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Friday 15 August 2025
Okemah Resident Pleads Guilty to Accessory After the FactRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Sejaryee Lee Bear, age 41, of Okemah, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Accessory After the Fact to Murder in Indian Country, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Superseding Indictment alleged that on June 30, 2024, knowing that the offense of Murder in Indian Country had been committed, Bear assisted Michael Wayne Lambert in order to hinder and prevent Lambert’s apprehension, trial, and punishment.
The crime occurred in Okfuskee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Okemah Police Department, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI).
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Bear was released on bond with conditions pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lewis M. Reagan and Ryan F. Conway represented the United States.
Ohio man pleads guilty to antisemitic assault near OSU campusRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Miami County man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court here today to committing a hate crime against Jewish students at The Ohio State University.
Timur Mamatov, 20, of Tipp City, Ohio, admitted to violating the Hate Crimes Prevention Act when he physically assaulted two students for their religion, causing bodily injury.
“Violence against people of faith is illegal and unacceptable,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This Department of Justice will aggressively enforce federal laws to ensure that all Americans feel safe in practicing and expressing their faith.”
“Mamatov admitted in court today that he assaulted victims because they were Jewish. No American should fear being violently attacked based on their religious beliefs,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. “This office, along with our law enforcement partners, will aggressively pursue violence motivated by hate.”
“Antisemitic violence has no place in our society,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola. “Crimes motivated by hate spread fear throughout the community and deeply impact the sense of safety of all residents. We appreciate the Ohio State University Police Division and the Columbus Division of Police who had important roles in this investigation. We will continue to work together to protect our community.”
According to court documents, on Nov. 10, 2023, Mamatov and a friend engaged in an altercation with five students outside of a bar on North High Street in Columbus. One student was wearing a “Chai” pendant around his neck – a piece of jewelry commonly associated with Judaism. Mamatov asked the students if they were Jewish, and when they answered that they were, Mamatov punched one victim, fracturing his jaw. A second victim was injured, suffering a fractured nose, as the fight poured over into the street.
Mamatov was charged by a bill of information on July 3.
Violating the Hate Crimes Prevention Act is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors at a future hearing.
Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division; Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Ohio State University Police Chief Dennis Jeffrey and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Litton and Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Cameron Bell are representing the United States in this case.
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Ohio Man to Spend More than a Decade in Prison for Violent Armed Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A Cleveland man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of robbing an ATM by terrorizing a service technician at gunpoint in broad daylight.
Joel Alonte Travis, 21, was sentenced to 144 months (12 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent after a federal jury found him guilty in April of armed bank robbery and using and carrying a firearm during, and in relation to, a crime of violence. Travis was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment and pay $112,440 in restitution. Judge Nugent imposed the sentence Aug. 14.
According to court documents, on Oct. 16, 2024, just before noon, a technician was on official duty servicing a freestanding drive-thru ATM at a Chase Bank is South Euclid, Ohio, when two masked men jumped out of a Hyundai Sonata and ambushed him. One of the masked men grabbed the victim and pressed a gun to the back of his head. Under threat of violent force, the robbers then demanded that the tech remove the cassettes which contained cash to refill the ATM. In all, five cassettes with approximately $112,440 worth of cash were stolen by the perpetrators who then quickly fled the scene in the vehicle.
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of OhioOfficers conducting the investigation learned that Travis was on probation for an unrelated crime and was on electronic monitoring at the time of the offense. They were able link him to the time and place of the bank robbery using location data and other information. During a search warrant execution of the defendant’s apartment, three firearms were recovered, including a pistol that looked similar to the one seen on the bank’s surveillance video. Investigators also found photos of Travis depicting himself holding large sums of fanned out money which he posted on social media.
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of OhioThis case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Cleveland Heights Police Department, and South Euclid Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle M. Baeppler and Kristen Rolph for the Northern District of Ohio.
Oahu Basketball Coach Sentenced to 405 Month in Prison for Child Exploitation and Harassment Offenses Involving Ten Charged VictimsRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Dwayne Yuen, a 52-year-old resident of Honolulu, was sentenced yesterday in federal court to 405 months’ imprisonment followed by a lifetime term of supervised release for eleven counts related to child exploitation and harassment offenses. Yuen is also required to register as a federal sex offender. Yuen was arrested in February 2023 for child exploitation offenses. He pleaded guilty in December 2024 to committing crimes against three minor victims, including sex trafficking Minor Victim 1 in 2005 and 2006; coercing and enticing Minor Victim 2 to engage in sexual activity in 2006; and producing, receiving, and possessing child pornography of Minor Victim 3 in and around 2020 to 2023. He also pleaded guilty to harassing victims identified in court documents as Victims 4 through 9 through anonymous communications and Victim 10 through obscene communications in and around 2021 to 2023.
According to information provided to the Court, Yuen’s criminal conduct spanned nearly two decades, from at least 2005 through February 2023, when he was arrested in this case. Yuen was a youth basketball coach of mostly middle school- and high school-aged girls. He coached both private club teams and teams at various private and public schools on Oahu. Minor victims 1 through 3 and Victims 4 through 10 were all basketball players coached by Yuen or associated with him in their basketball activities. They were minors or at or near eighteen years old when Yuen began sending a relentless barrage of harassing and sexually explicit communications.
Yuen targeted student-athletes he coached or mentored with particular vulnerabilities, such as family or financial stressors. He groomed these victims for years when they were minors, starting with some victims as young as twelve-years old. He bought them gifts and food and over time engaged in increasingly graphically sexualized and obscene communications and imagery. He boasted about sexual contact he claimed to have with other student-athletes. He repeatedly threatened Minor Victims 1 and 2 and subjected Minor Victim 2 to sexual violence to coerce them into repeated sexual contact when they were fifteen and sixteen years old. For Minor Victim 2, when she stopped responding to his communications and attempted to stop the sexual abuse, he threatened to ruin her life, rape and kill her, and told her he was untouchable. He also got Minor Victim 3 to engage in a sexually explicit video call with him in 2020, which he then took screenshots of and sent to another victim.
For almost twenty years, his relentless pressure tactics involved targeting victims by using dozens of anonymous numbers to call and message victims and sending thousands of messages, sometimes up to one hundred a day, often with graphic sexual content. To coerce and entice victims to engage in physical and virtual sexual activity with him, he paid them, told them they owed him for any gifts they had received from him, threatened to ruin their reputations, expose their sexual past, and destroy their basketball careers.
At sentencing, Senior District Judge J. Michael Seabright stated that Yuen was a “predator with a whistle” who “groomed” and “preyed” on the victims “over and over again.” He was “truly relentless” in the “number of victims that he targeted” and “how he treated each of them.” In sentencing Yuen, Senior District Judge Seabright reiterated that the “scars clearly run deep” and remain “for life.”
“Dwayne Yuen grossly and repeatedly violated the sacred trust placed in him by his employer and the parents and families of his young female victims. He used his power and position to groom and then serially exploit and victimize the young girls entrusted to his care” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “While nothing can ever undo the harm he has caused these children and their families, it is our sincere hope that today’s sentence will ensure that our community and children are protected from him, and serve to deter other predators like him in the future. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our dedicated law enforcement partners at the FBI will always continue to hunt down and bring to justice all who seek to exploit Hawaii’s children.”
“Yuen held a position of trust that demanded he protect and inspire young athletes,” said FBI Criminal Investigative Division Assistant Director Jose A. Perez. “Instead, he abused his authority by preying upon and threatening his young victims. Today’s sentencing reinforces the message that the victimization of children will not be tolerated by law enforcement. The FBI will continue to meticulously investigate these crimes, which cause irreparable harm and trauma to our nation’s youth.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Honolulu Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca A. Perlmutter and Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Norfolk career offender sentenced to 15 years in prison for federal drug-trafficking and firearms crimesRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, psilocyn, and heroin; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, in September 2023, Virginia Beach Police (VBPD) obtained state arrest warrants for Lloyd Levi Hardy, aka Blu or Trap Monster, 41, for brandishing a firearm, use of a firearm during commission of a felony, shooting into an occupied dwelling, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with a shooting into an apartment where a woman and children were present. On Oct. 10, 2023, law enforcement located Hardy and his vehicle at a hotel in Virginia Beach and arrested him.
“Lloyd Hardy has earned a sentence as substantial as his criminal record,” said Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “As an armed drug dealer, with outstanding arrest warrants for violent crimes at the time of his arrest, Hardy is exactly the type of threat to our citizens that we work every day to identify and remove from our communities. In coordination with the FBI and our state and local partners, my office will continue to hold career offenders such as Lloyd Hardy responsible for their abhorrent actions.”
“This repeat offender’s criminal career ends here,” said Dominique Evans, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office. “Working with the Virginia Beach Police Department, we brought the full force of federal resources to bear—putting a dangerous individual behind bars and sending a clear message: if you peddle drugs and carry guns in our community, we will find you, and we will stop you.”
“The VBPD continues to aggressively focus on career offenders, and we are grateful for our federal partners assisting us in holding them accountable for the danger they present to our community,” said Paul Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police. “Every day, our officers put their lives on the line to keep drugs off our streets and firearms out of the hands of those who cannot legally possess them or those who intend to inflict harm in our neighborhoods. Ensuring accountability for ongoing felony activity helps keep Virginia Beach safe.”
“Thanks to the tireless work of our local, state, and federal partners, another dangerous criminal is off our streets,” said Jason S. Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia. “This sentence makes it clear that repeat violent offenders and drug dealers will be held accountable in Virginia. My office will keep working with law enforcement across the Commonwealth to protect our communities and keep violent criminals behind bars.”
