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Monday 11 August 2025
Shiprock Man Sentenced for Armed AssaultRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man was sentenced today to three years of probation for a violent assault that injured two people.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on July 9, 2024, Jerome Weaver, 22, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, assaulted two adults at a residence in Shiprock, New Mexico, while intoxicated. Weaver choked one victim, pressed a loaded handgun equipped with a laser attachment to their head, and pointed the firearm at the second victim. A minor witnessed the assault and called 911. When officers arrived, they found the victims injured and observed Weaver holding a firearm, which he surrendered without incident.
Upon his release from prison, Weaver will be subject to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Brittany DuChaussee is prosecuting the case.
Shelby County Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Attempting to Sexually Exploit a MinorRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Shelby County man has been sentenced for attempted enticement of a minor and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
U.S. District Court Judge Madeline H. Haikala sentenced Justin Warren Lindstrom, 43, of Sterrett, Alabama, to 120 months in prison followed by a life term of supervised release. In April, Lindstrom pleaded guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and possession of child pornography. This conviction will require Lindstrom to register as a sex offender in accordance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
“Thanks to the collaborative efforts or our dedicated law enforcement partners and prosecutors, we have removed yet another child predator from our community,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “Today’s sentence ensures he can no longer pose a threat to our most vulnerable – our children. My office remains committed to protecting children and holding those who seek to harm them fully accountable.”
“This sentencing confirms that the FBI and our partners will stop at nothing to protect our children from predators who seek to exploit them,” said David R. Fitzgibbons, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Birmingham. “Together, we have ensured one less predator is victimizing the most innocent and vulnerable members of our community.”
According to the plea agreement, in November 2023, an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 15-year-old girl posted an advertisement on a social media application. On November 15, 2023, Lindstrom arrived at a park in Vestavia Hills to engage in a sexual act with a minor. Vestavia Hills police officers conducted a traffic stop and arrested Lindstrom. After obtaining a search warrant, agents later located child pornography in one of Lindstrom’s email accounts.
If you suspect or become aware of possible sexual exploitation of a child, please contact law enforcement. To alert the FBI Birmingham Office, call 205-326-6166. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at www.cybertipline.org.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The FBI investigated the case along with the Vestavia Hills Police Department and the Homewood Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel S. McBrayer prosecuted the case.
Sacramento Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of MinorsRead the Press Release
Raymond James Cornett, 53, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to sexual exploitation of a child, United States Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, Cornett requested and received from a woman in Canada videos and images of a six-year-old victim and a 7-year-old victim engaged in sexually explicit conduct. In addition, Cornett admitted to requesting images and videos of sexually explicit conduct from two other minor victims.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Sacramento Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S Attorney Roger Yang is prosecuting the case.
The Canadian woman was prosecuted by Canadian authorities.
Cornett is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb on Dec. 8, 2025. Cornett faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
Romania Nationals Indicted on Federal Wire Fraud and Identity Theft ChargesRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury returned a sixteen count Indictment charging Romanian nationals Bogdan Alexandru Gherghevici, 26, and Viorel Cristea, 33, with federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges.
According to the allegations contained in the indictment, Gherghevici and Cristea, beginning at least as early as March 2025, and up to and including May 2025, participated in an extensive fraudulent scheme falsely claiming to do business in the Southern District of Georgia. This scheme involved selling fictitious farming equipment to Victims across the country, and resulted in a total loss of over $600,000 from the Victims.
Acting U.S. Attorney Tara M. Lyons for the Southern District of Georgia and Special Agent in Charge Steven Schrank of the HSI Atlanta Field Office made the announcement.
“This case highlights the commitment of Homeland Security Investigations to aggressively pursue individuals who exploit others through fraudulent schemes,” said Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama Steven N. Schrank. “The defendants allegedly orchestrated a complex operation targeting victims nationwide, resulting in significant financial losses. HSI will continue to work tirelessly with our partners to ensure those who engage in such criminal activities are held accountable and brought to justice.”
Gherghevici and Cristea face a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud charge, and a mandatory 2 years in prison consecutive to any other potential sentence for the Aggravated Identity Theft charge. If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The HSI Savannah Field Office is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Bondura for the Southern District of Georgia 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.
Richmond psychotherapist convicted of healthcare fraud to pay over $1MRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Mechanicsville Licensed Clinical Social Worker who was convicted of criminal health care fraud has agreed to pay an additional $449,014.93 to settle civil fraud claims asserted against him by the United States and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
According to court documents, between January 2017 and December 2022, Daniel Jacobsen, 72, knowingly submitted at least $335,824.31 in fraudulent claims for reimbursement to Virginia Medicaid and Medicare for services that weren’t rendered. These included claims that billed for more than 16 hours in services in one day or that used billing codes for more complex services with higher rates than the services that were provided. To support his fraudulent claims, Jacobsen used false psychotherapy progress notes reflecting the patients’ supposed receipt of services.
Jacobsen pled guilty to health care fraud on Oct. 17, 2024, and on March 13, was sentenced to three months in prison. As part of his criminal case, Jacobsen paid $316,338.31 in restitution and was ordered to pay $335,821.31 in forfeiture and a $100,000 fine. To resolve the civil fraud claims against him, Jacobsen agreed to pay an additional $449,014.93. The restitution, forfeiture, fine, and settlement total $1,201,174.55.
The resolutions obtained in these matters were the result of an effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Office of the Virginia Attorney General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carla Jordan-Detamore prosecuted the criminal case. The civil fraud matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McIntosh and Virginia Assistant Attorneys General Joseph Hall, Ray Bowman, and Christopher Salerno.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Case records may be found on PACER under case number 3:24‑cr‑140.
The civil claims settled are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.
Previously Identified MS-13 Gang Member Convicted of Illegal Reentry after an Aggravated Felony ConvictionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Roberto Lamadrid Campuzano, 38, of Mexico, was sentenced on August 8, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for illegal reentry to the United States following an aggravated felony conviction. Chief Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Lamadrid Campuzano to 24 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Lamadrid Campuzano’s release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
Lamadrid Campuzano came to the attention of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) after agents received information from a traffic stop in Bellevue, Nebraska, conducted by Bellevue Police Department on April 4, 2025. Lamadrid Campuzano had previously been identified by law enforcement as a member of Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13.
On April 10, 2025, special agents from HSI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) observed Lamadrid Campuzano exit his residence and arrive at a construction site in Elkhorn, Nebraska. Lamadrid Campuzano was arrested while leaving the work site for his lunch break. Lamadrid Campuzano was then taken in for administrative processing where his identity was confirmed. Lamadrid Campuzano is a citizen and national of Mexico. Lamadrid Campuzano had been previously ordered removed from the United States on October 6, 2006, and was physically removed from the United States pursuant to that order on May 30, 2014. When he was encountered in the United States on April 10, 2025, Lamadrid Campuzano did not have the permission of the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to have returned to the United States.
On August 1, 2006, Lamadrid Campuzano was convicted of numerous felonies in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, which included Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon, Criminal Gang Participation, and Reckless Use of a Firearm with Serious Injury.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Pete Serrano Appointed Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of WashingtonRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – Pete Serrano was sworn in today as the Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. United States Attorney Serrano was appointed to the position by Attorney General Pam Bondi on August 6, 2025.
As Interim United States Attorney, Mr. Serrano supervises the prosecution of all federal crimes and the litigation of all civil matters in the Eastern District of Washington in which the United States has an interest. He leads a staff of approximately 79 prosecutors, civil litigators, and support personnel across Eastern Washington.
Prior to his appointment as Interim U.S. Attorney, Mr. Serrano was Mayor of the City of Pasco, Washington.
In 2021, Mr. Serrano co-founded the Silent Majority Foundation, a nonprofit organization to fight for civil liberties. Mr. Serrano was Director and the General Counsel for the Foundation.
From 2015 to 2018, Mr. Serrano worked as an attorney for the Department of Energy focusing on environmental law. From 2018 to 2021, Mr. Serrano worked at Energy Northwest including working on permitting small modular nuclear reactors.
Panama City Man Charged with Possession of Illegal Drugs with the Intent to Distribute and a FirearmRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Marlow Level Allen, 46, of Panama City, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury for one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and marijuana; and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today.
Allen is scheduled for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick on August 14, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. in Tallahassee, Florida.
If convicted on the drug count, Allen faces up to twenty years’ imprisonment. If convicted on the firearm count, Allen faces a minimum mandatory 15 years’ imprisonment.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Mountin is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Owner and Captain of Scuba Charter Vessel Sentenced to over Eight Years in Prison for Seaman’s Manslaughter and FraudRead the Press Release
MIAMI –The owner and captain of a scuba charter vessel has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison after a federal jury found him guilty in March 2025 of seaman’s manslaughter (both as the vessel’s owner and captain), lying to the U.S. Coast Guard, and fraudulently obtaining Covid-19 pandemic relief funds.
U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon sentenced Dustin Sean McCabe, 50, to 100 months in prison—above the advisory Sentencing Guidelines—citing McCabe’s reckless conduct and the horrific circumstances and nature of the victim’s death.
In early March 2020, McCabe purchased a 48-foot vessel, named it Southern Comfort, and falsely claimed on Coast Guard forms that it would be used for recreational purposes. Instead, McCabe intended to operate the Southern Comfort to run paid scuba charters, refitting it himself for commercial use.
On March 28, 2020, McCabe took paying passengers on a scuba trip aboard the Southern Comfort. During the trip’s two dives, the Southern Comfort experienced significant mechanical malfunctions, including one propeller unexpectedly engaging, loss of steering, and the vessel running aground. In one incident, the port-side propeller activated while the vessel was in neutral during a diver pickup, pulling a diver toward the propeller before the diver narrowly escaped injury.
