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8 September 2025
Pittsburgh Man Sentenced to Prison for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 70 months of imprisonment on his conviction of bank robbery, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence on Mark Laughner, 38, on September 4, 2025, and included an order that the defendant pay restitution to the bank.
According to the information presented to the Court, on May 16, 2024, Laughner entered a Reserve Township bank wearing a baseball cap and neck gaiter that covered his mouth and nose and instructed the teller to give him all of her large bills. After the teller handed over the $100 and $50 bills from her cash drawer, the defendant demanded that the teller provide more cash quickly or he would shoot her in her face. Laughner left the bank with $1,370 in U.S. currency and was ultimately identified through the utilization of surveillance recordings as well as witness interviews.
Allegheny County Police Department (ACPD) detectives obtained a warrant for Laughner’s arrest, and, on May 20, 2024, attempted to apprehend the defendant when detectives observed him in the passenger seat of a vehicle outside of a Pittsburgh fire station. As detectives converged on the vehicle with their emergency lights activated, the driver exited the vehicle. Laughner jumped from the passenger side of the vehicle into the driver’s seat and began fleeing detectives by driving in reverse at a high rate of speed. Ignoring multiple verbal commands to stop, Laughner came within inches of striking two ACPD detectives before stopping, exiting the vehicle in the middle of the street, and fleeing on foot. Using a police K-9 unit, law enforcement apprehended Laughner after finding him hiding in thick brush.
Assistant United States Attorney V. Joseph Sonson prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
The Allegheny County Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Laughner.
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.
Owners of 1st Adult N Pediatric Healthcare Pled GuiltyRead the Press Release
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Two former owners of 1st Adult N Pediatric Healthcare pled guilty today to conspiring with others to commit federal healthcare fraud.
Kafomdi “Josephine” Okocha, 49, and Samuel Okocha, 52, both of Upper Marlboro, Maryland pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. At sentencing, both defendants face a penalty of up to 8 years in prison.
The defendants were charged in March 2025 along with Carolyn Bryant-Taylor, 61, of Clinton, Maryland; Shekita Gore, a.k.a. Shekita Steele, 38, of Clinton, Maryland; Elizabeth Ilome, 41, of Stafford, Virginia; and Eno Utuk, 47, of Stafford, Virginia.
Bryant-Taylor pled guilty last week to similar charges. All other defendants have pending charges.
According to court documents, Bryant-Taylor, Josephine Okocha, and Samuel Okocha were owners and operators of 1st Adult N Pediatric Healthcare Service, a Medicaid-enrolled home health agency providing private duty nursing, personal care, and respite care services throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, including in the Western District of Virginia. Gore was the director of nursing, while Utuk and Ilome were employed by 1st Adult to provide nursing and personal care.
The defendants conspired to submit false claims to Medicaid for services that were not provided to patients, including falsifying records and documentation in support of the fraudulent claims submitted for reimbursement.
As part of this scheme, between 2017 and 2023, Bryant-Taylor and her co-defendant, Josephine Okocha, planned arrangements to pay the parents or guardians of patients in exchange for blank, signed nursing notes which would be filled out and used to support billing to Medicaid. In these arrangements, the amount billed to Medicaid either reflected nursing services that were not provided at all, or an amount of nursing services that was in excess of what was provided.
Robert N. Tracci, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Stephen Farina of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Virginia Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit are investigating the case, with assistance from the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Jones and Laura Taylor, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Terry, a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, are prosecuting the case.
Owner of Facility for Intellectually Disabled Adults Pleads Guilty to Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of the East Hills neighborhood of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty in federal court to health care fraud, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Kelley Oliver-Hollis, 61, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV. Through her plea, Oliver-Hollis also acknowledged responsibility for 39 other counts with which she was charged by Superseding Indictment in August 2025, including making false statements relating to health care matters, concealment of material facts related to health care matters, money laundering, and misuse of Social Security benefits by a representative payee (read the Superseding Indictment news release here).
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that Oliver-Hollis was an enrolled Medicaid provider operating as Serenitycare LLC in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, under the state’s Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waiver Program, through which the defendant housed and was to have provided services to several intellectually disabled adults, including staffing the homes with adequate workers to care for the residents. Program records demonstrated that, between 2018 and 2023, Oliver-Hollis failed to sufficiently staff the homes according to the requirements of the program, and instead regularly submitted weekly claims for HCBS benefits falsely representing proper staffing of the homes. Additionally, Oliver-Hollis allowed the homes to fall into a state of disrepair, resulting in multiple citations for unsanitary and unsafe living conditions for the residents.
Judge Stickman scheduled sentencing for February 10, 2026. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory C. Melucci and Brendan J. McKenna are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Social Security Administration-Office of the Inspector General, and U.S. Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Oliver-Hollis.
The United States Attorney’s Office’s efforts to combat healthcare fraud are frequently made possible by tips from the community. To report suspected fraud, please contact the FBI’s healthcare fraud tipline at [email protected] or the Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-HHS-TIPS.
Oregon Man Sentenced to 39 Months in Prison for Cyberstalking and Interstate StalkingRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – On September 4, Brian Thomas Balda, 52, of Oregon, was sentenced by United States District Judge Angela M. Martinez to 39 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. On June 13, 2025, a federal jury found Balda guilty of one count of Cyberstalking and one count of Interstate Stalking following a four-day trial
In 2023 and 2024, Balda engaged in a campaign to intimidate and harass a former United States government official. For approximately ten months, Balda sent abusive and profane text messages and voicemails to the victim. Balda ultimately drove from Oregon to Arizona to confront the victim, and was arrested by law enforcement near the victim’s home. Four knives, binoculars, and a replica handgun were found in Balda’s car at the time of his arrest.
The FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson office investigated this matter, with the assistance of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the University of Arizona Police Department. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-1182-TUC-AMM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-145_Balda# # #
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.Online child predator sentenced to 25 yearsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 28-year-old Vermont man has been ordered to federal prison after his multiple convictions related to the production of child sexual assault material (CSAM) involving a South Texas victim, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Daniel Lee Hicks pleaded guilty April 16 to two counts of production of child pornography and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. has now sentenced Hicks to a total of 300 months in federal prison. In imposing the sentence, the court noted its responsibility to the victims and advised Hicks there are consequences for his actions. Hicks will also serve 10 years of supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Hicks will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. The court will determine and order restitution at a later date.
“The internet is a valuable tool, but unfortunately, for predators like Hicks, it can become a weapon used to target some of our most vulnerable,” Ganjei said. “To anyone who tries to use social media or other avenues to prey on our kids, it matters not where you are. We will hunt you down, arrest you, and imprison you…often for decades. To parents, stay vigilant and be aware of those that could be infiltrating your children’s devices.”
“As a parent, cases like this hit close to home knowing that dangerous predators like this are just a mouse click or phone swipe away from our children on social media,” said Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz of Homeland Security Investigations Houston. “Fortunately, working with our partners at the Montgomery County Constables Office, we were able to identify this child predator and remove him from the community for the next 25 years, but it’s never a bad time for parents to talk to their kids and educate them about the dangers on social media. Department of Homeland Security offers plenty of useful tools and resources that can be found at https://www.dhs.gov/know2protect.”
In November 2022, authorities discovered sexually explicit conversations between Hicks and a minor female victim who was residing in the Southern District of Texas. Hicks began communicating with her since at least 2021 and knew she was under the age of 14. During the conversations, Hicks sent demeaning and threatening messages to coerce the victim to create and send videos and images depicting sexually explicit conduct. During the conversations, Hicks also sent CSAM images to her.
Authorities identified at least two additional minor victims residing across the United States, both under the age of 16. Hicks would communicate with the children online for the explicit purpose of creating and obtaining more CSAM. Hicks exploited online social media platforms to identify and exploit the minor victims.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation as part of their Child Exploitation Investigations Group with the assistance of Montgomery County Constable’s Office – Precinct 5.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Luis Batarse prosecuted the case which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Okemah Resident Sentenced for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jeffrey Gilbert Franklin, Jr., age 50, of Okemah, Oklahoma, was sentenced to thirty-three months in prison for one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Okemah Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On April 9, 2025, Franklin pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on April 25, 2024, police conducting a traffic stop discovered Franklin in possession of a baggie containing approximately 36 grams of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance. After Franklin’s arrest and booking, Franklin made calls from jail coordinating distribution of methamphetamine.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Franklin will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lewis M. Reagan and Jacob R. Parker represented the United States.
Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy-Related FraudRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Wayne Robert Rummel, 40, of Crown City, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to falsifying recorded information relating to the property or financial affairs of a debtor in bankruptcy.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 5, 2023, Rummel filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. While the bankruptcy case was still pending, Rummel sought to obtain financing to purchase a 2022 Nissan Altima for $24,758.50. Rommel knew he needed the permission of the Bankruptcy Court or the United States Trustee, who oversees the administration of bankruptcy cases in the Southern District of West Virginia, to obtain a post-bankruptcy petition loan.
On February 26, 2025, Rummel emailed the lender a fake order from the Bankruptcy Court, which purported to provide approval for him to finance the vehicle purchase through the lender. As part of his guilty plea, Rommel admitted that he knew the Bankruptcy Court order was fake because he created it, and that neither the Court nor the United States Trustee had given him permission to obtain a loan with his bankruptcy case still pending.
Rummel is scheduled to be sentenced on January 5, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The United States Trustee’s Charleston field office, which serves West Virginia, made the criminal referral of this case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The United States Trustee Program is a component of the Department of Justice whose mission is to promote the integrity and efficiency of the bankruptcy system for the benefit of all stakeholders — debtors, creditors and the public.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage 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. 3:25-cr-138.
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New York Man Sentenced for Identity TheftRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Bolarinwa Salau, 30, of Rockaway Beach, New York, was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison for identity theft.
According to the court documents and statements made in court, during a traffic stop of Salau’s vehicle, West Virginia State Police found identification documents for other people which were being used in connection with a stolen identity refund fraud scheme, often referred to as “SIRF.” This type of fraud involves the use of stolen personal information, including social security numbers, used to file tax returns for purposes of obtaining fraudulent refunds. Salau attempted to file fraudulent tax returns that would have yielded nearly $1 million in refunds.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod Douglas prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and the West Virginia State Police, with assistance from the Ohio County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
New Orleans Men Indicted for Hobbs Act Robbery and Felon in PossessionRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JEREMIAH MILLS (“MILLS”), age 28, was charged on August 28, 2025 in a four-count indictment, announced Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson. Count 1 charged him with Hobbs Act Robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951(a). Count 2 charged him with Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(iii). Count 3 charged him with Attempted Hobbs Act Robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951(a). Count 4 charged him with Felon in Possession of a Firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
According to the indictment, on or about July 17, 2025, MILLS committed an armed Hobbs Act robbery at a gas station in the 2700 block of S. Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans. During the robbery, MILLS allegedly knowingly used, carried brandished and discharged a firearm during the robbery. Three days later, on July 20, 2025, MILLS attempted to rob the same gas station.
