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Friday 5 September 2025
Western District of Texas Nears 300 New Immigration Cases to Start SeptemberRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today that federal prosecutors in the district filed 294 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Aug. 29 through Sept. 4.
Among the new cases, four people were charged in El Paso for their roles in a scheme to smuggle children from Mexico into the United States, sometimes using candy laced with THC to sedate them during smuggling events. Mexican nationals Susana Guadian and Daniel Guadian; U.S. citizen Dianne Guadian; and Manuel Valenzuela, a lawful permanent resident residing in El Paso, were charged with conspiracy to transport aliens and bringing aliens to the United States for financial gain. According to the complaint, between on or about May 1 through Oct. 17, 2024, the defendants were part of an alien smuggling organization (ASO) that brought unaccompanied alien children between the ages of five and 13 illegally into the United States from Juarez, Mexico. The complaint alleges that Susana Guadian and Daniel Guadian recruited drivers to transport the children by car from Mexico to a port of entry at the U.S. border. The drivers and their co-conspirator would then present U.S. documents to inspecting officers falsely claiming the documents belonged to the children, and that they were the parents of the children. During at least one smuggling event, the alien children were given gummy candies containing marijuana to sedate them. One of the children was taken to a local hospital and later diagnosed with marijuana poisoning. Once inside the United States, the children were then transported to El Paso, where, according to the complaint, Dianne Guadian and Manuel Valenzuela would pick up the children and provide payment to the drivers. The drivers were paid $900 for each minor that they brought into the United States.
U.S. Border Patrol agents in Alpine arrested a Mexican national for being an illegal alien present in the United States. Ever Ortega-Uranga was previously removed for the second time in July 2021. Ortega-Uranga has multiple felony convictions, having been sentenced in Midland to two years confinement for cocaine possession in 2010, followed by three years for public order crimes in 2016. He was also sentenced in 2018 to 46 months confinement in Spring for illegal re-entry.
Otoniel Lopez-Tellez, a Mexican national, was taken into ICE custody in Williamson County, where he was serving a 40-day jail sentence for assault causing bodily injury to a family member. Lopez-Tellez has been removed from the U.S. twice, the last being in 2018, in addition to four voluntary returns.
Mexican national Juan Eduardo Villanueva-Mancilla was taken into ICE custody in Bastrop County, where he was serving a 180-day jail sentence for evading arrest with a vehicle. Villanueva-Mancilla has been removed from the U.S. twice, most recently in April 2023.
Angel Eduardo Moreno-De La Rosa was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Normandy on Aug. 27. The Mexican national was allegedly guiding two Pakistani illegal aliens to a pick-up location, where the two Pakistanis would then be transported to San Antonio. According to a criminal complaint, Moreno-De La Rosa claimed he would be paid $1,000 for his role, while the Pakistanis alleged that they paid around $30,000 each to be smuggled further into the U.S.
Mexican national Emanuel Ruiz-Alcantara was arrested near Maverick on Aug. 29 and charged with illegal re-entry after being previously removed to Mexico on Jan. 7. In August 2023, Ruiz-Alcantara was convicted for a smuggling of persons felony in Gonzalez, for which he was sentenced to two years in jail.
Cristian Jiovanni Chavez-Sanchez, also a Mexican national, was charged with illegal re-entry after he was arrested near Maverick on Aug. 26. Chavez-Sanchez has been twice deported, most recently in January through San Ysidro, California. In 2024, he was convicted of four misdemeanors in Utah, including a DUI, marijuana possession, and two weapon offenses.
Honduran national Brayan Alexander Villanueva was arrested near Val Verde on Aug. 30 and charged with illegal re-entry. Villanueva was just removed to Honduras through El Paso on June 28, after being convicted and sentenced in March to two years confinement for possession of a controlled substance. Villanueva was also convicted in 2022 for burglary of a vehicle in Georgetown.
Also in the Del Rio Sector, four Indian nationals—Vikash Vikash, Mehakpreet Singh, Aditya Sharma, and Harsh Singh—were each detained in separate incidents and charged with improper entry after they allegedly crossed the Rio Grande River into the U.S. near Eagle Pass between Aug. 28 and Aug. 30.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Venezuelan Man Sentenced to 24 Months for Being in the United States Illegally After Having Been Previously Removed by Immigration OfficialsRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on August 29, 2025, Jorge Humberto Moreno Martinez, 34, of Venezuela, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 24 months’ imprisonment. Moreno previously pleaded guilty to being in the United States illegally after having been previously removed by Immigration Officials.
According to court records, Moreno was previously removed from the United States by immigration officials on November 15, 2016, after he completed a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence following his New York felony conviction for burglary in the second degree. At that time, Moreno was advised and acknowledged that due to his criminal history he was prohibited from entering or attempting to enter the United States. Despite that warning, Moreno re-entered the United States and his presence in the country thereafter was in violation of U.S. law.
Court records also state that when agents from the Department of Homeland Security attempted to arrest Moreno at a parking lot in Williston, Vermont, on January 27, 2025, Moreno fled in a vehicle, hitting three law enforcement vehicles before travelling at more than 100 miles per hour on a busy street before he was apprehended. As he drove, items were discarded from Moreno’s vehicle. Law enforcement recovered some of those items, which tested presumptively positive for cocaine base and cocaine. In his plea agreement, Moreno admitted to possessing the cocaine and cocaine base with the intent to distribute them.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Department of Homeland Security, including its Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI"), Enforcement and Removal Operations (“ERO”), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP”) divisions, with assistance from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”).
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew C. Gilman. Moreno was represented by Brooks G. McArthur, Esq.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
U.S. Marshals, Tactical K9 Arrest Two Suspects in Congressional Intern’s MurderRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jailen Lucas, 17, and Kelvin Thomas, Jr., 17, both of Washington, D.C., were arrested today by members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Marshals on charges of first-degree murder while armed, for the death of 21-year-old Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, an intern with the U.S. House of Representatives, on June 30, 2025, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“Eric Tarpinian, a senior at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst was interning in our nation’s capital, pursuing his passion for public service when he was fatally gunned down. . .an innocent bystander caught in a violent act not meant for him,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “He was shot four times and he leaves behind a grieving mother Tamara, father Robert, a brother Jeremy and sister Angela. This is why from day one I advocated for criminal jurisdiction over younger individuals with family court records. Eric’s murder could have been prevented if we had captured these two, who have a documented history of family court violence.”
The three armed suspects immediately exited an abruptly stopped stolen vehicle and began firing north on 7th Street NW at two young men who jumped from a bicycle. Investigators suspect that they were firing at these young men believing that they were from an opposition neighborhood. Congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, of Granby, Massachusetts, was shot and killed. He was not an intended target, according to investigators.
The arrest team located one suspect, a 17-year-old whose name is being withheld due to his status as a juvenile, in Northwest, and surrounded the residence. The suspect refused to exit the residence and a SOG tactical K-9 was announced. He was taken into custody without incident.
The second arrested suspect, also 17, was taken into custody in the 2600 block of 24th Street NE.
Joining the announcement was U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces S. Serralta Mayor Muriel Bowser, Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department, FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Phillip Bates.
The Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force began operations in June 2004 and was among the first regional fugitive task forces to become fully operational following the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. CARFTF has partnership agreements with over 100 federal, state, and local agencies and has eight fully operational offices.
CARFTF has apprehended over 102,700 fugitives since its inception and has made an extraordinary impact on the apprehension of the region’s most dangerous and violent fugitives, always striving to make their communities safer.
The Special Operations Group is a specially trained, rapidly deployable law enforcement element of the U.S. Marshals Service, capable of conducting complex and sensitive operations throughout the globe intended to further the rule of law. SOG leverages these enhanced capabilities in support of the Marshals Service mission and the Department of Justice to protect, defend, and enforce the federal judicial system.
A criminal charge is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 97 Border-Related Cases This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 97 border-related cases this week, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).
In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.
A sample of border-related arrests this week:
- On August 29, Ernesto Cota-Flores, Yaritza Borges Garcia and Idania Yolanda Castillo-Raymundo, all Mexican citizens, were arrested and charged with Attempted Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain. According to a complaint, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a vessel off Point Loma carrying 13 suspected undocumented immigrants, including three children. Cota-Flores is the alleged boat captain; Borges Garcia and Castillo-Raymundo were previously deported in June.
- On August 31, Luis Gustavo Sanchez Sanchez, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Sanchez attempted to cross into the United States at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry with 123 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in his vehicle.
- On September 1, Maria Rivas-Acosta, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Attempted Entry After Deportation. According to a complaint, Border Patrol agents found the defendant hiding in the bushes just north of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. She had been previously deported to Mexico on May 5, 2025, through San Luis, Arizona.
Also recently, several defendants with criminal records were sentenced for border-related crimes such as illegally re-entering the U.S. after previous deportation. Here are a few of those cases:
- On September 5, Emiliano Rendon-Rodriguez, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of felony Burglary, Possession of Controlled Substances for Sale, and Illegal Entry, was sentenced in federal court to 52 days in custody for again entering the U.S illegally.
- On September 5, Jose David Morales-Rodriguez, a Mexican national, was sentenced in federal court to 87 months in custody for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine in the Brawley, California area.
The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes ReportRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies.
In the one-week period ending September 5, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:
- 39 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
- 4 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
- 44 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
- 42 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325), violation of a military security regulation (50 U.S.C. 797) and Entering Military, Naval, or Coast Guard Property (18 U.S.C. 1382), arising from the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico.
Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions for drug trafficking.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the District of New Mexico. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The District of New Mexico consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses.
Two Pennsylvania Residents Charged Separately with Election Fraud OffensesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that two defendants have been charged separately with election fraud offenses, one in connection with the 2020 presidential election, and the other in connection with the 2024 presidential election.
Matthew Laiss, 31, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was charged by indictment with one count of voting more than once in a federal election and one count of voter fraud.
As detailed in the indictment, from at least October 2012 until about August 2020, Laiss resided in, and was lawfully registered to vote in, Ottsville, Pennsylvania, a municipality located in Bucks County. In or around August 2020, Laiss moved his primary residence from Ottsville, Pennsylvania, to Frostproof, Florida. The same month, he applied for and obtained a Florida driver’s license and registered to vote in Florida.
