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Wednesday 3 September 2025
Felon Sentenced After Jury Convicted Him of Unlawful Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Tulsa man was sentenced after a federal jury convicted him in April of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Today, U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Prophet Kelly Lamar Clark, 53, to 15 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.
Tulsa Police officers responded to a 911 call about a suspect with a gun. The physical description provided to law enforcement was later identified as Clark. Responding officers saw Clark walking away from the caller’s home on the phone, with a pair of keys and a loaded magazine in his right hand.
When the officer asked Clark if he had a weapon, he did not respond. While Clark was being placed in handcuffs, the officer pointed out the magazine in Clark’s hand and asked again if he had a firearm on him. Clark told the officer, “right,” implying the firearm was on his right side. A purple handgun was taken from Clark’s right side. Once Clark’s identity was confirmed, records showed that he was a convicted felon.
Court records show that in 2010, Clark pled guilty to felony possession of a controlled drug in state court, driving without a driver’s license, and improper tail lamps. He was sentenced to a five-year deferred sentence, which was ultimately converted to a conviction in 2011, resulting in Clark being placed on probation.
Clark was detained at sentencing, pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with the Tulsa Police Department, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mallory Richard and Jessica Wright 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Federal Judge Sentences Elizabeth City Career Criminal to 14 YearsRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A U.S. District Judge sentenced Miguel Yasmir Williams, a 35-year-old man from Elizabeth City to 14 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm as a felon. Williams entered his guilty plea on January 29, 2025.
“Miguel Williams kept on selling drugs and poisoning our communities. No more,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “This prison sentence puts him out of business. Law enforcement officers caught this dangerous drug dealer armed with a gun that he used to terrorize good citizens and families. We will ensure he pays the price for harming our communities by spending a long time in prison.”
“For too long, drugs have profoundly affected the lives of countless individuals in our community. We want to send a clear message: if you are engaged in selling this poison, especially to our family members, we will not stand idly by. We are committed to actively pursuing those who distribute these harmful substances. Weapons and drugs will no longer plague our community,” said Elizabeth City Police Interim Chief Eddie Graham.
“There is an absolute connection between drug dealing and gun violence in our communities,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Alicia Jones. “A firearm in the hands of a drug dealer and felon is a serious danger, and ATF and our law enforcement partners will continue to do everything possible to apprehend those that pose these threats to our communities.”
According to court documents and information presented in court, Elizabeth City Police Officers responded to a bar in downtown Elizabeth City on February 10, 2024, after the bar requested emergency assistance. When EMS arrived, they found Williams unresponsive and prepared him for transport to the hospital. EMS personnel noticed a gun handle sticking out of his pocket. The gun was not only loaded but also stolen. At the hospital, medical personnel discovered a bag containing cocaine in his possession. This cocaine was packaged into numerous smaller baggies for distribution.
Due to his extensive criminal history, including convictions for kidnapping and possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver cocaine, as well as larceny of a firearm, Williams faced enhanced federal sentencing.
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announced the sentencing after Judge Dever's ruling. The Elizabeth City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case, while Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phil Aubart and Robbie Dodson prosecuted it.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from 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).
Related court documents can be found on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina's site or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-CR-28.
Federal Inmate Sentenced to Nearly 3 Years for Assaulting Prison GuardRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Demetrius Brown, 47, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institutional in Oxford, Wisconsin, was sentenced late last week by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 33 months in federal prison for physically assaulting a prison guard. Brown’s sentence will be served consecutive to the sentence he is already serving for drug trafficking. Brown pleaded guilty to the assault charge on June 9, 2025.
On August 24, 2024, Brown attacked a prison guard after the guard found an item of contraband in Brown’s cell. The guard suffered minor injuries.
At sentencing, Judge Conley found it troubling that in addition to causing injury to the guard, Brown’s conduct jeopardized the safety of other staff who responded to the assault. Judge Conley also expressed disappointment that Brown appeared to lack insight into his violent behavior.
The charge against Brown was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Ayala prosecuted this case.
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Cal State Channel Islands Professor on Charge that He Threw Tear Gas Canister at Agents in CamarilloRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury today indicted a professor at California State University Channel Islands who is charged with throwing a tear gas canister at federal agents executing a search warrant at a marijuana farm in Camarillo this summer.
Jonathan Caravello, 37, of Ventura, is charged with one count of assault on a federal officer using a deadly or dangerous weapon.
Caravello, who is free on $15,000 bond, is expected to be arraigned in the coming weeks in United States District Court in Los Angeles.
According to the first superseding indictment and court documents previously filed in this case, on July 10, federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and United States Border Patrol executed a high-risk search warrant at a marijuana farm sitting on a 160-acre property in Camarillo. A group of protesters gathered near law enforcement personnel around the farm’s entrance and used their bodies and their vehicles to impede law enforcement from exiting the location.
Later, protesters became violent, throwing rocks at the government vehicles attempting to depart the location because of the danger and to provide security to a detainee who had been hospitalized. The thrown rocks broke windows and side-view mirrors, among other damage to the vehicles.
For agents’ safety, law enforcement deployed tear gas among the protesters to assist with crowd control, ensure officer safety, and to allow law enforcement to depart the location. Border Patrol agents rolled tear gas canisters by protesters’ feet and Caravello ran up to one of the canisters and attempted to kick it. After the canister rolled past him, Caravello turned around, ran towards the canister, picked it up, and threw it overhand back at Border Patrol agents.
Border Patrol agents eventually arrested Caravello, who continuously kicked his legs and refused to give agents his arms during the arrest.
An indictment contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Caravello would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
HSI is investigating this matter.
The Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.
Five Indictments Returned for Previously Deported Illegal Aliens Identified in Recent Immigration Enforcement ActionsRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE & PENSACOLA – Today, United States Attorney John P. Heekin announced that five previously deported illegal aliens have been indicted separately by a federal grand jury for illegal reentry into the United States.
Narciso Oswaldo Moreno-Zepeda, 42, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Escambia County in June 2025, after previously being deported in 2014. Trial is set for October 6, 2025, before United States District Judge M. Casey Rogers.
Hector Chaves-Morales, 27, of Guatemala, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Walton County in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2016. The matter is pending.
Franklin David Zelaya-Funez, 32, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Escambia County in June 2025, after previously being deported in 2021. The matter is pending.
Kevin Noel Ochoa-Venegas, 32, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Bay County in April 2025, after previously being deported in 2016 and 2021. Trial is set for September 22, 2025, before United States District Judge Mark Walker.
Edwin Martinez-Cruz, 38, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Escambia County in July 2025, after previously being deported in 2022. Trial is set for October 20, 2025, before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.
The penalty for illegally reentering the United States after deportation is a maximum of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Ochoa-Venegas faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine pursuant to allegations of prior convictions qualifying for an increased maximum sentence.
The cases are being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations with assistance from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica S. Etherton, Alicia H. Forbes, Brooke DiSalvo, and Justin M. Keen are prosecuting the cases.
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 in a court of law.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Eau Claire Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that John A. Soung, 48, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 10 years in federal prison for possessing methamphetamine intended for distribution. The prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Soung pleaded guilty to this charge on June 5, 2025.
In July 2024, investigators received information from a confidential source that a large quantity of methamphetamine was being stored inside a storage unit in Eau Claire. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the storage unit and found a backpack with approximately six pounds of methamphetamine inside. Records showed that Soung rented the storage unit, and he ultimately admitted that he used it to store methamphetamine for distribution around the Eau Claire area. On July 12, 2024, Soung was arrested during a traffic stop and inside the car, officers found a 9mm handgun that Soung later admitted was his. Soung is prohibited from legally possessing firearms because of prior felony convictions.
In handing down Soung’s substantial sentence, Judge Conley recognized that this case represented a “great escalation” in Soung’s history of methamphetamine dealing. Judge Conley also noted that Soung was illegally possessing a firearm while regularly distributing methamphetamine.
The charge against Soung was the result of an investigation conducted by the West Central Drug Task Force, Eau Claire Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Clark County Sheriff’s Department. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force also assisted with the case. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force consists of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Levins prosecuted the case.
Federal criminal cases involving drugs and firearms 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).
Dominican National Faces Third DeportationRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A twice-deported Dominican national faces deportation for a third time, having been sentenced today in federal court on a charge of illegal reentry, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Celso Herrera-De Los Santos, 49, ordered deported from the United States in 2011 and in 2017, came to the attention of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in May during a routine screening at the ACI where he was being held on Rhode Island state charges of possession with intent to deliver cocaine and possession with intent to deliver 1 oz to 1 kilo of cocaine.
Herrera-De Los Santos, detained in federal custody since his arraignment on June 23, 2025, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose to time served. An immigration detainer has been lodged by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter I. Roklan, with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Dulce Donovan.
The matter was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Dallas Resident Guilty of Being Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition While Attempting to Board a PlaneRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that TREVIS WILLIAMS (“WILLIAMS”),age 46, pleaded guilty today for violating the Federal Gun Control Act.