If convicted of Count 1, MILLS face a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release, as to Count 2, he faces; a mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and at least 5 years of supervised release; as to Count 3, he faces up to 20 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release for Count 3; and as to Count 4, he faces up to 15 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release. MILLS also face a payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee as to all four counts.
Acting United States Attorney Simpson reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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. [use if applicable] Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Violent Crime Task Force. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Troy L. Bell of the Violent Crimes Unit.
New Horizons Computer Learning Center in Jacksonville and Owner Resolve GI Bill AllegationsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Fla. – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces today that a New Horizons Computer Learning Center franchise and its owner, Coastal Corporate Training, Inc., have agreed to pay $500,000 to resolve allegations that the school overcharged the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by failing to support tuition waivers provided to VA-supported students, by false certifying compliance with a statutory ban on incentive compensation tied to student enrollment, and by falsely certifying compliance with a rule governing veteran enrollment.
The Post - 9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act of 2008 (“GI Bill”) financially supports service members, veterans, and their eligible dependents who attend an education or training program at an educational institution. The longer a person serves in the military, the greater the benefits available under the GI Bill. If a school offers to waive tuition for a student receiving less than 100-percent assistance, that tuition waiver must be reported to the VA and the student’s portion reduced accordingly. Additionally, federal law prohibits participating schools from paying any commission, bonus, or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on securing student enrollments.
Finally, a federal regulation imposes the “85/15” rule, which prohibits the VA from approving enrollment in any course for an eligible veteran not already enrolled for any period during which more than 85% of the enrolled students have all or part of their tuition paid for by the educational institution or the VA.
The United States alleged that, between 2015 and 2020, Coastal Corporate Training, Inc., which owned the New Horizons Computer Learning Center – Jacksonville franchise, failed to deduct tuition waivers from the tuition billed to the VA for students receiving less than 100-percent assistance under the GI Bill, falsely certified compliance with Title 38 by paying commissions, bonuses, or other incentive payments to enrollment representatives, and falsely certified compliance with the 85/15 rule for courses that included VA-funded students.
“The Post - 9/11 GI Bill provides a hard-earned benefit to our nations’ veterans, equipping them with the education and training of their choice for civilian careers after they have completed their military service,” said United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “My office will continue to ensure that the GI Bill funds are used as intended – to benefit American veterans.”
“This settlement demonstrates that violations of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits regulations will not be tolerated,” said Special Agent in Charge David Spilker with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Southeast Field Office. “The VA OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of VA’s education benefits program.”
This resolution results from a coordinated effort by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - Office of Inspector General. Senior Litigation Counsel Mamie V. Wise handled the investigation and prosecution of the case.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. No determination of liability has occurred.
Muskogee Resident Sentenced for Federal Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Catherine Victoria Rogers, age 52, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, was sentenced to two years’ probation for one count of Acquiring Hydrocodone by Misrepresentation, Fraud, Forgery, and Deception.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General.
On October 23, 2024, Rogers pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, between August and November 2023, while serving as a nurse with the VA Medical Center in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Rogers removed approximately 132 pills of Hydrocodone, a Schedule II controlled substance, from the medical center’s medication storage and distribution system for her personal benefit.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Cornell and Joshua Satter represented the United States.
Modesto, Bakersfield, and Fresno Defendants Indicted as Part of Operation Take Back AmericaRead the Press Release
On Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, a federal grand jury in Fresno brought two indictments for drug trafficking and one for illegal gun possession, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
Modesto
Manuel Rodriguez Diaz, 41, of Modesto, was charged with possessing more than 5 kilograms of cocaine. According to court documents, on July 10, 2025, Diaz was pulled over by law enforcement officers while driving north on California State Road 99 in Madera County. Officers seized 16 individually wrapped packages of cocaine from Diaz’s car. In total, Diaz was transporting approximately 27.65 kilograms (61 pounds) of cocaine.
This case is the product of an investigation by the California Highway Patrol, the Madera Police Department, the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Team, the Madera County District Attorney’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody S. Chapple is prosecuting the case.
Bakersfield
Individually Packaged Methamphetamine Seized from Garcia’s Car.
Steven Paul Garcia, 53, of Bakersfield, was charged with possessing more than 500 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. According to court documents, on Aug. 26, 2025, Garcia was pulled over by law enforcement officers while driving north on California state road 99 in Fresno County. During the stop, deputies seized approximately 22 pounds of methamphetamine individually packaged in 1-pound bags.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the Bakersfield Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody S. Chapple is prosecuting the case.
Fresno
Thomas Carter Beasley, 20, of Fresno, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, on Nov. 16, 2024, when law enforcement officers attempted to pull Beasley over in Fresno, he led them on a highspeed chase, speeding through stop signs and nearly hit bystanders. After crashing into a parked car, he fled on foot through a nearby apartment complex before he was caught and arrested. Officers later seized a loaded Glock 27 .40‑caliber pistol hidden under a doormat in a breezeway that Beasley fled through. The serial number of the firearm matched the gun box left behind in the crashed car. At the time, Beasley was on probation, and the firearm was loaded with 21 rounds of ammunition. Beasley is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of a prior felony conviction for receiving a stolen motor vehicle.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Fresno Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cody S. Chapple and Robert Veneman-Hughes are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Diaz and Garcia face a statutory minimum of 10 years with a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. If convicted, Beasley faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; all of the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The case involving Beasley is also 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.