Law enforcement seized and searched Hardy’s vehicle, from which they recovered approximately $1600, 13.03 grams of cocaine, 14.44 grams of heroin, 11.71 grams of psilocyn, and four firearms, one of which was stolen. One of the firearms was linked through ballistics to the September 2023 shooting. Police also recovered a cellphone that contained numerous messages dating as far back as December 2020 in which Hardy conducted the sale of heroin, cocaine, and psilocyn.
Hardy has prior convictions, including for grand larceny, destruction of property, obstructing, unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of a firearm, eluding police (endangerment), and burglary. Hardy committed the offenses in this case while under a period of good behavior for two separate convictions.
Hardy pled guilty on Nov. 19, 2024, and was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan M. Montoya prosecuted the case. Former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyssa Miller, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, assisted in the prosecution.
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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-45.
Nonprofit Agrees to Pay $1 Million to Resolve Allegations of PPP Loan FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The Energy Federation, Inc. (EFI), a Franklin-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that provides advice on promoting energy efficiency and heating assistance to homeowners, has agreed to pay $1 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which it was not eligible.
Congress enacted the PPP to assist small businesses in response to the economic challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the program, if borrowers complied with the program’s rules, the SBA forgave their loans. The SBA administered the PPP in two rounds – first in April 2020 and then again in February 2021. The PPP program permitted certain nonprofit organizations to obtain PPP loans, but 501(c)(4) organizations, like EFI, were never eligible.
As part of the settlement, EFI admitted that, after discussing whether it was eligible with the bank processing its loan application, it submitted a PPP loan application without disclosing to SBA that it was a 501(c)(4) organization. In its loan application, EFI certified that it was eligible to receive a loan under the rules in effect at the time its application was submitted. After receiving a PPP loan, EFI later applied for, and received, loan forgiveness based on the eligibility certifications in its PPP loan application and its loan forgiveness application.
The settlement stems from allegations originally brought in a lawsuit filed by a whistleblower under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, which allow private parties, known as relators, to bring suit on behalf of the government and to share in any recovery. In connection with today’s announced settlement, the relator will receive 10 percent of the recovery.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and the U.S. Small Business Administration made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julien M. Mundele of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the matter.
New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell and Former NOPD Officer Jeffrey Vappie Indicted for Fraud and Obstruction of JusticeRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that LATOYA CANTRELL (“CANTRELL”), age 53, and JEFFREY PAUL VAPPIE, II (“VAPPIE”), age 52, both residents of New Orleans, were charged in a superseding indictment today on federal charges concerning wire fraud and obstruction of justice.
CANTRELL and VAPPIE were both charged in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, as well as a conspiracy to obstruct justice, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1512(k). VAPPIE is also charged with twelve counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, and CANTRELL is charged in six of those wire fraud counts. VAPPIE is charged with making a false statement to the FBI, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001. CANTRELL is charged in one count of obstruction of justice, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1512(c)(1), and two counts of making a false declaration before a grand jury, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1623.
According to the allegations contained in the superseding indictment, while CANTRELL was Mayor of New Orleans and VAPPIE was a New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officer and member of her executive protection team, CANTRELL and VAPPIE developed a personal, intimate relationship as early as October of 2021. From that time until VAPPIE’s retirement in June 2024, they embarked on a scheme to defraud the City of New Orleans and NOPD by exploiting VAPPIE’s job and CANTRELL’s authority as Mayor to have the City and NOPD pay VAPPIE’s salary and expenses during times VAPPIE claimed to be on duty but when he was actually engaged in personal activities, often with CANTRELL. The allegations contained in the superseding indictment describe the many steps that CANTRELL and VAPPIE took to hide their scheme and perpetuate their continued fraud, including using a secure messaging platform, WhatsApp, to exchange over 15,000 messages, pictures, and audio clips in an eight-month period; intimidating subordinates; harassing a citizen; lying to colleagues and associates; deleting evidence; making false statements to FBI agents; giving the grand jury an affidavit signed under oath and penalty of perjury that contained numerous false statements; and, ultimately, committing perjury before a federal grand jury, all for the purpose of distracting and impeding inquiries and investigations, including a federal grand jury investigation.
The superseding indictment alleges that CANTRELL and VAPPIE perpetuated their scheme both in New Orleans and during out-of-state trips. In both instances, VAPPIE’s activities while claiming to be on duty were conspicuously different than any other member of the Executive Protection Unit. While in New Orleans, they treated a city-owned apartment in the Pontalba as their personal, shared residence and coordinated to spend time together there, engaging in personal activities, while VAPPIE claimed to be on duty for EPU and was paid to be doing his job. CANTRELL occasionally canceled scheduled work events to facilitate personal and intimate interactions with VAPPIE in the Pontalba apartment.
The superseding indictment also alleges that CANTRELL and VAPPIE arranged for VAPPIE to accompany CANTRELL on at least 14 domestic and international trips to maximize their time together and engage in personal activities. In their private text messages, CANTRELL characterized trips with VAPPIE as “times when we are truly alone” and what “spoils me the most.” These trips included trips to San Francisco, which VAPPIE and CANTRELL decided to extend an extra day so they could visit a series of Napa Valley wineries. While VAPPIE was wine tasting, on April 9, 2022, he claimed to work, and was paid for working, a 15-hour day.
In August 2022, CANTRELL said she would “make it happen” to have VAPPIE accompany her on a 3-day trip to Washington, D.C., a trip that they both agreed that they “needed.” Shortly after they retuned, VAPPIE described the trip to CANTRELL as “another leg on our journey” as he declared his love for her and their physical relationship. In total, the City of New Orleans paid over $70,000 for VAPPIE’s travel on these trips.
When asked about her reason for bringing members of the Executive Protection Unit with her on out-of-state trips, a practice CANTRELL began about five months after VAPPIE joined EPU, she justified it as a “pivot” due to COVID and a matter of “safety.” At the same time, however, she continued to take out-of-state trips without protection. In fact, on the same day she gave one such statement, she canceled a work trip to Miami, and traveled alone—by plane, then bus, and then ferry—to the island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts to spend time with VAPPIE while he attended a conference paid for by the City of New Orleans related to his position on the HANO Board of Commissioners—a position to which CANTRELL appointed him a few months earlier. On other occasions, when VAPPIE was unavailable to accompany CANTRELL on a trip, CANTRELL decided not to take another member of Executive Protection.
The superseding indictment alleges that both VAPPIE and CANTRELL were aware their conduct broke criminal laws. For instance, in April 2022, an associate told CANTRELL explicitly in multiple text messages that spending public funds and using public resources for her personal relationship was a “felony.” When CANTRELL and VAPPIE learned that the news media was investigating their time together in the Pontalba, they agreed to “be straight and together.” Days after the first news stories broke, in November 2022, VAPPIE conducted numerous online searches for New Orleans-area attorneys who specialize in the practice of criminal law, and he researched WhatsApp’s security features. But the defendants’ wire fraud scheme nevertheless continued until VAPPIE’s retirement in June 2024.
As alleged in the superseding indictment, in July 2023, the grand jury issued subpoenas to both VAPPIE and CANTRELL compelling the production of records. The FBI also interviewed VAPPIE. During the interview, VAPPIE lied about the nature and circumstances of his relationship. In response to the subpoena, CANTRELL produced a selection of responsive records, but none of the over 15,000 WhatsApp messages she exchanged with VAPPIE. CANTRELL also created an affidavit, sworn under oath, that she had activated a feature that automatically deleted messages in 2021. CANTRELL submitted a screen shot of her iPhone, showing that WhatsApp messages were set to delete in 24 hours. In fact, CANTRELL did not turn on that feature until December 26, 2022, roughly one month after the news media began speculating on her conduct, VAPPIE conducted online searches concerning WhatsApp and its security level, and by which time several people had warned VAPPIE and CANTRELL that their conduct was illegal. This “disappearing messages” feature, moreover, only applied to new messages. During roughly this same period, CANTRELL also manually deleted thousands of her prior WhatsApp messages with VAPPIE. As alleged, even at the time CANTRELL responded to the grand jury subpoena, she still possessed more than 50 pictures, including screen shots of correspondence with VAPPIE, that were responsive to the subpoena, but which she nevertheless concealed from the grand jury.
The superseding indictment further alleges that VAPPIE and CANTRELL continued their pattern of obstruction through the rest of 2023 and 2024. This included improperly pressuring the Interim Superintendent of NOPD to overrule findings of an internal investigation into VAPPIE’s conduct. When the Interim Superintendent did not heed that directive, CANTRELL ordered the Interim Superintendent to nevertheless reassign VAPPIE back to her protection detail. Months later, in a meeting VAPPIE attended, CANTRELL informed the Interim Superintendent that the Interim Superintendent would be replaced. Similarly, when a private citizen took pictures of CANTRELL and VAPPIE together in public, dining and consuming alcohol al fresco while VAPPIE reported to be on duty, CANTRELL obtained non-public information about the citizen, filed a police report, and sought a restraining order against the citizen.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
If they are convicted of the conspiracy to commit wire fraud, CANTRELL and VAPPIE each faces up to five years in prison and up to three years of supervised release. For each count of wire fraud, CANTRELLand VAPPIE each faces up to twenty years in prison and up to three years of supervised release. For the conspiracy to obstruct justice, CANTRELL and VAPPIE each faces up to twenty years in prison and up to three years of supervised release. For the false statement to the FBI, VAPPIE faces up to five years in prison and up to three years of supervised release. For each obstruction of justice count, CANTRELL faces up to twenty years in prison and up to three years of supervised release. For each count of making false statements to a grand jury, CANTRELL faces up to five years in prison and up to three years of supervised release. For each count, both defendants face a fine of up to $250,000 and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter and expressed appreciation for the support provided by the Department of Justice’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Properties Section Cybercrime Lab, the City of New Orleans Office of Inspector General, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission. Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, and Nicholas D. Moses, of the Financial Crimes Unit and Health Care Fraud Coordinator, are in charge of the prosecution.