Despite these dangerous malfunctions, McCabe operated another paid scuba trip the very next day without reporting the prior day’s incidents to the Coast Guard, warning passengers of what had happened the day before, or repairing the vessel.
During this second trip, the same propeller malfunction occurred as the victim and her spouse were boarding from the water. The propeller pulled the victim and her spouse into it, killing her. Following the fatality, McCabe was prohibited from operating the Southern Comfort.
Months later, McCabe applied for two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, a federal relief program designed to help small businesses survive the economic impact of the pandemic. To secure the loans (and later their forgiveness), McCabe falsely claimed that his scuba charter business was still operational and submitted fraudulent payroll information and tax documents to obtain the funds and secure loan forgiveness.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Josh W. Packer of the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) Southeast Field Office made the announcement.
CGIS Southeast Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Lake Worth and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Office of Law Enforcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller, U.S. Coast Guard Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner Stiehl, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Koffsky prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-CR-80103.
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Ohio Man Accused of Stealing Millions of Dollars from Missouri Grocery ChainRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – An Ohio man accused of defrauding a Missouri grocery chain out of more than $15 million worth of groceries and inventory has been arrested.
Muhammad Babar Chaudhry, 46, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on July 23 with four counts of wire fraud. He was arrested Wednesday night. On Friday, he was ordered held in jail until trial at a hearing in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
The indictment says Chaudhry owns a grocery chain in southern Ohio called Sunshine Stores LLC. Beginning in May of 2021, the Missouri chain licensed its brand to 38 stores operated by Chaudhry and supplied those stores with groceries, the indictment says. In March of 2023, Chaudhry ordered $7.6 million in groceries and inventory from the Missouri chain with no intention of paying, the indictment says. He ordered $7.5 million more in April of 2023, the indictment says, then repeatedly lied to the victim company about payments. An employee was told to lie and say that Chaudhry was out of the country, and later say that “fraudulent activity” caused the failure to pay, the indictment says. Chaudhry intentionally drained his bank accounts so the victim company could not withdraw the funds and then falsely claimed he was wiring the payments, the indictment says.
A motion seeking to have Chaudhry held in jail until trial says he stole copper from one grocery store that will cost $1 million to replace and had concrete poured down the sinks and drains at the victim company’s grocery stores.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Mexican National Living Illegally in the United States Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Braulio Villa-Chairez, also known as “Raul,” 31, a Mexican national living illegally in the United States, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, beginning in March 2024 until in or around about October 2024, Villa-Chairez conspired with other individuals to distribute methamphetamine. As part of his guilty plea, Villa-Chairez admitted that he assisted the conspiracy by shipping methamphetamine to West Virginia and elsewhere.
In July 2024, Villa-Chairez shipped two separate packages containing a total of 1.97 kilograms of methamphetamine “ice” from Houston, Texas, to a customer in West Virginia after receiving instructions from a co-conspirator. On or about July 18, 2024, Villa-Chairez picked up a package containing $4,800 sent by the customer, notified a co-conspirator that he had obtained the package, and re-shipped it to Washington state.
In August 2024, Villa-Chairez shipped a package containing approximately 963.8 grams of methamphetamine to Alabama. In October 2024, Villa-Chairez assisted a co-conspirator who was delivering approximately 5.905 kilograms of methamphetamine “ice” and approximately 4.402 kilograms of methamphetamine by vehicle to West Virginia by providing him with directions to a hotel and a casino in Kanawha County.
As part of his guilty plea, Villa-Chairez also admitted that he has lived illegally in the United States under the name “Jose Jesus Villa-Chairez” and has been convicted of two federal felony offenses under that name.
Villa-Chairez is scheduled to be sentenced on December 8, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has an immigration detainer on Villa-Chairez and he will be transferred to ICE administrative custody for removal proceedings upon the completion of any sentence.
Villa-Chairez and two other Mexican nationals living illegally in the United States were indicted by a federal grand jury as the result of a joint investigation by federal and local law enforcement into a conspiracy that was responsible for delivering large quantities of methamphetamine to West Virginia and elsewhere from Houston. Co-defendant Silvester Barcenas, 23, pleaded guilty on March 4, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 20, 2025. Co-defendant German Francisco Diaz, also known as “Trulio,” 41, remains a fugitive. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Israel Chaires-Villa, 23, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty on February 13, 2025, to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine as a result of the joint investigation and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 4, 2025.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), which is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-176.
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Marathon Man Charged with Seaman’s ManslaughterRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Daniel Gavin Couch, 52, with one count of seaman’s manslaughter.
According to the indictment, Couch was employed as a captain by Lighthouse Parasail, Inc., in Monroe County, Florida, and operated a commercial parasailing vessel, the M/V AIRBORNE, on the company’s behalf. The AIRBORNE was an inspected commercial vessel regulated by the U.S. Coast Guard and primarily used for parasailing charters.
On May 30, 2022, Couch engaged in misconduct, negligence, or inattention to his duties as captain, causing the death of a passenger.
If convicted, Couch faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Josh W. Packer of the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) Southeast Field Office made the announcement.
CGIS Southeast Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Lake Worth and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Office of Law Enforcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller and Coast Guard Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner Stiehl are prosecuting the case.
An indictment contains mere allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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 on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-CR-10036.
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Madison Man Indicted for Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Willie Frank Hicks, Jr., 42, of Madison, Florida, has been indicted in federal court for one count of distribution of methamphetamine. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charge.
Hicks, Jr. is scheduled for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick on August 12, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. in Tallahassee, Florida.
If convicted, Smith faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment with a maximum of life imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Mountin.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Lubbock Man Convicted of Threatening to Kill Secret Service Agents and Their FamiliesRead the Press Release
LUBBOCK, Texas —A federal jury in Lubbock convicted a Lubbock man for issuing online threats to kill United States Secret Service agents and their families, announced Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson.
Tristan Rene Langston, 37, of Lubbock, Texas, was charged in March 2025 with the federal offenses of transmitting threats in interstate commerce and threatening a federal law enforcement officer, stemming from online threats Langston made in February 2025. On Thursday, August 7, 2025, after a four-day trial, a federal jury convicted Langston on both counts.
According to evidence presented during trial, on February 21, 2025, Langston posted a message to X.com, formerly Twitter, criticizing two U.S. Secret Service agents and then declaring, “2nd Amendment in full effect. Gonna slit the throats of agents and their families.”
Evidence in the case revealed that Langston’s statements went well beyond mere political rhetoric or bluster and constituted true threats directed at specific federal agents.
The jury heard evidence that Langston became angry with the two specific Secret Service agents after they investigated a threat Langston made online in 2023. Over the ensuing months, Langston targeted one of the agents and his family in online posts and memorialized the anger and resentment he harbored against the agents in videos and notes he maintained on his cellphone over a period of years. Testimony established that the defendant knew the agents would perceive the graphic threat as retaliation for their investigation.
“Targeting federal agents and their families with threats of violence is not protected speech—it is a federal crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson. “This verdict reaffirms our office’s commitment to take all threats seriously and to hold accountable those who try to intimidate and terrorize our law enforcement partners.”
“We commend the jury’s decision in finding Tristan Langston guilty of threatening to kill United States Secret Service agents and their families,” said Christina Foley, Deputy Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Dallas Field Office. “Threats against federal law enforcement officers and their loved ones are taken with the utmost seriousness, and this verdict reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting those who serve.”
Langston faces a maximum prison sentence of 15 years in federal prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 6, 2025.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann Howey and Sean Long of the Lubbock Division.
Los Angeles County Man Responsible for Trafficking over 3,500 Pounds of Methamphetamine Sentenced to over 21 YearsRead the Press Release
Jose Nunez, 43, of Lancaster, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 21 years and 10 months in prison for trafficking methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, Nunez worked for a Mexico-based drug-trafficking ring that imported from Mexico into the United States large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl. That drug ring was dismantled in June 2024, in an operation dubbed “Toxic Waste.”
Nunez served as a “stash house” operator for the drug ring. He maintained the organization’s drugs in the United States and distributed it to others who resold it. He was also involved in establishing and operating a methamphetamine conversion laboratory, where he and others converted liquid methamphetamine to crystal methamphetamine.
Nunez was arrested along with 14 others an investigation that resulted in the seizure of more than 12,900 pounds of methamphetamine, more than 50 pounds of fentanyl mixture, 39 pounds of cocaine, and 22 pounds of heroin. For sentencing purposes, Nunez was found to be responsible for distributing 3,500 pounds of the methamphetamine. As evidenced by tens of thousands of recorded communications, the organization smuggled methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl (in powder and pill form) in portable projectors and batteries, under the guise of a legitimate transportation business. The organization also secreted thousands of pounds of methamphetamine inside semi-trucks and hundreds of pounds of liquid methamphetamine in the gas tanks of cars and brought it across the border.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Marshals Service, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office’s Inland Regional Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Merced Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team, and the Los Angeles Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin J. Gilio and Cody S. Chapple are prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. In July 2018, the Justice Department announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.
Local Man Gets Federal Sentence for Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
OXFORD, MS – A Booneville, Mississippi man was sentenced to 60 months in prison for distributing child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, Austin Thompson, 21 years old, was using an internet application to distribute sexually explicit images and videos of minors as young as 8 years old. Agents identified Austin Thompson as the likely owner and user of the identified accounts based on prior contact with law enforcement for trafficking in child pornography.
“People who have a sexual interest in children do not belong in society, they belong in prison,” said United States Attorney Clay Joyner. “Thanks to exemplary teamwork by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, the FBI, and AUSA Parker King, another criminal who views kids as sex objects is behind bars.”
