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Friday 19 September 2025
High-volume tax preparer pleads guilty to preparing fraudulent tax returnsRead the Press Release
Tacoma – A high-volume tax preparer in Vancouver, Washington pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to sixteen counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false and fraudulent returns, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Keith Altamirano, 52, operated Integrity Investments, LLC, doing business as “Servicios Latinos.” Between 2017 and 2021, Altamirano prepared at least 12,000 tax returns. A statistical sampling analysis reveals that his false entries on customer tax returns cost the U.S. Treasury more than $5 million in tax loss. Altamirano is scheduled for sentencing in front of Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo on December 19, 2025, at 10:30 a.m.
According to the plea agreement and indictment, Altamirano falsified clients’ income tax submissions by listing fake medical expenses, and charitable donations for deductions, listing fake cars for depreciation and expense deductions, and by listing fabricated and inflated business expenses. Altamirano concealed his fraud by using “White Out” and omitting his name on his clients’ filed returns. The clients did not know Altamirano falsified their tax return to get them a larger refund. Altamirano’s fraud helped build his business as customers recommended him to others to get larger refunds.
The tax loss for the 16 counts he pleaded guilty to is $104,518. Altamirano agreed to pay that amount in restitution to the IRS.
This month, Altamirano also pled guilty to attempted second degree murder and drug charges in Clark County Superior Court. Altamirano was sentenced to 135 months of imprisonment in his state case, which will run concurrently with his federal sentence according to the Clark County judgment.
For each count of aiding and assisting with filing a false or fraudulent tax return Altamirano faces up to three years in prison and a $100,000 fine. Prosecutors have agreed to recommend imprisonment at the low end of the federal guidelines range. Chief Judge Estudillo is not bound by the recommendation and can impose any sentence allowed by law.
The tax fraud case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
The tax fraud case is being prosecuted by Amanda McDowell.
Haitian National Sentenced to 108 Months’ Imprisonment and a $1,000,000 Fine as Leader of International Cocaine-Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on September 18, 2025, Jean Eliobert Jasme, a/k/a “ED1,” “Eddy One,” and “Tio Loco” (age: 63) of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison, 4 years of supervised release, and a $1,000,000 fine after having pled guilty to conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, intending, knowing, or having reasonable cause to believe the cocaine would be unlawfully imported into the United States, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 963, 959(a), and 960(b)(2)(B).
According to court documents, between February 2019 and March 2022, Jasme arranged to smuggle bulk quantities of cocaine along routes that led to the United States. Jasme, an established Caribbean-based cocaine smuggler, operated primarily in Haiti and the Dominican Republic and caused cocaine to be transported from Colombia or Venezuela to Haiti or the Dominican Republic and then to the Bahamas and the United States. Jasme had personnel, planes, and boats readily available to move cocaine along these routes. For his services, Jasme charged a commission, which varied between 25% and 30% of the cocaine load. In early 2022, Jasme was arranging the shipment of up to 4,000 kilograms (over 8,800 pounds) of cocaine from Colombia to the Bahamas through Haiti using a Beechcraft King Air C90 aircraft. In a message to his Colombian cocaine broker, Jasme said:
“You know, 4000 [kilograms] is nothing, brother. I can schedule that on the C90, 500 [kilograms] per trip, two trips a week without any headaches. In four weeks, we have 4000 [kilograms] here [i.e., Haiti]. In three months, I tell you, three months, the maximum of four months, put four thousand [kilograms] again . . .. I have people who are waiting for work, who are waiting for food [i.e., cocaine]. Big people who are buying for 500 [kilograms], 400 [kilograms], buying a thousand [kilograms], so you know.”
Law enforcement intervened before Jasme completed this shipment, and in March 2022, Jasme was arrested by the Haitian National Police and ultimately expelled to the United States to face prosecution.
The DEA Port-au-Prince Country Office and the Milwaukee DEA Field Office investigated this case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and the Haitian National Government, including the Haitian Ministry of Justice, the Haitian National Police and La Brigade de Lutte contre le Trafic de Stupéfiants (BLTS), provided assistance in this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Robert J. Brady, Jr. and Gail J. Hoffman of the Eastern District of Wisconsin prosecuted the case.
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For further information contact:Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
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Guatemalan Man Sentenced to 12 Months in Transportation of Illegal Aliens CaseRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on September 19, 2025, Carlos Alfredo Barrera Vasquez, 31, of Jalapa, Guatemala, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 12 months imprisonment. Barrera Vasquez previously pleaded guilty to transporting two adults and two small children after they had illegally crossed the border from Canada into the United States.
According to court records, on November 23, 2024, United States Border Patrol was alerted that four individuals had illegally crossed into the United States from Canada near Derby, Vermont. A Border Patrol agent responded to the area and encountered a truck with multiple individuals inside, later confirmed to be driven by Barrera Vasquez, travelling at a high rate of speed away from the area. Barrera Vasquez attempted to evade the Border Patrol agent by continuing to speed away, running through a stop sign, and eventually driving into an open field. During the pursuit, Barrera Vasquez’s vehicle collided with the responding Border Patrol agent’s vehicle. It was later determined that Barrera Vasquez’s passengers included the aliens who had just entered the United States illegally, two of whom were minor children not properly secured in Barrera Vasquez’s vehicle.
Evidence gathered during the investigation showed that Barrera Vasquez had been promised money in exchange for transporting the individuals who had illegally crossed the border.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the U.S. Border Patrol.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan A. Ophardt and Joshua Banker, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Flynn and Charles W. Kirkham. Barrera Vasquez was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defenders Emily Kenyon and Carmen Brooks.
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).
Former Yonkers Teacher Sentenced to 25 Years in Connection with Sexual Exploitation of Minor StudentRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that SANDY CARAZAS-PINEZ was sentenced to 25 years in prison for enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. CARAZAS-PINEZ’s sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan, who also presided over her guilty plea.
“Sexual exploitation by teachers offends every New Yorker,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Sandy Carazas-Pinez betrayed her role and, through explicit texts and other means, coerced a 16-year-old into a sexual relationship. Actions of this type by anyone, particularly a teacher or other person of trust, will not be tolerated.”
According to the court documents and statement made during court proceedings:
CARAZAS-PINEZ was a high school teacher at a school for kindergarten through 12th grade students located in Yonkers, New York (“School-1”). From in or around November 2022 through February 2023, CARAZAS-PINEZ abused her position as a teacher at School-1 by inducing and attempting to induce a student (“Minor Victim-1”) at School-1 into a sexual relationship with CARAZAS-PINEZ. Minor Victm-1 was 16 years old at the time of the abuse.
CARAZAS-PINEZ singled out Minor Victim-1 for personal attention at School-1. In addition, CARAZAS-PINEZ induced Minor Victim-1 to engage in sexual activity with her by leading Minor Victim-1 to believe that they were in a romantic relationship.
CARAZAS-PINEZ used her personal cellphone to call, text, and video call Minor Victim-1 to arrange sexual encounters and to repeatedly induce Minor Victim-1 to engage in live-streamed sexually explicit conduct while on video calls with CARAZAS-PINEZ. In text messages with Minor Victim-1, CARAZAS-PINEZ referred to her sexual encounters with Minor Victim-1 and the live depictions of sexually explicit conduct she induced Minor Victim-1 to create as “gifts.”
CARAZAS-PINEZ also used her personal cellphone to send Minor Victim-1 sexually suggestive photographs of herself along with sexually explicit text messages. After sending the photographs and messages, CARAZAS-PINEZ instructed Minor Victim-1 to delete them and inquired repeatedly as to whether Minor Victim-1 had done so.
To facilitate their sexual encounters outside the premises of School-1, CARAZAS-PINEZ directed Minor Victim-1 in text messages to obtain day passes from School-1 to be permitted to leave campus. CARAZAS-PINEZ then met Minor Victim-1 at a location near School-1’s campus and drove Minor Victim-1 to another location. On multiple occasions, while parked in CARAZAS-PINEZ’s car at various locations, including in or around the Bronx, Yonkers, and Staten Island, New York, CARAZAS-PINEZ engaged in sexual intercourse and other sexual acts, and attempted to do so, with Minor Victim-1.
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In addition to the prison term, CARAZAS-PINEZ, 36, of Bethel, Connecticut, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Mr. Clayton praised the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Police Department for their outstanding work in this matter.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights and Human Trafficking Unit in the Criminal Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitzi S. Steiner is in charge of the prosecution.
Former Postal Employee Pleads Guilty to Workers’ Compensation FraudRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Sandra “Sandy” Cannon Throneburg, 74, of Morganton, N.C., appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge W. Carleton Metcalf today and pleaded guilty to workers’ compensation fraud, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Kathleen Woodson, Executive Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General (USPS OIG) for the Mid-Atlantic Area Field Office (MAAFO), which oversees Charlotte, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
“For years, Throneburg lied about her ability to return to work to keep receiving payments from the federal workers’ compensation program,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “My office will continue to work to protect the workers compensation program for people who truly need it.”
“Most postal employees who collect workers’ compensation benefits have legitimate claims. A small percentage, however, abuse the system and cost the Postal Service millions of dollars in fraudulent claims and enforcement costs. Therefore, USPS OIG Special Agents will continue to relentlessly pursue those identified as fraudulently collecting workers’ compensation funds from the Postal Service,” said Executive Special Agent in Charge Woodson.
According to filed court documents and the plea hearing, Throneburg was employed by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) as a rural carrier in Valdese, N.C. On or about September 8, 2015, Throneburg sustained an injury at work while performing her duties. Throneburg stopped working for the USPS because of her injury. On October 23, 2015, she began receiving compensation benefits, in the form of medical benefits and disability compensation administered by the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) for employees covered by the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA).
In order to receive and maintain FECA benefits, Throneburg was required to report, among other things, all employment, self-employment, involvement in business enterprises, and volunteer work. On or about September 24, 2020, Throneburg completed, signed, and submitted a DOL OWCP Form EN 1032 that contained materially false responses to questions related to her employment status. For example, as Throneburg admitted in court today, she gave negative responses to questions related to whether she had worked for any other employer or was self-employed. Contrary to statements Throneburg made on the form, between 2016 and 2020, Throneburg had worked for an accounting firm where she performed clerical duties and had received compensation. According to filed court documents, Throneburg failed to disclose to OWCP or USPS that she was employed by and receiving earned income from the accounting firm, while also receiving over $261,000 in workers’ compensation benefits, and OWCP had paid over $278,000 for Throneburg’s medical bills related to her alleged medical condition.
