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16 October 2025
Bucks County Home Care Company and Its Owners and Managers Charged in Alleged Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Favorite Home Care, LLC, Marina Sakson, 59, and Larry Sakson, 61, both of Marlton, New Jersey, and Olena Radionovsky, 49, and Michael Radionovsky, 54, both of Holland, Pennsylvania, were each charged by indictment with one count of conspiring to commit health care fraud and 20 counts of health care fraud.
Larry Sakson and Olena Radionovsky are the co-owners of defendant Favorite Home Care, and Marina Sakson and Michael Radionovsky are employees and managers of the company.
The indictment alleges that Favorite Home Care, LLC, and the Saksons and Radionovskys conspired with each other to commit health care fraud by billing Medicaid and a Medicaid Managed Care Organization for home health services that were not rendered.
As alleged, each defendant personally completed electronic visit verification calls, attesting that he or she was providing home care services, despite not being present with the client purportedly needing services. Favorite Home Care, LLC then submitted claims and received payments for the care that was not rendered.
This case was investigated by the FBI and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Abrams.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.
Beverly Hills Man Arrested, Brentwood Man Charged in Separate Criminal Cases Linked to Fraud in Public Homelessness FundsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Federal law enforcement today announced the arrest of the former chief financial officer at a downtown Los Angeles-based developer of affordable housing and criminal charges against a Brentwood man who defrauded lenders to aid his property-flipping business, including a Cheviot Hills home that he sold to a homeless housing developer for more than double his original purchase price.
“Accountability for the misuse of billions of tax dollars intended to combat homeless starts today,” said Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli, “The two criminal cases announced is only the tip of the iceberg and we intend to aggressively pursue all leads and hold anyone who broke any federal laws criminally liable.”
“In both of these cases, defendants took advantage of funds allocated to assist the homeless, some of the most vulnerable people in society and many of whom may be suffering from myriad conditions, including addiction,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI is committed to the Homelessness Fraud & Corruption Task Force to find perpetrators of this insidious fraud and build cases to hold the offenders accountable in court. It is my hope that the charges we’re announcing today send a message to others who may be contemplating similar criminal behavior.”
“IRS-CI is proud to be an inaugural member of the Homelessness Fraud and Corruption Task Force, which was formed to ensure that funds which were committed to aiding California’s homeless population were spent as intended,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Today’s actions show our commitment to ensuring the public that we will investigate missing funds that were intended to benefit some of the most vulnerable Californians.”
“The Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG) thoroughly investigates allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse, said Special Agent in Charge Herminia Neblina of FHFA-OIG Western Region. "We will continue to hold those accountable who engage in fraud against the entities that FHFA regulates. This investigation reflects our commitment to coordinating investigations with our law enforcement partners.”
United States v. Holmes
Cody Holmes, 31, of Beverly Hills, was arrested this morning on a federal criminal complaint charging him with mail fraud, a felony offense that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Holmes is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. No plea will be taken today.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, in October 2022, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), a state agency, paid approximately $25.9 million in grant money – for a state homelessness project called “Homekey” – to Shangri-La Industries LLC, a downtown Los Angeles-based developer of affordable housing. The grant funds were sent with the provision that the money be used to purchase, construct, and operate homeless housing in Thousand Oaks.
These payments followed many millions of dollars HCD had already paid to Shangri-La to buy, build, and operate housing for the homeless in Redlands (in San Bernardino County) and King City (in Monterey County), among other California cities.
Holmes – as Shangri-La’s CFO – knowingly submitted fake bank records to HCD that purportedly showed approximately $160 million supposedly controlled by Shangri-La and its affiliates to prove that Shangri-La had the capacity to fulfill the homeless housing projects for which it had coapplied for grants from HCD, including the Thousand Oaks project. In fact, the bank accounts Shangri-La and Holmes said contained these funds did not exist.
Holmes and Shangri-La also submitted to HCD balance sheets falsely representing that Shangri-La-affiliated entities held millions of dollars in cash that these entities did not actually have on deposit in the known accounts for those entities. Holmes and Shangri-La submitted these fake bank statements and false balance sheets with the intent that HCD should rely on them and release grant money to Shangri-La.
After these documents were submitted to HCD, HCD paid millions of dollars more in grant money to Shangri-La, including for the Thousand Oaks project.
Some of the Homekey money paid to Shangri-La for homeless housing was used to pay credit card bills for American Express accounts associated with Holmes. In November and December of 2022, more than $2.2 million was transferred from a Shangri-La account to a Holmes-controlled account. Afterwards, from November 2022 to May 2023, more than $2 million was paid towards American Express cards. The charges on those credit card accounts included purchases at well-known luxury retailers. Law enforcement believes these payments were made at least in part for Holmes’s benefit.
United States v. Taylor
Steven Taylor, 44, of Brentwood, is charged with seven counts of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of money laundering.
Taylor, who is free on a $3.6 million bond, is expected to be arraigned on the superseding indictment in the coming weeks in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
According to the indictment, from August 2019 to July 2025, Taylor used fake bank statements and false cash representations to obtain loans and lines of credit to operate his real estate business. Among other uses for the fraud proceeds, Taylor acquired or refinanced properties in the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Westlake, Del Rey, Pico-Union, and Cheviot Hills.
Taylor also is charged with lying to lenders about his intended use of the properties, including lying to the lender funding his purchase of the Cheviot Hills property, misleadingly telling the lender he intended to renovate and use the property himself. In fact, Taylor already had contracted to sell the property, which he originally acquired for $11.2 million (obtained with a loan via fake bank statements) to a homeless housing developer purchasing it with public funds from the City of Los Angeles and the State of California for $27.3 million in a double-escrow transaction hidden from the victim lender and others.
Taylor likewise obtained and kept open lines of credit using fake bank statements and false representations concerning cash deposits, including an unsecured line of credit of approximately $3 million from one victim lender – identified in court documents as “Lender B” – and an additional unsecured line of credit of approximately $1 million from another victim lender – identified in court documents as “Lender C.”
He is further alleged to have lied to Lender B in opening the $3 million credit line with Lender B, falsely telling Lender B that he had closed his $1 million unsecured line of credit with Lender C. He lied by fabricating and sending a document that purported to be an email from an employee of Lender C falsely confirming that the Lender C credit line was closed. In fact, Taylor continued to keep open and draw down on his line of credit with Lender C, even after he opened his $3 million line of credit with Lender B, and the email from Lender C was forged.
The fake bank statements, false cash representations, and misrepresentations regarding liabilities were material to lenders in deciding whether to approve and to keep open the loans and lines of credit Taylor sought and maintained. Taylor used the fraudulently obtained lines of credit to make down payments on real estate that he also obtained with the fraudulent loans.
If convicted, Taylor would face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each bank fraud count, up to 10 years in federal prison for the money laundering count, and a mandatory consecutive two-year prison sentence for the aggravated identity theft count.
Complaints and indictments contain allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation are investigating Holmes.
The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General are investigating Taylor.
Assistant United States Attorneys Monica E. Tait and Nisha Chandran of the Major Frauds Section and Sarah E. Spielberger of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section are prosecuting Holmes. Assistant United States Attorneys Kerry L. Quinn of the Major Frauds Section, Juan M. Rodriguez of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section, and Sarah E. Spielberger of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section are prosecuting Taylor.
Aloha Man Charged with Aiming a Laser at a Customs and Border Protection Helicopter and Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— Brian Keith Kapileo Nepaial, 38, of Aloha, has been charged by criminal complaint with pointing a laser at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Helicopter and possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
According to court documents, on October 3, 2025, a CBP helicopter was struck by a green laser, causing it to abort its planned landing. The flight crew observed an individual walking near a residence and disappearing. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified the residence and, on October 10, 2025, executed a federal search warrant at the residence. FBI special agents seized a laser from the bedroom of Kapileo Nepaial and found over 100 grams of methamphetamine and evidence of drug trafficking.
Since June 13, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office has charged 34 defendants with federal crimes for offenses committed in connection with the ICE building, including assaulting federal officers, failure to comply, and depredation of government property.
“Laser strikes are a serious matter with potentially deadly repercussions. They put the lives of the pilots and the public at risk. Aiming or pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime and will be prosecuted,” said Scott E. Bradford, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Kapileo Nepaial is currently in Washington County custody on a parole violation.
Aiming a laser pointer is punishable by up to five years in federal prison. Possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute is punishable by up to 40 years in federal prison.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Alabama Chiropractor Sentenced to More than Six Years in Prison for Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – An Alabama chiropractor has been sentenced on charges of tax evasion and interfering with the administration of the internal revenue laws, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona
U.S. District Court Judge Anna M. Manasco sentenced Gary Forrest Edwards, 65, of Maylene, Alabama, to 78 months in prison. Edwards pleaded guilty during his trial in Birmingham after the United States presented two witnesses and several exhibits.
According to court documents and evidence admitted during trial, from 2015 to 2023, Edwards attempted to evade payment of more than $2.5 million in income taxes and obstructed the IRS’s efforts to collect those taxes.
Edwards owned and operated the chiropractic practice Hoover Health & Wellness Center. In 2015, he agreed to and did file delinquent income tax returns with the IRS for tax years 2009 through 2013. He later filed an income tax return for 2017. Despite filing the returns and reporting millions of dollars in taxable income, Edwards never paid the more than $2.5 million in taxes he admitted he owed—or the near $1.9 million in penalties and interested assessed by the IRS.
Court documents also reflected Edwards’s admission to several of the ways by which he evaded payment of his taxes and obstructed collection of them: concealing financial accounts he owned from the IRS, transferring funds from accounts he owned to accounts in only his spouse’s name, filing false court documents to terminate federal tax liens against his property, lying to IRS criminal investigators, and more.
IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Tax Division Trial Attorney Isaiah Boyd and Assistant United States Attorney Allison Garnett prosecuted the case.
Afton Man Sentenced After Trying to Meet a 13-Year-Old to Engage in SexRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – An Afton man was sentenced today for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Clint Allen Hubble, 46, to 120 months imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release. Upon his release, Hubble will also be required to register as a sex offender.
In October 2024, Hubble sent a social media friend request and message to an undercover officer, posing as a 13-year-old. Hubble asked, “what is a cutie like you doing in Owasso,” and disclosed that he was 45 years old. Court documents show that Hubble engaged in sexual conversations for several days. He talked with the 13-year-old about hormones, sex, and sent photos of his erect penis. Hubble offered to provide the minor with a phone to take sexually explicit photos and requested to meet the minor to engage in sexual intercourse.
Hubble was arrested at the location where he planned to meet the minor. He will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The Owasso Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Brandon 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 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.