“Each time child pornography is exchanged over the internet, children are re-victimized,” stated Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jackson Field Office Robert Eikhoff. “The FBI’s work with its partners to stop Austin Thompson’s calculated, deliberate efforts to distribute sexual abuse material and this sentencing demonstrate our resolute commitment to preventing future harm. The FBI has a great resolve to pursue justice for the predators who seek to exploit the youth of our communities and stands firm with the USAO, Mississippi AGO, and Prentiss County Sheriff’s Department in protecting our most vulnerable population - our children."
“While this conviction does not turn back the clock, it prevents this predator from inflicting more harm,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “I appreciate the strong partnership our office has with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI. Together, we are dedicated to serving justice for the victims and making Mississippi a safer place for everyone.”
The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Parker S. King prosecuted the case as part of the Project Safe Childhood nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the 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.
Las Cruces Man Sentenced to over 10 Years for Role in Fentanyl Trafficking OperationRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Las Cruces man was sentenced to 123 months in prison following an investigation into a fentanyl trafficking operation in southern New Mexico.
According to court records, since early 2024, the FBI’s Southern New Mexico Safe Streets Gang Task Force, together with Las Cruces/Dona Ana County Metro Narcotics and the Las Cruces Police Department, have been investigating a drug trafficking organization distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine in and around Las Cruces, New Mexico. The investigation identified Orangie Lee Fisher, 37, as a key participant in the operation.
On April 3, 2024, agents executed a federal search warrant at a motel room occupied by Fisher at the Imperial Sky Motel in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Inside the room and Fisher’s vehicle, agents recovered approximately 600 grams of suspected marijuana, $5,693 in cash, firearms magazines, and ammunition.
After the seizure, agents continued to surveil Fisher and conducted controlled narcotics purchases at his Las Cruces residence. On October 4, 2024, agents from the Las Cruces/Dona Ana County Metro Narcotics executed a state search warrant at that residence, where Fisher was present.
During the search, Fisher ignored commands and fled into a bedroom before surrendering. Approximately 1,000 fentanyl pills were found scattered throughout the residence, and a stolen handgun wrapped in a latex glove was recovered from the bedroom closet.
When interviewed at the scene, Fisher denied living at the residence and denied any knowledge of the drugs or firearm.
Fisher subsequently pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Upon his release from prison, Fisher will be subject to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from Las Cruces/Dona Ana County Metro Narcotics, the Las Cruces Police Department, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, and New Mexico State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Maria Y. Armijo prosecuted the case.
Laplace Man Guilty of Bank FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that ERNEST X. TAYLOR, JR. (“TAYLOR”), age 40, a resident of LaPlace, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on August 6, 2025, to Bank Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344(2).
According to court documents, between 2019 and 2022, TAYLOR applied for over $400,000 in loans from credit unions and falsely claimed that the funds would be utilized to purchase vehicles. TAYLOR applied for loans under other people’s names and did not disclose to the credit unions that the loan proceeds would go to TAYLOR. In furtherance of his scheme, TAYLOR presented materially false documentation to the credit unions, including fraudulent vehicle titles and falsified pay stubs. After receiving the loan proceeds, TAYLOR defaulted on the loans.
The Honorable Jane T. Milazzo set TAYLOR’s sentencing for October 29, 2025.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Maria M. Carboni and Edward Rivera of the Financial Crimes Unit are handling the prosecution.
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Kings County Drug Trafficker Arrested in Operation Red Reaper Sentenced to over 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Ryan Gines, 44, of Hanford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 15 years and six months in prison for trafficking methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, in March 2019, various federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies partnered in Operation Red Reaper, an investigation into the Nuestra Familia prison gang and the Norteño street gang in Kings County. The investigation uncovered that Nuestra Familia was responsible for large-scale trafficking of methamphetamine and other controlled substances, as well as various firearms offenses and other violent crimes. The operation resulted in federal charges brought against 21 drug traffickers, including Gines.
In May 2019, recorded interceptions on a wiretap revealed that Gines was conspiring with others to obtain and sell more than 5 pounds of methamphetamine. With the aid of the wiretap, shortly after midnight, a Kings County Sheriff’s deputy stopped the car transporting that methamphetamine, searched the car, and found the drugs.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Kings County Gang Task Force, Agents of the Special Operations Unit which is a team of agents from the California Department of Justice and the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the FBI, the Kings County District Attorney's Office, and the Tulare County Sheriff's Office. The DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, and Homeland Security Investigations all assisted with the takedown. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio 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 U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
Kenduskeag Man Pleads Guilty to Producing and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Kenduskeag man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to two counts of producing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.
According to court records, in February 2024, investigators with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at the home of Justin Leonard, 24, based on a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Leonard was home during the warrant’s execution and provided the password and Face ID to a hidden folder on his cellular telephone. In this hidden folder, investigators located multiple sexually explicit images and videos of two very young children. Leonard admitted that he had taken these images and videos. The parents of the children confirmed Leonard’s statements and identified their children in the images and videos. A subsequent forensic review of Leonard’s phone uncovered Facebook chats where he expressed an interest in children and a desire to acquire children. In addition, in the Safari history of Leonard’s phone, artifacts were found indicating an interest in Rohypnol or Roofies, a powerful sedative. His queries included, “youngest age you can safely give a roofie” and “Is there any drug that can make a person unconscious for 2 hours?”
For each child pornography production count, Leonard faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. For the child pornography possession count, Leonard faces up to 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
HSI and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit investigated the case.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.
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Kansas City Men Sentenced for St. Louis County CarjackingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men from Kansas City, Missouri have been sentenced for a 2022 St. Louis County carjacking.
U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Monday sentenced Reginald Hudson, now 29, to 125 months in prison. On July 9, Judge Ross sentenced Ki’Juan Calhoun, 28, to 144 months in prison. Both men were ordered to pay restitution of $24,438.
Hudson and Calhoun pleaded guilty in April to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. They admitted stealing a 2019 Ford Fusion at gunpoint from a woman on Jan. 12, 2022, at her apartment in St. Louis County. The woman saw two men walking down the stairs from the third floor to the second, both pointing handguns at her. One of the men demanded her car keys, purse and phone, and then both men fled in her car.
“I completely understand the terror you had to be feeling that night,” Judge Ross told the victim in court.
The victim’s car was found the next day by the Kansas City Police Department. After an investigation, officers found Hudson as well as the victim’s purse and her debit card in a nearby home, along with two handguns.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Walker prosecuted the case.
Justice Department announces coordinated disruption actions against BlackSuit (Royal) Ransomware operationsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Justice Department announced today coordinated actions against the BlackSuit (Royal) Ransomware group which included the takedown of four servers and nine domains on July 24. The takedown was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Secret Service, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), the FBI, and international law enforcement from the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, France, Canada, Ukraine, and Lithuania. These actions include the unsealing of a warrant for the seizure of virtual currency valued at $1,091,453 at the time of the seizure. The unsealing was announced today jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Virginia and the District of Columbia.
"This action exemplifies the forward-leaning, disruption-first approach we are taking to address this threat," said Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. "When it comes to protecting U.S. businesses, critical infrastructure, and other victims from ransomware and other cyberthreat actors, we will pull no punches."
“The BlackSuit ransomware gang’s persistent targeting of U.S. critical infrastructure represents a serious threat to U.S. public safety,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The National Security Division is proud to be part of an ongoing team of government agencies and partners working to protect our Nation from threats to our critical infrastructure.”
“Too often we see the damage ransomware causes to systems that then allows cybercriminals to wreak havoc on corporations and others,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia. “Whether these criminals target law enforcement, other government agencies, or private companies, my office and our law enforcement partners stand ready to go toe-to-toe with criminals and make victims whole.”
“Disrupting ransomware infrastructure is not only about taking down servers—it's about dismantling the entire ecosystem that enables cybercriminals to operate with impunity,” said Michael Prado, Deputy Assistant Director for HSI’s Cyber Crimes Center (C3). “This operation is the result of tireless international coordination and shows our collective resolve to hold ransomware actors accountable.”
“This investigation reflects the full reach of HSI Washington, D.C.’s cyber mission and our commitment to defending victims—whether they’re small businesses, school systems, or hospitals,” said Christopher Heck, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Washington, D.C. “We will continue to target the infrastructure, finances, and operators behind these ransomware groups to ensure they have nowhere left to hide.”
“This operation strikes a critical blow to BlackSuit’s infrastructure and operations,” said Special Agent in Charge William Mancino of the U.S. Secret Service’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The U.S. Secret Service is committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to dismantle criminal enterprises and prevent the deployment of malicious ransomware that victimizes businesses and organizations.”
“This announcement demonstrates IRS Criminal Investigation’s commitment to disrupting the illicit flow of money that enables cyber criminals to illegally launder millions in cryptocurrency,” said Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of the IRS-CI Washington Field Office. “Criminal software like the BlackSuit Ransomware group is deployed to steal, extort victims, and launder proceeds of these activities. IRS Criminal Investigation Washington, D.C., Cyber Crimes Unit will continue to work hand in hand with our law enforcement partners to leverage all available tools to identify, apprehend and hold accountable these bad actors and put an end to their illicit activity.”
As detailed in a joint announcement released by HSI, an operation by U.S. law enforcement in close coordination with international partners successfully seized servers, domains, and digital assets used by the BlackSuit Ransomware group to deploy ransomware, extort victims, and launder proceeds of these activities. Some of those proceeds included approximately $1,091,453 in virtual currency (valued at the time of the theft) — which was separately seized by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia using evidence collected by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia on or about June 21, 2024.