Throneburg pleaded guilty to knowingly and willfully making a false statement on a report. The maximum penalty for the offense is five years in prison. After the plea hearing, Throneburg was released on bond. A sentencing date has not been set.
The USPS OIG investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth M. Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is in charge of the prosecution.
Former Palatka Housing Authority Employee Pleads Guilty to Theft of Federal FundsRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Thomas B. Hoffman (45, Florahome) has pleaded guilty to theft of federal funds. Hoffman faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, as well as forfeiture in the amount of $155,706 and restitution to the victim. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, Hoffman was an employee of the Palatka Housing Authority (PHA), which received federal funds from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer public housing programs in Palatka and neighboring municipalities. Hoffman was responsible for information technology and accounts payable. During an audit of vendors in 2025, PHA identified an unapproved company called “Data Max,” which had received approximately 48 fraudulently issued payments from PHA’s general account between July 2023 and February 2025, totaling $155,706. A federal investigation determined that Hoffman owned and controlled Data Max and its corporate bank account, and that Hoffman had caused the fraudulent payments to be issued. The investigation showed that Hoffman used the funds for his personal benefit. Bank surveillance footage obtained by investigators showed Hoffman cashing PHA checks issued to Data Max on numerous occasions.
Hoffman agreed to forfeit $155,706, the proceeds of the theft of federal funds, as well as pay restitution.
“Thomas Hoffman took advantage of the position of trust he held to oversee federal funds intended to provide housing for our most vulnerable community members by stealing over $155,000 and converting it to his own personal use. By creating a fictitious vendor that he owned, he also took away the opportunity for other actual hard-working companies to compete for contracts and provide services to the Palatka Housing Authority,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Bozena Schrank with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG). “HUD OIG will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to diligently pursue and hold accountable individuals who take advantage of their positions of trust to defraud HUD programs and our low-income housing communities.”
This case was investigated by HUD – Office of the Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David B. Mesrobian.
Former CEO who Stole over $600,000 Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
A former Chief Executive Officer of a telecommunications provider in the Northern District of Iowa, who stole over $600,000, was sentenced on September 18, 2025, to more than three years in federal prison.
Anthony James Lang, age 42, a resident of Jesup, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 9, 2025 guilty plea to one count of wire fraud.
From January 2017 through January 2023, Lang devised and executed a scheme to defraud his employer, a telecommunication and internet service provider. At the time of the scheme, Lang was the CEO of the company and had access to their books and accounts. Over a six-year time period, Lang stole over $600,000 from the company. At sentencing, Chief Judge C.J. Williams described Lang’s conduct as the product of greed and waste.
Lang was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Lang was sentenced to 38 months’ imprisonment. He was ordered to make $662,736.00 in restitution. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Lang was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 2025-CR-2017.
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Five Defendants Charged Federally, More Than 30 State Warrants Executed in Henderson Crime Suppression EffortRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Today, U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle, along with federal and local law enforcement, announced that five individuals have been charged in separate federal cases as part of a coordinated enforcement operation. In addition to the federal charges, more than 30 state warrants were executed in the Henderson area. The operation targeted violent offenders, drug traffickers, and absconders, reinforcing the federal government’s commitment to protecting communities destabilized by violent crime and drug activity.
“These charges and arrests show that law enforcement will not stand idly by while violent offenders and absconders fuel instability in Henderson,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “This surge reflects the strength of our local, state, and federal partnerships, and we remain committed to supporting Henderson and Vance County in this united fight against crime. If you commit a federal crime, you can expect to spend a lot of prison time.”
“The FBI is committing resources to support our law enforcement partners across North Carolina every day. The FBI Raleigh Durham Safe Streets Task Force is honored to have assisted the Henderson Police Department in this important fugitive roundup. When we work together to address and mitigate violent crime, the American people win and the Justice system can take the next step to hold offenders convicted in court, accountable,” said James C. Barnacle Jr., the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina.
“Enforcement operations like this demonstrate the importance of collaboration,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Alicia Jones. “Through partnerships and a commitment to public safety, we’re finding and apprehending those individuals that pose the greatest threats to our communities.”
“Violent offenders threaten the safety and stability of our neighborhoods, and this operation shows the strength of coordinated law enforcement at every level,” said U.S. Marshal Glenn M. McNeill, Jr., of the Eastern District of North Carolina. “The U.S. Marshals Service remains committed to working alongside our federal, state, and local partners to ensure fugitives are apprehended and communities across Henderson and Vance County are safer as a result of these efforts.”
“This operation is a result of planning, intelligence sharing, and collaboration. It sends a clear message that criminal activity has no place in our neighborhoods, and we will use every resource available to uphold the safety and integrity of our communities,” said Commander of the State Highway Patrol, Colonel Freddy L. Johnson, Jr. “But our work does not stop with arrests, it continues with prevention, community outreach, and making sure that our enforcement efforts are matched by support for the families and neighborhoods most affected by crime.”
“On behalf of the SBI and our hard-working agents, we are extremely proud to join forces with our local, state, and federal partners to arrest probationers and absconders in Vance County to reduce crime and keep citizens safe. We are committed to assisting our sheriffs, chiefs, and U.S. Attorneys with the ongoing effort to get drugs off the street and put violent offenders in jail. Without the strong partnerships with other law enforcement agencies, the success of this type of operation would not be possible,” said the North Carolina SBI Director Chip Hawley.
“Successful collaboration with our local, state, and federal partners is essential to strengthening our communities and making North Carolina safer for everyone,” said ALE Director Bryan House. “I'm grateful for the strong relationships we've built that make operations like this possible.”
“This operation is an excellent example of how effective law enforcement collaboration can be in improving safety in our communities,” said Leslie Cooley Dismukes, Secretary for the Department of Adult Correction. “I’d like to thank all our law enforcement and prosecution partners for their ongoing assistance to reduce crime and ensure compliance among those we supervise.”
“This operation exemplifies the effectiveness of collaboration among law enforcement agencies with diverse areas of expertise. Extensive preparation was devoted to its planning and execution, and the success achieved reflects the strength of federal, state, and local agencies working in unison. As the Chief of Henderson, I am proud of our relationship with each of these agencies and look forward to more proactive projects in the near future,” said Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow.
Participating agencies included the FBI, the ATF, the U.S. Marshals Service, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the North Carolina SBI, the North Carolina ALE, the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, District Attorney Mike Waters, the Henderson Police Department, the Oxford Police Department, and the Vance County Sheriff's Office.
Law enforcement divided the effort into three arrest teams and three search teams, conducting approximately 30 absconder warrant services and 40 warrantless searches. Together, the teams executed coordinated arrests and searches aimed at reducing violent crime and holding fugitives accountable. According to court documents, the following five individuals, all from the Henderson area, were arrested on federal charges as part of the recent enforcement effort:
• Qwmaine Raekwon Knott of Henderson, 29, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison.
• Andre Khan of Henderson, 30, is charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a felon. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, consecutive to any other sentence, and up to life in prison.
• Terrance Hargrove of Henderson, 47, is charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a felon. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, consecutive to any other sentence, and up to life in prison.
• Keith Bagley of Oxford, 46, is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
• Shamar Evans of Oxford, 34, is charged with possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and possession of a firearm by a felon. If convicted, he faces a minimum of five years and up to 35 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Loeser, Jaren Kelly, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Becker are prosecuting the cases.
These federal cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on our website.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Federal Jury Finds Domestic Abuser Guilty of Fourth Illegal Reentry into the United StatesRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- A federal jury has found Gilberto Hernandez-Sanchez, 29, of Mexico, guilty of illegal reentry of a removed alien.
According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, Hernandez-Sanchez was removed from the United States to Mexico in 2021. In 2024, he was arrested at the Plainfield, Indiana Correctional Facility, where he had been incarcerated following a state conviction for domestic battery.
Hernandez-Sanchez had previously been removed from the United States on four separate occasions. His initial entry occurred on August 5, 2014, when he crossed the Mexican border into the United States without legal documentation or authorization to apply for admission and was promptly removed. He unlawfully re-entered the country and was removed twice more that same month. At an undetermined later date, Hernandez-Sanchez re-entered the United States and was again removed in November 2021. Undeterred, he re-entered in 2022 and was subsequently convicted on state charges.
Hernandez-Sanchez has an extensive criminal history, including convictions for false informing, public intoxication endangering the life of another, domestic battery, battery resulting in bodily injury, and domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated this case. U.S. District Judge James P. Hanlon presided over the trial and will sentence Hernandez-Sanchez at a later date.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carolyn Haney and Adam Eakman, who are prosecuting this case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. 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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Exchange of Gunfire in Suburban Chicago Parking Lot Leads to 20-Year Prison SentenceRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man involved in an exchange of gunfire in a suburban Chicago parking lot has been sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison.
ANTHONY HAYES and JAMARI WILLIAMS each fired multiple rounds at REGINALD DANIELS in a parking lot of an auto repair shop in Calumet City, Ill., on Aug. 9, 2021. Daniels and another individual with him were wounded. Daniels drew a gun from his waistband and fired multiple rounds at Hayes and Williams as they ran away. One of Daniels’s shots struck an innocent bystander who happened to be driving near the store. The innocent bystander suffered life-altering injuries.
Three days after the shootings, law enforcement executed a court-authorized search of Hayes’s residence and discovered eight firearms, including the guns used by Hayes and Williams in the shooting of Daniels and the individual with him. Hayes, Williams, and Daniels were indicted in federal court in 2022 and have been in federal custody since then.
Hayes, 27, of Dolton, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal charge of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. On Monday, U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr., sentenced Hayes to 20 years and eight months in federal prison.
Williams, 26, and Daniels, 33, both of Chicago, also pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal firearm charges. Williams was sentenced last month to ten years in prison, while Daniels was sentenced in June to eight and a half years.
The sentences were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Substantial assistance was provided by the Calumet City, Ill. Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force, South Suburban Emergency Response Team, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and Illinois State Police.
“By letting loose a hail of bullets towards an open business abutting a busy four-lane thoroughfare, defendant threatened countless other repair shop customers, employees, and passersby,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mower argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum in Hayes’s case. “Justice accordingly demands commensurate punishment.”
Edmond Man Sentenced to Serve 30 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – KENNETH LYNCH, 45, of Edmond, has been sentenced to serve 360 months in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child, announced U.S Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to public records, in October 2024, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) discovered images depicting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that were shared on a chat board on the dark web, a computer network within the internet that is restricted and cannot be accessed by the general public using a standard search engine. HSI agents were able to identify the minor victim in the images and spoke with her the following month. The victim told agents Lynch sexually abused her on multiple occasions and captured the images in question. Edmond police arrested Lynch at his home on January 16, 2025, after executing a search warrant. On Lynch’s phone, law enforcement found some of the CSAM images that started the investigation.