According to court documents, on March 16, 2025, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent conducting security screening at Louis Armstrong International Airport noticed what appeared to be a firearm and nine (9) rounds of ammunition in the carry-on bag of the defendant. The TSA agent then notified the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office (JPSO) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). An FBI Special Agent conducted an investigation and determined that WILLIAMS was prohibited from possessing the firearm and ammunition, as he had previously been convicted of a felony in the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana.
The firearm was determined to be a Glock Model 30, .45 caliber, semi-automatic pistol, along with the nine (9) rounds of ammunition, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). WILLIAMS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of fifteen years, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release after imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance set sentencing for December 16, 2025.
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.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Transportation Security Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon Maestri of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Cuban Man Living in Louisville Charged with Assaulting ICE OfficersRead the Press Release
Louisville, Kentucky – A federal indictment was returned today that charged Laryen Torres-Carmona, a Cuban national, for assaulting two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who were attempting to effect a lawful arrest.
U.S Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky and Acting Special Agent in Charge Dennis M. Fetting of the Homeland Security Investigations Nashville made the announcement.
“This complaint and indictment allege that Torres-Carmona committed crimes while paroled into our country, overstayed his welcome, then strangled a domestic partner, and ultimately assaulted two ICE officers attempting to make a lawful arrest,” said U.S. Attorney Kyle Bumgarner. “This conduct will not be tolerated in the Western District of Kentucky.”
“Threats and assaults on federal agents and officers, who are working diligently night and day to uphold the nation’s laws, will never be tolerated,” said Homeland Security Investigations Nashville acting Special Agent in Charge Dennis M. Fetting. “HSI remains steadfast in its mission to hold accountable those who threaten the safety of our law enforcement personnel and the communities they protect and serve.”
According to the indictment, Laryen Torres-Carmona, 25, is charged with two counts of forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with two Immigration Enforcement Operations (ERO) Deportation Officers (DO) who were employees of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an agency of a branch of the United States government, while they were engaged in the performance of their official duties.
Last week a criminal complaint and supporting affidavit were filed that alleged that Torres-Carmona, was permitted to enter the United States on July 25, 2023, as a parolee with an expiration of June 27, 2025. While in the United States on parole, Torres-Carmona was arrested by Louisville Metropolitan Police Officers on charges of theft by unlawful taking and criminal trespassing. In July 2025, after his parole had expired, Torres-Carmona was arrested again for strangulation during an event of domestic violence.
The criminal complaint further alleges that on August 26, 2025, Torres-Carmona reported to United States Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Louisville office. As alleged, Torres-Carmona shoved two ICE officers and continued resisting officers attempting to effectuate his arrest. Based upon these actions, Torres-Carmona was charged in the criminal complaint with a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a), making it unlawful to assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, or interfere with federal officers or employees, including ICE officers.
The defendant made his initial appearance on the complaint last week before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. He was arraigned on the indictment today. The Court ordered the defendant detained pending trial. If convicted, Torres-Carmona faces a combined maximum sentence of 16 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is being investigated by the HSI Louisville Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Ansari is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A criminal complaint and indictment are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Couple Charged in Cross-Border Identity Theft and Immigration Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Luis Enrique Villegas Brownell and his girlfriend, Kassandra Sanchez, were charged in federal court with stealing the identity of Sanchez’s brother to commit a variety of federal crimes in the United States.
According to the indictment, Villegas, a Mexican citizen without legal status in the United States, and Sanchez, a U.S. citizen, conspired to steal identification documents belonging to Sanchez’s brother, identified in court records as J.D.S. Villegas then used those documents to falsely pose as a U.S. citizen and apply for entry into the United States.
Once in the United States, Villegas went to the California DMV and provided false information under penalty of perjury to obtain a state ID card in the name of J.D.S. but bearing Villegas’s photo and thumbprint. He and Sanchez then used the fraudulent ID to impersonate J.D.S. and cross the border unlawfully for more than a year. Prosecutors say that Villegas crossed more than 50 times in the past 17 months, often with Sanchez driving to the port of entry and presenting the fraudulent ID to border officers. Port-of-entry video shows Sanchez lying to officers about Villegas’s birthplace and concealing his true identity.
According to court documents, the real J.D.S. applied for entry to the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in April 2025 but was unable to cross due to the theft of his identity. During that encounter, J.D.S. reported to border officers that his sister, Sanchez, asked for his identity documents to smuggle her Mexican boyfriend into the United States. When he declined, she took them without his consent.
The government also alleges Villegas used J.D.S.’s identity to commit other federal crimes, including smuggling an undocumented immigrant through the San Ysidro Port of Entry and fraudulently obtaining California public benefits such as Medi-Cal.
Sanchez allegedly committed the offenses while on supervised release for a prior federal conviction in the Southern District of California relating to an arrest for smuggling methamphetamine into the United States.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick C. Swan.
DEFENDANTS Case Number: 25cr3286-BTM
Luis Enrique Villegas Brownell Age: 20 Tijuana, Mexico
Kassandra Sanchez Age: 23 San Diego, California
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371
Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine
Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1028(f)
Maximum penalty: Fifteen years in prison and $250,000 fine
Unlawful Production of Identification Document – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 1028(a)(1), (b)(1)(A)(ii), and 2
Maximum penalty: Fifteen years in prison and $250,000 fine
False Personation in Immigration Matter – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 1546(a) and 2
Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and $250,000 fine
False Claim to U.S. Citizenship – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 911
Maximum penalty: Three years in prison and $250,000 fine
Aggravated Identity Theft – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1028A(a)(1)
Maximum penalty: Mandatory two years in prison, served consecutive to any other sentence
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Convicted Felon Who Threatened Rochester Woman with Gun Sentenced to 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Divaunte Kartrell Young, age 24, has been sentenced to 180 months of imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release following a federal jury trial in which Young was found guilty of illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
“Career criminals are not in charge of Minnesota,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “Young threatened this victim with a gun and then tried to bribe his way out of accountability. Acts of violence and corruption like this will always end the same way—with years in federal prison.”
In Spring of 2023, Young spent the day running errands with the victim, who had recently met Young. The victim kindly chauffeured Young around Rochester, Minnesota, in her car. At the end of the day, Young told the victim he wanted her to drive him from Rochester to the Twin Cities (a four-plus hour roundtrip for the victim). The victim repeatedly said no. Young then unzipped a crossbody bag he was wearing and showed the victim that he had a gun in his bag. Young threatened to shoot the victim, making statements like, “what if I shot your brain” and saying he could shoot up the car. The victim was badly frightened, and ultimately fled, leaving Young with her car. Alone on the road, in freezing mid-March temperatures, the victim hyperventilated and became sick, which the Court observed was “an intense physical reaction to an intensely frightening situation.”
The victim called the police, and officers soon responded to the location the victim left her car and found Young asleep in the front passenger seat. Officers arrested Young and searched the car. They found Young’s cross-body bag in the glove compartment. Inside was a black and silver Taurus nine-millimeter handgun.
Young was detained pending his trial. From jail, Young attempted to obstruct justice. He called the victim, telling her to lie to the police and court about what happened. When the victim refused to lie, Young attempted to bribe her with money.
Young has a long and violent criminal history. Young’s history includes felony convictions for domestic assault, aggravated robbery, burglary, and assault of a corrections officer. Before he committed his crime, Young was on probation in four separate cases, but had absconded from supervision.
On March 26, 2025, following a trial, a federal jury found Young guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Young was sentenced today by United States District Judge Eric C. Tostrud. In handing down his sentence Judge Tostrud noted that defendant’s history and characteristics were “deeply troubling” to the Court and demonstrated the defendant “was, in fact, a lifelong criminal” with five prior adult felonies. Judge Tostrud explained that “Reasonable people fear for their lives when they are threatened with a firearm. There is no question the victim’s fears were justified. The defendant was in a prime position to act on his threats.” In handing down the maximum sentence of 15 years of imprisonment, Judge Tostrud concluded that the defendant was “a great danger to the public” who had “no respect for the law.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office commends the bravery of the victim in this case.
The case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Rochester Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evan B. Gilead, David B. Green, and Ruth S. Shnider prosecuted the case.
Columbia Falls man sentenced to over 4 years in prison for illegal gun possessionRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – A Columbia Falls man who possessed a firearm illegally was sentenced today to 51 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Zachary Matthew Gargasz, 38, pleaded guilty in March 2025 to prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on October 6, 2017, Gargasz was convicted in Flathead County District Court of Operation of a Clandestine Drug Laboratory and sentenced to 10 years with the Montana Department of Corrections, with all that time suspended. On November 9, 2018, Gargasz signed a Firearms Regulation Form acknowledging he was prohibited from possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
On December 1, 2023, Gargasz reported to his probation officers for a scheduled visit. Officers searched his vehicle and discovered 11 rounds of .45 ammunition in the center console. Officers also located two AR magazines taped together in opposite directions, loaded with 63 .233 caliber rounds, behind the passenger seat. Probation officers then searched Gargasz’s home and found underneath Gargasz’s mattress a .45 caliber handgun loaded with seven rounds. At a later revocation hearing on April 11, 2024, Gargasz admitted to possessing the firearm.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney prosecuted the case. The ATF and State of Montana Probation and Parole conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
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Chinese Nationals Plead Guilty to Fake Apple Device Return Fraud that Conned the Technology Giant Out of More Than $16 MillionRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Two Chinese nationals living in Riverside County pleaded guilty today to participating in a large-scale, trans-Pacific scheme to defraud Apple Inc. through the fraudulent “returns” of thousands of counterfeit iPhones, iPads, and other Apple goods that caused the Cupertino-based technology company at least $16.2 million in losses.