As previously described in a joint FBI and Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Cybersecurity Advisory, BlackSuit (Royal) ransomware attacks have targeted numerous critical infrastructure sectors including, but not limited to, critical manufacturing, government facilities, healthcare and public health, and commercial facilities. The advisory also describes the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used and indicators of compromise (IOCs) to help organizations protect against ransomware.
Royal victims are typically required to pay ransoms in BTC by accessing a darknet website. On April 4, 2023, a victim paid a ransom of 49.3120227 Bitcoin to decrypt their data. This ransom was worth $1,445,454.86 at the time of the transaction. A portion of those proceeds ($1,091,453) was repeatedly deposited and withdrawn into a virtual currency exchange account until the funds were frozen by that exchange on Jan. 9, 2024.
HSI, the U.S. Secret Service, IRS-CI, and the FBI are investigating the case alongside the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency and Northwest Regional Organized Crime Unit, Germany's Landeskriminalamt Niedersachsen, Ireland's An Garda Síochána - Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau, France's Office Anti-Cybercriminalité, Canada's Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Delta Police Department, Ukraine's National Police – Cyber Police Department, and Lithuania's Criminal Police Bureau.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura D. Withers for the Eastern District of Virginia, Trial Attorney Jacques Singer-Emery of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Blaylock Jr. for the District of Columbia.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down Texas Tax Return Preparation Business for Claiming Fabricated Credits and ExpensesRead the Press Release
Note: view complaint here.
The Justice Department filed a complaint today in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas to permanently bar Maxumus Tax LLC and its owner and tax return preparer James Carroll III from preparing tax returns for others. Maxumus Tax allegedly operates a tax return preparation store located in Fort Worth, Texas, and serves customers online.
According to the complaint, Maxumus Tax prepared customers’ tax returns that inflated by more than $5 million claims for tax credits enacted to combat the economic impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Further, Maxumus Tax allegedly fabricated business losses on tax returns, including by concocting entirely non-existent businesses, to fraudulently reduce reported taxable income. Between 2021 and 2024, Maxumus and Carroll prepared more than 7,000 income tax returns, according to the complaint.
Return preparer fraud is one of the IRS’ Dirty Dozen Tax Scams, and taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax preparer, launched a free directory of federal tax preparers, and offers information on how to avoid “ghost” tax preparers whose refusal to sign a return should be a red flag to taxpayers. The IRS also has a checklist of things to remember when filing income tax returns.
In the past decade, the Justice Department’s Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found here. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Justice Department Announces Coordinated Disruption Actions Against BlackSuit (Royal) Ransomware OperationsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today coordinated actions against the BlackSuit (Royal) Ransomware group which included the takedown of four servers and nine domains on July 24, 2025. The takedown was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Secret Service, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), the FBI, and international law enforcement from the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, France, Canada, Ukraine, and Lithuania. These actions include the unsealing of a warrant for the seizure of virtual currency valued at $1,091,453 at the time of the seizure. The unsealing was announced today jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Virginia and the District of Columbia.
“The BlackSuit ransomware gang’s persistent targeting of U.S. critical infrastructure represents a serious threat to U.S. public safety,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The National Security Division is proud to be part of an ongoing team of government agencies and partners working to protect our Nation from threats to our critical infrastructure.”
“This action exemplifies the forward-leaning, disruption-first approach we are taking to address this threat,” said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia. “When it comes to protecting U.S. businesses, critical infrastructure, and other victims from ransomware and other cyberthreat actors, we will pull no punches.”
“Too often we see the damage ransomware causes to systems that then allows cybercriminals to wreak havoc on corporations and others,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia. “Whether these criminals target law enforcement, other government agencies, or private companies, my office and our law enforcement partners stand ready to go toe-to-toe with criminals and make victims whole.”
“Disrupting ransomware infrastructure is not only about taking down servers — it's about dismantling the entire ecosystem that enables cybercriminals to operate with impunity,” said Deputy Assistant Director Michael Prado for HSI’s Cyber Crimes Center (C3). “This operation is the result of tireless international coordination and shows our collective resolve to hold ransomware actors accountable.”
“This operation strikes a critical blow to BlackSuit’s infrastructure and operations,” said Special Agent in Charge William Mancino of the U.S. Secret Service’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The U.S. Secret Service is committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to dismantle criminal enterprises and prevent the deployment of malicious ransomware that victimizes businesses and organizations.”
“This announcement demonstrates IRS Criminal Investigation’s commitment to disrupting the illicit flow of money that enables cyber criminals to illegally launder millions in cryptocurrency,” said Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of the IRS-CI Washington Field Office. “Criminal software like the BlackSuit Ransomware group is deployed to steal, extort victims, and launder proceeds of these activities. IRS Criminal Investigation Washington, D.C., Cyber Crimes Unit will continue to work hand in hand with our law enforcement partners to leverage all available tools to identify, apprehend and hold accountable these bad actors and put an end to their illicit activity.”
As detailed in an announcement by HSI, an operation by U.S. law enforcement in close coordination with international partners successfully seized servers, domains, and digital assets used by the BlackSuit Ransomware group to deploy ransomware, extort victims, and launder proceeds of these activities. Some of those proceeds included approximately $1,091,453 in virtual currency (valued at the time of the theft) – which was separately seized by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia using evidence collected by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia on or about June 21, 2024.
As previously described in a joint FBI and Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Cybersecurity Advisory, BlackSuit (Royal) ransomware attacks have targeted numerous critical infrastructure sectors including, but not limited to, critical manufacturing, government facilities, healthcare and public health, and commercial facilities. The advisory also describes the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used and indicators of compromise (IOCs) to help organizations protect against ransomware.
Royal victims are typically required to pay ransoms in BTC by accessing a darknet website. On or about April 4, 2023, a victim paid a ransom of 49.3120227 Bitcoin to decrypt their data. This ransom was worth $1,445,454.86 at the time of the transaction. A portion of those proceeds ($1,091,453) was repeatedly deposited and withdrawn into a virtual currency exchange account until the funds were frozen by that exchange on or about Jan. 9, 2024.
HSI, the U.S. Secret Service, IRS-CI, and the FBI are investigating the case alongside the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency and Northwest Regional Organized Crime Unit, Germany's Landeskriminalamt Niedersachsen, Ireland's An Garda Síochána - Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau, France's Office Anti-Cybercriminalité, Canada's Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Delta Police Department, Ukraine's National Police – Cyber Police Department, and Lithuania's Criminal Police Bureau.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura D. Withers for the Eastern District of Virginia, Trial Attorney Jacques Singer-Emery of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Blaylock Jr. for the District of Columbia.
Justice Department Announces Coordinated Actions to Disrupt the Operations of BlackSuit (Royal) RansomwareRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department today announced coordinated actions against the BlackSuit (Royal) Ransomware group which included the takedown of four servers and nine domains on July 24. The takedown was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Secret Service, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), the FBI, and international law enforcement from the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, France, Canada, Ukraine, and Lithuania. These actions include the unsealing of a warrant for the seizure of virtual currency valued at $1,091,453 at the time of the seizure. The unsealing was announced today jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
“Too often we see the damage ransomware causes to systems that then allows cybercriminals to wreak havoc on corporations and others,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia. “Whether these criminals target law enforcement, other government agencies, or private companies, my office and our law enforcement partners stand ready to go toe-to-toe with criminals and make victims whole.”
“The BlackSuit ransomware gang’s persistent targeting of U.S. critical infrastructure represents a serious threat to U.S. public safety,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The National Security Division is proud to be part of an ongoing team of government agencies and partners working to protect our Nation from threats to our critical infrastructure.”
“Today’s action exemplifies the forward-leaning, disruption-first approach we are taking to address this threat,” said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia. “When it comes to protecting U.S. businesses, critical infrastructure, and other victims from ransomware and other cyberthreat actors, we will pull no punches.”
“Disrupting ransomware infrastructure is not only about taking down servers — it's about dismantling the entire ecosystem that enables cybercriminals to operate with impunity,” said Deputy Assistant Director Michael Prado for HSI’s Cyber Crimes Center (C3). “This operation is the result of tireless international coordination and shows our collective resolve to hold ransomware actors accountable.”
“This operation strikes a critical blow to BlackSuit’s infrastructure and operations,” said Special Agent in Charge William Mancino of the U.S. Secret Service’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The U.S. Secret Service is committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to dismantle criminal enterprises and prevent the deployment of malicious ransomware that victimizes businesses and organizations.”
“Today's announcement demonstrates IRS Criminal Investigation’s commitment to disrupting the illicit flow of money that enables cyber criminals to illegally launder millions in cryptocurrency,” said Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of the IRS-CI Washington Field Office. “Criminal software like the BlackSuit Ransomware group is deployed to steal, extort victims, and launder proceeds of these activities. IRS Criminal Investigation Washington, D.C., Cyber Crimes Unit will continue to work hand in hand with our law enforcement partners to leverage all available tools to identify, apprehend, and hold accountable these bad actors and put an end to their illicit activity.”
As detailed in a joint announcement released today by HSI, an operation by U.S. law enforcement in close coordination with international partners successfully seized servers, domains, and digital assets used by the BlackSuit Ransomware group to deploy ransomware, extort victims, and launder proceeds of these activities. Some of those proceeds included approximately $1,091,453 in virtual currency (valued at the time of the theft) — which was separately seized by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia using evidence collected by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia on or about June 21, 2024.
As previously described in a joint FBI and Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Cybersecurity Advisory, BlackSuit (Royal) ransomware attacks have targeted numerous critical infrastructure sectors including, but not limited to, critical manufacturing, government facilities, healthcare and public health, and commercial facilities. The advisory also describes the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used and indicators of compromise (IOCs) to help organizations protect against ransomware.