Mobile Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for Bank FraudRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 46 months in prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud.
According to court documents, Travis Sopson, 45, pleaded guilty to defrauding numerous banks and credit unions between August 2022 through January 2023. Sopson admitted he carried out the scheme by applying for and receiving multiple loans using fraudulent documents.
In addition to the 46-month prison term, United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer ordered Sopson to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Sopson to pay $274,722.21 in victim restitution and $200 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The United States Secret Service and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 FraudRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky. – A Michigan man, Malcolm Culmer, 36, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to wire fraud and money laundering arising out of a scheme to unlawfully obtain various COVID-19 pandemic relief benefits.
In 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, established several new unemployment compensation programs that were funded primarily by the federal government and administered by state workforce agencies. Later that same year, the President authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to expend money for lost wage assistance, as a supplement to unemployment compensation programs. The CARES Act also expanded existing federal programs, including the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA). The EIDL Program provides loans for small businesses suffering from an economic disaster.
According to his plea agreement, from April 2020 to July 2021, Culmer made material false statements in order to obtain money from various government relief and COVID-19 relief programs. Culmer fabricated information about employment history, residence, and business ventures, and applied for relief funds using that false information. In total, Culmer submitted eight EIDL applications on behalf of fictitious companies, attempting $1,091,499 in EIDL loans, of which $187,500 was approved.
Similarly, Culmer also applied for pandemic unemployment benefits in Kentucky, which contained false statements and representations. His fraudulent application was approved, and he obtained $39,496 in unemployment benefits.
As to the money laundering charge, Culmer engaged in several transactions over $10,000 using the fraudulently obtained funds, including by withdrawing cash, transferring money between bank accounts, and purchasing automobiles to expand a vehicle rental business.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Joseph V. Cuffari Ph.D., Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security (DHS-OIG); and Mathew Broadhurst, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Southeast Region, jointly announced the guilty plea.
The investigation was conducted by DHS-OIG and DOL-OIG. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Dunn-Pirio is prosecuting the matter on behalf of the United States.
Culmer is scheduled to appear for sentencing on December 16. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing its sentence.
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.
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Miami Man Sentenced to More Than Eight Years in Prison for Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Miami man has been sentenced to 97 months in federal prison for distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg imposed the sentence on Andre Alexander Pino, 45, who pleaded guilty earlier this year.
According to court records, beginning in May 2023, Pino used a mobile messaging application to communicate with an individual he believed was a woman with a three-year-old son. During these communications, Pino encouraged the woman to sexually abuse her notional son and provided step-by-step instructions on how to do so.
In January 2024, Pino sent multiple videos depicting child sexual abuse to a chatroom on the messaging application that included the individual he believed was a woman with a three-year-old son.
On February 26, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at Pino’s residence. Agents recovered a mobile phone containing multiple videos of CSAM.
As part of his sentence, Pino agreed to pay $5,000 in restitution to a victim depicted in the material he distributed.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and acting Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of HSI Miami made the announcement.
HSI West Palm Beach and HSI Miami investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katie Sadlo and Justin Chapman prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-80035.
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Mexican national, illegally living in Grand Prairie, indicted for unlawfully returning to the United StatesRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas – A Mexican national, illegally living in Grand Prairie, has been charged with unlawfully returning to the United States, announced Eastern District of Texas Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Joel Calzada-Macias, 46, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien.
The indictment alleges that on October 10, 2024, Calzada-Macias was found in the Eastern District of Texas after having been previously deported.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
If convicted, Calzada-Macias faces up to 2 years in federal prison and deportation.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stevan Buys.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Mexican national, illegally living in Denton County, indicted for unlawfully returning to the United StatesRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas – A Mexican national, illegally living in Denton County, has been charged with unlawfully returning to the United States, announced Eastern District of Texas Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Jose Luis Piedra-Sosa, 51, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien.
The indictment alleges that on June 23, 2025, Piedra-Sosa was found in the Eastern District of Texas after having been previously deported.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
If convicted, Piedra-Sosa faces up to 2 years in federal prison and deportation.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stevan Buys.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Mexican National with Prior Violent Felony Convictions Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Mexican national was sentenced today by United States District Judge Richard F. Boulware II to 72 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegally reentering the United States after being twice removed from the country. The defendant had prior violent convictions, including multiple robberies with a butcher knife and shooting three people.
According to court documents and statements made during court proceedings, on March 16, 2021, Otoniel Lugo-Campos was found in the United States after he was previously deported on December 19, 2000, and October 21, 2014.
In 2000, Lugo-Campos was deported for the first time following a felony drug conviction and multiple probation violations. He returned to the United States and, in 2008, robbed five convenience stores around Las Vegas using a large butcher knife. In two of the robberies, the store clerks working the cash registers were cut by him. After serving his prison sentence, Lugo-Campos was deported for a second time in 2014.
Lugo-Campos again unlawfully returned to the United States. On March 8, 2021, Lugo-Campos entered his former girlfriend’s apartment and shot her, her new boyfriend, and a neighbor when one of the bullets went through the wall of the apartment. Two months prior to shooting his former girlfriend, he beat her with a pipe requiring staples to her head to close the wound. While he was in state custody, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents located him and determined he was not lawfully in the country.
Lugo-Campos pleaded guilty to one-count of Deported Alien Found in the United States.
Acting United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Field Office Director Jason Knight made the announcement.
The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated the case; and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada prosecuted the case.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
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Mescalero Man Sentenced to Prison for Violent AssaultRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Mescalero man was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for a violent attack that left a victim seriously injured.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on November 2, 2022, Spencer George Klinekole, 41, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, assaulted Jane Doe with a baseball bat, causing serious bodily injury.
Upon his release from prison, Klinekole will be subject to three years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Executive Assistant United States Attorney Christopher McNair is prosecuting the case.
Mescalero Man Sentenced for Sexual Abuse of a MinorRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Mescalero man was sentenced to 36 months in prison for sexually abusing a minor.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, in February of 2022, Carlos Caje, 37, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, engaged in sexual contact with a minor under the age of 12.
Caje pled guilty to abusive sexual contact. Upon his release from prison, Caje will be subject to 15 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jackson K. Dering V and Joni Stahl prosecuted the case.
Meridian Man Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – A Meridian man was sentenced to 27 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Steven Wright, 30, the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop of Wright and found him to be in possession of a firearm. Wright has a previous felony conviction for armed robbery, and he was on state supervised release for that conviction at the time of this possession. As a convicted felon he is prohibited by federal and state law from possessing a firearm.
Wright was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 4, 2025. He pled guilty to the federal charge on May 9, 2025. His supervised release with the state was also revoked as a result of this illegal possession, for which he received a state sentence of 11 years and 175 days imprisonment.
Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives made the announcement.
The ATF investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen prosecuted the case.
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).
Massachusetts Man Arrested After Numerous “Ghost Guns” DiscoveredRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Somerville, Mass. man was arrested today and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. During a search of the defendant’s residence today, it is alleged that numerous privately made firearms (PMF’s) otherwise known as, “ghost guns;” firearm suppressors; 3D printers; and ammunition in varying calibers were found.
Robert Butland, 38, is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Butland appeared in federal court in Boston today for an initial appearance. He remains in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for August 20, 2025.
According to the charging documents Butland had been purchasing 3D printers and firearm parts and accessories since 2022. During a search executed at Butland’s residence today, law enforcement forcibly opened a locked closet that allegedly contained suspected PMFs, known as “ghost guns.” In addition, the closet allegedly contained numerous solvent traps that are commonly used as illegal firearm suppressors. It is further alleged that additional suspected “ghost guns” were recovered in nightstands, backpacks and coffee table drawers in Butland’s bedroom. Firearm parts, accessories, 3D printers, a work bench and tools consistent with tools that would be required for the assembly and manufacture of firearms were also discovered. Lastly, it is alleged that ammunition varying in calibers was recovered, including 9mm luger ammunition, Frontier 5.56 Hornady ammunition and 7.62x39mm ammunition.
Butland is prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior state convictions in Lawrence District Court for assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and wanton destruction of property. According to court document’s Butland also has state convictions for negligent operation of a motor vehicle, possession of a Class B controlled substance and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
The charge of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a felon provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Bryan DiGirolamo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Feld Division; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Somerville Police Department; the Boston Police Department; and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Man Sentenced to More than Ten Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearms and Violating Supervised Release TermsRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A man has been sentenced to more than ten years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm in Rockford and violating the terms of his court-supervised release.
STEVEN BAXTER, 40, of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of illegal firearm possession and violating the terms of supervised release. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston sentenced Baxter to 104 months in federal prison on the firearms charge, and an additional 22 months for violating his supervised release, for a total sentence of 126 months in prison.
Baxter admitted in a plea declaration that while visiting Rockford in 2022 he entered a local Wing Stop restaurant while in possession of a handgun. Baxter became agitated about his order and threatened multiple store employees. He displayed the gun and held it at his hip before exiting the restaurant. During a later traffic stop, Baxter admitted to driving a vehicle on Interstate 90 in Kane County, Ill., while in possession of a loaded firearm and an additional pistol. As a previously convicted felon, Baxter was prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms.
At the time of his arrest, Baxter was serving a term of supervised release following his imprisonment for an unrelated federal firearms conviction, the terms of which prohibited him from committing additional federal, state, or local crimes. Baxter’s illegal possession of the firearms violated the terms of the court supervision.
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. The Rockford Police Department and the Kane County Sheriff’s Department assisted in the investigation.