Yushan Lin, 31, and Shuyi Xing, 35, both of Corona, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud. Xing also pleaded guilty to an additional count of conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with a separate money laundering scheme involving the laundering of more than $1 million in funds from various elder fraud schemes. Lin and Xing are the last of the five defendants charged in this case, and six defendants total, to plead guilty to federal criminal charges arising from their massive counterfeit Apple device fraud scheme in Southern California.
The four other defendants who have also pleaded guilty and await sentencing are:
- Wenhui Huang, 40, of Chino Hills, the group’s ringleader, who is an illegal alien;
- Yang Song, 38, of Corona, the group’s second-in-command;
- Junwei Jiang, 38, of East Los Angeles; and
- Zhengxuan Hu, 27, of Alhambra, who is an illegal alien.
According to Lin’s and Xing’s plea agreements, from at least December 2015 to March 2024, Huang, Song, and others coordinated with co-conspirators in China to smuggle counterfeit Apple iPhones, iPads, and other devices to them and other U.S.-based co-conspirators. The counterfeit Apple devices smuggled to Huang, Song, and others in the U.S. were designed to look like genuine Apple devices and included identification numbers matching the numbers on real Apple products that had been sold in North America, were owned by real people, and were under warranty through Apple’s manufacturer warranty and AppleCare+, Apple’s extended warranty program. The real identification numbers and serial numbers on the counterfeit devices that defendants returned were designed to essentially impersonate the real Apple devices owned by real people throughout the United States – and therefore deceived Apple into replacing the counterfeit devices with real devices under Apple’s warranty programs.
Once the counterfeit devices were smuggled into the U.S., the defendants fraudulently returned the counterfeit iPhones, iPads, and other devices to Apple as if they were genuine and had been legitimately purchased, were eligible for Apple’s warranty programs, and as if they were the lawful possessor of the Apple devices. The defendants knowingly and fraudulently represented that the counterfeit Apple devices they returned were genuine but were broken or non-operational and were covered by the company’s warranty programs. Some of the false reasons given to Apple store employees were because the devices purportedly would not power on, were physically damaged, or had other defects. But the defendants knew that the Apple devices they were returning were counterfeit and fraudulently used the identification numbers and serial numbers of real people’s Apple devices to victimize both Apple and the device owners.
As part of the scheme, the defendants visited multiple Apple stores throughout Southern California, including stores in Beverly Hills, Sherman Oaks, Pasadena, Irvine, Northridge, Manhattan Beach, Brea, Rancho Cucamonga, Cerritos and at shopping malls such as The Grove in Los Angeles, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Fashion Island in Newport Beach, and The Americana at Brand in Glendale. In many cases, they visited as many as 10 different Apple stores where they would allegedly return counterfeit devices.
Once at the Apple stores, Apple employees either replaced or repaired the counterfeit Apple device with a genuine Apple device in the same visit or, on other occasions, took the defendants’ counterfeit devices and shipped them to a repair center. Apple then shipped to the defendants a genuine replacement Apple device or a repaired device to either an Apple store, where the defendants returned to pick up the new device, or at the dozens of mailboxes at UPS Stores that the defendants rented across Southern California to receive counterfeit devices from China and receive genuine replacement devices from Apple.
After successfully returning the counterfeit Apple devices for genuine ones, the defendants shipped the genuine devices to co-conspirators both in the United States and abroad, primarily in China, where the genuine Apple devices were resold at a substantial profit.
Lin and Xing personally fraudulently returned and attempted to return at least 1,584 counterfeit devices to Apple, causing at least $1,116,544 in actual losses to the company. The larger conspiracy fraudulently returned and attempted to return more than 27,645 counterfeit devices to Apple, causing at least $16,239,254 in actual losses to the company.
United States District Judge André Birotte Jr. scheduled December 10 sentencing hearings for Lin, who faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, and Xing, who faces up to 40 years in federal prison.
Homeland Security Investigations and IRS Criminal Investigation are investigating this matter. The United States Postal Inspection Service and the Los Angeles Police Department provided substantial assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney Andrew M. Roach of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
Cherokee County Resident Sentenced for Federal Firearm CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Timothy Allen Truelove, age 50, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 33 months in prison for one count of Felon in Possession of Ammunition.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Cherokee Nation Office of the Attorney General.
On April 7, 2025, Truelove pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on January 24, 2024, Truelove knowingly possessed 179 rounds of ammunition, which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce, after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Truelove will report to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility on October 3, 2025, to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Charleston Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Tiffany Dawn Shaffer, 36, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 17, 2025, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Shaffer near St. Albans. Shaffer admitted that she possessed 2 pounds of methamphetamine in the back of the vehicle during the traffic stop.
At the time of this offense, Shaffer was serving a term of supervised release after pleading guilty to distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on June 28, 2021. Shaffer has a criminal history that also includes prior convictions for conspiracy to operate a clandestine drug laboratory and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Shaffer is scheduled to be sentenced on December 15, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the St. Albans Police Department and the assistance provided by the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), which is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-144.
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Canonsburg Resident Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Minors and Destruction of EvidenceRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A former resident of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court on August 27, 2025, to 240 months in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $28,000 in restitution to his victims for his convictions of violating federal law regarding the sexual exploitation of minors and the destruction of evidence, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan imposed the sentence on Justin Darby, 37.
According to information presented to the Court, on or about October 28, 2021, Darby knowingly altered and destroyed records associated with an instant messaging application on his cellular telephone with the intent to impede and obstruct an investigation of Darby for offenses involving the sexual exploitation of children when agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation attempted to execute a search warrant at the defendant’s residence. Darby additionally was convicted for attempting to induce and inducing a minor to send to him an image of the minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct over a social media application on February 6, 2024. Darby also accepted responsibility for additional offenses involving the sexual exploitation of minors, including the inducement of three other minors to send him visual depictions of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct through text messages and social media applications during 2023 and early 2024.
In imposing the sentence, Judge Ranjan emphasized that the sentence was justified by Darby’s lack of respect for the law and continued pattern of criminal behavior.
Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Darby.
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.justice.gov/psc.
Cambridge Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy, Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Deandrae Stull, 34, of Cambridge, Maryland, to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis, Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) – Washington Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington D.C. Field Office; Chief Robert O. McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD); and Chief Richard Worley, Baltimore City Police Department (BPD).
According to the guilty plea, in 2023, multiple federal agencies partnered to investigate a Baltimore-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) distributing large quantities of cocaine. The DTO used various methods to transport bulk quantities of cocaine from California to Maryland. Stull, a DTO member, and various other co-conspirators, transported cocaine via commercial flights.
The DTO concealed cocaine in “ghost bags” on commercial flights. The term “ghost bag” is the process of purchasing a flight ticket under a proxy name to a specific destination and then checking the luggage that contains large quantities of narcotics on to the flight without the ticketed passenger. When the flight reaches its destination, a co-conspirator retrieves the contraband-laden luggage.
During the investigation, law enforcement reviewed the flight records of various DTO members. As law enforcement analyzed flight records from January 2023 to May 2023, authorities discovered at least 22 ghost-bag flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) were billed directly to Stull’s home address. Law enforcement also obtained records from the internet providers of the IP addresses used to purchase the 22 ghost-bag flights. Stull’s cellular phone connected to at least seven IP addresses that were used to purchase seven different ghost-bag flights. As a result, HSI placed Stull on its flight-watch list.
On June 14, 2023, United Airlines notified HSI about Stull’s plans to travel from LAX to BWI on June 15. Notably, “James Davis” was a ticketed passenger on the flight. Investigators knew the DTO consistently used “James Davis” as a proxy name for ghost-bag flights. On two occasions, on April 2, and then on April 5, Stull’s home address was listed as the billing address for ghost-bag flights under the name “James Davis.” Additionally, on April 2, Stull was a listed passenger on the same flight as a “James Davis” ghost bag.
Then on June 15, HSI established a surveillance team at BWI prior to Stull’s arrival. One group of investigators set up at the check-in conveyor with a drug-detection K-9 that scanned luggage from Stull’s flight. The drug-detection K-9 found the presence of controlled substances emitting from a black suitcase with “James Davis” on the baggage ticket. Authorities sent a photograph of the luggage to the investigative team surveilling Stull’s exit from his flight.