In or about October 2020, the Bucks County Board of Elections mailed a ballot for the November 2020 general election to the defendant’s former address in Ottsville, Pennsylvania, where Laiss’s parents continued to reside.
The indictment alleges that, on or about October 31, 2020, Laiss filled out and returned the Pennsylvania mail-in ballot, casting a vote for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States of America.
The indictment further alleges that, on or about November 3, 2020, Laiss went to a polling location in or around Frostproof, Florida, and voted in the 2020 general election, casting a vote for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States of America.
If convicted, on each count of the indictment the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of five years of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $10,000 to $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Pennsylvania Department of State, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Dubnoff.
Miya Pack, 39, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged by indictment with one count of voting more than once in a federal election and one count of voter fraud.
The indictment alleges that Pack was registered to vote in Bergen County, New Jersey, and had been registered there since in or about 2004, and was also registered to vote in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, since in or about 2016.
The indictment further alleges that, on or about October 26, 2024, the defendant voted in person at an early voting location in Teaneck, New Jersey, casting a vote for the office of President of the United States of America.
On Election Day, November 5, 2024, as alleged in the indictment, Pack went to a polling place in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, and cast another ballot in the 2024 general election, to include a vote for the office of President of the United States of America.
If convicted, on each count of the indictment the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of five years of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $10,000 to $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Office of the Superintendent of Elections for Bergen County, New Jersey, and the Office of Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nancy Potts.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictments are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Two Minnesota Men Arrested for Funding and Directing Kidnappings, Bombings, and Killings OverseasRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Minnesota has returned an eight-count indictment charging naturalized U.S. citizens Benedict Nwana Kuah, 51, and Pascal Kikishy Wongbi, 52, with organizing, financing, and directing kidnappings, bombings, and killings in their native country, the Republic of Cameroon. Kuah and Wongbi were arrested this morning in the District of Minnesota and made their initial appearances this afternoon. Kuah and Wongbi are being held pending detention hearings scheduled for Sept 10 and 11, respectively.
According to the indictment, the defendants held leadership roles in the self-styled Ambazonia Defense Forces (ADF), a separatist militia seeking to create an independent country in Cameroon. Together, they allegedly used their positions to raise money and finance the purchase of weapons, and directed their co-conspirators in Cameroon to kidnap, bomb, and kill civilians, government officials, and members of the security forces in order to intimidate the civilian population and coerce the Cameroonian Government into recognizing their legitimacy.
“The defendants are charged with using the United States as a base of operations to finance and direct kidnappings, bombings, and killings in Cameroon,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their alleged conduct caused death, terror, and suffering among innocent civilians. The Criminal Division is committed to holding accountable those who seek refuge in the United States while spreading violence abroad.”
“Minnesota is not a launchpad for overseas violence,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson for the District of Minnesota. “Operating from the comfort of their living rooms in Minnesota, these defendants caused violence and suffering half a world away. They ordered kidnappings, bombings, and murders. Their crimes are an affront to both American law and basic human decency. Cameroon is a safer place because of this prosecution.”
“The defendants were allegedly involved in planning, financing and directing violent attacks that harmed numerous civilians and government officials in the Republic of Cameroon, with targets including a market, an annual footrace, and a Youth Day celebration,” said Assistant Director Donald Holstead of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “Although these violent acts occurred outside of U.S. borders, these charges should underscore that criminal actors cannot hide in the United States. The FBI does not condone violence and will work with our partners to ensure those who engage in, or direct criminal acts are held accountable for their actions.”
According to the indictment, beginning in 2017, the defendants sent thousands of dollars to co-conspirators in Cameroon for weapons and explosives and directed attacks that left civilians dead, injured, or taken hostage. In 2022, the fighters kidnapped a government official and broadcast propaganda videos about the abduction. In 2023, Kuah helped plan an improvised explosive device attack targeting a regional governor and later financed a bombing at the Mount Cameroon Race for Hope that injured 19 people. That same year, a commander appointed by Kuah murdered two unarmed civilians in a market square, while Wongbi appeared in a propaganda video threatening others with the same fate. In 2024, Kuah allegedly approved the funding and operational plan for a bombing at a Youth Day celebration that killed a 15-year-old girl and injured dozens of other children.
The indictment further alleges that Kuah and Wongbi raised money online to support their operations, including campaigns branded as “The Takeover Fund” and “Operation 200AKs,” which solicited donations for AK-47 rifles and explosives. Kuah appeared in multiple videos urging supporters to fund the purchase of weapons and ammunition for the fighters.
The defendants are charged with conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim, and injure persons abroad, conspiracy to provide material support or resources, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. Kuah is also charged with three counts of providing material support or resources, conspiracy to commit hostage taking and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction outside the United States. If convicted, the defendants face a statutory maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office is investigating the case, with assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations.
Trial Attorney Brian Morgan of the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Roso for the District of Minnesota are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Trial Attorneys Michael Dittoe and Matthew Hracho of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, HRSP Historian/Analyst Dr. Christopher Hayden, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Twelve People Charged for Their Roles in International Alien Smuggling, Asylum Fraud, and Money Laundering ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL — Twelve people have been charged in a superseding indictment for their roles in an international conspiracy involving alien smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering schemes that brought thousands of aliens illegally into the United States for profit.
According to court documents, the defendants operated a prolific alien smuggling operation (ASO) that facilitated the unlawful entry of Cuban nationals into the United States by preparing visa applications, laundering millions of dollars in payment, and exploiting the immigration process.
“This Department of Justice is investigating and prosecuting human smuggling more aggressively than ever before, and Joint Task Force Alpha is the tip of the spear,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will not rest until those who profit from the suffering of vulnerable people — including many unaccompanied children — face severe, comprehensive justice.”
“This indictment exposes a criminal organization that smuggled people into the United States on a massive scale, and then fraudulently secured immigration benefits for them,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Posing as a legitimate immigration service, the defendants used social media promotions and false legal filings to attract new clients and perpetuate their fraud. The Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners will continue to dismantle these schemes, protect vulnerable people from exploitation, and safeguard the integrity of the U.S. immigration system.”
“The defendants in this case conspired with others to deliberately violate our nation’s immigration laws while personally seeking to enrich themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “Because of the interagency coordination and diligence of our dedicated law enforcement agencies, their crimes have been thwarted. We will continue working with our partners to protect our national borders.”
“This superseding indictment exposes the depth of a multi-year conspiracy of alien smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering that preyed on vulnerable individuals and weakened public trust in the immigration system,” said Acting Director Todd M. Lyons of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “This highlights the critical role ICE has in dismantling these criminal networks, combating immigration fraud, and ensuring criminals who abuse our systems are held accountable. We are absolute in our resolve to protect the integrity of our immigration system and safeguard our national security.
“It is because of the unfettered Department of Justice support we charge criminals with every available statute to provide consequences to those that erode the moral fabric of our society,” said Chief Jeffrey J. Dinise of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Miami Sector. “The message is clear, the United States is closed to illegal immigration and terrorist organizations, and those that make an attempt, will be met with fierce consequences. We are committed to protecting our Florida communities and safeguarding our nation.”
“Through diligent investigation, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and our partners exposed a multi-national, multi-year, multimillion dollar criminal conspiracy operated by aliens that attempted to undermine our immigration system and flood our country with illegal aliens — none of whom had any intention of following our laws,” said USCIS Director Joseph Edlow. “This criminal organization operated a front for fake asylum claims, churning out frivolous applications around the country. To criminals who seek to exploit our immigration system: we will find you, shut down your schemes, and you will face justice.”
The superseding indictment charges:
- Lazaro Alain Cabrera-Rodriguez, 27, unlawfully residing in Hialeah, FL;
- Yuniel Lima-Santos, 30, of Tampa, FL;
- Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez, 26, unlawfully residing in Lebanon, TN;
- Marianny Lucia Lopez-Torres, 25, residing in Cuba, (formerly Hialeah, FL);
- Frandy Aragon-Diaz, 33, of Cuba, (formerly unlawfully residing in Tampa, FL);
- Erik Ventura-Castro, 23, residing in Hialeah, FL;
- Miguel Alejandro Martinez Vasconcelos, 30, of Tampa, FL;
- Walbis Pozo-Dutel, 30, residing in Katy, TX ;
- Emanuel Martinez Gonzalez, 28, unlawfully residing in Hialeah, FL;
- Luis Emmanuel Escalona-Marrero, 31, of Tampa, FL;
- Layra Libertad Treto Santos, 31, of Tampa, FL; and
- Gisleivy Peralta Consuegra, 40, of Tampa, FL.
According to the superseding indictment:
- All defendants except Gisleivy Peralta Consuegra are charged with conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for financial gain.
- Yuniel Lima-Santos and Frandy Aragon-Diaz are also charged with alien smuggling for financial gain.
- Yuniel Lima-Santos, Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez, Frandy Aragon-Diaz, Layra Libertad Treto Santos, and Gisleivy Peralta Consuerga are charged with conspiracy to commit asylum fraud.
- Lazaro Alain Cabrera-Rodriguez, Yuniel Lima-Santos, Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez, Frandy Aragon-Diaz, Erik Ventura-Castro, Miguel Alejandro Martinez Vasconcelos, Luis Emmanuel Escalona-Marrero, and Layra Libertad Treto Santos are charged with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
From January 2021 through June 2025, the defendants promoted bogus visa services online, claiming Cuban nationals could secure U.S. entry through false claims of European citizenship. They filed hundreds of fraudulent Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) applications with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, using fake addresses and fabricated documents.
The ASO promoted its services on social media accounts and encrypted messaging platforms, including a WhatsApp group titled, “TRÁMITE DE ESTA Y VISA DE TURISMO A USA PARA CIUDADANOS ESPAÑOLES” (Processing of ESTA and tourist Visas to the USA for Spanish citizens). One promotional video advertised the scheme by showing stacks of passports, airline tickets, and visa approvals.