Royal victims are typically required to pay ransoms in BTC by accessing a darknet website. On or about April 4, 2023, a victim paid a ransom of 49.3120227 Bitcoin to decrypt their data. This ransom was worth $1,445,454.86 at the time of the transaction. A portion of those proceeds ($1,091,453) was repeatedly deposited and withdrawn into a virtual currency exchange account until the funds were frozen by that exchange on or about Jan. 9, 2024.
HSI, the U.S. Secret Service, IRS-CI, and the FBI are investigating the case alongside the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency and Northwest Regional Organized Crime Unit, Germany's Landeskriminalamt Niedersachsen, Ireland's An Garda Síochána - Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau, France's Office Anti-Cybercriminalité, Canada's Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Delta Police Department, Ukraine's National Police – Cyber Police Department, and Lithuania's Criminal Police Bureau.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Blaylock Jr. for the District of Columbia, Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura D. Withers for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Trial Attorney Jacques Singer-Emery of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section.
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Links to Court Documents:
DDC Seizure
blacksuit_24-sz-27_-_redacted_-_seizure_warrant.pdfUnsealing Motion and Order
Jay Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Narcotics and Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Jay man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to distributing narcotics and illegally possessing a firearm.
According to court records, Thomas Ray Cook, 44, sold $600 worth of cocaine to a Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) confidential information source (CI) in February 2025 from Cook’s home in Jay. In March 2025, Cook sold the CI additional cocaine and seven firearms for $1,600, from a different residence in Farmington. Cook is prohibited from possessing firearms because of multiple prior Maine state felony convictions, including Aggravated Operating after Habitual Offender Revocation and Eluding an Officer.
For the narcotics charge, Cook faces up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. For the firearms charge, Cook faces up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and MDEA investigated the case.
Operation Take Back America: This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Huntington Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Khali Marquise Barnes, 26, of Huntington, was sentenced today to four years and four months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 9, 2023, law enforcement officers conducted a home compliance check at Barnes’ residence in Huntington and located a loaded Glock 19 9mm handgun in Barnes’ bed. Barnes admitted to possessing the firearm.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Barnes knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery in Cabell County Circuit Court on August 10, 2021.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Cabell County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Courtney L. Finney 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 Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-61.
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Huntington Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug Crime and Violating Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Robert Lee Taylor, 44, of Huntington, was sentenced today to three years and five months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute heroin and for violating supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 19, 2025, law enforcement officers obtained consent to search a Huntington residence and found approximately 104 grams of heroin, three digital scales, and plastic bags for packaging the heroin in a storage tote on the back deck of the residence. As part of his guilty plea, Taylor admitted that he possessed the seized heroin and that he intended to distribute it. Taylor further admitted to selling approximately 7 grams of heroin to a confidential informant for $491 on the back deck of the Huntington residence the day before the search.
Officers executed a search warrant at Taylor’s residence in Huntington on March 19, 2025, and seized approximately $8,661. Taylor admitted that the seized cash was proceeds from the distribution of heroin.
At the time of this offense, Taylor was on supervised release after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on May 1, 2023. Today’s sentence includes eight months for committing a crime while on supervised release.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Courtney L. Finney prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-74.
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Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Robert Craig Hatfield, also known as “Bobby,” 48, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to carrying a firearm during and in relation to the distribution of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 11, 2025, Hatfield sold a SCCY 9mm pistol and approximately 4.5 grams of heroin to a confidential informant in exchange for $340. Hatfield admitted to conducting the transaction, which occurred at his Huntington residence, and to arranging it beforehand.
Hatfield is scheduled to be sentenced on November 24, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to life in prison, up to five years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cabell County Sheriff's Office.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-45.
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Human Smuggling Coordinator Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy after Illegal Alien DiesRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Nathan Jr. Espinoza, 23, of Avondale, Arizona pleaded guilty on August 6, to one count of Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit. Sentencing is scheduled for October 16, 2025, before United States District Judge Angela M. Martinez.
In his plea, Espinoza admitted that for a period of time leading up to March 2024, he recruited human smuggling drivers and coordinated the transportation of illegal aliens from areas near the Mexico border to places further in the interior of the United States. Espinoza’s involvement in the conspiracy was for personal financial gain and led to at least 25 illegal aliens receiving transportation.
Espinoza also admitted that on March 6, 2024, he coordinated an event in which a driver and a front seat passenger picked up two illegal aliens near Lukeville, Arizona. At some point while they were being transported, the aliens were told to get out of the vehicle. The two aliens then jumped, fell, or were pushed from the vehicle while it was still moving. As a result, one of the aliens hit his head on the ground, suffered serious injury, and died at the hospital two days later.
A conviction for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit carries a maximum penalty of ten years of imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000,000.
The investigation of this case is the result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). JTFA, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been elevated and expanded by the Attorney General with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the Office of Enforcement Operations, and the Office of International Affairs (OIA), among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 405 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 350 U.S. convictions; more than 305 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-05407-TUC-AMM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-133_Espinoza# # #
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.
Houston doctor agrees to pay over $2 million to settle allegations of fraudulent billing of federal programsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 63-year-old Houston man has agreed to pay $2,053,515 to resolve allegations he submitted false claims to federally funded health care programs for the surgical implantation of neurostimulator electrodes, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Dr. Ajay Aggarwal is an anesthesiologist and pain medicine doctor who practices in Bellaire and Lake Jackson as well as Van Vleck. Ajay Aggarwal, a sole proprietorship, and PRWCSWTX LLC are entities Aggarwal used to conduct his medical practice known as The Pain Relief & Wellness Center.
From Nov. 16, 2021, to March 28, 2023, Aggarwal billed federally funded health care programs, such as Medicare and the Department of Labor’s Workers’ Compensation Programs, for the surgical implantation of neurostimulator electrodes. These are invasive procedures usually requiring use of an operating room. As a result, Medicare and other federally funded health care programs pay thousands of dollars per procedure.
However, neither Aggarwal nor his staff performed these surgical procedures, according to the allegations.
Instead, patients allegedly received devices used for electro-acupuncture, which only involved inserting monofilament wire a few millimeters into patients’ ears and taping the neurostimulator behind the ear with an adhesive. All device placements took place in Aggarwal’s clinic, not a hospital or surgical center, and no incision was made on a patient, according to the allegations.
“A doctor who uses simple medical devices on his patients, yet bills Medicare for a sophisticated spinal surgery, is bilking the American taxpayer, plain and simple,” said Ganjei. “The Southern District of Texas will ensure that losses to federally funded healthcare programs from fraudulent billing, like what happened here, are recouped and that wrongdoers are held accountable.”
“The civil penalties imposed today strongly serve as a clear deterrent to those engaging in fraud against federal benefit programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich of the U.S. Postal Service - Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). “USPS-OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively pursue these investigations and exhaust all efforts to protect the Postal Service from fraud, waste and abuse.”
“Investigating alleged false claims involving the programs administered by the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) is an important part of our mission. That is particularly true when a medical provider is involved,” said Special Agent in Charge Casey Howard, DOL-OIG, Central Region. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and OWCP to protect the integrity of DOL’s worker compensation programs.”
“This settlement underscores our agency’s steadfast commitment to enforcing the False Claims Act,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)-OIG. “Working with our law enforcement partners, DHHS-OIG remains dedicated to safeguarding the integrity of federal health care programs and protecting the individuals who depend on them by investigating schemes that compromise the proper use of medical devices.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office conducted the investigation with significant assistance from OIG offices of USPS, DOL and DHHS. OIG offices of Office of Personnel Management and Department of Veterans Affairs also contributed to the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura E. Collins handled the matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Guatemalan Convicted Felon Indicted for Illegal Re-EntryRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced the August 7, 2025 indictment of FEDERICO MENDEZ-FRANCISCO a/k/a “JORGE SANTOS ARROYO,” a/k/a “JORGE A. GORDILLO,” a/k/a “FEDERICO MENDEZ,” a/k/a “FREDERICO MENDEZ,” a/k/a “FEDERICO MENDEZ FRANCISCO,” (“MENDEZ-FRANCISCO”), age 40, a native of Guatemala, for re-entry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a)(b)(1).
According to court documents, MENDEZ-FRANCISCO, an illegal alien, was found in Jefferson Parish on May 2, 2025. Law enforcement previously removed MENDEZ-FRANCISCO from the United States on July 3, 2024, and he had not received permission from the Attorney General of the United States or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to re-enter the United States. On August 24, 2005 and prior to his removal from the United States, MENDEZ-FRANCISCO pled guilty to felony forgery in the Circuit Court of Pike County, Missouri.
MENDEZ-FRANCISCO faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations (“ICE-ERO”) in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Duane A. Evans of the General Crimes Unit is prosecuting the matter.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Greenville Man Indicted for Robbing a Bank While on Federal Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Greenville man was indicted for robbing a TD Bank branch in New Ipswich, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
Eric Lord, 54, was indicted on August 6, 2025, on one count of bank robbery. Lord is currently in state custody on related charges. He will appear in federal court on a later date.
According to court records, Lord robbed the TD Bank branch on April 2, 2025. At that time, he was on federal supervised release in connection with robbing the same TD Bank branch in 2014
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Ipswich Police Department led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Fourteen-Time Convicted Felon Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Todd Wade Powers (38, Middleburg) to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Powers pleaded guilty in April 2025.
According to court documents, on April 30, 2024, deputies with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a gas station regarding a complaint. While there, the deputies observed a car parked near a gas pump and recognized the license plate affixed to the car as one that had been reported stolen out of Jacksonville. The deputies saw an open backpack on the passenger seat of the car along with a firearm and a white powdery substance, later identified as cocaine, at the top of the open backpack. During a search of the car, the deputies found fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana, as well as two loaded firearms.