Stull arrived at the baggage carousel and retrieved the black suitcase. Shortly after leaving the baggage claim area, authorities approached Stull, asking him who was the owner of the suitcase. Stull replied it belong to a friend. During the encounter, a second drug-detection K-9 arrived, to scan the suitcase. The second K-9 also alerted authorities to the presence of controlled substances. Law enforcement searched Stull’s suitcase and recovered 15 kilograms of cocaine.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the DEA, HSI, IRS-CI, BCPD, and BPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Calvin C. Miner who prosecuted the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Brothers Sentenced for Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Two brothers were sentenced for sexually abusing a minor, with one receiving 204 months in prison and the other 135 months.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, between 2019 and 2022, Dustin Roy Rockmen, 33, of Navajo, New Mexico, and Kenzie Roy Rockmen, 26, of Hunters Point, Arizona, both enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, used electronic communications to coerce a minor and engage in sexual acts with the child.
Dustin and Kenzie both pled guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor. Upon their release from prison, Dustin and Kenzie will be subject to 10 years of supervised release and must register as sex offenders.
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 FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert James Booth II and Mark A. Probasco are prosecuting this case 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 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 Justice.gov/PSC.
Brevard County Man Pleads Guilty to Drug and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Cedrick Deon Hawkins (43, Cocoa) has pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Hawkins faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. Sentencing is set for November 12, 2025. Hawkins has agreed to forfeit the firearms and ammunition seized from inside his residence, which were used in the commission of the offenses.
According to the plea agreement, between October 2024 and February 2025, Hawkins sold methamphetamine and fentanyl to a confidential source. In April 2025, a search warrant was executed on Hawkins’s residence in Cocoa. During the search, agents located additional methamphetamine, fentanyl, and drug processing materials. Agents also located five firearms throughout the home, including three rifles and a handgun in the master bedroom closet and a loaded pistol in a kitchen cabinet. Six additional firearms and ammunition were found in a pickup truck parked in the yard of the residence.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Titusville Police Department, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman.
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.
Bradenton Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years for Coercion and Enticement of A Minor, Receipt and Possession of Child Sex Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced James Stephen Ahearn, Jr. (33, Bradenton) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and receipt and possession of child sex abuse material (CSAM). Ahearn pleaded guilty on May 5, 2025.
According to court documents, using the Snapchat application, Ahearn misrepresented himself to be a 19-year-old male and coerced and enticed a 14-year-old victim to engage in sexual activity. Following the execution of search warrants, the FBI located similar sexually explicit messages with additional minor females in Ahearn’s cellphone. The FBI also located images of CSAM requested and received by Ahearn.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Derry.
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 Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Braddock Felon Sentenced to More Than Eight Years in Prison for Drug and Firearm CrimesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court to 100 months of imprisonment on his conviction of drug trafficking and illegally possessing firearms, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV imposed the sentence on Jeffrey Lee Hancock Jr., 41, of the Braddock neighborhood of Pittsburgh, on September 2, 2025.
According to information presented to the Court, on April 25, 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police executed a search warrant of Hancock’s residence in connection with an ongoing investigation into drug trafficking activity by Hancock and two co-conspirators. As investigators entered the residence, Hancock threw a bag containing approximately 50 bricks of fentanyl from the second story window of the home. Inside the residence, investigators also found an additional 200 bricks of fentanyl and $2,902, as well as two handguns, which Hancock was prohibited from possessing based upon his prior felony convictions. Hancock admitted to conspiring to distribute a total of between 280 and 400 grams of fentanyl.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Stickman noted Hancock as a “recidivist drug trafficker and illegal gun user” who was involved in “poisoning our community” through “the dark and dangerous drug trade.” Judge Stickman stated that a sentence of 100 months—at the high end of the advisory guideline range—reflects the serious nature of Hancock’s crimes and should signal to others that a “career of crime [will be] met with stiff federal time.”
Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Hancock.
Arnold Resident Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl and Heroin TraffickingRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Arnold, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of fentanyl and heroin trafficking, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Kevin Watson, 36, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy to possession with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 100 grams or more of heroin.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on April 26, 2019, Watson was pulled over by the Pennsylvania State Police for traffic violations, with a young child present in the back seat of Watson’s vehicle. When asked to get out of the vehicle, Watson sped away from the traffic stop and led officers on a high-speed chase that reached speeds of 115 mph. Eventually, Watson crashed the vehicle and fled on foot, leaving the child, who was not seriously injured, alone and unattended in the vehicle. Later, the Pennsylvania State Police obtained a search warrant for the vehicle, which revealed more than $100,000 of a mixture containing fentanyl and heroin in the trunk. Watson has an extensive criminal history that includes, among other convictions, three previous drug trafficking convictions, and was on parole at the time of this offense.
Judge Hardy scheduled sentencing for January 8, 2026. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant. Pending sentencing, Watson will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly M. Locher and Barbara K. Doolittle are prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
The Pennsylvania State Police and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Watson.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.
Arizona man arraigned on charge of attempted child enticementRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – An Arizona man with ties to Missoula, accused of attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, appeared today for arraignment, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The defendant, Manuel Flores, 71, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. The maximum penalties for the offense are ten years to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, and five years to a lifetime of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. Flores was detained pending further proceedings.
The indictment alleges that on or between June 2024 and August 17, 2025, at Missoula, in Missoula County, in the State and District of Montana, and elsewhere, including Arizona, the defendant, MANUEL FLORES, knowingly used a means of interstate commerce, including the internet and a cellular phone, to attempt to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce any individual who had not attained the age of 18 years to engage in sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney is prosecuting the case. The FBI’s Montana Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
The charging document is merely an accusation and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Anyone who has information about possible crimes committed by Flores, or the physical or online exploitation of any children, are encouraged to call the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office at (801) 579-1400 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
PACER case reference. 25-41.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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Animal Abuse Task Force Comprised of Federal and Local Law Enforcement Agencies FormedRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli today announced the creation of a federal animal abuse task force aimed at prosecuting violations of the federal Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act signed into law by President Trump in 2019.
Those statutes criminalize engaging in animal abuse in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce and making “animal crush” videos that depict obscene animal abuse.
“Animal abuse is among the most heartbreaking and despicable type of crimes that law enforcement sees,” said Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Together with our federal and local partners, my office intends to root out and punish those who profit from hurting animals.”
The new task force will be led by federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section working in partnership with the FBI, the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles City Animal Control, and other state and local law enforcement officers. The task force will focus on charging serious animal abuse throughout the Central District of California, the most populous federal district in the country.
The seven-county district is home to approximately 20 million residents and is comprised of the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura.
Today, the group conducted a community outreach operation in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles, and conducted welfare checks on a dozen dogs ensuring they had access to clean water and food, looked for evidence of animal neglect and abuse, provided resources, collars, and leashes, and seized one dog who was abandoned by his owner.
To report animal abuse, please go to tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
32-Year-Old Caguas Man Arrested for Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Joseph Cruz-Santiago, a 32-year-old man from Caguas, Puerto Rico, was arrested on criminal charges related to child exploitation, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. On September 2, 2025, Homeland Security Investigations special agents arrested Cruz-Santiago.
On August 28, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Joseph Cruz-Santiago on charges involving the sexual exploitation and coercion and enticement of two female minors, receipt and possession of child exploitation material, and transfer of obscene material to a minor.
According to court documents, from December 2024 to February 2025, Cruz-Santiago used a cellphone, online instant messaging services, and social media to knowingly persuade, induce, entice, and coerce an 11-year-old female minor and an 11 to 12-year-old female minor to engage in sexual activity. The defendant produced sexually explicit images of such conduct. Cruz-Santiago is also facing charges for the receipt of child exploitation material and for using the internet to knowingly transfer obscene material to both female minor victims.
Additionally, from on or about July 13, 2024, through on or about July 2, 2025, Cruz-Santiago knowingly possessed and accessed with intent to view images of child pornography, including child pornography of a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.
“There’s no greater priority than safeguarding our children from those who seek to exploit or harm them,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to prioritize the prosecution of child sexual predators. We will not rest until those who commit these heinous crimes are brought to justice.”
Rebecca González-Ramos, HSI San Juan’s Special Agent in Charge said: “Child predators will find endless ways to manipulate their victims as part of their ill behavior. It’s important that we understand the mechanisms they are using and the risks our children have online. Parents and trusted adults must commit to educate themselves about potential threats and the latest online platforms to protect our children from sexual exploitation. Let’s all together take a Pledge to Protect.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emelina M. Agrait-Barreto of the Crimes Against Children, Human Trafficking and Immigration Unit, is prosecuting the case. The Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force led by HSI is in charge of the investigation.
If convicted for the charges the defendant faces the following penalties: (1) sexual exploitation of a minor – a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years; (2) coercion and enticement of a minor - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years up to life in prison; (3) receipt of child exploitation material - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; (4) possession of child exploitation material - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years; and (5) transfer of obscene material to a minor – up to 10 years in prison. All charges of conviction are to be followed by a term of supervised release after imprisonment of no less than 5 years up to life. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov. To report suspicious activities, call 787-729-6969 or send an email to [email protected].