“Through manipulation and coercion, this defendant engaged in abhorrent acts of child exploitation, concealed his crimes in secrecy, and shared his abuse across the dark web,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. “The harm he caused will haunt his victim for life. While no sentence can undo that pain, this punishment stands as a stark warning that those who prey upon our most vulnerable will be found, prosecuted, and held accountable to the fullest measure of justice.”
“This dangerous predator sexually assaulted an innocent child and then published recordings of the abuse to the dark web forcing his victim to relive that horrifying nightmare for the rest of her life knowing those images could still be out there,” said Homeland Security Investigations Dallas Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard. “Working closely with our law enforcement partners and leveraging our expertise in investigating sophisticated criminal activity on the dark web, our special agents were able to quickly identify Mr. Lynch and remove him from the community to ensure he is no longer a threat to our children.”
On February 20, 2025, a federal Grand Jury charged Lynch with sexual exploitation of a child. Lynch pleaded guilty on May 7, 2025, and admitted he used a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing CSAM.
At a sentencing hearing on September 18, 2025, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton sentenced Lynch to serve 360 months in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered Lynch to pay restitution in the amount of $32,300. In announcing the sentence, the Court noted the extraordinarily egregious conduct of the defendant, the need to “send a message” to others who would consider being involved in similar conduct, and that society will not tolerate this kind of abuse toward children.
This case is the result of an investigation by HSI and the Edmond Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Ganz prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Easton Man Convicted of Wire FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Easton man was convicted today, following an eight-day trial of using Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds to secretly purchase a home in the name of a close relative.
Bill Dessaps, 49, was convicted of two counts of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of money laundering, and one count of bank fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for Jan. 15, 2026.In January 2024, five other individuals were charged for their alleged involvement in the PPP fraud scheme.
“Dessaps sought to defraud the American people through his misappropriation of COVID-19 relief loans. He scammed to enrich himself, at the expense of people in need” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Today’s conviction is another reminder that fraud does not pay.”
“The guilty sentence of Bill Dessaps demonstrates IRS-CI’s continued commitment to prosecuting all those who took advantage of the CARES Act for their own undue self-enrichment,” said Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “Dessaps defrauded a federal program designed to help those most in need at the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic with the sole intent of living a lavish lifestyle, while others, who were truly in need, struggled.”
Dessaps – the operator of an Abington-based used car dealership – allegedly conspired with individuals in Massachusetts and Florida to submit a fraudulent PPP application on behalf of Dessaps’ dealership. The application they prepared and submitted for Dessaps’ dealership falsely stated that the dealership had 40 employees and average monthly payroll expenses of $334,720. As a result of the applications, the lender disbursed a PPP loan of $836,800 to Dessaps. After receiving these funds, Dessaps made kickback payments to one or more of the individuals who assisted with the application.
After Dessaps received the PPP loan, he purchased a $750,000 home in the name of a straw buyer—his close relative—because his credit score would have prevented him from obtaining a mortgage on favorable terms, and because he purchased the home using PPP funds, a purchase the PPP prohibits. Dessaps, his close relative, and a real estate agent submitted false mortgage application documents to a lender, including forms and forged records that inflated the relative’s income and assets. For a portion of the home costs, Dessaps transferred PPP proceeds into a joint bank account that he and his relative controlled. After a lender denied the close relative’s application for a secondary loan for the remaining funds, Dessaps and his real estate agent arranged a sham gift of $127,500 from the real estate agent’s girlfriend to the close relative, which Dessaps wired to the girlfriend. Through these and other misrepresentations, Dessaps obtained a $510,000 mortgage on the home and lived in it.
Dessaps also attempted to obtain a “Second Draw” PPP loan through another fraudulent application in March 2021.
The charges of wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the scheme, whichever is greater. The charge of money laundering provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount of money involved in the laundering transaction. The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million, or twice the gross gain or loss from the scheme, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
U.S. Attorney Foley and IRS SAC Demeo made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David M. Holcomb and Meghan C. Cleary of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Escapee Caught and ChargedRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Trashad Laron Roberts, 34, Tallahassee, Florida, has been indicted in federal court and charged with escape of a prisoner subject to lawful custody from a residential treatment facility. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charge.
Roberts appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick for his arraignment in federal court on September 16, 2025, in Tallahassee, Florida. Trial is set for November 4, 2025, before Chief United States District Judge Alan C. Winsor.
If convicted, Roberts faces up to five years’ imprisonment.
The case is being investigated by the United States Marshals Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph A. Ravelo.
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 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.
Dunkirk man going to prison for 30 years for labor trafficking and kidnappingRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Augusto Mateo Francisco, 34, of Dunkirk, NY, who was convicted of two counts of forced labor, and one count of transportation of a minor, was sentenced to serve 30 years in prison and lifetime supervised release by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. Francisco was also ordered to pay restitution and register as a sex offender.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas A. C. Penrose, and Department of Justice Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit Trial Attorney Meghan Tokash, who handled the case, stated that Francisco, a native of Guatemala and a Legal Permanent Resident, facilitated the illegal entry of Guatemalan migrants into the United States and helped transport them to the Dunkirk area, where he would provide them with housing and work at area farms. Francisco would charge the migrants for their housing, rides to work, and for other items. He would also take a cut of the wages they earned working at the farms. Francisco threatened two of the victims by telling them that if they stopped working for him or if they did not pay back the money they purportedly owed to him, he would harm their families or would call immigration authorities and have them deported.
Francisco also pursued a sexual relationship with a minor victim, who was a 16-year-old Guatemalan migrant who had come to the U.S. with her mother. Francisco repeatedly raped the minor and threatened to harm her family in Guatemala, if she told anyone about what had happened. Francisco also kidnapped the minor victim and took her to a trailer in Ripley, NY, where she was held for nearly two weeks, until being rescued by police. After being rescued, the minor victim and her mother fled to Georgia to escape Francisco. However, he followed them and kidnapped the minor victim again and brought her back to the Western District of New York, where he unlawfully held her for several more days.
“This defendant’s conduct of facilitating the illegal entry of migrants into the United States and then extorting them for his own personal and sexual gratification underscores the evils that can be associated with illegal trafficking,” stated U.S. Attorney DiGiacomo. “My office will continue to pursue and prosecute those individuals who engage in such conduct.”
HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan stated, “This case lays bare the sheer depravity of Francisco’s crimes — perpetrated by a foreign national who not only exploited the vulnerabilities of migrants for profit, but also subjected a minor to unimaginable abuse. Francisco weaponized his victims’ immigration status through threats, coercion, and violence, including repeated rapes and multiple kidnappings. This significant sentence underscores the seriousness of his heinous actions and demonstrates HSI's unyielding commitment, together with our law enforcement partners, to holding such predators accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The sentencing is the result of by Homeland Security investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan and the Chautauqua County Sherriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone.
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Dominican National Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Prison for Unlawful Re-Entry and Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and CocaineRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national residing in Methuen, Mass. has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for unlawfully re-entering the United States after deportation and possessing narcotics intended for distribution.
Raul Fernando Lora, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun to 66 months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In March 2025, Lora pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of unlawful reentry of deported alien. Lora was charged in November 2023.
Lora was previously removed from the United States on July 2, 2013 and June 5, 2018. Before his first removal, Lora was convicted of aggravated identity theft for fraudulently using the identity of a Puerto Rican citizen. Additionally, Lora has prior convictions for possession with intent to distribute heroin, firearms offenses and assault and battery — all of which were under the name of the identity Lora had stolen.
In 2023, immigration authorities became aware of Lora’s presence in the United States after being notified that his fingerprints were taken in connection with criminal charges in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Lora had default warrants outstanding for both cases.
Lora was arrested on Oct. 3, 2023, at which time he was found in possession of a sock that contained over 200 grams of fentanyl and over 30 grams of cocaine in multiple plastic bags.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Sullivan of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
District of Arizona Charges 274 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from September 13, 2025, through September 19, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 274 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 108 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 150 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 12 cases against 15 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement is a key part of border vigilance, and prosecutors also charged 1 individual for assaulting a federal officer.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Jessica Isabel Perez: On September 12, 2025, Jessica Isabel Perez crossed into the United States through the San Luis Port of Entry with two children. One of the children was Perez's 17-year-old daughter, who is a United States citizen, and the other was a six-year-old that Perez claimed to be her son. Perez presented a birth certificate for the six-year-old, which was inconsistent with the identity of the child she was presenting for entry. The child also appeared drowsy and could not keep his eyes open. At secondary inspection, agents observed that the child was struggling to walk and stumbling from side to side. Agents also located extra strength Tylenol PM inside the vehicle with two pills missing. Upon further investigation, agents learned that Perez had traveled to Mexico to pick up the child and bring him to the United States as a favor for someone. Perez was charged by criminal complaint with Conspiracy to Transport an Illegal Alien, False Personation in Immigration Matters, and Aggravated Identity Theft. [Case Number: 25-MJ-01924]
United States v. Juan Raul Angulo-Angulo: On September 15, 2025, Juan Raul Angulo-Angulo, a citizen of Mexico, was charged by criminal complaint with Conspiracy to Bring an Alien into the United States Unlawfully and two counts of Bringing an Alien to the United States Unlawfully. On September 12, Border Patrol agents observed three subjects walking northbound in the remote desert approximately 20 miles south of Tacna, Arizona. Agents responded to the area and found Angulo-Angulo, who was wearing camouflage clothing and had carpet booties over his shoes. Agents also located two additional individuals who were wearing camouflage clothing and hiding in the nearby brush. All three subjects were determined to be citizens of Mexico without lawful authority to be in the United States, and agents learned that Angulo-Angulo was serving as the foot guide for the group. [Case Number: 25-MJ-01919]
United States v. Edith Toledo, et al: On September 13, 2025, Edith Toledo, a citizen of the United States, crossed into the country through the San Luis Port of Entry with five passengers in her vehicle that she claimed to be her children and citizens of the United States. In support of this claim, Toledo provided five birth certificates and four Arizona identification cards. Three of the passengers were confirmed to be Toledo’s children and citizens of the United States, including two minors. However, the purported birth certificates for the remaining two passengers, Alfredo De La Cruz Gonzales and Reyna Lorenzo Chavez, were inconsistent with the people she was presenting for entry. At secondary, agents determined that De La Cruz and Chavez were citizens of Mexico without lawful authority to be in the United States. Agents also learned that De La Cruz coordinated with Toledo to smuggle himself and his wife, Chavez, from Mexico into the United States. Toledo and De La Cruz were charged with Conspiracy to Transport an Illegal Alien, False Personation in Immigration Matters, and Aggravated Identity Theft. Chavez was charged with False Personation in Immigration Matters and Aggravated Identity Theft. [Case Number: 25-MJ-01923]
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-151_September 19 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Department of Justice Issues Sentencing Memo for 2022 Attempted Murder of Supreme Court JusticeRead the Press Release
Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland issued a sentencing memo following Nicholas John Roske’s April 8 guilty plea for the attempted murder of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
“This attempt against the life of a Supreme Court Justice was an attack on the entire judicial system that cannot go unpunished,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice condemns political violence and our prosecutors will ensure that this disturbed individual faces severe consequences for his deranged actions.”
