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Wednesday 1 October 2025
Little Eagle Woman Sentenced to 3 Years of Federal Probation for Committing Child AbuseRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a woman from Little Eagle, South Dakota, convicted of Child Abuse. The sentencing took place on September 29, 2025.
Taleeya Rose Bird Horse, age 25, was sentenced to three years of federal probation and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Bird Horse was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024. She pleaded guilty on June 16, 2025.
The conviction stems from conduct that occurred between May 12, 2023, and November 21, 2023, when Bird Horse and co-defendant Leslie Bobtail Bear severely neglected their baby, leading to the child’s emergency hospitalization. The conduct occurred within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation.
Bobtail Bear also pleaded guilty to Child Abuse and was sentenced on September 15, 2025, to nine months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, authorizes certain crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country to be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.
Kenel Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Abuse of a MinorRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a man from Kenel, South Dakota, convicted of two counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. The sentencing took place on September 29, 2025.
Jesse Norman White Bull, age 45, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison, followed by ten years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
White Bull was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024. He was convicted on July 10, 2025, following a three-day federal jury trial.
At trial, the evidence established that on multiple occasions between June 1, 2023, and July 31, 2023, White Bull sexually abused a juvenile girl, who was then between the ages of twelve and thirteen years old. The abuse included White Bull’s acts of groping the child’s genitalia under her clothing. The offenses occurred within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation.
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 brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.
White Bull was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Jefferson County Man Sentenced to More than 10 Years in Prison on Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Jefferson County man has been sentenced on drug and gun charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
U.S. District Court Judge Annemarie Axon sentenced Wayne Carnell Brown, 74, of Birmingham, to 130 months in prison. In February, Brown pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to the plea agreement, on July 1, 2024, the Birmingham Police Department Narcotics Unit executed a search warrant on Brown’s residence. Detectives recovered multiple firearms, bulk cash, crack cocaine, powder cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and digital scales during the search.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case, along with the Birmingham Police Department and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison Garnett prosecuted the case.
Individual Associated with the 5-9 Brims Gang Charged in Connection with August 17, 2025 Mass Shooting in Crown HeightsRead the Press Release
A complaint was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Elijah Roy, also known as “Eli Spice” and “Swervo,” with crimes related to the August 17, 2025 shooting at Taste of the City Lounge in Brooklyn, New York, in which three individuals were murdered and an additional 10 were shot and injured. Specifically, Roy is charged with assault in-aid-of racketeering and with being a felon in possession of ammunition. The defendant is an associate of the 5-9 Brims, a subset of the Bloods street gang, operating in and around Brooklyn.
Roy was arrested on September 18, 2025 in North Carolina. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the complaint this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD) announced the charges and arrests.
“As alleged, the defendant and other associates of a violent gang unleashed gunfire in the middle of a crowded bar, creating a killing zone that, in a matter of seconds, left three people dead and 10 victims wounded,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Such a flagrant disregard for human life will not go unpunished and this prosecution underscores the resolve of our Office and law enforcement to eradicate gangs in the district. It is my hope that this arrest will give some comfort to the victims’ loved ones and the traumatized survivors of this heinous crime.”
Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to FBI/NYPD Metro Safe Streets Task Force, Brooklyn South Homicide Squad, the 71st Precinct Detective Squad, Brooklyn South Video Collection Team, and the first responders to this mass casualty shooting incident.
“Elijah Roy, a Bloods associate, allegedly participated in a mass shooting in a crowded local restaurant, killing three and significantly injuring another ten in about six seconds,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia. “This alleged act of egregious violence harmed bystanders caught in the crosshairs of a gang’s territorial dispute. These Summer Heat arrests reflect the FBI’s unwavering determination to dismantle all criminal enterprises using our city for their turf war.”
“The charges brought against Elijah Roy marks another step forward in our mission to dismantle the violent street gangs that terrorize our communities with illegal firearms,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “Alleged associates of the 5-9 Brims Gang turned a crowded club into a scene of carnage when they opened fire on their rivals, killing three people and wounding ten more. I would like to thank our NYPD investigators, including the Gun Violence Suppression Division who have carried out the most gang takedowns in the unit’s history this year, and our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI for their hard work.”
As set forth in the criminal complaint, in the early morning hours of August 17, 2025, the defendant was present at Taste of the City Lounge, a restaurant and hookah bar in Brooklyn, New York. Roy was with other associates of the 5-9 Brims, including Marvin St. Louis, who died as a result of the shooting. Also present at the Lounge were individuals associated with the Folk Nation Gangster Disciples (or “GD”), a rival of the 5-9 Brims that operates in and around Brooklyn, New York, including Jamel Childs, another victim of the shooting. At approximately 3 a.m., associates of the 5-9 Brims began shooting at associates of GD, who returned fire. Roy then proceeded to shoot back towards where Childs and the group of GDs were standing. Within approximately six seconds, over 40 shots were discharged by the defendant and others into the crowded bar. As a result of the shooting three people died and ten were shot and injured.
The charges in the complaint are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Dana Rehnquist and Daniel J. Marcus are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialists Samantha Ward, Paul Padilla and Elizabeth Reed.
The Defendant:
ELIJAH ROY (also known as “Eli Spice” and “Swervo”)
Age: 25
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-MJ-262
Illegal alien sentenced to 20 years for producing child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
Editor's Note:
This matter occurred on date indicated, but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.LAREDO, Texas – A 45-year-old Mexican national has been sentenced for sexual exploitation of a child, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Felipe Hernandez-Mata pleaded guilty March 3.
U.S. District Judge John Kazen has sentenced Hernandez-Mata to serve 240 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court also heard additional information from the victim’s relative who described how the family trusted Hernandez-Mata and were shocked by what he did, commenting on how the trauma has deeply affected the child. In handing down the prison term, the court noted Hernandez-Mata effectively destroyed the minor victim’s life by exploiting her when he offered her money in exchange for child sexual abuse material. Hernandez-Mata was further ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution and will serve 10 years of supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Hernandez-Mata will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
“The American people have little patience for those that produce child sexual abuse material, particularly for those abusers who are illegally in the country,” said Ganjei. “The Southern District of Texas is committed to a secure southern border, which will keep people like Hernandez-Mata out of our country and away from our children.”
Hernandez-Mata admitted to asking a minor to take sexual images and videos of herself in exchange for money. He also admitted to sending the minor a photo of his genitalia.
The investigation began when a relative reported suspicious communications indicating Hernandez-Mata had directed the minor to send him nude photos.
Forensic analysis of the victim’s cell phone revealed Hernandez-Mata received, at his own direction, approximately 25 images and two videos containing child sexual abuse material. There were also images from Hernandez-Mata of various amounts of money.
He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Laredo Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine A. Cortez prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Illegal Alien Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – An illegal alien has been sentenced for producing child pornography involving a minor victim, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
U.S. District Court Judge Annemarie Axon sentenced Juan Martin Sanchez-Suarez, 24, a citizen of Mexico, to 360 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release. This conviction will require Sanchez-Suarez to register as a sex offender in accordance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). As part of his sentence, Sanchez-Suarez was ordered to pay a $3,000 special assessment under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Act. In November, Sanchez-Suarez pleaded guilty to production of child pornography.
According to the plea agreement, Sanchez-Suarez filmed himself engaging in a sex act with a 12-year-old female child. Sanchez-Suarez created the video without the child’s knowledge. He later sent the video to the child. Sanchez-Suarez was aware of the child’s age and told her that as long as neither of them told anyone, they would not get in trouble.
The Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case, along with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Lipscomb Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel S. McBrayer prosecuted the case.
If you believe someone is the victim of child sexual exploitation, please contact the Know2Protect tip line at 1-833-591-KNOW. All information received via the tipline will be reviewed by appropriate personnel and referred to HSI field offices for potential investigation. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at www.cybertipline.org.
ICE takes very seriously its obligation to enforce our nation’s immigration and customs laws, and employs practices that are intended to accomplish this in a fair, efficient, and professional manner. If you have information, you may call our public tip line at 1-866-DHS-2ICE (866-347-2423). For further information related to ICE, please visit our website at www.ice.gov.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit
www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Benjamin Vasquez-Hernandez, a/k/a Benjamin Vasquez, a/k/a Benjamin Santiago Vasquez, age 53, a Honduran national unlawfully present in Muskogee, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not more than two years, and a fine of not more than $250,000.00.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division.
The Indictment alleged that on July 31, 2025, Vasquez-Hernandez, an alien, was found in the United States without obtaining the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States after having been previously removed on September 13, 2019.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Vasquez-Hernandez will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dak T. Cohen represented the United States.
ISIS Supporter Pleads Guilty to Material Support of TerrorismRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Abdisatar Ahmed Hassan, 23, pleaded guilty today to one count of Attempting to Provide Material Support and Resources to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
“There is no margin for error when it comes to terrorism,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “Hassan flew the ISIS flag, venerated attacks on the homeland, and wanted to kill Americans. We are not taking chances. We will not let Minnesota become a safe haven for terrorists.”
According to court documents, the FBI received a tip of an online social media user publicly supporting Al Shabab, and later ISIS, in multiple posts. Both Al Shabab and ISIS have been designated by the Secretary of State as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Further investigation showed that the posts were made by Hassan’s social media accounts. Hassan’s social media posts included, among other things, propaganda videos calling for jihad, or holy war, in Somalia, the overthrow of the Somali government and establishment of an Islamic caliphate, and logos of the black ISIS flag. Hassan highlighted and praised ISIS and ISIS-inspired terrorist attacks, both globally and in the United States, including the January 1, 2025 New Orleans attacker who killed 14 individuals. The day after the attack, Hassan referred to this murderer as “the legend that killed Americans.”
In December 2024, Hassan twice attempted to travel one-way from Minnesota to Somalia, via Ethiopia, with the intent to join and fight on behalf of ISIS. FBI agents conducted surveillance of Hassan on both attempts. On the first attempt, Hassan was denied boarding by the airline, because he did not have proper travel documents. After purchasing additional travel documents, including a visa, Hassan again attempted to travel to Somalia to join ISIS on the same one-way itinerary. Customs and Border Protection agents in Chicago interviewed and conducted a secondary inspection of Hassan and his belongings before his international flight to Ethiopia. Inside Hassan’s only carry-on bag, agents found Hassan’s birth certificate, naturalization certificate, and high school diploma.