Missouri Man Sentenced for Advertising Child Pornography on the Dark WebRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Missouri man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for advertising child pornography on the dark web.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Larry Stendebach, 60, to 17.5 years (210 months) in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Stendebach pleaded guilty on April 27, 2025.
According to court records, in May 2024, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Portland, Maine were investigating a site on the dark web dedicated to the sexual abuse of children. During the investigation, HSI agents observed a profile, later identified as belonging to Stendebach, that had a history of postings dating back to December 2022. Agents observed the profile had made over 1,000 posts on the site. Agents reviewed several links posted by Stendebach that contained videos of child sexual abuse material including young children. In August 2024, HSI agents executed a search warrant at Stendebach’s residence in Hannibal, Missouri. During a subsequent interview, Stendebach admitted he had used the profile on the dark web.
HSI 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 (NCMEC) 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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Mexican National Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Illegally Reentering the United States for the Third TimeRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – A Mexican national was sentenced to three years in federal prison today for illegally reentering the United States following multiple prior deportations and felony convictions.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on or about March 17, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol Agents were conducting enforcement operations in Rankin County on Interstate 20. Agents conducted a vehicle stop and Luis Simon Acevedo-Rodriguez, 33, freely admitted to being a citizen of Mexico and to being present in the United States without the requisite permission. He was arrested and processed for removal. Acevedo-Rodriguez’s fingerprints were scanned into DHS databases resulting in a computer match to his prior immigration records, including photographs. Acevedo-Rodriguez has previously been convicted three times in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas – once for improper entry by an alien and twice for illegal reentry by a deported or removed alien. He has been formally removed from the United States three times previously.
A Criminal Complaint was filed against Acevedo-Rodriguz on March 20, 2025. Acevedo-Rodriguez was then indicted by a federal grand jury on April 8, 2025, and pleaded guilty to unlawful return of an alien removed after conviction of a felony on June 6, 2025.
Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi; Eric P. DeLaune, Special Agent-in-Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, Louisiana; and Adam M. Calderon, Acting Chief Patrol Agent of the Border Patrol’s New Orleans Sector, made the announcement.
The United States Border Patrol investigated the case with assistance from the Rankin County Sherriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie prosecuted the case.
This case was investigated by the Mississippi Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal 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).
Mexican National Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Mexican national who concealed his identity from officers and was found with firearms and multiple types of narcotics in Española has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on April 24, 2023, officers with the Española Police Department found Marco Antonio Lozoya-Ugarte, a Mexican nationalwho entered the United States on a business visa, unresponsive behind the wheel of a running vehicle in Española, New Mexico, within the exterior boundaries of Santa Clara Pueblo. After removing Lozoya-Ugarte from the vehicle, officers discovered a holstered handgun on his hip, a loaded rifle magazine inside the vehicle, and an AR-15 style rifle in plain view. A subsequent search revealed additional firearms and approximately 148 grams of methamphetamine, 22.5 grams of cocaine, 605 fentanyl pills, 204 ecstasy pills, and 6.5 grams of black tar heroin as well as drug paraphernalia, and distribution materials. Lozoya-Ugarte initially gave officers a false name but later admitted his true identity.
Lozoya-Ugarte pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Upon his release from prison, Lozoya-Ugarte will be subject to five years of supervised releasewhich shall convert to unsupervised release upon his deportation from the United States.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Española Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert James Booth II and Mark A. Probasco are prosecuting the case.
Mexican National Admits Child Sex ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A Mexican national on Monday admitted sexually abusing a minor and engaging in explicit communications with her on Instagram.
Giovanni Falcon, 41, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to transfer of obscene material to a minor and coercion and enticement of a minor. He admitted messaging a 15-year-old girl on Instagram between Jan. 1, 2024, and Aug. 12, 2024. In July and August of that year, Falcon sent the victim images of his genitals. Falcon and the victim also engaged in sexual contact on multiple occasions. On Aug. 13, 2024, the victim’s father contacted the St. Ann Police Department after discovering the explicit Instagram messages. St. Ann police arrested him the next day, and he admitted sexually abusing the victim.
The U.S. Attorney’s office will ask for 216 months in prison at Falcon’s sentencing, which has been set for Jan. 27, 2026. Falcon is not in the country legally and will be deported upon his release from prison.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Ann Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Daphne man was sentenced to 90 months in prison for a methamphetamine-trafficking conspiracy and possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute it.
According to court documents, Robert Keith Corte, Jr., 35, was caught on three occasions selling methamphetamine to confidential informants in September and October 2023 in Baldwin County, Alabama. On October 16, 2023, narcotics agents executed a search warrant at Corte’s apartment in Daphne, locating drugs and drug paraphernalia. In total, agents seized more than 185 grams of methamphetamine, which Corte admitted belonged to him. Corte admitted that he had recently gone to Pensacola, Florida, to obtain methamphetamine to sell in Baldwin County. Corte’s cell phone contained numerous text messages about his drug-dealing activities, including discussion of prices, payments, and amounts of drugs to be purchased. At the time of his arrest, Corte was on federal supervised release for a prior methamphetamine-trafficking conviction.
In addition to the 90-month prison sentence, Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock ordered Corte to serve a ten-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will be subject to drug testing and treatment and will receive mental health evaluation and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Beaverstock ordered Corte to pay $200 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Marion County Man Sentenced for Drug and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Vincent Irving Jones, 34, of Fairmont, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 151 months in federal prison for methamphetamine and firearm charges.