The memo asks for a sentence of 30 years.
Please read the full memo linked HERE.
Convicted Felon Sentenced for Unlawful Possession of Semi-Automatic Pistol While on ParoleRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ricky Corey Watkins, 33, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 37 months in prison in connection with his possession of a semiautomatic pistol while on parole for several weapons offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Watkins pleaded guilty May 30 before U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell to a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. In addition to the 37-month prison sentence, Judge Howell ordered Watkins to serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, officers from the Metropolitan Police Department were called March 19 to the Harrison Recreation Center, on the 1300 block of V Street, Northwest, for a report of someone who was riding a dirt bike on the baseball field.
Watkins, who was driving the dirt bike, was handcuffed and detained for operating the dirt bike in a public space. Watkins complained of an injury, and police called D.C. Fire and Emergency Services.
After an examination by emergency services personnel, police asked Watkins if he needed to be transported to a hospital. When Watkins said “yes,” police told him he would need to be searched before getting in the ambulance.
Watkins stood up and attempted to run. As Watkins ran down 13th Street with his hands cuffed behind his back, a tan-colored firearm fell from his person to the ground. Police caught Watkins hiding behind a pickup truck in an alley after a brief chase. Officers recovered a 9mm Glock Model 19X semiautomatic pistol loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition and outfitted with a laser sight attachment.
Watkins has several prior felony convictions and was sentenced to 24 months for a 2010 charge of carrying a pistol without a license. In 2012 he was convicted of four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, one count of aggravated assault while armed, one count of second degree cruelty to children, and two counts of destruction of property and was on parole for those offenses when he was arrested in this case.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the ATF Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson.
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Columbus woman pleads guilty to committing bankruptcy fraud using stolen or fake identitiesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Latasha Collins-Ford, 50, of Columbus, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to bankruptcy fraud.
Collins-Ford admitted to renting homes using stolen or fictitious identities, failing to pay rent, and then filing bankruptcy petitions to delay eviction. Once the bankruptcy petitions were discharged or dismissed, Collins-Ford would move on to a new rental home and use a new identity to repeat the scheme.
According to court documents, Collins-Ford committed bankruptcy fraud on at least three occasions between 2019 and 2023 while renting three separate residences and using three different identities.
She pleaded guilty today to bankruptcy fraud, a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison.
Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors at a future hearing.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Tyler J. Aagard is representing the United States in this case.
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Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Earl Vincent Hudgins III, 32, of Pensacola, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I deeply appreciate the tireless efforts of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and our federal law enforcement partners to keep our streets safe, and keeping firearms out of the hands of convicted felons is a major part of that effort. My office will continue to aggressively pursue prosecutions against repeat offenders, like this defendant, as long as it takes to make our communities safe.”
Court documents reflect that on February 16, 2025, Hudgins was driving a vehicle when he was stopped for a traffic infraction. A subsequent search uncovered an AR-style firearm loaded with 15 rounds of .300 caliber ammunition, which he was prohibited from possessing as a convicted felon. Later, law enforcement identified multiple posts on Hudgins’ social media showing him in possession of the same firearm that was located during the traffic stop. Hudgins also posted a video during the traffic stop which was captioned, “Bout to go to jail.”
Hudgins faces up to fifteen years’ imprisonment as a result of his actions. If Hudgins is sentenced to a term of imprisonment, such term could be followed by up to a three year term of supervised release. Thus, if Hudgins were to violate any conditions of his release, he could potentially face an additional period of incarceration related to violating his supervision.
This case was a joint investigated by Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher C. Patterson and Jennifer H. Callahan.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 16, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers.
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.
Brazilian National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brazilian national unlawfully residing in Fall River has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Evaldo Ferreira Pinto, 51, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Pinto, who was arrested on Aug. 7, 2025, is currently in custody and will be arraigned in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to the charging documents, Pinto was allegedly found in the United States on Aug. 7, 2025, after previously having been removed from the United States on or about May 31, 2019.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elianna J. Nuzum of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Bogalusa Man with Multiple Prior Convictions Sentenced to Probation for federal Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that OTRAVIOUS ROMEL HARRIS, SR. (“HARRIS”), age 44, a resident of Bogalusa, Louisiana, was sentenced on September 9, 2025, to five years of probation, after previously pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). This statute carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years in a federal penitentiary, as well as up to 3 years of supervised release following imprisonment and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. According to court records, the United States Sentencing Guidelines called for a sentence of 70-87 months in prison, based on his significant criminal history, that included prior convictions and prison terms for Distribution of Cocaine, and Possession with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine in 2006, as well as Possession with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine, Oxycodone, and Alprazolam, and Aggravated Flight from an Officer and Possession of Oxycodone in 2018. United States District Judge Darrell James Papillion granted HARRIS’ motion for a downward departure and sentenced HARRIS to 5 years of probation. This sentence was imposed over the objection of the United States Attorney’s Office, who sought a jail sentence as called for by the Guidelines. HARRIS was charged in federal court with being a felon in possession of a firearm after he was the subject of a traffic stop on June 22, 2022. During the traffic stop officers observed that HARRIS was smoking marijuana. During a search of his vehicle officers located a loaded Glock 9mm handgun. DNA test of the firearm showed that HARRIS’ DNA was on the firearm. HARRIS pled guilty as charged to this federal offense on November 5, 2024.
As part of his probation, HARRIS must not violate any local, state, or federal laws, and he will have a curfew where he will have to remain in his house from 9:00 pm until 5:00 am. He will also have to report to his probation officer.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Maurice E. Landrieu, Jr. of the Narcotics Unit.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Another massive week: 360 more people face charges as the Southern District strengthens border security effortsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A total of 358 more cases have been filed in immigration and border security-related matters from Sept. 12-18, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
A total of 179 people face charges of illegal entry, while another 154 individuals face charges of felony reentry after removal. Most have felony convictions for narcotics, violent crime, immigration crimes and more. An additional 21 people have been charged with human smuggling, while the remaining six have been charged with firearms offenses, assaults on federal officers and other immigration crimes.
One of those charged is Penitas resident Diego Masiel Torres, who allegedly impeded federal law enforcement during an Aug. 27 consensual worksite enforcement operation in Harlingen. Court documents allege Torres tried to pull an officer away from apprehending an illegal alien. If convicted, he faces up to eight years in federal prison.
“The Southern District of Texas is committed to fully enforcing our country’s immigration laws, and anyone who tries to stop a federal agent from carrying out this mission will be held accountable before a judge and jury,” said Ganjei. “So, the message is simple. Don’t end up on the wrong end of a federal indictment – keep your hands to yourself.”
Among those charged this week are Gonzalo Alvarado-Cortez and Enedino Nieves-Tomas, both Mexican nationals. According to court documents, authorities discovered Alvarado-Cortez near Edinburg after his March 2019 removal and Nieves-Tomas near Roma after his October 2023 removal. Both men have prior convictions for illegal reentry and face up to 20 years in federal prison, if convicted.
Charges also allege Jose Manuel Lopez-Hernandez and Marcos Joel Castro-Lopez, both Mexican nationals, were found near Alamo after removals in July 2024 and February 2012, respectively. Lopez-Hernandez has a prior conviction for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, while Castro-Lopez has a prior conviction for aggravated sexual assault, according to court documents.
In Houston, Mexican national Manuel Albert Aragon-Hernandez, 39, was sentenced to 44 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the country. Aragon-Hernandez, who has multiple prior felony convictions including theft and drug possession, was first removed in 2010 and returned illegally three times. Authorities discovered him again during a traffic stop for speeding and found methamphetamine and marijuana in his vehicle. At sentencing, the court also heard evidence that he fired a weapon while intoxicated.
Also sentenced this week was Mexican national Fidel Ramirez-Mancilla, 39, who received 15 months for illegal reentry. He has a prior conviction for aggravated felony of assault with the intent to commit mayhem, rape, sodomy or oral copulation. He was removed from the United States in 2011, but authorities encountered him again May 19.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
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.
75-Year-Old Toa Baja Man Arrested for Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Carlos Manuel Collazo-Pérez, a 75-year-old man from Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, was arrested on criminal charges related to child exploitation, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. Today, Homeland Security Investigations special agents arrested Collazo-Pérez.
According to court documents, on or about September 15, 2024, Carlos Manuel Collazo-Pérez attempted to employ, use, persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a six-year-old female minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child exploitation material.
Moreover, from March 2021 through August 2025, the defendant knowingly transported images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct via the internet using a computer and knowingly possessed and accessed with intent to view digital videos and images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct saved on the defendant’s laptop, cellular phone, and other electronic devices.
Collazo-Pérez is facing one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children; one count for transportation of child exploitation material; and one count of possession of child exploitation material.
“The Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners will aggressively investigate and prosecute those criminals who seek to exploit and harm children,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “I thank the dedicated HSI agents and prosecutors who investigated and charged this case for their tireless efforts to protect the most vulnerable in our community. This type of exploitation of children has no place in civilized society.”
“In the last thirty days, HSI has arrested four individuals on child exploitation charges. This is an alarming number; this individual has an extensive collection of child sexual abuse material that is appalling. Child predators have no age limit, no profile, this 75-year-old man hid behind the trust of his community while gathering an extensive collection of child sexual abuse material. Crimes like these inflict lasting harm, not only on the victims but also on the hearts of our neighborhoods. His age gave the communities a false sense of security. We will never allow age, status, or circumstances to shield predators from accountability. Our mission is clear, to protect children and bring every offender to justice,” said Rebecca González-Ramos, Special Agent in Charge, HSI San Juan (Puerto Rico & U.S. Virgin Islands).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daynelle Álvarez-Lora of the Crimes Against Children, Human Trafficking and Immigration Unit, is prosecuting the case. The Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force led by HSI is in charge of the investigation.