An inspection of Hassan’s cell phones revealed multiple social media posts supporting ISIS and jihad, direct messages with an ISIS media wing, as well as text exchanges with an apparent ISIS recruiter, whom Hassan referred to as “uncle” and “commander,” discussing Hassan’s travel to Somalia and referencing the “battlefield.” Agents also located two downloaded .pdf documents regarding sniper skills and sniper trading within a social media messaging app channel displaying the ISIS flag as a logo.
During the interview, Hassan admitted that he supports ISIS, regularly views and posts ISIS propaganda on social media, and professed his belief in establishing an Islamic caliphate.
In February 2025, Hassan posted two videos of himself while driving his car. One video briefly displayed an unfolded buck-style knife on Hassan’s lap and the other video showed Hassan holding a homemade black ISIS flag while driving.
At the time of his arrest by FBI agents in late February 2025, the FBI seized two cellphones and the folding buck-style knife, noted above, on Hassan’s person, and the homemade black ISIS flag in Hassan’s vehicle. During a warrant-authorized search of Hassan’s cellphones, the FBI discovered, among other things, various .pdf files, some in Arabic, consisting of instruction manuals on making explosive C-4, explosive urea nitrate, explosive hexamine, explosive HMTD, and ammunition. The search also revealed a messaging app exchange from December 21, 2024 wherein Hassan stated, “I will become ISIS straight away.” Additionally, the cellphones revealed numerous internet searches about ISIS and ISIS activities between December 2024 and February 2025, including such terms as: “Somalia weapons,” “gun ranges,” “isis areas,” “urea fertilizer,” and “isis supporter America.”
“Today’s guilty plea reflects many hours of hard work by agents and analysts from the FBI,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. “Keeping Minnesota safe from those who support Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations like ISIS and Al Shabab is a top priority of the FBI. ISIS and Al Shabab represent a clear threat to all Americans. We will identify and investigate anyone foolish enough to provide support to these terrorists.”
Hassan pleaded guilty this morning to Attempting to Provide Material Support and Resources to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization before District Judge Donovan W. Frank in U.S. District Court. The defendant’s sentencing hearing will be held at a later date. The defendant has been detained throughout this case and remains detained pending his sentencing.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, Customs and Border Protection, and the New York Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar is prosecuting the case.
Final two members of deadly human smuggling ring sent to federal prisonRead the Press Release
Editor's Note:
This matter occurred on date indicated, but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Two Starr County residents have been sentenced for conspiring to smuggle illegal aliens from the Rio Grande Valley to other parts of the United States which resulted in multiple deaths, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Julia Isairis Torres, 39, and Erasmo Garcia, 24, Roma, pleaded guilty Sept. 27, 2023, and Oct. 3, 2023, respectively.
U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera has now imposed a 48-month-term of imprisonment for Torres, while Garcia received 32 months. Both must also serve two years of supervised release following their sentences. In handing down the prison terms, Judge Olvera noted the severity of human smuggling and admonished both that should they ever return to criminal activity, they could be facing extensive time in federal prison.
On March 24, 2019, law enforcement attempted to stop a Nissan Xterra in Duval County. The vehicle failed to stop, crossed into oncoming traffic and eventually overturned, killing four illegal aliens and seriously injuring six others.
The victims were from the countries Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Ecuador. One victim was a minor.
“Human smuggling is a dangerous and deadly business. Here, the reckless actions by these smugglers claimed four lives and endangered law-abiding citizens traveling on our roads,” Ganjei said. “If you’re thinking of employing an alien smuggler, think again. They will gladly risk your life—or sacrifice it—to make a few bucks.”
As part of their pleas, Torres and Garcia admitted to conspiring to transport illegal aliens using vehicles. Garcia admitted acting as a scout, while Torres admitted to recruiting others to serve as scouts during the smuggling attempt.
Garcia will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Torres was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol, Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, Police Departments in Port Mansfield and South Padre Island, Texas Rangers, Texas Game Wardens, Sheriff’s offices in Kenedy, Duval and Willacy Counties and the Willacy County District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jose E. Arreola Jr. and Jose Esquivel Jr. prosecuted the case.
Detroit Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing and Attempting to Rob Banks and Credit UnionsRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Dorian Trevor Sykes, 42, of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty today to four counts of bank and credit union robbery and an attempted bank robbery, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon.
Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Reuben C. Coleman, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to court documents, between March 6 and 12, 2025, Sykes robbed two credit unions and one bank of over $20,000 and attempted to rob one bank. In the last two incidents, Sykes used a high-end luxury car – rented at over $1,000 per day – which he also used to lead police on a high-speed chase.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 17, 2026. A conviction for bank and credit union robbery or attempted bank robbery carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
This case was investigated by the FBI Macomb County Gang and Violent Crime Task Force, with assistance from Sterling Heights Police Department, Livonia Police Department, Redford Township Police Department, and Lathrup Village Police Department. This case was prosecuted by the Violent and Major Crimes Unit of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Corpus Christi man sentenced for sexual exploitation of a childRead the Press Release
Editor's Note:
This matter occurred on date indicated, but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 20-year-old Corpus Christi resident has been ordered to prison for distribution of child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Angel Valdez pleaded guilty April 28.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos has now sentenced Valdez to 72 months in federal prison. In handing down the prison term, the court noted the severity of the offense and Valdez’s past criminal conduct. Valdez was further ordered to serve 10 years on supervised release following the completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Valdez will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
The investigation began in December 2023 when Valdez left a comment on a social media page supporting the work of an individual sentenced to prison in Australia for animal cruelty. Australian law enforcement subsequently began undercover conversations with Valdez, in which he spoke about his interest in animal cruelty and CSAM.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant June 28, 2024, which resulted in the discovery of a laptop containing CSAM. Valdez also admitted he had participated in distributing CSAM.
Valdez will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and Corpus Christi Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of authorities in Australia.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Overman prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Columbus man sentenced to life in prison for leading narcotics, sex trafficking & financial fraud conspiraciesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man was sentenced in federal court here today to life in prison for leading drug, sex trafficking and financial fraud conspiracies and then attempting to obstruct justice and tamper with witnesses. The defendant caused an overdose death, coerced addicts into prostitution, and used threats, violence, and manipulation of drug dependencies to ensure individuals carried out his criminal schemes.
Ricco Lamonte Maye, 43, was found guilty on all counts in November 2024 following a three-week jury trial.
“Ricco Maye used unrelenting violence as a tool to maintain control of the people he needed to carry out his many criminal schemes and finance his criminal lifestyle. His actions caused lives to be lost and numerous women to endure physical and emotional pain,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. “The devastating repercussions of his actions in this case, the many years of violence that are documented in his criminal history, and his continuing disregard for the harm he has caused all warrant the life sentence he received today.”
Court documents and trial testimony detail that Maye used individuals to buy and sell drugs, sell women for sex, and fraudulently apply online for COVID-19 relief funds. Proceeds from all the crimes went to the defendant.
Beginning in at least 2018, Maye’s drug trafficking organization primarily distributed narcotics to addicts in street-level quantities. He regularly purchased narcotics from supply sources both inside and outside of Ohio and used addicts to help sell the drugs in Columbus. In addition to cash, Maye would accept stolen goods, gift cards, Social Security numbers, and other items as payment for the drugs.
Maye initially gave drugs to women for free and later manipulated their addiction by requiring them to earn drug money through prostitution. Maye provided the means for the women to engage in prostitution – frequently obtaining hotel rooms, having the women driven to the hotels, providing cell phones, and directing Internet prostitution ads. Maye collected the prostitution proceeds, enforced specific rules on the women, and punished the women through physical violence.
Maye also provided fentanyl that resulted in an overdose death. In November 2018, Maye communicated with the victim in the hours before his death. The victim had been obtaining cocaine from Maye off and on for years and sought to obtain cocaine from Maye again on the night of his death. Maye was out of town but instructed his co-conspirators to complete the drug sale to the victim. The co-conspirator gave the victim a fatal dose of fentanyl from Maye’s stash instead of the cocaine the victim sought.
Trial testimony detailed that Maye used violence against victims as part of overseeing his drug trafficking organization, including “stomping victims out,” smacking them, punching them, breaking their bones and knocking out their teeth.
In a financial conspiracy, Maye and other defendants filed for and received more than $30,000 in fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. Maye kept all or a portion of the others’ benefits.
Maye was originally charged by indictment in November 2020. Approximately one year later, the grand jury returned a 13-count third superseding indictment that charged Maye and 10 of his-coconspirators. After his initial arrest, while Maye remained in custody, he attempted to obstruct the ongoing investigation into his sex trafficking and other criminal activities and conspired to tamper with witnesses. Maye’s obstruction of justice included his directing the threatened murder of a potential government witness.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; John Smerglia, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Adam Lawson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General; Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and other officials with the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, which was formed under Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, announced the guilty verdicts. Senior Litigation Counsel Heather A. Hill and Assistant United States Attorney Kevin W. Kelley represented the United States in this case.
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Clinic owner arrested in multimillion-dollar fraud scheme involving non-existent psychotherapy servicesRead the Press Release
Editor's Note:
This matter occurred on date indicated, but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.HOUSTON – A 47-year-old Houston resident has been taken into custody for his alleged role in a $4 million Medicare fraud and identity theft scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Dempsey Spears made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Bennett.
A federal grand jury in Houston returned a nine-count indictment Sept. 23, which was unsealed upon his arrest. The indictment alleges that from 2016 to 2024, Spears submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for psychotherapy services that were never provided.
According to court documents, Spears owned and operated two mental health clinics – Transitional Life Counseling and Consultation in Texas City and Spears Community Services in Mesquite. He allegedly continued billing under the names of seven licensed clinical social workers after they resigned from TLCC. The charges further allege he submitted claims for services purportedly provided to Medicare beneficiaries who were deceased at the time of the billed treatment.
From 2016 to 2023, Spears allegedly billed Medicare approximately $4 million in fraudulent psychotherapy claims tied to the seven former LCSWs and was paid approximately $1.5 million.
If convicted, Spears faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each count of health care fraud. He could also receive an additional two years for aggravated identity theft which must be served consecutively to any other prison term imposed. The charges also carry a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
The Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Olson is prosecuting the case.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
California Woman Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Threatening Federal Judge in Northern District of TexasRead the Press Release
A California woman was sentenced today to the statutory maximum sentence after pleading guilty to transmitting an interstate threat to a United States District Judge based in the Northern District of Texas, announced Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson.