Adam Sleeper Takes Oath of Office as United States Attorney for the District of the Virgin IslandsRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – Adam Sleeper was sworn in today to become United States Attorney for the District of the Virgin Islands. President Donald Trump announced Sleeper’s nomination on May 6, 2025, and the United States Senate confirmed him on October 7, 2025. Chief District Court Judge Robert Molloy administered the oath of office to United States Attorney Sleeper in a private ceremony.
Prior to taking office as United States Attorney, Sleeper was an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of the Virgin Islands. In that capacity, he served in numerous roles, to include line prosecutor, Appellate Chief, First Assistant United States Attorney, and Acting United States Attorney. Before joining the United States Attorney’s Office, he clerked for Judge Curtis Gómez of the District Court of the Virgin Islands and Judge Joel Carson III of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He also worked as an associate in the Boston, Massachusetts office of an international law firm.
Sleeper received his J.D. cum laude from Cornell Law School and his B.A. cum laude from Connecticut College.
15 October 2025
U.S. Attorney’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service Announce Crackdown on Non-Compliant Sex OffendersRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, in partnership with the United States Marshals Service, has launched a city-wide operation to ensure that sex offenders who live in the District remain compliant with the law, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Director Gadyaces S. Serralta of the United States Marshals Service (USMS).
Federal agents have conducted compliance checks on 883 sex offenders and identified, arrested, and prosecuted 25 sex offenders for failing to register. Nine of the 25 are “Class A” offenders who were convicted of either extremely serious sexual assaults or having victimized multiple individuals.
“This effort is an essential part of ensuring public safety in D.C.,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “The sex offender registry is a vital tool that protects communities, ensures accountability and prevents further victimization. Once convicted, sex offenders who fail to register or fail to update their information, put vulnerable populations at risk. My office, along with the U.S. Marshals Service, will continue to root out, arrest, and prosecute all sex offenders who fail to register in the District.”
The Supreme Court recognized decades ago that the “risk of recidivism posed by sex offenders is frightening and high.” Smith v. Doe, 538 U.S. 84, 103 (2003).
The United States Marshals Service and The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) have been aggressively pursuing non-compliant offenders since August 24. The offenders are now being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Sex Offense and Domestic Violence and the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Sections.
The operation identifies the sex offenders in the District who are required to register with CSOSA, uncovers and investigates offenders who are out of compliance, and arrests and aggressively prosecutes absconders.
The operation is a high-priority project. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has devoted substantial prosecutorial resources to the operation, USMS has committed 28 Deputy U.S. Marshals from across the country, and CSOSA has likewise participated fully.
As of October 15, the operation has:
- Obtained 30 Superior Court Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) arrest warrants (27 misdemeanor warrants and 3 felony warrants)
- Arrested and charged 24 sex offenders for SORA violations (22 on misdemeanor charges and 2 on felony charges)
- Indicted one sex offender for a felony violation of Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA)
- Conducted compliance checks on 883 D.C. sex offenders
- Brought on 28 Deputy U.S. Marshals from across the nation to support the compliance check operation and subsequent investigations
- Forged a collaboration with CSOSA and the USMS on compliance check efforts and committed 16 Community Supervision Officers and 2 Sex Offender Registry Specialists to the effort; and
- Dedicated two supervisors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a senior warrant reviewer, and numerous Superior Court and Criminal Division Assistant U.S. Attorney’s to power this operation.
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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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Three convicted in large-scale bail bond fraud conspiracyRead the Press Release
Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated, but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.
HOUSTON – A federal judge has found three Houstonians guilty of conspiring to secure the release of Harris County inmates on fraudulent bail bonds, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal determined Kamaiga Gholar, 31, James Bateson, 46, and Katherine O’Brien, 26, were each guilty of conspiracy and committing wire fraud following a week-long trial.
“This fraudulent scheme attacked the integrity of the bail bond system,” said Ganjei. “These defendants also endangered the public by helping to obtain pretrial release for accused criminals who should have been kept in jail. The Southern District of Texas will not tolerate attempts to undermine public confidence in our system of justice.”
The court heard how these three knowingly submitted falsified documents to manipulate the bail bond system in Harris County to secure the release of repeat and violent criminals. From approximately September 2020 to January 2022, Gholar, Bateson and O’Brien falsified paycheck stubs so inmates would qualify for bonds that AABLE Bail Bonds had facilitated.
During trial, Judge Rosenthal heard numerous jail calls discussing the scheme. She also considered testimony from people around the country, some of whom were company representatives who explained that bond co-signers were not employees of their companies despite claiming to be so.
The inmates receiving the bonds had various charges including aggravated assault, firearms, drug trafficking, promoting prostitution and more.
At trial, the court heard evidence that Gholar admitted to knowingly passing falsified paystubs in support of one inmate’s bond paperwork. Gholar inflated income amounts and emailed falsified paystubs to AABLE Bail Bonds.
Bateson aided an inmate who testified that although Bateson had co-signed his bond, he only knew him as a friend’s roommate. The employer listed on his bond application was false.
The court also heard calls in which O’Brian commented that it was difficult to find co-signers with enough income and that she knew how to make false paystubs. In one instance, five co-signer applications for a single inmate had been completed in O’Brien’s handwriting. One had been submitted in the name of O’Brien’s own relative who testified at trial that she never agreed to co-sign and that her paystub had been falsified. O’Brien attempted to blame AABLE Bail Bonds employees for the inaccurate paperwork.
Overall, the defense claimed there was no wire fraud because Gholar, Bateson and O’Brien were not trying to get money or property, but simply trying to get their friends and loved ones released from jail. The defense also claimed that because no one actually forfeited a bond, there was no harm; therefore, no loss and no crime. The court was not convinced and found all three guilty as charged.
Judge Rosenthal will impose sentencing Dec. 31. At that time, each faces up to 20 years in prison per count and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
All were permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
A total of 53 people have been charged in the case. To date, 26 have now been convicted through pleas or trial.
The FBI, Houston Police Department and Harris County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation with the assistance of Texas Department of Public Safety and U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Day, Stephanie Bauman, Anthony Franklin and Jay Hileman are prosecuting the case.
Stilwell Resident Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jimmy Joe Johnson, age 30, of Stilwell, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Felon in Possession of Ammunition, punishable by up to fifteen years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.
The Indictment charged Johnson with knowingly possessing eighteen rounds of ammunition on March 14, 2025, after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Adair County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Johnson will remain the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lewis M. Reagan and Jacob R. Parker represented the United States.
Puerto Rico Woman Who Flew to Philadelphia with Nearly 15 Pounds of Cocaine in Checked Bag Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Karelys Colon Sevilla, 29, of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge on one count of possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
The defendant was charged with that offense by indictment in May 2024, following her arrest on a criminal complaint and warrant in February of that year.
As detailed in court filings, on February 13, 2024, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) received information that Colon was flying commercially from Puerto Rico, via Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, to the Philadelphia International Airport (“PHL”) and possibly concealing narcotics in her checked luggage. After HSI confirmed that Colon was indeed a ticketed passenger set to arrive at PHL, investigators sought and received from the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas an anticipatory search warrant for the defendant’s luggage, contingent on an alert from a Police K-9 on the luggage.
Following the arrival of Colon’s plane to PHL, Pennsylvania State Police K-9 Ivan was instructed by his handler to examine every piece of checked luggage from that flight. K-9 Ivan only alerted to the presence of narcotics on one piece of luggage, a blue-gray soft-sided bag bearing a tag with the defendant’s name and flight information.
Pursuant to the search warrant and the K-9’s alert, investigators then opened the bag and recovered approximately 6.8 kilograms of a white substance, which testing later showed was cocaine.
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on February 3 and faces a maximum possible sentence of lifetime imprisonment, at least five years of supervised release, and a $10 million fine.
This case was investigated by HSI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, and the Pennsylvania State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eileen Castilla Geiger.
Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.
Portland Woman Charged with Assaulting Federal Law Enforcement Officer Near Local ICE OfficeRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland woman made her first appearance in federal court today after assaulting a federal officer near a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in South Portland.
Oriana Korol, 38, has been charged by criminal complaint with the felony offense of assaulting a federal officer.
According to court documents, on the evening of October 12, 2025, federal officers detained Korol after she interfered with an arrest of another subject. Korol kicked and bit a federal officer as she was being detained. Officers then arrested her for assaulting a federal officer.
Since June 13, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office has charged 34 defendants with federal crimes for offenses committed at the ICE building, including assaulting federal officers, failure to comply, and depredation of government property.
Korol made her first appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. She was released on conditions pending further court proceedings.
Felony assault of a federal officer is punishable by up to eight years in federal prison.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Pittsburg County Resident Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Russell Jeremy Doctor, age 37, of Longtown, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition, punishable by up to fifteen years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.
The Indictment charged Doctor with knowingly possessing a semi-automatic rifle and eight rounds of ammunition on May 4, 2025, after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police, the Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Doctor was released on bond with conditions of release pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Morgan Muzljakovich represented the United States.
Mexican National to Face Sixth Removal from the United StatesRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Mexican national who has been removed from the United States five times previously was sentenced today for unlawfully remaining in the country, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. Circuit Judge Gustavo A. Gelpi, Jr., sentenced Jose Juan Salas-Esparza, 48, for Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Salas-Esparza was ordered to serve 18 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.
In March 2025, Salas-Esparza was arrested for aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without a license, and other traffic violations. A records check indicated that Salas-Esparza was deported from the United States five times. Salas-Esparza’s most recent removal was in December 2024, after being convicted in the Western District of Texas for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens and two counts of Illegal Alien Transportation.
The other four removals occurred after Salas-Esparza was driving under the influence and arrested.
Salas-Esparza will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and is expected to face removal proceedings following the sentence.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Augustus Forster 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, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Manchester Woman Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison for Defrauding Dozens of Victims of More Than $3 MillionRead the Press Release
Manchester Woman Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison for Defrauding Dozens of Victims of More Than $3 Million
CONCORD – A Manchester woman was sentenced on October 15, 2025 federal court in Concord for operating a fraudulent real estate investment scheme that defrauded investors out of more than $3 million, United States Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
Robynne Alexander, age 63, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Samantha D. Elliott to 30 months in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,873,000 in restitution. Alexander pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud on July 16, 2025.
“Robynne Alexander exploited the trust of her clients and stole millions of dollars to fund her own lifestyle and conceal her fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Creegan. “Financial crimes like this devastate victims and undermine confidence in legitimate investment opportunities. This sentence holds her accountable for her deception and demonstrates our commitment to protecting the public from those who abuse positions of trust for personal gain.”