What began as a small operation grew into a commercial enterprise. The defendants charged clients between $1,500 and $40,000, sometimes even chartering private planes to move groups of aliens. Records show they spent over $2.5 million on flights alone and funneled more than $7 million through payment apps such as Zelle. Based on a financial analysis conducted of 27 known accounts associated with the defendants and their co-conspirators, the alien smuggling organization took in over $18 million during the course of the conspiracy.
The ASO also smuggled unaccompanied minors. In one case, a teenage girl was told to pose as the lifelong friend of an unrelated adult man when crossing the border.
The defendants operated a sham immigration business, ASESORIA Y SERVICIOS MIGRATORIOS LLC, which promised asylum filings, work permits, and residency applications. In reality, the company churned out boilerplate asylum claims without clients’ knowledge or consent and even blocked them from accessing their own USCIS online accounts.
ASESORIA marketed itself on Instagram with flashy ads for immigration services while simultaneously posting videos of aliens being smuggled into the country.
The investigation and superseding indictment were coordinated under Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). JTFA, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been elevated and expanded by the Attorney General with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along southern and northern borders. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the Office of Enforcement Operations, and the Office of International Affairs (OIA), among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 410 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 355 U.S. convictions; more than 305 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.
HSI Tampa, U.S. Border Patrol Miami Sector, and USCIS’s’ Fraud Detection and National Security led U.S. investigative efforts, with substantial assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force. Authorities in the Cayman Islands provided valuable assistance.
Trial Attorney Jenna Reed of the Criminal Division’s HRSP and Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Derry for the Middle District of Florida are 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, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods.
An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Note: You can read the Indictment here
Twelve Lakeland-Based Gang Members Charged with Paycheck Protection Program FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the unsealing of 9 indictments charging 12 individuals with wire fraud. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The following individuals have been charged:
Name
Age
City of Residence
Jamilah T’Asia Johnson25
Winter Haven
Khalid Preston29
Lakeland
Nickolas Lavonsoa Brantley25
Lakeland
Alexis Lafaye Flournoy34
Lakeland
Quinton Lakeith Owens35
Lakeland
Tinika Sykes35
Lakeland
Richard James Grimes, Jr.39
Lakeland
Kenny White31
Lakeland
Anthony Grant31
Lakeland
Jacquez Howard27
Lakeland
Treasure Johnson28
Lakeland
Letor’e Webster24
Lakeland
According to the indictments, these individuals are members or associates of the Lakeland-based Hood Boys gang. They devised a scheme to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration by submitting false and fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications. These programs were some of the sources of economic relief provided for by the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. While each claimed to operate a business, that statement in each PPP loan application was false.
Each of the defendants received between $13,854 and $20,416. Instead of repaying the loans, they either applied for the loans to be forgiven (which they were) or defaulted on them. The defendants spent the money on automobile payments and purchases at liquor stores, clothing stores, and gun stores. The total loss to the United States from these applications is approximately $236,000.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael J. Buchanan and Jeff Chang.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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 www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Three Foreign Nationals Sentenced for Illegally Reentering the United States After DeportationRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that three men convicted separately of illegally reentering the United States after prior deportations were sentenced this week.
Bernardino Reyes-Gutierrez, 42, a Dominican national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Juan R. Sánchez on Thursday to 58 months in prison for illegally reentering the United States. Upon completing his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States again.
Reyes-Gutierrez had previously been removed in February 2016, after completing a prison sentence for a 2013 drug conviction in Philadelphia County.
He reentered the United States illegally on an unknown date, was arrested in the Middle District of Pennsylvania by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in September 2023, and charged by indictment with illegal reentry that October. The defendant pleaded guilty in April of this year.
Aneudy Orlando Otanez, 44, a Dominican national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg on Thursday to time served, almost seven months, for illegal reentry. Having completed his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States again.
Otanez had previously been removed from the United States in March 2022 and reentered illegally on an unknown date.
ICE became aware of Otanez’s presence in Philadelphia and took him into custody in January of this year. He was charged by indictment with illegal reentry in February and pleaded guilty in July.
Vincente Perez-Morales, 24, a Mexican national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joel H. Slomsky on Tuesday to time served, almost four months, for illegally reentering the United States. Having completed his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States again.
Perez-Morales had previously been removed in October 2019, after he was encountered in Texas by the U.S. Border Patrol.
In January of this year, ICE learned that Perez-Morales had been arrested in Chester County by the Pennsylvania State Police. ICE took him into custody in May, and he was charged by information with illegal reentry in July. Perez-Morales pleaded guilty this week, waiving prosecution by indictment.
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 Neighborhoods (PSN).
The cases were investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert Livermore, Rosalynda Michetti, and Ashley Martin.
Third Defendant in Carjacking and Robbery Spree Sentenced to 120 MonthsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Dominic Armstrong, 21, of the District of Columbia., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 120 months in prison in connection with his role in a spree of armed carjackings and robberies across the metropolitan region, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Armstrong, aka “D1” and “Domo,” pleaded guilty April 10, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras to carjacking, to brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and to interfering with interstate commerce by robbery (aka Hobbs Act Robbery).
In addition to the 120-month prison sentence, Judge Contrerars ordered Armstrong to serve 5 years of supervised release.
According to court documents, on March 17, 2023, about 11:35 p.m. Armstrong and two other individuals, including his co-defendant, carjacked a blue Honda Civic at gunpoint on the 3800 block of Minnesota Ave. NE.
On March 28, 2023, about 12:50 p.m. Armstrong and his co-defendant Javon Roach participated in a gunpoint robbery of three construction workers who were unloading equipment on the 300 block of K Street SW.
Armstrong’s participation in the spree of crimes only ceased when he and his co-defendants were brought into custody in Fairfax County, Virginia, on March 30, 2023, after he fled from police on foot while his co-defendants fled in a carjacked vehicle.
A year following his arrest and conviction in Fairfax County, Virginia, Armstrong committed an additional robbery in D.C. on May 14, 2024, when he robbed an Uber driver at gunpoint.
On August 1, 2024, Armstrong was charged federally in the March 17, 2023, carjacking and for brandishing a firearm during that carjacking. Arrested on Sept. 12, 2024, he has remained in custody since.
Armstrong’s co-defendant Javon Roach, 20, was sentenced June 27 to 228 months in prison for his role in the spree of violent armed carjackings and armed robberies. Co-defendant Andre Rushing, 23, was sentenced August 19 to 108 months.
This case was investigated by the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force, the Fairfax County Police Department, and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Gaelin Bernstein and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Duvall of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section.
Tallahassee Man Charged with Stealing Department of Veterans Affairs FundsRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Anthony Curtis Brewer, 47, of Tallahassee, FL, was indicted by a federal grand jury this week and charged with theft of government property. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today.
Brewer appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick for his arraignment in federal court on September 3, 2025, in Tallahassee, Florida. Trial is set for November 4, 2025, before Chief United States District Judge Allen Winsor.
If convicted, Brewer faces up to ten years’ imprisonment.
The Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Criminal Investigations Division investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Harley W. Ferguson is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
St. Albans Man Sentenced to 74 Months in Prison for Aggravated Identity Theft and Mail FraudRead the Press Release
Rutland, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on September 2, 2025, Jonathan Whalley, 52, of St. Albans, Vermont was sentenced by United States District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. to a total term of 74 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Whalley previously pleaded guilty to both Mail Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft in relation to his purchase of six vehicles using the stolen identity of a Vermonter. Judge Geraci imposed a 50-month term of imprisonment on the Mail Fraud conviction, and the 24-month mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment for Aggravated Identity Theft, resulting in the total 74-month sentence.
According to court records, Whalley obtained the identity documents from a Vermont man whose wallet was stolen from the victim’s vehicle. Whalley traveled to the State of Georgia, where he engaged in numerous fraudulent transactions, including the purchase of a 2022 Ford Explorer, a 2022 Ford Bronco, a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado, a 2020 Kawasaki ATV, a 2021 CF Moto ATV, and a 2022 Honda dirt bike, together valued at over $224,000. Whalley also engaged in fraudulent conduct with multiple banks and insurance companies. On June 8, 2022, Whalley was back in Vermont with the Silverado he had fraudulently purchased, when law enforcement conducted a motor vehicle stop. Whalley fled the stop, dragging an officer over 10 feet, and endangering pedestrians as he sped away at speeds over three-times the speed limit. In sentencing Whalley, Judge Geraci noted Whalley’s extensive criminal history, which includes 34 criminal convictions dating back to 1991.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles’ Enforcement and Safety Division (Investigative Section) and Homeland Security Investigations.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corinne M. Smith and Jonathan A. Ophardt. Whalley was represented by Assistant Federal Defender Charles N. Curlett, Jr.
Serial Border Crosser from Honduras Sentenced to 27 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Honduran national has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after multiple prior removals.
U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra imposed the sentence, followed by three years of supervised release, after Marvin Wilton Max Ayala, 36, pleaded guilty.
According to court records, Max Ayala unlawfully reentered the United States for the fifth time. On April 1, law enforcement discovered Max Ayala after he was arrested for cocaine possession.
Max Ayala was previously removed from the United States on November 21, 2012; April 6, 2015; May 4, 2020; and August 5, 2021. During his prior unlawful stays in the country, Max Ayala was also convicted of other crimes, including an attempted forgery offense in Texas in 2021.
Following the completion of his federal prison sentence, Max Ayala will be removed from the United States.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Field Office Director Garrett Ripa of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement Removal Operations (ICE-ERO) Prosecutions Unit, Miami announced the sentence.
ICE-ERO investigated the case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Roca Shaw prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-20192.
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September Federal Grand Jury 2025-A Indictments AnnouncedRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the September Federal Grand Jury 2025-A 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.
Jeffrey Todd Christner. Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor; Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct. Christner, 59, of Paden City, West Virginia, is charged with attempting to coerce and entice a person he believed was under 18 years old to engage in sexually explicit conduct. He is additionally charged with traveling from West Virginia to Tulsa to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The Homeland Security Investigations Tulsa, Homeland Security Investigations Charleston, the Broken Arrow Police Department, and the Tulsa Airport Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Robert is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-325
Christopher Don Harl. First Degree Burglary in Indian Country; Retaliation by Threatening to Cause Bodily Injury; Retaliation by Damaging Tangible Property; Tampering with a Witness and Victim by Using the Threat of Physical Force. Harl, 41, of Tulsa and a member of the Cherokee Nation, is charged with breaking into an occupied home with the intent to commit a crime. He knowingly threatened to cause bodily harm and damage the property of a victim if they provided information about the burglary. Lastly, Harl is charged with threatening to use physical force in an attempt to keep the victim from cooperating with law enforcement. The FBI and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara Heign is prosecuting the case.