Dolly Patterson admitted in court that on or about April 16, 2023, she knowingly sent a threatening message via an online “Contact Us” form directed at a federal judge in Amarillo. The message, transmitted from California to Texas, read: “Tell that anti-abortion judge he better watch his back . . . for the rest of his life!”
Ms. Patterson acknowledged that she sent the message with the intent that it be perceived as a genuine threat and with knowledge that it would be viewed as such. She further agreed that the communication constituted a true threat to injure another person under federal law.“The safety of our federal judiciary is paramount,” said Acting United States Attorney Nancy Larson. “Threats of violence to our judges are becoming all too common—whether made online or in person. Such threats are illegal and will be prosecuted.”
The investigation was conducted by the United States Marshals Service.
Brazilian National, in U.S. Illegally, Sentenced to 16 Months in Prison for Forcibly Assaulting, Resisting, Opposing, Impeding, Intimidating, and Interfering with Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Enmanuel Fernandes-Calixto, aka Emanuel Fernandes and Emanuel Bartholomew, 21, a Brazilian national illegally in the United States, was sentenced today to 16 months in prison and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Karen S. Marston, for forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with an officer of the United States while the officer was engaged in the performance of his official duties.
As detailed in court filings, on April 2, 2025, an officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO) arrested Fernandes-Calixto for immigration violations. During transport, the defendant attempted to escape, and, while still handcuffed, pushed the officer, then attempted to strike the officer several times. The defendant ultimately escaped during the struggle and hid in a house in Northeast Philadelphia. He was apprehended later that evening, with the assistance of the Philadelphia Police Department SWAT team.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
The case was investigated by ICE ERO.
Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.
Adair County Resident Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing 244 FirearmsRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that James Michael Young, Jr., age 43, of Bunch, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition, punishable by statutory up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Indictment charged Young with knowingly possessing 244 firearms and 40 rounds of ammunition on October 29, 2024, after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Young will remain on bond with conditions of release pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Tuesday 30 September 2025
Women from Slayton, Minnesota, and Aberdeen, South Dakota, Convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled SubstanceRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a woman from Slayton, Minnesota, and a woman from Aberdeen, South Dakota, both convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.
Alexis Mertens, 28, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. The sentencing took place on September 22, 2025.
Brandy Christman, 39, was sentenced to six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. The sentencing took place on September 29, 2025.
Mertens and Christman were indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in November 2024. Mertens pleaded guilty on June 24, 2025. Christman pleaded guilty on June 11, 2025.
Christman and Mertens were involved in selling methamphetamine to others within South Dakota between 2023 and December 2024. Christman was arrested after law enforcement found her in possession of 172 grams of methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the DEA. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Joyce prosecuted the case.
Mertens and Christman were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Veazie Man Pleads Guilty to Enticing Minors and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Veazie man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to two counts of enticing a minor and one count of possessing child pornography.
According to court records, in 2022 and again in 2024, Austin Cocchiaro, 24, used his cell phone to induce a minor to participate in the production of child pornography. He also offered to pay for images using an online payment application. On November 14, 2024, the FBI executed a search warrant at Cocchiaro’s home in Veazie, resulting in the discovery of additional child pornography on two cell phones he owned.
Cocchiaro faces from 10 years to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI investigated the case.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.
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Unlawful Possession of a Glock Pistol Nets Convicted Felon 14-Month Prison SentenceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Davon Sargent, 30, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 14 months in prison in connection with his illegal possession of a pistol, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Sargent pleaded guilty June 18, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the 14 month prison sentence, Judge Berman Jackson ordered Sargent to serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, on Sept. 17, 2024, Metropolitan Police officers were on patrol on the 1400 block of H Street when they observed a black Chevrolet Cruise. The vehicle was traveling with its trunk open and failed to stop for a red light.
The officers pulled over the car in a parking lot on the 1500 block of Maryland Avenue NE. Sargent was the sole occupant of the vehicle. An officer approached the driver's side and observed Sargent leaning forward with his right arm between his thighs as if concealing something. Suspecting the Sargent was armed, the officer asked Sargent to step out of the car.
Sargent got out. Then he immediately attempted to push past the officers in an attempt to escape. As Sargent struggled flee, one of the officers felt a hard object at Sargent’s waistband which the officer recognized to be a handgun. Officers subdued Sargent and recovered a black 9mm Glock 26 pistol from under Sargent’s clothing. The weapon was loaded with one round in the chamber and 15 rounds of ammunition in its magazine
Sargent previously had pleaded guilty to carrying a pistol without a license and therefore could not lawfully possess firearm.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole.
24cr447
U.S. Trustee Program Obtains More Than $392,000 in Penalties and Three-Year Suspension Against National Consumer Bankruptcy FirmRead the Press Release
The Justice Department’s U.S. Trustee Program (USTP) recently obtained a judgment against a nationwide consumer bankruptcy law firm imposing more than $392,000 in penalties and a three-year suspension based on the firm’s false and misleading disclosures in more than 200 bankruptcy cases.
On Sept. 17, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan entered summary judgment against Recovery Law Group APC (RLG). The court found that RLG intentionally violated provisions of the Bankruptcy Code and Bankruptcy Rules governing disclosure of attorney compensation and the practices of debt relief agencies. The court credited the USTP’s evidence of 220 cases filed in the district since 2020 in which RLG was responsible for untrue or misleading disclosures about its involvement or its fee-sharing arrangements with the attorneys it contracted with to represent its debtor clients.
Based on the fees RLG collected for 217 of those cases, the court imposed a civil penalty of $392,471. Additionally, the court suspended RLG from soliciting or filing bankruptcy cases in the Eastern District of Michigan for three years.
“Transparency and robust disclosure are essential in bankruptcy,” said Acting Director Ramona D. Elliott of the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees. “Professionals threaten the integrity of the system when they are opaque about their payment arrangements, misrepresent their services, and fail to help their vulnerable clients.”
The USTP’s enforcement action stemmed from a case involving a senior couple who contacted RLG seeking help with responding to collection efforts on a judgment against them. After the couple paid a fee of $1,835 to retain RLG, the firm assigned one of its Michigan-based attorneys, Sheena Majors, to file a chapter 7 bankruptcy petition for the couple. The mandatory form for disclosure of compensation and fee-sharing arrangements did not mention RLG, among other mistakes and misrepresentations.
Because of a litany of failures by RLG and Majors, the couple eventually lost their home and a substantial share of their home equity. RLG’s involvement came to light only when it was revealed by the couple during a hearing — which Majors failed to attend — in an unsuccessful effort to save the home. The couple and the chapter 7 trustee administering their bankruptcy case have a pending lawsuit against RLG, Majors, and two related defendants. The court has already found the defendants liable for malpractice, with damages still to be determined.
The USTP also prevailed in a separate enforcement action against RLG earlier this year. In April, the Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia entered an order holding RLG and one of its affiliated attorneys, Thomas Watson, in contempt for providing deficient legal services and violating court orders. The court required the firm to pay $48,000 in sanctions and refund four chapter 7 debtors’ fees; suspended RLG from practicing in that district for two years; and disbarred Watson from practicing in the district.
The USTP’s mission is to promote the integrity and efficiency of the bankruptcy system for the benefit of all stakeholders — debtors, creditors and the public. The USTP consists of 21 regions with 88 field offices nationwide and an Executive Office in Washington, D.C. Learn more about the USTP at www.justice.gov/ust.
Two Companies and Three Executives Indicted for Fraudulently Selling Chinese Forklifts to U.S. Government as “Made in America” and Evading TariffsRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Denver returned an indictment on August 21, 2025, charging two Denver-area companies and the companies’ top executives for defrauding the federal government on sales of forklifts and conspiring to avoid paying proper tariffs on forklifts imported into the United States.
According to court documents, Endless Sales Inc. (Endless), Octane Forklifts, Inc. (Octane), current executives Brian Firkins and Jeffrey Blasdel, and former executive J.R. Antczak allegedly conspired to import forklifts from China, disguise the Chinese origin of the forklifts, and then sell the forklifts to federal government agencies by fraudulently representing the forklifts as being manufactured in the United States. The indictment also alleges that Endless, Octane, Firkins, Blasdel, and Antczak conspired with an unnamed Chinese national and a Chinese manufacturer to create fake commercial invoices that fraudulently undervalued the cost of forklifts that Endless and Octane imported into the United States, thereby defrauding the government of over $1 million in applicable tariffs, duties, and fees. Firkins, Blasdel, and Antczak are each additionally charged with separate wire fraud charges, and Blasdel is also charged with making false statements to the government.
“Defrauding the United States to profit from goods made in adversarial nations like China undermines our economic and national security,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Justice Department is committed to protecting American taxpayer dollars, defending our national security against those who would undermine it, and holding accountable anyone who pursues illegal profits over our country.”
“Defendants fraudulently hid the origins of the products they sold the government and conspired to avoid paying tariffs,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force and its law enforcement partners will continue to prosecute and hold accountable those who seek to fraudulently obtain taxpayer funds.”
“Today’s indictments are the result of the collaboration among the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who seek to violate America’s trade laws to enrich themselves,” said Acting Inspector General Steve Stebbins of the Department of Defense. “DCIS remains committed to safeguarding the integrity of the DoD contracting process.”
“Federal contractors are expected to be honest in their dealings with the government,” said Deputy Inspector General Robert Erickson of the U.S. General Services Administration Office of Inspector General. “These indictments demonstrate our special agents’ commitment to pursue allegations of procurement fraud and protect the government’s supply chain.”
“My office is committed to protecting taxpayer dollars and the integrity of federal procurement,” said Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D of DHS OIG. “Octane Forklifts, Endless Sales, and their executives allegedly engaged in a brazen scheme to sell rebranded Chinese made forklifts to FEMA and the Department of Defense , all while falsely certifying their compliance with the Buy America Act. It is especially reprehensible that this alleged fraud involved a FEMA contract using disaster funds. I commend our law enforcement partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, and DOJ’s Antitrust Division for their steadfast commitment to holding these individuals accountable.”
“This indictment reflects the commitment of the Air Force to uphold the integrity in public contracting and protect taxpayer dollars,” said Director Jason T. Hein, Office of Procurement Fraud Investigations, Office of Special Investigations, USAF. “Procurement fraud undermines trust in government and diverts resources from maintaining our national security and missions they’re meant to serve. We will continue to pursue accountability wherever public funds are at risk.”
“Intentionally violating the Buy America Act to defraud the US Government, isn’t just a legal issue, it is a demonstration of complete disregard for US law and the safety and security of our US military.” said Special Agent in Charge Derek Tilton of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division. “The US Army will not tolerate contract fraud and will vigorously pursue all available legal recourse.”