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Tuesday 2 September 2025
Vanderwagen Man Sentenced for Firing Rifle During AssaultRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Vanderwagon man was sentenced to 85 months in prison for using a firearm to threaten and assault another individual.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on May 1, 2023, Perris Jeremiah Arthur, 36, confronted the victim at his residence on the Navajo Nation. After starting a physical altercation, Arthur retrieved a .22 caliber rifle from his ATV, fired two rounds into the residence, and later pointed the weapon directly at the victim, threatening to cause serious harm. Fortunately, the victim was not injured during the alternation.
Arthur pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and using carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Upon his release from prison, Arthur 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 FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Investigation and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.
United States Sues State of Illinois for Providing Financial Aid and In-state Tuition to Illegal Aliens Attending Colleges and UniversitiesRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois filed a complaint in federal court Thursday against the state of Illinois for policies directing financial support for illegal aliens that are not provided to non-resident U.S. citizens.
“Illinois has an apparent desire to win a ‘race to the bottom’ as the country’s leading sanctuary state. It’s misguided approach mandating in-state tuition, scholarships, and financial aid to illegal aliens plainly violates federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “This policy treats illegal aliens better than U.S. citizens living in other states and incentivizes even more illegal immigration, all on the taxpayer’s dime. Illinois citizens deserve better.”
Federal law prohibits states from granting postsecondary education benefits, like in-state tuition or state financial aid, to illegal aliens unless the state provides equivalent benefits to all U.S. citizens, regardless of residency.
Illinois law classifies certain aliens who are not lawfully present in the United States as “residents” and requires public state colleges to provide reduced tuition and other post-secondary education financial benefits, while U.S. citizens from other states, who do not meet the residency requirements, must pay higher out-of-state tuition rates and do not qualify for certain other benefits.
In addition to providing in-state tuition, the state of Illinois also provides illegal aliens with taxpayer-funded scholarships through state programs administered under the Retention of Illinois Students and Equity (RISE) Act. This financial aid is accessed through an alternative FAFSA form only available to noncitizens. These benefits are not afforded to U.S. citizens who reside outside of Illinois.
This discriminatory treatment in favor of aliens not lawfully present in the United States over U.S. citizens is squarely prohibited and preempted by federal law.
Signed into law on June 21, 2019, the Illinois RISE Act expanded access to state financial aid for undocumented students in Illinois who are ineligible for federal support through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. FAFSA disqualifies illegal aliens based on their lack of lawful status.
United States Intervenes and Sues ProMedica Health System, Inc. and Its Affiliates for Providing Grossly Substandard Nursing Home ServicesRead the Press Release
The United States has intervened and filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania under the False Claims Act (FCA) against ProMedica Health System, Inc. (ProMedica) and various affiliated entities including HCR ManorCare Inc. and four nursing homes located in Pennsylvania, Ohio, South Carolina, and Virginia (the defendants). ProMedica is a nonprofit corporation that is headquartered in Toledo, Ohio. From 2018 to 2023, it owned and controlled the following four nursing homes: ProMedica Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation - Pottstown (Pennsylvania), ProMedica Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation - Riverview (Ohio), ProMedica Skilled Nursing, Rehabilitation - Greenville East (South Carolina), and ProMedica Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation - Imperial (Virginia).
In its complaint in intervention, the United States alleged that the four nursing homes provided non-existent, grossly substandard skilled nursing facility care or services that otherwise failed to meet the required standards of care under the Nursing Home Reform Act. The United States alleged that, from 2017 to 2023, the defendants failed to develop or follow individualized care plans for their residents. Specifically, in many cases, the facilities failed to provide adequate wound care to prevent pressure ulcers, failed to maintain residents’ hygiene and to provide showers as required, and failed to provide residents with appropriate assistance with feeding, which led to severe weight loss in many cases. To conceal their provision of grossly substandard care, in some cases, defendants falsely documented in resident medical records that care and services had been provided to residents when it had not been.
“The Justice Department is committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society, including elderly and infirm individuals who depend on nursing homes for safe and dignified skilled nursing care,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Grossly substandard care places nursing home residents at serious risk of harm and this suit sends a clear message that we will pursue health care providers who fail to meet their legal obligations to provide required care and who betray the trust of the residents they are meant to serve.”
“An increasing number of older adults and persons with disabilities are residing in long-term care facilities. These residents are often particularly vulnerable to inadequate assessment and treatment of their needs,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “Beginning almost 30 years ago, the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania filed some of the first False Claims Act complaints and reached some of the first settlements in the United States to focus on quality of care in the nursing home environment. Today’s complaint again serves notice to the nursing home industry that a failure to provide adequate nursing home care will not be tolerated. Public funds expended for nursing home residents must result in appropriate care, which is what the government pays for, and the law requires.”
The complaint in intervention is the result of a coordinated effort by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General. This matter is being handled by Fraud Section attorneys Susan C. Lynch, Robbin O. Lee, and Samuel P. Robins, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Degnan and Gerald B. Sullivan for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The case is captioned United States, et al., ex. rel. Compton v. HCR ManorCare, Inc., et al., No. 16-cv-0851 (E.D. Pa.).
The claims asserted in the complaint are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
United States Intervenes and Sues ProMedica Health System, Inc. and Its Affiliates for Providing Grossly Substandard Nursing Home ServicesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf and the Department of Justice announced that the United States has intervened and filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania under the False Claims Act (FCA) against ProMedica Health System, Inc. (ProMedica) and various affiliated entities including HCR ManorCare Inc. and four nursing homes located in Pennsylvania, Ohio, South Carolina, and Virginia (the defendants).
ProMedica is a nonprofit corporation that is headquartered in Toledo, Ohio. From 2018 to 2023, it owned and controlled the following four nursing homes: ProMedica Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation - Pottstown (Pennsylvania), ProMedica Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation - Riverview (Ohio), ProMedica Skilled Nursing, Rehabilitation - Greenville East (South Carolina), and ProMedica Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation - Imperial (Virginia).
In its complaint in intervention, the United States alleged that the four nursing homes provided non-existent, grossly substandard skilled nursing facility care or services that otherwise failed to meet the required standards of care under the Nursing Home Reform Act. The United States alleged that, from 2017 to 2023, the defendants failed to develop or follow individualized care plans for their residents.
Specifically, in many cases, the facilities failed to provide adequate wound care to prevent pressure ulcers, failed to maintain residents’ hygiene and to provide showers as required, and failed to provide residents with appropriate assistance with feeding, which led to severe weight loss in many cases. To conceal their provision of grossly substandard care, in some cases, defendants falsely documented in resident medical records that care and services had been provided to residents when it had not been.
“An increasing number of older adults and persons with disabilities are residing in long-term care facilities. These residents are often particularly vulnerable to inadequate assessment and treatment of their needs,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Beginning almost 30 years ago, the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania filed some of the first False Claims Act complaints and reached some of the first settlements in the United States to focus on quality of care in the nursing home environment. Today’s complaint again serves notice to the nursing home industry that a failure to provide adequate nursing home care will not be tolerated. Public funds expended for nursing home residents must result in appropriate care, which is what the government pays for, and the law requires.”
“The Justice Department is committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society, including elderly and infirm individuals who depend on nursing homes for safe and dignified skilled nursing care,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Grossly substandard care places nursing home residents at serious risk of harm and this suit sends a clear message that we will pursue healthcare providers who fail to meet their legal obligations to provide required care and who betray the trust of the residents they are meant to serve.”
The complaint in intervention is the result of a coordinated effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. This matter is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Degnan and Gerald B. Sullivan and Fraud Section attorneys Susan C. Lynch, Robbin O. Lee, and Samuel P. Robins.
The case is captioned United States, et al., ex. rel. Compton v. HCR ManorCare, Inc., et al., No. 16-cv-0851 (E.D. Pa.).
The claims asserted in the complaint are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
Two men arrested for visa fraud in separate complaintsRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Fredy Hernandez-Lopez, 19, a citizen and national of Mexico, and Pablo Marlon Frias Teran, 40, a citizen and national of Ecuador, were arrested and charged in separate criminal complaints with Visa fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Smith, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaints, in the early morning hours of August 26, 2025, Hernandez-Lopez and Frias Teran were passengers in a vehicle that made a wrong turn onto the Peace Bridge Port of Entry, coming from the United States. When questioned by Customs and Border Protection officers, Hernandez-Lopez was not in possession of an identity document and was escorted to secondary inspection, during which officers located what appeared to be a United States Permanent Resident Card and a United States Social Security Card, both bearing the name “Freddy HERNANDEZ.” Subsequent investigation determined that both cards were fraudulent. Frias Teran also was not in possession of an identity document and was escorted to secondary to determine his immigration status. Officers discovered an Alien Registration Receipt Card, bearing the name Marlon Teran, which was also determined to be fraudulent. Previously, Frias Teran was ordered removed from the United States in July 2024 but never left the country.