“It is highly concerning to the government that defendant has shown a pattern of not only illegal possession of firearms as a felon, but a pattern of brandishing and threatening people with firearms in moments of anger or rage,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodora A. Anderson argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Defendant’s history shows a disrespect for the law, for the safety of the community, and a disregard for court orders.”
Man Pleads Guilty to Antisemitic Assault Near College CampusRead the Press Release
An Ohio man pleaded guilty today to committing a hate crime against Jewish students at The Ohio State University.
Timur Mamatov, 20, of Tipp City, Ohio, admitted to violating the Hate Crimes Prevention Act when he physically assaulted two students for their religion, causing bodily injury.
“Violence against people of faith is illegal and unacceptable,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This Department of Justice will aggressively enforce federal laws to ensure that all Americans feel safe in practicing and expressing their faith.”
“Mamatov admitted in court today that he assaulted victims because they were Jewish,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II for the Southern District of Ohio. “No American should fear being violently attacked based on their religious beliefs. This office, along with our law enforcement partners, will aggressively pursue violence motivated by hate.”
“No one should have to live in fear because of their religion,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “These college students were targeted by Mr. Mamatov simply because they were Jewish. Hate crimes not only impact the victims but have a devastating impact on our entire community. The FBI works tirelessly with our federal, state and local partners to thoroughly investigate many types of hate crimes, hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions and bring justice to the victims.”
According to court documents, on Nov. 10, 2023, Mamatov and a friend engaged in an altercation with five students outside of a bar on North High Street in Columbus. One student was wearing a “Chai” pendant around his neck – a piece of jewelry commonly associated with Judaism. Mamatov asked the students if they were Jewish, and when they answered that they were, Mamatov punched one victim, fracturing his jaw. A second victim was injured, suffering a fractured nose, as the fight poured over into the street.
Mamatov was charged by a bill of information on July 3.
Violating the Hate Crimes Prevention Act is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Cincinnati Field Office is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Noah R. Litton for the Southern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Cameron Bell of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
Lufkin felon guilty of federal firearms violationRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Lufkin felon has pleaded guilty to a federal firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Michael Antoine Lovelady, 53, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christine L. Stetson on August 14, 2025.
According to information presented in court, on March 14, 2025, Lovelady was arrested during a traffic stop for outstanding warrants. During the arrest, Lovelady attempted to flee and was apprehended, and a firearm was discovered in his waistband. Further investigation revealed Lovelady was a convicted felon and prohibited from owning or possessing firearms.
Lovelady was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 15, 2025, and faces up to 15 years in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing 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 U.S. Probation Office.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lufkin Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald S. Carter.
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Leader of third cell of Aryan prison gang drug distribution ring sentenced to 14 years in prisonRead the Press Release
Tacoma – The leader of a drug distribution cell tied to Aryan prison gangs was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 14 years in prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Yehoshua Kilp, 39, was indicted in connection with a two-year investigation of drug trafficking organizations connected to the Aryan Family and Omerta prison gangs. At the sentencing hearing Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo said, “The amount of controlled substances we are talking about are mind-boggling… There were discussions about particularly potent batches of fentanyl that was possibly leading to overdoses and yet you kept going.”
“This defendant has been involved with the criminal justice system since age 14 and has caused significant harm,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “The wiretap investigation revealed that even when he was jailed on state charges, he continued to direct drug distribution activities.”
According to records filed in the case, Kilp bought and distributed hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine, large quantities of heroin, and
hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills. In August 2022, law enforcement seized more than 44 kilograms of methamphetamine, more than 4 kilograms of fentanyl laced pills, cocaine, and heroin from an Airbnb where Kilp had been staying. When Kilp was arrested on state charges he continued to direct the drug activities of co-defendant Sara Thompson. Thompson was sentenced to seven years in prison in January 2025. Thompson served as Kilp’s proxy for major narcotics deals.
Kilp was actively distributing fentanyl pills even when he was informed the pills were too strong and were causing overdoses. Instead of stopping distribution of those pills, Kilp and his co-conspirators discussed how to make the fentanyl less pure. They also schemed to wrap the fentanyl in more layers to protect the people they used to smuggle the fentanyl in their bodies.
Kilp was also indicted in the District of Arizona for his role in laundering drug money back to a source of his drug supply in Mexico. On March 12, 2025, Kilp pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. Today’s sentencing resolves the Arizona and Washington cases.
Law enforcement made two dozen arrests on federal charges on March 22, 2023. The coordinated takedown involved ten swat teams and more than 350 law enforcement officers. On that day law enforcement seized 177 firearms, more than ten kilos of methamphetamine, 11 kilos of fentanyl pills and more than a kilo of fentanyl powder, three kilos of heroin, and more than $330,000 in cash from eighteen locations in Washington and Arizona. Earlier in the investigation law enforcement seized 830,000 fentanyl pills, 5.5 pounds of fentanyl powder, 223 pounds of methamphetamine, 3.5 pounds of heroin, 5 pounds of cocaine, $388,000 in cash, and 48 firearms.
The top-level leader of the drug trafficking ring, Jesse Bailey, was sentenced in July to 17.5 years in prison. Kilp was judged to be just slightly below Bailey in the drug ring, so prosecutors recommended a 15-year sentence, with five years of supervised release to follow. Prosecutors wrote to the court, “Kilp was the leader of a large network of drug redistributors responsible for moving hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine and hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills.”
Chief Judge Estudillo ordered Kilp to be on five years of supervised release following his prison term.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This investigation was led by the FBI with critical investigative teamwork from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Washington State Department of Corrections and significant local assistance from the Tacoma Police Department, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, and the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force, led by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. Throughout this investigation the following agencies assisted the primary investigators: Washington State Patrol, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine, Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, Lakewood Police Department, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Zach Dillon, Max Shiner, and Jehiel Baer.
Latin Music Conglomerate CEO Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison for Doing Business with Drug Cartel-Linked Concert PromoterRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – The CEO of a Latin music conglomerate was sentenced today to 48 months in federal prison for conspiring to violate the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act by conducting business with a Guadalajara-based concert promoter with ties to Mexican drug cartels.
José Ángel Del Villar, 45, of Huntington Beach, the CEO of Del Records and its related talent agency Del Entertainment Inc., was sentenced by United States District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, who also fined Del Villar $2 million.
Judge Frimpong today also sentenced co-defendant Del Entertainment to three years of probation and fined the company $1.8 million.
At the conclusion of a nine-day trial, a federal jury on March 27 found Del Villar and Del Entertainment guilty of one count of conspiracy to transact in property of specially designated narcotics traffickers in violation of the Kingpin Act and 10 counts of violating the Kingpin Act.
In April 2018, the defendants did business with Jesús Pérez Alvear, a.k.a. “Chucho,” of Guadalajara, Mexico, a music promoter who controlled Gallistica Diamante, a.k.a. Ticket Premier. Pérez promoted concerts for Del Entertainment in Mexico until March 2019.
The U.S. Treasury Department listed Pérez and his company as “specially designated narcotics traffickers” under the Kingpin Act on April 6, 2018, after concluding he facilitated money laundering for the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and the Los Cuinis drug trafficking organization. The Kingpin Act prevents people in the United States from conducting business with sanctioned persons and entities.
Even though Del Villar and Del Entertainment were aware that it was illegal to engage in transactions or dealings with Pérez, they willfully did business with him by continuing to have a Del Entertainment musical artist perform at concerts in which Pérez and Del Entertainment had a financial interest.
For example, on April 19, 2018, FBI agents approached a well-known musician and explicitly told him about Pérez’s designation under the Kingpin Act and how that prohibited him from conducting business with Pérez and performing concerts that Pérez promoted.
On April 28, 2018, the musician performed at a concert that Pérez organized. Del Villar’s credit card was used to pay for a private jet that brought the musician from Van Nuys Airport to the performance in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
On multiple other occasions in 2018 and 2019, Pérez and Del Villar continued to do business by arranging for the musician to perform at concerts throughout Mexico – including Mexicali and San José Iturbide, Guanajuato.
“Far from being an unwitting participant in a ‘gotcha’ crime, [Del Villar] orchestrated a sophisticated criminal scheme sustained over a lengthy period of time and involving myriad unlawful transactions,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum.
Co-defendant Luca Scalisi, 59, of West Hollywood, pleaded guilty on May 23 to one count of conspiracy to transact in property of specially designated narcotics traffickers in violation of the Kingpin Act. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 22.
Co-defendant Pérez, who previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transact in property of specially designated narcotics traffickers, was murdered in Mexico in December 2024.
Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department listed another recording artist affiliated with Del Villar’s music businesses as a “specially designated narcotics trafficker” under the Kingpin Act. “Narco-rapper” Ricardo Hernández Medrano, known by his stage names “El Makabelico” or “Comando Exclusivo,” was added to the sanctions list based on the Treasury Department’s determination that he used concerts and royalties to launder funds for the Cartel del Noreste, formerly known as Los Zetas.
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control provided significant assistance in this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Benedetto L. Balding of the Transnational Organized Crime Section and Alexander B. Schwab, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, are prosecuting this case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This case is part of an 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.
Las Vegas Man Indicted for Armed Robbery of an Armored TruckRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas man who was arrested in Texas made his initial court appearance on Thursday to face charges in connection with an alleged armed robbery of an armored truck outside of a bank in Las Vegas.
Devonte Devon Jackson is charged with one-count of interference with commerce by robbery and one-count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. United States Magistrate Judge Elayna J. Youchah scheduled a jury trial to begin on October 20, 2025.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 16, 2025, Jackson allegedly brandished a black handgun and stole approximately $327,620 from an armored truck outside of a bank. On July 29, 2025, Jackson was arrested by Texas State Troopers in Centerville, Texas. He was extradited to Las Vegas to face federal charges related to the armed robbery.