“This indictment demonstrates the VA OIG’s commitment to protecting taxpayer funds and ensuring companies who do business with the government are held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony Heddell with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Western Field Office. “The VA OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure the integrity of VA’s programs and services.”
Firkins, Blasdel, Antczak, Endless, and Octane are charged with conspiring to commit wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349. Firkins, Blasdel, and Antczak are similarly charged with individual counts of wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343. For the individuals, each count of conviction carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. For the corporations, the maximum penalty is a fine of $500,000. Firkins, Blasdel, Antczak, Endless and Octane are also charged with conspiring to enter goods into the United States by means of false or fraudulent statements. For the individuals, a count of conviction carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. For the corporations, the maximum penalty is a fine of $500,000, or twice the gain derived from the offense, or twice the loss caused by the offense. Finally, Blasdel is charged with making false statements to the government, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Antitrust Division’s Chicago Office is prosecuting the case, which was investigated with the assistance of the United States Army Criminal Investigative Division, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigation, U.S. General Services Administration Office of Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and U.S. Defense Contract Audit Agency. The Westminster, Colorado, Police Department provided valuable assistance.
In November 2019, the Justice Department created the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF), a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government — federal, state and local. To learn more about the PCSF, or to report information on bid rigging, price fixing, market allocation and other anticompetitive conduct related to government spending, go to www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force. Anyone with information in connection with this investigation can contact the PCSF at the link listed above.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Trinitarios Leader Sentenced to Life in Prison for Teen Murders and Other Brutal CrimesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that CARLOS RAMIREZ, a/k/a “Guerra,” was sentenced today to life in prison for his participation in a racketeering conspiracy and two murders committed as a member of the Sunset Trinitarios, a violent street gang. RAMIREZ was found guilty following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman, who imposed today’s sentence.
“As a member of the Sunset Trinitarios, Carlos Ramirez was an unapologetic killer and responsible for brutal violence that endangered the lives of far more people than the two teenagers whom he murdered in 2013 and 2014,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “After he was arrested and charged for these crimes, he was undeterred and attempted to stab to death the former leader of his own gang in a gruesome and vicious attack while incarcerated. He will never walk the streets of New York again, and this Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bankrupt the cartels, dismantle the gangs, and remove from our streets all those who pursue death and violence as a way of life.”
According to the Indictment, public court filings, and the evidence presented at trial:
From 2010 to 2024, members of the Sunset Trinitarios, a violent drug trafficking organization and street gang founded in Sunset Park in Brooklyn, New York, committed a terrifying number of violent crimes, including multiple murders and attempted murders and numerous gunpoint robberies all across the metropolitan area. RAMIREZ was one of the members of the Sunset Trinitarios during this period, and he rose to multiple positions of leadership within the gang, both out on the street and when he was incarcerated in the custody of state and federal detention facilities in New York City. As a “devil soldier messenger” of the Sunset Trinitarios, which came to celebrate the murder of innocent victims and their purported delivery to the devil, RAMIREZ obtained two identical tattoos memorializing the two murders he committed on behalf of the gang.
On October 23, 2013, RAMIREZ participated in the murder of Michael Beltre, who was seventeen years old. Beltre was shot multiple times on the street in the Bronx after RAMIREZ struck him and held him for another gang member to shoot.
On November 2, 2014, RAMIREZ murdered Jordanny Correa, who was nineteen years old. RAMIREZ shot Correa multiple times at point-blank range inside an apartment in the Bronx.
On February 28, 2023, RAMIREZ attempted to murder a former leader of the Sunset Trinitarios inside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. RAMIREZ committed this attack because he believed that this former leader had previously supplied information to law enforcement. With the help of others, RAMIREZ slashed and stabbed the victim with a knife, causing severe injuries to the victim’s face and the rest of his body in multiple locations.
10 others of RAMIREZ’s co-conspirators and fellow members of the Sunset Trinitarios previously pled guilty and have received sentences that have ranged from multiple years through life in prison.
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Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the New York City Department of Correction.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas John Wright, Brandon D. Harper, and Timothy Ly are in charge of the prosecution.
Three Men Sentenced for Their Roles in Barnet, Vermont Murder-for-HireRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on September 25, 2025 and September 26, 2025, Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss, sentenced three men, Berk Eratay, 38, of Las Vegas, Nevada, Jerry Banks, 37, of Gardener, Montana, and Aron Ethridge, 45, of Henderson, Nevada for their roles in the January 6, 2018 murder of Gregory Davis in Barnet, Vermont.
Serhat Gumrukcu, 42, of Los Angeles, California, the fourth member of the Murder-for-Hire conspiracy, was convicted by a jury on April 18, 2025. Gumrukcu faces a mandatory life sentence. The Court has continued Gumrukcu’s sentencing, over the Government’s objection, until November 24, 2025.
At sentencing, Chief Judge Reiss imposed the following sentences:
• Berk Eratay: 110 months of imprisonment to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.
• Jerry Banks: 200 months of imprisonment to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
• Aron Ethridge: 140 months of imprisonment to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Gumrukcu solicited the murder of Gregory Davis due to Davis’s threats of legal action related to Gumrukcu’s role in a failed oil commodities transaction. Gumrukcu’s conviction for wire fraud stemmed from his fraudulent activities in relation to this failed oil deal. Gumrukcu was particularly motivated to silence Davis due to his negotiations of a multi-million-dollar biotech merger involving Gumrukcu’s alleged discovery of a cure for HIV. Gumrukcu relied on his close friend, Berk Eratay, to arrange through a second intermediary, Aron Ethridge, the hiring of a hitman to kill Davis. Ethridge recruited Jerry Banks for the hitman role, who on January 6, 2018, posed as a Deputy U.S. Marshal, and abducted Davis from his Danville, Vermont home. On January 7, 2018, Davis’s deceased body was located in a snowbank a short distance from his home in Barnet, Vermont. Investigators quickly discovered emails and messaging indicating the tension between Gumrukcu and Davis over the failed oil deal, resulting in Gumrukcu being interviewed twice by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Gumrukcu made false statements during each interview. Cellphone location information, purchase records, banking documentation, emails, and messaging discovered during the investigation led to the identification of Gumrukcu, Ethridge, Eratay, and Banks who caused the kidnapping and death of Davis.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Vermont State Police for their collaborative investigation of Gumrukcu, Eratay, Banks, and Ethridge, and the crimes associated with Davis’s murder. Drescher also thanked the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, as well as the numerous law enforcement entities across the country who worked to identify Banks as the hired hitman, Ethridge and Eratay as middlemen, and Gumrukcu as the financier and benefactor of the murder scheme.
At trial, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul J. Van de Graaf and Zachary Stendig represented the government, with support from Karen Arena-Leene and Erin Thompson-Moran. Berk Eratay was represented by Allan Sullivan, Esq. and Mark Oettinger, Esq. Jerry Banks was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven Barth. Aron Ethridge was represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq.
Three Guatemalan Citizens Charged with Conspiracy to Sell Phony United States Identification CardsRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that Norma Yanari Ayala (34), Rigoberto Vasquez-Vasquez (42), and Edgidio Vasquez-Mencho (41) were arrested in Grand Rapids on September 30, 2025. All three were indicted by a grand jury with charges alleging that they conspired to transfer false identification documents and actually transferred false documents. Ayala and Vasquez-Mencho are also charged with illegal reentry into the U.S. after having been removed from the country previously.
Defendants:ChargesNorma Yanari Ayala- Conspiracy to Transfer False Identification Documents
- Transfer False Identification Documents
- Alien Reentry
- Conspiracy to Transfer False Identification Documents
- Transfer False Identification Documents
- Conspiracy to Transfer False Identification Documents
- Transfer False Identification Documents
- Alien Reentry
The indictment alleges that from on or before June 2024 through June 2025, the defendants conspired to transfer and sell false permanent resident cards and social security account number cards that appeared to have been issued by or under the authority of the United States knowing that they were unlawfully produced. The cards were sold to persons believed to be present in the United States illegally. The indictment also charges 7 instances of such sales to confidential sources which were observed by HSI agents.
U.S. Attorney VerHey said, “These cases are a priority. Illegal immigrants come to the United States because they know they can get phony work documents allowing them to take U.S. jobs. We know whatever we can do to disrupt the fraudulent document business will help us get control of illegal immigration.”
In addition, the indictment charges Norma Yanari Ayala, who has been removed on 4 occasions, and Edgidio Vasquez-Mencho, who has been removed once, with reentering the United States without authorization.
If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Daniels is prosecuting it.
The charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Three Arrested on Methamphetamine Distribution ChargesRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – Three individuals from West Virginia, who allegedly conspired with numerous others to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute large quantities of methamphetamine in the Western District of Virginia, were arrested last week on federal drug charges.
Terry Headen, Charles “Chuck” Williams, and Taylor Headen, all of Welch, West Virginia, were arrested last week on a criminal complaint.
Six of their coconspirators were arrested earlier this year: Stephen Stewart, of Appalachia, Virginia; Eric Mullins, of Appalachia, Virginia; Gerald McCoy, of Coeburn, Virginia; Danny Dearry, of Coeburn, Virginia; Lisa Poole, of Big Stone Gap, Virginia; and Jonathan Lake, of Artemus, Kentucky.
Mullins, McCoy, Poole, and Lake have all pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Mullins further pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl, as well as an additional methamphetamine charge. In July, a federal grand jury in this district indicted Stewart on twelve counts involving methamphetamine, fentanyl, and firearms, related to this conspiracy.
According to court documents, Stewart, Mullins, McCoy, Poole, Lake, Dearry, and others traveled—or caused others to travel—from the Western District of Virginia to West Virginia to obtain pounds of methamphetamine, supplied by Terry Headen, Chuck Williams, and Taylor Headen, for redistribution in the Western District of Virginia. At times, fentanyl was also supplied for distribution.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Wise County Sheriff’s Office, the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force, and the West Virginia Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carrie Macon and Corey Hall are prosecuting the case.
An indictment and criminal complaint are merely an accusation. The defendants who have not pleaded guilty are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Tacoma man sentenced to long prison term for producing images of child sexual abuseRead the Press Release
Tacoma – A 29-year-old Tacoma resident was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 15 years in prison for production of images of child sexual abuse, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Demitri Super pleaded guilty in June 2025. He will serve his federal prison sentence concurrent with a Pierce County Superior Court sentence for sexual abuse of a toddler. At today’s sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle told him, “What you did was monstrous.”
