “21st and Vietnam,” was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 192 months in prison for his role in running an open-air drug market in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Palmer pleaded guilty on Sept. 12, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and to aggravated assault while armed. In addition to the 192-month prison term, Judge Beryl A. Howell ordered Palmer to serve five years of supervised release.
Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement were FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office, DEA Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis of the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to court documents, the 21st & Vietnam crew centered their open-air drug market near the interesection of 21st Street and Maryland Avenue, NE, and used an apartment building on the 1900 block of I Street as their base of operations. The crew distributed significant quantities of narcotics, including crack cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, phencyclidine (PCP), and n-n-dimethylpentylone (boot).
Palmer was one of the most prolific sellers of narcotics. Between late November 2023 and March 2024, Palmer made 12 sales – totalling about 300 grams of fentanyl – to undercover agents. Palmer also sold crack cocaine and methamphetamine.
On April 19, 2024, Palmer and co-defendant Briyon Shuford sought to target members of a rival crew. As they drove in a stolen car midday along the 1200 block of Mt. Olivet Road, NE, they shot and injured four people near a convenience store. Shuford was sentenced to 161 months for drug conspiracy and the drive-by shooting.
This investigation was a multi-agency effort between the Violent Crime Investigations Team of the Violent Crime Suppression Division of the Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI Washington Field Office’s Cross-Border Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division, the District of Columbia National Guard Counter Drug Program, and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Duvall and Solomon Eppel of the Violent Crime Reduction and Narcotics Trafficking Section.
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York Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud for Submission of Fraudulent PPP Loan ApplicationsRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Dommonick T. Chatman, age 50, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion to one count of bank fraud in connection with numerous fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications that were filed, with his knowledge and approval, through his business, The Chatman Group, LLC.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Chatman admitted that over the course of several months in 2021, he either participated in preparing, or approved of another employee’s preparation of, fraudulent PPP loan applications for almost twenty different individuals. The total amount of funds requested in connection with such loans exceeded $400,000, and the amount disbursed in response to such applications was approximately $341,438.82. Chatman agreed to pay restitution to the U.S. Government in the amount of $341,438.82 in connection with his guilty plea.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law that was enacted in March 2020 and designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID- 19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization, through the PPP, of hundreds of billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses. As part of the program requirements, businesses had to use PPP loan proceeds for certain expenses, such as payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, utilities, and worker-protection expenditures related to COVID-19. The PPP allowed the interest and principal on the loan to be entirely forgiven if the business spent the loan proceeds on eligible expenses within a designated period of time and used a certain percentage of the PPP loan proceeds on payroll expenses.
To obtain a PPP loan, a qualifying small business was required to apply for it and provide information on its operations, including the number of employees and expenses. In addition, businesses generally had to provide supporting documentation.
Chatman admitted that numerous applications filed through his business were fraudulent because the applicants either did not have businesses that were in existence as of February 15, 2020, as required by the PPP rules, or did not have the income required to get a PPP loan for the amounts that they were requesting in their respective applications. Chatman admitted that he had prepared tax returns for a number of these applicants, as they were existing clients of The Chatman Group whom he knew personally. Chatman therefore knew that these clients’ applications were fraudulent.
Chatman also admitted that he received approximately 5% of each individual loan, or about $1,000, for each loan application that his company filed. When an employee assisted in the processing of these applications, Chatman shared the proceeds with this employee.
Finally, Chatman admitted to obstructing the government’s investigation by disposing of a handwritten list of the names of clients who had received PPP loan applications through his company.
The U.S. Attorney General previously established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ravi Romel Sharma and K. Wesley Mishoe are prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for bank fraud is 30 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
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Wichita man indicted for firearms chargesRead the Press Release
TOPEKA, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Topeka returned an indictment charging a Kansas man with multiple illegal firearms offenses.
According to court documents, Charles E. Colbert Jr., 26, of Wichita was indicted on one count of illegal possession of a machine gun and one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katie Andrusak 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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Wetzel County Man Sentenced for Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Robert Lee Lemasters, 62, of Paden City, West Virginia, was sentenced to 41 months in prison for the possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement received a tip that Lemasters had child pornography on his cell phone. A search of Lemasters’ phone uncovered hundreds of images and videos depicting children in sexual situations.
Lemasters will serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Conklin prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Probation Office investigated.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Venezuelan National Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Bank TheftRead the Press Release
Gulfport, MS – A Venezuelan national pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to steal funds from multiple Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) in Jackson County, Mississippi.
According to records and information presented to the Court, Favian David Aparicio-Linares, 19, was arrested in Jackson County, Mississippi on November 9, 2025, after concerned citizens alerted the Pascagoula Police to two suspicious individuals near a Bank on Market Street in Pascagoula. When officers arrived on scene, Aparicio-Linares and the other individual fled. But Aparico-Linares was apprehended. In addition to apprehending Aparicio-Linares, officers also recovered multiple electronic devices from the vehicle in which Aparicio-Linares and the other suspect fled.