25-CR-332Roderick Douwey Jordan; Bertram Jerome Leonard. Conspiracy (Count 1); Passing and Attempting to Pass Counterfeit Obligations and Securities of the United States (Counts 2 through 5). Jordan, 30, of Port Lucie, Florida, and Leonard, 30, of Miami, Florida, are charged with conspiring with each other and with others to pass counterfeit currency by purchasing items from several retailers. Further, they are both charged with attempting to use and using counterfeit currency that was knowingly altered and forged. The U.S. Secret Service, the Tulsa Police Department, the Catoosa Police Department, and the Broken Arrow Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Whipple is prosecuting the case.
25-CR-326Kameron Lee King. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Illegal Possession of a Machine Gun. King, 20, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of a felony. Further, King is charged with knowingly possessing a handgun fitted with 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 Kenneth Elmore is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-323
Agustin Luevano Najera. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Najera, 52, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Sep. 2015. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Ihler is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-324
Barry Wayne Newberry. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country. Newberry, 60, of Tulsa and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is charged with assaulting the victim with a dangerous weapon that resulted in bodily injury. The FBI and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Dunn is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-321
Eduin Osmar Ramos-Lemus. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Ramos-Lemus, 39, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Mar. 2022. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Dill is prosecuting the case.
25-CR-322Noe Nava Mata. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Nava Mata, 39, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in June 2023. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-320
Joseph Lee Starkey. Failure to Appear After Pretrial Release. Starkey, 45, of Tulsa, is charged with knowingly and willfully failing to appear before the court as required under the conditions of his pretrial release in a separate case. The Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Greenough is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-331
La’Dontae Lavere Taylor. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition (Counts 1 & 2); Sex Trafficking (Count 3); Transporting an Individual for Prostitution (Count 4) (superseding). Taylor, 27, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition in Dec. 2024 and Feb. 2025, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. He is charged with benefiting financially from recruiting, harboring, and providing transportation to an individual to engage in commercial sex acts. Lastly, Taylor is charged with transporting a person to engage in prostitution and other sexual activities. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John W. Dowdell and Kenneth Elmore are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-134
Sacramento Deputy District Attorney Appointed to Federal Team Prosecuting Transnational Drug Organizations in the Sacramento RegionRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Eric Grant and Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho announced today the appointment of Deputy District Attorney Brad Ng to be a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney to prosecute cases in federal court relating to transnational drug organizations with ties to the Sacramento region.
Ng will work on the Homeland Security Task Force, a team of federal and state prosecutors, agents, and analysts dedicated to combatting transnational organized crime and targeting cartels. As a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, Ng will remain employed by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office and will be able to prosecute cases in both state and federal court. Ng will work in this role for a two-year term.
“We see the impact of dangerous drugs throughout our community, from homelessness, violence and property crimes, and even fatalities,” said U.S. Attorney Grant. “Partnering with the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office will allow our offices to bring more cases targeting transnational drug organizations that impact Sacramento County. Brad Ng is a talented and experienced lawyer who will work to ensure that those who distribute large amounts of drugs in the Sacramento region are held accountable. I am grateful to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office and District Attorney Ho for their collaboration and commitment to keeping our community safe.”
“This partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office is a continuation of our fight to eradicate the fentanyl crisis, which has already resulted in Sacramento fentanyl deaths dropping 70% since 2023,” said Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho. “With Brad’s prosecutorial skills, he will play a key role in taking down transnational organizations that are flooding our communities with fentanyl and other deadly drugs.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office currently has Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the District Attorney’s Offices of Yolo, Placer, and Fresno Counties.
Pine Ridge Woman Sentenced to 2 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine within the Pine Ridge ReservationRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a woman from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on August 29, 2025.
Kadell Richard, 31, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Richard was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024 for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. She pleaded guilty on June 9, 2025.
Between October 2023 and April 2024, Richard and others were involved in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in South Dakota and within the Pine Ridge Reservation. Richard assisted her co-conspirators in arranging narcotics transactions and finding end-users to whom her co-conspirators could sell methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Badlands Safe Trails Task Force (BSTTF). BSTTF is a joint-agency taskforce comprised of law enforcement from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigations, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward C. Tarbay prosecuted the case.
Richard was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Panama City Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Child Sex Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Terrance Vertrone Alwayne Lowder III (a/k/a “Trey”), 29, of Panama City, Florida, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor, sex trafficking a minor, and receiving benefits from sex trafficking a minor. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I deeply appreciate not only the excellent investigative work by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office that helped bring this offender to justice, but also the vigilance of the private citizen who reported the suspicious activity that led to his arrest. This offender exploited and victimized a vulnerable minor for his own financial gain, and now a prison cell awaits him for his heinous crimes.”
Court documents reflect that between January 2, 2024, and January 3, 2024, Lowder recruited and directed a 16-year-old to engage in commercial sex acts with adults at a local motel. Lowder conspired with others to transport the minor to the motel and to provide the minor with drugs and alcohol. Lowder offered the minor for sex to multiple adults via text messaging and social media. The motel alerted the Bay County Sheriff’s Office to unregistered guests in the motel room which led to the minor’s recovery and Lowder’s arrest.
Sheriff Tommy Ford said: “Thanks to the quick action of our deputies and the strong partnership we share with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, this young victim was rescued, and the offender will never again have the opportunity to harm another child. The Bay County Sheriff’s Office remains steadfast in our commitment to protect the most vulnerable among us and to bring to justice those who would prey upon them.”
“Lowder admitted to orchestrating the trafficking of a juvenile, and today’s sentence ensures he can no longer harm vulnerable victims,” said FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley. “Human trafficking is a crime that happens all around us and impacts the safety of our neighborhoods and our quality of life. FBI Jacksonville will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners at every level to disrupt and dismantle the people responsible for this illegal activity.”
Lowder’s sentence of imprisonment will be followed by ten years of supervised release and a requirement to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
The conviction and sentence were the result of a joint investigation by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen.
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).
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Orleans Parish Man Guilty of Wire FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JASON PICK (“PICK”), age 44, a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty on September 3, 2025 to an eight-count indictment for wire fraud, announced Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
According to court documents, from June 2020 through October 25, 2021, PICK worked as an accounting clerk for a company that manages residential and commercial real estate in the New Orleans area. During his employment, PICK stole approximately $64,137.00 from the company by altering the face of money orders intended to be rent payments from tenants and deposited the altered money orders into his own bank account. While awaiting sentencing for a scheme to defraud his previous employer, PICK submitted a fraudulent letter from the company to a federal judge, requesting that his prison report date be delayed because it was a busy period for the company. In truth and in fact, the letter was forged by PICK, and the owner of the company was unaware of the letter, or PICK’s crimes. The Court granted the defendant’s request, and PICK used this delay to further conceal his crimes. Before reporting to serve his prison sentence, PICK lied to the company about his upcoming absence by stating that he needed to undergo immediate emergency kidney surgery. He advised the company that he would be able to complete his duties on a remote basis during this time. On his way to prison, PICK remotely accessed the company’s computer system and fraudulently edited the accounting books to conceal the money he had stolen.
If convicted, PICK faces up to 20 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney G. Dall Kammer, Chief of the General Crimes Unit, is in charge of the prosecution.
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Oklahoma Man Sentenced to 130 Months’ Imprisonment for Enticing A Minor to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that James Cody Duncan, age 37, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 130 months’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Keli M. Neary for enticing a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity. Judge Neary also ordered Duncan to serve 10 years on supervised release after he finishes serving his prison term.
According to the Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Duncan pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor on November 13, 2024. Starting in August 2022, Duncan began communicating online with a 13-year-old girl in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, and sent her gifts, including cellphones that she would use to communicate with him. Duncan subsequently traveled to Pennsylvania in April 2023 and had sex with the minor in a local hotel.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Christian T. Haugsby prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
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Oglethorpe Mall Suspect Indicted FederallyRead the Press Release
Aujawan Hymon, 20, of Savannah, Georgia was indicted by a federal grand jury this week for Illegal Possession of a Machinegun.
Aujawan Hymon was one of six suspects involved in the shooting that occurred in the Oglethorpe Mall on July 2, 2025. The investigation revealed that Hymon was in possession of a firearm with an extended magazine and an affixed machinegun conversion device during the shooting. Officers were able to successfully recover the machinegun during the investigation.
Hymon is not a convicted felon.
“We are working with our law enforcement partners to stop the illegal possession of machineguns. Let me be clear- if you possess a glock switch, or any device that converts a firearm into a machinegun, we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” stated United States Attorney Margaret E. Heap.
"Machinegun conversion devices are fueling a deadly uptick in gun violence, turning routine firearms into weapons of war," said ATF Acting ASAC Robert Davis. "This case is yet another example of why ATF is committed to aggressively identifying and removing these illegal devices from our communities."
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with the Savannah Police Department. The case is being prosecuted for the United States by Special Assistant United States Attorney Makeia R. Jonese and Deputy Criminal Chief Greg Gilluly.
All indicted defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
For any questions, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.
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Off-Duty Commercial Airline Pilot Pleads Guilty to Interfering with Flight CrewRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—Joseph David Emerson, 46, of Pleasant Hill, California, an off-duty commercial airline pilot, pleaded guilty today for attempting to shut down the engines of a passenger plane in flight.
According to court documents, on October 22, 2023, Emerson, an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot seated in a cockpit jump seat, attempted to shut down the engines of a commercial passenger plane traveling from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco, California. After a brief physical struggle with Emerson, who quickly left the cockpit, the pilots diverted from their route and landed at Portland International Airport. Once on the ground, Port of Portland police officers placed Emerson under arrest.