If convicted, Jackson faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison for interference with commerce by robbery and a mandatory consecutive sentence of seven years for brandishing a firearm. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeremy Schwartz for the FBI Las Vegas Division made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Tina M. Snellings is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Las Cruces Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine and Fentanyl PossessionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Las Cruces man was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for possessing methamphetamine and fentanyl after fleeing from officers attempting to arrest him on a warrant.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on May 15, 2024, Las Cruces Police Department officers attempted to arrest Guillermo Yanez, 47, on an outstanding warrant out of El Paso, Texas, for tampering with evidence in a narcotics case. When officers approached, Yanez fled on foot, jumping a wall into an apartment complex. During the chase, officers saw him reach into his waistband in an apparent attempt to discard contraband. After deploying less-lethal munitions that were ineffective, officers apprehended Yanez and found methamphetamine in his pocket along with cash.
A search of the area where Yanez fled turned up a container holding fentanyl-laced pills and powdered fentanyl. In total, officers recovered approximately 50 grams of pure methamphetamine and 99 grams of fentanyl. In a post-arrest interview, Yanez admitted the drugs were his, that he had thrown the fentanyl container during the chase, and that he distributed drugs to support his methamphetamine use.
Yanez pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Upon his release from prison, Yanez will be subject to four years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Las Cruces Police Department and Las Cruces/Doña Ana County Metro Narcotics Agency. Assistant United States Attorney Maria Y. Armijo is prosecuting the case.
Justice Department and National Economic Council Partner to Identify State Laws with Out-Of-State Economic ImpactsRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department and the National Economic Council announce an effort to identify State laws that significantly and adversely affect the national economy or interstate economic activity and to solicit solutions to address such effects. They invite public comments to support the Administration’s mission to address laws that hinder America’s economic growth, including those that burden industry and our small businesses.
From his first day in office, President Trump and his Administration have prioritized eliminating the “crushing regulatory burden” that has “made necessary goods and services scarce.” Deregulatory efforts will boost the American economy, relieve Americans of undue burdens, and make America affordable and energy dominant again. President Trump issued multiple Executive Orders to advance his deregulatory agenda and requiring the Executive Branch to put that policy into action. On January 31, President Trump signed Executive Order 14192 declaring “the policy of the executive branch” to be that federal agencies should “alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens placed on the American people.” Consistent with this policy, on February 19, President Trump signed Executive Order 14219 directing agencies to “initiate a process to review all regulations” and identify regulations that, among other things, “impose undue burdens on small businesses and impede private enterprise and entrepreneurship.” He also signed Executive Orders aimed at unleashing American Energy, rolling back Obama-era regulations micro-managing Americans’ showers, and tackling anti-competitive rules.
Federal regulatory burdens are only part of the story. As President Trump has also recognized, in Executive Order 14260, State-level practices can drive up nationwide costs and undermine American safety and “Federalism by projecting the regulatory preferences of a few States into all States.” Anecdotal evidence and the experience of countless Americans across the country strongly suggest that State laws and regulations can significantly burden commerce in other States, raising costs unnecessarily and harming markets nationwide. For example, last month, the Department sued the State of California, Governor Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and other State officials over California laws that impose costly requirements on the production of eggs and poultry products, raising prices for American consumers in and outside of California.
The public is invited to provide input to aid the Administration’s efforts as set forth in the above-discussed Executive Orders and elsewhere to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens and costs imposed on the American people. This request for comments seeks information pertaining to State laws, regulations, causes of action, policies, and practices (collectively, State laws) that adversely affect interstate commerce and business activities in other States. In particular, comments are invited on:
Which State laws significantly burden commerce in other States or between States, thus raising costs unnecessarily and harming markets nationwide.
Whether the State laws identified may be preempted by existing federal authority and, if so, what authority.
Whether there may be federal legislative or regulatory means for addressing the State laws or regulations identified or the burdens they cause.
Which federal agency has the subject-matter expertise to address concerns lawfully within the federal government’s authority.
The public will have 30 days to submit comments at Regulations.gov (OLP182; Docket No. DOJ-OLP-2025-0169), no later than September 15, 2025. Once submitted, comments will be posted to Regulations.gov. All interested parties are invited to provide comments in response to this inquiry, including consumers, consumer advocates, small businesses, employers, trade groups, industry analysts, States, and other entities that are impacted by State laws that have nationwide or interstate economic effects.
Justice Department Sues California to End Enforcement of Unlawful Emissions Standards for TrucksRead the Press Release
Note: View EDCA complaint here. View EDCA motion to intervene memo here.
View NDIL complaint here. View NDIL motion to intervene memo here.
The Justice Department this week filed two complaints in federal courts against the California Air Resources Board (CARB) regarding the State’s enforcement of preempted emissions standards through its so-called “Clean Truck Partnership” with heavy-duty truck and engine manufacturers. A parallel filing in the court of appeals addresses CARB’s rules for light-duty vehicles, which are also preempted. These actions advance President Donald J. Trump’s commitment to end the electric vehicle (EV) mandate, level the regulatory playing field, and promote consumer choice in motor vehicles.
The Clean Air Act preempts state regulation of vehicle emissions unless the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants California a preemption waiver. Under the Biden administration, EPA granted preemption waivers for two CARB regulations imposing stringent emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks. The goal of CARB’s regulations is to implement an EV mandate in California and in other states that adopt California’s rules.
In June 2025, President Trump signed into law congressional resolutions under the Congressional Review Act, invalidating EPA’s preemption waivers for CARB’s heavy-duty truck regulations. Without these waivers, the Clean Air Act prohibits CARB from attempting to enforce those regulations. Yet, in an affront to the rule of law, CARB seeks to circumvent that prohibition by enforcing the preempted emissions standards through the Clean Truck Partnership. The Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) filed the complaints with motions to intervene in pending cases in the Eastern District of California and Northern District of Illinois.
“Agreement, contract, partnership, mandate — whatever California wants to call it, this unlawful action attempts to undermine federal law,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of ENRD. “President Donald Trump and Congress have invalidated the Clean Air Act waivers that were the basis for California’s actions. CARB must respect the democratic process and stop enforcing unlawful standards.”
In related actions, ENRD moved to dismiss as moot two sets of cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit where industry groups had challenged EPA’s preemption waivers for cars. Those cases are now moot because Congress’s joint resolutions nullified the controversial preemption waivers.
ENRD is responsible for bringing cases against those who violate the nation’s environmental laws, as well as defending the federal government in litigation arising under a broad range of environmental statutes. The division is the nation’s environmental lawyer, and the largest environmental law firm in the country.
Chief of Staff and Senior General Counsel John Adams and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Robert Stander of ENRD filed the complaints, and attorneys with ENRD’s Appellate section are handling the cases in the Ninth Circuit. The EPA is a co-plaintiff in the filings. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Illinois and the Eastern District of California also provided assistance.
Complaint in Intervention - EDCA.pdf Memo Motion Intervene - EDCA.pdf Complaint in Intervention - NDIL.pdf Memo Motion Intervene - NDIL.pdfJustice Department Files Statement of Interest in New Hampshire Case Shielding Small Businesses from Being Forced to Provide Medical Coverage for Gender DysphoriaRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department filed a Statement of Interest in Bernier v. Turbocam et al. (D.N.H.), informing the court that the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act do not require employers to provide insurance coverage for gender dysphoria, and that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act protects businesses and individuals from forced coverage when it would violate their religious beliefs. Small businesses and people of faith should not be required to pay for insurance plans to employees covering cosmetic procedures and services that are not required to treat a disability under the law.
“This Civil Rights Division will consistently protect religious liberty for all Americans, including small business owners who should not be required to pay for claimed gender dysphoria,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division. “The Religious Freedom Restoration Act protects sincere religious beliefs, and neither the ADA nor the Civil Rights Act requires American businesses to pay for such elective procedures.”
“In matters like this, our responsibility is to ensure that federal statutes and regulations are applied faithfully and consistently,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan for the District of New Hampshire. “We will continue to uphold the rule of law and work to provide clarity on how these laws operate so that individuals and businesses can rely on them with confidence.”
In Bernier v. Turbocam, et al. (D. N.H.) (1:23-cv-00523), a male plaintiff sued his employer, a closely held, private small business, alleging that the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Civil Rights Act require Turbocam Inc. to provide insurance plans to cover his elective treatment. The Department of Justice maintains an interest in proper interpretation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the Civil Rights Division within the Department enforces provisions within the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Civil Rights Act.
The Civil Rights Division enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are a business owner, employer, or religious individual and feel you have been wrongfully sued or improperly required to pay for gender dysphoria or transgender surgeries or other procedures, please contact the Civil Rights Division by telephone at 1-800-253-3931, or submit a complaint through civilrights.justice.gov.
Jury Finds Polacca Woman Guilty of Driving Under the Influence with Her Children, Killing One of ThemRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – On August 13, a federal jury found Marian Marsha Josytewa, 40, of Polacca, Arizona, guilty of one count of Involuntary Manslaughter, one count of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, two counts of Child Abuse, and one count of Driving Under the Influence. The guilty verdict followed a six-day trial before United States District Court Judge Steven P. Logan. Sentencing is scheduled for November 3, 2025.
On December 10, 2021, Josytewa consumed several beers before picking up her two children from school in Flagstaff, Arizona. While traveling back to the Hopi Tribe homeland on a highway on the Navajo Nation, Josytewa rolled her car. One of her sons was ejected from the vehicle and died because of the crash. Josytewa’s blood was drawn and tested at a crime lab, which showed a BAC level of .113.
A conviction for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and not more than three years of supervised release. Involuntary Manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of eight years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and not more than three years of supervised release. The remaining three convictions include additional penalties that could amount to more than seven years in prison.