“Robynne Alexander actively led clients to believe they were investing responsibly, when in reality she pocketed their money to pay off her personal debts and legal bills from other investors,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “As her lies continued and the losses mounted, she engaged in a cover-up, trying to conceal the staggering fraud. Schemes like this can be simply devastating for victim investors. That’s why the FBI is committed to bringing financial fraud to light and perpetrators like Ms. Alexander to justice. We’d like to thank the Securities and Exchange Commission and the New Hampshire Bureau of Securities Regulation for their partnership on this case.”
Beginning in 2018, Alexander, previously a real estate investment coach, began raising funds from her coaching clients for a New England real estate venture, Raxx‑LeMay, LLC. Despite promising to acquire and renovate two commercial properties in Manchester, NH, she raised only $700K of the $2M minimum required by the May 2018 deadline. Nevertheless, she completed the purchase in July 2018 using expensive hard‑money loans and improperly diverted investor funds—initially intended to be held until the $2M threshold was met—to other entities she controlled, to repay outside investors, and to fund additional projects.
Over the next few years, Alexander used investor capital across multiple projects without proper authority or disclosure. She transferred the Raxx‑LeMay properties to a new entity she controlled in early 2022, despite lacking investor approval, leaving Raxx‑LeMay with no assets and investors with total losses of about $850,000. In a separate project, Elm and Baker, LLC, Alexander solicited $750,000 to convert a Manchester property to apartments but diverted more than half to repay unrelated investors and personal loans, culminating in foreclosure in 2023. Similarly, in late 2022 she solicited funds for a large‑scale resort project in Laconia, NH, receiving $250,000 toward the purchase before misappropriating at least $75,000 and ultimately failing to close, causing the project to dissolve. Across at least eight ventures, the defendant defrauded at least 24 investors of more than $3 million.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation. The Securities and Exchange Commission and the New Hampshire Bureau of Securities Regulation provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S Attorney John J. Kennedy prosecuted the case.
Man from Ecuador pleads guilty to visa fraudRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Pablo Marlon Frias Teran, 40, a citizen and national of Ecuador, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to 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 on August 26, 2025, Frias Teran was encountered by Customs and Border Protection officers in possession of a counterfeit United States Permanent Resident Card, which alleged his legal status in the United States. Frias Teran admitted that the document was not legitimate. Further investigation determined that Frias Teran was never granted a lawful Permanent Residence Card for the United States.
The plea is a result of an investigation by Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 23, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Arcara.
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Leader of alien smuggling organization sentenced to 51 months in prisonRead the Press Release
Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated, but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.
HOUSTON – A 22-year-old New Orleans resident has been ordered to federal prison for his role in transporting illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The jury deliberated for less than an hour before finding Mailon Almendares-Martinez guilty following a three-day trial April 30.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth P. Hoyt has now ordered Almendares-Martinez to serve 51 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that Almendares-Martinez maintained a role as an organizer and leader within the conspiracy.
From Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, 2022, Almendares-Martinez conspired with others to transport illegal aliens from the South Texas border to Houston. He recruited friends and conspirators from New Orleans, Louisiana, offering to pay $1,000 to $2,000 per person and directed the operation through WhatsApp messages and phone calls.
During one trip, rival smugglers shot at them en route to Houston, wounding two aliens in the arm and leg. After the shooting, Almendares-Martinez told the drivers to return to Houston and not seek medical attention.
On Nov. 1, 2022, the aliens were brought to a motel in Houston, where they escaped the next day. Authorities arrived at the motel and took Jonathan Melendez-Merino, Oscar Melendez-Sosa, Cristian Mencias-Padilla and Cesar Monge-Milla into custody.
Almendares-Martinez will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Seven others, all from New Orleans, previously pleaded guilty - Melendez-Merino, 22, Melendez-Sosa, 22, Mencias-Padilla, 22, and Monge-Milla, 25, along with Yunior Sorto-Ramirez, 23, Bayron Pineda-Alvarado, 23, and Alan Galvez-Baquedano, 22.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Day and Anthony Franklyn 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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Hillsboro Resident Charged with Assaulting Federal Law Enforcement Officer Near Local ICE OfficeRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Hillsboro resident made her first appearance in federal court today after assaulting a federal officer near a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in South Portland.
Samuel A. Westcott, 19, has been charged by criminal complaint with the felony offense of assaulting a federal officer.
According to court documents, on the evening of October 12, 2025, federal officers detained Westcott after she physically resisted officers’ attempts to clear a path for vehicles exiting the ICE facility. Westcott physically engaged with the officers trying to detain her and kicked a federal officer several times as she was being detained. Officers then arrested her for assaulting a federal officer.
“We will not tolerate violence against federal law enforcement officers. Any assault on those who serve and protect our communities is an assault on the rule of law,” said Scott E. Bradford, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Since June 13, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office has charged 33 defendants with federal crimes for offenses committed at the ICE building, including assaulting federal officers, failure to comply, and depredation of government property.
Westcott made her first appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. She was released on conditions pending further court proceedings.
Felony assault of a federal officer is punishable by up to eight years in federal prison.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Former President of Allentown Title Company Sentenced to 54 Months in Prison for Defrauding Title Insurance Underwriter, Clients, and U.S. GovernmentRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Louis Belletieri, 44, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 54 months’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and to pay over $6 million in restitution by United States District Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl, for the defendant’s scheme to defraud a title insurance underwriter and clients and his fraudulent application to the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) to obtain Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDL”).
In May of this year, Belletieri was charged by information with two counts of wire fraud. He pleaded guilty to those charges in June.
As detailed in court documents, Belletieri was the president of Allentown-based Security Settlement Services of Pittsburgh d/b/a Legacy Title (“Legacy Title”), which he purported to operate for the purpose of providing title and real estate closing services to clients in connection with real estate transactions.
In or about November 2013, the defendant, as Legacy Title’s president, entered into a contract with a title insurance underwriter, in which the underwriter appointed Legacy Title as its agent for the purpose of issuing title insurance commitments, policies, endorsements for Pennsylvania properties.
Legacy Title and Belletieri maintained an escrow account to receive funds in connection with these and other client real estate transactions. The money from customers, mortgage lenders, and others was typically transferred electronically into Legacy Title’s escrow account.
Belletieri should have maintained the funds in the escrow account for the purpose of conducting real estate transactions and disbursing funds as appropriate and for the purpose for which they were entrusted, such as to pay off mortgages, pay taxes, obtain title insurance, and pay for other expenses in connection with real estate transactions.
As further detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, he instead used the funds in the escrow account for personal reasons, including, among other things, to place online sports bets.
During the course of the scheme, Belletieri regularly made and caused to be made electronic transfers of funds to and from the escrow account to, from, and among Legacy Title’s business operating account, his personal bank account, his credit card account, and online sports betting platforms.
From in or about March 2020 through in or about September 2023, Belletieri made electronic transfers of funds from the escrow account to his personal account totaling approximately $6,434,500, and from the escrow account to the business operating account totaling approximately $2,460,190, many of which were not for legitimate business purposes.
Belletieri took numerous steps to conceal his fraud upon his clients and the title insurance underwriter, including by submitting a fraudulent application to the SBA on behalf of Legacy Title to defraud the SBA and obtain funds via the EIDL program. In connection with this application, the defendant entered into fraudulent loan agreements with the SBA, falsely agreeing that he would use the proceeds of the loan solely as working capital to alleviate economic injury related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
When the SBA disbursed the EIDL funding to Legacy Title and Belletieri pursuant to his fraudulent application, Belletieri used significant portions of the proceeds for personal uses, rather than as working capital for Legacy Title. As a result, the defendant caused the SBA to disburse a total of approximately $825,000 due to his fraud.
This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Allentown Resident Agency, with assistance from the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Boscia and Rebecca J. Kulik.
Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.
Following U.S. Senate Confirmation, David Metcalf Sworn in as United States Attorney for the Full Term of Four YearsRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – David Metcalf was sworn in today to serve as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for the full term of four years, following the United States Senate’s October 7 confirmation of his nomination to the position.
The Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Wendy Beetlestone, administered the oath of office to Mr. Metcalf. A formal investiture ceremony will be held at a later date.
“It’s a privilege to serve the people of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and I’m honored to continue in this role with the Senate’s support,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Our office is working every day to advance the cause of justice and the rule of law.”
In March, Attorney General Pamela Bondi had named Mr. Metcalf the Interim United States Attorney for a period of 120 days. Shortly thereafter, President Trump nominated Mr. Metcalf to serve as the United States Attorney for the full term.
Upon the expiration of the 120-day interim period, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania appointed Mr. Metcalf the District’s United States Attorney, ensuring he would remain in the role while awaiting Senate confirmation.
Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.
Felon Sentenced for Possessing a Loaded Firearm and Methamphetamine with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Sand Springs man was sentenced for Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute and being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Today, U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Clifton Darnell Brown, 47, to 151 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.
In September 2024, Tulsa Police were dispatched to a gas station. Employees noticed a car was parked at a gas pump for an extended period of time, and the occupant appeared to be unconscious. When approached and awoken by officers, Brown failed to comply with their commands, and attempted to flee from them. Officers find a baggie that Brown threw and another baggie in his pants. During a search of the car, officers found marijuana and a loaded handgun. Lab forensics revealed that the baggies Brown possessed contained methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl.
Court records show that Brown was previously convicted of several felonies, including grand larceny, drug-related offenses, attempted burglary, and possessing a firearm after pleading guilty to felonies.
Brown will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan E. Michel 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 Grand Jury Indicts Former L.A. Resident Charged with Starting Palisades Fire, Adding Two Additional Felonies to His CaseRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury today indicted a former resident of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles who is charged with starting in January 2025 what eventually became the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history, adding two felonies to his criminal case.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, a.k.a. “Jonathan Rinder,” and “Jon Rinder,” is charged in the three-count indictment with one count of destruction of property by means of fire, one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and one count of timber set afire.
Rinderknecht has been in federal custody since his arrest on October 7. His next court appearance will be his arraignment, which is expected to occur in the coming weeks in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
According to court documents, law enforcement determined that the Palisades Fire was a “holdover” fire – a continuation of the Lachman Fire that began early in the morning on New Year’s Day 2025. Although firefighters quickly suppressed the Lachman Fire, the fire continued to smolder and burn underground within the root structure of dense vegetation.
On January 7, heavy winds caused the underground fire to surface and spread above ground in what became known as the Palisades Fire, which caused widespread damage in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Law enforcement determined – using witness statements, video surveillance, cellphone data, and analysis of fire dynamics and patterns at the scene, among other things – that Rinderknecht maliciously set the Lachman Fire just after midnight on January 1 on land owned by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), an organization that received federal funding. A week later, the same fire – then known as the Palisades Fire – burned federal property.