On October 23, 2023, Emerson was charged by criminal complaint with interfering with flight crew members and attendants.
Emerson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
As part of the plea agreement, Emerson has agreed to pay restitution in full to the victims.
Emerson will be sentenced on November 17, 2025, before a U.S. District Court Judge.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, and Port of Portland Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Parakram Singh is prosecuting the case.
OPERATION LOW VOLTAGE- Homeland Security Investigations Executes Federal Search Warrant at the HL-GA Battery Company, LLC, located on the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant American Campus in Ellabell, GeorgiaRead the Press Release
Ellabell, Georgia, Southern District of Georgia: On September 4, 2025, hundreds of federal agents executed a federal search warrant at the HL-GA Battery Company, LLC, in Ellabell, Georgia, searching for evidence related to the unlawful employment of illegal aliens in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1324. Upon execution of the criminal search warrant, several people attempted to flee the location. For example, a handful of people ran into a sewage pond located on the premises. Agents used a boat to fish them out of the water. One of the individuals swam under the boat and tried to flip it over to no avail. These people were captured and identified as illegal workers.
Over the course of the day, federal, state, and local law enforcement executed the search warrant and identified hundreds of illegal workers. Law enforcement identified over 475 people who were unlawfully working at the location.
United States Attorney Margaret E. Heap states: “This was a significant undertaking with substantial results. Over 400 agents participated in this massive event, and over 400 illegal workers were identified and detained. The goal of this operation is to reduce illegal employment and prevent employers from gaining an unfair advantage by hiring unauthorized workers. Another goal is to protect unauthorized workers from exploitation.”
This investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigations, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, United States Marshal Service (USMS), and Georgia State Patrol. Assistant United States Attorneys Tania Groover, Ryan Bondura, Kelsey Scanlon, and E. Greg Gilluly, Jr., are investigating this case.
The investigation is ongoing. All people are presumed innocent until 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 Neighborhoods (PSN).
For any questions, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.
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New Jersey Man Sentenced to Almost 11 Years in Prison for Violent Armed Robberies of Three Corner Stores in Philadelphia’s Kensington SectionRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Jared Stanley, 33, of Lindenwold, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 130 months in prison, five years of supervised release, and restitution of $1,450 by United States District Judge John F. Murphy, for carrying out three commercial robberies in January and February of 2024.
In March 2024, Stanley was charged by indictment with one count each of Hobbs Act robbery, carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to the commission of a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a felon. That August, he was charged by information with two additional Hobbs Act robberies. Stanley pleaded guilty to all charges against him in October 2024.
Stanley committed all three robberies during a two-week span.
On January 21, 2024, the defendant entered the Birch Mini-Market, located at 2001 East Birch Street. He approached the counter, pointed a gun at the cashier, and demanded money. When the cashier didn’t understand him, Stanley started screaming at them. He repeatedly hit the cashier in the head with the gun, stole approximately $550 from the register, and fled.
On January 28, 2024, Stanley and an unidentified co-conspirator entered the Capricorno Grocery, located at 2000 East Orleans Street. Stanley walked to the employee area of the store, displayed a firearm, grabbed the employee by the shirt and forcibly pulled him away, pistol whipped him repeatedly, and stood guard over him while his accomplice went back to the register and stole approximately $500.
On February 2, 2024, Stanley and an unidentified co-conspirator entered Bonifacios Grocery, located at 3052 Frankford Avenue. They pushed an employee to the cash register, told him to get on the ground and then pistol whipped him in the head. Stanley and his accomplice then stole approximately $500 from the cash register and fled the store on foot.
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 case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Eckert.
Nevada Man Pleads Guilty to Promoting Fraudulent Tax Avoidance SchemeRead the Press Release
A Nevada man pleaded guilty today to advising clients to commit tax evasion.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Michael J. Moore, of Las Vegas, operated a tax and accounting business known as X Tax Pros. From 2015 and through April 2025, Moore promoted a fraudulent tax avoidance scheme called the “Special Tax Shelter Strategy.” Moore promised clients that if they paid him certain “fees,” he could prepare a tax return that eliminated the clients’ taxes owed to the IRS and, in most cases, create a large tax refund. Moore charged the clients tens of thousands of dollars in fees, which the clients paid from the refunds they received from the IRS.
To carry out the “Special Tax Shelter Strategy” Moore falsified entries on the clients’ tax returns. In many cases, he did this by falsely reporting that the client had sustained a large loss from one or more business entities that Moore controlled. In most cases Moore’s entities carried on no business, did not file tax returns, did not sustain or report any losses to the IRS, and did not report the clients as partners. For some clients, Moore falsified entries relating to cost of goods sold and royalty expenses.
In total, Moore caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $3.5 million.
Moore is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 8 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Patrick Burns of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Anthony Lopez for the District of Nevada are prosecuting the case.
Nevada Man Pleads Guilty to Promoting Fraudulent Tax Avoidance SchemeRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Nevada man pleaded guilty today to advising clients to commit tax evasion.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Michael J. Moore, of Las Vegas, operated a tax and accounting business known as X Tax Pros. From 2015 and through April 2025, Moore promoted a fraudulent tax avoidance scheme called the “Special Tax Shelter Strategy.” Moore promised clients that if they paid him certain “fees,” he could prepare a tax return that eliminated the clients’ taxes owed to the IRS and, in most cases, create a large tax refund. Moore charged the clients tens of thousands of dollars in fees, which the clients paid from the refunds they received from the IRS.
To carry out the “Special Tax Shelter Strategy,” Moore falsified entries on the clients’ tax returns. In many cases, he did this by falsely reporting that the client had sustained a large loss from one or more business entities that Moore controlled. In most cases Moore’s entities carried on no business, did not file tax returns, did not sustain or report any losses to the IRS, and did not report the clients as partners. For some clients, Moore falsified entries relating to cost of goods sold and royalty expenses.
In total, Moore caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $3.5 million.
Moore is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 8, 2025, and he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Patrick Burns of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant United States Attorney Tony Lopez for the District of Nevada are prosecuting the case.
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Middlesex County Man Charged with Transferring Obscene Material to a MinorRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Middlesex County, New Jersey man was arrested on August 27, 2025, for allegedly sending obscene material to a minor knowing that the minor was under the age of 16, Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Mahir Chaudhry, 21, of Piscataway, New Jersey is charged by complaint with one count of transferring obscene material to a minor. Chaudhry appeared on August 28, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa in Newark federal court and was detained pending approval of certain bail conditions.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
Between in or around March 2023 and May 2023, Chaudhry sent a minor victim at least six obscene images via text message at a time when Chaudhry knew the victim was younger than 16 years of age.
The charge of transferring obscene material to a minor is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.
“The defendant’s arrest is a testament to the combined work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to protect the people of New Jersey from individuals who prey on minor victims—no matter where the victims are located."
- Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba
“Chaudhry’s arrest is impactful on many fronts. He can no longer cause harm to minor victims, as the complaint alleges, and his arrest serves as a warning to others who think their actions are unseen. The FBI and our partners will stop at nothing to find and apprehend these predators,” SAC Stefanie Roddy, FBI Newark said.
Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, with the investigation leading to the charges. She also thanked the FBI Newark’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, and international partners for their assistance.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Maloy of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel: Timothy Donahue, Esq.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican national has pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally reentering the United States subsequent to his deportation.
Ibrahim Orozzo-Ramirez, 30, a three-time deported Mexican national, pleaded guilty to a one-count indictment charging him with illegally reentering the United States of America subsequent to his deportation following a 2019 aggravated felony conviction.
Orozzo-Ramirez admitted that he reentered the United States subsequent to a 2019 Jackson County, Mo., conviction for stealing a motor vehicle. Orozzo-Ramirez admitted that after this conviction he was deported on July 17, 2019, from the United States to Mexico via Brownsville, Tx., and that at some later date he reentered the United States without having obtained the consent of the Attorney General of the United States or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security for reapplication for admission into the United States of America. Orozzo-Ramirez admitted that he was arrested on Feb. 1, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo., by special agents with the Department of Homeland Security.
Orozzo-Ramirez had been previously deported from the United States on two other occasions; first, on Nov. 17, 2017, from the United States to Mexico via Brownsville, Tx., and again on Nov. 2, 2018, from the United States to Mexico via El Paso, Tx., following a federal conviction for improper entry by an alien before the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico.
Under federal statutes, Orozzo-Ramirez is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years’ imprisonment in federal prison without parole, with up to three years of supervised release following any sentence. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 6, 2026, after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Daly. It was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Enforcement and Removal Operations (“ERO”) and Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”).
Operation Take Back America
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Meth and Fentanyl Supplier Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
AKRON, Ohio – A fourth defendant in a drug conspiracy case has been sentenced to prison for his role as being a supplier of methamphetamine and fentanyl throughout Summit County.
Ernest Shropshire, 38, of Akron, Ohio, was sentenced to 121 months (approximately 10 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge John R. Adams after pleading guilty in January to the following charges as outlined in the indictment:
- Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl
- Distribution of Methamphetamine and Fentanyl
- Distribution of Fentanyl
Shropshire was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after imprisonment.
According to court documents, from about April 1 through Aug. 28, 2023, Shropshire served as a supplier of methamphetamine and fentanyl to Calvin Roberts, 42. Shropshire would place the illicit drugs in a garbage can in the backyard of his house and then tell Roberts, and other buyers, where to retrieve them. In turn, Roberts would sell drugs to his neighbor, Andrew Corbin, 36, who lived only a short distance away from him. During the investigation, agents learned that the two neighbors would regularly sell the drugs—supplied by Shropshire—out of their homes. Using a network of co-conspirators, the methamphetamine and fentanyl supply was further distributed to customers in and around the Summit County area.
Roberts, Corbin, and Phillip August, age 57, all of Akron, were previously sentenced after pleading guilty to their roles in the drug conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph P. Dangelo for the Northern District of Ohio.
Mentmore Man Pleads Guilty to Multiple Felony AssaultsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Mentmore man has pleaded guilty to all counts in a federal indictment charging him in relation to assaulting and strangling an intimate partner and causing her substantial bodily injury.
