Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
Thursday 21 August 2025
Scranton Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison for Nearly One Million Dollar Covid-19 Pandemic Fraud and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Yoel Weiss, age 43, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, to 57 months in prison by United States District Judge Karoline Mehalchick, related to his plea of guilty for one count of wire fraud -- false statements to the Small Business Administration, and one count of unlawful monetary transactions (money laundering). Additionally, Weiss was ordered to pay $858,000 in restitution and will have to serve a 3-year term of supervised release following his incarceration.
According to Acting United States Attorney John Gurganus, in June and July of 2020, during the on-going Covid-19 pandemic, Weiss filed at least seven fraudulent applications for pandemic stimulus funds through the Economic Injury and Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. The information on those forms, in support of his request for stimulus funds, was fraudulent. The applications submitted by Weiss were filed on behalf of corporate entities that did not, in fact, have actual business operations, and that bore false dates of business establishment, false employee headcount information, and fabricated gross revenues, costs of goods sold, and lost rental income.
Further, upon receipt of the nearly one million dollars in stimulus funds, Weiss did not spend those funds on approved pandemic-related expenses, but instead spent the money on retail shopping, credit card debt, a real estate purchase of a distillery in New York, and to fund other personal expenses and real estate purchases. Weiss additionally received a sentencing enhancement related to obstruction of justice when he attempted to influence and prevent the testimony of a witness who was subpoenaed to testify in front of a federal grand jury.
“Mr. Weiss deliberately and repeatedly defrauded the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program designed to help small business owners during the COVID pandemic for his own personal enrichment,” said Philadelphia Field Office Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty. “Yesterday’s sentencing holds Mr. Weiss accountable for his criminal actions and shows that our office continues working to bring charges against individuals who commit these crimes.”
The EIDL program, funded by the March 2020 CARES Act, was designed to help small businesses facing financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. EIDL funds are offered in low-interest rate loans, designated for specific business expenses, such as fixed debts, payroll, and business obligation.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Luisa Honora Berti prosecuted the case.
# # #
Suspended Broker Charged for Online Investment FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Christopher G. Raia, announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging KENNETH THOM, a/k/a “K$,” a/k/a “K Money,” with securities fraud and investment adviser fraud. THOM was arrested today and will be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos.
“After his suspension as a broker, Kenneth Thom used social media to steal from investors,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “If you’re getting investment advice from someone who is not registered as a broker or investment advisor, the risk of fraud is much higher. We will hold accountable anyone who preys on everyday investors who rightly expect their trading professionals to be in good standing and act in their best interests.”
“Kenneth Thom allegedly manipulated his client’s investments to not only place unsuccessful trades, but also promote an illusion of success,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia. “Thom’s alleged incessant deceit betrayed the trust of investors by failing to disclose his misuse and loss of client funds. The FBI will never waiver from apprehending any individual who steals from others’ pockets to greedily finance personal purchases.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment unsealed today:[1]
In May 2006, THOM passed securities licensing examinations and registered as a broker with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). In or around January 2011, FINRA suspended THOM’s broker registration after he failed to pay an arbitration award to an investor. THOM also admitted around that time to the FBI that he had commingled that investor’s money with his own money in a brokerage account that THOM controlled and lost most of the money through unsuccessful trading. THOM further admitted that when the investor sought to withdraw her funds, he did not tell the investor that he had lost her money and instead invented fake excuses and then ignored the investor altogether.
After being suspended by FINRA, THOM turned to social media and promoted himself online as a successful trader. Using the monikers “K$” and “K Money,” THOM described himself as a “Wall Street veteran,” a “luminary,” and a “beacon of knowledge,” and he used his online platforms to sell trading courses and trade suggestions to his followers. One of THOM’s platforms was a Facebook group called, at relevant times, the “K$ Trading Group” (the “K$ Facebook Group”), in which THOM posted the results of his purportedly successful trades.
Beginning in late 2023, THOM invited members of the K$ Facebook Group to participate in “shared accounts” that THOM would manage in exchange for a percentage of the trading profits. THOM eventually raised nearly $800,000 from approximately 67 clients. Of this sum, THOM invested only approximately $350,000, diverting most of the remainder for his own personal use, including on travel, dining, and luxury goods.
Of the $350,000 that THOM invested, he lost more than $250,000 trading options, for a net loss of approximately 73% between in or around March 2024 and March 2025. To hide these losses, THOM published false performance updates showing significant gains. For example, on or around July 3, 2024, THOM posted in the K$ Facebook Group that each of his three purported shared accounts was positive year-to-date, with returns ranging from 4% to 120% (see photo below). In fact, as of the close of the preceding trading day, THOM had lost approximately 31% of the client funds he invested to date.
In or about January 2025, the name of the K$ Facebook Group was changed to “AYBABTU” — an acronym for the Internet meme “all your base are belong to us” — and THOM stopped responding to clients.
* * *
THOM, 41, of Westfield, New Jersey, is charged with one count of securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of investment adviser fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI. Mr. Clayton also expressed appreciation for the assistance of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which separately initiated civil proceedings against the defendant today.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Li is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
u.s._v._thom_indictment.pdf[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth in this release constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Roofing Contractor Admits Tax Evasion SchemeRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, today announced that on August 19, 2025, ANTHONY DELMARO, 48, of Woodbridge, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to tax evasion.
According to court documents and statements made in court, since at least 2012, Delmaro has owned and operated a commercial roofing businesses in Connecticut, most frequently doing business as “Kings Roofing.” The business also provided paving services. Until Delmaro was notified of this investigation, Kings Roofing was not registered with the Connecticut Secretary of State and did not have a federal Taxpayer Identification Number. From 2012 to 2022, Kings Roofing earned approximately $20.9 million in customer receipts, but Delmaro paid his workers in cash, never filed income or payroll tax returns for himself or the business, and took several steps to conceal income and operating expenses from the IRS.
As part of his tax evasion scheme, Delmaro and others associated with his business cashed checks from customers at various check cashing businesses instead of depositing them into bank accounts. Delmaro provided the check cashers with addresses associated with UPS mailboxes rather than his home address. When the check cashers filed Currency Transaction Reports (“CTRs”), the IRS only had a UPS mailbox location to try to identify source of income. When not using a check casher, Delmaro made business-related deposits into his personal bank account.
Delmaro also had customers file false Forms 1099 made out to a family member, rather than his business, or made out to Delmaro himself, making income attribution more difficult. Delmaro sometimes provided customers with an alias, “Sonny Rubino,” which they used on the 1099. If a customer refused to pay unless Delmaro provided a Form W-9 identifying his taxpayer identification number and address, Delmaro often provided a W-9 completed with his father’s name and Social Security number and an address associated with a UPS mailbox. Delmaro’s father used an alias, which differed from the name and information Delmaro provided to the customer.
For the 2022 tax year, Delmaro cashed $3,710,628 in checks made payable to Kings Roofing at check cashing businesses, received $439,700 in business-related deposits into his personal bank account, and caused 24 Forms 1099-NEC totaling $1,908,095 to be filed with false information.
The investigation also revealed that from 2019 to April 2025, Delmaro received more than $500,000 in Husky Health Low Income Medical benefits. Husky Health is a Connecticut Medicaid program, jointly funded by the federal government and by the State of Connecticut and administered by the Connecticut Department of Social Services.
Delmaro has agreed to pay restitution of $1,129,669 to the IRS, and $578,259 to the Connecticut Medicaid program.
Judge Nagala scheduled sentencing for December 17.
Delmaro is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division and the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.
Repeat Child Pornography Offender Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – U.S. District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley sentenced a Peoria, Illinois, man, Michael Dean Dupoy, 53, to 216 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, for possession of child pornography. Judge Hawley also sentenced Dupoy, who was serving a term of supervised release for an earlier conviction for receipt of child pornography, to 24 months’ imprisonment for violating the terms of that supervised release. He further ordered that the 24 months sentence be served consecutively to the 216-month sentence, for a total sentence of 240 months.
At the sentencing hearing on August 20, 2025, Judge Hawley heard arguments relating to Dupoy’s history of arrests, including his 2008 conviction for receipt of child pornography. For that offense, he was sentenced to 220 months’ imprisonment, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release. Dupoy began his supervised release in early October 2024. Later that same month, while visiting Dupoy at his residence, a United States Probation Officer noticed a SanDisk Model 512GB Micro SD card. Although Dupoy claimed it just contained movies, the officer seized the card and submitted it for analysis. While waiting for the analysis, the officer visited Dupoy in December 2024 at his home and found that Dupoy had an unmonitored cellular phone, which was prohibited under the conditions of his supervised release. Analysis of the SD card and the cellular phone revealed that Dupoy had 482 images and 58 videos of child sexual abuse materials. Also on the SD card and the phone were photos of children who came into the store where he worked.
Dupoy was arrested in December 2024 in relation to the supervised release violation. A federal grand jury returned an indictment in a new criminal case in February 2025 charging Dupoy with possession of child pornography. Dupoy pleaded guilty in April 2025. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Hawley found that the sentence was necessary to protect the public and deter Dupoy from further criminal conduct, noting that his criminal conduct began almost immediately upon his release from prison. The judge said that he saw “nothing to think [that Dupoy] would not immediately engage in this behavior again” and said that the “the surest way to deter” Dupoy was to have him in custody. The judge concluded that Dupoy needed “to be removed from society to protect the public.”
Because of Dupoy’s prior conviction, the statutory penalties for possession of child pornography are 10 to 20 years’ imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year to life term of supervised release.
The United States Probation Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, investigated the case. Criminal Chief Darilynn J. Knauss represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Dupoy was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
Philadelphia Man Pleads Guilty to Violent Threats, Cyberstalking, Civil Rights ViolationsRead the Press Release
Mark Tucci, 44, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before U.S. District Judge Gerald A. McHugh to multiple charges arising from racist, violent threats made by phone, email, text message, and in person, that targeted African Americans.
The defendant was arrested on a criminal complaint and warrant in January of this year and charged by information in March with one count each of a threat to use a dangerous weapon, interfering with federally protected activities, cyberstalking, interstate communication of threats, and threats interfering with federally protected activities. Tucci pleaded guilty to all the charges.
As detailed in the information and other court filings, the defendant repeatedly called and sent text messages and emails that consisted of racial epithets and violent threats to harm an employee (Victim 1) of an agency of the City of Philadelphia (Philadelphia Agency 1), and Victim 1’s colleagues.
Between about April 18, 2024, and June 2, 2024, Tucci emailed Victim 1 multiple times regarding a records request he had made to the agency. This escalated on June 3, 2024, when he repeatedly called Philadelphia Agency 1, and during two of those calls, he spoke with Victim 1, identified himself by name, and screamed at Victim 1, who asked him to stop screaming. He continued to do so, causing Victim 1 to hang up each time.
During subsequent calls on June 3 with Philadelphia Agency 1, Tucci spoke with two of Victim 1’s colleagues, using racial epithets and making threats. Specifically, the defendant said that he was going to come down to Philadelphia Agency 1 the next day and hurt everyone, and that he had Victim 1’s home address and was going to hurt Victim 1.
Tucci sent multiple emails to Victim 1 the same day, using similar racial epithets and threats. He also texted Victim 1 on their personal cell phone, a phone number that Victim 1 had never provided to the defendant. The text messages from Tucci to Victim 1 mentioned Victim 1 by name, and the name of the street on which Victim 1 resided at the time. The messages included a warning that “This is personal now,” and additional threatening language.