If convicted for the charges the defendant faces the following penalties: (1) attempted sexual exploitation of a minor – a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years; (2) transportation of child exploitation material - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; and (3) possession of child exploitation material - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. All charges of conviction are to be followed by a term of supervised release after imprisonment of no less than 5 years up to life. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov. To report suspicious activities, call 787-729-6969 or send an email to [email protected].
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Thursday 18 September 2025
West Tennessee Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN – Levi Edward Hamilton, 23, of Mansfield, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for creating a fictitious social media account via Instagram and using that account to solicit sexually explicit images and videos from several individuals, including minor children. Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Interim U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
Hamilton was charged with five counts of production of child pornography, five counts of coercion and enticement of a minor, five counts of receipt of child pornography, three counts of transferring obscene material to a minor, and one count of possessing child pornography. Following his guilty plea to two of the production of child pornography charges, United States District Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Hamilton to 25 years in prison and five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the FBI Memphis Child Exploitation Task Force and the Henry County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Josh Morrow prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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Waterbury Gang Member Sentenced to Life in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
MALIK BAYON, also known as “Pop” and “Dirt,” 29, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to life in prison, and a mandatory five-year consecutive term of imprisonment, for offenses related to his involvement in the 960 gang, a violent Waterbury street gang.
Today’s announcement was made by David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Maureen T. Platt, State’s Attorney for the Waterbury Judicial District; P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bryan DiGirolamo, Acting Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; and Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address drug trafficking and related violence in Waterbury, the FBI, ATF, and Waterbury Police have been investigating multiple Waterbury-based groups, including the 960 gang. On September 14, 2021, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 36-count indictment charging Bayon and 15 other 960 gang members with various offenses, including racketeering, murder, attempted murder and assault, firearm possession, narcotics trafficking, and obstruction of justice offenses.
According to the evidence presented during his trial:
- On October 31, 2017, Bayon and other 960 members were involved in a drive-by shooting in the area of Porter Street and Bank Street in Waterbury in an attempt to murder members of a rival gang. An individual was shot and wounded in the shooting. Investigators recovered 17 shell casings from four different firearms at the scene.
- On November 22, 2017, Bayon and 960 members Zaekwon McDaniel and Tahjay Love shot at Clarence Lewis and Antonio Santos who were in a car at a restaurant in Waterbury. Lewis sped from the scene at a high rate of speed and crashed into a house at the intersection of Wolcott Street and Dallas Avenue in Waterbury. Lewis, 22, and Santos, 20, were pronounced dead at the scene. Shell casings connected two of firearms used during the shooting to the shooting that occurred on October 31, 2017.
- On December 29, 2017, shortly before 9:00 p.m., Bayon, McDaniel, and Love shot and injured the father of a rival gang member who was taking out the trash in front of his residence. 960 members videoed themselves wearing masks at the scene minutes before the shooting.
To promote 960, Bayon and other 960 members made rap videos that glorified gang violence, firearm possession, and drug dealing. Many of the rap lyrics were tied to criminal conduct committed by 960 members.
Bayon has been detained since his federal arrest on September 16, 2021. He was flushing fentanyl in a toilet at the time of his arrest, and a search of his residence revealed a firearm, an extended gun magazine and additional gun magazines, and ammunition.
On February 14, 2024, a jury found Bayon, McDaniel, and Love guilty of conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity with special circumstances, murder in violation of the Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering (“VCAR”) statute, and two counts of causing death through the use of a firearm and in relation to a crime of violence. The jury also found McDaniel guilty of attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; Love guilty of obstruction of justice; and Bayon guilty of conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and 40 grams or more of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute narcotics, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
On September 9, 2025, McDaniel was sentenced to life in prison and a mandatory 10-year consecutive term of imprisonment. Love awaits sentencing.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, Waterbury Police Department, ATF, and U.S. Marshals Service, with the assistance of the Southington Police Department, Watertown Police Department, New Milford Police Department, Connecticut State Police, Connecticut Department of Correction, Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory, and the DEA Laboratory. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey M. Stone, John T. Pierpont, Jr. and Natasha M. Freismuth, and Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don E. Therkildesen, Jr. and Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Arroyo, who were cross-designated as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys in this matter.
This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.
Virginia Man Found Guilty of Repeat CSAM OffensesRead the Press Release
A district court judge yesterday convicted a previously convicted sex offender of distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) while on supervised release.
“This defendant continued to sexually exploit children online while on court-ordered supervision, following an earlier conviction for similar conduct,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Thanks to the tireless efforts and enduring dedication of our law enforcement partners and prosecutors, this defendant has been held accountable for his continued exploitation of children and now faces a fifteen-year mandatory minimum sentence.”
“Following his previous conviction for child sexual abuse material, Antonio Gonzalez knew what he was doing was illegal and knew the consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Instead of embracing a respect for the law and the vulnerable lives it protects, Gonzalez returned to his previous crimes with no regards for those harmed by sexual exploitation. We will tirelessly prosecute anyone engaging in these detestable crimes, and we will continue to pursue anyone who refuses to reform.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in April 2024, law enforcement began an investigation into a user who was reported to be distributing CSAM on Kik, a mobile-based messaging platform. Further investigation revealed that the user was Antonio Rudy Gonzalez, 41, of Alexandria, who sent dozens of images of children, including toddler-aged children, engaged in sexually explicit conduct to multiple other Kik users. His chat records revealed that he had written to another Kik user “[m]y two favorite things are rape and kids.” In 2013, Mr. Gonzalez had previously been convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia of distribution of child pornography.
Following a bench trial, Gonzalez was convicted on two counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography for his 2024 conduct. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27, 2026. Due to his prior conviction, Gonzalez faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Trial Attorney Nadia Prinz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Strobbe for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Vallejo Felon Indicted for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Cole Bradley Martin, 39, of Vallejo, charging him with being a felon in possession of firearm, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, on Aug. 14, 2025, Martin possessed a Springfield XD 9 mm pistol and a KelTec P32 .32‑caliber pistol. Martin is prohibited from possessing firearms because of prior felony convictions in Solano County including, possessing a controlled substance and robbery in the first degree.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Solano County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zulkar Khan is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Martin faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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).
This case is also 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 U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN
Upper Darby Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT-The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Sabeeh Daquan Goldwire, age 28, of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday to 57 months in prison by Chief United States District Judge Matthew W. Brann for distribution of methamphetamine.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Goldwire pleaded guilty on June 24, 2025, to distributing methamphetamine. Goldwire sold methamphetamine in Williamsport on seven occasions between February 28, 2024, and July 29, 2024, within 1,000 feet of public housing. Following an investigation, it was found that Goldwire was part of a drug distribution ring. The evidence included a FaceTime message from Goldwire to a buyer that he would be bringing “ice,” a street name for methamphetamine, from Philadelphia to Williamsport.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Zenzinger prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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United Kingdom National Charged in Connection with Multiple Cyber Attacks, Including on Critical InfrastructureRead the Press Release
A complaint filed in the District of New Jersey was unsealed today charging Thalha Jubair, a United Kingdom national, with conspiracies to commit computer fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering, in relation to at least 120 computer network intrusions and extortion involving 47 U.S. entities. The complaint alleges victims paid at least $115,000,000 in ransom payments.
“Jubair is alleged to have participated in a sweeping cyber extortion scheme carried out by a group known as Scattered Spider, which committed at least 120 attacks worldwide and resulted in over $115 million in ransom payments from victims,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These malicious attacks caused widespread disruption to U.S. businesses and organizations, including critical infrastructure and the federal court system, highlighting the significant and growing threat posed by brazen cybercriminals. These charges underscore the Department’s unwavering commitment to keeping pace with technologically savvy bad actors and holding accountable those who seek to profit from ransomware.”
“The charges against Jubair announced today are the result of a lengthy investigation into particular cyber threat actors, often referred to as Scattered Spider, who have victimized at least 47 U.S.-based entities, including in New Jersey,” said Alina Habba, Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney for the District of New Jersey. “As alleged by the complaint, Jubair went to great and sophisticated lengths to keep himself anonymous while he and his criminal associates continued to attack these victims and extort tens of millions of dollars in ransom payments. But thanks to the relentless investigation of this Office and our FBI and CCIPS partners, Jubair could not remain anonymous and avoid justice indefinitely. Today’s charges demonstrate my Office’s determination to identify cybercriminals and bring them to justice, wherever they are in the world.”
“Today’s charges make it clear that no cybercriminal is beyond our reach,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “If you attack American companies or citizens, we will find you, we will expose you, and we will seek justice. The FBI continues to deploy every investigative and technical resource available to dismantle criminal cyber networks and hold their members accountable. This means working with trusted international partners like the UK’s National Crime Agency, the West Midlands Police, and the City of London Police, as well as utilizing the capabilities of our state and local partners, who are valued members of FBI’s Cyber Task Forces.”
“The arrest of Thalha Jubair underscores an undeniable truth: no matter how elusive or destructive these cyber-criminal syndicates are, we will continue to pursue those who allegedly extort our businesses and ensure they are held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy for the FBI. Today’s charges in both the U.S. and U.K. reflect extraordinary coordination with our foreign and industry partners and mark a decisive victory against cybercriminal gangs who thought they could cripple American industries, inflict hundreds of millions in losses, and hide behind a screen without consequence. The FBI remains relentless in protecting Americans and American businesses — detecting, deterring and diminishing the impact of cyber-criminal gangs.”
According to the complaint, Thalha Jubair, also known as “EarthtoStar,” “Brad,” “Austin,” and “@autistic,” 19, of London, England, conspired with others to use social engineering techniques to gain unauthorized access into the computer networks of U.S. companies, steal and encrypt information, and demand ransom payments from victims in exchange for regaining control and preventing the dissemination of the exfiltrated data. Jubair also conspired with others to launder the funds obtained through this scheme. In October 2024 and January 2025, Jubair participated in a scheme to gain unauthorized access to the networks of a U.S.-based critical infrastructure company and the U.S. Courts.
From as early as May 2022 to as recently as September 2025, Jubair and his associates were involved in approximately 120 network intrusions, including accessing the computer networks of at least 47 U.S.-based victims. Collectively, victims paid more than $115 million to Jubair and his associates in efforts to recover their data and prevent its disclosure. Portions of the ransom payments from at least five victims were sent to wallets on a server controlled by Jubair. In July 2024, while law enforcement was seizing that server — including successfully seizing cryptocurrency worth approximately $36 million at the time of the seizure — Jubair transferred a portion of cryptocurrency that originated from one of the victims, worth approximately $8.4 million at the time, to another wallet.