According to court records, on December 5, 2024, Alery Al Reid, 26, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, punched, strangled and threatened to kill Jane Doe.
Reid pleaded guilty to a count of assault of an intimate partner by strangling and a second count of assault of an intimate partner resulting in substantial bodily injury. At sentencing, Reid faces up to 10 years in prison. Upon his release from prison, Reid will be subject to three years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Probasco is prosecuting the case.
Mason City Brothers Sentenced to More than 20 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
Bradley Winters, age 58, was sentenced today, to 20 years in federal prison, after a March 18, 2025, guilty plea to two counts of distribution of methamphetamine. Bradley had previously been convicted of a serious drug felony. Bradley’s criminal history is extensive, with 33 prior convictions. His convictions include controlled substance violations (including a 2009 federal conviction for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine), multiple thefts, and multiple assaults.
Gary Winters, age 63, was sentenced January 3, 2025, to 25 years in federal prison, after a July 24, 2024, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Gary had previously been convicted of a serious drug felony in 2010. Gary’s criminal history includes a 1999 possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and carrying firearms in connection with drug trafficking and a 2010 conviction for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Evidence in the case revealed that between July 2023 and August 2023, Bradley Winters and Gary Winters were part of an ongoing drug conspiracy based in Mason City, Iowa to distribute methamphetamine. Bradley Winters sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant, working with law enforcement. Gary was serving a term of supervised release for his 2010 drug conviction when he was involved in the conspiracy, including his possession of over 180 grams of methamphetamine when he was stopped by law enforcement on August 24, 2023.
After Bradley was indicted in this case, he was released on pre-trial supervision. Bradley failed to appear as ordered on July 18, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City. It was later discovered that Bradley cut off his GPS ankle monitor. An arrest warrant was issued for his arrest, and on July 26, 2024, Bradley was located by officers in Clear Lake, Iowa where he fled from officers on foot and fought with them. Bradley was in possession of several baggies of methamphetamine, as well as more than $6,000 cash.
Gary Winters was sentenced on January 3, 2025, in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 300 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term. Bradley Winters was sentenced today, by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 240 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Gary Winters and Brad Winters are being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until they can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department, Clear Lake Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-3032.
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Mason City Brothers Sentenced to More than 20 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
Bradley Winters, age 58, was sentenced today, to 20 years in federal prison, after a March 18, 2025, guilty plea to two counts of distribution of methamphetamine. Bradley had previously been convicted of a serious drug felony. Bradley’s criminal history is extensive, with 33 prior convictions. His convictions include controlled substance violations (including a 2009 federal conviction for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine), multiple thefts, and multiple assaults.
Gary Winters, age 63, was sentenced January 3, 2025, to 25 years in federal prison, after a July 24, 2024, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Gary had previously been convicted of a serious drug felony in 2010. Gary’s criminal history includes a 1999 possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and carrying firearms in connection with drug trafficking and a 2010 conviction for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Evidence in the case revealed that between July 2023 and August 2023, Bradley Winters and Gary Winters were part of an ongoing drug conspiracy based in Mason City, Iowa to distribute methamphetamine. Bradley Winters sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant, working with law enforcement. Gary was serving a term of supervised release for his 2010 drug conviction when he was involved in the conspiracy, including his possession of over 180 grams of methamphetamine when he was stopped by law enforcement on August 24, 2023.
After Bradley was indicted in this case, he was released on pre-trial supervision. Bradley failed to appear as ordered on July 18, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City. It was later discovered that Bradley cut off his GPS ankle monitor. An arrest warrant was issued for his arrest, and on July 26, 2024, Bradley was located by officers in Clear Lake, Iowa where he fled from officers on foot and fought with them. Bradley was in possession of several baggies of methamphetamine, as well as more than $6,000 cash.
Gary Winters was sentenced on January 3, 2025, in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 300 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term. Bradley Winters was sentenced today, by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 240 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Gary Winters and Brad Winters are being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until they can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department, Clear Lake Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-3032.
Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Leading Sophisticated Fraud Scheme that Impersonated Dozens of Doctors to Illegally Prescribe NarcoticsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Maryland man pleaded guilty today to leading a long-running scheme in which dozens of medical doctors’ personal information was stolen and then used to create fraudulent e-prescribing accounts, which his accomplices then used to issue thousands of fraudulent prescriptions of controlled substances.
Benjamin Jamal Washington, 25, of Hyattsville, Maryland, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Washington remains in federal custody.
According to his plea agreement, from September 2020 to May 2023, Washington and his co-conspirators obtained personal identifying information (PII) belonging to dozens of doctors, including their names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, National Provider Identification number, and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Registration Numbers.
After obtaining this information, the co-conspirators impersonated the victims by obtaining fake drivers’ licenses in their names. They also paid corrupt telephone company employees to perform illegal subscriber identity module (SIM) swaps – fraudulently inducing a phone carrier to reassign a cell phone number from the legitimate subscriber to a phone controlled by the co-conspirators – to gain access to the physicians’ phone numbers.
Washington and his co-conspirators then used the fraudulent drivers’ licenses and the stolen phone numbers to open fraudulent e-prescribing accounts in the physicians’ names. At least one co-conspirator spoke with a pharmacy technician to understand the patterns and practices of physicians submitting e-prescriptions so Washington and his co-conspirators could avoid detection and issue more fraudulent prescriptions.
Once the co-conspirators opened the fraudulent e-prescribing accounts, Washington and others used the accounts to submit at least 5,600 fraudulent prescriptions of controlled substances, including illegal prescriptions of oxycodone and promethazine with codeine.
The co-conspirators then traveled to pharmacies across the United States, including pharmacies within the Los Angeles area, to pick up the illegally prescribed controlled substances, which they sold for a significant profit.
United States District Judge Wesley L. Hsu scheduled a January 13, 2026, sentencing hearing, at which time Washington will face a statutory maximum sentence of 42 years in federal prison, including a mandatory two-year consecutive prison sentence for the aggravated identity theft count.
The FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Ian V. Yanniello of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, Elizabeth S.P. Douglas of the Major Frauds Section, and Matthew J. Tako of the Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
Maryland Man Charged with Firearms TraffickingRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Maryland man was arrested and charged with trafficking in firearms in Ocean County, New Jersey, Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Luiz Vargas, a/k/a, “El Biggie,” 25, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of trafficking in firearms. Vargas made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni in Trenton federal court on August 11, 2025 and was detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Beginning in January 2025, law enforcement began investigating Vargas for trafficking firearms into New Jersey from, among other places, Texas and Maryland. Using a confidential source acting at the direction and supervision of law enforcement, officers conducted four controlled purchases of firearms, which yielded a total of eight firearms: two semiautomatic rifles and six handguns. Two of the handguns were reported stolen out of Texas and Colorado, respectively, and the two semiautomatic rifles had no serial numbers or other identifiable markings on them. On at least one occasion, Vargas provided cocaine to the confidential source after being unable to follow through with a promised sale of firearms. Vargas has never held a federal license to deal or manufacture firearms.
The firearms trafficking charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Habba credited special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges. She also thanked the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations Newark, under the direction of Field Office Director Ruben Perez, the Howell Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police John Storrow, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy, the Asbury Park Police Department, under the direction of Deputy Chief of Police Guy Thompson, the Freehold Borough Police Department, under the Direction of Chief of Police Chris Colaner, the Lakewood Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Gregory H. Meyer, the Little Silver Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Paul Halpin, the Marlboro Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Peter Pezzullo, the Middletown Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police R. Craig Weber, the Monroe Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Griffin N. Banos, and the Wall Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Sean O’Halloran, for their assistance in the investigation.
The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Garelick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel: Andrea Aldana, Esq., Federal Public Defenders.
vargas.complaint.pdfManchester Woman Arrested on Animal Crush Video Distribution ChargesRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Manchester woman was arrested on an indictment charging her with the distribution of animal crush videos, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
Lynn Seymour, 51, of Manchester, was indicted on one count of distribution of animal crush videos and one count of conspiracy. Seymour appeared in federal court today and was released pending further court proceedings.
According to the charging documents, Seymour is alleged to have participated in and served as the administrator for private online groups which included hundreds of members. The purpose of the groups was to exchange and distribute animal crush videos depicting the torture, murder, sexually sadistic mutilation and sexual abuse of animals, specifically baby and adult monkeys.
The charge of distribution of animal crush videos provides a sentence of no greater than 7 years in prison, and the conspiracy charges provides a sentence of no greater than 5 years. Both charges can carry terms of supervised release of up to 3 years and fines of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau 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.
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Man Sentenced to Prison Term for Stabbing Two People, including a Corrections OfficerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Chauncy Myers, 31, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced for stabbing two people, one of whom was a D.C. Department of Corrections officer at the D.C. Jail, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Myers pleaded guilty on March 14, 2025, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of aggravated assault while armed and one count of attempted assault with a dangerous weapon. On September 2, 2025, Judge Jennifer Di Toro sentenced Myers to seven years of incarceration, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The government requested a thirteen-year prison term.
According to the government’s evidence, on July 13, 2024, the victim was socializing with friends in Triangle Park in Southeast Washington, D.C., when Myers approached the victim with a knife and then stabbed the victim in the abdomen, causing severe organ damage. Following the stabbing, Myers fled the scene.
Myers was later arrested and detained at the D.C. Jail. On December 23, 2024, while in custody, and after a D.C. Department of Corrections officer attempted to enter Myers’ jail cell, he stabbed the officer with a shank causing a puncture wound to the officer’s forearm.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the efforts of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the work of Assistant United States Attorneys Jacob Green and Jasmine Dohemann, who prosecuted the case.
Man Sentenced for November 2024 Armed Carjacking and August 2022 Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Demonta King, 18, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in Superior Court for carjacking a taxicab driver at knifepoint in November 2024 and robbing another victim at gunpoint in August 2022, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
King pleaded guilty on April 4, 2025, to one count of armed carjacking and one count of armed robbery. Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro ordered King to serve fifteen years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release and denied King’s request to be sentenced under the Youth Rehabilitation Act. The government sought a twenty-two-year term of incarceration.