Tucci’s communications caused Victim 1 severe emotional distress, and fear that Tucci would find Victim 1 and seriously injure or kill them or their family members.
Tucci willfully intimidated and interfered, and attempted to intimidate and interfere, with Victim 1 because of Victim 1’s race and color, and because Victim 1 was enjoying employment by, and all perquisites of, an agency of the City of Philadelphia, a subdivision of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Also detailed in court filings, on the morning of Feb. 1, 2024, Tucci pulled up next to another car in heavy traffic on I-95 southbound, lowered his windows, and repeatedly screamed racial epithets and threats to kill and shoot the other car’s driver (Victim 2), who is African American. Tucci then reached down into his car, pulled out a glass mug containing coffee, and threw it at Victim 2’s vehicle, terrifying Victim 2 and damaging their car.
The defendant will be sentenced in December of 2025 and faces a maximum penalty of 21 years in prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Jeanette Kang for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Samuel Kuhn of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
Philadelphia Man Pleads Guilty to Violent Threats, Cyberstalking, Civil Rights ViolationsRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Mark Tucci, 44, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge Gerald A. McHugh to multiple charges arising from racist, violent threats made by phone, email, text message, and in person, that targeted African Americans.
The defendant was arrested on a criminal complaint and warrant in January of this year and charged by information in March with one count each of a threat to use a dangerous weapon, interfering with federally protected activities, cyberstalking, interstate communication of threats, and threats interfering with federally protected activities. Tucci pleaded guilty to all the charges.
As detailed in the information and other court filings, the defendant repeatedly called and sent text messages and emails that consisted of racial epithets and violent threats to harm an employee (Victim 1) of an agency of the City of Philadelphia (Philadelphia Agency 1), and Victim 1’s colleagues.
Between about April 18, 2024, and June 2, 2024, Tucci emailed Victim 1 multiple times regarding a records request he had made to the agency. This escalated on June 3, 2024, when he repeatedly called Philadelphia Agency 1, and during two of those calls, he spoke with Victim 1, identified himself by name, and screamed at Victim 1, who asked him to stop screaming. He continued to do so, causing Victim 1 to hang up each time.
During subsequent calls on June 3 with Philadelphia Agency 1, Tucci spoke with two of Victim 1’s colleagues, using racial epithets and making threats. Specifically, the defendant said that he was going to come down to Philadelphia Agency 1 the next day and hurt everyone, and that he had Victim 1’s home address and was going to hurt Victim 1.
Tucci sent multiple emails to Victim 1 the same day, using similar racial epithets and threats. He also texted Victim 1 on their personal cell phone, a phone number that Victim 1 had never provided to the defendant. The text messages from Tucci to Victim 1 mentioned Victim 1 by name, and the name of the street on which Victim 1 resided at the time. The messages included a warning that “This is personal now,” and additional threatening language.
Tucci’s communications caused Victim 1 severe emotional distress, and fear that Tucci would find Victim 1 and seriously injure or kill them or their family members.
Tucci willfully intimidated and interfered, and attempted to intimidate and interfere, with Victim 1 because of Victim 1’s race and color, and because Victim 1 was enjoying employment by, and all perquisites of, an agency of the City of Philadelphia, a subdivision of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Also detailed in court filings, on the morning of February 1, 2024, Tucci pulled up next to another car in heavy traffic on I-95 southbound, lowered his windows, and repeatedly screamed racial epithets and threats to kill and shoot the other car’s driver (Victim 2), who is African American. Tucci then reached down into his car, pulled out a glass mug containing coffee, and threw it at Victim 2’s vehicle, terrifying Victim 2 and damaging their car.
The incident occurred while Victim 2 was enjoying a facility provided and administered by a State and a subdivision thereof, that is, driving on I-95.
This case was investigated by the FBI, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Jeanette Kang and Trial Attorney Samuel Kuhn of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
Pekin Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Pekin, Illinois, man, Joseph D. Perkins, 32, was sentenced today to 120 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by seven years of supervised release, for attempted enticement of a minor. He also is required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm, the court considered evidence from Perkins’s April 2025 jury trial showing that from January 2023 until March 2024, he engaged in conversation with a person he believed to be a fourteen-year-old female. Throughout the 14-month conversation, Perkins made multiple attempts to obtain nude photos and repeatedly attempted to meet the individual to engage in sexual activities. He arrived at a planned meet-up in late March 2024 and was arrested by federal law enforcement officers.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Perkins in April 2024. The case went to trial in April 2025, and a jury found Perkins guilty. Perkins has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest in March 2024 on a federal criminal complaint.
The statutory penalties for attempted enticement of a minor include a mandatory minimum of ten years to life imprisonment, followed by a supervised release term of five years to life.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa P. Ortiz and Douglas F. McMeyer represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Perkins was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
Parkersburg Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Michael David Enoch, 33, of Parkersburg, was sentenced today to five years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 15, 2024, law enforcement officers encountered Enoch on a Parkersburg street and informed Enoch of an active warrant for his arrest. When Enoch reached for his waistband, officers stopped Enoch and recovered a Taurus model PT111 G2 9mm semiautomatic pistol that had been concealed in his waistband.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Enoch knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for wanton endangerment involving a firearm, escape, and receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle in Wood County Circuit Court on February 25, 2019.
Enoch has a criminal history that also includes multiple convictions for battery, domestic battery, fleeing from an officer, battery on a government representative, and violation of a protective order.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Parkersburg Police Department.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-26.
###
Palm Coast Hacker Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger has sentenced Noah Michael Urban (20, Palm Coast), a/k/a “King Bob,” “Sosa,” “Elijah,” and “Gustavo Fring,” to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The court also ordered Urban to forfeit approximately $4.8 million in assets, which includes cryptocurrency and other property. Urban was also ordered to pay $13 million in restitution. Urban entered a guilty plea on April 4, 2025.
According to court documents, from August 2022 through March of 2023, Urban was involved in stealing cryptocurrency from at least 59 victims across the United States. Urban and others conducted targeted attacks called “SIM swaps,” to obtain victims’ personal identification information (PII). Once Urban obtained victims’ PII, he hacked into their cryptocurrency accounts online and stole their cryptocurrency.
During this same timeframe, Urban was also part of a group that targeted employees of companies nationwide with phishing text messages. The harvested employee credentials were then used to log in and steal non-public company data and information. The group also used stolen information obtained from victim company intrusions, leaked data sets, and other sources to gain unauthorized access to numerous individuals’ cryptocurrency accounts and wallets and steal millions of dollars of virtual currency.
The FBI served a search warrant on Urban’s residence and found evidence on Urban’s computer linking him to the victims’ email accounts and cryptocurrency wallets. In addition, cryptocurrency totaling approximately $4.8 million from the victims’ stolen accounts was found on Urban’s devices. The total loss to the victims was over $13 million.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Cannizzaro of the Middle District of Florida and Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Restrepo of the Central District of California.
Pensacola Felon Pleads Guilty to Drug and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – John Cody Hawthorne, 32, of Pensacola, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of firearms and ammunition by convicted felon, possession of a short-barreled rifle, and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I applaud the excellent work of Sheriff Chip Simmons and our federal law enforcement partners to make our community safer by getting this dangerous individual off the streets. My office remains fully committed to fulfilling the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America by targeting violent criminals with the full force of the law.”
Court documents reflect that Hawthorne, who was on state probation at the time, was in possession of multiple firearms as well as illegal narcotics. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hawthorne’s residence and located seven firearms in his bedroom, one of which was a short-barreled rifle, as well as over 400 live rounds of ammunition, marijuana, methamphetamine, ballistic body armor, and several thousand dollars.
Hawthorne faces up to fifteen years’ imprisonment on the possession of firearm by convicted felon count, up to ten years imprisonment on the possession of short-barreled rifle count, and up to twenty years imprisonment on the drug possession charge.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 13, 2025, at 10:00 am at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Owner of Taco Restaurants Pleads Guilty to Firearms Charge and Employing Unauthorized AliensRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Blademir Angulo Audeves, 42, of Mexico, pleaded guilty on August 20, to one count of Alien in Possession of a Firearm and one count of Knowingly Employing Unauthorized Aliens. Sentencing is scheduled for October 28, 2025, before United States District Judge Humetewa.
In his plea, Audeves admitted that he owned and operated El Taqueria El Taco Loko LLC, which included a brick-and-mortar restaurant and two mobile restaurants in the Phoenix-metro area. As the owner and operator of the restaurants, Audeves knowingly hired and employed at least twelve unauthorized aliens, who were either not lawfully admitted for permanent residence to the United States or were not authorized to be employed in the United States.
Audeves, a Mexican citizen without legal authority to be in the United States, also admitted to knowingly possessing three firearms in July 2025, along with ammunition, all of which was prohibited because of his immigration status.
A conviction for Alien in Possession of a Firearm carries a maximum penalty of fifteen years of imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000. A conviction for Knowingly Employing Unauthorized Aliens carries a maximum penalty of six months of imprisonment and a maximum fine of $3,000 for each unauthorized alien with respect to whom such a violation occurs.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Homeland Security Investigations is conducting the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-25-01029
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-138_Audeves# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Orange County Man and Aspiration Partners Co-Founder Agrees to Plead Guilty to $248 Million Scheme to Defraud Investors and LendersRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An Orange County man who co-founded and served as board member of the financial technology and sustainability services company formerly known as Aspiration Partners Inc., was charged today by criminal information and agreed to plead guilty to defrauding multiple investors and lenders.
Joseph Neal Sanberg, 46, of Orange, is charged with two counts of wire fraud, felonies that each carry a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. He has agreed to plead guilty to both counts.
Sanberg is expected to formally enter a guilty plea in the coming weeks.
“This so-called ‘anti-poverty’ activist has admitted to being nothing more than a self-serving fraudster, by seeking to enrich himself by defrauding lenders and investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “I commend our law enforcement partners for their efforts in this case, and I urge the investing public to use caution and beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
“For years, Joseph Sanberg used his position at Aspiration to deceive investors and lenders for his own benefit, causing his victims over $248 million in losses,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. “The Criminal Division is committed to pursuing, charging, and convicting fraudsters like Sanberg, who cause significant harm to their victims and undermine our financial institutions.”
“The defendant didn’t just bend the truth, he built a business on a lie to boost the company’s value and line his own pockets,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Criminal Investigations Group. “The Postal Inspection Service will go after this kind of calculated deception. No matter who you are, you will be brought to justice.”
“This is a case about greed and abuse of trust,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Today’s guilty plea is a direct result of the commitment by the FBI and our law enforcement partners to hold those accountable who set out to defraud victims and undermine our financial system. The FBI will continue to work with our partners to ensure this kind of malicious behavior is investigated and stopped.”
According to court documents, beginning in 2020 and continuing into 2025, Sanberg devised a scheme to use his role as a co-founder and board member of Aspiration as well as his shares of company stock to defraud various lenders and investors.
Between 2020 and 2021, Sanberg and Ibrahim AlHusseini, both members of Aspiration’s board of directors, fraudulently obtained $145 million in loans from two lenders by pledging shares of Sanberg’s Aspiration stock. Sanberg and AlHusseini also falsified AlHusseini’s bank and brokerage statements to fraudulently inflate AlHusseini’s assets by tens of millions of dollars to secure the loans. Beginning in 2021, Sanberg also defrauded Aspiration’s investors by concealing that he was the source of certain revenue recognized by the company.