According to the court documents and statements made in court, Jones was found with methamphetamine and a pistol in Marion County. Jones has multiple prior felony convictions, prohibiting him from having firearms.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Rhee prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Fairmont Police Department.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Luzerne County Man Sentenced on Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Anthony Joseph Nieves, age 32, of Pittston, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on September 4, 2025, to 105 months’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Joseph F. Saporito, Jr. for possession with intent to distribute five grams of fentanyl.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, in October of 2024, members of the Pittston City Police Department used a confidential informant to purchase fentanyl from Nieves on multiple occasions. On November 1, 2024, investigators executed a search warrant at Nieves’ home and seized fentanyl, drug trafficking paraphernalia, $1,274 in cash, and body armor from the residence. This is Nieves’ fifth drug trafficking conviction.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pittston City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts 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.
This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
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Lowndes County Woman Sentenced in Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Trafficking and Gun Possession CaseRead the Press Release
Oxford, MS – A Lowndes County woman was sentenced today to over 12 years in prison for distributing drugs and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes.
According to court documents, Jaquelyne Leiataua, of Columbus, Mississippi pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District to Mississippi to possessing methamphetamine and fentanyl with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking crimes. Leiataua was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Glen H. Davidson on Monday to 85 months in prison for the illegal drug charges and 60 months on the firearm charges to run consecutively. She was further sentenced to three years supervised release following her release from prison.
“There are consequences for bringing deadly narcotics into our community and for using firearms to protect that illegal trade,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “We are proud to stand with our partners at the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, DEA, and ATF in protecting our citizens from dangerous narcotics and from those that sell them.”
“Thanks to strong partnerships with state and federal law enforcement partners and thorough investigative efforts, our community is safer with the removal of dangerous drugs and dealers from our streets,” stated Lowndes County Sheriff Eddie Hawkins. “Methamphetamine is a substance that devastates individuals and families; those who traffic and sell this poison are contributing to death and destruction. This situation highlights the significance of collaboration in law enforcement. Through our partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we have successfully prosecuted these offenders and kept them off the streets.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clyde McGee prosecuted the case.
This investigation and resulting case are 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 case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Los Angeles couple charged with drug conspiracyRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.–U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Tevin Williams, 31, and Zakyia Williams, 25, both of Sherman Oaks, California, were charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, fentanyl and cocaine, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew McGrath, who handled the case, stated that according to the complaint, in December 2021, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) began investigating the drug trafficking activities of Tevin Williams and the associates in his drug trafficking organization. Since December 2021, and March 2023, the organization has distributed large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine in Rochester area and elsewhere. Williams resides in Sherman Oaks, California with his girlfriend and co-defendant Zakyia Williams. The two shipped drug parcels through the United States Postal Service to co-conspirators in the Rochester area. Fentanyl is distributed in the form of pressed pills, which bear markings resembling 30mg Percocet pills, known as fake “Perc 30s.” Subsequent investigation determined that Tevin Williams also traveled to Rochester regularly to resupply his co-conspirators.
Between February and August of 2022, investigators conducted eight controlled purchases of fentanyl from Tevin Williams and his associates. In December 2022, investigators intercepted a package containing approximately 800 grams of cocaine addressed to a residence in Webster, NY, associated with the drug trafficking organization. The cocaine was replaced with sham and a controlled delivery of the package was conducted. Once the package was delivered and subsequently opened, a search warrant was executed at the residence. No narcotics were seized but investigators did recover drug trafficking paraphernalia. In January 2023, another package was intercepted, which contained approximately 718 grams of cocaine and 555 grams of blue pills containing suspected fentanyl. In March 2023, a third package was intercepted, which contained approximately one kilogram of fentanyl pills.
The defendants made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and were detained.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Boston Division Inspector-in-Charge Ketty Larco-Ward. The defendants fled to Trinidad and Tobago after being charged and were located and apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Lieutenant in Sinaloa and Beltran-Leyva Cartels Detained in Atlanta After Years of Hiding in MexicoRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Roberto Lopez, a/k/a Shrek, a/k/a NWA, was arraigned and detained in federal court on Friday following his transfer from Mexico to face federal charges of cocaine importation and distribution and money laundering. Lopez, who was hiding in Mexico for more than a decade before his capture, allegedly smuggled hundreds of machineguns and assault weapons and helped manage a vast cocaine smuggling network in support of high-level cartel leaders.
“Lopez allegedly moved tons of cocaine and millions of dollars through Atlanta and other cities while supplying machineguns and other tools of war to fuel cartel bloodshed in Mexico,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Though it took years to find and arrest him, he will now finally be held accountable for his crimes.”
“This violent cartel member is part of a ruthless criminal network that profits from drugs, guns, and bloodshed,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “DEA will not stop until every member of these organizations is taken off of our streets.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In the early 2000s, Edgar Valdez-Villareal, a/k/a “La Barbie,” was an infamous and ruthless enforcer for the Sinaloa and Beltran-Leyva Cartels in their war against the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas. Valdez also partnered with U.S.-based trucking businessman Carlos Montemayor to operate a distribution network that moved up to 300 kilograms of cocaine per week to Atlanta, Memphis, and other cities while smuggling cash back to Mexico in shipments carrying no less than $1 million per load. In just a six-month period, the organization distributed 1,500 kilograms of cocaine in Atlanta alone.