On the evening of December 31, 2024, Rinderknecht was working as an Uber driver. Two passengers that he drove on separate trips between 10:15 p.m. and 11:15 p.m. that night later told law enforcement they remembered that Rinderknecht appeared agitated and angry.
After dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades, Rinderknecht – who once lived in that neighborhood – drove towards Skull Rock Trailhead, parked his car, attempted to contact a former friend, and walked up the trail. He then used his iPhone to take videos at a nearby hilltop area and listened to a rap song – to which he had listened repeatedly in previous days – whose music video included things being lit on fire.
At 12:12 a.m. on January 1, 2025, environmental sensing platforms indicated the Lachman Fire had begun. During the next five minutes, Rinderknecht called 911 several times, but didn’t get through because his iPhone was out of cellphone range. When he finally connected with 911, he was at the bottom of the hiking trail and reported the fire. By that point, a nearby resident already had reported the fire to authorities.
Rinderknecht then fled in his car, passing fire engines driving in the opposite direction. He then turned around and followed the fire engines to the scene, driving at a high rate of speed. Rinderknecht walked up the same trail from earlier that night to watch the fire and the firefighters. At approximately 1:02 a.m., he used his iPhone to take more videos of the scene.
During an interview with law enforcement on January 24, 2025, Rinderknecht lied about where he was when he first saw the Lachman Fire. He claimed he was near the bottom of a hiking trail when he first saw the fire and called 911, but geolocation data from his iPhone carrier showed that he was standing in a clearing 30 feet from the fire as it rapidly grew.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
If convicted, Rinderknecht would face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 45 years in federal prison.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating this matter with substantial assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department and the United States Forest Service.
Assistant United States Attorneys Mark A. Williams, Matthew W. O’Brien, and Danbee C. Kim of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Laura A. Alexander of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section are prosecuting this case.
If you are a victim of the Palisades Fire, updates about this criminal case can be found on this website:
https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/united-states-v-jonathan-rinderknecht
- David C. Waterman Sworn in as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa
Convicted drug trafficker receives 76-month sentence for illegally entering U.S. for third timeRead the Press Release
Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated, but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.
HOUSTON – A 41-year-old Mexican national who illegally resided in Houston has been ordered to federal prison for illegally reentering the country again without authorization, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Eduardo Ramiro Gonzalez-Leal pleaded guilty May 28.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks has now ordered Gonzalez-Leal to serve 76 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is again expected to be removed following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard about Gonzalez-Leal’s criminal and immigration history and noted the obligation to protect the community from his unlawful conduct.
Gonzalez-Leal has multiple felony convictions including conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, felon in possession of a firearm and driving under the influence.
He was removed in November 2015 and October 2021 and returned each time. Authorities discovered him again Nov. 27, 2023, in Houston.
He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration Customs Enforcement – Enforcement Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Law 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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Buffalo man pleads guilty to defrauding SSA out of tens of thousands of dollarsRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that John Vincent Ridgeway, 75, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to failure to disclose an event impacting eligibility for supplemental security income benefits, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, who is handling the case, stated that in January 1974, Ridgeway began receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA), based upon his representation that he is disabled and does not own countable resources exceeding $2,000 in value.
In January 2004, Ridgeway purchased property on Langmeyer Avenue in Buffalo, jointly with his wife. The value of the property at the time exceeded $2,000, which made him ineligible to continue collecting SSI payments. Ridgeway owned the property until March 2017.
In October 2004, Supplemental Security Income purchased property on LaSalle Avenue in Buffalo, the identity of an individual identified as J.J.R. The value of the property at time of purchase exceeded $2,000, which again made him ineligible to continue collecting SSI payments. Ridgeway owned the property until September 2011.
In February 2005, Ridgeway purchased two properties on Northumberland Avenue in Buffalo, the value of which exceeded $2,000. He owned the properties until October 2020, once again making him ineligible to continue collecting SSI payments.
In May 2010, Ridgeway purchased a property on Marigold Street in Buffalo, using the identity of his deceased mother. Once again, the value of the property exceeded $2,000. He owned the property until October 2023.
Ridgeway failed to disclose ownership of any of these the properties to the SSA, with the intent to continue fraudulently collecting SSI payments. In June 2021, Ridgeway completed an SSI redetermination with the SSA. On the redetermination form, he stated that he did not own any property and signed it under the following statement: “I understand that anyone who knowingly lies or misrepresents the truth or arranges for someone to knowingly lie or misrepresent the truth is committing a crime which can be punished under Federal law, State law, or both. Everything on this document is the truth as best I know it.” The SSA determined that Ridgeway’s concealment of his resources resulted in an SSI overpayment of $179,276 between February 2004, and October 2023.
The plea is of the result of an investigation by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Amy Connelly, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Shawn Rice, and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Brian Wood.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 18, 2026, before Judge Arcara.
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Baltimore City Resident Facing Federal Child Sexual Exploitation and Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Jamari James David Leverett, 22, of Baltimore, Maryland, charging him with sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child sexual abuse material.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office, and Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD).
According to the eight-count indictment, using multiple online profiles on various social media and gaming platforms, Leverett met and extorted minors across the United States into providing nude images of themselves. Leverett was known online as, “JaJa”, as most of his online profiles across platforms included, “JaJa” in the username or handle.
In connection with his sexual exploitation crimes, Leverett requested nude videos and images of minor victims performing dances from the online gaming platform Fortnite and other sex acts while uttering specific phrases Leverett provided. The victims initially sent the videos as payment for Fortnite related content that Leverett provided.
However, in several instances, after receiving nude videos, Leverett threatened to send the videos and images to others, or “swat” the victims’ homes, if they did not continue to send additional images of them performing sex acts or money. “Swatting” is a term used to describe a criminal incident in which an individual contacts emergency services and falsely reports an emergency, often involving an act of violence that reportedly has or will occur at a particular location to elicit an armed law enforcement response to that location.
If convicted, Leverett faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each count of sexual exploitation of a child and a maximum sentence of 20 years for possession of child sexual abuse material.
Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding.
This case is 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. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/pscand click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and BPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Aubin, who is prosecuting the federal case.
If you believe you are or know someone who may be a victim of these crimes, contact the FBI – Baltimore Field Office at (410) 265-8080, or tips.fbi.gov.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Ada Resident Pleads Guilty to Felony AssaultRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Tobias Ovonuel Goodbear, age 28, of Ada, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Assault of Intimate Partner and Dating Partner by Strangling in Indian Country, punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Indictment alleged that on July 29, 2024, Goodbear assaulted a dating or intimate partner by strangling.
The crime occurred in Pontotoc County, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Ada Police Department.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Goodbear will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Gross represented the United States.
Active-Duty Army and Former Marine Reserve Sentenced for Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Today, an active-duty Army and former Marine Reserve was sentenced for Drug Conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. Circuit Judge Gustavo A. Gelpi, Jr., sentenced David Julian Mendoza Gonzalez, 27, to 70 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Mendoza Gonzalez was arrested at Fort Carson in July 2024 while on active duty. While living in Tulsa, Mendoza Gonzalez admitted to conspiring with others to traffic drugs. He took “orders” and directed “customers” to couriers. Mendoza Gonzalez and others took part in distributing more than one kilogram of heroin and more than 400 grams of fentanyl.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Tulsa Police Department, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Homeland Security Investigations are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy M. Mackenzie is prosecuting the case.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
14 October 2025
Vienna Man Arrested, Charged with Unlawfully Retaining National Defense InformationRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, announced today that Ashley Tellis, 64, of Vienna, VA, was arrested over the weekend and charged by criminal complaint with the unlawful retention of national defense information, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 793(e).
“We are fully focused on protecting the American people from all threats, foreign and domestic. The charges as alleged in this case represent a grave risk to the safety and security of our citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Halligan. “The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served.”
If convicted, Tellis is subject to a maximum of ten years’ imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, a $100 special assessment and forfeiture. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Undocumented Honduran Citizen Charged After Law Enforcement Seize a Large Load of Fentanyl in Washington CountyRead the Press Release
ST. GEORGE, Utah –A Honduran citizen living in the United States illegally, was indicted by a federal grand jury for drug crimes after he allegedly trafficked drugs into the district of Utah.
Mario Guzman Bonilla, 20, an undocumented Honduran citizen living in Salt Lake City, Utah, was charged on October 14, 2025. According to court documents, on August 7, 2025, a Washington City Police Officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle that Guzman Bonilla was driving. A K-9 officer was deployed and alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and seized ten packages of narcotics from the vehicle. The state crime lab tested the narcotics, which tested positive for fentanyl and weighed more than 10 kilograms of fentanyl powder.
Guzman Bonilla is charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. His initial appearance on the indictment was October 20, 2025, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. A two-day jury trial is scheduled for December 30, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 2B 206 in St. George.
Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Special assistance was provided by the Washington City Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Angela M. Reddish-Day of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah 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).
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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*This press release was posted November 14, after the end of the federal government shutdown.
Texas 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 Kameron Vaughn Barrett, age 27, of Desoto, Texas, was sentenced to 60 months in prison for one count of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Durant Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On July 2, 2025, Barrett pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on November 11, 2023, Barrett knowingly possessed a firearm in furtherance of Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, a drug trafficking crime.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Barrett will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob R. Parker represented the United States.
Tahlequah Resident Pleads Guilty to Child NeglectRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Lloyd William McDaniel, age 35, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Child Neglect in Indian Country, punishable by up to life in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Indictment alleged that on November 13, 2023, while responsible for the health, safety, and welfare of a child under the age of 18, McDaniel willfully and maliciously failed to protect the victim from exposure to illegal drug possession and use.
The crime occurred in Cherokee County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Tahlequah Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
McDaniel was released on previous bond with order on conditions of release pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Morgan Muzljakovich represented the United States.
Romanian National Set to Plead Guilty for Participation in Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Claudiu Pesteleu is set to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on October 16, 2025, at 1:30 pm.
Pesteleu, 43, a Romanian national illegally present in the United States, participated in a nationwide fraud scheme involving businesses that were impersonated through false websites. These fake websites would cause victims to wire money—believing they were purchasing real products, such as cars and equipment. The funds would then be wired to the bank accounts of shell companies, which had been organized with fake foreign passports and identity documents.