Court documents also state that Sanberg personally recruited companies and individuals to sign letters of intent with Aspiration in which they committed to pay tens of thousands of dollars per month for tree planting services. Sanberg used legal entities under his control to conceal that these payments came from Sanberg rather than from the customers. Sanberg instructed Aspiration employees not to contact the customers that he had recruited to conceal his scheme.
Aspiration booked revenue from these customers between March 2021 and November 2022, but Sanberg did not disclose that he was the source of the payments. As a result, Aspiration’s financial statements were inaccurate and reflected much higher revenue than the company in fact received. Sanberg continued to solicit investors to invest in Aspiration securities into 2025.
According to the documents, Sanberg also defrauded other lenders and investors with fraudulent materials describing Aspiration’s financial condition, including a fabricated letter from Aspiration’s audit committee that falsely stated that Aspiration had $250 million in available cash and equivalents at a time that Aspiration had less than $1 million in available cash. Sanberg used these fraudulent financial materials to obtain millions of dollars in additional loans and investments in Aspiration securities. Sanberg’s victims sustained more than $248 million in losses.
USPIS and the FBI are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Nisha Chandran of the Major Frauds Section and Jenna Williams of the Transnational Organized Crime Section and Justice Department Trial Attorneys Theodore Kneller and Adam L.D. Stempel of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting this case.
If you believe you are a victim in this case, please contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness Unit toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or by email at [email protected]. To learn more about victims’ rights, please visit www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-vns/victim-rights-derechos-de-las-v-ctimas.
Ohio Siblings Sentenced for Laundering $784,045 in Drug ProceedsRead the Press Release
An Ohio brother and sister were sentenced to federal prison for their roles in collecting drug proceeds in the United States and laundering those funds, or their equivalent value, back to Mexico on behalf of a cartel.
According to court documents, Christopher Grover Reynolds, 52, of Toledo, Ohio, was sentenced to over six years in prison, and his sister, Claudette Reynolds, 51, of Toledo, was sentenced to two years in prison for their participation in a money laundering conspiracy. They were both sentenced to three years of supervised release.
“The defendants helped Mexican drug traffickers collect and disguise the profits from selling methamphetamine and fentanyl in Toledo,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their money laundering activities fueled the importation of dangerous drugs into the Midwest. This prosecution reflects the Criminal Division’s commitment to staunch the flow of cash to cartels and protect communities from the devastating consequences of drug trafficking.”
“Money launderers like the Reynolds are critical links in the cartel’s drug trafficking chain,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Paul McCaffrey. “We are grateful for the tireless efforts of our law enforcement partners in working to disrupt and dismantle that chain.”
“Every dollar they laundered was done so on the backs of overdose victims and their families,” said Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott, head of DEA’s Louisville Division. “By acting as the cartel’s bankers, these siblings helped fuel the fentanyl and meth crisis tearing through Ohio. DEA will hunt down anyone who dares to wash cartel money — because if you launder blood money for drug traffickers, you will face justice alongside them.”
According to court documents, Christopher Reynolds collected proceeds from the sale of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana in Toledo and notified a Mexico-based cartel that the funds were ready for laundering and transfer to Mexico. On six occasions, Reynolds personally delivered the money – totaling $784,045 – or enlisted his sister to do so. The money was later transferred to Mexico via cryptocurrency.
A search of Christopher Reynolds’s residence and a traffic stop of Claudette Reynolds led to a seizure of $184,415 in bulk cash, several pounds of marijuana, counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine and fentanyl, two firearms (a .40 caliber pistol and an AR-15 rifle), and a money counting machine.
The DEA Lexington Resident Office investigated the case, working closely with the Detroit Field Division and Rocky Mountain Field Division and assisted by DEA offices in Mexico, Toledo, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Birmingham, Chicago, Cincinnati, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Louisville, Baltimore, Des Moines, Milwaukee, Portland, Columbia, and Rapid City, with the IRS Criminal Investigation Division.
Trial Attorney Elizabeth R. Rabe of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Deputy Criminal Chief Gary Todd Bradbury of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and other transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Ohio Siblings Sentenced for Laundering $784,045 in Drug ProceedsRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – An Ohio brother and sister, Christiopher Grover Reynolds, 52, of Toledo, Ohio, and Claudette Reynolds, 51, were sentenced on Thursday by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to 37 months, for their roles in collecting drug proceeds in the United States and laundering those funds, or their equivalent value, back to Mexico on behalf of a cartel.
According to court documents, Christopher Reynolds collected proceeds from the sale of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana in Toledo and notified a Mexico-based cartel that the funds were ready for laundering and transfer to Mexico. On six occasions, Reynolds personally delivered the money – totaling $784,045 – or enlisted his sister to do so. The money was later transferred to Mexico via cryptocurrency.
A search of Christopher Reynolds’s residence and a traffic stop of Claudette Reynolds led to a seizure of $184,415 in bulk cash, several pounds of marijuana, counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine and fentanyl, two firearms (a .40 caliber pistol and an AR-15 rifle), and a money counting machine.
Under federal law, Christopher Reynolds and Claudette Reynolds must serve 85 percent of their prison sentence. Upon their release from prison, they will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.
“The defendants helped Mexican drug traffickers collect and disguise the profits from selling methamphetamine and fentanyl in Toledo,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their money laundering activities fueled the importation of dangerous drugs into the Midwest. This prosecution reflects the Criminal Division’s commitment to staunch the flow of cash to cartels and protect communities from the devastating consequences of drug trafficking.”
“Money launderers like the Reynolds are critical links in the cartel’s drug trafficking chain,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Paul McCaffrey. “We are grateful for the tireless efforts of our law enforcement partners in working to disrupt and dismantle that chain.”
“Every dollar they laundered was done so on the backs of overdose victims and their families,” said Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott, head of DEA’s Louisville Division. “By acting as the cartel’s bankers, these siblings helped fuel the fentanyl and meth crisis tearing through Ohio. DEA will hunt down anyone who dares to wash cartel money — because if you launder blood money for drug traffickers, you will face justice alongside them.”
The DEA Lexington Resident Office investigated the case, working closely with the Detroit Field Division and Rocky Mountain Field Division and assisted by DEA offices in Mexico, Toledo, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Birmingham, Chicago, Cincinnati, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Louisville, Baltimore, Des Moines, Milwaukee, Portland, Columbia, and Rapid City, with the IRS Criminal Investigation Division.
Trial Attorney Elizabeth R. Rabe of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Deputy Criminal Chief Gary Todd Bradbury of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and other transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
– END –
Nevada Man Sentenced for over $11M COVID-19 Relief Fraud and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS — A Nevada man was sentenced today to over 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release for fraudulently obtaining more than $11 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and then laundering the funds through real estate transactions, gambling activity, and luxury purchases. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $11,793,064.15, forfeiture in the amount of $11,231,186.52, and to forfeit two vehicles and five properties.
“This defendant stole more than $11 million in taxpayer funds that he used to finance luxury purchases and gambling,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Prosecuting schemes like this is critical to protecting the contributions of hard-working Americans, preserving confidence in government relief programs, and ensuring that aid reaches those who truly need it. This sentence demonstrates the Criminal Division’s continuing commitment to protecting the public’s money from thieves and fraudsters.”
“The consequences of the defendant’s PPP loan fraud scheme have caught up with him and now he will be incarcerated for exploiting more than $11.2 million from a taxpayer-funded program,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “Thanks to the diligent work of our law enforcement partners, the defendant is being held accountable for defrauding the government.”
“This lengthy sentence shows how seriously the American government takes PPP loan fraud,” said Special Agent in Charge Carissa Messick of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Phoenix Field Office. “This loan program was created to support small businesses and their employees during a once in a lifetime pandemic. When Mr. Dezfooli fraudulently obtained these loans, he not only stole from the Small Business Administration, but also from American taxpayers to the tune of $11.2 million. This sentencing is a testament to IRS-CI’s dedication to protecting American taxpayers and ensuring the integrity of our tax system.”
“Today’s sentencing holds accountable and brings to justice a fraudster who stole millions of taxpayer dollars intended to help small business owners,” said Special Agent in Charge Jon Ellwanger of the Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Western Region. “We are proud to have worked with our federal law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to achieve this result.”
“Mr. Dezfooli falsified loan applications to fraudulently obtain PPP loan proceeds that he used to enrich himself to the detriment of legitimate business struggling during the pandemic,” said Special Agent in Charge Ryan Korner of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG). “The defendant’s actions not only defrauded the PPP loan program but also disadvantaged business owners who were actually entitled to the benefits. FDIC OIG is committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to protect the Nation’s Financial System and hold accountable those individuals, like Mr. Dezfooli, who steal benefits designated to help those in need.”
According to evidence presented at trial, Meelad Dezfooli, of Henderson, Nevada, submitted three fraudulent applications on behalf of entities he controlled, obtaining more than $11 million. Dezfooli supported these applications with false documents, including fabricated tax records and a utility bill, and grossly inflated the number of employees and payroll expenses of each entity.
After receiving the PPP funds, Dezfooli laundered the money by purchasing approximately 25 properties in Nevada, often using the alias “James Dez” or a fictitious entity called “Holdings Trust.” Even after he was indicted, Dezfooli continued laundering money, including selling property purchased with the illegally obtained PPP funds. He also used criminal proceeds to fund his personal investment account, buy luxury cars, and gamble extensively throughout Las Vegas. As part of this investigation, five homes were seized by law enforcement.
On Sept. 4, 2024, a jury found Dezfooli guilty of three counts of bank fraud, three counts of money laundering, and four counts of conducting transactions using criminally derived property. One of those violations related to a transaction that Dezfooli conducted after he had already been charged.
The IRS-CI, FRB-OIG, FDIC-OIG, and SBA-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys D. Zachary Adams and Taylor G. Stout of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel R. Schiess for the District of Nevada prosecuted the case. Legal Assistant Alexa Stiles and Paralegal Holly Butler of MLARS provided substantial assistance throughout the investigation and trial.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form
###
Montgomery Man Sentenced to over Eight Years for $1 Million Fraud Scheme and Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
MONTGOMERY, AL – Today, Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced that a Montgomery man has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for orchestrating a mail and bank fraud scheme that caused over $1 million in losses, as well as for illegally possessing firearms as a convicted felon.
On August 20, 2025, a federal judge sentenced 29-year-old Joseph Robert Milford to 105 months in prison. Following his release, Milford will serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records and his plea agreements, from October 2021 through December 2023, Milford and co-conspirators solicited stolen checks from the mail using messaging apps and social media platforms. They then altered the checks to list co-conspirators as payees, often changing the check amounts as well. The altered checks were deposited into various bank accounts and the proceeds were quickly withdrawn or converted into debit cards. Investigators ultimately traced fraudulent transactions totaling $1,000,238.34.
Additionally, in July 2023, officers with the Montgomery Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle Milford was driving and discovered three firearms inside. Because of a prior felony conviction, Milford is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition.
On May 28, 2025, Milford pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank and mail fraud, five counts of bank fraud, five counts of mail fraud, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
“This sentence holds Joseph Milford accountable for a scheme that defrauded businesses and financial institutions of more than a million dollars, while also addressing his unlawful possession of firearms,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Davidson. “Fraud schemes like this not only cause financial harm but also erode trust in our banking and mail systems. Our office, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to pursue and prosecute those who engage in this type of criminal conduct.”