The defendants made initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroder, Jr. and were detained.
The complaint is a 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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Two Sentenced to Prison for Laundering Sinaloa Cartel Drug ProceedsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced two men to prison for laundering money in the St. Louis area for the Sinaloa drug cartel.
Judge Pitlyk sentenced Carl Von Garrett, 55, of St. Charles, Missouri, to 135 months in prison and Tobiyyah Israel, 39, of Ohio, to 36 months in prison in separate hearings. Both men were found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in May of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of money laundering. Von Garrett was also found guilty of one additional count of money laundering.
Evidence at the trial showed that Von Garrett laundered nearly $1 million in seven transactions in the spring of 2021 for the Sinaloa cartel. In addition to his prison sentence, Von Garrett faces a money judgment of $744,864, representing the drug proceeds that made it to the cartel. Investigators also seized $211,000 from Israel and $7,040 from Garrett.
During the Von Garrett sentencing hearing, Judge Pitlyk said the large quantity of money in the case reflected significant drug sales and that Von Garrett’s crime was “threatening to the community.”
Luis Miguel Hernandez, 38, of Phoenix, previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of money laundering and admitted being driven by Von Garrett to a meeting with an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration task force officer in St. Louis on March 1, 2021. Hernandez delivered $100,095 in drug proceeds and then arranged a series of meetings between Antonio Jones, 51, of Florissant, Missouri, and the task force officer. On March 8, 2021, Jones handed over $100,000. Jones delivered $150,030 on March 17 and $100,000 on March 31. On April 8, Jones delivered $109,740.
Israel was a courier, like Jones, evidence and testimony showed. On April 14, Israel picked up $221,020 from Von Garrett. Von Garrett was then stopped by investigators, who found six phones and a ledger that contained dates and amounts of money roughly corresponding to cash drops, evidence showed. Israel told investigators that he’d been promised $1,000 to pick up the cash, and that he’d done so once before.
Jones then delivered $100,100 on May 18 and another $100,100 on May 25.
Hernandez was sentenced in January to 87 months in prison and Jones was sentenced to 37 months in prison. Jones pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the FBI, the St. Louis County Police, the Bridgeton Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and the St. Charles County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jim Delworth and Ricardo Dixon are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. 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 https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Two Guatemalan men arrested for illegal re-entryRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Hugo Lopez Morales, 48, and Martin Lopez Morales, 30, both a citizen and national of Guatemala, were arrested and charged in separate criminal complaints with illegal re-entry, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In addition, Hugo Lopez Morales is charged with illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien following a felony conviction, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Smith, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaints, on the afternoon of August 16, 2025, Hugo Lopez Morales was driving a vehicle at the Lewiston Bridge Port of Entry in Lewiston, NY. There were five passengers in the vehicle, including Martin Lopez Morales. Neither defendant had valid U.S. entry documents. The occupants of the vehicle were escorted to secondary inspection. Subsequent investigation determined that Hugo Lopez Morales was physically removed from the United States to Guatemala in November 2016. Also, he was previously convicted of illegal reentry in June 2023 and was again deported in August 2023. In addition, he previously voluntarily returned from the United States to Mexico in July 1998, and December 2004. Martin Lopez Morales was physically deported to Guatemala in October 2020. He was also given a voluntary return from the United States to Mexico in April 2001 and twice in May 2021.
The defendants made initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroder, Jr. and were detained.
The complaint is a 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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Two Detroit Men Plead Guilty to Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Eric Jaeshon Ray, also known as “Brody,” 31, and Franklin Fitzgerald Elly, also known as “Costco,” 36, both of Detroit, Michigan, each pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from in or about May 2025 to in or about July 2025, Ray and Elly conspired together and with other individuals to distribute fentanyl in the St. Albans area of Kanawha County. On four separate occasions between May and June of 2025, Elly assisted Ray in distributing a quantity of fentanyl to a confidential informant in St. Albans as part of the conspiracy.
Ray and Elly are scheduled to be sentenced on December 15, 2025, and each faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), which is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-128.
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Two Admit to Roles in Fentanyl Distribution Operation in Northern PanhandleRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Two people have admitted to their roles in a drug distribution organization transporting fentanyl from Chicago, Illinois, to Weirton, West Virginia.
Stephen Price, also known as “Sleepy,” 40, of Chicago, Illinois, pled guilty to eight counts involving the distribution of fentanyl and cocaine. Paula Jean Truax, 44, of Weirton, West Virginia, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base. According to court documents, Price and Truax worked together with others to sell large quantities of fentanyl in Hancock County, West Virginia, and elsewhere.
Price faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison for one of the charges. He faces up to 20 years for each of the remaining counts. Truax faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Nogay is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
Investigative agencies include the Hancock-Brooke-Weirton Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the United States Marshals Service; the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office; the Brooke County Sheriff’s Office; the Weirton Police Department; the West Virginia State Police; the Jefferson County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office; the Steubenville, Ohio, Police Department; and the Wheeling Police Department.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
The Justice Department Files Complaint Challenging Illinois Laws Providing In-State Tuition and Scholarships for Illegal AliensRead the Press Release
The United States is challenging Illinois laws providing in-state tuition and scholarships for illegal aliens. These laws unconstitutionally discriminate against U.S. citizens, who are not afforded the same reduced tuition rates or scholarships, in direct conflict with federal law. On Tuesday, Sept. 2, the Department of Justice filed a complaint in the Southern District of Illinois against the State of Illinois, Governor Pritzker, the State Attorney General, and the boards of trustees of state universities in Illinois seeking to enjoin the State from enforcing the Illinois laws and bring them into compliance with federal requirements.
In the complaint, the United States seeks to enjoin enforcement of Illinois laws that requires colleges and universities to provide in-state tuition rates for all aliens who maintain Illinois residency, regardless of whether those aliens are lawfully present in the United States. Federal law prohibits institutions of higher education from providing benefits to aliens that are not offered to U.S. citizens. The Illinois laws blatantly conflict with federal law and are thus in conflict with the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
“Under federal law, schools cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice has already filed multiple lawsuits to prevent U.S. students from being treated like second-class citizens — Illinois now joins the list of states where we are relentlessly fighting to vindicate federal law.”
“Illinois has an apparent desire to win a ‘race to the bottom’ as the country’s leading sanctuary state. Its misguided approach mandating in-state tuition, scholarships, and financial aid to illegal aliens plainly violates federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois. “This policy treats illegal aliens better than U.S. citizens living in other states and incentivizes even more illegal immigration, all on the taxpayer’s dime. Illinois citizens deserve better.”
This lawsuit follows two executive orders signed by President Trump that seek to ensure illegal aliens are not obtaining taxpayer benefits or preferential treatment. The first, “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders” orders all agencies to “ensure, to the maximum extent permitted by law, that no taxpayer-funded benefits go to unqualified aliens.” The second, “Protecting American Communities From Criminal Aliens,” directs relevant officials to “take appropriate action to stop the enforcement of State and local laws, regulations, policies, and practices favoring aliens over any groups of American citizens that are unlawful, preempted by Federal law, or otherwise unenforceable, including State laws that provide in-State higher education tuition to aliens but not to out-of-State American citizens.”
Two Pensacola Men Charged in Federal Indictment for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Ronald Dale White, 39, and Darius Rafael Whisler, 33, of Pensacola, were indicted by a federal grand jury this week, charging them with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and multiple counts of distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Ronald White was also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today.
Whisler was arraigned in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Hope Thai Cannon on August 26, 2025. White was arraigned in federal court before Judge Cannon on August 28, 2025. Trial is scheduled for October 6, 2025, before United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers in Pensacola, Florida.
If convicted, White and Whisler face up to life imprisonment.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office are investigating this case. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Tallahassee Man Pleads Guilty to Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Ryan Isbell, 36, of Tallahassee, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court for production of child pornography. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I am truly thankful for the tremendous work of our local and federal law enforcement partners to investigate and put an end to this defendant’s sexual exploitation of minors. Protecting the most vulnerable members of our community from disgusting predators is a top priority, and my office will aggressively prosecute these cases to bring offenders like this to justice for victimizing our kids.”
Court documents reflect that in 2020 the Tallahassee Police Department received reports that Isbell’s social media account contained child pornography. During the execution of a November 2020 arrest warrant, law enforcement encountered a minor victim who had been exploited by Isbell. A search of Isbell’s computer and cellular telephone confirmed the exploitation had been recorded.
Isbell faces a minimum mandatory term of 15 years’, and up to 30 years’, imprisonment followed by lifetime supervision thereafter upon release.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by First Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Spaven.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 6, 2025, at 10:00 am at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before United States District Judge Mark Walker.
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.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Arranging Sale of Drugs to DEARead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a man who arranged for the sale of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine to 15 years in prison.
Jerry Massey, 33, pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute meth and fentanyl, five counts of distribution of meth and fentanyl, one count of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of count of distribution of meth and heroin.
The Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating Massey in January of 2022, and made a series of drug purchases that were arranged by him in St. Louis, St. Louis County and Illinois. The sales included meth and fentanyl on Jan. 18, 2024, January 24, January 31, February 8, February 29, March 7, March 14. On February 14, the DEA purchased fentanyl and cocaine. On March 27, investigators conducted a court-approved search of Massey’s home and found a large amount of cash and 29 pills containing fentanyl, Massey’s plea agreement says.
Darrion Dardon, 32, previously pleaded guilty conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and distribution of meth and heroin. Darius Smith, 31, pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge. Ronald Finney, 32, and Michael Davis, 34, pleaded guilty to three drug charges and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
In their plea agreements, Davis admitted selling meth and fentanyl on January 18. Smith gave Massey the meth that he sold on January 24. Dardon sold meth and a mixture of heroin, cocaine and xylazine on February 29. Finney sold meth and Davis sold fentanyl during the March 14 transactions.
When Finney’s home in St. Louis County was searched on March 27, investigators found fentanyl, cocaine base and meth, as well as a handgun and drug paraphernalia. Davis’ home in St. Louis contained fentanyl, a digital scale, a kilogram press, drug paraphernalia, a handgun, meth, cocaine base and cocaine.
Finney and Davis await sentencing. Dardon was sentenced to 84 months in prison and Smith to 96 months.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Granger is prosecuting the case.
Springfield, Vermont Man Sentenced to 45 Months in Prison for Straw-Purchasing 19 Firearms and Robbing 3 BanksRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on August 29, 2025, Stephen Loewe, 43, of Springfield, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 45 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Loewe previously pleaded guilty to straw purchasing 19 firearms between December 2023 and May 2024, and admitted as part of his plea that he robbed the Claremont Savings Bank in Springfield on August 13, 2024, the M&T Bank in Springfield on August 13, 2024, and the M&T Bank in Putney, Vermont on August 14, 2024.
According to court records, Loewe purchased the 19 firearms at a firearm store in New Hampshire, falsely stating that the firearms were being purchased for his own possession. Instead, Loewe provided the firearms to another person. 18 of the firearms were handguns that Loewe provided to his drug dealer in exchange for crack cocaine. At the time he gave him the firearms, Loewe knew his drug dealer was prohibited from possessing firearms due to the drug dealer’s criminal history. One of the firearms trafficked by Loewe was subsequently recovered during a search of a drug den on Reed Street in Springfield, Vermont. A second firearm trafficked by Loewe was recovered at the scene of the shooting of a police officer in Springfield, Massachusetts. Loewe was arrested on July 31, 2024 after stealing a vehicle and leading police officers on a chase. After he was released from state custody, Loewe proceeded to commit the three bank robberies. Loewe admitted after his arrest for the bank robberies that he used the money he obtained from the robberies to purchase crack cocaine.
“The straw-purchasing of firearms and intentional provision of them to drug traffickers is an exceedingly serious crime,” stated Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher. “A key aspect of federal firearm background checks is to confirm the person purchasing the firearm is the intended recipient. Straw-purchasing intentionally circumvents this safeguard by allowing prohibited people to possess guns, and arming criminals with firearms that cannot be traced back to them as purchasers.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Drescher commended the collaborative investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Vermont State Police, and the Springfield, Vermont Police Department. Assistance was also provided by the Chester Police Department, the Weathersfield Police Department, the Bellows Falls Police Department, and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department in the response to the bank robberies.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corinne Smith and Jonathan Ophardt. Loewe was represented by Assistant Federal Defender Steven Barth.
South L.A. Man Arrested on Federal Complaint Charging Him with Illegally Towing Government Vehicle Used During Immigration ArrestRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A South Los Angeles man and tow truck driver was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging him with stealing government property by illegally towing a vehicle used by law enforcement officers to conduct an immigration-related arrest last month.
Bobby Nunez, 33, is charged with theft of government property. Nunez is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Nunez on August 15 interfered with federal law enforcement officers in downtown Los Angeles who were arresting Tatiana Mafla-Martinez, 23, an illegal alien from Colombia residing in downtown Los Angeles. The officers used two government law enforcement vehicles to box in Martinez’s vehicle and prevent her from escaping. Both government vehicles had their emergency lights activated during this incident, which occurred at the exit of a luxury apartment complex’s parking structure.
During the officers’ struggle to arrest Martinez, Nunez approached Martinez’s vehicle and began pressing the passenger side door of her vehicle on an officer, who then threatened Nunez with arrest. After being told the officers were conducting a federal investigation, Nunez swore at the officers and told them “Something was going to happen” to them.
A second man then approached Martinez’s vehicle to interfere with the arrests. While officers addressed this man’s interference, Nunez got into his Dodge tow truck and towed one of the government vehicles that was boxing in Martinez’s vehicle. At the time of this interference, the government vehicle had its keys inside and a firearm locked in a safe inside it as well.
Two days later, law enforcement observed Nunez’s tow truck parked in an assigned residential space at the same luxury apartment complex in downtown Los Angeles.
A criminal complaint contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Nunez would face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Neil P. Thakor of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
Shiprock Man Charged with Assault and Federal Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man is facing federal charges for firing multiple rounds at two people during a domestic dispute on the Navajo Nation.
According to court documents, on August 1, 2025, Bryson Chee, 42, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, who had been drinking and behaving erratically, arrived at a residence in Shiprock as a passenger in a vehicle with two others. After exiting the vehicle, Chee retrieved a handgun, pointed it at the occupants, and then began shooting as they attempted to drive away. A nearby witness and child took cover as shots were fired. Investigators later recovered multiple spent shell casings and confirmed bullets struck the victims’ vehicle.
Officers from Navajo Nation Police Department located Chee shortly after the shooting. Chee ignored commands to stop and threw a backpack containing a loaded handgun down a steep embankment before being taken into custody.
Chee is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted, Chee faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack E. Burkhead is prosecuting the case.
View the Indictment (Chee).pdfAn indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Sex Offender Who Possessed Gun, Approached Children Sentenced to 8 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a registered sex offender caught with a pistol after a road rage shooting to eight years in prison.
Leroy Richard Walker Jr., 54, of Franklin County, pleaded guilty in April to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted firing a shot from a pistol after he believed a driver passed him and then pulled in front of him on Nov. 25, 2022, as they exited Interstate 44 in Eureka, Missouri.
Walker was also investigated twice for violating the sex offender restrictions barring him from schools and school bus stops. He admitted approaching and speaking with two children who were waiting for the school bus on Nov. 28, 2023, in Franklin County. On May 14, 2024, Walker pulled up in front of a high school in Franklin County, Missouri and began speaking with a 16-year-old girl who was also waiting for the school bus. He offered her a ride home and dropped her at a commercial business. On the way, he put his arm around the victim. The victim told authorities that she got into Walker’s car because she felt pressured by him and believed he could grab or hurt her.
Walker has prior felony convictions for first-degree assault, attempted forcible rape, armed criminal action, burglary, tampering, stealing a motor vehicle and escape.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the Pacific Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Scott County Man Sentenced for Armed Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Georgetown, Ky., man, Marvelous Davis, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to 93 months in prison, for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
According to his plea agreement, on November 12, 2024, law enforcement performed a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Davis was a passenger. During the search of the vehicle, law enforcement located an unserialized firearm, also known as a “ghost gun,” under Davis’ seat. Law enforcement also found 39.7 grams of pressed pills containing fentanyl. Davis admitted to possessing the drugs with intent to distribute to others and that he possessed the firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking activity.
Under federal law, Davis must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Division; Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department; and Chief Darin Allgood, Georgetown Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, KSP, Lexington Police Department, and Georgetown Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Melton is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Rosedale Woman Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Terry Allen, 57, of Rosedale, Maryland, to six years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and money laundering.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis, Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) – Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Health and Human Services-Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) – Philadelphia Regional Office; and Chief Robert O. McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD).
According to the guilty plea, in 2022, during an investigation into a target, the FBI discovered that the target paid Allen more than $270,000. Agents later learned that Allen was supplying the FBI target with diverted prescription drugs. As a result, the FBI partnered with the DEA and identified Allen as the leader of a Baltimore-region drug trafficking organization (DTO). Agents soon learned that from 2022 to 2023, Allen’s DTO flooded the Baltimore community with thousands of diverted oxycodone pills.
The DTO’s members deployed a vast network of pseudo-patients to acquire diverted oxycodone pills. Pseudo patients are individuals recruited by drug traffickers to enter “pill-mill” clinics with fictitious complaints of pain to receive prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances. As part of the conspiracy, pseudo-patients gave their oxycodone prescriptions to DTO members in exchange for cash payments or oxycodone.
In February 2023, law enforcement received court authorization to intercept phone calls and text messages from numerous DTO members’ cellular phones. Intercepted calls revealed that Allen was distributing vast quantities of oxycodone.