During the course of their investigation, the deputies were able to tie Powers to the car, and Powers later admitted that the firearms and drugs were his. Powers was previously convicted of 14 felonies, including three counts of possession of controlled substances, two counts of felony petit theft, seven counts of sale or delivery of controlled substances, dealing in stolen property, and false verification of ownership on a pawnbroker transaction form. Therefore, Powers is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.
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.
Founder of Lender Service Provider Pleads Guilty for Role in PPP Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A founder of the lender service provider Blueacorn pleaded guilty today in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief money guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
“During a national emergency, this defendant exploited a taxpayer-funded program that individuals and small businesses desperately needed to survive,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This conviction demonstrates the Department’s ongoing commitment to bring to justice those who would steal from the public fisc to enrich themselves.”
“This defendant had the opportunity to help small businesses overcome tremendous financial hardships during a time of national crisis but instead exploited the system to line his own pockets with taxpayer money,” said Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson. “We will continue to pursue convictions against those fraudsters who preyed upon the generosity of the American people as we struggled through the pandemic.”
“The FBI takes our responsibility to investigate and pursue those who commit fraud for personal gain very seriously,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Reis and others exploited a program meant to keep small businesses afloat during the pandemic. The FBI will continue to work tirelessly to prevent these programs from becoming targets and fight fraud wherever we find it.”
According to court documents, Nathan Reis, 47, of Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, and previously of Arizona, conspired with others to submit false and fraudulent PPP loan applications, including by fabricating documents that falsified income and payroll figures in order to receive loan funds for which they were not eligible.
Reis co-founded Blueacorn in April 2020, purportedly to help small businesses and individuals obtain PPP loans. Through Blueacorn, Reis and his co-conspirators submitted fraudulent PPP loan applications they knew contained materially false information to make more money. Reis and others fabricated documents, including tax documents and bank statements. As part of the conspiracy, Reis and his co-conspirators charged borrower’s fees based on a percentage of the funds received.
Reis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 21 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 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, IRS-CI, the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery, Federal Reserve Board-CFPB Office of Inspector General, and SBA OIG investigated the case.
Acting Assistant Chief Philip Trout of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Trial Attorneys Elizabeth Carr and Ryan McLaren of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Weybrecht for the Northern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the PPP. Since the enactment of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 200 defendants in more than 130 criminal cases and has seized over $78 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at www. justice. gov/criminal/criminal-fraud/cares-act-fraud
MLARS’s Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers, and employees, whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www. justice. gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Founder of Lender Service Pleads Guilty for Role in PPP Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A founder of the lender service provider Blueacorn pleaded guilty today in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief money guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
“During a national emergency, this defendant exploited a taxpayer-funded program that individuals and small businesses desperately needed to survive,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This conviction demonstrates the Department’s ongoing commitment to bring to justice those who would steal from the public fisc to enrich themselves.”
“This defendant had the opportunity to help small businesses overcome tremendous financial hardships during a time of national crisis but instead exploited the system to line his own pockets with taxpayer money,” said Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson. “We will continue to pursue convictions against those fraudsters who preyed upon the generosity of the American people as we struggled through the pandemic.”
“The FBI takes our responsibility to investigate and pursue those who commit fraud for personal gain very seriously,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Reis and others exploited a program meant to keep small businesses afloat during the pandemic. The FBI will continue to work tirelessly to prevent these programs from becoming targets and fight fraud wherever we find it.”
According to court documents, Nathan Reis, 47, of Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, and previously of Arizona, conspired with others to submit false and fraudulent PPP loan applications, including by fabricating documents that falsified income and payroll figures in order to receive loan funds for which they were not eligible.
Reis co-founded Blueacorn in April 2020, purportedly to help small businesses and individuals obtain PPP loans. Through Blueacorn, Reis and his co-conspirators submitted fraudulent PPP loan applications they knew contained materially false information to make more money. Reis and others fabricated documents, including tax documents and bank statements. As part of the conspiracy, Reis and his co-conspirators charged borrower’s fees based on a percentage of the funds received.
Reis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 21 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 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, IRS-CI, the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery, Federal Reserve Board-CFPB Office of Inspector General, and SBA OIG investigated the case.
Acting Assistant Chief Philip Trout of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Trial Attorneys Elizabeth Carr and Ryan McLaren of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Weybrecht for the Northern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the PPP. Since the enactment of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 200 defendants in more than 130 criminal cases and has seized over $78 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at www. justice. gov/criminal/criminal-fraud/cares-act-fraud.
MLARS’s Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers, and employees, whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www. justice. gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Former Dover Interfaith Mission for Housing Employees Plead Guilty to Stealing Federal FundsRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Attorney Julianne E. Murray announced that on August 8, 2025, Karen D. Wilder, age 39, and her husband, Renwick L. Davis, age 49, of Dover, Delaware, pleaded guilty to theft of public funds for embezzling approximately $600,000 as employees of the Dover Interfaith Mission for Housing (“DIMH”), including federal funds awarded to DIMH to provide services to homeless individuals in Delaware. The Honorable U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Hall accepted the pleas.
According to court documents, between December 2021 and November 2023, Wilder, the former Executive Director of DIMH, and Davis, a Case Manager at DIMH, collectively embezzled approximately $600,000 from DIMH’s bank accounts through a variety of fraudulent means. The stolen funds included federal grant funds awarded to DIMH from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Treasury to provide essential services to individuals in Delaware who were homeless or at risk of homelessness, including emergency housing assistance and critical medical assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Wilder withdrew cash from DIMH’s bank accounts purportedly to provide emergency housing assistance to homeless individuals or individuals at-risk of homelessness. Instead, she deposited the stolen cash directly into her own bank accounts. Wilder and Davis also worked together to deposit approximately $150,000 in DIMH funds directly into Davis’s personal bank account under the guise that those funds would be used to provide rental or mortgage assistance to individuals in need. The defendants spent the stolen funds on luxury goods, shopping, and travel, among other personal expenses. Wilder even directed DIMH funds to pay the mortgage on her personal residence.
“The defendants abused the trust of their positions and stole taxpayer dollars intended to provide essential services to Delaware’s most vulnerable citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “The defendants’ greed deprived homeless individuals across southern Delaware of assistance they desperately needed. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to protect taxpayer dollars and hold fraudsters who exploit government aid for personal gain accountable.”
“Wilder and Davis exploited their positions of trust to divert public funds away from the very individuals and families most in need,” said Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG). HUD OIG will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement partners to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure justice for those harmed by this behavior.
“For years, Karen Wilder and Renwick Davis lived large on the taxpayer’s dime. Not only did they steal hundreds of thousands of dollars, but they prevented those who truly needed these resources from receiving help intended for them. As their guilty pleas show, the FBI and our partners will not tolerate corruption. We remain committed to identifying and pursuing those who violate the public’s trust,” stated FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno.
This case was jointly investigated by the HUD-OIG and FBI Baltimore Field Office’s Wilmington Resident Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William E. LaRosa is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. Case 25-CR-93 and 25-CR-94.
Former Correctional Officer Sentenced on Drug Distribution Resulting in Death ChargesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Santino Bellucci, age 28, of Dickson City, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on August 8, 2025, to 252 months’ imprisonment by Senior United States District Judge Robert D. Mariani for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone and 40 grams and more of fentanyl resulting in death and distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl resulting in death.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, between January 2022 and February 2023, Bellucci and others conspired to distribute controlled substances throughout Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties. On December 18, 2022, Bellucci sold an individual pills and a lethal dose of fentanyl which caused the individual’s death. At the time of the incident, Bellucci was working as a correctional officer at a county facility.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dunmore Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny Roberts and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Olshefski prosecuted the case.
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Florida Man Charged with Defrauding Lynchburg Doctor Out of Almost $500,000Read the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – Tommie Lee Nelson, 65, of Miramar, Florida, was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Roanoke today and ordered detained on six counts of wire fraud, based on a two-year scheme that defrauded a Lynchburg doctor out of nearly a half million dollars. This arraignment follows Nelson’s initial appearance in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after FBI agents arrested him in July at his home near Miami.
According to the indictment, beginning around April 2020, the victim, a Lynchburg doctor, sought to purchase a commercial building in Danville, Virginia, in partnership with an agricultural cooperative. Nelson represented himself to the victim as a hard money lender who could assist in purchasing the building.
Through Nelson’s lies and machinations, he convinced the victim to wire him several payments from July 2020 and into 2021, ultimately totaling almost $500,000. Despite Nelson’s representations, these payments did not go toward the building purchase. Instead, the indictment alleges Nelson spent the victim’s money at casinos and for his personal benefit. By 2021, the purchase agreement had fallen through, and Nelson stopped responding to the victim’s calls.
In 2024, the victim won a civil judgment against Nelson’s corporation. In entering that judgment, the presiding United States district judge referred the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for criminal investigation. If convicted, faces a maximum punishment of 120 years in federal prison.
United States Attorney C. Todd Gilbert made the announcement today.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Drew O. Inman is prosecuting the case for the United States.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law
First two members of violent drug trafficking organization sentenced to prisonRead the Press Release
Seattle – Two Seattle area men who were significant members of a violent drug trafficking organization were each sentenced to six years in prison today in U.S. District Court in Seattle, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Khaliil Ahmed, aka “Bossup,” 27, was sentenced to 72 months in prison for two counts of illegally possessing firearms. Yohannes Wondimagegnehu, aka “Jon,” 36, was sentenced to 72 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. To each defendant U.S. District Judge John H. Chun noted that, “These are serious offenses.” To Ahmed Judge Chun added, “These offenses carry a maximum of 15 years – serious stuff.” Judge Chun ordered that each man serve three years of supervised release following prison.