Pesteleu's participation in this scheme lasted from May 2023 through June 2024. His specific role was to assist co-conspirators in obtaining and then concealing these fraudulently obtained funds. For example, Pesteleu obtained false identity documents and then organized businesses under the names of these false identities. The shell companies and alias that Pesteleu used in this scheme included Zammer Equipment LLC (under the alias Matthias Zammer), Super Exotic Deals LLC (Samuel Der Saar), Premier E. Liquidators LLC (Fred Laport), Adler Pre Owned LLC (Boris Adler), and Bittman Motors LLC (Fritz Bittman). Pesteleu also used the additional alias of Thomas Muller. After creating these shell companies, Pesteleu then opened bank accounts using the names of these shell companies and his false identities. Consumers would then be instructed to wire funds to these accounts—mistakenly believing they were making real purchases. A total of approximately $1,800,000.00 in fraudulently obtained funds was sent by various consumers to bank accounts that Pesteleu controlled. Once these funds entered these bank accounts, Pesteleu then engaged in numerous financial transactions with these funds in order to make it difficult for law enforcement officials to discover this scheme and to seize these funds.
If you believe you were a victim of Pesteleu, please contact the Homeland Security Investigations tipline at 866-347-2423.
If you are a victim or potential victim and would like to attend the plea hearing on October 16, 2025, at 1:30 pm or have questions, please contact Victim Specialist Jacquie Gutierrez at (575) 522-2304 before the date of the hearing for more information.
The Homeland Security Investigations Deming investigated this case with assistance from the Gainesville, Florida Police Department. Las Cruces Criminal Chief Richard Williams and Assistant U.S. Attorney Grant Gardner are prosecuting the case.
Roger Ver Admits to Misconduct and Enters into Deferred Prosecution AgreementRead the Press Release
Note: View the motion to dismiss and deferred prosecution agreement.
Roger Ver, an early bitcoin investor known as “Bitcoin Jesus,” entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department to resolve federal tax charges brought against him. Under the agreement, Ver has paid the IRS nearly $50 million in back taxes, penalties, and interest stemming from his willful failure to properly report his bitcoin holdings on tax returns when he expatriated from the United States in 2014. Today, the government has moved to dismiss the indictment against him.
The following is according to the deferred prosecution agreement: Starting in 2011, Ver began acquiring bitcoins. Over the years, he avidly promoted them, even obtaining the moniker “Bitcoin Jesus.” In March 2014, Ver renounced his U.S. citizenship after obtaining citizenship in St. Kitts and Nevis, a process known as expatriation. Due to his net worth, Ver was required to file certain expatriation-related tax returns and to pay taxes on the capital gains on his world-wide assets, including his bitcoins.
In the agreement, Ver admitted that when he filed these returns in May 2016, he did not report all his bitcoins and pay the required capital gains tax on their constructive sale. Ver admitted that his failure to report capital gains from all these bitcoins caused a loss to the United States of $16,864,105. Ver admitted that the understatement of tax caused by his failure to report ownership of all his bitcoins was willful, which is legally defined as the intentional violation of a known legal duty. Accordingly, Ver admitted he owed the maximum penalty available under 26 U.S.C. § 6663 of more than $12 million, as well as interest on the taxes and penalties.
Associate Deputy Attorney General Ketan D. Bhirud of the Justice Department’s Office of the Deputy Attorney General; Acting United States Attorney Bilal A. Essayli for the Central District of California; and Kareem Carter, Executive Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office made the announcement.
“We are pleased that Mr. Ver has taken responsibility for his past misconduct and satisfied his obligations to the American public. This resolution sends a clear message: whether you deal in dollars or digital assets, you must file accurate tax returns and pay what you owe,” said Associate Deputy Attorney General Ketan D. Bhirud.
“Mr. Ver is accepting responsibility for his actions and has agreed to pay a substantial penalty,” said Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California. “Every person, whether you’re a millionaire or not, is required by law to pay taxes and we will not hesitate to hold anyone accountable.”
“Today’s resolution demonstrates that there are consequences for those who intentionally conceal their assets and evade their tax obligations,” said Kareem Carter, Executive Special Agent in Charge. “No matter how sophisticated the technology or the asset, IRS-CI will continue to follow the money, ensure compliance, and protect the integrity of our tax system.”
The Cyber Crimes Unit of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Washington, D.C. Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant Chief Matthew J. Kluge and Trial Attorney Peter J. Anthony of the Tax Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney James. C. Hughes of the Central District of California prosecuted the case.
Plaster’s union member sentenced for defrauding health care planRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Toby Weatherbee, 49, of Pike, NY, who was convicted of theft or embezzlement in connection with health care, was sentenced to serve two years’ probation and pay restitution totaling $44,012 by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sasha Mascarenhas, who handled the case, stated that between April 2019, and October 2022, in the Western District of New York, Weatherbee was a member of Plaster’s Local Union #9, which maintained a health care benefit program designed to reimburse union members for legitimate and valid out of pocket medical expenses. In May 2021, Weatherbee submitted a fraudulent invoice from Dansville Dental Professionals, LLP., in the amount of $6,720.00 to the health and welfare fund, converting for his own use funds belonging to the health and welfare fund. In total, between April 2019, and October 2022, Weatherbee submitted a total of 12 fraudulent invoices totaling $44, 012.
The sentencing is a result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration.
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Nicaraguan Citizen Indicted After Law Enforcement Seize 104,000 Blue Fentanyl Pills in the District of UtahRead the Press Release
ST. GEORGE, Utah – A Nicaraguan citizen, living in the United States illegally, was indicted by a federal grand jury for drug crimes after he allegedly trafficked approximately 104,000 blue M30 fentanyl pills that tested positive for fentanyl and weighed 23 pounds total.
Hector Luis Castillo-Reyes, 33, an undocumented Nicaraguan citizen living in Denver, Colorado, was charged on October 14, 2025. According to court documents, on this date, a San Juan County Deputy Sheriff stopped Castillo-Reyes for a traffic violation. A K9 alerted to the odor of illegal narcotics and the vehicle was searched. Law enforcement found 104,000 blue M30 pills that weighed 23 pounds and field-tested positive for fentanyl. Castillo-Reyes, the sole occupant in the vehicle, was taken into custody.
Castillo-Reyes is charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. His initial appearance on the indictment was October 30, 2025, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. A two-day jury trial is scheduled for January 6, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 2B 206 in St. George.
Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and San Juan County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Joseph M. Hood of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah 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).
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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*This press release was posted November 14, after the end of the federal government shutdown.
New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter in 2022 Lehigh Valley Plane Crash That Killed Student Pilot, and Dozens of Additional ChargesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Philip McPherson II, 37, of Riverside, New Jersey, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge John M. Gallagher to involuntary manslaughter, in connection with a 2022 plane crash in Lehigh County that killed a student pilot.
The defendant, who was charged by second superseding indictment in April of this year, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, obstruction of an administrative proceeding, and 40 counts of serving as an airman without a certificate.
As detailed in court filings, on September 28, 2022, McPherson took off as the pilot-in-command of a Piper-28-140 aircraft from Queen City Airport in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with student pilot K.K. Shortly after takeoff, McPherson crashed the plane, killing K.K.
As further detailed, McPherson acted with gross negligence because he knew that he was not competent to safely fly an aircraft as the pilot-in-command. Specifically, McPherson knew that: (1) he was not competent to safely operate the aircraft because he had two prior accidents and almost a third; (2) he failed his September 29, 2021, reexamination for his pilot’s certificate for a lack of demonstrated competence; (3) he voluntarily surrendered his pilot’s certificate on October 7, 2021, acknowledging his lack of competence; and (4) he allowed his Temporary Airman Certificate to expire on November 8, 2021, thus further acknowledging his inability to demonstrate to the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) his competence to fly safely.
McPherson also admitted to illegally serving as the pilot-in-command of an aircraft with passengers while not possessing an FAA pilot’s certificate permitting him to do so. These flights occurred between October 12, 2021, and September 20, 2022.
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on January 27 and faces a maximum possible term of 153 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a $10,750,000 fine and a $4,300 special assessment.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Federal Aviation Administration, and Salisbury Township (Pa.) Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert Schopf and Special Assistant United States Attorney Marie Miller.
Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.
Moore Capito Sworn in as United States Attorney for the Southern District of West VirginiaRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Moore Capito is now the chief law enforcement officer for the Southern District of West Virginia. President Donald J. Trump nominated Capito on June 30, 2025, and the United States Senate confirmed his nomination on October 7, 2025. Capito was sworn in by the Honorable Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk in a private ceremony on Friday, October 10, 2025.
“I am grateful to President Trump and the United States Senate for the opportunity to serve as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia,” Capito said. “President Trump is a consequential leader whose bold initiatives are reshaping the course of our nation. His unwavering commitment to restoring law and order, securing our communities, and reasserting America’s strength at home and abroad marks a pivotal moment in our history. Like so many West Virginians, I share President Trump’s commitment to law and order. Last week, I took an oath to lead this talented office. I have devoted my days since to ensuring that I understand our district’s pulse. I can now say with confidence, together with our dedicated law enforcement partners, we will protect our communities with strength and strive every day to make West Virginia the safest place to live, work, and raise a family.”
The United States Attorney’s Office oversees the prosecution of federal criminal offenses and the litigation of civil matters in which the United States has a legal interest in the 23 counties within the Southern District of West Virginia. As United States Attorney, Capito leads a staff of 37 attorneys and 40 non-attorney personnel located in offices in Charleston, Huntington, and Beckley.
Capito has substantial experience in corporate and energy law, including all phases of complex corporate, commercial, and real estate transactions. Prior to taking office, Capito practiced law with the Babst Calland law firm. Capito represented publicly traded and privately held clients in corporate mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures as well as business structuring, governance, commercial contracts, and real estate transactions. Capito also advised and counseled companies in navigating the complex legal landscape of emerging technologies, including data center development.
Capito previously served in the West Virginia Legislature, where he was elected to four terms in the House of Delegates representing the 35th District in Kanawha County. As a legislator, Capito served as Chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary among other committee assignments and leadership positions.
Capito earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Duke University and his law degree from Washington and Lee University.
As a lifelong West Virginian, Capito and his wife Liberty are proud to raise their family in the Mountain State.
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.
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Maryland Man Charged with Mailing Threatening Communications to Jewish Institutions and Civil Rights ViolationsRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Clift Seferlis, 55, of Garrett Park, Maryland, was charged by information with 17 counts of mailing threatening communications and eight counts of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs, arising from numerous threats sent to Jewish organizations and entities.
These charges follow Seferlis’ arrest in June on a criminal complaint and warrant in connection with such threats.