The FBI Phoenix Division’s Flagstaff office and Navajo Police Department jointly conducted the investigation in this case, with assistance from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, and the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-08083-PCT-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-135_Josytewa# # #
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.Jury Convicts District Man of Conspiracy and First-Degree Murder for Kenilworth KillingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jajuan Gripper, 22, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on all charges for the December 20, 2022, murder of 34-year-old Rynell Bradford in Northeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
The jury deliberated for one day before finding Gripper guilty of charges including conspiracy to commit a crime of violence and first-degree premeditated murder while armed. Judge Michael Ryan scheduled sentencing for October 17, 2025.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 9:40 p.m., on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, Gripper and two co-conspirators, each armed with a handgun, followed Bradford out of an apartment building in the Kenilworth neighborhood of Northeast D.C., where Bradford lived with his fiancé and then four-month-old daughter. After a brief exchange of words, Gripper and his co-conspirators opened fire on Bradford as he ran away from them down a public street in the residential neighborhood. Gripper and his co-conspirators fired a total of at least 19 shots, striking Bradford once in the back of the head, killing him.
Gripper was arrested in March 2023 and has been detained since his arrest.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Branch. They also acknowledged the work of Assistant United States Attorneys Charles R. Jones and Anthony Cocuzza, who prosecuted the case.
Jacksonville Man Indicted for Attempting to Entice A 13-Year-Old Child to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Jerry Alexander Cobb (37, Jacksonville) with using his cellphone and the internet to attempt to entice a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. If convicted, Cobb faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. On August 12, 2025, Cobb was ordered detained pending trial in this case.
According to court documents, between July 18 and August 1, 2025, an FBI agent (“UC”) in Jacksonville was conducting an undercover operation on an online social media application (“app”) to identify adults who were seeking to make online contact with and engage in sexual activity with children. During this same timeframe, UC and app user “Jerry” exchanged several private online messages on the app and text messages. After UC advised “Jerry” that “she” was 13 years old, “Jerry” texted, “[w]e can be friends” and repeatedly asked for the location of the “child’s” residence, whether the “child” could “sneak out at night,” and if “she” was a “virgin.”
On July 30, 2025, “Jerry” told the “child” that they should meet and texted, “[y]ou want to just get a hotel room?” “Jerry,” who was subsequently identified as Cobb, suggested that they engage in sexual activity in the hotel room and promised that he would bring and use a condom. On August 1, 2025, Cobb asked the “child” to send him an explicit photo of herself, and the two made plans to meet for sexual activity in Jacksonville later that day.
On the evening of August 1, 2025, Cobb traveled to the location where he intended to meet the purported 13-year-old “child” for sex. He was immediately arrested by FBI agents.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case brought 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 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, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Italian National Sentenced to over 26 Years in Prison for International Child Exploitation and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
MIAMI – An Italian national has been sentenced to 320 months in federal prison for using social media and online payments to entice minor victims in the United States and around the world to produce and send him sexually explicit images of themselves.
U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman imposed the sentence on Marco Pagano, 41, following his guilty plea on February 25 to charges of child exploitation and international promotional money laundering.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Pagano engaged in illegal online exchanges with multiple minor victims, including four victims between the ages of 14 and 16 living in the United Kingdom. Pagano used online payment systems to pay those minor victims to create sexually explicit photographs and videos and send them to him through a social media application. For the four minor victims living in the United Kingdom, Pagano used his online payment accounts more than 180 times to send thousands of dollars from the United States. More broadly, Pagano’s online accounts revealed more than one thousand payments made in small denominations to victims across the world.
In addition to his prison sentence, Pagano was ordered to serve 15 years of supervised release. The court will determine restitution at a later date.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of FBI Miami made the announcement.
FBI Miami investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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.
Anyone with information relating to child sexual exploitation or abuse is encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20360.
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Iraqi national dealing fentanyl from Glen Allen hotel room sentenced to prisonRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – An Iraqi national residing in Henrico was sentenced to prison for possession with the intent to distribute of fentanyl.
According to court documents, on July 25, 2023, Yasir H. Al Sheikh Mohammed, 28, conducted hand-to-hand transactions from a hotel room in Glen Allen rented by his girlfriend, Destiny Aleeyona Deaver Lindore, 24, of Richmond, who was present in the room during the transactions and helped Mohammed package the fentanyl pills. When Mohammed and Lindore travelled to a nearby pharmacy, law enforcement arrested Mohammed on outstanding warrants while Lindore was inside the business. During a search of the vehicle, officers recovered 10 tablets containing fentanyl from Lindore’s purse and $164 in drug proceeds.
During a search of the hotel room, investigators recovered 1,060 tablets containing fentanyl marked “M” and “30,” making them appear to be Oxycodone. They also recovered a handgun from Mohammed’s backpack and $3,890 in drug proceeds.
Mohammed pled guilty on Nov. 15, 2024, and was sentenced on Aug. 12 to 15 years and eight months in prison.
Lindore pled guilty on Nov. 13, 2024, and was sentenced yesterday to four years of probation with a special added condition of six months of home confinement.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Christopher C. Goumenis, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. The Henrico County Police Division assisted in the investigation of this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen H. Theisen and Angela Mastandrea prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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. 3:24-cr-126.
Iowa Man Sentenced to 216 Months’ Imprisonment for Methamphetamine ChargeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Gregory Scott Dreher, 49, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was sentenced on August 14, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Dreher to 216 months’ imprisonment. Dreher, who was on federal supervision when he committed this offense, was sentenced to an additional 16 months of imprisonment for violating the of his supervised release. Dreher also forfeited any claim to $4,000 in US currency seized from his possession. There is no parole in the federal system. After Dreher’s release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
Dreher was charged as a result of his involvement with a Mexico Source of Supply (SOS) of methamphetamine who supplies the Omaha and Council Bluffs area. Dreher assisted a local courier who was distributing the SOS’s methamphetamine in Nebraska and Iowa.
On October 2, 2023, law enforcement observed Dreher meet with a suspected drug courier at an Omaha location. Directly following the meet, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle occupied by Dreher. A search of the vehicle revealed more than 400 grams actual methamphetamine. Dreher was arrested and $4,000 of drug proceeds were seized from his possession.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Kender Jose Alvarez-Hernandez, a/k/a Kender Alvarez-Hernandez, age 21, a Guatemalan national unlawfully present in Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not more than two years, and a fine of not more than $250,000.00.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division and the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office.
The Indictment alleged that on June 17, 2025, Alvarez-Hernandez, an alien, was found in the United States after having been previously removed in 2025 without obtaining the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Alvarez-Hernandez will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dak T. Cohen and Richard J. Lorenz represented the United States.
Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Mariano Gabriel-Gabriel, a/k/a Mariana Gabriel, a/k/a Gabriel Mariano, age 28, a Mexican national unlawfully present in Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not more than two years, and a fine of not more than $250,000.00.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division.
The Indictment alleged that on June 30, 3035, Gabriel-Gabriel, an alien, was found in the United States after having been previously removed in 2017 without obtaining the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Gabriel-Gabriel will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dak T. Cohen represented the United States.
Illegal Alien Charged with Unlawfully Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Olvin Javier Gutierrez Ponce (44, Bradenton) with unlawful possession of a firearm. If convicted, Gutierrez Ponce faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Gutierrez Ponce that the United States intends to forfeit a Taurus 9mm pistol and a Springfield 9mm pistol, which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.
According to the indictment, in July 2025, Gutierrez Ponce, knowing he is an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States, unlawfully possessed a firearm.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), and the Bradenton Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abigail K. King.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Honduran National with Two Prior Deportations Charged for Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Honduran national made his initial court appearance today to face charges of illegally reentering the United States after previously being removed from the country.
Rigoberto Osorio-Merlo, 49, is charged with one-count of deported alien found in the United States. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 4, 2025, before United States Magistrate Judge Elayna J. Youchah.
According to allegations contained in the criminal complaint and statements made during court proceedings, Osorio-Merlo is a citizen and national of Honduras who was previously deported and removed from the United States on January 15, 2009, and November 14, 2018, and reentered the United States illegally.
On July 22, 2024, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) learned that Osorio-Merlo had been arrested by officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for Duty to Stop at Scene of Accident, Destroy/Conceal Evidence, and Reckless Driving Resulting in Death or Substantial Bodily Harm. A year later, on July 30, 2025, Osorio-Merlo was remanded to ICE custody from the Nevada Department of Corrections, based on an immigration detainer. Osorio-Merlo has two DUI convictions, one in 2011 and a second in 2016. Based on Osorio-Merlo’s July 22, 2024, arrest, he was convicted of Reckless Driving Resulting in Substantial Bodily Harm or Death.
If convicted, Osorio-Merlo faces the maximum statutory penalty of two years in prison, a one-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
Acting United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Field Office Director Jason Knight made the announcement.
The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated the case; and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada is prosecuting the case.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
A complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Honduran National Pleads Guilty to Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Honduran national unlawfully residing in Waltham, Mass. pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Samuel Cruz Alvarado, 63, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date. Cruz Alvarado was arrested on May 5, 2025 and indicted by a federal grand in June 2025.
Cruz Alvarado was deported from the United States on Nov. 26, 2012. Sometime after his November 2012 removal, Cruz Alvarado illegally reentered the United States without permission.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Henryetta Resident Pleads Guilty to Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Matthew Wayne Wasson, age 31, of Henryetta, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine, punishable by no less than ten years and up to life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine.
The Indictment alleged that on October 3, 2024, Wasson knowingly and intentionally distributed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Wasson will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob R. Parker represented the United States.
Hawaii Basketball Coach Sentenced to over 33 Years for Child Exploitation and Harassment of 10 VictimsRead the Press Release
A Hawaii man was sentenced today to over 33 years in prison and a lifetime term of supervised release for enticement of a minor, sex trafficking of a minor, production and receipt of child pornography, and harassment offenses.