In 2018, a federal judge in Atlanta sentenced Valdez to 49 years and one month in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. In 2019, Montemayor was sentenced to 34 years and three months in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release.
Lopez is alleged to have been the primary lieutenant for Valdez and Montemayor’s network, handling various logistics, including payments to truck drivers and stash house operators and the repackaging and transportation of money over the border. Lopez is also alleged to have been in charge of supplying weapons and other equipment to the cartels, obtaining high-powered rifles, silencers, ammunition, magazines, night vision goggles, ballistic vests, helmets, and other gear in the United States and smuggling them into Mexico. He also allegedly developed skills to convert semiautomatic rifles to function as fully automatic machineguns and manufactured silencers for handguns. He is estimated to have smuggled over 1,000 rifles, 100-200 converted machineguns, and over 1,000 magazines and ammunition drums into Mexico from the United States. As part of the cartel’s intimidation campaign and reign of terror, Lopez is also alleged to have played a critical role in distributing a video of the assassination of one of Valdez’s rivals to media and law enforcement in the United States and Mexico.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda T. Walker detained Lopez, 45, of Texas, on Friday after he pled not guilty to charges of conspiring to import, possess with intent to distribute, and distribute cocaine; possessing cocaine with intent to distribute; distributing cocaine; and conspiring to commit money laundering. A federal grand jury indicted Lopez for those crimes on December 15, 2009, nearly 16 years ago. Lopez faces a statutory maximum of life imprisonment for each of the drug counts and up to 20 years of imprisonment for the money laundering count.
In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant United States Attorneys Garrett L. Bradford and Elizabeth M. Hathaway are 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, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood
This effort is part of an OCDETF operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Laboratory CEO, Marketers, and Physicians to Pay over $6M to Settle Allegations of Management Service Organization and other Lab Testing KickbacksRead the Press Release
One-time laboratory CEO Christopher Grottenthaler, formerly of Frisco, Texas, has agreed to pay $4.25 million to resolve False Claims Act litigation with the United States alleging illegal payments to doctors for laboratory referrals in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. Two physicians — Hong Davis, M.D., of Plano, Texas, and Elizabeth Seymour, M.D., of Denton, Texas — and seven marketers — Courtney Love, of Dallas, Texas, Stephen Kash, of Winnie, Texas, Laura Howard, of Lucas, Texas, Jeffrey Parnell, of Tyler, Texas, Stanley Jones, of San Antonio, Texas, Jordan Perkins, of Conroe, Texas, and Ruben Marioni, of Spring, Texas — have agreed to pay an additional $1,818,462 to settle the United States’ laboratory kickback allegations against them in the case. The settling parties have agreed to cooperate with the Department of Justice’s investigations of, and litigation against, other participants in the alleged schemes. With these settlements, the Department of Justice has secured over $59 million in civil False Claims Act settlements for kickbacks to healthcare providers disguised as managed service organization (MSO) investment distributions, including recoveries from 50 physicians.
“The Department of Justice will continue to pursue and prioritize healthcare fraud, including redressing illegal kickbacks,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Kickbacks to doctors can undermine medical decision-making, subject patients to wasteful medical treatments, and squander taxpayer money.”
“These settlements reflect the firm commitment of the Eastern District of Texas to punish those who use fraudulent means to profit at the expense of federal healthcare programs funded by the hard-working taxpayers of the United States,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs for the Eastern District of Texas. “We will continue to pursue those who steal from federal healthcare programs through these types of schemes to pay improper kickbacks to providers.”
“Laboratory testing is an essential part of patient care, not a vehicle for greed and exploitation,” said Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “In collaboration with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG will continue to investigate kickback schemes and false claims made to federal healthcare programs.”
“The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) is committed to protecting the integrity of TRICARE, the healthcare benefit program for military members, retirees, and their families,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Chad Gosch of DCIS’s Southwest Field Office. “Decisions that prioritize financial gain over patient health erodes taxpayer trust and negatively affects military readiness. DCIS, alongside our law enforcement partners, will relentlessly pursue those who commit fraud and exploit this critical healthcare program.”
The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and other federally funded healthcare programs. It seeks to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients.
Christopher Grottenthaler, the former Chief Executive Officer of True Health Diagnostics, LLC (True Health), a laboratory in Frisco, Texas, agreed to pay $4.25 million to resolve allegations that he caused false claims for laboratory testing to Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE from January 2015 to May 2018. Grottenthaler allegedly agreed to a kickback scheme in which marketers, including True Health’s own employees, offered and paid doctors kickbacks disguised as MSO distributions to induce the doctors’ laboratory testing referrals. Grottenthaler allegedly facilitated True Health’s continued participation in the MSO kickback scheme after receiving warnings that the marketers “are a powder keg waiting to explode on us” and that “people are gonna go to prison.” The settlement also resolves allegations that Grottenthaler arranged for True Health to pay kickbacks disguised as consulting fees, processing and handling fees, and waivers of copayments and deductibles, to induce laboratory testing referrals.
The settlement with Grottenthaler resolves certain allegations in a lawsuit originally filed by STF LLC under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to sue on behalf of the government when they believe that a defendant has submitted false claims for government funds and receive a share of any recovery. The False Claims Act permits the United States to intervene in and take over the action, as it did here with respect to Grottenthaler. STF LLC, whose members are Christopher Riedel and Felice Gersh, M.D., will receive a $148,750 share of the Grottenthaler settlement. The United States also added claims to the lawsuit against additional defendants and some of those are resolved in the settlements announced today. The lawsuit, which continues as to other defendants, is captioned United States, et al. ex rel. STF LLC v. True Health Diagnostics LLC et al., No. 4:16-cv-547 (E.D. Tex.).