As alleged in the information, from at least March 2024 through at least June 2025, the defendant used the United States mail to transmit at least 40 letters and at least two postcards to more than 25 Jewish organizations and entities located in multiple jurisdictions, including, but not limited to, synagogues, Jewish museums, Jewish community centers, Jewish schools, Jewish non-profit organizations, and a Jewish delicatessen. In many of these letters and postcards, defendant Seferlis threatened to destroy physical buildings and/or to injure individuals.
Specifically, the information alleges that Seferlis caused the U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”) to deliver threatening communications to these institutions on or about the following dates:
Jewish Institution 1, a synagogue in Washington, D.C.
(March 6, 2024; January 24, 2025)
Jewish Institution 2, an entity in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
(April 4, 2024; July 29, 2024; January 18, 2025; March 5, 2025; May 7, 2025; May 9, 2025)
Jewish Institution 3, an entity in Fairfax, Virginia
(January 18, 2025)
Jewish Institution 4, a synagogue in Gaithersburg, Maryland
(February 3, 2025)
Jewish Institution 5, an entity in Fairfax, Virginia
(February 7, 2025)
Jewish Institution 6, a synagogue in Hagerstown, Maryland
(March 2025)
Jewish Institution 7, an entity in Rockville, Maryland
(May 12, 2025)
Jewish Institution 8, an entity in Washington, D.C.
(May 29, 2025; June 3, 2025)
Jewish Institution 9, an entity in Washington, D.C.
(June 3, 2025)
Jewish Institution 10, a synagogue in Brookline, Massachusetts
(June 3, 2025)
Each alleged communication listed above contained a threat to injure the occupants of the receiving institution.
The information further alleges that the defendant, by threat of force, intentionally obstructed and attempted to obstruct congregants and other attendees in the enjoyment of their free exercise of religious beliefs, by threatening to harm the occupants of:
Jewish Institution 1, a synagogue in Washington, D.C.
(March 6, 2024; January 24, 2025)
Jewish Institution 11, a synagogue in Rockville, Maryland
(January 25, 2025)
Jewish Institution 12, a synagogue in Falls Church, Virginia
(January 31, 2025)
Jewish Institution 13, a synagogue in Gaithersburg, Maryland
(February 3, 2025)
Jewish Institution 14, a synagogue in Washington, D.C.
(February 10, 2025)
Jewish Institution 15, a synagogue in Hagerstown, Maryland
(March 2025)
Jewish Institution 16, a synagogue in Brookline, Massachusetts
(June 3, 2025)
Further, the alleged offenses against Jewish Institution 12, Jewish Institution 13, Jewish Institution 14, and Jewish Institution 15 included the threatened use of a dangerous weapon, fire, or explosives.
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 207 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $5,650,000 fine.
This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia, with assistance from FBI Baltimore, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Montgomery County, Maryland, Police Department, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland’s Greenbelt office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Dubnoff.
The charges and allegations contained in the information are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.
Marshall County Resident Sentenced for Involuntary Manslaughter in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Ashley Nicole Castleberry-Miller, age 31, of Kingston, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 48 months in prison for one count of Involuntary Manslaughter in Indian Country, to be followed by three years of Supervised Release.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Seminole Police Department.
On April 3, 2025, Castleberry-Miller pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on April 20, 2024, Castleberry-Miller unlawfully killed the victim when she failed to devote full time and attention to driving, drove left of the center line of the roadway while driving without due caution, and operated a motor vehicle under the influence of an intoxicating substance other than alcohol. The crime occurred in Seminole County, within the boundaries of the Seminole Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
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. Castleberry-Miller will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Gross represented the United States.
Lehigh County Man Sentenced for Obtaining, Distributing Misbranded Drugs to Allentown-Area Convenience StoresRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Francis Matos, 51, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to two years’ probation and a $5,000 fine by United States District Judge John M. Gallagher for conspiracy to introduce misbranded drugs into interstate commerce.
Matos was charged by information in April of this year and pleaded guilty in May.
As detailed in court filings, beginning in or about May 2022, Matos arranged to have others purchase pharmaceutical drugs in the Dominican Republic and mail them to him and other individuals in Allentown and elsewhere. These drugs included tablets containing sildenafil, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction. At other times, Matos purchased and obtained pharmaceutical drugs in the United States, at locations outside the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and transported them or had them delivered to his residence.
The defendant and others then delivered and sold the pharmaceutical drugs to customers, typically small convenience stores located within the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
Neither Matos nor his business, Suplidora America, ever had a license to obtain, hold, or dispense pharmaceutical drugs. Further, Matos did not require his customers to provide a prescription to obtain pharmaceutical drugs from him or his business, even though many of the drugs that he and his associates dispensed required such a prescription.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John J. Boscia.
Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.
Homicide convict sent to federal prison after illegal aliens found crammed in trunk and on floorboard of compact carRead the Press Release
Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated, but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.
LAREDO, Texas – A 57-year-old Rio Bravo man has been ordered to federal prison for human smuggling, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Antonio Pena pleaded guilty May 6.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo has now ordered Pena to serve 63 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard how Pena has remained a decades-long danger to others in the community. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the breadth of his criminal history, which includes a homicide conviction, the risk of substantial bodily injury or death he imposed on the two illegal aliens crammed into his trunk and attacks made to other inmates while Pena awaited sentencing.
On Feb. 14, Pena was driving a black Chevrolet Cruz that appeared heavily weighted down and sagging in the rear. He pulled into a gas station, claiming he was “just getting gas.” When law enforcement approached him, he appeared nervous, stuttered and clutched his phone while insisting there was no one else in the car. Law enforcement also noticed he was holding just a single key without any other personalized keys attached.
A subsequent search revealed one person lying on the floorboard and two more crammed in the trunk. Authorities determined all three were citizens of Mexico and in the United States illegally.
One illegal alien admitted he had waded across the Rio Grande and was awaiting transport to Atlanta when Pena arrived. He saw two others already hidden in the trunk when Pena instructed him to lie on the floorboard.
Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tae W. Chon 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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Fort Gibson Resident Sentenced for Second Degree Murder in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that David Allen Lee, age 44, of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 384 months in prison for one count of Second Degree Murder in Indian Country, to be followed by 5 years of Supervised Release.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Tahlequah Police Department, the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On June 5, 2025, Lee was found guilty of the charge by a federal jury at trial. According to investigators, on July 2, 2024, Lee stabbed a Tahlequah resident in the chest with a knife at the victim’s residence. Lee waited to call 911 for several hours after the victim’s death and barricaded himself inside the residence before finally surrendering to police. The crime occurred in Cherokee County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
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. Lee will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Gross and Patrick M. Flanigan represented the United States.
Former IT Technician Sentenced for Stealing Coworker's Personal Data and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – An IT Technician was sentenced today for possessing child pornography and obtaining personal and intimate photographs of co-workers and their families, as well as collecting data to access their personal information online, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. Circuit Judge Gustavo A. Gelpi, Jr., sentenced Chad Henry Davis, 32, for three counts of Obtaining Information by Computer from a Protected Computer, Possession of Fifteen or More Unauthorized Access Devices, Possession of Child Pornography, and two counts of Aggravated Identity Theft. Judge Gelpi ordered Davis to serve 87 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release. Upon his release, Davis will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Court documents show the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTip. Investigators found that Davis possessed at least 12 images and two videos that showed minor children being sexually abused. They further discovered personal and intimate photos that did not belong to Davis. When officers executed a federal warrant at his home, they found that Davis abused his access as an IT Technician and accessed his co-worker’s computers remotely.
Davis admitted to accessing and saving private photos of former co-workers that contained sensitive pictures of family members, including images of adults and one pubic area of a minor. He further admitted to collecting more than 500 usernames and passwords for personal banking, financial, medical, educational, and social media accounts that belonged to his co-workers.
Davis will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Jiang 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 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.
Early Cryptocurrency Investor Known as ‘Bitcoin Jesus’ Admits to Misconduct and Enters into Deferred Prosecution AgreementRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Roger Ver, an early bitcoin investor known as “Bitcoin Jesus,” entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department to resolve federal tax charges brought against him.
Under the agreement, Ver has paid the IRS nearly $50 million in back taxes, penalties, and interest stemming from his willful failure to properly report his bitcoin holdings on tax returns when he expatriated from the United States in 2014.
Today, the government has moved to dismiss the indictment against him.
The following is according to the deferred prosecution agreement: Starting in 2011, Ver began acquiring bitcoins. Over the years, he avidly promoted them, even obtaining the moniker “Bitcoin Jesus.” In March 2014, Ver renounced his U.S. citizenship after obtaining citizenship in St. Kitts and Nevis, a process known as expatriation. Due to his net worth, Ver was required to file certain expatriation-related tax returns and to pay taxes on the capital gains on his world-wide assets, including his bitcoins.
In the agreement, Ver admitted that when he filed these returns in May 2016, he did not report all his bitcoins and pay the required capital gains tax on their constructive sale. Ver admitted that his failure to report capital gains from all these bitcoins caused a loss to the United States of $16,864,105. Ver admitted that the understatement of tax caused by his failure to report ownership of all his bitcoins was willful, which is legally defined as the intentional violation of a known legal duty. Accordingly, Ver admitted he owed the maximum penalty of more than $12 million, as well as interest on the taxes and penalties.
“Mr. Ver is accepting responsibility for his actions and has agreed to pay a substantial penalty,” said Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Every person, whether you’re a millionaire or not, is required by law to pay taxes and we will not hesitate to hold anyone accountable.”
“We are pleased that Mr. Ver has taken responsibility for his past misconduct and satisfied his obligations to the American public. This resolution sends a clear message: whether you deal in dollars or digital assets, you must file accurate tax returns and pay what you owe,” said Associate Deputy Attorney General Ketan D. Bhirud.
“Today’s resolution demonstrates that there are consequences for those who intentionally conceal their assets and evade their tax obligations,” said Kareem Carter, Executive Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation. “No matter how sophisticated the technology or the asset, IRS-CI will continue to follow the money, ensure compliance, and protect the integrity of our tax system.”
The Cyber Crimes Unit of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Washington, D.C. Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorney James C. Hughes of the Major Frauds Section, and Assistant Chief Matthew J. Kluge and Trial Attorney Peter J. Anthony of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.
Dover Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Federal Prison for Stalking Three Women for Multiple YearsRead the Press Release
Dover Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Federal Prison for
Stalking Three Women for Multiple Years
CONCORD – A Dover man was sentenced on October 14, 2025 in federal court in Concord for stalking three women he was in intimate relationships with over a period of five years by using anonymous phone numbers and email accounts to create a fictious stalker, United States Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
Jason Subirana, age 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Steven J. McAuliffe to 41 months in prison, 3 years of supervised release, a $15,000 fine, and ordered to pay $12,110.82 in restitution. Subirana pleaded guilty to three counts of cyberstalking on May 20, 2025.