"A primary component of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service mission is to ensure public trust in the mail,” said Shameka Jackson, Inspector-in-Charge of the Houston Division. “When individuals challenge that mission, Postal Inspectors will aggressively investigate and remain steadfast in our resolve to seek justice to the end.”
“Today’s sentencing sends a strong message to anyone who thinks mail theft and check fraud will go unpunished,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. “Our special agents, along with our federal and local law enforcement partners, will aggressively investigate these federal crimes to protect the sanctity of the U.S. Mail and maintain the public’s trust.”
“These efforts signify what can be accomplished when we work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to combat violent crime,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Stankiewicz from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Nashville Field Division. “Through this collaboration, we were able to remove another firearm from the hands of a prohibited offender and habitual violator of the law.”
The United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Montgomery Police Department, and the Auburn Police Department investigated this case, which Assistant United States Attorney John J. Geer, III prosecuted.
Mexican national previously deported five times, sentenced to federal prison for unlawfully returning to the United StatesRead the Press Release
TYLER, Texas –A Mexican national illegally living in Longview, has been sentenced for unlawfully returning to the United States, announced Eastern District of Texas Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Jose Refugio Jara-Palafox, 45, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry following removal and was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker on August 21, 2025. Jara-Palafox will be deported once he has served his sentence.
According to information presented in court, on August 13, 2024, Jara-Palafox was arrested in Gregg County. Following the arrest, it was determined that he had been deported on five prior occasions and has multiple convictions including two DWIs, indecent exposure, leaving the scene of an accident, and presenting false documentation at a port of entry.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security-Immigration and Customs Enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Noble.
###
Methamphetamine Distributor Is Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Today, Chief U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger ordered Michael Lindsey Jones, 39, of Hendersonville, N.C., to serve 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for trafficking methamphetamine, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Jones’s supplier, Zachery Micah Rice, was sentenced previously to more than 28 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine.
According to court records, from 2021 to 2023, Jones conspired with Rice to distribute significant quantities of methamphetamine in Buncombe, Henderson, and Transylvania Counties. During the investigation into Jones and Rice’s trafficking activities, law enforcement used a confidential informant to purchase pound quantities of methamphetamine from Rice that Jones coordinated. Court records show that Jones arranged the drug deals, set the meeting times and locations with the confidential informant, and handled the drug-for-cash exchanges. From February to April 2023, Jones was responsible for distributing nearly 1.3 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Jones pleaded guilty on December 30, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and aiding and abetting the distribution of methamphetamine.
Jones remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending placement by the federal Bureau of Prisons.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina, the Asheville Police Department, the Waynesville Police Department, the Cherokee Indian Police Department, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office, the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, the Swain County Sheriff’s Office, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher S. Hess of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville handled the prosecution.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Mercer County Man Sentenced to 40 Years for Sex Trafficking ChildrenRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Harrodsburg, Ky., man, Larry Coffman, 42, was sentenced on Thursday, by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to 40 years in prison, for two counts of sex trafficking of children and committing a felony involving a minor while being required to register as a sex offender.
Coffman was convicted of the charges in April 2025. According to testimony at trial, in February 2023, Coffman solicited, recruited, and enticed two minor victims to engage in a sex act in exchange for something of value. At the time of the offenses, Coffman had been convicted of a prior sex offense and, as a result, was required to register as a sex offender.
Under federal law, Coffman must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for life.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Chief Scott Elder, Harrodsburg Police Department; and Sheriff Mike Coyle, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by HSI, Harrodsburg Police Department, and Madison County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
– END –
Memphis Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Scheme to Defraud Federal COVID-19 Relief ProgramRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – A Memphis woman was recently sentenced to federal prison in connection with her scheme to defraud the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “Emergency Cash Assistance” program which was administered by the State of Tennessee to provide emergency cash assistance to families who lost jobs or substantial income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Interim United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, Rochelle L. Turner, 32, created and submitted fraudulent unemployment letters falsely indicating that she and others had lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Turner attempted to defraud the Emergency Cash Assistance program out of over $15,000 and caused an actual loss of $6,000 to the program.
Turner pled guilty to a one-count information charging her with making false claims against the United States on May 8, 2025. On August 14, 2025, Chief United States District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Turner to five months in federal prison and five months of home detention. Turner was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution to the United States. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Tony Arvin prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
###
For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at [email protected]. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Members of Tacoma street gang indicted in fentanyl trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
Tacoma – Over the last 36 hours, law enforcement executed 13 search warrants and arrested eight of nine people charged in an indictment for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Five others were arrested on Complaints based on firearms and narcotics found during searches of their residences and cars. Some of those arrested identify as part of the Knoccout Crips street gang which has been tied to drug trafficking and violence in Tacoma. The drug trafficking ring was the subject of an 18-month investigation, including a two-month wiretap, led by the FBI.
“Over the last 18 months, law enforcement carefully tracked the activities of this drug trafficking ring, seizing kilogram quantities of fentanyl pills and powder from checked luggage at Sea-Tac airport,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “The wiretap revealed the far-reaching scope of the conspiracy, with drug mules attempting to transport fentanyl from Arizona to Tacoma and in at least one instance on to Baltimore.”
“Yesterday, the FBI’s South Sound Safe Streets Gang Task Force, together with more than a dozen partner law enforcement agencies, conducted a large-scale takedown targeting violent criminal street gangs involved in drug distribution and other violent crimes in Pierce County,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “An 18-month investigation revealed that these gang members and associates were sending couriers down to a source of supply in Phoenix to bring huge quantities of fentanyl back to Washington state in their checked luggage for redistribution. This case is an example of the FBI’s commitment to combatting violent criminals and gangs, as emphasized in Operation Summer Heat, a nationwide initiative targeting violent criminals and restoring safety in our communities.”
Those indicted in the ten-count indictment include:
- Bryant K Moss Jr aka ‘BJ’, 29, of Tacoma
- Gary Williams aka “Fat Boy,” 36, of Tacoma
- Dominique Woods aka “Kane,” 33, of Spanaway
- Joshua Logsdon aka “Bird,” 38 of Lakewood
- Michael Lewis, 32, of Seattle
- Dallas Martin, 28, of Phoenix
- Josaphina Diaz, 30, of Tacoma
- Forest Neal, 31, of Tacoma
- Genesis Moreau, 25 of Vancouver
All nine of the defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Individual defendants are also charged for specific dates in which they had possession of fentanyl and distributed it between March 2024 and April 2025.
An additional 7 arrests of individuals connected to this conspiracy were made based on probable cause established in yesterday’s search warrants. These individuals were:
- James Whitaker, 37 of Tacoma
- William Young, 47 of Yelm
- Bryant Moss Sr., 48 of Tacoma
- Jaylin Irish, 30 of Tacoma
- Dominique Buffington, 31 of Edgewood
- Troy Harris, 38 of Tacoma
- An Do, 35 of Tacoma
In the leadup to this week, law enforcement seized during the investigation:
- Fentanyl – 34 kg
- Marijuana – 45 kg
- Firearms – 9
Over the last 36 hours, law enforcement seized:
- Fentanyl – 2683.3g
- Cocaine – 227.9g
- Methamphetamine – 6,850.7g
- Heroin – 40.7g
- Marijuana – 27,593.8g
- Cash - $ 111,524.25
- Firearms - 23
Due to the quantity of drugs seized in this case, some defendants face a mandatory minimum ten years in prison if convicted.
The charges contained in the indictment and complaints are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This investigation was led by the FBI’s South Sound Safe Streets Gang Task Force in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations, the Tacoma Police Department, the Lakewood Police Department, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, and the Washington State Department of Corrections. Throughout this investigation, the following agencies assisted the primary investigators: the Federal Air Marshal Service, the Port of Seattle Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Seattle Police Department, Washington State Patrol, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Fife Police Department, the Thurston County Sheriff's Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kristine Foerster and Crystal Correa.
This operation is part of Summer Heat, the FBI’s nationwide initiative targeting violent crime during the summer months. As part of this effort, the FBI has launched a multi-pronged offensive to crush violent crime. By surging resources alongside state and local partners, executing federal warrants on violent criminals and fugitives, and dismantling violent gangs nationwide, we are aggressively restoring safety in our communities across the country.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 46 Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting Children and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Pittsfield, Mass. man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Springfield for sexually exploiting minor children in his home. The defendant documented the sexual abuse and possessed hundreds of files of other child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Justin Benoit, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 46 years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, during which time Benoit will be required to register as a sex offender. The defendant was also ordered to pay the full amount of restitution requested by the victims. Benoit pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography in May 2025, during testimony from the government’s final witness at trial. The defendant was arrested on Feb. 15, 2022 and has been in custody since that time. According to court records, Benoit has several related state charges pending in Central Berkshire District Court.
“This defendant’s conduct is nothing short of diabolical. He preyed on innocent young children, including two who were entrusted to his care, whom he repeatedly sexually abused. Each image that he captured will result in an eternity of trauma and revictimization on these children. Furthermore, he exploited countless children he never met and did not know from the comfort of his own home through his enormous collection of child sexual abuse material. He is every parent’s worst nightmare,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “It is our hope that this sentence brings some measure of justice to the victims in this case, and protects other children from further exploitation at his hands.”
“What Justin Benoit admitted to is morally reprehensible. He raped and exploited three children under his care and documented the abuse to fuel his own sadistic desires,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “This sentence is richly deserved and there’s no question the public is safer with Mr. Benoit behind bars, locked away where he can’t victimize anyone else’s child.”
In November 2021, local law enforcement learned that Benoit had uploaded CSAM files to the internet. During a search of Benoit’s residence in February 2022, multiple electronic devices were seized which revealed hundreds of CSAM files as well as images and videos documenting Benoit’s sexual abuse of children at his residence. He was immediately taken into custody.
Further analysis of Benoit’s devices revealed that he possessed hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse, including files that depicted sadistic sexual abuse of children as young as infants and toddlers.
Additionally, Benoit possessed approximately 130 files documenting his rape and sexual exploitation of two minor females and one minor male on multiple separate occasions between February 2021 and February 2022. A pair of blue and white checkered boxer shorts and bedding found at Benoit’s residence were identical to those in the files documenting the sexual abuse. Two of the minor victims Benoit abused were younger than 12 years old when he produced CSAM of them, one of whom was in Benoit’s care at the time of the incidents.
U.S. Attorney Foley; FBI SAC Docks; and Colonel Geoffrey Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Pittsfield Police Department and the Berkshire County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Soto of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
Man Sentenced to Four and a Half Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearm in Chicago Residence Full of ChildrenRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to more than four and a half years in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded handgun in a Chicago residence full of children.
BRANDON JOHNSON illegally possessed the gun on Jan. 25, 2020, in a residence on Chicago’s Near West Side. Chicago Police officers were called to the residence by an individual who claimed that Johnson had brandished the gun and threatened to shoot the individual. Several children were inside the residence when Johnson illegally possessed the firearm.
Johnson had previously been convicted of multiple felonies and was not lawfully allowed to possess a firearm.
Johnson, 37, of Chicago, pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal firearm charge. On Aug. 13, 2025, U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey imposed a 55-month prison sentence. Johnson has been in law enforcement custody since December 2020 and will receive credit for time served.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher C. Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department.