“This defendant preyed on a young child at the behest of a co-conspirator he met on the internet,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “Mr. Super willingly violated the toddler for a stranger overseas. Congress has established mandatory minimum sentences for such horrific conduct.”
According to records filed in the case, a foreign law enforcement organization contacted the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Computer Crimes Center about a Skype video showing the rape of a toddler. The video had been seized from a male U.K. sex offender who had posed online as a female. HSI quickly worked to identify the person in the video seen molesting the child. Agents interviewed and arrested Super. The victim child was identified, and the parents were notified.
In asking for the 15-year sentence prosecutors wrote to the court, “The seriousness of Super’s crime cannot be overstated. He committed vile acts of sexual abuse against a defenseless toddler in his care. That toddler’s parents had every reason to trust Super with their child, and Super breached that trust in the most devastating manner possible.”
Super will be on 15 years of supervised release following his prison term.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Hampton.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Stipulated Court Order Resolves Allegations that Chinese Toy Maker Apitor Technology Co. Violated Children’s Privacy LawRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice, together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), announced today that a federal court has entered a stipulated order resolving a case alleging that China-based toy maker Apitor Technology Co., Ltd. (Apitor) violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and its implementing regulations (COPPA) in connection with its programmable robotic toys.
“The Justice Department will vigorously work to ensure businesses respect parents’ rights to decide when their children’s personal information can be collected and used,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to work with the FTC to stop unlawful intrusions on children’s privacy.”
COPPA prohibits operators of online services from knowingly collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from children under the age of 13 (hereinafter, children), unless they provide notice to and obtain consent from those children’s parents. In a civil complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, the government alleges Apitor collected geolocation data from children who used Apitor’s app to control its robotic toys, without notifying parents or obtaining parental consent.
The stipulated order resolving this case enjoins Apitor from collecting or using data from children without making reasonable efforts to directly notify parents and obtaining verifiable parental consent, and it also requires Apitor to delete children’s personal information that was previously collected without parental consent. The order additionally imposes a $500,000 civil penalty, which is suspended due to Apitor’s inability to pay.
This matter is being handled by Trial Attorney David Crockett, Senior Trial Attorney Daniel Crane-Hirsch, and Assistant Director Zachary Dietert from the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Sapna Mehta for the Northern District of California and Shining Hsu and Evan Rose from the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 15 Months Imprisonment for Theft of MailRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – On Sept. 30, 2025, a Springfield, Mo., resident, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen Bough, to a period of imprisonment for 15 months, for his theft of mail matter from residential post office boxes.
Anthony Renell Williams, 45, pleaded guilty to a single count indictment on March 31, 2025, charging him with theft of mail on March 16, 2023. Williams was observed by several Springfield, Mo., residence walking throughout various neighborhoods and stopping at the post office boxes of several residence. Witnesses contacted the Springfield, Missouri, Police Department to report the suspicious behavior. Springfield Police officers responded and were ultimately able to locate Williams and found he had stolen mail on his person. Inspectors with the United States Postal Inspection Service conducted a further investigation and located security videos from local residences that captured images of Williams stealing mail from the post office boxes of local residences. Williams ultimately confessed to stealing mail, admitting that he had stolen the mail in order to commit fraud, and obtain money that could pay for his drug addiction.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and the Springfield, Missouri, Police Department.
Spanish Man Sentenced for Illegally Reentering the US After a Prior RemovalRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Spanish man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for illegally reentering the U.S. after a prior removal.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Jose Angel Hidalgo-Torres, 20, to time served (72 days). He pleaded guilty on August 12, 2025.
According to court records, Hidalgo-Torres was found in Calais, Maine shortly after illegally entering the United States on July 18, 2025. He was previously removed from the country in May 2024.
Hidalgo-Torres was turned over to immigration authorities at the conclusion of the proceedings.
The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.
Operation Take Back America: This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to More Than 4 Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a man from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on September 29, 2025.
Jericho James Ladeaux, 32, was sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Ladeaux was further ordered to forfeit the firearm and ammunition.
Ladeaux was indicted by a federal grand jury for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person in April 2025. He pleaded guilty on July 17, 2025.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on January 9, 2025, when law enforcement found Ladeaux driving what they believed to be a stolen vehicle. Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop and arrested Ladeaux, at which time they discovered he was carrying a loaded pistol. Ladeaux is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to previous felony convictions.
This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Police Department, the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Ladeaux was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange has sentenced a man from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on September 29, 2025.
James Daniel Lathrop, 31, 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.
Lathrop was indicted by a federal grand jury for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person in April 2025. He pleaded guilty on July 7, 2025.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on December 24, 2024, in Sioux Falls, SD, when law enforcement officers found Lathrop in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Lathrop is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because of a previous felony conviction and because he is an unlawful user of controlled substances.
This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Lathrop was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Shiprock Man Charged in Armed Assault on MinorRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man is facing federal charges after aiming his assault-style rifle at a minor and other witnesses during a fight that left the minor-victim hospitalized.
According to court documents, on September 21, 2025, Azariah Arnold Cleveland, 18, an enrolled member of Navajo Nation, drove himself and several accomplices to the minor’s home to confront the minor. Once Cleveland spotted the minor walking along the road, the occupants of Cleveland’s car got out and assaulted the minor. During this fight, Cleveland got out of his car and pointed his assault-style rifle at the minor, the minor’s parents, and other witnesses, firing seven to eight shots in the air. The minor was later treated at a local hospital for injuries.
Cleveland is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon against a minor, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Trial in this case has not yet been set. If convicted, Cleveland a minimum of 10 years in prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Seven More Associates of St. Louis Drug Gang Plead GuiltyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Seven more people associated with a south St. Louis drug gang have pleaded guilty to drug and gun crimes, U.S. Attorney Tom Albus announced Tuesday.
Michelle Harris, 47, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises. The six others have already pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced over the next three months.
Talito “Scoot” Amos, 32, of Beverly Hills, Missouri, pleaded guilty August 6 to four felony counts: conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He admitted selling fentanyl and meth as part of the “55 Boyz” drug trafficking organization. He also admitted sourcing the drugs, telling drug users who called or texted where to go to buy drugs and selling directly to the users, including an undercover law enforcement officer. He also admitted directing others in the conspiracy to answer calls and texts and meet users to sell fentanyl and meth.
On Jan. 23, 2024, shortly after Talito Amos sold an undercover ATF agent 312 capsules containing fentanyl and offered to sell a pound of meth, investigators conducted a court-approved search of a home on Castilon Avenue in St. Louis County. Talito Amos, Norey Amos and Jayvaughn Taylor were there, along with 1,178 capsules containing fentanyl, an AK-style pistol, meth, a pill press, digital scales, fentanyl powder and a drug ledger. Talito Amos had the phone being used by the drug trafficking organization to communicate with customers and over $1,900 in cash, his plea says. They also searched a home he sometimes used in Florissant, finding a disassembled AR-style rifle and 85 capsules containing fentanyl.
Fifteen other members or associates of the 55 Boyz were sentenced last year in a separate case. At one point, the gang was responsible for a significant amount of the fentanyl being sold in south St. Louis.
Carlos “Los Bandz” Amos, 28, entered an open plea on August 11 to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams of more of methamphetamine and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
Xavier Amos, 23, pleaded guilty on September 25 to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl. He admitted acting as a driver for others, answering calls and texts from drug users and selling fentanyl and meth. Norey Amos, 25, pleaded guilty in June to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. He admitted discarding a bag of 154 capsules containing fentanyl while being pursued by police. John Ford, 64, pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams of more of meth. Jayvaughn Taylor, 24, pleaded guilty in July to possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Taylor, Talito Amos, Xavier Amos and Norey Amos are half-brothers. Carlos Amos is a cousin. Harris is the mother of Taylor and Talito Amos.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Sentencings, Plea Hearings in Southwest Georgia Armed Drug Trafficking CaseRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga. – Ten defendants involved in an armed drug trafficking organization are being held accountable for their crimes at the federal level, resulting from a multi-level law enforcement effort in southwest Georgia that seized 30 firearms, including two machineguns, along with methamphetamine and fentanyl.
“This case amplifies the kinds of efforts across the Middle District of Georgia to get guns and drugs off our streets and make the communities we serve safer for everyone,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “Our office is working alongside law enforcement at every level to identify the most egregious offenders to hold them accountable at the federal level.”
"As part of our ongoing efforts under Operation Take Back America, this case highlights the ATF's crucial role in combating the intersection of gun violence and drug trafficking. We will continue to leverage our resources to ensure that those who endanger our communities face justice,” said ATF Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robert Davis.
“Collaboration with our state, local and federal partners was key to bringing these ten defendants to justice for trafficking drugs in Georgia communities,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “Together, we are making our neighborhoods safer by removing violent offenders, dangerous weapons and deadly narcotics from our streets.”
The following ten defendants have been sentenced or are awaiting sentencing:
Devin Covon Randle, 29, of Albany, was sentenced to serve 192 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release on Sept. 24, after he previously pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine on March 25;
Roy Clinton Billingsley, 35, of Albany, was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release on Sept. 24, after he previously pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine on May 22;
Wade Lanier Tucker, 40, of Albany, was sentenced to 96 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Feb. 28, after he previously pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine on Aug. 8, 2024;
Jessica Julianne Raines, 40, of Albany, was sentenced to 72 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Dec. 16, 2024, after she previously pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine on May 15, 2024;
Mitchell Alexander Hilson, 30, of Albany, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine and one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on Sept. 24, 2025, and is facing a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment; sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2026;
Rico Lashun Hall, 32, of Albany, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine on Sept. 24, 2025, and is facing a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment; sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2026;
Konterrious Antwon James, 44, of Albany, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine on Sept. 10, 2025, and is facing a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment; sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2026;
Bernard Charbrion Holsey, 29, of Albany, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine on Sept. 10, 2025, and is facing a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment; sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2026;
Brennan Terrell Woods, 35, of Albany, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine on Sept. 10, 2025, and is facing a mandatory minimum of ten years imprisonment and a maximum of life imprisonment; sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2026; and
Marcena Leundra Jordan, 32, of Albany, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine on Aug. 5, 2025, and is facing a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment; sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2026.
Co-defendant Rasheen Malik Garrett, 30, of Albany, is a fugitive and is charged by the indictment in this case filed on Aug. 14, 2024, with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one count of use of a drug-involved premise and is facing a maximum of life imprisonment. An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.