The charges arise out of an investigation into a cyber threat group that has been referred to as “Scattered Spider,” “Octo Tempest,” “UNC3944,” and/or “0ktapus.” Scattered Spider has targeted victims throughout the United States, including in New Jersey.
Jubair is charged with computer fraud conspiracy, two counts of computer fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, two counts of wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 95 years in prison.
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, U.K. authorities arrested Jubair and a second individual in connection with a separate U.K. investigation related to a computer intrusion that targeted U.K. critical infrastructure.
The FBI’s Newark Field Office is investigating the case. The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency and the City of London Police, the United Kingdom’s West Midlands Police, the National Police of the Netherlands, the Dutch Prosecutor’s Office, the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, Brigade for Combating Organized Crime Targu Mures, Romanian National Police, Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Australian Federal Police have provided significant assistance.
Assistant Deputy Chief Adrienne L. Rose and Trial Attorney George S. Brown of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan for the District of New Jersey’s Cybercrime Unit are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.
CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cybercriminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.
A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United Kingdom National Charged in Connection with Multiple Cyber Attacks, Including on Critical InfrastructureRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A complaint filed in the District of New Jersey was unsealed today charging Thalha Jubair, a United Kingdom national, with conspiracies to commit computer fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering, in relation to at least 120 computer network intrusions and extortion involving 47 U.S. entities. The complaint alleges victims paid at least $115,000,000 in ransom payments.
“The charges against Jubair announced today are the result of a lengthy investigation into particular cyber threat actors, often referred to as Scattered Spider, who have victimized at least 47 U.S.-based entities, including in New Jersey,” said Alina Habba, Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney for the District of New Jersey. “As alleged by the complaint, Jubair went to great and sophisticated lengths to keep himself anonymous while he and his criminal associates continued to attack these victims and extort tens of millions of dollars in ransom payments. But thanks to the relentless investigation of this Office and our FBI and CCIPS partners, Jubair could not remain anonymous and avoid justice indefinitely. Today’s charges demonstrate my Office’s determination to identify cybercriminals and bring them to justice, wherever they are in the world.”
“Jubair is alleged to have participated in a sweeping cyber extortion scheme carried out by a group known as Scattered Spider, which committed at least 120 attacks worldwide and resulted in over $115 million in ransom payments from victims,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These malicious attacks caused widespread disruption to U.S. businesses and organizations, including critical infrastructure and the federal court system, highlighting the significant and growing threat posed by brazen cybercriminals. These charges underscore the Department’s unwavering commitment to keeping pace with technologically savvy bad actors and holding accountable those who seek to profit from ransomware.”
“Today’s charges make it clear that no cybercriminal is beyond our reach,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “If you attack American companies or citizens, we will find you, we will expose you, and we will seek justice. The FBI continues to deploy every investigative and technical resource available to dismantle criminal cyber networks and hold their members accountable. This means working with trusted international partners like the UK’s National Crime Agency, the West Midlands Police, and the City of London Police, as well as utilizing the capabilities of our state and local partners, who are valued members of FBI’s Cyber Task Forces.”
“The arrest of Thalha Jubair underscores an undeniable truth: no matter how elusive or destructive these cyber-criminal syndicates are, we will continue to pursue those who allegedly extort our businesses and ensure they are held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy for the FBI. Today’s charges in both the U.S. and U.K. reflect extraordinary coordination with our foreign and industry partners and mark a decisive victory against cybercriminal gangs who thought they could cripple American industries, inflict hundreds of millions in losses, and hide behind a screen without consequence. The FBI remains relentless in protecting Americans and American businesses — detecting, deterring and diminishing the impact of cyber-criminal gangs.”
According to the complaint, Thalha Jubair, also known as “EarthtoStar,” “Brad,” “Austin,” and “@autistic,” 19, of London, England, conspired with others to use social engineering techniques to gain unauthorized access into the computer networks of U.S. companies, steal and encrypt information, and demand ransom payments from victims in exchange for regaining control and preventing the dissemination of the exfiltrated data. Jubair also conspired with others to launder the funds obtained through this scheme. In October 2024 and January 2025, Jubair participated in a scheme to gain unauthorized access to the networks of a U.S.-based critical infrastructure company and the U.S. Courts.
From as early as May 2022 to as recently as September 2025, Jubair and his associates were involved in approximately 120 network intrusions, including accessing the computer networks of at least 47 U.S.-based victims. Collectively, victims paid more than $115 million to Jubair and his associates in efforts to recover their data and prevent its disclosure. Portions of the ransom payments from at least five victims were sent to wallets on a server controlled by Jubair. In July 2024, while law enforcement was seizing that server — including successfully seizing cryptocurrency worth approximately $36 million at the time of the seizure — Jubair transferred a portion of cryptocurrency that originated from one of the victims, worth approximately $8.4 million at the time, to another wallet.
The charges arise out of an investigation into a cyber threat group that has been referred to as “Scattered Spider,” “Octo Tempest,” “UNC3944,” and/or “0ktapus.” Scattered Spider has targeted victims throughout the United States, including in New Jersey.
Jubair is charged with computer fraud conspiracy, two counts of computer fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, two counts of wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 95 years in prison.
On Tuesday, September 16, U.K. authorities arrested Jubair and a second individual in connection with a separate U.K. investigation related to a computer intrusion that targeted U.K. critical infrastructure.
The FBI’s Newark Field Office is investigating the case. The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency and the City of London Police, the United Kingdom’s West Midlands Police, the National Police of the Netherlands, the Dutch Prosecutor’s Office, the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, Brigade for Combating Organized Crime Targu Mures, Romanian National Police, Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Australian Federal Police have provided significant assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan for the District of New Jersey’s Cybercrime Unit and Assistant Deputy Chief Adrienne L. Rose and Trial Attorney George S. Brown of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.
A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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jubair.complaint.pdfTwo Romanian Nationals Indicted in Multistate SNAP Benefits Fraud Scheme While Residing Unlawfully in the United StatesRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Two Romanian nationals residing unlawfully in the United States are facing federal charges for a multistate fraud scheme involving over $760,000 in stolen SNAP benefits funds, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Cardell T. Morant, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in North Carolina and South Carolina, and Miles B. Davis, Special Agent in Charge, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA-OIG), Southeast Region, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
Marian Ovidiu Dumitru, 38, and Catalin Dumitru, 36, both Romanian citizens residing unlawfully in various places throughout the United States, are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States; possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices; illegal possession of device-making equipment; two counts of wire fraud; and four counts of aggravated identity theft. Both defendants are currently detained pending trial.
“These individuals allegedly came to the United States illegally and preyed on some of our most vulnerable citizens—those receiving SNAP benefits,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “We will use the full force of the federal government to bring justice for our citizens on government assistance.”
According to allegations in the indictment, between July 2024 and August 2025, the defendants were members of an identity theft ring that defrauded the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP) in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and other states of more than $760,000. The indictment alleges that the defendants and their coconspirators used skimming devices placed at ATMs, fuel pumps, and other means, to steal the data of electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards used to distribute SNAP benefits to eligible individuals. The stolen information was then loaded onto counterfeit bank cards, gift cards, and other such access devices, that the defendants then used at large membership warehouses to buy in bulk thousands of dollars of coffee, candy, energy drinks, and baby formula. For example, on August 1, 2025, the defendants allegedly used counterfeit cards cloned with stolen information of legitimate SNAP EBT cards issued in New Jersey to purchase over $15,600 in coffee, candy and other items from a from a warehouse club in Gastonia, North Carolina. On August 2, 2025, the defendants purchased coffee and candy totaling over $19,000 from a warehouse club in Pineville, North Carolina, using counterfeit cards loaded with stolen information from SNAP EBT cards issued in Massachusetts and New Jersey. The indictment further alleges that the defendants transported, resold or intended to resell the items purchased with counterfeit cards.
If convicted, the defendants face up to five years in prison for the conspiracy charge; up to 10 years in prison for the possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices; up to 15 years in prison for illegal possession of device-making equipment; up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud charge; and up to two years in prison for each aggravated identity theft charge, to be served consecutive to any other prison term imposed. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The charges against the defendants are merely allegations and they are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked HSI, the USDA-OIG, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and their state and local partners for their work on the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Savage of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting 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.
Two North Dakota Men Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Credit Union RobberyRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced two men from New Town, North Dakota, convicted of Credit Union Robbery. The sentencings took place on September 15, 2025.
Jason Cook, age 40, was sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $99.91 in restitution, to be paid joint and several with DeMarce, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Conrad DeMarce, age 38, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $99.91 in restitution, to be paid joint and several with Cook, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Cook and DeMarce were indicted for Credit Union Robbery by a federal grand jury in April 2025. They pleaded guilty on June 12, 2025.
The convictions stemmed from Cook and DeMarce traveling to Eagle Butte, South Dakota, on April 8, 2025, where they entered the Black Hills Federal Credit Union dressed in black with their faces covered. They were armed with BB gun pistols that appeared to be real firearms. Cook and DeMarce pointed the pistols at four employees and a customer. Using the pistols to threaten and intimidate the employees, the men demanded money and fled in a vehicle driven by Cook after forcing the employees and a customer into a bathroom and breaking the customer’s phone. Cook and DeMarce engaged Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services Officers in a high-speed pursuit, reaching speeds of over 115 miles per hour. The men were arrested after their vehicle ran out of gas. Inside the vehicle, law enforcement located cash stolen from the credit union, clothing worn during the robbery, and the BB gun pistols used during the robbery.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.
Cook and DeMarce were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Two Convicted of COVID Fraud in West VirginiaRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Maryland woman and a New York woman have admitted to fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief funding on behalf of a West Virginia resident.
Kimberly VanKline, 56, of Hyattsville, Maryland, and Rhonda Brown-Moore, 65, of Brooklyn, New York, pled guilty today to conspiring to commit wire fraud related to the improper receipt of funds from the COVID Relief Act.
According to court documents, VanKline and Brown-Moore worked together to create and submit falsified documents to obtain CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for others, including a resident of the Northern District of West Virginia. VanKline and Brown-Moore were compensated for their illegal actions from the fraudulent proceeds.
VanKline and Brown-Moore face up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Conklin and Kimberley Crockett prosecuted the case on behalf of the government and the matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Turtle Creek Resident Sentenced to 11.5 Years in Prison for Narcotics Trafficking and Unlawful Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court to 138 months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, on his convictions of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute crack, cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Timothy Mollett, 35, on September 17, 2025.