“The City of Chicago has been plagued by gun violence for many years,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Prashant Kolluri argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “The possession of a loaded firearm is a significant contributor to that gun violence.”
Man Sentenced for over $11M COVID-19 Relief Fraud and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
A Nevada man was sentenced today to over 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release for fraudulently obtaining more than $11 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and then laundering the funds through real estate transactions, gambling activity, and luxury purchases. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $11,793,064.15, forfeiture in the amount of $11,231,186.52, and to forfeit two vehicles and five properties.
“This defendant stole more than $11 million in taxpayer funds that he used to finance luxury purchases and gambling,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Prosecuting schemes like this is critical to protecting the contributions of hard-working Americans, preserving confidence in government relief programs, and ensuring that aid reaches those who truly need it. This sentence demonstrates the Criminal Division’s continuing commitment to protecting the public’s money from thieves and fraudsters.”
“The consequences of the defendant’s PPP loan fraud scheme have caught up with him and now he will be incarcerated for exploiting more than $11.2 million from a taxpayer-funded program,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “Thanks to the diligent work of our law enforcement partners, the defendant is being held accountable for defrauding the government.”
“This lengthy sentence shows how seriously the American government takes PPP loan fraud,” said Special Agent in Charge Carissa Messick of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Phoenix Field Office. “This loan program was created to support small businesses and their employees during a once in a lifetime pandemic. When Mr. Dezfooli fraudulently obtained these loans, he not only stole from the Small Business Administration, but also from American taxpayers to the tune of $11.2 million. This sentencing is a testament to IRS-CI’s dedication to protecting American taxpayers and ensuring the integrity of our tax system.”
“Today’s sentencing holds accountable and brings to justice a fraudster who stole millions of taxpayer dollars intended to help small business owners,” said Special Agent in Charge Jon Ellwanger of the Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Western Region. “We are proud to have worked with our federal law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to achieve this result.”
“Mr. Dezfooli falsified loan applications to fraudulently obtain PPP loan proceeds that he used to enrich himself to the detriment of legitimate business struggling during the pandemic,” said Special Agent in Charge Ryan Korner of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG). “The defendant’s actions not only defrauded the PPP loan program but also disadvantaged business owners who were actually entitled to the benefits. FDIC OIG is committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to protect the Nation’s Financial System and hold accountable those individuals, like Mr. Dezfooli, who steal benefits designated to help those in need.”
According to evidence presented at trial, Meelad Dezfooli, of Henderson, Nevada, submitted three fraudulent applications on behalf of entities he controlled, obtaining more than $11 million. Dezfooli supported these applications with false documents, including fabricated tax records and a utility bill, and grossly inflated the number of employees and payroll expenses of each entity.
After receiving the PPP funds, Dezfooli laundered the money by purchasing approximately 25 properties in Nevada, often using the alias “James Dez” or a fictitious entity called “Holdings Trust.” Even after he was indicted, Dezfooli continued laundering money, including selling property purchased with the illegally obtained PPP funds. He also used criminal proceeds to fund his personal investment account, buy luxury cars, and gamble extensively throughout Las Vegas. As part of this investigation, five homes were seized by law enforcement.
On Sept. 4, 2024, a jury found Dezfooli guilty of three counts of bank fraud, three counts of money laundering, and four counts of conducting transactions using criminally derived property. One of those violations related to a transaction that Dezfooli conducted after he had already been charged.
The IRS-CI, FRB-OIG, FDIC-OIG, and SBA-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys D. Zachary Adams and Taylor G. Stout of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel R. Schiess for the District of Nevada prosecuted the case. Legal Assistant Alexa Stiles and Paralegal Holly Butler of MLARS provided substantial assistance throughout the investigation and trial.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
KC Man Sentenced for Illegal Firearms TraffickingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo. man was sentenced to five and a half years of imprisonment in federal court today for conspiring to traffic firearms to prohibited persons.
Fedo A. Manning, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips, to 66 months in federal prison without parole, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.
On April 17, 2025, Fedo Manning admitted that he knowingly and willfully joined in an agreement to sell firearms to individuals who were prohibited from possessing them under federal law. According to the plea agreement, the conspirators trafficked at least 22 firearms to persons who were known felons or they sold firearms that were converted into unregistered machineguns in violation of federal law. Fedo Manning agreed that his role in the conspiracy was to serve as a straw purchaser. He bought federal firearms from federal firearms licensed dealers so that they could later be sold by co-conspirators to individuals who were prohibited from possessing firearms. Between Jan. 13, 2023, and May 11, 2022, investigators discovered that Fedo Manning purchased at least 40 firearms from federal firearms licensees. Of those, 33 were Anderson Manufacturing, Model AM-15 firearms. In the plea agreement, Fedo Manning acknowledged that at least seven of the firearms that he purchased were recovered during investigations of crimes in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
One of the recovered firearms purchased by Fedo Manning was discovered at the scene of the shooting that occurred during the celebration of the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory on Feb. 14, 2024. The recovered firearm was an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15, .223-caliber pistol. The loaded pistol was found along the wall with a backpack next to two AR-15-style firearms and backpacks. Because the pistol was in “fire” position and there were 26 live rounds in the magazine, which is capable of holding 30 rounds, it may have fired several rounds before it was discarded.
On April 14, 2025, co-defendant Antonio Manning, Sr., 23, a brother of Fedo Manning, admitted that he knowingly and willfully joined in an agreement to sell firearms to individuals who were prohibited from possessing them under federal law. According to the plea agreement, the defendants trafficked at least 22 firearms to persons who were known felons or they sold firearms that were converted into unregistered machineguns in violation of federal law. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Antonio Manning admitted that he was personally involved in illegally selling at least nine firearms and one of those firearms was an unregistered machinegun. On Aug. 7, 2025, Antonio Manning was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips, to 48 months in federal prison without parole, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. The court also ordered the defendant to pay a criminal forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $11,260.
On Jan. 22, 2025, co-defendant Sheron Manning, another brother of Fedo Manning, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to traffic firearms to prohibited persons and to one count of illegally trafficking a firearm that had been converted into an unregistered machinegun. On May 21, 2025, Sheron Manning, 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips, to 57 months in federal prison without parole, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.
On Feb. 21, 2024, co-defendant Dejohuan Mietz Huntley, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to traffic firearms to prohibited persons, to one count of possessing an unregistered machinegun, and one count of knowingly being a felon in possession of a firearm. On June 26, 2024, Dejohuan Mietz Huntley, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips, to 70 months in federal prison without parole, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Operation Take Back America
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
KC Man Indicted for Illegal FirearmsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for being a felon in possession of firearms and possessing a machine gun.
Maurquis D. Jennings, 29, of Kansas City, Mo. was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025.The initial appearance was held today.
Jennings was charged with one count of being a felon in possession of firearms and one count possessing a machine gun. The indictment alleges that on June 8, 2025, Jennings possessed a Glock, Model 20 Gen5, 10mm fully automatic pistol and a Glock, Model 30 Gen5, .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol. The indictment alleges that the Glock, Model 20 Gen5 contained a machine gun conversion device that made the Glock firearm a fully automatic pistol.
Machine gun conversion devices, also known as “switches” or “auto sears,” are used to convert semi-automatic weapons into machine guns that fire multiple shots automatically through a single pull of the trigger, enabling more rapid and often less accurate gunfire. Whether or not they are attached to a firearm, these devices constitute machine guns under federal law. It is therefore illegal to possess, sell, or use machine gun conversion devices.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Jennings has a prior felony conviction for robbery.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Jennings. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lee’s Summit, Missouri Police Department.
Operation Take Back America
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Justice Department Awards over $3 Million to the Louisiana Commission on Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Ellison C. Travis announced that the Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women, has awarded $3,382,830 to the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement (“LCLE”) to provide resources to help Louisiana agencies combat violent crimes against women and to develop and strengthen victim services.
$2,474,419 was awarded through the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program. The goal of the grant program is to develop and strengthen law enforcement, prosecution, and court strategies to combat violent crimes against women and to develop and strengthen victim services, including community-based, culturally specific services, in cases involving domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
$908,411 was awarded through the Sexual Assault Services Formula Program. This program directs grant dollars to states and territories to assist them in supporting rape crisis centers (including governmental rape crisis centers not in territories and tribal governmental programs) and nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations that provide core services, direct intervention, and related assistance to victims of sexual assault, regardless of age. Funds provided through the SAS Formula Program are designed to supplement other funding sources directed at addressing sexual assault on the state and territorial levels.
LCLE is a foundation located in Baton Rouge dedicated to improving the operations of the criminal justice and juvenile justice systems and to promoting public safety by providing progressive leadership and coordination within the criminal justice community.
For more information about this award, contact the Office on Violence Against Women at 202-307-6026 and ask for the Policy, Communication, and Evaluation Division.
Italian man sentenced to two years in prison for using unauthorized credit card information to purchase a firearmRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Italian national residing in Woodbridge was sentenced today to two years in prison for aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, on June 2, 2024, Wilford Amoako Osei, 23, placed a $1,249 online order for a firearm using another person’s name and credit card number without that person’s permission. The victim’s credit card was later reported lost or stolen. Osei received the firearm on June 24, 2024, from a federally licensed firearms dealer in Woodbridge.
In six instances from June 24, 2024, through August 30, 2024, Osei attempted to place online orders for additional firearms using the names and credit card numbers of other victims without their authorization. The attempted orders were blocked or cancelled and were not fulfilled.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel K. Amzallag prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-41.
Independence Elementary School Teacher Charged with Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Mo., elementary school teacher has been charged in federal court for child pornography offenses.
Dennis Adlai Hernandez, 28, was charged in a three-count federal criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. today. Hernandez is charged with transportation of child pornography, production and attempted production of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
Hernandez was arrested at his home yesterday during the execution of a federal search warrant. He remains in custody and is scheduled for his initial appearance today before a federal magistrate.
The complaint affidavit alleges that on Aug. 19, 2025, the Federal Bureau of Investigations received 19 CyberTipline Reports (“Cybertips”) from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (“NCMEC”). NCMEC made the referral after it received disclosures from Google on August 18th indicating that multiple files of apparent child sexual abuse material had been uploaded to google photos by a particular account that had identifying information consistent with/to Hernandez. The affidavit further alleges that based upon the Cybertips, agents with the FBI sought and obtained a federal search warrant which was executed on the morning of August 20th.
Under federal statutes, transportation of child pornography carries a minimum sentence of 5 years and a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, production and attempted production of child pornography carries a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years imprisonment, and possession of child pornography carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
The FBI is seeking to identify potential victims of Hernandez. If you or your child believes they were a victim of Hernandez, please call 1-800-CALL-FBI. If you are under the age of 18, please have your parent/guardian call on your behalf. Your responses are voluntary. Based on your responses, you may be contacted by the FBI and asked to provide additional information.
The FBI is legally mandated to identify victims of federal crimes it investigates. Victims may be eligible for certain services, restitution, and rights under federal and/or state law.