Examinations of these devices demonstrated that Aparicio-Linares and the other suspect traveled from out of state to Mississippi to steal funds from ATMs. Law enforcement agents were also able to determine that Aparicio-Linares and the other suspect were going to use malware to force the ATMs to dispense he funds contained within each machine.
The Defendant will be sentenced on April 28, 2026. He faces a maximum of 5 years imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger for the Southern District of Mississippi, and Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff of the FBI Jackson Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI, with the assistance of the Pascagoula Police Department, are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Buckner is prosecuting the case.
This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Mississippi Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline). HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Undocumented Felon Sentenced for Re-Entering the United States IllegallyRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, VI – United States Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced today that a Dominican Republic national, Tommy Walter Ramirez, 36, was sentenced to 20 months’ incarceration by Chief District Judge Robert Molloy.
According to court documents, on May 24, 2025, Homeland Security Investigations, Enforcement and Removal agents and the United States Marshals apprehended Tommy Walter Ramirez. When apprehended, Ramirez did not have any identification on him. A biometric fingerprint check came back positive for Ramirez, who was assigned an alien registration number by Citizen and Immigration Services (CIS).
Record checks revealed that on April 22, 2022, Ramirez was deported from the United States to the Dominican Republic and ordered not to return. A review of Ramirez’s immigration file did not show any legal entries into the United States, nor did Ramirez show any proof that he was given advance, written permission to re-enter the United States by the United States Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Further, Ramirez’s criminal history showed that while residing illegally in the Virgin Islands, Ramirez sustained two felony convictions for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Natasha Baker.Two Men Sentenced for $17M COVID-19 Unemployment FraudRead the Press Release
Two Cordele, Georgia, men were sentenced today for their participation in a scheme to defraud the Georgia Department of Labor (GaDOL) out of millions of dollars in benefits meant to assist unemployed individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Malcolm Jeffrey, 34, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $16,958,372 in restitution. Gerard Towns, 34, was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay $365,066 in restitution.
“The defendants orchestrated an egregious scheme to steal $17 million of unemployment insurance payouts using stolen identities,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These defendants exploited a government program designed to alleviate economic hardship to line their own pockets. The sentencings today demonstrate that the Criminal Division will hold accountable fraudsters who steal from the public fisc.”
“Malcolm Jeffrey, Gerard Towns, and their co-conspirators participated in an unemployment insurance fraud scheme that targeted the Georgia Department of Labor,” said Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG) Southeast Region. “The conspirators submitted fraudulent UI claims using the stolen identities of identity theft victims to obtain debit cards loaded with UI benefits. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who attempt to exploit these vital U.S. Department of Labor programs.”
“Exploiting pandemic relief programs meant to help Americans at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic for personal enrichment is unconscionable,” said Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari Ph.D., of The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG). “DHS-OIG will continue to prioritize pandemic-related fraud investigations and work with our law enforcement partners to bring perpetrators to justice.”
“Today’s sentencings emphasize our dedication and commitment to holding individuals accountable who exploit federal relief programs for personal gain, “said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). “As proven in this case, our criminal investigators along with our law enforcement partners will work together and diligently pursue anyone who attempts to exploit programs created to help legitimate people and businesses affected by the global pandemic.”
“IRS Criminal Investigation special agents are continuing finding and holding accountable criminals who defrauded COVID-19 programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Atlanta Field Office. “With the passage and signing of bills in 2022 establishing 10-year statute of limitations for those who defrauded the COVID-19 programs, I want to put those who stole from the taxpayers on notice that it is only a matter of time before IRS-CI special agents and our law enforcement partners uncover their crimes and bring them to justice.”
Jeffrey and Towns are the last of 12 defendants sentenced in connection with Operation Cordele Partial, one of the largest domestic unemployment insurance (UI) fraud investigations in the history of the DOL. Operation Cordele Partial uncovered multiple massive schemes based in central Georgia that defrauded the GaDOL of over $45 million and involved over 20 states unemployment insurance programs.
According to court documents and evidence presented in court, from March 2020 through November 2022, Jeffrey, Towns, and their co-conspirators caused more than 2,500 fraudulent UI claims to be filed with the GaDOL, resulting in at least $17 million in stolen benefits.
To execute these schemes, the defendants and their co-conspirators created fictitious employers and fabricated lists of purported employees using personally identifiable information (PII) from thousands of identity theft victims and filed fraudulent UI claims on the GaDOL website. The co-conspirators obtained PII for use in the scheme from a variety of sources, including by paying an employee of an Atlanta-area health care and hospital network to unlawfully obtain patients’ PII from the hospital’s databases, and by purchasing PII from other sources over the internet. Using victims’ PII, the co-conspirators caused the stolen UI funds to be disbursed via prepaid debit cards mailed to various locations in Georgia.
In June 2025, Towns pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. In August 2025, Jeffrey was convicted at trial of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
DOL-OIG, DHS-OIG, IRS-CI, USPS-OIG, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Lyndie Freeman, Siji Moore, and Kyle Crawford of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.