If anyone has information regarding Garrett's whereabouts, anonymous tips can be submitted to the GBI by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
Chief U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner is presiding over the case. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents and statements referenced in court, federal and state law enforcement began a criminal investigation in 2023 to target armed drug trafficking in southwest Georgia. During six months, agents conducted numerous controlled purchases of methamphetamine and firearms from Hilson, Randle and several co-conspirators in Albany between July and December 2023. At the conclusion of the investigation, law enforcement executed court-authorized search warrants at multiple local Albany hotels, which resulted in the recovery of additional quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, powder cocaine, crack cocaine, oxycodone and numerous firearms. In total, law enforcement seized 28 firearms, two machineguns, 2.3 kilograms of methamphetamine, nine grams of fentanyl and 30 grams of cocaine.
The collaborative effort 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 Neighborhoods.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Albany Dougherty Special Investigation Unit (ADSIU) and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Redavid is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Salem Man Pleads Guilty in Connection with Possession of Unregistered Firearms and Possession of Firearms by a Prohibited PersonRead the Press Release
Salem Man Pleads Guilty in Connection with Possession of Unregistered Firearms and Possession of Firearms by a Prohibited Person
CONCORD – A Salem man pleaded guilty on September 30, 2025, in federal court for possessing unregistered firearms in violation of the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Act and for being a prohibited person in possession of firearms and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
Daniel Fratus, age 39, pleaded guilty in federal court in Concord to one count of 26 U.S.C. §§ 5841, 5845(a), 5861(d), 5871, and one count of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). U.S. District Court Chief Judge Landya B. McCafferty scheduled Fratus’s sentencing for January 15, 2026.
According to the charging documents and statements made in court, Daniel Fratus was indicted after an investigation that began on January 23, 2024. During that investigation, the Salem Police Department received a call from a concerned neighbor for shots fired coming from Fratus’s residence. Salem Police Department and Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) law enforcement members later executed a search warrant and entered the residence where they observed several firearms along with approximately 12,870 rounds of ammunition. Fratus had previously been convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
Possession of unregistered firearms has a maximum sentence of 10 years’ confinement, and possession of firearms by a prohibited person has a maximum prison term of 15 years. Both charges can have a maximum fine of $250,000.
ATF led the investigation. Salem Police Department provided valuable assistance. Special Assistant U.S Attorney Christopher Marin and Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Cherniske are prosecuting the case.
Rockford Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A Rockford man was sentenced yesterday to nine years in federal prison for possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number and selling firearms without a license
ANGEL BARRERA-ESTEVES, 27, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of possessing a firearm with the serial number removed and one count of selling firearms without a federal firearms dealer’s license. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston sentenced Barrera-Esteves to 108 months in prison.
Barrera-Esteves admitted that in 2022, he illegally possessed a semi-automatic handgun that he defaced and later sold. Barrera-Esteves further admitted that between 2021 and 2022, he sold seven firearms, manufactured or obtained by him, without a federal firearms dealer’s license. Several of those firearms were obtained illegally through his mother, JESSICA BARRERA, who purchased the firearms and transferred them to Barrera-Esteves. Once received, Barrera-Esteves removed the serial numbers and sold the firearms to people he knew could not possess firearms or would use the firearms for illegal purposes. Barrera-Esteves also sold ammunition that he illegally obtained through his mother, as well as a Glock auto-sear.
Jessica Barrera, 56, of Rockford, was sentenced last month to nearly three years in federal prison for her involvement.
Barrera-Esteves’s sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of ATF’s Chicago Field Division. The Rockford Police Department assisted in the investigation. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vincenza L. Tomlinson.
Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to tackle a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.
Religious Liberty Commission Hosts Third Hearing on Religious Liberty in Public EducationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the Religious Liberty Commission held its third hearing to discuss religious liberty issues in education from the perspectives of teachers and coaches, as well as religious liberty issues in school funding and educational choice, including testimony from school leaders, families, and experts impacted by religious liberty issues in school funding. The hearing’s objective was to understand the historic landscape of religious liberty in the educational setting, recognize present threats to religious liberty in education, and identify opportunities to secure religious liberty in this context for the future.
The hearing opened with a special panel on violence against people and communities of faith. The panel included testimony from friends of Charlie Kirk, who spoke of his commitment to faith and free speech and advocacy for religious liberty.
“Charlie Kirk was an American hero whose love for God, country, and family guided every step of his life,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Our Religious Liberty Commission will continue to uphold his legacy of advocating for religious liberty, particularly at our educational institutions that too often seek to suppress free speech.”
“Physical violence and murder are the ultimate deprivations of religious liberty. We have seen a tragic rise in such violence targeted at communities and individuals of faith, including our friend Charlie Kirk,” said Commission Chairman Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. “This behavior is un-American and threatens every state in the nation. The Department of Justice Religious Liberty Commission stands with the Trump Administration in condemning it, finding the root cause of this violence, and doing everything possible to end it. We will not rest until we do.”
The hearing continued with scheduled programming on religious liberty issues in education, hearing from teachers, coaches, clergy, and other faith leaders on the grave challenges facing people and institutions of faith.
Chairman Patrick added: “In our hearing, we had heartbreaking testimony from great teachers and coaches who were bullied and threatened by the education system to choose between keeping their faith or keeping their jobs. Even after winning at the Supreme Court, the hateful attacks on them by the schools continued. No American should have to endure the grief and pain of being targeted by religious discrimination. Our Commissioners left with renewed conviction in the urgent need to restore First Amendment protections for our public and private schools and their staff.”
Panel on Violence against Faith Communities
Dr. Hutz Hertzberg: Chief Education Officer, Turning Point Education
Hutz Hertzberg has served as the Chief Education Officer for Turning Point Education since July 2022 and previously served as President of Christian Heritage Academy in Northfield, Illinois. Hutz’s organizational leadership experience includes serving as President of Christian Union, Director of the Orchard Network, and Executive Pastor of The Moody Church in Chicago. Hutz has also served for two decades in higher education administrative and faculty positions, including at Trinity International University, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Wheaton College, Judson University and the College of DuPage. Hutz is a licensed and ordained minister who served as a Chaplain in the United States Naval Reserve and continues to give leadership to the Protestant Chaplaincy at Chicago O’Hare and Midway Airports.
Eric Metaxas: Religious Liberty Commission Member
Writer, speaker, and radio host, Eric Metaxas has written dozens of books, including the national bestseller, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. The story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer was so beloved by readers that it was made into a major motion picture. Metaxas has testified before Congress on the global rise of anti-Semitism and been awarded the Canterbury Medal by the Becket Fund for Religious Freedom.
Pastor Jentezen Franklin: Religious Liberty Commission Advisory Board Member
Pastor Jentezen Franklin is the Senior Pastor of Free Chapel, a multi-campus church based in Gainesville, Georgia. He has written multiple books including the bestseller, Fasting: Opening the door to a deeper, more intimate, more powerful relationship with God.
Guest Speaker:
Dr. Larry Arnn: President, Hillsdale College
Dr. Arnn is the 12th president of Hillsdale College, where he is also a professor of politics and history. Dr. Arnn is on the board of directors of The Heritage Foundation, the Henry Salvatori Center of Claremont McKenna College, the Philadelphia Society, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, and the Claremont Institute.
Panel II: Teacher and Coach Perspectives
Coach Joe Kennedy: Former Bremerton High School (BHS) Football Coach
School officials at BHS suspended—and later fired—football coach Joe Kennedy because he prayed a brief, quiet prayer after football games. A lawsuit was filed against the school district, arguing that banning coaches from quietly praying, just because they can be seen by the public, is wrong and violates the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit sided with the school district. The case eventually landed in the U.S. Supreme Court. In January 2022, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case and has since ruled in favor of Coach Joe.
Monica Gill: History Teacher at Loudoun County High School
Monica took a stand against her school district’s secret gender transition policy – Policy 8040 – that required teachers to lie to parents about their child’s identity and force them to use pronouns requested by students, even if it meant denying their religious beliefs. ADF filed suit, and in December 2021, the school board agreed to a permanent injunction prohibiting retaliation against teachers who opposed the policy. In December 2023, the school board changed its position on the policy, and in July 2025, the Loudoun County Circuit Court officially recognized the change, allowing teachers to avoid using pronouns that violate their religious beliefs.
Marisol Arroyo-Castro: Connecticut Public School Teacher
While teaching in the New Britain School District, Marisol placed a crucifix by her desk along with other personal items, such as student artwork and a church calendar. In December 2024, school leadership abruptly told Marisol to remove the crucifix or be charged with insubordination. Marisol was later suspended without pay, placed on administrative leave, and involuntarily transferred to a non-teaching position for objecting. Attorneys have intervened on Marisol’s behalf in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.
Keisha Russell: Former special education teacher, constitutional lawyer with First Liberty Institute
Keisha Toni Russell is a constitutional lawyer with First Liberty Institute in Texas, a non-profit law firm that specializes in religious liberty litigation. Keisha graduated from Emory University School of Law and was a 2017 Emory University Graduating Woman of Excellence. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Keisha was a special education teacher in an elementary school in Atlanta, Georgia.
Panel III: Protecting the Religious Identity and Autonomy of Faith-Based Schools
Rabbi David Zwiebel: Executive Vice President of Agudath Israel of America, RLC Advisory Board member
Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel is the Executive Vice President of Agudath Israel of America, an American organization that represents Orthodox Jews. In 2020, he helped organize one of the largest gatherings of Orthodox Jews in U.S. history.
Fr. Robert Sirico: Pastor Emeritus, Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Parish
To preserve its Catholic identity, Sacred Heart requires students, parents, and teachers to sign a doctrine upholding catholic principles regarding marriage and sexuality. In 2024, Sacred Heart Academy joined parents in suing the state of Michigan in federal court demanding a reprieve from the state’s sweeping “anti-discrimination” law, after lawmakers amended the state’s Civil Rights Act to cover sexual orientation and gender identity without a general religious exemption.
Dr. Todd J. Williams: President, Cairn University
Cairn University, a small, private, Christian school in southeastern Pennsylvania, made a strategic institutional decision to eliminate its School of Social Work and all related degrees and programs due to multiple factors, including declining enrollment, revenue disparities, and issues related to the program’s accrediting body, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) deemed incompatible with the school’s religious and theological commitments. Following Cairn’s decision, CSWE posted a press release on its website and social-media platforms publicly criticizing the university.