“For five years, this defendant weaponized personal relationships to inflict fear, humiliation, and emotional harm on his victims,” said U.S. Attorney Creegan. “Cyberstalking is not a crime that happens only online—it causes lasting damage in the real world. This sentence holds the defendant accountable for his campaign of intimidation and demonstrates our commitment to protecting victims from those who misuse technology to harass and control others.”
“What Jason Subirana did was simply outrageous and now he’ll pay a hefty price for his crimes,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “Mr. Subirana engaged in a five-year cyberstalking campaign during which he betrayed the trust of his victims and inflicted significant and lasting emotional harm. This sentence holds him accountable for using today’s technology in such a despicable way.”
Between November 2016 - December 2021, the defendant stalked three women he was in close personal relationships with. He used more than 50 anonymous phone numbers, provided by TextNow, and anonymous email accounts to send over 650 harassing messages to the three victims from a fictious stalker. He attempted to manipulate his victims and cause emotional distress.
In addition to sending harassing communications to the victims, the defendant also sent himself harassing messages from the fictious stalker using anonymous accounts. The defendant collected compromising information about the victims and then sent the compromising information to himself under the guise that he received it from “the stalker.” The defendant then actively distanced himself from “the stalker” by accusing innocent individuals of being his victim’s “stalker.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation. Assistant U.S Attorney John Kennedy prosecuted the case.
Compounding Pharmacy Owner Sent Back to PrisonRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Jenks man was sentenced today for failing to abide by the terms of his supervised release, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Christopher R. Parks, 65, to 15 months imprisonment, followed by 21 months of supervised release.
In October 2023, court records show that Parks was convicted of Conspiracy to Offer and Pay Health Care Kickbacks and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release. The Court ordered Parks to pay more than $6.4 million in restitution and make monthly payments of at least $1,000 or 10% of net income, whichever is greater.
In April 2025, the U.S. Probation and Service Office (Probation) petitioned the court for a summons to compel Parks to come before the court. The petition alleges that Parks failed to make several payments. Court records show that Parks has paid only $8,450 toward his restitution since his release in January 2024.
During the investigation, Probation discovered that Parks failed to disclose several checking accounts and businesses.
He also engaged in efforts to obtain loans and/or credit and transferred assets to his family without first consulting with the Probation Office.Court records show that from March 2024 through June 2025, more than $560,000 was deposited and withdrawn from these accounts. Of the withdrawals, more than $320,000 was withdrawn in cash. Despite knowing he was facing additional prison time for noncompliance, court documents show that Parks continued to mislead Probation.
Parks will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The U.S. Probation and Service Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Whipple prosecuted the case.
Chinese National Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Sell Oxycodone on the DarknetRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Zhengchang Huang, aka “chinodrug,” Chihwei Lim, and Yang Yong, 34, a Chinese national who had been legally residing in Kent, Washington, was sentenced today to 180 months’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine by United States District Judge Michael M. Baylson for conspiracy to distribute oxycodone. Judge Baylson also ordered the forfeiture of nearly 200 Bitcoins, worth approximately $22 million as of today, deemed to constitute or derive from the proceeds of Huang’s criminal conduct.
The defendant was charged by indictment in April 2024 and pleaded guilty this February.
As detailed in court filings and statements, Huang led a conspiracy to operate as the drug vendor “chinodrug” from the U.S. and abroad. Through the darknet, encrypted peer to peer communications, and other means, Huang and his co-conspirators in Asia and the United States sold millions of dollars of Schedule II controlled substances, primarily oxycodone, to U.S. buyers. The drugs were smuggled in from China using Huang’s large international network. They were later advertised and sold on the dark web.
These illegal narcotics were shipped via U.S. mail to customers in multiple states, including the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, in exchange for virtual currency. Evidence in the case indicates that, from 2018 through early 2025, the “chinodrug” organization shipped more than 15,000 suspected opioid parcels from Washington State to U.S. customers across the country, generating millions in illicit revenue.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason Grenell.
Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.
Chairman of Prince Group Indicted for Operating Cambodian Forced-Labor Scam Compounds Engaged in Cryptocurrency Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
BROOKLYN, NY - An indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Chen Zhi, also known as “Vincent,” the founder and chairman of Prince Holding Group (Prince Group), a multinational business conglomerate based in Cambodia, with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy for directing Prince Group’s operation of forced-labor scam compounds across Cambodia. Individuals held against their will in the compounds engaged in cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes, known as “pig butchering” scams, that stole billions of dollars from victims in the United States and around the world. The defendant is at large.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Department’s National Security Division also filed today a civil forfeiture complaint against approximately 127,271 bitcoin, currently worth approximately $15 billion, that are proceeds and instrumentalities of the defendant’s fraud and money laundering schemes, and were previously stored in unhosted cryptocurrency wallets whose private keys the defendant had in his possession. Those funds (the Defendant Cryptocurrency) are presently in the custody of the U.S. government. The complaint is the largest forfeiture action in the history of the Department of Justice.
United States Attorney General Pamela Bondi; Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); Frank A Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division (DEA New York), and William Ferrari , Deputy Assistant Director, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), Office of Investigations, announced the indictment and forfeiture action.
“Today’s action represents one of the most significant strikes ever against the global scourge of human trafficking and cyber-enabled financial fraud,” stated Attorney General Bondi. "By dismantling a criminal empire built on forced labor and deception, we are sending a clear message that the United States will use every tool at its disposal to defend victims, recover stolen assets, and bring to justice those who exploit the vulnerable for profit. We are grateful for the hard work of Director Patel and the men and women of the FBI.”
“As alleged, the defendant directed one of the largest investment fraud operations in history, fueling an illicit industry that is reaching epidemic proportions,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Prince Group’s investment scams have caused billions of dollars in losses and untold misery to victims around the world, including here in New York, on the backs of individuals who have been trafficked and forced to work against their will. This historic indictment and forfeiture complaint send a strong message to fraudsters everywhere that we will pursue you no matter where you are, no matter who you are, and no matter your insidious methods, and we will never stop fighting for victims.”
“As alleged, the defendant was the mastermind behind a sprawling cyber-fraud empire operating under the Prince Group umbrella, a criminal enterprise built on human suffering. Trafficked workers were confined in prison-like compounds and forced to carry out online scams on an industrial scale, preying on thousands worldwide, including many here in the United States,” stated Assistant Attorney General Eisenberg. “This indictment and historic forfeiture, the largest in Department history, reflect our commitment to using every tool at our disposal to ensure such crimes do not pay.”
“Chen Zhi, the chairman of Prince Group, a transnational criminal organization, allegedly orchestrated an international cryptocurrency investment fraud scheme and labor trafficking network to steal billions of dollars from thousands of victims,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia. “Zhi allegedly victimized countless individuals: forcing thousands to serve as trapped accomplices and targeting countless others for their wallets. By leveraging his co-conspirators and political influence, this alleged operation plagued all corners of the globe and evaded law enforcement detection for years. Today’s indictment and historical forfeiture action demonstrates the FBI’s relentless determination to eradicate all unlawful revenue streams fueling criminal activity no matter where they are in the world.
“Once again, we see the tremendous success of DEA’s Trident Initiative, an initiative built with our federal law enforcement partners to target and dismantle sophisticated criminal networks and their leadership, operating across the globe,” stated DEA New York Special Agent in Charge Tarentino. “This investigation exposes a staggering level of fraud, corruption, and criminal greed that allowed billions of dollars in illicit funds to flow through global financial systems, leaving behind a trail of victims. It also highlights how transnational criminal organizations continue to evolve, leveraging cryptocurrency and other digital assets to move their money and mask their crimes. Money laundering isn’t a victimless crime, it fuels drug trade, funds violence, and undermines the rule of law. The DEA remains committed to tracing every dollar, following every transaction, and bringing those who abuse our financial networks to justice.”
“This case is a powerful example of the DSS global footprint and our ability to collaborate seamlessly with both U.S. and international law enforcement on complex, multi-jurisdictional fraud schemes,” stated DSS Deputy Assistant Director Ferrari. “Every day, DSS and our partners around the world are conducting investigations just like this, disrupting transnational criminal networks and protecting U.S. interests abroad.”
As alleged in the indictment and forfeiture complaint, since approximately 2015, the defendant has been the founder and chairman of Prince Group, a Cambodian corporate conglomerate that operates dozens of business entities in more than 30 countries. Prince Group is ostensibly focused on real estate development, financial services, and consumer services. However, in secret, the defendant and his top executives grew Prince Group into one of Asia’s largest transnational criminal organizations. Under the defendant’s direction, Prince Group made enormous profits operating scam compounds across Cambodia that perpetrated fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes.
To perpetrate these schemes, malicious actors contacted unwitting victims through messaging or social media applications and convinced them to transfer cryptocurrency to specified accounts based on false promises that the funds would be invested and generate profits. In reality, the funds were stolen from the victims and laundered for the benefit of the perpetrators. The scam perpetrators often built relationships with their victims over time, earning their trust before stealing their funds.
Prince Group’s schemes targeted victims around the world, including in the United States, with assistance from local networks working on Prince Group’s behalf. One such network operated in Brooklyn, New York and facilitated the fraudulent transfer and laundering of millions of dollars on behalf of Prince Group from over 250 victims in New York and across the country.
Prince Group carried out these schemes by trafficking hundreds of workers and forcing them to work in compounds in Cambodia and execute the scams, often under the threat of violence. The compounds housed vast dormitories surrounded by high walls and barbed wire, and functioned as violent forced labor camps. The defendant was directly involved in managing the scam compounds and maintained records associated with each one, including ledgers tracking profits and which fraudulent schemes were run out of which rooms. The defendant also maintained documents describing and depicting “phone farms” at the compounds: automated call centers that used thousands of phones and millions of mobile telephone numbers to facilitate the various fraudulent schemes. The defendant was directly involved in using violence against the individuals within the forced labor camps and possessed images of Prince Group’s violent methods, including photographs depicting beatings and other methods of torture. The defendant communicated directly with his subordinates about beating individuals who “caused trouble,” in one case specifying that the victims should not be “beaten to death.”
In furtherance of these schemes, the defendant and a close network of Prince Group’s top executives used their political influence in multiple foreign countries to protect their criminal enterprise and paid bribes to public officials to avoid disruption by law enforcement. They subsequently laundered the proceeds of the fraudulent schemes through professional money laundering operations and through Prince Group’s own network of ostensibly legal business enterprises, including its online gambling and cryptocurrency mining operations.