The settlements announced today resolve the United States’ allegations in the lawsuit that two physicians took kickbacks in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute from laboratory marketers’ purported MSOs in return for laboratory testing referrals. Dr. Hong Davis agreed to pay $124,627 to resolve allegations that from October 2015 to March 2017, she received thousands of dollars in payments from two purported MSOs, Ascend MSO of TX LLC (Ascend MSO) and Herculis MG LLC, in return for ordering laboratory tests from Little River Healthcare (Little River), a critical access hospital in Rockdale, Texas, and Boston Heart Diagnostics Corporation (Boston Heart), a clinical laboratory in Framingham, Massachusetts. Dr. Elizabeth Seymour agreed to pay $234,215 to resolve allegations that from April 2016 to January 2018, she received thousands of dollars in payments from two purported MSOs, Ascend MSO and Eridanus MG LLC, in return for ordering laboratory tests from Little River, True Health, and Boston Heart. The civil settlement amounts that Drs. Davis and Seymour agreed to pay are in addition to amounts they were ordered to pay in a criminal proceeding captioned United States v. Susan Hertzberg, et al., No. 6:22-cr-3-JDK (E.D. Tex.).
Lastly, the following seven marketers and their associated entities agreed to pay a total of $1,459,620 to resolve the United States’ allegations in the civil litigation that they paid kickbacks disguised as MSO payments to doctors to induce the doctors’ laboratory testing referrals: Former True Health Account Executive Courtney Love; former True Health Director of Strategic Accounts Stephen Kash; former Boston Heart Area Sales Manager Laura Howard; former Boston Heart sales representative Jeffrey Parnell; Stanley Jones, part-owner with Parnell of Texas marketing company LGRB Management Services LLC; and Jordan Perkins and Ruben Marioni, co-owners of Texas marketing company Next Level Healthcare Consultants LLC. The settlement amounts for Kash and Howard were based on their ability to pay. The civil settlement amounts for Kash, Howard, Parnell, and Perkins are in addition to amounts they were ordered to pay in criminal proceedings captioned United States v. Susan Hertzberg, et al., No. 6:22-cr-3-JDK (E.D. Tex.), and/or United States v. Christopher Grottenthaler, et al., No. 6:22-cr-135-JDK (E.D. Tex.).
The settlements announced today were the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, with assistance from HHS-OIG and DCIS. They were handled by Trial Attorneys Christopher Terranova and Gavin Thole in the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Gillingham and Betty Young for the Eastern District of Texas.
The government’s pursuit of these matters illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services, at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only, and there has been no determination of civil liability.
Johnston County Resident Sentenced for Failure to Register as A Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Lance Alden Whelchel, age 31, of Wapanucka, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for one count of Failure to Register as Sex Offender.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Harris County Texas Sheriff’s Office.
On February 20, 2025, Whelchel pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, Whelchel is required to register as a sex offender because he was convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma on May 24, 2023. From July 5, 2024, until September 12, 2024, Whelchel failed to register or update his registration despite entering, leaving, or residing in Indian country, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Whelchel will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Wittlinger represented the United States.
Jamaican National Pleads Guilty to Long Running Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — A Jamaican national, who was previously extradited to the United States from Jamaica, pleaded guilty on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota in connection to a long running scheme to defraud a California woman.
Dwayne Anderson, 35, of Hannover, Jamaica, pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges. Anderson was arrested on July 11, 2024, by Jamaican authorities based on a U.S. indictment and was extradited to the United States, where he has remained incarcerated pending trial.
As part of this plea agreement, Anderson admitted that, from as early as 2010 until September 2017, he participated in a scheme to defraud an American woman. Using phony names, Anderson contacted the victim by telephone, text message, and email and falsely informed her that she had won millions of dollars in a sweepstakes. He persuaded the victim, who believed his false representations, to send money to pay various purported fees and taxes associated with the sweepstakes. He instructed her on how, and to whom, to send these payments. Anderson repeatedly contacted the victim with additional requests to pay money and told her that her winnings would be forthcoming if she paid the requested money. The victim paid the purported fees, losing more than $181,000, but never received any of the purported winnings.
“The Department of Justice is committed to protecting Americans from the threats posed by transnational criminals and will vigorously pursue them, wherever they are located,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Anderson is the latest example in the Department’s ongoing efforts to combat these kinds of foreign based schemes and hold those involved accountable.”
“Americans are increasingly falling victim to devastating fraud schemes perpetrated by transnational criminals,” said U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell for the District of South Dakota. “Whether it happens in a rural community or a metropolitan area, the Department of Justice will ensure these criminals are held to account for their shameless targeting of vulnerable individuals and their hard-earned savings.”
“If you target vulnerable Americans with schemes designed to steal their hard-earned money, you will become our target,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the USPIS Criminal Investigations Group. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service knows no boundaries when it comes to protecting our communities. We will find you, we will stop you, and we will hold you accountable.”
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Jamaica to secure the arrest and August 2024 extradition of Anderson.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Director J. Matt Williams, Senior Trial Attorney Brandon Robers, and Trial Attorney Edward E. Emokpae, of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Hoffman for the District of South Dakota.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. eastern time. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota visit their website at www.justice.gov/usao-sd. Information about the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice.