Over the course of the year-long investigation law enforcement seized more than 19 kg of fentanyl, 12 firearms, and more than $130,000 in cash. In the arrest operation targeting the group in October 2024, law enforcement seized over 50 firearms to include fully automatic weapons and handguns with Glock switches; thousands of rounds of ammunition, including high-capacity drum magazines, and armor-piercing rounds; several hundred thousand dollars of bulk cash and jewelry; 1 kilogram of fentanyl and 4 kilograms of cocaine.
Each of the defendants sentenced today played different roles in the drug trafficking conspiracy. Khaliil Ahmed, of Kent, Washington, was identified as a member of a drug trafficking conspiracy. One of the charges relates to guns he possessed on August 20, 2023, at the time of a fatal shooting at a hookah bar in South Seattle. Ahmed was injured in the shooting and three others were killed. Ahmed was also involved in a shooting on May 4, 2024, at a First Hill neighborhood apartment. Surveillance video captured Ahmed pointing a gun at the victim. Ahmed is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2022 conviction for illegally possessing and publicly discharging a firearm in a drive-by shooting. When law enforcement served search warrants in this case, they seized two additional Glock firearms from Ahmed’s residence.
Yohannes Wondimagegnehu, aka “Jon,” was identified as a member of the conspiracy and helped to staff an apartment on the edge of Seattle’s University District that was a known drug distribution location. One of the leaders of the conspiracy was gunned down at that location in June 2024. Nevertheless, Wondimagegnehu continued to distribute drugs from that location after the fatal shooting. The murder is still under investigation.
When law enforcement searched Wondimagegnehu’s residence on October 30, 2024, they found eight firearms, various narcotics and drug proceeds. Wondimagegnehu also had a money counting machine for handling his drug proceeds.
In all 14 defendants were arrested in connection with this drug trafficking organization and these are the first two to be sentenced. Seven additional defendants have pleaded guilty and have sentencing hearings in the months ahead. One defendant remains a fugitive. Trial for the lead defendant Ali Kuyateh, aka “Pops,” 50, of Seattle, is expected to be continued to the spring of 2026.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF .
This investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with significant participation by Seattle Police Department (SPD), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington State Patrol (WSP), FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, U.S. Border Patrol, the King County Sheriff’s Office, the Bellevue Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), Everett Police Department, Renton Police Department, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Washington State National Guard, Washington State Gambling Commission, Yakima County Law Enforcement Against Drugs (L.E.A.D) Narcotics and Gang Task Force, and Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle Jensen and Joseph Silvio.
Federal Jury Convicts Man of Burglary and Assault with Intent to Murder on Menominee Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on August 6, 2025, a federal jury in Green Bay found Neegee J. Cloud (age: 32) guilty of burglary and assault with intent to murder in violation of federal law. The offense related to a domestic assault on the Menominee Indian Reservation. Cloud is an enrolled member of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin and formerly resided on the reservation.
The evidence presented at trial showed that on the afternoon of September 20, 2024, the defendant broke into a home in Neopit. Once inside, the defendant attacked his girlfriend, violently beating her unconscious on a bedroom floor. Cloud returned to the bedroom several times over the next twenty minutes, and punched, kicked, and stomped on the victim’s head. Cloud also slammed the victim’s face into the floor.
The trial evidence included video from a camera system inside the home that captured the forced entry and portions of the attacks. The homeowner was alerted by the camera system, saw some of the incident, and contacted tribal police, who responded. The defendant was arrested outside the house.
The evidence also showed that tribal EMS arranged for emergency transport of the victim to a trauma center in Wausau. The victim remained in the intensive care unit for nearly two weeks and was hospitalized for nearly a month. The victim sustained fractured orbital bones and soft tissue injuries to her throat that required intubation while in the ICU to prevent her airway from closing.
Cloud faces a maximum of 10 years in prison on the burglary count and a maximum of 20 years in prison on the assault with intent to murder count when he is sentenced by Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach on November 10, 2025.
The Menominee Tribal Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew J. Maier and Alexander E. Duros prosecuted the case.
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For further information contact:Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
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Eric Grant Sworn in as Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of CaliforniaRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California announced that Eric Grant was sworn in today as the Interim United States Attorney by Chief United States District Judge Troy L. Nunley.
Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed Mr. Grant to be the United States Attorney beginning on Aug. 11, 2025. He is a veteran of the Department of Justice, having served twice in Washington, D.C.: from 1991 to 1993 as an Attorney-Adviser in the Office of Legal Counsel, and from 2017 to 2021 as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). During his tenure at ENRD, Mr. Grant supervised more than a hundred Department litigators advancing the interests of the United States and its agencies in both enforcement and defensive matters, both civil and criminal.
“I am honored to rejoin the Department of Justice to lead an excellent team of lawyers and other public servants in our shared mission to enhance public safety and the rule of law in Northern California. I look forward to working with that team and with our federal, state, local, and tribal partners in law enforcement and otherwise to accomplish that mission,” U.S. Attorney Grant said.
In addition to his service in the Department, Mr. Grant has decades of experience in private practice in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento. That experience includes arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court, the California Supreme Court, and numerous other federal and state courts.
Mr. Grant served as a law clerk to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger (retired) and Associate Justice Clarence Thomas during the Supreme Court’s October 1994 Term. Earlier he served as a law clerk to Judge Edith H. Jones of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Houston, Texas.
Mr. Grant grew up in Modesto, California, and raised his family in Sacramento County. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics (1986) and a law degree (1990).
The United States Attorney serves as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Eastern District of California and is responsible for prosecuting federal criminal cases and representing the United States in civil litigation. The Eastern District encompasses 34 counties throughout the Central Valley and the Sierra, from the Oregon border in the north to the Los Angeles County line in the south. The office has 72 attorneys and 61 non-attorney staff with offices in Sacramento, Fresno, and Bakersfield.
Ellsworth Man Sentenced for Trafficking Methamphetamine in Downeast MaineRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: An Ellsworth man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiring to commit money laundering.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Jeremy Kane, 38, to 87 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Kane pleaded guilty on February 12, 2025.
According to court records, from May 2022 through May 2023, Kane and others conspired to traffic methamphetamine in Maine. A source in California would mail shipments of methamphetamine to Maine for distribution in Downeast Maine. Proceeds from the sale of the methamphetamine were sent to the source using various money services, including Walmart2Walmart, Cash App, and Venmo. A co-conspirator enlisted the aid of Kane and others to use their identifications and accounts to receive the money. This was done to conceal and disguise the source’s involvement in the transactions and the money laundering.
The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Postal Service, Ellsworth Police Department, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, Holden Police Department, and Hancock County Sheriff’s Office.
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Doña Ana Man Sentenced for Fentanyl Trafficking and Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A previously convicted felon was sentenced to 96 months in prison after agents recovered fentanyl and a stolen firearm during an attempted arrest in Las Cruces.
According to court records, on May 21, 2024, FBI task force officers and Las Cruces/Dona Ana County Metro Narcotics agents attempted to stop a vehicle associated with an ongoing investigation into fentanyl trafficking. The driver, later identified as Jaime Lopez, 35, fled at a high rate of speed, and officers did not pursue due to public safety concerns. Agents later determined the vehicle had recently been purchased by Lopez and that he was the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant for failure to appear.
Approximately three hours later, agents located the vehicle again in Las Cruces and observed Lopez exit a public establishment with two other individuals. As officers approached, Lopez fled on foot, discarding a package later found to contain approximately 690 fentanyl pills. Officers pursued and arrested Lopez a short time later.
Agents recovered a stolen handgun from a backpack inside the vehicle. In a post-arrest interview, Lopez admitted he fled because of the outstanding warrant and discarded the pills to avoid getting caught with them. He also admitted to possessing the firearm for protection, stating that he had previously sold drugs in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and feared retaliation from former associates.
At the time of the offense, Lopez was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to prior felony convictions, including a 2005 conviction for second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit second-degree murder.
Lopez subsequently pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Upon his release from prison, Lopez will be subject to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from Las Cruces/Dona Ana County Metro Narcotics, the Las Cruces Police Department, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, and New Mexico State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Maria Y. Armijo prosecuted the case.
Dominick S. Gerace II sworn in as United States Attorney for the Southern District of OhioRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – Today, Dominick S. Gerace II took the oath of office to serve as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. Mr. Gerace was formally sworn in this afternoon in Cincinnati by U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland following his appointment as interim United States Attorney by U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
In July, President Donald J. Trump nominated Mr. Gerace to the position and his nomination remains pending in the United States Senate.
As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Gerace will serve as the chief federal law enforcement officer representing the United States in all federal criminal and civil litigation in the Southern District of Ohio. The district covers the 48 southern-most counties in the state of Ohio and is home to more than five million people. Mr. Gerace leads a staff of approximately 100 prosecutors, civil litigators, and support personnel across three offices in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton.
“It is the honor of my lifetime to serve the people of Southern Ohio as United States Attorney, and I look forward to working closely with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to protect our communities and uphold the rule of law,” said United States Attorney Gerace. “I am extremely grateful for the trust that President Trump and Attorney General Bondi have placed in me, and I thank Senators Moreno and Husted for their support in the confirmation process.”
Mr. Gerace is a former federal prosecutor with nearly a decade of experience in both the Southern District of Ohio and the Eastern District of Virginia, where he prosecuted cases involving national security, domestic and international terrorism, international drug trafficking, violent crime, bank and wire fraud, public corruption, tax evasion and money laundering. He previously served as Deputy Criminal Chief of the district’s Dayton office.