At the defendant’s direction, Prince Group associates used sophisticated cryptocurrency laundering techniques to obscure the source of fraudulent Prince Group profits, including “spraying” and “funneling” techniques in which large volumes of cryptocurrency were repeatedly disaggregated across scores of virtual currency addresses and then re-consolidated into fewer addresses to obscure the source of the funds. Some of these criminal proceeds were ultimately held in wallets at cryptocurrency exchanges or exchanged for traditional currency and stored in traditional bank accounts. Other criminal proceeds included the Defendant Cryptocurrency, which was stored in unhosted cryptocurrency wallets whose private keys the defendant personally held. The defendant maintained diagrams recording the process by which some of the Defendant Cryptocurrency was laundered. The defendant boasted to others of Prince Group’s mining businesses that “the profit is considerable because there is no cost”—that is, unlike legitimate enterprises, the operating capital for the cryptocurrency mining businesses comprised money stolen from Prince Group’s many victims.
The defendant and his co-conspirators subsequently used some of the criminal proceeds for luxury travel and entertainment and to make extravagant purchases such as watches, yachts, private jets, vacation homes, high-end collectables, and rare artwork, including a Picasso painting purchased through an auction house in New York City.
The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI New York Joint Asian Criminal Enterprise Task Force with assistance from the FBI’s Virtual Asset Unit.
In parallel with today’s actions by the Department of Justice, the Department of the Treasury today designated Prince Group as a transnational criminal organization and announced sanctions against the defendant and multiple associated individuals and entities, for their roles in illicit activity. The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office also announced sanctions.
If you have information about Chen Zhi or Prince Group, please contact the FBI at [email protected]. According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2024 Internet Crime Report, cryptocurrency investment fraud caused more than $5.8 billion in reported losses in 2024 alone. You can learn more about cryptocurrency investment fraud here: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/national-crimes-and-victim-resources/cryptocurrency-investment-fraud. Members of the public who believe they are victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud and other cyber-enabled crime should contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at https://www.ic3.gov.
The government’s case is being handled by the Eastern District of New York’s National Security and Cybercrime, Asset Recovery, Business and Securities Fraud, and Public Integrity Sections. Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander F. Mindlin, Andrew D. Reich, Benjamin Weintraub and Rebecca M. Schuman are in charge of the prosecution, in partnership with Deputy Chief Christopher B. Brown of the National Security Division’s NatSec Cyber Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Tanisha Payne of the Eastern District of New York’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters.
The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance during the investigation. The Office also thanks the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, the Isle of Man Constabulary’s Proactive International Money-Laundering Investigations Team and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, which also announced sanctions today against entities related to Prince Group.
The Defendant:
CHEN ZHI (also known as “Vincent”)
Age: 37
United Kingdom and CambodiaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-312
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CV-5745
Chairman of Prince Group Indicted for Operating Cambodian Forced Labor Scam Compounds Engaged in Cryptocurrency Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
Note: This press release has been updated to accurately reflect the defendant's nationality.
An indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, charging Cambodian national Chen Zhi, also known as Vincent, 37, the founder and chairman of Prince Holding Group (Prince Group), a multinational business conglomerate based in Cambodia, with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy for directing Prince Group’s operation of forced-labor scam compounds across Cambodia. Individuals held against their will in the compounds engaged in cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes, known as “pig butchering” scams, that stole billions of dollars from victims in the United States and around the world. The defendant is at large.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Justice Department’s National Security Division also filed today a civil forfeiture complaint against approximately 127,271 Bitcoin, currently worth approximately $15 billion, that are proceeds and instrumentalities of the defendant’s fraud and money laundering schemes, and were previously stored in unhosted cryptocurrency wallets whose private keys the defendant had in his possession. Those funds (the Defendant Cryptocurrency) are presently in the custody of the U.S. government. The complaint is the largest forfeiture action in the history of the Department of Justice.
“Today’s action represents one of the most significant strikes ever against the global scourge of human trafficking and cyber-enabled financial fraud,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “By dismantling a criminal empire built on forced labor and deception, we are sending a clear message that the United States will use every tool at its disposal to defend victims, recover stolen assets, and bring to justice those who exploit the vulnerable for profit. We are grateful for the hard work of Director Patel and the men and women of the FBI.”
“Today the FBI and partners executed one of the largest financial fraud takedowns in history,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This is an individual who allegedly operated a vast criminal network across multiple continents involving forced labor, money laundering, investment schemes, and stolen assets — targeting millions of innocent victims in the process. Justice will be done and I’m proud of the men and women of the FBI who executed the mission faithfully.”
“As alleged, the defendant was the mastermind behind a sprawling cyber-fraud empire operating under the Prince Group umbrella, a criminal enterprise built on human suffering. Trafficked workers were confined in prison-like compounds and forced to carry out online scams on an industrial scale, preying on thousands worldwide, including many here in the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “This indictment and historic forfeiture, the largest in Department history, reflect our commitment to using every tool at our disposal to ensure such crimes do not pay.”
“As alleged, the defendant directed one of the largest investment fraud operations in history, fueling an illicit industry that is reaching epidemic proportions,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “Prince Group’s investment scams have caused billions of dollars in losses and untold misery to victims around the world, including here in New York, on the backs of individuals who have been trafficked and forced to work against their will. This historic indictment and forfeiture complaint send a strong message to fraudsters everywhere that we will pursue you no matter where you are, no matter who you are, and no matter your insidious methods, and we will never stop fighting for victims.”
“The outcome of this investigation underscores the strength of the DEA’s Trident Initiative and the value of coordinated action with our federal partners,” said Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Terrance Cole. “DEA is committed to exposing and dismantling complex criminal schemes that exploit global financial systems and emerging technologies to conceal illicit proceeds. These networks operate at the intersection of drug trafficking, corruption, and financial crime, threatening the stability of institutions and communities, alike. DEA remains steadfast in its efforts to protect the integrity of our financial systems, deny criminal organizations the profits that sustain them, and uphold the rule of law across borders.”
As alleged in the indictment and forfeiture complaint, since approximately 2015, the defendant has been the founder and chairman of Prince Group, a Cambodian corporate conglomerate that operates dozens of business entities in more than 30 countries. Prince Group is ostensibly focused on real estate development, financial services, and consumer services. However, in secret, the defendant and his top executives grew Prince Group into one of Asia’s largest transnational criminal organizations. Under the defendant’s direction, Prince Group made enormous profits operating scam compounds across Cambodia that perpetrated fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes.
To perpetrate these schemes, malicious actors contacted unwitting victims through messaging or social media applications and convinced them to transfer cryptocurrency to specified accounts based on false promises that the funds would be invested and generate profits. In reality, the funds were stolen from the victims and laundered for the benefit of the perpetrators. The scam perpetrators often built relationships with their victims over time, earning their trust before stealing their funds.
Prince Group’s schemes targeted victims around the world, including in the United States, with assistance from local networks working on Prince Group’s behalf. One such network operated in Brooklyn, New York, and facilitated the fraudulent transfer and laundering of millions of dollars on behalf of Prince Group from over 250 victims in New York and across the country.
Prince Group carried out these schemes by trafficking hundreds of workers and forcing them to work in compounds in Cambodia and execute the scams, often under the threat of violence. The compounds housed vast dormitories surrounded by high walls and barbed wire, and functioned as violent forced labor camps. The defendant was directly involved in managing the scam compounds and maintained records associated with each one, including ledgers tracking profits and which fraudulent schemes were run out of which rooms. The defendant also maintained documents describing and depicting “phone farms” at the compounds: automated call centers that used thousands of phones and millions of mobile telephone numbers to facilitate the various fraudulent schemes. The defendant was directly involved in using violence against the individuals within the forced labor camps and possessed images of Prince Group’s violent methods, including photographs depicting beatings and other methods of torture. The defendant communicated directly with his subordinates about beating individuals who “caused trouble,” in one case specifying that the victims should not be “beaten to death.”
In furtherance of these schemes, the defendant and a close network of Prince Group’s top executives used their political influence in multiple foreign countries to protect their criminal enterprise and paid bribes to public officials to avoid disruption by law enforcement. They subsequently laundered the proceeds of the fraudulent schemes through professional money laundering operations and through Prince Group’s own network of ostensibly legal business enterprises, including its online gambling and cryptocurrency mining operations.
At the defendant’s direction, Prince Group associates used sophisticated cryptocurrency laundering techniques to obscure the source of fraudulent Prince Group profits, including “spraying” and “funneling” techniques in which large volumes of cryptocurrency were repeatedly disaggregated across scores of virtual currency addresses and then re-consolidated into fewer addresses to obscure the source of the funds. Some of these criminal proceeds were ultimately held in wallets at cryptocurrency exchanges or exchanged for traditional currency and stored in traditional bank accounts. Other criminal proceeds included the Defendant Cryptocurrency, which was stored in unhosted cryptocurrency wallets whose private keys the defendant personally held. The defendant maintained diagrams recording the process by which some of the Defendant Cryptocurrency was laundered. The defendant boasted to others of Prince Group’s mining businesses that “the profit is considerable because there is no cost” — that is, unlike legitimate enterprises, the operating capital for the cryptocurrency mining businesses comprised money stolen from Prince Group’s many victims.
The defendant and his co-conspirators subsequently used some of the criminal proceeds for luxury travel and entertainment and to make extravagant purchases such as watches, yachts, private jets, vacation homes, high-end collectables, and rare artwork, including a Picasso painting purchased through an auction house in New York City.
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.
In parallel with today’s actions by the Department of Justice, the Department of the Treasury today designated Prince Group as a transnational criminal organization and announced sanctions against the defendant and multiple associated individuals and entities, for their roles in illicit activity. The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office also announced sanctions.
The DEA New York Division is investigating the case, along with the FBI New York Joint Asian Criminal Enterprise Task Force and the FBI’s Virtual Asset Unit.
If you have information about Chen Zhi or Prince Group, please contact the FBI at [email protected]. According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2024 Internet Crime Report, cryptocurrency investment fraud caused more than $5.8 billion in reported losses in 2024 alone. You can learn more about cryptocurrency investment fraud here. Members of the public who believe they are victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud and other cyber-enabled crime should contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander F. Mindlin, Andrew D. Reich, Benjamin Weintraub and Rebecca M. Schuman for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case in partnership with Deputy Chief Christopher B. Brown of the National Security Division’s NatSec Cyber Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanisha Payne for the Eastern District of New York’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters.
The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance duringthe investigation. The Government also thanks the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, the Isle of Man Constabulary’s Proactive International Money-Laundering Investigations Team and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, which also announced sanctions today against entities related to Prince Group.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.