According to the government’s evidence, on November 18, 2024, in the 5000 block of Fort Totten Drive, NE, King, while armed with a knife, approached the victim, a taxicab driver, who was standing approximately five feet from his taxicab. King announced a robbery and said, “Give me everything,” and ordered the victim to hand over his keys. King then stabbed the victim in the hand causing him to drop the keys. The defendant retrieved the keys and took the victim’s taxicab, phone, driver’s license, bank cards and other personal items. Officers later spotted the victim’s vehicle, which the defendant was driving at a high rate of speed, in the 500 block of Chillum Road in Hyattsville, MD, when he crashed and fled on foot. Police gave chase and stopped the defendant.
In a separate incident, on August 26, 2022, in the 100 Block of Gallatin Street and 1st Place NE, King approached a different victim, brandished a firearm, took the victim’s backpack and cell phone, and then struck the victim in the face with the firearm and fled. King was 16-years-old when he committed this offense and was prosecuted as an adult under Title 16.
Joining in the announcement was and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They also acknowledged Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Greene, who prosecuted the case.
MED-EL Corporation Agrees to Pay $2.1 Million to Resolve Allegations of PPP Loan FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – MED-EL Corporation has agreed to pay approximately $2.1 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that the company falsely certified to the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) its eligibility for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.
As detailed in the settlement agreement, MED-EL Corporation admits that, on Jan. 19, 2021, it applied for a second draw PPP loan. When it did, its headcount, together with its foreign parent company, exceeded SBA’s 300 employee cap.
Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and the Economic Security Act (CARES Act) on March 29, 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain approved expenses through the PPP. On May 5, 2020, the SBA issued guidance that explained that, for purposes of meeting size eligibility requirements (i.e. whether the applicant is a “small business concern” or otherwise falls below the cap on employee headcount) an applicant must count all of its employees and the employees of its U.S. and foreign affiliates, absent a waiver of or an exception to the affiliation rules. SBA’s guidance also made clear that it would only enforce this rule prospectively, i.e., for applications made on or after May 5, 2020. On Jan. 8, 2021, SBA announced the availability of a second round of PPP loans, known as the “second draw” PPP loans.
The settlement credits MED-EL Corporation for cooperation under the Department of Justice’s Guidelines for Taking Voluntary Disclosure, Cooperation and Remediation into Account in False Claims Act Matters.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and Wendell Davis, General Counsel for the Small Businesses Administration made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles B. Weinograd of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the case.
Louisiana man charged in Jefferson County violent crime spree that included carjackings, a shooting, and a convenience store attempted robberyRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Sunset, Louisiana, man has been charged with federal violations related to a violent crime spree in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Bracelon Armon Charles, 22, was named in a six-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with two counts of carjacking, two counts of brandishing or using a firearm during a violent crime, and Hobbs Act robbery.
The indictment alleges that in October of 2023, Charles and a juvenile, engaged in a violent crime spree that included the attempted carjacking of a vehicle in Beaumont, the shooting of the vehicle’s owner, another carjacking in Port Arthur, and an attempted robbery of a convenience store in Beaumont.
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).
If convicted, Charles faces up to 30 years in federal prison.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Beaumont Police Department; the Port Arthur Police Department; and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tommy Coleman.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Local doctor pleads guilty to making false statements related to 1989 rapeRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – A Sycamore Township man whose DNA implicated him in a 1989 rape pleaded guilty today to making false statements to federal agents.
Frederick Louis Tanzer, 66, admitted to three counts of the crime, each punishable by up to five years in prison.
Tanzer’s plea documents detail that on Aug. 1, 1989, Tanzer broke into a victim’s home in Cincinnati and violently raped the victim over the course of five and a half hours. Tanzer, masked and dressed from head to toe in black Lycra, held a knife to the victim’s throat, dragged her into her bedroom, blindfolded her with surgical tape, bound her hands and feet to her bed frame, and then repeatedly raped her vaginally, anally and orally.
In 2024, the FBI, working with the Cincinnati Police Department, confirmed Tanzer’s DNA matched the semen left by the victim’s attacker in 1989.
When approached about the rape, the defendant made several materially false statements to a federal agent and a Cincinnati Police Department detective, including denying having seen or interacted with the victim on the date she was raped.
Tanzer was arrested in December 2024 and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cincinnati Division; and Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa A. Theetge announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Michael J. Newman. The IRS-Criminal Investigation Cincinnati Field Office assisted in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly K. Rossi and Julie D. Garcia are representing the United States in this case.
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Las Vegas Man Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison for $1.4 Million Cannabis and Restaurant Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Elias Ghanem II, who previously resided in Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced by United States District Judge Gary R. Brown to 84 months’ imprisonment for engaging in a fraudulent scheme to solicit investments in purported cannabis and restaurant entities and defrauding investors of approximately $1.4 million. The Court also ordered Ghanem to pay approximately $1.4 million in restitution to the victims of his crimes. Ghanem pleaded guilty to wire fraud in February 2025.
The sentence was announced by Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI).
“Today, the defendant received just punishment for defrauding more than a dozen investors, including a retired law enforcement officer whose arm was amputated due to gunshot wounds,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Our Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue justice for victims of financial crime who fall prey to individuals like Ghanem who advance their greedy desires at the expense of others.”
“Elias Ghanem shamelessly stole more than one million dollars from investors of his companies to fund personal purchases,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia. “Ghanem prioritized selfish greed and preyed on the wallets of his victims. The FBI will never tolerate any individual who utilizes lies and deceit to enrich themselves.”
According to court filings and the defendant’s admissions, between approximately September 2018 through October 2019, Ghanem solicited approximately $1 million from investors in Viva Capital Ventures, LLC (Viva), a purported cannabis distribution and manufacturing company that Ghanem claimed to operate. One of Ghanem’s Viva investors was a retired police officer who invested around $280,000 he received after he was shot multiple times during an armored car robbery, which led to his arm being amputated. Although Ghanem told the Viva investors that he would use their monies for business-related expenses such as those related to applications for cannabis distribution licenses in various states, Ghanem never applied for such licenses and instead diverted nearly $1 million to fund a lavish lifestyle, including the purchase of a luxury waterfront home in Babylon, New York, and for personal expenses, including the partial repayment of a personal loan, and payments of restitution obligations that were imposed to resolve prior criminal charges against him in Nevada.
In a second scheme, Ghanem solicited approximately $400,000 from investors in the Friends and Family Hospitality Group (FFHG), a purported restaurant entity that Ghanem claimed he operated. Although Ghanem told the investors that he would use their funds to finance the establishment of a New York City restaurant, he instead used approximately $200,000 to purchase jewelry and lease a Florida condominium. In response to demands for repayment, Ghanem issued one of the FFHG investors a series of checks that bounced for insufficient funds.
The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Bradley T. King and Andrew Wang are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Samantha Schroder and Legal Assistant Danielle Casey.
The Defendant:
ELIAS GHANEM II
Age: 38
Las Vegas, NevadaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-520 (S-1) (GRB)
Las Vegas Man Sentenced to over Six Years in Prison for Role in Fentanyl Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas resident was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Anne R. Traum to 80 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release for his role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. The government recommended a prison sentence of 110 months.
According to court documents, from February 2023 to March 2023, Michael Anthony Rivas distributed and sold fentanyl as part of a conspiracy in the Las Vegas area. He and co-defendant Crystal Fawn Hoag sold approximately 693 grams of fentanyl (approximately 8,500 fentanyl pills).
During the execution of a search warrant at Hoag and Rivas’ joint residence, law enforcement recovered a black Smith & Wesson firearm, a Black Xd Springfield Arms firearm, and a black and tan Taurus firearm. Additionally, approximately 67 grams of counterfeit M30 pills containing suspected fentanyl and approximately 113 grams of methamphetamine were also recovered.
Both Hoag and Rivas were disqualified from owning or possessing a firearm based on their prior felony convictions.
Fentanyl presents a significant and growing danger to our community and our children. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine, and only a few milligrams of this chemical compound equivalent to a few grains of table salt are enough to cause a fatal overdose in adults or children.
Acting United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada, Deputy Special Agent in Charge Anthony Chrysanthis for DEA’s Los Angeles Division, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Nathaniel Holland for the FBI Las Vegas Division made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the DEA and FBI. Assistant United States Attorneys Brenna Bush and Steven Rose prosecuted the case.
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Lancaster Man Found Guilty of Shooting Victim to Death During Inglewood Marijuana DealRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An Antelope Valley man was found guilty by a jury today of shooting a victim to death during a marijuana deal in Inglewood in 2021.
Leandrew Raglin, 22, of Lancaster, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), one count of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of possessing, using, carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of, and one count of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, resulting in death constituting murder.
According to evidence presented at an eight-day trial, Raglin and co-defendants Mateo Paul, 23, of Long Beach, Iysis Elanore Smith, 22, of Inglewood, agreed to rob a marijuana dealer at gunpoint. They devised a plan to lure the dealer via a social media application to a meeting location, where they would ambush him at gunpoint and steal his marijuana.
On March 15, 2021, Smith approached the vehicle occupied by the victim. While Smith distracted the victim, Paul and Raglin parked behind the victim’s vehicle. Raglin then exited the vehicle Paul was driving, approached the passenger side of the victim’s car and opened fire, repeatedly wounding the victim in the passenger seat. Raglin then walked around to the driver’s side of the vehicle and opened fire, fatally wounding the victim in the driver’s seat of the vehicle.
United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha scheduled a March 13, 2026, sentencing hearing, at which time Raglin, who has been in federal custody since October 2023, will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Paul pleaded guilty on February 18 to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act) and one count of brandishing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Paul, who has been in custody since November 2023, is scheduled to be sentenced on September 26. Smith also has pleaded guilty to felony robbery charges in this case.
Both Paul and Smith face potential sentences of life in federal prison.
The FBI and the Inglewood Police Department investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Chelsea Norell of the Major Crimes Section and Gregg Marmaro of the Major Frauds Section are prosecuting this case.
Kauai Man Sentenced to over 29 Years’ Imprisonment for Extortion, Drug Trafficking, and Carrying a FirearmRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that David Borges, 43, of Koloa, was sentenced yesterday in federal court by Senior United States District Judge Helen Gillmor to 352 months’ imprisonment followed by 5 years’ supervised release on his guilty pleas to charges of extortion, conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, and distributing a mixture of fentanyl and cocaine. Borges has been detained since he was transferred to federal custody from the State of Hawaii on March 9, 2023.