The charges contained in this complaint are simply accusations and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Dunning. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
A redacted copy of the publicly filed complaint and affidavit is attached.
hernandez_complaint_affidavit_redacted_0.pdf hernandez_complaint_redacted_0.pdfProject Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Harrisburg Man Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for EscapeRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kyle Eugene Gordon, age 37, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison to be followed by three years on supervised release by United States District Judge Karoline Mehalchick, for escaping from federal custody.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Gordon was a federal inmate at the Capital Pavilion Residential Reentry Center in Dauphin County, where he was serving a sentence for narcotics and firearms offenses. He escaped from the Capital Pavilion on October 7, 2024, and was apprehended by U.S. Marshals eight days later.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Scalera prosecuted the case.
# # #
Guatemalan National Sentenced for Possession of a Forged Immigration Document and Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in West Springfield, Mass. was sentenced in federal court in Springfield for possessing a forged immigration document and unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. Prior to these charges, the defendant reentered the United States unlawfully four times; was previously convicted in Arizona of human smuggling; was charged in Illinois with domestic battery/bodily harm; and was twice charged with assault on a police officer in Massachusetts.
Jose Martinez-Lopez, a/k/a “Amalio Mendez-Molina,” 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to time served (163 days in prison). Martinez-Lopez is now subject to deportation. In June 2025, Martinez-Lopez pleaded guilty to one count each of possession of a forged immigration document and unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Martinez-Lopez was arrested in March 2025.
On Aug. 28, 2009, Martinez-Lopez was removed from the United States to Guatemala after he entered the United States illegally on an unknown date. Sometime after his removal, Martinez-Lopez unlawfully reentered the United States and was subsequently deported on May 10, 2011. After his deportation, Martinez-Lopez re-entered the United States illegally for a third time. On Aug. 8, 2011, he was found guilty in Phoenix, Ariz. of human smuggling conspiracy and sentenced to a one-year probationary period. On Aug. 23, 2011, Martinez-Lopez was again removed from the United States.
Sometime after his removal, Martinez-Lopez re-entered the United States illegally for a fourth time. On Nov. 25, 2022 and June 17, 2023, Martinez-Lopez was twice arrested in Cook County, Ill. for domestic battery/bodily harm. Both times, immigration authorities lodged detainers, but Martinez-Lopez was released from state court custody before any removal action could be taken.
On March 10, 2025, Martinez-Lopez was arrested in West Springfield, Mass. for assault and battery on a police officer, which led to his apprehension by immigration authorities. At the time of the arrest, Martinez-Lopez possessed a forged permanent resident card in the name of “Amalio Mendez-Molina.” On March 11, 2025, Martinez-Lopez admitted to immigration authorities that he was unlawfully present in the United States and had re-entered the United States illegally in 2021.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.
Guatemalan Citizen Sentenced to Prison and Removal from U.S. for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A citizen of Guatemala pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of illegal reentry of a removed alien and was sentenced to 60 days of imprisonment and removal from the United States on his conviction, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan imposed the sentence on Domingo Gonzalez Perez, 43, on August 20, 2025.
According to information presented to the Court, Gonzalez Perez has attempted to enter and/or has entered the United States illegally on four occasions, and has been illegally present in the United States since at least October 2024 after having been previously removed from the country.
Gonzalez Perez was arrested on October 9, 2024, by local law enforcement on a charge of domestic assault. In April 2025, while his domestic violence case was pending in state court and with an active federal arrest warrant, the defendant was arrested by Pennsylvania State Police in Bedford County on charges of driving under the influence and evading arrest.
Gonzalez Perez has been in custody since his April arrest and will be returned to immigration custody for removal from the United States after serving his federal sentence.
Assistant United States Attorney V. Joseph Sonson prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Gonzalez Perez.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, combat illegal immigration, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
George Herman Ruth Indicted for Mail Fraud and Using Names of Hundreds of Deceased and Retired Professional Baseball PlayersRead the Press Release
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On August 12, 2025, a federal grand jury returned a ninety-one-count indictment against George Herman Ruth, 69, of Morristown, for mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, fraudulent use of Social Security numbers, money laundering, making false statements to his supervising probation officer, and possessing firearms after having previously been convicted of felonies. Ruth made his initial appearance on August 21, 2025, before the Honorable Cynthia R. Wyrick, United States Magistrate Judge, and he was detained pending further court proceedings. A trial date has been set for January 27, 2026, before the Honorable Clifton L. Corker, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court at Greeneville.
According to the filed indictment, beginning in January 2023 and continuing until July 10, 2025, Ruth devised and implemented an elaborate, nationwide scheme to submit hundreds of fraudulent claim forms to class action administrators around the country. When doing so, Ruth located pending class action suits and fraudulently used the names of hundreds of deceased or retired professional baseball players and the Social Security numbers of numerous unwitting victims. Ruth also opened post office boxes around the Eastern District of Tennessee to facilitate the scheme and used a sham business, El Mundo Marketing LLC, to obtain an account through which he laundered the proceeds. The indictment alleges that Ruth obtained or attempted to obtain more than $550,000 through the scheme.
If convicted, Ruth faces a term of imprisonment up to 20 years plus a mandatory, consecutive two-year sentence, a term of supervised release up to three years, and a fine up to $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton, III, of the Eastern District of Tennessee made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mac D. Heavener, III will represent the United States in this prosecution.
This indictment is the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, and the Morristown Police Department.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment constitutes only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
###
Gang member sentenced to 40 years for role in large-scale drug trafficking operationRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - A 25-year-old Houston resident has been ordered to federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine conspiracy and for possessing machine guns in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Kendal Alejandro Monzon Jr. was a member of Partidos Revolucionarios Mexicanos (PRM) and pleaded guilty April 18.
U.S. District Judge Charles Eskridge has now ordered Monzon to serve 480 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about Monzon’s role in multi-kilogram drug seizures, including heroin and fentanyl at the Laredo port of entry, cocaine in Brownsville, heroin in Livingston and cash proceeds in Brownsville and Atlanta, Georgia. The court also noted seizures in Houston; Chicago, Illinois; and St. Louis, Missouri, all tied to the drug trafficking organization PRM.
“The defendant was a key player in a nationwide drug trafficking operation, but now he’ll be spending the next four decades in federal prison. A similarly lengthy sentence awaits others that seek to make a quick buck by smuggling drugs into our country,” said Ganjei. “The message this sentence sends is clear: don’t spread your poison in our communities, because if you do, the Southern District of Texas will make sure that you pay the price.”
“Monzon, who is part of a violent prison gang, was using our southern Texas border to smuggle a significant amount of dangerous drugs throughout the country more than a decade ago,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Houston Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan C. Pullen. “The Houston Division DEA agents halted his drug trafficking activities, which impacted the thriving operations of PRM within the U.S. Today's hefty sentence serves as a reminder of the punishment that awaits those who bring poison to our country.”
On Nov. 24, 2020, law enforcement attempted a traffic stop on Monzon after observing traffic violations near his home. He fled at speeds up to 90 mph through residential areas, ran multiple red lights and stop signs, and eventually crashed into a law enforcement vehicle. Authorities discovered 15 plastic-wrapped cylinders inside a plastic tub in the vehicle and ultimately seized approximately 17,234 grams of methamphetamine.
The investigation led to other similar seizures linked to Monzon, some also including cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, large amounts of cash, several sealed prescription bottles of Promethazine with Codeine and various weapons as well as ledgers listing methamphetamine prices and weights.
Authorities later executed a search warrant at Monzon’s residence and recovered 47 kilograms of methamphetamine, 114.7 grams of heroin, 39.9 kilograms of marijuana and 13.7 kilograms of Promethazine with Codeine.
They also seized more than 20 firearms, one of which had been stolen from a member of law enforcement. Several of the weapons had silencers attached, and some had been altered to be fully automatic.
Monzon has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
DEA conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Laurence Goldman and Christine Lu prosecuted the case.
Greensburg Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Program TheftRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Ellison C. Travis announced that Beverly Watson McNabb, age 62, of Greensburg, Louisiana, pled guilty before U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick to theft of government funds. McNabb’s federal program theft conviction is punishable by a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and a period of supervised release.
According to admissions made during her plea, the United States Social Security Administration (“SSA”) deposited retirement benefits via direct deposit to McNabb’s elderly family member, known as R.W., into his commercial bank account, which account McNabb had access.
R.W. passed away on or about December 5, 2015. From December 5, 2015, until at least April 07, 2020, McNabb stole R.W.’s SSA benefits that she knew she was not entitled to use. For approximately five years, McNabb used the stolen funds to purchase a wedding dress, as well as other personal items from a variety of sources, such as restaurants, supermarkets, and prison commissary for friends. McNabb also made numerous cash withdrawals directly from the bank account for other personal purchases. In total, McNabb stole approximately $50,000 in federal program benefits.
This matter is being investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and the United States Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward H. Warner, who also serves as Deputy Criminal Chief.
Fort Dodge, Iowa, Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced to ten years in federal prison.
Christopher Lee Caquelin, age 41, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 26, 2025, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of distribution of a controlled substance.
At the guilty plea, Caquelin admitted that from January 1, 2023, to about October 31, 2024, Caquelin was part of an ongoing drug conspiracy based in Fort Dodge, Iowa, to distribute 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine. Caquelin and others sold methamphetamine to people in the Fort Dodge area.
Caquelin was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Caquelin was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Caquelin is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Fletcher and Jack Lammers and was investigated by Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Dodge Police Department, and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 24-CR-03049. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Former Whitehall car dealership owner pleads guilty to altering odometers on hundreds of carsRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man pleaded guilty in federal court here today to altering the odometers on vehicles he sold at his former Whitehall car dealership.
Simon C. Nwaru, Jr., 38, who owned and operated S. Automotive Ltd., was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2025.
It is estimated that approximately 60 percent of all vehicles sold by Nwaru at S Automotive since October 2014 had their odometers tampered with or replaced to fraudulently reflect a false low mileage.
According to the plea agreement, a review of vehicle sales between January 2021 and January 2023 documented at least 300 vehicles that were sold to customers with rolled back odometers. The changes accounted for at least 31 million miles being removed from odometers.
Court documents also detail that Nwaru listed false sales prices on documents submitted to the State of Ohio, causing a loss of tax revenue to the State.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the guilty plea entered today before Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison.
This case was investigated by the United States Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation and the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles Investigations Section. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Prichard is representing the United States.
NHTSA estimates that odometer fraud costs U.S. consumers over $1 billion every year. Odometer tampering is a serious crime that can mislead buyers about a vehicle’s true mileage and condition, leading to costly repairs and safety risks. NHTSA encourages the public to report odometer fraud by emailing [email protected] or calling 800-424-9393. Learn how to spot signs of odometer tampering by visiting: https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle-safety/odometer-fraud/topic.
Odometer fraud is a federal crime punishable by up to three years in prison. The Court will impose a sentence at a future hearing based on the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
# # #
Former State Corrections Officer Sentenced to Prison for Assault on InmateRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Brandon Montanari, age 34, of East Concord, New York, was sentenced today to 37 months in prison, to be followed by 2 years of supervised release, for depriving an inmate at Mid-State Correctional Facility of his rights under color of law. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
When Montanari pled guilty, he admitted to assaulting an inmate at Mid-State Correctional Facility in April 2023, along with fellow correction officers Rohail Kahn, age 28, and Michael Williams age 38, both of whom have pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Montanari, Williams, and Khan punched and kicked the inmate without cause in a hallway in the middle of the night, and they later agreed with each other to lie about what happened to internal investigators.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “I recognize how difficult it is to work as a corrections officer in New York State, but nobody is above the law. It is unacceptable for a corrections officer to assault an inmate. With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to investigate these types of incidents and, where appropriate, bring federal criminal charges.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli stated: “Mr. Montanari admitted to assaulting an inmate and lying to cover it up. Now he is headed to federal prison. Today’s sentence proves the FBI will not look the other way when an officer violates the laws they are sworn to uphold.”
Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on September 26, 2025, and Khan is scheduled to be sentenced on September 29, 2025, by Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes, who presides over all three cases.
FBI investigated the case with assistance from the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Office of Special Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael F. Perry and Michael D. Gadarian are prosecuting the case.
Former Culver City After-School Recreation Employee Charged in Federal Indictment with Producing Sexually Explicit Photos of ChildRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury today returned a three-count indictment charging a former Culver City government employee who worked in an after-school recreation program with producing sexually explicit photographs of a 7-year-old girl enrolled in the after-school recreation program.
Stephen Michael Martinez, 44, of the Sawtelle neighborhood of Los Angeles, is charged with two counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
Martinez has been in federal custody since July 23 and is being jailed without bond. His arraignment is scheduled for August 29 in United States District Court in Los Angeles.
According to the indictment and court documents previously filed in this case, Martinez was employed by the Culver City Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department as an after-school care employee for the Culver City Afterschool Recreation Program. He was employed by this program as a caretaker of young children from June 2020 to June 2025.
On July 14, law enforcement learned that Martinez, while working at the Culver City Afterschool Recreation Program, coerced a 7-year-old girl in his care into producing photos depicting the girl engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Police arrested Martinez on July 16 and booked him on suspicion of committing lewd and lascivious acts on a minor. Martinez was transferred to federal custody one week later.
An indictment contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted on all counts, Martinez would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Culver City Police Department are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher M. Mills of the Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section and Kelsey A. Stimson of the Major Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
Firearms Parts Dealer Arrested for Scheme to Illegally Export Weapons Parts and Firearms Accessories to KazakhstanRead the Press Release
BROOKLYN, NY – Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, an eight-count indictment was unsealed charging Maxim Larin for his involvement in a scheme to illegally export weapons parts and accessories from the United States to other countries, including Kazakhstan, which serve as transshipment points for materials destined for Russia. The indictment charges Larin with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act, attempted violation of the Arms Export Control Act, smuggling goods from the United States, and submission of false export information. Larin was arrested this morning in Plantation, Florida and made his initial appearance in federal court in Miami. He will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date.
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, Ricky J. Patel, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI New York), and Jonathan Carson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement (OEE), Bureau of Industry and Security, New York Field Office, announced the arrest and charges.
“As alleged, Larin agreed to illegally ship export-controlled weapons parts and accessories, including a sophisticated target acquisition system, to Kazakhstan, a known transshipment location for equipment bound for Russia. He lied on export documents and intentionally misrepresented and concealed the true nature of the materials he was shipping,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “My Office will vigorously prosecute efforts to evade U.S. export regulations which threaten our national security and the security of our allies while benefitting Russia. We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to hold accountable those individuals who place their own interests above those of our nation and its security.”
Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, HSI’s Miami Field Office, United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their valuable assistance.
“Maxim Larin is accused of shipping weapons, parts and tactical accessories to countries that serve as pipelines for artillery destined for the Russian battlefield. He allegedly violated export control, willingly mislabeled packaging and labeling, and further utilized deceptive practices to hide the contents of firearms parcels. Make no mistake: this unlawful activity would have persisted if not for the collaborative law enforcement efforts that led to today's charges,” stated HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Patel. “HSI New York remains committed to utilizing our unique authorities to relentlessly pursue individuals who seek to exploit U.S. export control laws and in turn threaten public safety and national security.”“As set forth in the charging documents, Larin conspired to unlawfully export weapons components, including an advanced target acquisition system, to Kazakhstan, a known diversion hub,” stated OEE Special Agent in Charge Carson. “He further sought to conceal the nature of the shipment by falsifying export records. The Bureau of Industry and Security, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to vigorously enforce U.S. export control laws, protect our national security, and bring to justice those who attempt to violate them.”
As alleged in the indictment and other public filings, Larin is the owner of several U.S. based companies which sell firearms parts and accessories. Larin used his companies to sell export-controlled weapons parts and accessories to a co-defendant based in Russia. Larin agreed to ship the items to Kazakhstan in violation of U.S. export control laws which restrict the export of certain items deemed detrimental to U.S. foreign policy or national security. Beginning as early as December 2022, Larin agreed with his Russia-based co-defendant to undervalue and mislabel the contents of the materials he was exporting. He also suggested that certain steps be taken to hide the contents of the parcels he was shipping from U.S. authorities. For example, in approximately December 2022, Larin emailed the co-defendant warning him about parcels with images of “soldiers on the packaging. It may be a red flag for the customs if they open it.” Larin further asked his co-defendant “Would you like us to remove the package boxes, or take a risk with the customs?”In approximately May 2023, Larin agreed to ship enhanced firearms triggers and charging handles to Kazakhstan at the request of his co-defendant. These items were all subject to export controls and could not be shipped to Kazakhstan without an export license from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Nevertheless, Larin agreed to ship the items and asked the co-defendant in Russia how he would like the items declared. In response, the co-defendant asked Larin to label the package as containing clothing, tools, and a light switch. Larin shipped the parcel and mislabeled its contents.
In approximately December 2023, Larin agreed to acquire a Rapid Targeting and Ranging Module (“Raptar”) target acquisition device on behalf of the co-defendant. The Raptar is a firearms accessory which assists its users in acquiring targets at long ranges. It is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and cannot be shipped outside of the United States without a license from the U.S. Department of State. After acquiring the Raptar, Larin agreed to ship the device to a co-conspirator in the United States who then attempted to ship it to Kazakhstan in violation of the ITAR. The device was intercepted and seized by HSI in California.
The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of the charges in the indictment, Larin faces up to 20 years in prison.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Gilbert M. Rein and David I. Berman are in charge of the prosecution, along with Trial Attorney Christopher Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
The Defendant:
MAXIM LARIN
Age: 43
Plantation, FloridaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-246 (NRM)
Final Defendant Sentenced in Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Pontiac, Michigan, man, Marvin Hunter, Jr., 32, was sentenced on Thursday by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to 132 months, for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
According to his plea agreement, between August 2021 and March 7, 2024, Hunter regularly imported methamphetamine and fentanyl from Michigan into Magoffin County. Hunter had local associates in Magoffin County who assisted him in distributing the drugs to other dealers and users there. During a search of the Magoffin County residence that was their operational base in April of 2023, law enforcement located over a kilogram of methamphetamine, over 40 grams of fentanyl, and three firearms. Law enforcement subsequently used a confidential informant to make controlled purchases of methamphetamine and fentanyl from Hunter.
Hunter’s co-defendants were previously sentenced for their role in the drug trafficking conspiracy. Jennifer Fletcher, 45, and Minnie Johnson, 60, both of Salyersville, Ky., each received 84 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
Under federal law, Hunter must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; Sheriff William “Bill” Meade, Magoffin County Sheriff, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA and the Magoffin County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Trimble is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
– END –
Fifth Juror Bribery Defendant Pleads Guilty to Scheme to Bribe Feeding Our Future JurorRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Said Farah, age 43, the fifth defendant charged in the juror bribery scheme, pled guilty today to his role in providing a cash bribe to a juror in the Feeding Our Future trial, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
On April 22, 2024, seven defendants went to trial before U.S. District Judge David S. Doty for their roles in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme. Two of the defendants on trial were brothers—defendant Said Farah and his brother, Abdiaziz Farah. During the trial, Said Farah conspired with others, including his brother, Abdiaziz Farah, and a third brother not charged in the case, Abdulkarim Farah, to provide a cash bribe to one of the jurors, known as Juror 52, in exchange for returning a not guilty verdict in the trial. In total, five defendants have thus far been charged in the juror bribery case. Said Farah is the fifth defendant to plead guilty. All five defendants are currently pending sentencing before Judge Doty. Those sentencings dates have not yet been set.
“I watched this unfold with my own eyes—it was corruption stacked on corruption,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “The Feeding Our Future scheme was already a staggering and brazen fraud. But then came something even more corrosive: a cynical attempt to buy off a juror who stood strong and refused to be corrupted. I cannot overstate how painful this was for all involved. This was an unprecedented attack on our very system of justice. It shook Minnesota to its core. Now we must grapple with how we got here—no more denial, no more looking away. We must not allow corruption and fraud to define the future of justice in Minnesota.”
According to court documents, co-conspirators Abdimajid Nur and Abdiaziz Farah researched Juror 52’s address and other personal information online and via social media, including Juror 52’s Facebook account. Through their online research, conspirators Abdimajid Nur and Abdiaziz Farah identified Juror 52’s home address and found information about Juror 52’s background and family members.
Nur recruited co-conspirator Ladan Ali to deliver the bribe money to Juror 52. At the time, Ali was living in Seattle, Washington. During the trial, Ali flew from Seattle to Minneapolis to meet with Nur and discuss the plan to bribe Juror 52. Ali agreed to deliver the bribe money to Juror 52 in exchange for a $150,000 cash payment.
On Thursday, May 30, 2024, Ali flew from Seattle to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to deliver the bribe money to Juror 52. Nur asked Ali to surveil and follow Juror 52 home as she left court for the day. Nur gave Ali a photo of Juror 52’s car and a map of the Jerry Haaf Memorial Parking Ramp where Juror 52 parked.
On Friday, May 31, 2024, Ali attempted to follow Juror 52 home as she left the Jerry Haaf Parking Ramp at the conclusion of the first day of closing arguments.
On June 1, 2024, Ali told Nur—falsely—that she had approached Juror 52 at a bar. Ali falsely told Nur that Juror 52 was interested in taking the bribe and wanted $500,000 in exchange for returning a not guilty verdict. Ali said that Juror 52 wanted Ali to deliver the money at noon on Sunday, June 2, when Juror 52 would be home alone. None of this was true. Ali did not speak with Juror 52, and Juror 52 never agreed to accept a bribe.
Nevertheless, believing Ali’s account to be true, Nur relayed Ali’s account to Abdiaziz Farah, who said that he would gather the bribe money. At approximately 11:03 PM on June 1, 2025, Abdiaziz Farah called defendant Said Farah, informed him of the plan to bribe Juror 52, and asked for Said Farah’s assistance in gathering cash for the bribe. On the morning of Sunday, June 2, Said Farah gathered a portion of the $200,000 in cash for use as bribe money.
In addition to Said Farah’s efforts to obtain the bribe money, a former Feeding Our Future employee who is charged in another indictment with participating in the fraudulent scheme to obtain federal child nutrition program funds, also worked to gather cash for the bribe. Said Farah and this individual obtained the cash from multiple individuals as well as a Hawala located near the Karmel Mall.
On the afternoon of June 2, Said Farah and his brother Abdiaziz Farah met with Nur outside of Said Farah’s business, Bushra Wholesalers. Said Farah and Abdiaziz Farah gave Nur a cardboard box containing $200,000 in cash to bribe Juror 52.
Nur then met Ali in a parking lot in Bloomington, Minnesota, to give her the bribe money. Nur handed Ali the cardboard box containing the $200,000 in cash. Ali took the cash out of the box and put it into one of the Hallmark gift bags. Nur then instructed Ali meet Abdulkarim Farah at a location near Juror 52’s house so that Abdulkarim Farah could accompany Ali to Juror 52’s house and record her delivery of the bribe as proof that the bribe money was delivered and that Juror 52 accepted the bribe.