John Bursch: Former Michigan Solicitor General, Senior Counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom
John Bursch is senior counsel and vice president of appellate advocacy with Alliance Defending Freedom. Bursch has argued 13 U.S. Supreme Court cases and three dozen state supreme court cases, and he has successfully litigated six matters with at least $1 billion at stake. A recent study concluded that among all frequent Supreme Court advocates who did not work for the federal government, he had the 3rd highest success rate for persuading justices to adopt his legal position. Bursch served as solicitor general for the state of Michigan from 2011-2013.
Panel IV: Faith-Based Schools and the State
Carroll Conley: Former Headmaster of Bangor Christian Schools, Executive Director of the Christian Civil League of Maine
In June 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that Maine cannot prevent parents from using the state’s publicly funded tuition assistance program to send kids to private religious schools. The case, Carson v. Makin, was brought by two families in rural Maine who did not have access to public schools. Maine banned parents from using the money to send their kids to schools that provide religious education. The families successfully challenged that rule, alleging it violated both the religion clauses and equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution.
Laura Wolk Slavis: Speaking on behalf of Chaya and Yoni Loffman
Chaya and Yoni Loffman were forced to discontinue speech therapy for their son because of requirements under California’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that prohibit funding from being used at religious private schools. Now, the Loffmans and other religious Jewish parents of students with disabilities are plaintiffs in a lawsuit, Loffman v. California Department of Education.
Jason Bedrick: Research Fellow in the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, Author, Adjunct Scholar with the Cato Institute
Bedrick is a Research Fellow in the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, where he focuses on policies that promote education freedom and choice, religious liberty, classical education, and restoring the primary role of families in education. His research on education policy has been published by numerous national and state-level think tanks and media publications.
Prof. Nicole Stelle Garnett: Professor of Law and Associate Dean for External Engagement at University of Notre Dame
Garnett’s teaching and research focuses on education law and policy, religious liberty, and topics related to property law. Garnett received her B.A. with distinction in Political Science from Stanford University and her J.D. from Yale Law School. After law school, she clerked for the Honorable Morris S. Arnold of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and for Associate Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court of the United States. Before joining the law school faculty in 1999, she worked for two years as a staff attorney at the Institute for Justice, a non-profit public-interest law firm in Washington, D.C., where she helped to defend the constitutionality of the nation's first private-school-choice programs.
Closing Remarks:
Dr. Francis Beckwith: Professor of Philosophy and Church-State studies at Baylor University, RLC Advisory Board member
Dr. Beckwith teaches and publishes in the areas of religion, jurisprudence, politics, and ethics. A graduate of Fordham University (Ph.D. and M.A. in philosophy) and the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis (Master of Juridical Studies), he has published over 100 academic articles, book chapters, reviews, and reference entries.
Watch the hearing HERE.
The next hearing will be held in Dallas, Texas on November 17, and will consider religious liberty in the U.S. Military. Members of the public can learn more about registration at https://www.justice.gov/religious-liberty-commission/upcoming-hearings.
The Religious Liberty Commission was established by President Trump under Executive Order 14291 and is tasked with producing a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty in America, increasing awareness of and celebrating America’s peaceful religious pluralism, highlighting current threats to religious liberty, and developing strategies to preserve and enhance protections for future generations.
Recidivist Drug and Firearm Felon Sentenced to More Than 11.5 Years in Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl and Cocaine Near Sharon Elementary School and Day Care CenterRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A former resident of Sharon, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 140 months in federal prison for fentanyl and cocaine trafficking within 1,000 feet of an elementary school and next-door to a day care center, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Robert J. Colville imposed the sentence on Larry Marrow, 37, also ordering Marrow to serve six years of supervised release following his prison term.
According to information presented to the Court, Marrow engaged in fentanyl and cocaine trafficking for several months in 2023, close to an elementary school and next-door to a day care center in Sharon. Marrow had four separate drug trafficking convictions and four separate gun convictions that occurred in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ohio prior to the instant drug trafficking crime.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Mercer County Drug Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Marrow.
Rapid City Sex Offender Sentenced to over 10 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a man from Rapid City, South Dakota, convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet. The sentencing took place on September 29, 2025.
Matthew Zook, 46, was sentenced to ten years and one month in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $95 in restitution and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Forfeiture was also ordered.
A federal grand jury indicted Zook for the charge in June 2024. He pleaded guilty on July 15, 2025.
In April 2024, Zook used Snapchat to communicate with a 14-year-old minor female. Zook described how he would use condoms for birth control and discussed his desire to try different sex positions with the young girl. Zook told the girl the reason he wanted to have sex with her was because his mother was sick and his girlfriend was mad at him. On April 20, 2024, just after midnight, Zook drove to the minor’s house and parked in her driveway. Unbeknownst to Zook, the minor had informed one of her parents, who alerted law enforcement. Zook was arrested while parked in the driveway. Zook was previously convicted in 2012 for Fourth Degree Rape of a minor when he was 33 years old, for which he received a suspended prison sentence.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Rapid City Police Department, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case.
Zook was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to 3 ½ Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a man from Rapid City, South Dakota, convicted of Possession of Ammunition by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on September 29, 2025.
Dylan Sanchez, 33, was sentenced to three years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Sanchez was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024. He pleaded guilty on July 21, 2025.
On April 10, 2024, in Rapid City, SD, Sanchez was stopped by law enforcement for traveling above the posted speed limit. After failing a field sobriety test, Sanchez was arrested and his vehicle inventoried. In his vehicle, law enforcement located over 200 rounds of ammunition, pistol magazines, including an extended magazine, cocaine, and distributable amounts of marijuana. Sanchez is prohibited from possessing ammunition because of a previous felony conviction.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.
Sanchez was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Pryor Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Michael Jason Sanders, age 44, of Pryor, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.
The Indictment charged Sanders with knowingly possessing two semi-automatic pistols and 96 rounds of ammunition on May 5, 2025, after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office.
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Sanders will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lewis M. Reagan represented the United States.
Previously Deported Illegal Alien Sentenced to 5+ Years for Illegal Reentry and Violating Federal Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Eunorio Cortez Cortez, 52, of Mexico, was sentenced to 64 months in prison for illegal reentry by a deported alien and violating the terms of his federal supervised release, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth D. Bell granted the government’s motion for an increased sentence based on Cortez’s extensive criminal history in Texas state courts, including a conviction for Indecency with a Child by Exposure and multiple convictions for Assault Causing Bodily Injury to Family Member.
According to filed documents and court proceedings, Cortez had been ordered removed from the United States to Mexico on four prior occasions (October 17, 2008, December 31, 2008, July 17, 2012, and November 8, 2021). Cortez had also been allowed to return voluntarily back to Mexico three times, and he has two federal convictions in the Western District of Texas for illegal reentry by an alien. On August 8, 2023, the Monroe Police Department arrested Cortez for an outstanding extradition arrest warrant out of Texas. Earlier, on December 5, 2022, Texas law enforcement authorities had issued a warrant against Cortez for 1st Degree Felony Sex Abuse of Child Continuous: Victim Under 14. At the time of the defendant’s arrest in Monroe, law enforcement also determined that Cortez was a previously removed alien. Court record show that, following his arrest, Cortez was extradited to Texas, where he was convicted of Indecency with a Child by Exposure, sentenced to two years of confinement, and required to register as a sex offender. Cortez was also charged in the Western District of North Carolina with illegal reentry of a deported felon.
On June 2, 2025, Cortez pleaded guilty to the federal charge. In sentencing Cortez, the Court considered the government’s upward departure motion, which was based on the argument that the defendant’s criminal history category under the federal sentencing guidelines did not fully represent the nature and extent of the violence and harm he had committed against his victims. Judge Bell granted the government’s upward departure motion, and he sentenced Cortez to 54 months in prison. The Court also found that Cortez, while on federal supervised release, had violated the terms of his release when he unlawfully returned to the United States and obtained another criminal conviction, and he ordered Cortez to serve an additional term of 12 months, for a total active sentence of 64 months in prison.
In announcing his sentence, Judge Bell said, Cortez “is a danger to anyone he’s related to,” and “he’s just a dangerous person.”
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations unit for leading the investigation. He also thanked the Monroe Police Department for its assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenny Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Peruvian National Sentenced to More than Six Years in Prison in Transnational Scheme to Defraud Spanish-Speaking US ConsumersRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Peruvian national was sentenced yesterday to 80 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $3,000,000 in restitution for his participation in transnational fraud schemes that victimized vulnerable consumers in the U.S.
According to court documents, David Cornejo Fernandez, 36, of Lima, Peru, facilitated fraudulent schemes that stole millions of dollars from thousands of Spanish-speaking victims across the U.S. Cornejo provided Internet-based telephone lines, caller-ID spoofing services, and recording capabilities to a network of fraudulent call centers in Peru. Relying on Cornejo’s services, those call centers defrauded and extorted thousands of Spanish-speaking victims by falsely threatening them with court proceedings, fines, and other consequences if they did not pay for English-language products. Cornejo was extradited from Peru in November 2024 to face charges related to the scheme and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in July.
In pleading guilty, Cornejo admitted that he provided fraudulent call centers in Peru with the technology to impersonate federal agents, police officers, attorneys, court personnel, and other government officials to extort payments from victims. Cornejo provided telephone lines to his call center co-conspirators, which they used to place unsolicited, fraudulent and extortionate telephone calls to vulnerable U.S. victims. Cornejo also provided caller-ID spoofing software that allowed his co-conspirators to convincingly impersonate government officials and threaten victims with severe legal and financial consequences if they did not pay. Cornejo placed pre-recorded messages on his co-conspirators’ telephone lines that fraudulently convinced victims they had reached actual U.S. courts, police departments, and federal agencies. When victims reported that specific telephone numbers were fraudulent, Cornejo provided new telephone lines and numbers to his co-conspirators so they could continue the fraudulent scheme.
Cornejo and his co-conspirators ultimately caused more than $3 million in losses to more than 8,800 victims across the U.S.
With today’s sentencing in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, 13 defendants have now been convicted and sentenced in connection with transnational fraud schemes that defrauded and threatened Spanish-speaking U.S. consumers, claiming they would suffer legal consequences if they did not pay for English-language learning products they never requested. Collectively, these defendants were responsible for defrauding more than 30,000 U.S. consumers.
The 13 defendants include eight Peruvian call center owner-operators; four distribution center owner-operators who processed payments and distributed products in the U.S.; and now Cornejo, who facilitated the fraud schemes from Peru. Cornejo and many of these defendants shared strategies on how to impersonate the U.S. government and defraud Spanish-speaking residents of the U.S.