During his time as a federal prosecutor, Mr. Gerace received the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of U.S. National Security for his work in the federal investigation and prosecution arising from the August 2019 mass shooting in Dayton. He also received the U.S. Attorney’s Award for Outstanding Performance for his service as counsel in the first international terrorism trial held in the district.
Most recently, Mr. Gerace was a Partner at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, where he practiced in the areas of white-collar criminal defense, government investigations, compliance, and civil litigation.
Mr. Gerace earned his law degree, magna cum laude and Order of the Coif, from Georgetown University, where he was a senior board member of The Georgetown Law Journal and Editor-in-Chief of The Georgetown Law Journal’s Annual Review of Criminal Procedure. Following graduation from law school, Mr. Gerace clerked for the Honorable John M. Rogers of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Mr. Gerace earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the United States Military Academy and served as a tank platoon leader and company executive officer in the United States Army prior to attending law school.
For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, visit justice.gov/usao-sdoh.
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Deming Teenager Charged in Federal Drug, Firearms, and Immigration-Related OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Deming teenager is facing federal charges in two separate cases after allegedly selling cocaine and a modified firearm capable of automatic fire to an undercover officerand later fleeing from a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint during a high-speed incident.
According to court documents, on February 11, 2025, an undercover agent conducted a controlled purchase of cocaine from Gerald Anthony Lopez, 19. During the transaction, Lopez allegedly displayed a firearm equipped with an extended magazine and an MCD. Lopez offered to sell it for $1,300 with the switch or $1,000 without. He also claimed he could supply additional weapons, conversion devices, and narcotics.
On February 20, Lopez met with the agent again and sold cocaine and the firearm equipped with an MCD for $1,300. Lopez demonstrated how the switch worked and confirmed the extended magazine was loaded with 30 rounds.
Lopez is charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a machinegun, possession of an unregistered machinegun and possession of a firearm which was not identified by a serial number and will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Lopez faces up to 25 years in prison.
In addition to the firearms charges, Lopez is also facing a second federal case stemming from a separate incident. On May 6, 2025, Border Patrol agents encountered Lopez at the Interstate 10 Border Patrol checkpoint. Lopez initially consented to a canine inspection after agents detected the odor of cannabis coming from the vehicle. However, after briefly stopping at the secondary inspection area, Lopez fled the checkpoint at a high rate of speed.
Agents quickly alerted nearby units, and Border Patrol agents from Deming located and stopped Lopez on Highway 549 near Ventura Road. Based on the incident, Lopez is also facing charges for high-speed flight from an immigration checkpoint. If convicted, Lopez faces up to five years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison, Special Agent in Charge Brendan Iber of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, andChief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector made the announcement today.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the firearms offense with assistance from the New Mexico State Police. The U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector is investigating the immigration-related offense. The Las Cruces Branch Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico is prosecuting the case.
Machine gun conversion devices and auto sears are illegal devices that transform semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic weapons capable of continuous firing with a single trigger pull. The possession, manufacture, and sale of these devices without proper licensing is a federal offense carrying severe penalties, including up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $250,000.
The proliferation of these devices poses an immediate and critical threat to public safety. Between 2018 and 2023, the ATF recovered thousands of machine gun conversion devices, indicating an alarming trend in their availability and use. Violent street gangs are increasingly employing these devices, devastating communities and neighborhoods with unprecedented firepower.
This dramatic increase in illegal automatic weapons puts both civilians and law enforcement at extreme risk. Officers responding to incidents may find themselves severely outgunned, facing weapons capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute. The potential for mass casualties in such encounters is staggering.
Law enforcement agencies are racing against time to intercept these devices before they can be used in violent crimes. Public cooperation is crucial in combating this threat. If you have information about illegal firearms or conversion devices, please contact the ATF immediately:
Call: 1-888-ATF-Tips (1-888-283-8477)
Email: [email protected]
Visit: www.atf.gov/atf-tips
Your tip could save lives and prevent these dangerous weapons from falling into the wrong hands. The time to act is now, before our community fall victim to the devastating impact of these illegal automatic weapons.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Cracking Down on Fentanyl: Two Indianapolis Dealers Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Two Indianapolis men have been sentenced for their roles in the distribution of fentanyl. The following cases are unrelated.
On July 31, Richard Garner III, 38, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by eight years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a substance containing fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, on August 8, 2024, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
(IMPD) Officers initiated a traffic stop on Garner after he ran a red light at Keystone Avenue and English Avenue in Indianapolis. Garner ignored the police and fled at a high rate of speed through a neighborhood, throwing a loaded Glock .40 handgun out of the car, and eventually stopping in a traffic jam on Hoyt Avenue.Officers searched Garner’s vehicle and located 55 fentanyl pills, powder cocaine, and over $9,000 in cash. The same day, investigators searched Garner’s home and found over 1,000 M30 fentanyl pills, powder fentanyl, powder cocaine, various pills, digital scales, pill presses, as well as a loaded Ruger handgun, an AR-15-style rifle, ammunition, a machine gun conversion device, and $11,550.00 in cash. In total, Garner was in possession of 244 grams of fentanyl and 470 grams of cocaine.
On August 5, Andres Hernandez-Alamar, 29, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to attempted possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
According to court documents, on May 20, 2022, IMPD detectives were alerted to a U.S. Postal Service package containing 1,165 grams of fentanyl addressed to a residence in Indianapolis. Hernandez-Alamar was found at the residence and denied knowledge of the package. However, during a search of his phone, investigators located the parcel’s tracking number and text messages between Hernandez-Alamar and a Mexican phone number in which he ordered and discussed the drugs.
“The fentanyl epidemic continues to claim lives across our country, and those who profit from its distribution will be held accountable,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Thanks to the outstanding work of our law enforcement partners, two dangerous individuals are now off the streets of Indianapolis and no longer able to threaten the safety of our community.”
“Every dose of fentanyl distributed has the potential to destroy a life and leave a family shattered. Those who traffic it are fueling a deadly epidemic with zero regard for the lives they ruin,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy O’Malley. “These sentences represent justice for the countless victims - many of them young people - who will never have the chance to recover. The FBI stands with those families and, along with our law enforcement partners, remains unwavering in our mission to stop the flow of this deadly drug into our communities.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation and IMPD investigated these cases. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson and Chief U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Gibson and Jayson McGrath, who prosecuted these cases.
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Columbus Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Geiontay Marshant Hoskins, 27, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced today to 121 months in federal prison for selling methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a playground.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Hoskins, also known as “G” and “Cuddy,” was selling methamphetamine near Overbrook Playground in Wheeling. Investigators searched Hoskins’ motel room in Elm Grove, and seized150 grams of methamphetamine and 56 grams of fentanyl. A subsequent traffic stop on Hoskins’ vehicle recovered nearly $5,000 and the key to the motel room.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Nogay prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
Investigative agencies include the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office; and the Wheeling Police Department.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Chinese national pleads guilty to exporting protected turtlesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, NY — U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo and Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) announced today that Wei Qiang Lin, of Brooklyn, NY, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to falsely labeling live turtles as fake toys prior to exporting them in delivery boxes on a weeks-long journey to Hong Kong. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000. As part of his plea, Lin agreed to abandon any property interest in the reptiles seized during the investigation.
According to court records, between August 2023, and November 2024, Lin exported to Hong Kong approximately 222 parcels containing around 850 turtles, but he labeled the boxes as containing “plastic animal toys,” among other things. The approximate market value of the turtles was $1.4 million. Law enforcement intercepted the turtles during a border inspection and observed them bound and taped inside knotted socks within the shipping boxes. Lin also exported 11 other parcels filled with reptiles including venomous snakes. Lin primarily shipped eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles, native U.S. species which feature colorful markings — a prized feature in the domestic and foreign pet market, particularly in China and Hong Kong. Both are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as a result of the illegal export of tens of thousands of box turtles every year during the 1990s.
Lin was investigated and charged as part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Operation Terrapene, which is an ongoing operation coordinated with other federal and local law enforcement agencies to detect turtle smugglers and dismantle highly organized syndicates. Federal agencies include Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Trial Attorney Rachel Roberts and Senior Trial Attorney Ryan Connors of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango for the Western District of New York are prosecuting the case.
Lin is scheduled to be sentenced on December 23, 2025, before Judge Vilardo.
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Chinese National Pleads Guilty to Exporting Protected TurtlesRead the Press Release
Note: correcting information in an earlier caption, the case number is 25-cr-100 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.
Wei Qiang Lin, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York for falsely labeling live turtles as fake toys prior to exporting them in delivery boxes on a weeks-long journey to Hong Kong.
According to court records, between August 2023 and November 2024, Lin exported to Hong Kong approximately 222 parcels containing around 850 turtles, but he labeled the boxes as containing “plastic animal toys,” among other things. The approximate market value of the turtles was $1.4 million. Law enforcement intercepted the turtles during a border inspection and observed them bound and taped inside knotted socks within the shipping boxes. Lin also exported 11 other parcels filled with reptiles including venomous snakes.
Photo of intercepted eastern box turtles; from the criminal complaint in United States v. Wei Qiang Lin, 25-cr-100 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. Credit: USFWS.Lin primarily shipped eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles, native U.S. species which feature colorful markings — a prized feature in the domestic and foreign pet market, particularly in China and Hong Kong. Both are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as a result of the illegal export of tens of thousands of box turtles every year during the 1990s.
Lin is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 23. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss from the illegal activity. As part of his plea, Lin also agreed to abandon any property interest in the reptiles seized during the investigation.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo for the Western District of New York made the announcement.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — with help from other federal and local law enforcement entities including Customs and Border Protection, Postal Inspections Service, and Homeland Security Investigations — investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Rachel Roberts and Senior Trial Attorney Ryan Connors of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango for the Western District of New York are prosecuting the case.