According to court records, during separate incidents on Kauai during December 26 and 27, 2021, Borges and codefendant Albert Bactad, 49, of Lihue, extorted and stole from two men $2,500 cash, drugs, a firearm, and an automobile. During the crimes, Borges and Bactad assaulted both victims, one of whom sustained facial injuries requiring surgery, threatened the victims with firearms, abducted one of the victims, and held the other for ransom. Borges also engaged in drug trafficking on Kauai, including possessing with intent to distribute 9 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded firearm on April 26, 2022, conspiring with Denise Kalani, 62, of Lihue, to distribute 1,100 grams of methamphetamine and 50 grams of fentanyl from July 17, 2022 to August 5, 2022, and distributing a mixture of fentanyl and cocaine to four men on January 26, 2023.
“Borges and his confederates have been a dangerous menace to our community – plaguing it with drugs and violence – and today’s lengthy sentence is a resounding affirmation of our solemn commitment to convicting and punishing those who profit through the pain and misery deadly drugs like crystal methamphetamine bring to our islands. Today’s sentence finally brings an end to the reign of terror Borges and his confederates brought to the people of Hawaii,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “We will continue to work tirelessly with our dedicated law enforcement partners at the FBI, ATF, and Kauai Police Department to root out those who endanger and victimize our communities.”
“Mr. Borges led a violent narcotics trafficking organization; his crimes significantly contributed to the ongoing drug epidemic facing America and plaguing our island communities. This sentencing marks a crucial victory in the ongoing fight to protect our citizens from deadly drugs and violence,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “The FBI—standing in resolve with our local, state, and federal partners—will continue to use every available resource to dismantle these dangerous criminal organizations and bring their members to justice.”
“There is an undeniable link between drug dealing and gun violence, and Mr. Borges’s possession of firearms and dealer quantities of meth and fentanyl posed an exceedingly dangerous risk to our community,” said ATF Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais. “I commend our ATF special agents and law enforcement partners for remaining steadfast in their com mitment to disrupting the sources of drugs in our communities and keeping firearms out of the hands of violent criminals. This sentence reflects the seriousness of Mr. Borges’s actions, and our citizens are now safer with him behind bars.”
“This conviction represents a major step forward in protecting our community from the devastation caused by drugs and violence,” said Chief Kalani Ke, Kauai Police Department. “For years, this individual has terrorized our island, putting our families and neighborhoods at risk. We thank our federal partners for their strong support in this case, which demonstrates how collaboration leads to substantial results and holds those who endanger our community accountable. Together, we remain committed to safeguarding the people of Kauai and will continue our mission to keep dangerous individuals off our streets.”
Borges is the last defendant in his cases to be sentenced, and his codefendants were sentenced as follows:
- On March 13, 2025, Albert Bactad was sentenced to 168 months’ imprisonment and 3 years’ supervised release on his guilty plea to a charge of extortion.
- On April 8, 2025, Kalani was sentenced to 63 months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ supervised release on her guilty plea to a charge of conspiring with Borges to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.
- On September 9, 2024, Wayne Inouye, 49, of Lihue, was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment and 3 years’ supervised release on his guilty plea to a charge of conspiring to obstruct justice arising from his efforts on behalf of Albert Bactad to secure false written statements from the two victims extorted by Borges and Bactad.
- On September 5, 2024, Robin Takiguchi, 54, of Lihue, was sentenced to 46 months’ imprisonment and 3 years’ supervised release on his guilty plea to a charge of conspiring to obstruct justice arising from his efforts on behalf of Albert Bactad to secure false written statements from the two victims extorted by Borges and Bactad.
- On March 12, 2025, Mahina Bactad, 29, of Kapaa, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment and 3 years’ supervised release on her guilty plea to a charge of conspiring to obstruct justice arising from her efforts on behalf of Albert Bactad to secure false written statements from the two victims extorted by Borges and Bactad.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Kauai Police Department with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig S. Nolan prosecuted the case.
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Arkansas Division of Correction to Improve Medical Care and Mobility ServicesRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department announced an agreement with the Arkansas Division of Correction (ADOC) to provide necessary medical care and mobility services to disabled inmates of ADOC’s Ouachita River Unit prison facility, as required by Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
“Public entities, including correctional facilities, must comply with the ADA by providing facilities and programs that are accessible to people with disabilities,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to enforcing the ADA to ensure equal access for all Americans.”
The Ouachita River Unit is a maximum, medium, and minimum-security prison facility, located in Malvern, Arkansas, with a capacity for 1,782 inmates. It also includes a Special Needs Unit, which provides beds, hospital services, and sheltered living for inmates categorized as having special needs, including elderly, chronically ill, and acutely ill inmates. At a Sept. 3 public Board of Corrections meeting, the ADOC’s Board of Corrections reviewed and approved the agreement without objection.
Under the agreement, ADOC will: (1) remove barriers to access for inmates with mobility disabilities in different areas of the prison, including cells, toilet rooms, showers, medical facilities, and dining halls; (2) make sure shower water is cool enough to avoid scalding paralyzed inmates who cannot feel their skin burning; (3) ensure inmates with disabilities are provided with medically necessary equipment and durable medical equipment such as trapeze bars, transfer boards, or patient lifts for transferring from a wheelchair to another surface including a bed or toilet; and (4) provide adequate care and treatment such as wound care and adequate catheter care.
To learn more about the Civil Rights Division visit www.justice.gov/crt, and to report possible violations of federal civil rights laws go to www.civilrights.justice.gov. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TTY 1-833-610-1264) or visit www.ada.gov.
Jury Finds Man Guilty of First-Degree Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ovideo Flores-Lemus was convicted of two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
The verdict, which took place today, was returned by the jury after a multi-day trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Danya Dayson scheduled sentencing for November 14, 2025.
According to the evidence and testimony presented at trial, between 2020 and 2021 the defendant, who was the victim’s supervisor at the commercial custodial company they both worked for, cornered the victim in the bathroom during her cleaning shift and forcibly raped her on three separate occasions. The jury convicted Flores-Lemus for two of those encounters.
Flores-Lemus faces a maximum statutory sentence of thirty years for each first-degree sexual abuse count. The defendant would be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life when released.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys LaVater Massie-Banks and Sarah Folse.
Hillsboro Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Child and CyberstalkingRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— A Hillsboro man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison Thursday afternoon after pleading guilty to sexually exploiting a child and cyberstalking.
According to court documents, Jorge Rosales, 29, met a young child who lived outside of the United States on “Musical.ly,” an online social media application that later became TikTok. After interacting with the child online, Rosales convinced the child to send him sexually explicit images and videos. Once he received those files, Rosales demanded more, threatening to send the sexually explicit images to the child’s family and friends. Rosales stalked the child online for months on TikTok and Snapchat, harassing the child and the child's online friends using various social media accounts he created.
Investigators with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at Rosales’s residence, seizing various electronic devices. Searches of those devices revealed a cache of child pornography that included videos depicting the child Rosales had exploited online. The searches also revealed some of the social media accounts Rosales used to exploit and stalk the child.
This case was investigated by HSI, with assistance from law enforcement officers in the child’s country of residence and the Hillsboro Police Department. It was prosecuted by Gary Sussman, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
This case was brought in collaboration with Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Hazleton City Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Hector Alvarez, age 37, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison by Senior United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, on February 3, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted surveillance at a residence located in Hazle Township, Pennsylvania, and observed Alvarez leave the location carrying a grocery bag. Officers followed Avarez as he drove away and witnessed him throw the grocery bag into a garbage can from the window of his car. Officers retrieved the bag and observed empty vacuum sealed bags consistent with packaging kilogram quantities of methamphetamine. Officers attempted to pull Alvarez over, but Alvarez ignored emergency alerts and drove to his residence located on McKinley Street, in Hazleton. Alvarez fled from his vehicle but was eventually caught and arrested by police after a short foot pursuit. Officers located a box Alvarez discarded during his flight which contained 600 glassine packets of fentanyl.
Officers seized additional glassine packets of fentanyl stamped with the same symbols of the fentanyl from Alvarez’s vehicle. Officers also searched the Hazle Township residence and seized 26 kilograms of pure methamphetamine, 90 grams of fentanyl, and 37 grams of cocaine base (crack).
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Luzerne Cunty Drug Task Force, and the Hazleton City Police Department. Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus 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.
This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
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Harlan Man Convicted of Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky.- A Harlan, Ky., man was convicted on Thursday by a federal jury in London for producing child pornography.
After 45 minutes of deliberation following a two-day trial, the jury convicted 42-year-old Brandon Farley of two counts of production of child pornography.
According to testimony at trial, Farley sexually abused a minor that was in his care and took photos of that abuse.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Division; and Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police jointly announced the conviction.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and KSP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Blankenship is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Farley is scheduled to be sentenced on January 7, 2026. He faces a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing a sentence.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Guyanese man arrested, charged with escapeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Andre Ali, 27, a citizen and national of Guyana, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with escape from custody, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Smith, who is handling the case, stated that in the early morning hours of September l, 2025, at the Rainbow Bridge Port of Entry in Niagara Falls, NY, Customs and Border Protection officers encountered Ali, who was driving a vehicle that made a wrong turn onto the bridge, coming from the United States. Ali did not have an identity document and was escorted to secondary inspection, during which it was determined that he was unlawfully present in the United States. Ali was admitted to the United States in April 2018, as a visitor and was authorized to remain for a temporary period, not to exceed October 15, 2018.
Ali was handcuffed and escorted to a secure room to await his administrative processing. A short time later, an officer opened the door to the secure room to tell Ali that he was being detained and must see a judge. Less than a minute after the officer left the area, Ali climbed on top of a bench in the secure room and proceeded to climb into the ceiling cavity. A short time later, he fell through the ceiling in the room directly adjacent to the secure room, where he crawled under a shelf. Officers quickly noticed Ali had escaped and retook physical control.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by Customs and Border protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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