“The defendant was a youth basketball coach who shamelessly sexually exploited, abused, harassed, and threatened his young victims, causing incalculable harm to them,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to secure justice for victims of these atrocious crimes, especially when such acts are committed by individuals who seek and abuse the trust of their communities in order to target and exploit vulnerable children.”
“Dwayne Yuen grossly and repeatedly violated the sacred trust placed in him by his employer and the parents and families of his young female victims,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson for the District of Hawaii. “He used his power and position to groom and then serially exploit and victimize the young girls entrusted to his care. While nothing can ever undo the harm he has caused these children and their families, it is our sincere hope that today’s sentence will ensure that our community and children are protected from him, and serve to deter other predators like him in the future. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our dedicated law enforcement partners at the FBI will always continue to hunt down and bring to justice all who seek to exploit Hawaii’s children.”
“Yuen held a position of trust that demanded he protect and inspire young athletes,” said FBI Criminal Investigative Division Assistant Director Jose A. Perez. “Instead, he abused his authority by preying upon and threatening his young victims. Today’s sentencing reinforces the message that the victimization of children will not be tolerated by law enforcement. The FBI will continue to meticulously investigate these crimes, which cause irreparable harm and trauma to our nation’s youth.”
According to court documents, Dwayne Yuen, 52, of Honolulu, exploited and harassed at least ten victims, who he met through youth basketball, where he served as a coach and mentor. From 2005 to 2023, Yuen engaged in extensive grooming of his victims, many of whom were especially vulnerable because of financial or family stressors, purchasing elaborate gifts for them and spending an inappropriate amount of time alone with them. Once trust was established, Yuen began engaging in sexual conversations with his victims, including sending them sexually explicit images. In the early 2000s, he engaged in coerced and forced sexual contact with victims as young as 15 years old. He used threats to harm his victims’ reputation and basketball career to stop them from disclosing or attempting to stop his abuse. He threatened at least one victim with rape and death and threatened, blackmailed, and physically assaulted another victim who tried to avoid his sexual advances. In later years, he would pay economically vulnerable players that he coached to send him sexually explicit images or engage in sexually explicit conversations. He got one minor victim, a former player that he knew was a minor, to engage in a sexually explicit video call in 2020, which he then took screenshots of and sent on at least one occasion to another victim. He also used unidentified numbers to send harassing messages to numerous former players, sometimes at the rate of a hundred times a day.
The FBI Honolulu Field Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Perlmutter of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Hartford Man Convicted of Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that a federal jury in Bridgeport today found MORRIS CARTER III, also known as “Mo,” 36, of Hartford, guilty of firearm offenses.
According to the evidence introduced during the trial, in the early morning of February 19, 2023, Carter was involved in a fight a convenience store in the south end of Hartford. Surveillance footage shows Carter possessing a firearm and beating a convenience store patron in the head with a firearm magazine, which ejected ammunition during the altercation. Carter then fled the store, drove toward Wethersfield, and threw two handguns out the car window. Wethersfield Police stopped the car on Nott Street and found a loaded magazine under the passenger seat. Later that morning, a Wethersfield resident called police after discovering one of the discarded guns at the end of her driveway. Officers responded and found both discarded firearms, a magazine, and ammunition in the area. Investigators also recovered the ammunition from the convenience store.
Carter’s criminal history includes a federal conviction in 2013 for conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, crack cocaine. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
The jury found Carter guilty of one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years, and one count of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.
Carter, who was federal supervised release at this time of this offense, faces additional penalties for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
Carter has been detained since February 19, 2023.
This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Hartford Police Department, and the Wethersfield Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel J. Gentile and Sean P. Mahard through Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.
Hampton man convicted for downloading child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Hampton man yesterday on six counts of transportation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, from August 2020 through November 2021, Ryan Matthew Bieber, 31, uploaded multiple files of CSAM depicting adults engaged in sexually explicit conduct with children. Bieber’s Google account was deactivated immediately after Google submitted a CyberTipLine report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Bieber faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison when sentenced on Dec. 18. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Dominique Evans, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes accepted the verdict.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Devon Heath and Peter G. Osyf are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the 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.justice.gov/psc.
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. 4:25-cr-5.
Georgia Man Convicted for $16M COVID-19 Unemployment FraudRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Albany, Georgia, convicted a Georgia man today for his participation in a scheme to defraud the Georgia Department of Labor (GaDOL) out of millions of dollars in benefits meant to assist unemployed individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The defendant and his co-conspirators orchestrated a scheme where they used stolen identities to submit fraudulent unemployment claims in order to steal millions of dollars of funds intended for the benefit of unemployed Americans,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Such schemes are all too common, but the Criminal Division is resolved to bring to justice fraudsters who seek to enrich themselves from the public fisc.”
“This trial conviction underlines our dedication and steadfast commitment to holding individuals accountable who exploit federal relief programs for personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). “As proven in this case, our criminal investigators along with our law enforcement partners will work together and diligently pursue anyone who attempts to exploit programs created to help legitimate people and businesses affected by the global pandemic.”
“Malcolm Jeffery and his co-conspirators helped themselves to money earmarked for unemployed Georgia residents already struggling during the pandemic,” said Inspector in Charge Rodney M. Hopkins of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Atlanta Division. “Not only is he responsible for the depletion of that program’s funds, but he used stolen personal information to commit the fraud. Postal Inspectors want criminals to know, we are committed to investigating these cases and working with our partners to make sure they feel the full weight of the law. These crimes will not go unanswered.”
“Malcolm Jeffrey engaged in a scheme with his co-defendants to defraud the Georgia Department of Labor by filing numerous fraudulent unemployment insurance claims in the names of identity theft victims and other individuals who were not entitled to such benefits," said Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG) Southeast Region. "The claims were filed through a fictitious employer account that Jeffrey created in the name of his business, resulting in substantial losses to the program. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Unemployment Insurance program.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Malcolm Jeffrey, 34, of Cordele, Georgia, and his co-conspirators, caused more than approximately 7,000 fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims to be filed with the GaDOL, resulting in more than $16 million in stolen benefits.
To execute the scheme, Jeffrey and his co-conspirators fabricated lists of purported employees using personally identifiable information from hundreds of identity theft victims and filed fraudulent UI claims on the GaDOL website under his defunct business, Down N Dirty Transportation LLC (Down N Dirty). After Jeffrey opened an account to file UI claims through GaDOL’s website for Down N Dirty’s purported employees, thousands of claims were submitted through his employer account, which caused more than $16 million in fraudulent UI benefits to be disbursed. The stolen UI funds were then distributed to Jeffrey and his co-conspirators via prepaid debit cards mailed to various locations in the vicinity of Cordele.
The jury convicted Jeffrey of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
DOL-OIG, IRS-CI, USPS-OIG, USPIS, USSS, HSI, and DHS-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Lyndie Freeman, Siji Moore, and Kyle Crawford of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Gallatin Man Sentenced to over 12 Years in Prison for Enticement of A MinorRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On August 14, 2025, Andrew John Paolini, 64, of Gallatin, Tennessee, was sentenced to 151 months imprisonment by the Honorable Katherine A. Crytzer, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville. Following his imprisonment, he will be on lifetime supervised release, and he will be required to register with state sex offender registries and to comply with special sex offender conditions.
As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Paolini agreed to plead guilty to an indictment charging him with one count of Attempted Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Statutory Rape as defined in Tennessee Code Annotated Section 39-13-506(c), in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b).
According to court filed documents, in late October 2024, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents began an undercover investigation online in public chat areas known to be trafficked by purveyors of child sexual abuse material. This investigation led to communications with an online user, later identified as Paolini, attempting to entice who he believed to be a thirteen (13) year old girl for sex. Federal agents arrested Paolini in November of 2024, after Paolini arrived at an arranged meeting location with whom he believed to be his underaged victim.
U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III, of the Eastern District of Tennessee and Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI made the announcement.The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by the FBI, led by Special Agent Mike Carter.
Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Kolman represented the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006, by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab "resources.”
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Four-Time Convicted Drug Trafficker Sentenced for Dealing Cocaine and FentanylRead the Press Release
Atlanta – Mekael Desean Daniels, who has three prior federal drug trafficking convictions, will serve a 292-month prison sentence following his conviction for possessing with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl. At the time of his arrest, Daniels was storing 110 kilograms of cocaine and 62 grams of fentanyl at a Buckhead-area condominium building and was attempting to deliver $600,000 of drug proceeds to money launderers working on behalf of a transnational drug trafficking organization.
“Despite three prior federal convictions for drug trafficking, Daniels continued to distribute vast quantities of narcotics in our community and attempted to launder drug money,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Thanks to the determined investigative work of our law enforcement partners, Daniels’s 24-year prison sentence should finally end his criminal career and serves as a stern warning to others who push deadly fentanyl and cocaine.”
“Career criminals who traffic drugs show no regard for the devastation they leave behind,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “Let this case serve as a clear warning: drug traffickers can no longer operate with impunity.”
“Daniels was a repeat offender fueling the flow of deadly drugs into our communities,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI and our partners will continue to dismantle these networks and hold traffickers accountable.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In 2022, Daniels and others conspired to transport cocaine and fentanyl from Mexico to Atlanta, Georgia. Daniels operated a stash house in a condominium building in Buckhead, which he used to supply his network with large amounts of cocaine. At the time of his arrest on December 9, 2022, Daniels was storing 110 kilograms of cocaine that had recently arrived by tractor-trailer from Mexico. Agents also found in his condominium unit 62 grams of fentanyl pressed into pills with the marking for oxycodone, approximately $66,000 in drug proceeds, and a drug ledger documenting $500,000 in transactions. In the condominium garage, agents searched a car linked to Daniels, where they found a bag containing $500,000 and a shoebox containing $100,000, which were proceeds of recent cocaine sales in the Atlanta, Georgia area.