According to information presented to the Court, from in and around April 2019 to in and around July 2021, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Mollett conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of cocaine, 28 grams or more of a mixture of crack, and quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Mollett was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that he distributed to others. Further, in and around July 2021, Mollett unlawfully possessed a firearm as a convicted felon and did so in furtherance of his drug trafficking crime. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Mollett. Additional agencies participating in the investigation included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, Cambria County District Attorney’s Office, Indiana County District Attorney’s Office, Cambria County Sheriff’s Office, Cambria Township Police Department, Indiana Borough Police Department, Johnstown Police Department, Upper Yoder Township Police Department, Richland Police Department, Ferndale Police Department, and other local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach ththat leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Stilwell Resident Sentenced to Ten Years for Voluntary ManslaughterRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Mose Adam Smith, age 43, of Stilwell, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 121 months in prison for one count of Voluntary Manslaughter in Indian Country, to be followed by three years of Supervised Release.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office, the Grant County, Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office, and the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory.
On April 10, 2025, Smith was found guilty by a federal jury at trial. According to investigators, on July 17, 2023, Smith struck the victim during an altercation at the victim’s Sallisaw residence. The victim died from blunt force trauma and injuries sustained in the fight. Smith and co-defendant Kimberly Dawn Ball-Gilbert fled the state in the victim’s truck and were apprehended ten days later by law enforcement in Illinois. The crime occurred in Sequoyah County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
On March 19, 2025, Ball-Gilbert, age 42, of Stilwell, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to an Information of one count of Voluntary Manslaughter. At her plea hearing, Ball-Gilbert admitted to aiding and abetting Smith’s actions in causing the victim’s death. Sentencing for Ball-Gilbert has not yet been scheduled.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Smith will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick M. Flanigan and Lewis M. Reagan represented the United States.
Sioux City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Alexander Summers, 30, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced on September 17, 2025, to 150 months’ imprisonment. Summers pled guilty May 8, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.
At the plea and sentencing hearings evidence showed that for about five months in 2023 Summers and others conspired to distribute methamphetamine in the Sioux City, Iowa area. Specifically, on one occasion in 2023, Summers distributed nearly one pound of pure methamphetamine to an individual cooperating with law enforcement. Summers further admitted to trafficking approximately 2 ½ pounds of meth with other sources, and helping another person traffic meth in exchange for a place to live in Sioux City.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Summers was sentenced to 150 months’ imprisonment and must serve a 5-year term of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Summers remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-4051. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
September Federal Grand Jury 2024-B Indictments AnnouncedRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the September Federal Grand Jury 2024-B Indictments.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Selvin Leonel Alvarado-Castillo. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Alvarado-Castillo, 46, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Jun. 2004. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Brandon is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-359
Freeman Buchanan. Illegal Possession of a Machinegun. Buchanan, 19, of Wagoner, is charged with knowingly possessing a machinegun conversion device. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Brasher is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-351
Mark Allen Burleson. Second Degree Murder in Indian Country; Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. Burleson, 44, of Tulsa and a member of the Cherokee Nation, is charged with deliberately and unlawfully killing Heather Martinez. Further, Burelson is charged with using a firearm to assault a second victim, which resulted in bodily injury, and using a firearm during a crime of violence. The FBI, the Tulsa Police Department, and the Ponce City Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Dunn is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-350
Colton Lee Crane. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition After a Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Conviction. Crane, 32, of Grove and a member of the Cherokee Nation, is charged with intentionally assaulting a victim with a firearm that resulted in bodily injury and using a firearm during a crime of violence. Crane is further charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of a felony. Additionally, Crane is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition after being convicted of a domestic violence crime. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Wright is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-352
Jose Carmelo Dubon-Pena. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Dubon-Pena, 39, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Jul. 2024. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Jolly is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-353
Edgar Antonio Gomez-Sanchez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Gomez-Sanchez, 36, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Mar. 2023. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Valeria Luster is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-354
Jose Luis Granados Baltazar. Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor; Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Granados Baltazar, 33, a Mexican national, is charged with attempting to entice an individual he believed was under 18 years old to engage in sexual activity. Further, he is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Jun. 2022. The Owasso Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Michel is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-337
Gerald Craig Jones. Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises; Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Crimes; Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition. Jones, 54, of Tulsa, is charged with knowingly possessing cocaine with intent to distribute and maintaining a residence for cocaine distribution. Additionally, Jones is charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was convicted of a felony. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Flesher is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-338
David Wayne Licht. Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography; Possession of Child Pornography in Indian Country. Licht, 47, of Tulsa and a member of the Cherokee Nation, is charged with knowingly receiving and distributing visual images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. Further, Licht is charged with possessing visual images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children under 12 years old. The Homeland Security Investigations, the Tulsa Police Department, and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Police are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Robert is prosecuting the case.
25-CR-339Raymond Thomas McCrary. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. McCrary, 49, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Hockenbury is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-340
Joel Arturo Moreno-Miron. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Moreno-Miron, 30, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Apr. 2014. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-355
Jose Guadalupe Naranjo-Cruz. Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under 12 Years of Age. Naranjo-Cruz, 28, a Mexican national, is charged with crossing a state line to engage in sexual activity with a child under 12 years old. The Homeland Security Investigations and the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Nassar and Ashley Robert are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-341
Jose Manuel Ramirez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Manuel Ramirez, 46, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Jul. 2012. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shakema Onias is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-356
Rusty Dale Reece; Ryan Scott Ervin. Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country; Robbery in Indian Country; Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country; Robbery in Indian Country. Reece, 32, of Miami and a member of the Quapaw Tribe, and Ervin, 32, a transient, are charged with assaulting the victim, causing serious bodily injury, and taking items of value by force, violence, and intimidation. The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Field Resident Office and the Quapaw Nation Marshal Service are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Dewhurst is prosecuting the case.
25-CR-342Gerardo Enrique Renteria-Banda. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Renteria-Banda, 40, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in May 2018. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Scaife is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-357
Aaron Mitchell Robinson. Distribution of Methamphetamine (Counts 1 & 2); Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises (Count 3); Possession of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime (Count 4). Robinson, 49, of Sperry, is charged with intentionally distributing methamphetamine. He is additionally charged with maintaining a residence for the purpose of drug distribution and possessing a firearm in relation to drug trafficking. The FBI is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shakema Onias is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-361
Jexon Josue Villamil-Sosa. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Villamil-Sosa, 23, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in May 2024. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Harris is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-358
Carrie Williford. Attempted Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Williford, 42, of Sand Springs, is charged with attempting to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office and the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam McConney is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-343
Rutland, Vermont Man Sentenced to 48 Months in Drug and Firearms CaseRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on September 16, 2025, Todd Popovitch, 44, of Rutland, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 48 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 7-year term of supervised release. Popovitch previously pleaded guilty to distribution of cocaine base and possession without registration of a firearm governed by the National Firearms Act.
According to court records, Popovitch had previously successfully completed state and federal drug treatment court programs before returning to armed drug dealing in 2024.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia Cowles. Popovitch was represented by Natasha Sen, Esq.
Ringleader of Catalytic Converter Theft Ring Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
George Thomas, 72, formerly of Fresno and Clovis, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for selling thousands of stolen catalytic converters for millions of dollars in profits and conducting financial transactions to conceal those illicit profits, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced today.
“George Thomas fueled a black market for stolen catalytic converters that victimized hardworking people who were forced to either pay thousands of dollars to replace their converters or go without their vehicles,” said U.S. Attorney Grant. “Thomas thought that he could cover his tracks, lie to the jury, and get away with it. Not so. Today’s sentencing shows that there will be significant consequences for such behavior. My Office will continue to partner with law enforcement to take out organized criminal networks like this one.”
“This case was truly a team effort. When local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies work together, we can eradicate crime in the communities we serve,” Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel of the FBI Sacramento Field Office explained. “Catalytic converter theft was a pervasive problem in the greater Fresno area, largely because of George Thomas’s multi-million-dollar criminal scheme. Together, justice was served.”
“Clovis Police Department detectives worked diligently on this lengthy investigation,” said Clovis Police Detective Corporal Kedric Anderson. “After Thomas’ arrest, we observed immediate results, leading to a significant reduction in catalytic converter thefts throughout our community. We extend our gratitude to the FBI for their valuable partnership in this investigation. The Clovis Police Department remains committed to protecting the community through proactive investigations and strong partnerships with federal agencies.”
A jury convicted Thomas of dealing in stolen converters and engaging in unlawful financial transactions on March 27, 2025, following a four-day trial that included over 120 exhibits and testimony from more than 15 witnesses. The evidence showed that, from January 2021 through November 2022, Thomas purchased stolen converters from a group of recurring thieves in the Fresno area who cut the converters off people’s vehicles. The sales occurred in the parking lots of motels, gas stations, and similar places at all hours of the day and night.
Thomas gave the thieves instructions on the types of converters he was looking for and how to best cut the converters off vehicles. He also loaned the thieves money to pay for their motel rooms, saws, and bail. The loans were contingent on the thieves continuing to steal for him.
After law enforcement officers executed an initial search at Thomas’ home and storage unit in mid-2021, Thomas continued with the illegal activities and tried to cover up the illegal activity by taking photographs of the thieves and their IDs each time he made the sales, requesting Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) for the vehicles from which the converters were supposedly cut, and having the thieves sign pieces of paper stating that the converters were not stolen.
But Thomas did not actually change anything. For example, he continued conducting sales in the same places with the same thieves. He allowed the thieves to use fake and stolen IDs and provide him with false VINs. In some instances when the thieves did not provide VINs, he went out on his own after the sales were completed and collected VINs from random vehicles. Thomas also completed sales to undercover law enforcement where he said that he did not care where the VINs or converters came from.
The following are examples of photographs of Thomas purchasing stolen converters from thieves, along with the stolen converters that were found at his home and storage unit.
Thomas drove the stolen converters to Oregon where he sold them to a metal recycling company for more than $2.7 million. The recycling company paid Thomas by wire transfer. He then withdrew the money from his bank accounts through hundreds of cash withdrawals that were under the $10,000 reporting threshold. The jury found that these transactions were designed to conceal his illegal activities.
After Thomas was arrested in April 2023, reports of converter theft in the Fresno area decreased by more than 90 percent.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Clovis Police Department, and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton and Justin Gilio prosecuted the case.
Repeat Offender Sentenced to 14 years in Federal Prison for Distributing Methamphetamine in TexarkanaRead the Press Release
TEXARKANA – A prior felon was sentenced yesterday to 168 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing methamphetamine in Texarkana, Arkansas. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court at Texarkana.