Later that night, Said Farah received the video of Ali delivering the bribe money via an encrypted messaging app. Said Farah later deleted the video to conceal his involvement in the bribery scheme.
“The attempted bribery of a juror is a shocking attack on the fabric of our legal system,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “In this country, justice is impartial, swift, and cannot be bought. The extraordinary work on this case attests to the commitment of the FBI and our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the judicial process and relentlessly pursue those who seek to corrupt that system.”
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI with assistance from IRS – Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Acting United States Attorney Joseph H. Thompson and Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Ebert, Harry Jacobs, and Daniel Bobier are prosecuting the case.
Felon Sentenced in Crack Distribution and Illegal Possession of a Glock and a ‘Ghost Gun’ While on Pre-Trial ReleaseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Melvin Johnson, 27, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to a total of 66 months in federal prison in connection with trafficking crack cocaine and illegally possessing a loaded Glock semi-automatic pistol and a “Ghost Gun” semi-automatic pistol equipped with a laser pointer, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Johnson pleaded guilty on April 8, 2025, to unlawful possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and to being a felon in possession of two firearms and ammunition. In addition to the 66-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Leon ordered Johnson to serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, on Aug.17, 2021, at 4:15 p.m., Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to the 3500 block of 14th Street NW, to investigate a report of drug trafficking. The officers encountered Melvin Johnson nearby on a scooter and asked him if he had anything illegal on him. Johnson said he only had personal items.
One of the officers noticed that Johnson’s bag appeared to have an extended magazine protruding from it and was weighted down by an additional heavy object. After cuffing Johnson, officers recovered a Glock 29 semi-automatic pistol from the bag. The pistol was loaded with one round in the chamber and equipped with an extended magazine containing 27 rounds of 9mm ammunition. In addition, the bag contained an additional Glock magazine loaded with 16 rounds.
During a search, officers recovered $1,203 in cash and 26 grams of a white rock substance from inside the Johnson’s spandex pants. Officers field tested a portion of the substance which returned a positive result for cocaine base.
Previously, on Feb. 28, 2020, at about 4:15 p.m., MPD officers recovered a loaded “ghost gun” from Johnson on the 1500 block of Meridian Place NW. The firearm was equipped with a laser pointer. At the time of his arrest on the drug trafficking charge and possession of the Glock, Johnson was on pre-trial release on the charge for carrying a loaded pistol without a license.
This case was investigated by the MPD. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole.
21cr535
Federal grand jury returns superseding indictment against Buffalo Police detective for attempted purchases on illicit online marketplaceRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that a federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging Terrance Michael Ciszek a/k/a DrMonster, 35, of Buffalo, NY, with affecting transactions with access devices issued to other persons and aggravated identity theft, which carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Ciszek was previously indicted on charges of possession of unauthorized access devices with intent to defraud and making a false statement to an agency of the United States.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who is handling the case, stated that since August 2018, the FBI has been investigating an illicit online marketplace known as Genesis Market, whose operators compile stolen data, such as computer and mobile device identifiers, email addresses, usernames, and passwords, from malware-infected computers around the globe and package it for sale on the market. Purchases made through Genesis Market are conducted using virtual currency, such as bitcoin.
According to the superseding indictment and a previously filed complaint, between March and August 2020, Ciszek, a Buffalo Police Detective, purchased 11 packages on Genesis Market that included 194 stolen account credentials. In March and April 2020, Ciszek is accused of attempting to use the stolen credit cards to make purchases. In addition, on April 15, 2020, Ciszek is accused of possessing and using the identification, including name, address and credit card, of another person.
On April 4, 2023, Ciszek is accused of making false statements to the FBI, claiming that he had not purchased stolen credentials from the internet, and further stating that his nephew may have been responsible for the online purchase of stolen credentials.
The superseding indictment is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm.
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.
# # # #
FBI Provides Website for Potential Victims of Former Gymnastics Coach Arrested on Federal Sexual Exploitation of Children ChargeRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking to identify any potential victims of former gymnastics coach, Sean Michael Gardner. If you and/or your minor dependent(s) were victimized or you know of someone victimized by Sean Michael Gardner, you may contact the FBI by following the link below:
https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/seeking-victim-information-in-sean-michael-gardner-investigation
According to allegations in the criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, between December 2017 and April 2018, Sean Michael Gardner, now 38, placed a hidden camera in a bathroom at a gymnastics studio in Purvis, Mississippi, where he was then working as a gymnastics coach. Gardner created multiple videos depicting numerous minors in stages of undress in that bathroom including close-up views of their anuses and genitals. Gardner moved from Mississippi to Iowa in 2018 to coach at a gym in West Des Moines, Iowa. West Des Moines Police searched Gardner’s apartment in late May 2025. Forensic examination of electronic devices seized from Gardner’s West Des Moines apartment uncovered the hidden camera recordings taken in the Mississippi gym bathroom.
Gardner will remain detained in federal custody pending further proceedings in the Southern District of Mississippi.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation-Child Exploitation Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation-Jackson, Mississippi Division, Iowa Department of Public Safety-Division of Criminal Investigation-Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and West Des Moines Police Department are investigating this case.
Drug and Gun Charges Brought Against Fresno Man with Prior Drug Trafficking ConvictionsRead the Press Release
Manuel Cisneros, 48, of Fresno, appears for arraignment today after a federal grand jury indictment charged him with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, on Feb. 20, 2025, Cisneros possessed fentanyl, methamphetamine, and several rounds of .40-caliber ammunition. Cisneros is prohibited from possessing ammunition because of prior felony drug trafficking convictions in Fresno County.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Fresno Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Cisneros faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, and a $10 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. In July 2018, the Justice Department announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to combat illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Convicted Felon on Federal Supervision Is Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Juve Markie Lequan McAlpin, 24, of Asheville, was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release today for possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Michael Lamb of the Asheville Police Department, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
According to court records, on August 4, 2022, McAlpin was convicted in federal court of illegal firearm possession and sentenced to prison. Following his release he was placed under federal supervision.
On April 24, 2024, while serving his term of supervised release, McAlpin was arrested at a Shell gas station in Hendersonville, N.C. During the arrest, law enforcement searched the vehicle in which McAlpin was a passenger and recovered a loaded Taurus model 65 .357 caliber revolver with an obliterated serial number from the passenger-side floorboard. Officers also seized a distinctive black hoodie from the vehicle.
Court records show that McAlpin had been wearing that same hoodie on April 20, 2024, when he fired two rounds into a moving vehicle at an apartment complex in Asheville, striking a passenger in the leg. The victim was treated at the hospital for a gunshot wound.
McAlpin is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the ATF and the Asheville Police Department for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Gast of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Cincinnati Man Sentenced for Possession of a MachinegunRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky. – A Cincinnati, Ohio, man, Deshawn Parker, 30, was sentenced on Thursday, by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to 24 months in prison, for possession of a machinegun.
According to court documents, on September 21, 2024, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of Parker’s vehicle in Covington and detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. When they asked Parker to exit the car to conduct a drug investigation, Parker refused and attempted to drive off. Officers were able to remove him from the vehicle and found a small amount of marijuana and spent shell casings from a firearm. Additionally, they found a loaded pistol under the driver’s seat. The pistol was equipped with a machinegun conversion device (MCD). These devices are commonly referred to as “switches” or “Glock switches.”
Under federal law, Parker must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; and Chief Brian Valenti, Covington Police Department, jointly announced the conviction.
The investigation was conducted by ATF and the Covington Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Bracke.
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.
– END –
Cincinnati Man Sentenced for Multiple Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky. – A Cincinnati, Ohio, man, Devante Garrett, 30, was sentenced on Thursday, by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to 360 months in prison, for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession of 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue with intent to distribute, and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
Garrett was convicted of the charges in May 2025 at the conclusion of a four-day trial. Evidence at trial showed that Garrett led a conspiracy to distribute more than 275 grams of a substance containing a fentanyl analogue, more than 40 grams of fentanyl, and cocaine. He was arrested in Kenton County on October 14, 2023, with these drugs hidden behind the panel of the driver’s door of the vehicle he was operating. Garrett was previously arrested in Boone County on August 17, 2023, while in possession of $6,440 in cash and a scale containing residue of fentanyl and cocaine. Additional witness testimony showed that Garrett and James Waller, another Cincinnati resident, regularly traveled to Lexington, Kentucky, to distribute fentanyl and cocaine from May 2023 through October 2023.
Four other members of the conspiracy pled guilty and have already been sentenced to prison terms. James Waller received a sentence of 132 months. Quintus Jones received a sentence of 60 months. Kasey Allen received a sentence of 54 months. Christopher Scull received a sentence of 6 months.
Under federal law, Garrett must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; Chief Brian Valenti, Covington Police Department; Chief Bill Birkenhauer, Highland Heights Police Department; and Sheriff Michael Helmig, Boone County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by DEA, KSP, Covington Police Department, Highland Heights Police Department, and Boone County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Spievack and Tony Bracke.
– END –
Chinese Woman Arrested for Running a Prostitution BusinessRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Qingqin Xie, age 39, and a citizen of China, was ordered detained today after being arrested yesterday and charged with using interstate facilities of commerce to manage a business enterprise engaged in prostitution.
According to the criminal complaint, Xie owned and operated spas throughout the Capital Region that purported to offer massage services but also commercial sex. Xie paid for internet-based advertisements, many of which were sexually explicit, to promote her businesses. In October 2024, law enforcement searched Xie’s Moon Spa in East Greenbush, New York, and seized evidence of commercial sex acts taking place there. Xie continued to open and operate similar spas, including by employing women to engage in sex acts with customers.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated, “As alleged, Xie, who does not have lawful status in the United States, ran a prostitution business out of massage parlors and failed to stop even after law enforcement searched one of those parlors last year. My Office will continue to work with our partners to ensure those who sexually exploit people for profit are held accountable.”
Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigation (FBI), stated, “As alleged, Ms. Xie was operating an extensive commercial sex enterprise, using multiple massage parlors as a cover for prostitution. This arrest should send a message that the FBI, together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, will investigate and shut down these disturbing illicit businesses and ensure those who operate them are brought to justice.”
New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James stated, “The culmination of this investigation would not have been possible without the dedication, hard work, and expertise of our partners in law enforcement. As charged, this individual had no regard for the impact their actions would have on the safety and well-being of others. Intercepting illegal businesses will continue to be a top priority and integral part of protecting our communities from the associated harm they bring.”
Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), stated, “Qingqin Xie is accused of running an elaborate prostitution scheme spanning the Capital Region. The alleged crimes demonstrate a brazen disregard for the sanctity of U.S. law and wellbeing of the New York public. I commend HSI Albany and our many law enforcement partners for ensuring she faces the consequences of her alleged actions.”
Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation New York, stated: “It’s alleged Xie created a business enterprise with the prostitution of women; and like with any business, IRS-CI continues to offer its expertise in following the money. We are proud of our continued law enforcement partnerships which ensure that people like Xie can no longer exploit women and their bodies for a profit.”
The charge filed against Xie carries a maximum term of 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The FBI, NYSP, IRS-CI, and HSI are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Kopita is prosecuting the case.
This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.