On these calls, Allen openly discussed the large quantity of drugs she possessed for redistribution. She acquired her vast supply of oxycodone from her large pseudo-patient network. Intercepted calls revealed how Allen and her top oxycodone supplier, Co-Conspirator 1, collaborated to manage the pseudo-patients. Co-Conspirator 1 managed 12 pseudo-patients to acquire oxycodone, which Co-Conspirator 1 then resold to Allen. During their intercepted calls, Allen and Co-Conspirator 1 discussed inventory; transferred pseudo-patients to pill-mill clinics that would easily refill oxycodone prescriptions or give higher dosages; and arranged for pseudo-patients to pass urine screenings.
Additionally, through the investigation, law enforcement uncovered Allen’s money laundering. A review of Allen’s bank records revealed she received and spent more than $2 million from 2017 to 2023. Agents traced Allen’s drug transactions through peer-to-peer applications such as Zelle and Cash App.
In May 2023, agents obtained more than 30 search warrants for residences, vehicles, and persons involved in the investigation. On May 31, agents searched Allen’s residence, located in Rosedale, Maryland. As law enforcement searched Allen’s house, she agreed to speak with FBI agents in a separate room. Allen then admitted to using pseudo-patients to acquire oxycodone that she redistributed on the street.
During the search, agents found approximately $39,380; drug ledgers; a calendar with annotations regarding medical appointments for pseudo-patients; distribution quantity of oxycodone pills, suboxone strips, and Adderall pills; a Glock 19 9mm handgun; and a Remington 12-gauge shotgun. The money and firearms were connected to Allen’s drug trafficking activities.
Authorities arrested Allen, but after her bail hearing, she was released on home detention. In August 2023, while on home detention, law enforcement learned that Allen was distributing oxycodone. On September 13, law enforcement searched her home and found two pseudo-patients’ prescription-pill bottles, containing 200 oxycodone 20MG pills.
During the investigation, agents obtained Maryland Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) records for all of the DTO’s pseudo-patients’ oxycodone prescriptions. According to PDMP records, members of the conspiracy illegally re-distributed at least 3,000 kilograms of converted drug weight worth of oxycodone.
Through the conspiracy, Allen sold approximately 4,454 pills, containing 30 milligrams of oxycodone for $45 per pill; approximately 12,835 pills, containing 20 milligrams of oxycodone for $30 per pill; approximately 6,749 pills, containing 15 milligrams of oxycodone for $20 per pill; and approximately 770 pills, containing 30 milligrams of Adderall for $20 per pill. Allen received approximately $735,860 from selling the pills. In addition to using her residence in Rosedale to distribute drugs, Allen leveraged the proceeds from her drug trafficking activities to pay the mortgage for the property. At Allen’s sentencing, the Court imposed a $735,860 forfeiture money judgement and ordered the forfeiture of Allen’s house in Rosedale, Maryland.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI, DEA, HHS-OIG, and BCPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Calvin C. Miner and Ari D. Evans who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Rapid City Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY – U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a man from Rapid City, South Dakota, convicted of Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on August 29, 2025.
Jerry Lamont, 61, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $35,630 in restitution and $200 in special assessments to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Lamont was indicted for the charges by a federal grand jury in January 2025. He pleaded guilty on May 14, 2025.
Between January and December 2024, Lamont uploaded multiple pictures and videos of child pornography into his Dropbox cloud storage account. Lamont possessed 12 electronic devices, all of which contained child pornography. The material depicted children as young as infants being sexually abused, computer-generated imagery, bestiality, and bondage. Forty-one children have been identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as victims whose images Lamont possessed. Restitution was ordered to several of the victims and the South Dakota ICAC Digital Investigations Fund.
“This defendant was in possession of 13,137 images of child sexual abuse material,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “Due to the relentless and collaborative work of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, the defendant was located, apprehended, and swiftly prosecuted for his exploitative conduct. The defendant is now out of our community as he begins his 15 year sentence in federal prison.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case.
Lamont was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Raleigh Trafficker Sentenced for Cocaine and Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Wilbert Lee Howard, III, 42, to 16 years in federal prison for leading a major cocaine trafficking operation in the Raleigh area. Howard pleaded guilty to his crimes on June 12, 2025.
“This defendant had multiple prior state convictions for cocaine trafficking and possessing firearms, but he never learned his lesson. He continued to pump poison into our neighborhoods instead of being a contributing member of society,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “Our neighborhoods, families, and communities are safer with this man behind bars. If you think you can make money and get away with selling drugs in Eastern North Carolina, you are wrong. Our federal and state law enforcement will find you, take your drugs, guns, cars, and money, and you will go to prison. Justice in this case is strong, it’s fair, and it sends a message loud and clear.”
According to court documents and information presented in court, from September 2023 to July 2024, Howard distributed approximately 14 kilograms of cocaine in Raleigh and its surrounding communities. The investigation revealed that Howard was obtaining kilograms of cocaine and distributing them to other drug dealers for sale in the Raleigh area. Law enforcement conducted multiple traffic stops of individuals working with Howard and recovered cocaine, marijuana, and cash.
On July 17, 2024, officers executed search warrants at properties used by Howard for drug trafficking and recovered cocaine, cash, and multiple firearms, including a shotgun and a 9mm handgun.
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Raleigh Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey L. Peaden prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-00264.
Raleigh County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Jeremy Dale Shuck, 47, of Coal City, pleaded guilty today to distribution of five grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 16, 2024, Shuck sold approximately 13.92 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant for $200 in a service station parking lot in Beaver. Shuck admitted to the transaction as part of his guilty plea.
Shuck is scheduled to be sentenced on January 23, 2026, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons and former Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell have prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-cr-41.
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Orange County Man Pleads Guilty to Production and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that David Andrew Ogden (39, Winter Park) has pleaded guilty to five counts of production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and one count of possession of CSAM. For each production count, Ogden faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison. The possession count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 13, 2025.
According to court documents, on September 8, 2024, Ogden entered an apartment without permission where three minor children were sleeping. Ogden began touching two of the children and used his cellphone to produce CSAM of them. Following Ogden’s arrest later that night, a search warrant was executed on his cellphone which revealed additional CSAM Ogden had produced in 2022 and 2024 involving two other minor children. Ogden’s phone also contained more than 1,000 AI-generated CSAM images and 10 AI-generated videos, some of which portrayed the abuse of children between the ages of 2 and 6 years old.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Winter Park Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman.
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 Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Ohio Man Sentenced to More Than 17 Years in Prison on Firearms Violations and Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A Summit County man has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for manufacturing firearms and machine gun conversion devices from his home using a 3D printer and selling them through a popular social media platform.
Alexander Beattie, 34, of Barberton, Ohio, was sentenced to 210 months (17.5 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge John R. Adams after pleading guilty in May to the following charges:
- Engaging in the Business of Dealing Firearms Without a License
- Engaging in the Business of Manufacturing and Dealing Firearms Without a License
- Manufacturing a Firearm Without a License
- Felon in Possession of Ammunition; previous convictions for burglary in 2011 and domestic violence in 2018.
- Possession of Child Pornography
Beattie was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment and to pay $54,500 in restitution and $5,000 in Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (JVTA) assessments. The sentence was imposed by Judge Adams Aug. 28, 2025.
According to court documents, from about Feb. 1 – Nov. 4, 2024, Beattie used a 3D printer to manufacture illegal firearms, parts, and suppressors in his house. These firearms without serial numbers, are untraceable, and typically manufactured at home, are known as “ghost guns.” “Ghost guns” are unable to be tracked or traced since they do not have serial numbers or other record of being manufactured or sold. Beattie used a popular social media platform to market his manufacturing services and find paying customers by sharing photos and videos that highlighted the quality of his illegal products.
U.S. Attorney's OfficeDuring the investigation, agents also found that Beattie’s electronic devices contained child pornography, also known as child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), that included children who were under the age of 12.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Toni Schnellinger Feisthamel for the Northern District of Ohio.
Northeast Missouri Felon Caught Twice with Guns and Drugs Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a northeast Missouri felon who was on supervised release when he was caught twice with drugs and guns to 153 months in prison.
Darek A. Wilson, 40, of Kahoka, in Clark County, pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that on July 29, 2024, a U.S. Probation Officer was at Wilson’s home when he spotted suspected methamphetamine in Wilson’s bedroom. The officer went on to find a Glock handgun, 61 rounds of ammunition, fentanyl, meth, marijuana, and psilocybin mushrooms. Wilson was on supervised release after pleading guilty on Nov. 10, 2021, to one count of possession with the intent to distribute meth.
An arrest warrant was sought, and when the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Northern Missouri Drug Taskforce and the Kahoka Police Department returned to Wilson’s home, they found 12 firearms hidden in the false ceiling of a bedroom and a safe containing a digital scale, $4,394 in cash, 241.63 grams of meth, 19 grams of psilocybin mushrooms and 15 more guns. Wilson lived 231 feet from a school property.
The U.S. Probation Office, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Northern Missouri Drug Taskforce and the Kahoka Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nauman Wadalawala prosecuted the case.