Cornejo is the ninth defendant to be extradited from Peru and sentenced in federal court for fraud related to Peruvian call centers involved in English language learning scams. In 2021 and 2022, U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola Jr., sentenced Henrry Milla, Carlos Espinoza, Jerson Renteria, Fernan Huerta, Omar Cuzcano, Evelyng Milla, and Josmell Espinoza to sentences ranging from 88 months to 110 months in prison. In 2024, U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams sentenced Jose Alejandro Zuñiga Cano to 98 months in prison.
USPIS and the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch investigated the case.
Senior Trial Attorney and Transnational Criminal Litigation Coordinator Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorney Carolyn Rice of the Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Peruvian National Prosecutor General’s Office, and the Peruvian National Police provided critical assistance.
The Justice Department continues to investigate and bring charges in other similar matters involving threats against Spanish-speaking residents of the U.S.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available.
More information about the department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Justice Department provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its fraud enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-20055.
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Pennsylvania man charged with attempting to defraud the 2022 PFDRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Pennsylvania man was criminally charged by information today with seven counts of wire fraud connected to a 2022 Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) fraud scheme.
According to court documents, beginning in January 2022 and continuing through February 2022, Adepoju Babatunde Salako, 33, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, allegedly devised a scheme to defraud the Alaska Department of Revenue (DOR) PFD program. Specifically, Salako fraudulently obtained the personal identifying information (PII) for legitimate Alaskan residents and submitted seven separate applications to the Alaska DOR to obtain their PFD funds. Salako was never an Alaskan resident and has never traveled to Alaska.
Court documents detail that Salako allegedly created new email accounts that he controlled for each legitimate Alaska resident whose PII he fraudulently obtained. Using the PII, Salako allegedly gained control of at least seven already established “myAlaska” online accounts—the platform Alaska residents use to apply for the PFD. Once inside the accounts, Salako allegedly changed the account information to route communications from “myAlaska” directly to the email accounts he controlled for each individual. Salako also allegedly changed each applicant’s bank information to route the PFD payments to bank accounts he controlled.
Court documents further allege that Salako tried to shield his identity and location by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to appear as though six of the seven application submissions were submitted from an Internet Protocol (IP) address in Alaska. The other application was submitted using an IP address in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Records from Salako’s personal email account showed logins from the same Philadelphia IP address.
The State of Alaska determined the applications to be fraudulent and denied the applications.
Salako faces up to 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine for each count of wire fraud. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman of the District of Alaska, Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office and Acting Commissioner Janelle Earls of the Alaska Department of Revenue made the announcement.
The FBI Anchorage Field Office and State of Alaska Department of Revenue, Criminal Investigations Unit investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ainsley McNerney is prosecuting the case.
If you suspect you've been a victim of PFD fraud, contact the Alaska Department of Revenue, Criminal Investigations Unit. Online Fraud Tips can be filed at https://pfd.alaska.gov/fraud-tip-form. You can also contact the Fraud Hotline: (907) 500-0360.
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Pair Sentenced for Attempted Armed Kidnapping and Robbery of Apartment Property ManagerRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two people who attempted to kidnap and rob a St. Louis apartment property manager at gunpoint in 2024 have been sentenced to prison for that and other crimes.
U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced Emma M. Cunningham, 33, to 112 months in prison. Judge Schelp sentenced Jervonz L. Williams, 49, to 225 months in prison on September 24.
Cunningham bought the .38-caliber revolver used in the attempted kidnapping months earlier. On Feb. 20, 2024, she lied on Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Form 4473 when she claimed she was buying the gun for herself and when she denied being an unlawful user of a controlled substance. She bought it for Williams, her boyfriend and a convicted felon who is barred from possessing firearms.
Williams used the gun to threaten others, including one of Cunningham’s neighbors. He also admitted using it to rob a drug dealer of $17, a gun and cocaine base in late June of 2024. Williams struck the dealer on the head with the revolver multiple times during the robbery.
Williams and Cunningham used that gun again during the Aug. 5, 2024, attempted kidnapping. The property manager arrived to meet Cunningham, her tenant, for a final apartment walkthrough that had been scheduled in advance by Cunnigham. After the victim arrived, Cunningham locked the apartment door. Williams threatened to kill the victim when she tried to call 911. Williams then demanded cash and the password to the victim’s phone so that the couple could access the victim’s financial accounts. They secured her to a chair with duct tape, but she broke free and was able to escape, even though Cunningham and Williams ripped off her shirt and tore out clumps of her hair trying to keep her from leaving. Two days later, police arrested the couple. Williams had the revolver and Cunningham was in possession of a box of ammunition.
“This case is a stark reminder of the devastation that follows when someone illegally buys a gun for another person,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bernard “Butch” Hansen, of the Kansas City Field Division. “A straw purchase is not a harmless favor. It’s a federal crime that can arm dangerous felons and fuel violent acts like the attempted kidnapping and robbery we saw here. ATF and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold accountable anyone who thinks they can skirt the law and put our communities at risk.”
Both Cunningham and Williams pleaded guilty in June. Cunningham pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping, transfer of a firearm to a convicted felon and making a false statement in connection with the purchase of a firearm. Williams pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping, robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Pensacola Man Pleads Guilty to Bank FraudRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Shawn Steele, 52, of Pensacola, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to three counts of bank fraud. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I am proud of the excellent investigative work by our federal law enforcement partners that uncovered and stopped this fraudster’s scheme. This successful prosecution should serve as a warning to others who think they can fraudulently enrich themselves by ripping off banks. Doing so will only book you a one-way ticket to prison.”
Between January 3, 2023, and June 30, 2023, the defendant obtained loans from PenAir Credit Union and Central Credit Union of Florida for a Jeep Wrangler, a Ferrari 488 Pista, and a Cape Horn boat. The defendant made knowingly false statements about in his income in the loan applications for the purpose of influencing the financial institutions.
The defendant faces up to 30 years’ imprisonment followed by five years of supervision upon release. Sentencing is scheduled for December 17, 2025, at 11:00 am, before District Judge M. Casey Rodgers.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey M. Tharp.
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.
Pensacola Felon Charged for Illegally Possessing a Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Ernest L. Thomas II, 35, of Pensacola, was indicted by a federal grand jury this week charging him with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today.
Thomas appeared for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho on September 23, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in Pensacola, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for November 10, 2025, before District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.
If convicted, Thomas faces up to fifteen years’ imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Patterson is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Ontario man arrested for illegal entry into the United StatesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.–U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Alexander Straub, 27, of Mississauga, Ontario, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with illegal entry into the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Irvin Jefferson, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on August 30, 2025, at approximately 11:30 p.m., Straub was encountered by law enforcement near a residence in Lewiston, NY. United States Border Patrol Agents located an Ontario, Canada, driver’s license in Straub’s possession. A records check determined he was in the country illegally and Straub did not possess any immigration documents allowing him to be lawfully present in the United States. The investigation also determined that he had attempted to enter the United States at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls on August 25 and on August 26, 2025, and was denied entry both times.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by U.S. Border Patrol Niagara Falls Station, under the direction of Patrol Agent in Charge Brady Waikal.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Olean man pleads guilty to distribution of child pornographyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Philip Young, 29, of Olean, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to distribution of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, who is handling the case, stated that on June 22, 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a CyberTipline Report that an image of a naked prepubescent girl was uploaded to the internet. The image was later traced back to Young. Investigators executed a search warrant at Young’s residence, seizing, among other items, a cellular telephone. The investigation determined that Young used the Telegram application on his phone and the internet to seek out, receive, and distribute child pornography. A forensic review of Young’s cell phone recovered a video constituting child pornography.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 26, 2026, before Judge Sinatra.
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North Carolina Man Who Posed as Investment Adviser Pleads Guilty in Connection with Investment Fund Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Hunter Haithcock, 24, aka Hunter Elliott, of Matthews, North Carolina, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of investment adviser fraud in connection to the theft of at least $650,000 in funds from at least 64 investors in the District of Maryland.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office.
According to his plea agreement, beginning in September 2019, and continuing through October 2022, Haithcock stole at least $657,138.93 from at least 64 individual investors. The victims entrusted Haithcock with their funds after he fraudulently represented himself as an investment advisor. Haithcock deceptively claimed he worked for Company #1 with a registered investment adviser (the “victim investment advisor”). Then Haithcock told the victim investors if they invested with him, he would guarantee their investment principal and provide them significant returns on their investments.
In connection with the scheme, Haithcock routinely provided investors with fabricated reports that purported to show investors’ portfolio gains. But Haithcock created the fictitious documents to perpetuate and conceal his scheme. Instead of investing his clients’ investment funds, Haithcock stole them. Haithcock funneled the money to accounts he controlled and used the funds for his own purposes. Specifically, he used the stolen funds to pay for credit card bills, meals, entertainment, car payments, travel expenses – including hotels and flights, and to trade cryptocurrency for his own benefit.
As described in the plea agreement, Haithcock met his victims in a variety of ways, including through a local church and by word-of-mouth referrals. Haithcock routinely represented himself as Hunter Elliott, a licensed securities broker for Company #1, who could invest their money in securities and provide them with very large, 100-200 percent or larger, returns. But Haithcock has never been employed with Company #1 or any other broker-dealer. Haithcock also never had a license to trade securities and does not know the victim investment advisor.
Additionally, Haithcock promised investors that their investment principal was protected from loss regardless of the risk of the performance of the market and the size of their initial investment. Some victims invested tens of thousands of dollars while others invested $10,000 or less. Haithcock routinely lied about the future projected performance of anticipated investments.
After victims invested funds with Haithcock, he routinely provided investors with fraudulent “Statement Reports,” often on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. These reports purported to list, among other things, each investor’s portfolio value and purported stock trades Haithcock made on their behalf. Eventually, when investors began to ask for the return of their funds, Haithcock fabricated reasons why he could not return their money. Haithcock then stopped returning their calls and text messages. But he did use a small portion of the client investor funds he received from other investors to pay a few of them back.
Haithcock is facing a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud offense and five years for the investment adviser fraud offense. U.S. District Judge Matthew Maddox scheduled sentencing for Friday, February 6, at 10 a.m.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI for its work in the investigation and praised the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Cecil County Sherriff’s Office, and the Office of the Attorney General for the State of Maryland for their assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Riley, LaShanta Harris, and Joseph Wenner who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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