According to court records, on August 11, 2021, Terry Duran Martin, age 40, sold more than 50 grams of pure methamphetamine to a confidential informant working with the Bi-State Narcotics Task force and the FBI. At the time, Martin had only recently completed a term of post-prison supervision stemming from a 2013 federal cocaine trafficking conviction.
Martin was indicted by the United States Grand Jury in connection with the August 11, 2021, methamphetamine transaction, and later pleaded guilty to that offense on December 12, 2024.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes made the announcement.
The Bi-State Narcotics Task Force and the FBI investigated the case,
Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case.
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov.
Rensselaer County Man Pleads Guilty to Money Order FraudRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Matthew Dundas, age 26, of Petersburgh, New York, pled guilty on Tuesday to money order fraud. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Matthew M. Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Area Field Office of the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (“USPS-OIG”), made the announcement.
Dundas admitted that between January 2023 and September 2024, while he was employed with the USPS, he fraudulently issued 105 money orders to himself without paying for them, and stole $76,976.61 from the United States.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “Stealing from the government is a serious crime under any circumstance, but it is especially shocking when the perpetrator is a public servant engaged in self-dealing. We thank the Office of Inspector General for its continued efforts to root out fraud from within.”
USPS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Matthew M. Modafferi stated, “The Special Agents of the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General will continue to maintain the integrity of the U.S. Postal Service and its personnel. Our office will continue to vigorously investigate Postal Service employees who violate the public’s trust. This case serves as an excellent example of the successful collaboration between the USPS OIG and the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York to pursue and prosecute Postal Service employees involved in criminal activity. The USPS OIG is thankful for the great longstanding relationships we have with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to combat fraud.”
Sentencing is scheduled for January 14, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Anne M. Nardacci. Dundas faces a maximum term of 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
The USPS-OIG is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping is prosecuting the case.
Prior Federal Felon Is Sentenced to over 11 Years for Illegal Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. –Dillon James Surrett, 33, of Flat Rock, N.C., was sentenced today to 11 years in prison followed by two years of supervised release for illegal firearm possession, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Sheriff Lowell S. Griffin of the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
According to court records and proceedings, Surrett was previously convicted of a federal firearms violation and was prohibited from possessing a firearm. Court records show that on August 21, 2023, HCSO deputies were executing an arrest warrant against Surrett. Deputies arrived at Surrett’s residence and ordered him to exit. When Surrett opened the door, deputies observed a firearm. Surrett was then arrested, and a search of the premises was conducted. Deputies located four firearms, two of which had obliterated serial numbers, one was a short-barrel 12-gauge firearm, and one was loaded with six rounds of ammunition. Deputies also found 52 rounds of assorted ammunition, drug paraphernalia, over 21 grams of fentanyl, over 76 grams of methamphetamine, and over 12 pounds of marijuana.
Surrett pleaded guilty on November 25, 2024, to possession of a firearm by a felon. He remains in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the ATF and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher S. Hess of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville handled the prosecution.
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).
Preston County Man Sentenced for Federal Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Steven David Seeger, 46, of Bruceton Mills, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 360 months in federal prison for the coercion and enticement of minors for sex and production of child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Seeger was communicating with three identified minor girls, and multiple unidentified minor girls online, persuading them to produce sexually explicit images and videos for his personal gratification. Seeger used his vast computer science knowledge to reach minor targets using multiple social media platforms and auto-generated covert phone numbers to engage in a pattern of abuse. Specifically, Seeger viewed himself as the victims’ master, treating these minor girls as his sex slaves and directing them to produce child sexual abuse material and to write messages related to his ownership over them on their bodies. Seeger’s acts came to light after Texas authorities were alerted that he sent illicit photos of a minor victim as “revenge porn” to her family and friends. Seeger has pending charges in Texas. The child exploitation matter was referred to West Virginia law enforcement once Seeger was identified.
“We are thankful one of his many victims came forward, and grateful to the law enforcement agencies who contributed to bringing this repeat and dangerous sexual offender to justice,” stated Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard. “We will continue to seek significant prison sentences for anyone who targets minors online and solicits sexually motivated images and videos from these minor victims.”
Seeger will serve a lifetime on supervised release following his prison sentence and he was ordered to pay $24,975 in restitution to his victims.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley Crockett prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the West Virginia State Police, the Preston County Sheriff’s Office, and the Nacogdoches Police Department (Texas) investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Poplar man appears on triple homicideRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A man accused of killing three people in Poplar on September 11 appeared yesterday, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The defendant, Michael J. Ackerman, a/k/a Michael J. Littlebull, 73, appeared on a complaint alleging he committed three counts of second-degree murder. Second degree murder carries maximum penalties of life in prison, a $250,000 fine, and five years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. Ackerman was detained pending further proceedings.
The affidavit in support of the complaint alleges an individual called the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office on September 14, 2025, to report Ackerman admitted killing three people in Poplar. Deputies interviewed Ackerman and he said on September 11 he was using methamphetamine with the three victims, believed they were “setting him up,” and shot and killed them with his Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol. Ackerman told the deputies the bodies were in his residence in Poplar. Fort Peck Tribal law enforcement responded to the residence and found the three victims dead from apparent gunshot wounds.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley is prosecuting the case. The investigation is being conducted by the FBI, the Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice, and the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office.
The complaint is merely an accusation and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
PACER case reference. 25-106.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
Poland Woman Sentenced, Ordered to Repay $165,878 for Theft of Government MoneyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Poland woman was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for Social Security fraud and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Susie Files, 65, to 36 months of probation and ordered her to pay $165,878 in restitution. Files pleaded guilty on May 19, 2025.
According to court records, Files lied to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Maine Department of Health & Human Services (Maine DHHS) for more than a decade. In multiple benefit eligibility reviews, Files falsely represented to these agencies that she and her husband lived separately, and omitted his presence from her household despite knowing that she was required to disclose that information, and that it could affect her eligibility for benefits. Investigators uncovered the deception in March 2023. When interviewed, Files acknowledged that she lived with her husband during this period.
Files’ husband, Peter Files, previously pleaded guilty to MaineCare and SNAP fraud on May 8, 2025. He was sentenced to repay $45,615.78 in restitution to those programs on August 25, 2025.
The SSA’s Office of the Inspector General and Maine DHHS’s Fraud Investigation and Recovery Unit investigated the case.
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Okmulgee Resident Sentenced for StalkingRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Garrick DaVaughn McCrary, age 30, of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for one count of Stalking.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Tribal Police Department.
On May 9, 2025, McCrary pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, from April 2023 until January 16, 2025, McCrary used the internet and social media apps to send graphic messages designed to injure, harass, and intimidate the victim.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. McCrary will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob R. Parker represented the United States.
Okmulgee Resident Sentenced for Illegally Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Sterling Ross, IV, age 32, of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for one count of Felon in Possession of Ammunition.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Okmulgee Police Department.
On March 12, 2025, Ross pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on April 29, 2024, Ross ran a stop sign, then attempted to evade police. Ross then led police on a high-speed chase through Okmulgee before fleeing the vehicle, leaving with the engine running and the doors open. While securing the vehicle, police discovered a Glock magazine with 12 rounds of ammunition. Ross had previously been convicted a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment at the time he possessed the ammunition.
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.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Ross will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Norfolk dealer sentenced to 16 years in prison for federal drug and firearms crimesRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man was sentenced yesterday to 16 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute para-fluorofentanyl and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, in March and April 2024, narcotics investigators conducted three controlled transactions with Winston Jerome Perry, aka Chuck, 42. Investigators then conducted a search of Perry, his vehicle, and a residence associated with Perry. Perry was in possession of several small baggies of fentanyl and cocaine and investigators recovered a handgun from the vehicle. Inside the residence investigators recovered four handguns, digital scales, packaging materials, a suspected ledger, and narcotics including: 42.06 grams of cocaine base; 34.56 grams of cocaine hydrochloride; 69.1 grams of fentanyl; 242.42 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl; 255.31 grams of a mixture of heroin, para-fluorofentanyl, cocaine, and fentanyl; 554.86 grams of a mixture of para-fluorofentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl; 64.55 grams of a mixture containing para-fluorofentanyl, heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, and ketamine; and 197.11 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride.
Perry was convicted previously for eluding a police officer, reckless driving, driving without a license, possession of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. As a previously convicted felon, Perry cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Christopher Heck, Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C.; Mark Talbot, Chief of Norfolk Police; and Ramin Fatehi, Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Jamar K. Walker.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham M. Stolle, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Marek prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-139.
Nigerian Man Extradited to the U.S. After being Indicted for Sextortion and other Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
BOISE – Acting United States Attorney Justin Whatcott announced that Olamide Shanu, 34, of Lagos, Nigeria, made his initial appearance yesterday after his extradition to the United States from the United Kingdom. Shanu faces prosecution in an indictment for his role in several cyber-enabled schemes including “sextortion” and romance scams. Shanu made his initial appearance yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Juge Debora K. Grasham.
Shanu is charged in an eight-count indictment with wire fraud conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit interstate communications with intent to extort and cyberstalking, conspiracy to commit extortion, money laundering conspiracy, extortion, interstate communications with intent to commit extortion, and cyberstalking. Authorities in London arrested Shanu in the United Kingdom on November 7, 2023, based on the indictment filed in the District of Idaho. Shanu has remained incarcerated since the arrest.
According to the indictment, Shanu and his conspirators posed as females on social media and persuaded their victims, typically males, to send sexual images of themselves. The indictment alleges that once the victims sent the explicit images, the conspirators threatened to send the explicit images to the victims’ friends and families unless the victim paid money. The indictment alleges that the conspirators engaged in this extortion of numerous victims across the United States, including a college student in Idaho. The indictment alleges the conspirators also perpetrated, among other cyber-enabled schemes, a romance scam scheme. Proceeds from the schemes were allegedly laundered using peer-to-peer payment applications and several cryptocurrency wallet addresses before allegedly being transferred to the scheme’s perpetrators in Nigeria. According to the indictment, Shanu fraudulently obtained at least $2,000,000 from the fraud schemes.
If convicted of the charges, Shanu faces up to 20 years in federal prison. He also faces restitution for the losses incurred by the victims of the scheme.
Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott thanked the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) and the U.S. State Department for their help in facilitating the arrest and extradition of Shanu. Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott also extends his appreciation and thanks to the National Extradition Unit of the United Kingdon’s National Crime Agency, who provided critical assistance with the arrest and extradition of Shanu.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Boise Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brittney Campbell and Sean Mazorol and Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) Trial Attorney Vasantha Rao.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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