This is Daniels’s fourth federal drug trafficking conviction in this district after prior convictions for possession with intent to distribute cocaine in 1995 and 2000 and for possession with intent to distribute heroin in 2012. As part of his 2000 case, Daniels was also convicted of possessing a firearm while he was a convicted felon. Daniels engaged in the drug trafficking conspiracy charged in this case one year after his release from federal prison for his 2012 conviction.
Earlier today, United States District Judge Steven D. Grimberg sentenced Daniels, 55, of Dallas, Georgia, to serve 24 years, 4 months in prison to be followed by a lifetime sentence of supervised release. Daniels was convicted of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl on March 27, 2025, after he pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth M. Hathaway and Austin M. Hall, and former Assistant United States Attorney Joshua May, prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to eliminate the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
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 OCDETF and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Fort Pierce Drug Dealer Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Fort Pierce man has been sentenced to 96 months in federal prison for drug trafficking. U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon imposed the sentence on Derron Nathaniel Johnson, 28, following his guilty plea to distribution of fentanyl and cocaine.
According to the facts admitted at the change of plea hearing, Johnson conducted two separate drug sales in Fort Pierce: on July 6, 2022, he sold 13.92 grams of fentanyl; and on August 19, 2022, he sold 84.1 grams of cocaine.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, and Sheriff Richard Del Toro Jr. of the Saint Lucie County Sheriff’s Office (SLCSO) made the announcement.
DEA Miami Field Division and SLCSO investigated the case. Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office provided invaluable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Porter prosecuted the case.
According to the DEA’s National Drug Threat Assessment, synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl, are poisoning our nation. Fentanyl has proven to be a deadly poison that does not discriminate. Its victims include every gender, race, age, and economic background, and its debilitating effects are the same across all demographics. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Even in small doses, fentanyl can be deadly. As little as two milligrams, about the size of 5 grains of salt, can be fatal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”), fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths. Over 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. The State of Florida has also seen an exponential increase in overdoses associated with fentanyl. In 2022, more than 5,622 people died from overdoses involving fentanyl and fentanyl analogs in Florida.
For more information visit: https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/MEC/Publications-and-Forms/Documents/Drugs-in-Deceased-Persons/2022-Annual-Drug-Report-FINAL-(1).aspx; https://www.cdc.gov/opioids/basics/fentanyl.html#; and https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/fentanyl.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-14003.
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Former Salinas Construction Company Controller Charged with Stealing More Than $8 Million Dollars from EmployerRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – Monique Marie Dodson, the former controller of a Salinas construction company, was charged by information yesterday with six counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering in connection with the alleged theft of more than $8 million from her employer.
According to the information, Dodson, 42, of Monterey County, was the controller of Company A, a civil contracting construction company headquartered in Salinas. Beginning around October 2021 until November 2023, Dodson allegedly conducted approximately 136 unauthorized wire transfers from Company A’s business account to her personal bank accounts that she falsely characterized as payments for materials for the company.
The information alleges that Dodson used a variety of means to conceal the unauthorized transfers to avoid detection and facilitate future transfers, including by intercepting and destroying paper bank statements sent by Company A’s bank documenting the unauthorized wire transfers. Dodson also allegedly downloaded Company A’s bank statements, modified the electronic bank statements by removing her name from wire transfer descriptions, and saved the altered bank statements in Company A’s records. The information further alleges that Dodson concealed the unauthorized wire transfers by falsely listing them in Company A’s expense accounts in the accounting journal.
Dodson is alleged to have conducted unauthorized wires totaling approximately $8,579,647.48.
United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Oakland Field Office Special Agent in Charge Linda Nguyen, and Special Agent in Charge Ryan Korner of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG) made the announcement.
Dodson is scheduled to appear in federal district court in San Jose on Aug. 19, 2025, for an initial appearance and arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins.
An information merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each count of wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343 and 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for the count of money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957. Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Neal C. Hong is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Sahib Kaur. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, IRS-CI, and FDIC-OIG.
Dodson Information
Florida Man Convicted for Sex Trafficking and Other Offenses in New York StateRead the Press Release
A federal jury in the Eastern District of New York convicted Joel David Forney, 42, of Kissimmee, Florida, today on two counts of sex trafficking and related charges for his conduct in trafficking two women to work in commercial sex in New York, including at an open-air sex trafficking market along a stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in Brooklyn known as the Penn Track, as well as the defendant’s transportation of a woman from New York to multiple other states, including Connecticut and Wisconsin, with the intent that she engage in commercial sex for his financial benefit. Forney was also found guilty of coercion and enticement of a minor for having sexual intercourse with a teenager when he was 31 years old.
“The defendant used violence and threats to force victims into commercial sex for his profit,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Such inhumane conduct has no place in a civilized society. The Justice Department is committed to combating human trafficking and securing justice for its victims.”
“The jury found that Forney used violence and threats to compel women to engage in commercial sex acts at the Penn Track for his own profit, and enticed a vulnerable minor into having sex with him,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “Our office will relentlessly pursue those, like the defendant, who engage in sex trafficking, and I commend the survivors of Forney’s depraved conduct who bravely assisted law enforcement in bringing him to justice.”
“Joel Forney’s actions inflicted lasting harm on his victims through violence, coercion and manipulation,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to protecting everyone in our communities, and we hope today’s sentencing brings some measure of closure to the victims.”
Evidence at trial showed that Forney used false promises to lure women into his trafficking network. The defendant then compelled these women to have sex with multiple men per day for money, while keeping the proceeds for himself. If the women refused to engage in commercial sex for his financial benefit, the defendant subjected them to physical abuse and threatened to hurt or kill them if they did not comply.
The evidence also showed that the defendant lured a third victim to his home by sending her romantic and sexual text messages. Once in his house, the defendant had sex with the victim, even though he was 31 years old at the time and she knew no more than 15. Forney then sent the victim text messages that implied he was recruiting her for commercial sex.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. Forney faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison as well as mandatory restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the FBI NYPD Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Elbert and Antoinette N. Rangel for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Leah Branch of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Firearms Possession and Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
Hagåtña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant Daniel Thomas Sanchez, age 36, from Dededo, Guam was sentenced in the U.S. District Court of Guam to 63 months imprisonment for Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). The Court also ordered three years of supervised release and a mandatory $300 special assessment fee. In addition, defendants convicted of a federal drug offense may no longer qualify for certain federal benefits.
On October 13, 2023, officers with the Guam Police Department (GPD) approached Daniel Thomas Sanchez’s residence to investigate a report of criminal activity. Officers discovered Sanchez asleep in a running vehicle parked in his driveway. Officers also observed a 12-gauge shotgun next to him. The gun was seized and found to be loaded.
On March 5, 2024, GPD officers observed Sanchez in the backseat of a vehicle during a routine traffic stop. Sanchez made furtive movements toward his feet, which resulted in his removal from the vehicle. Officers then saw the grip of a revolver protruding from a tennis shoe where Sanchez had been sitting. Following a detailed search of the vehicle, officers recovered approximately 14 grams of methamphetamine, various drug paraphernalia, cash, multiple loaded firearms, and ammunition. Sanchez admitted to selling a small amount of methamphetamine earlier that day. Further investigation led to the discovery of another loaded firearm at Sanchez’s residence. Sanchez was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to his felony criminal history, including convictions for family violence and aggravated assault.
“Armed felons and unlawful drug users are grave dangers to our communities,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “Federal law prohibits the possession of firearms and ammunition by such individuals. The Department of Justice will continue to prioritize these prosecutions to prevent violent crime.”
“Drug trafficking and the illegal possession of firearms will not be tolerated in our communities. ATF and its partners in law enforcement are dedicated to safeguarding our citizens, and we will continue to relentlessly pursue these criminals with every resource available,” said ATF Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais. “Those who choose to traffic drugs and illegally possess firearms will be held accountable for the harm they cause our communities.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives and the Guam Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Devarup Rastogi prosecuted the case in the District of Guam.
Felon Indicted for Illegal Possession of a Firearm Following Police Foot Chase and Arrest in NortheastRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Damion Barnett, 22, of the District of Columbia, was charged in an indictment unsealed yesterday in U.S. District Court with being a felon in illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition and unlawful discarding of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Barnett allegedly had been in possession of a loaded Glock 19 9mm semiautomatic pistol shortly before he was arrested July 14 by Metropolitan Police officers following a foot chase in Northeast Washington, D.C.
This prosecution comes as part of the "Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful" initiative, which is surging resources to reduce violent crime in the District of Columbia. This initiative was created to address gun violence in the District, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenders, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.
According to the charging documents, officers with the MPD’s Robbery Suppression Unit were on patrol July 14 about 6 p.m. when they saw a group of men standing on the 1100 block of 16th Street NE. One of the individuals, later identified as Barnett, was smoking a white cigarette that officers believed contained marijuana.
On seeing the officers approach, Barnett passed the cigarette to another member of the group and ran in the opposite direction down 16th Street. Barnett dashed into an alley as officers gave chase.
During the foot pursuit, an officer observed Barnett reach into his waistband with his right hand and discard a firearm into the air. Officers soon apprehended Barnett, placed him under arrest, and traced his flight path. The officers recovered a black Glock 19, 9mm pistol loaded with 23 rounds of ammunition in an extended magazine. An NCIC check revealed the firearm had been reported stolen on Nov. 3, 2024, to the Prince George’s County Police Department.
Barnett previously was convicted on a 2021 felony charge in D.C. Superior Court, and as a result, prohibited from possessing any firearm.
This investigation is being conducted by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Sussler of the Federal Major Crimes Section.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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