Jamaican National Pleads Guilty to Long Running Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Jamaican national, who was previously extradited to the United States from Jamaica, pleaded guilty on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota in connection a long running scheme to defraud a California woman.
Dwayne Anderson, 35, of Hannover, Jamaica, pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges. Anderson was arrested on July 11, 2024, by Jamaican authorities based on a U.S. indictment and was extradited to the United States, where he has remained incarcerated pending trial.
As part of this plea agreement, Anderson admitted that, from as early as 2010 until September 2017, he participated in a scheme to defraud an American woman. Using phony names, Anderson contacted the victim by telephone, text message, and email and falsely informed her that she had won millions of dollars in a sweepstakes. He persuaded the victim, who believed his false representations, to send money to pay various purported fees and taxes associated with the sweepstakes. He instructed her on how, and to whom, to send these payments. Anderson repeatedly contacted the victim with additional requests to pay money and told her that her winnings would be forthcoming if she paid the requested money. The victim paid the purported fees, losing more than $181,000, but never received any of the purported winnings.
“The Department of Justice is committed to protecting Americans from the threats posed by transnational criminals and will vigorously pursue them, wherever they are located,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Anderson is the latest example in the Department’s ongoing efforts to combat these kinds of foreign based schemes and hold those involved accountable.”
“Americans are increasingly falling victim to devastating fraud schemes perpetrated by transnational criminals,” said U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell for the District of South Dakota. “Whether it happens in a rural community or a metropolitan area, the Department of Justice will ensure these criminals are held to account for their shameless targeting of vulnerable individuals and their hard-earned savings.”
“If you target vulnerable Americans with schemes designed to steal their hard-earned money, you will become our target,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the USPIS Criminal Investigations Group. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service knows no boundaries when it comes to protecting our communities. We will find you, we will stop you, and we will hold you accountable.”
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Jamaica to secure the arrest and August 2024 extradition of Anderson.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Director J. Matt Williams, Senior Trial Attorney Brandon Robers, and Trial Attorney Edward E. Emokpae, of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann Hoffman for the District of South Dakota.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. eastern time. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for South Dakota visit their website at www.justice.gov/usao-sd. Information about the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice.
Jacksonville Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Agreeing to Launder over $250,000Read the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Mauricio Chahine (53, Jacksonville) to four years and two months in federal prison for engaging in money laundering. The court also ordered Chahine to forfeit $12,000 in proceeds from his money laundering enterprise. Chahine pleaded guilty on April 30, 2025.
According to court documents and evidence presented at Chahine’s sentencing hearing, a confidential source notified the Drug Enforcement Administration that Chahine was a money launderer with the ability to launder funds from the United States to other countries. Prompted by this information, an undercover federal agent contacted Chahine and asked to meet in person. Chahine agreed. During a meeting in March 2024, a pair of undercover agents played the role of cocaine traffickers and told Chahine that they needed help moving money around. Without hesitating, Chahine said he needed to know how much money, where it was going, and how fast they needed it at the destination. When one of the agents asked if Chahine knew what they did, Chahine replied that he did not care. The agent then told Chahine that he sells some of the “white stuff,” referring to cocaine. Chahine responded that he did not want to know. The undercover agent explained that due to his work, he had large amounts of bulk currency in different places. Chahine reiterated that all he needed to know was where the money was going and how they wanted it, including “big bills or small bills,” and identified his fee as 12% for amounts over $200,000 and 15% for amounts under $200,000.
Chahine suggested that he had been in the business since 1999 and advertised his abilities to launder money in various states and countries, including Brazil, the Netherlands, Lebanon, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, China, France, and Spain. Chahine suggested that they may need to create invoices to make it appear as though they were buying or selling merchandise. He also explained how he had multiple businesses and offered to move money through his bank accounts. During the meeting, Chahine mentioned that he would not deposit currency he received all at once; instead, he would split it up and deposit the money in increments like $5,000 per day.
A series of meetings followed between Chahine and additional undercover agents during which Chahine accepted money to launder. Over the course of five transactions, Chahine accepted $217,975 in cash and $50,000 in fake currency. He divided and deposited the money into seven different corporate accounts at various banks before being wired back to an undercover government account in different increments. On different occasions, Chahine asked an undercover agent to supply him with a fake invoice to make it appear as if they were engaged in legitimate business.
Chahine has been in custody since November 12, 2024, when he was arrested and detained by the court as a flight risk.
“Drug traffickers often rely on others to launder the profits from their drug running,” said Special Agent in Charge Ronald Loecker, IRS Criminal Investigation Tampa Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation will continue to devote our financial expertise to identify, investigate and bring to justice those who engage in sophisticated money laundering techniques that facilitate the distribution of narcotics and the concealment of proceeds.”
This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly S. Milliron and Michael J. Coolican.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. 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.
Jackson Man Pleads Guilty to Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
JACKSON, MS – Wilbert Lindsay Ransom, 45, pleaded guilty today to bank robbery.
According to court documents and statements made in open court, Wilbert Lindsay Ransom pleaded guilty today after being indicted by a federal grand jury. Ransom pleaded guilty to one count of Bank Robbery. Ransom’s charges stemmed from the May 27, 2025, robbery of the Trustmark National Bank branch location on Woodrow Wilson Avenue in Jackson. Security footage from the incident showed Ransom enter the bank and approach the teller window with a hand-written demand note. In one angle of the security footage, Ransom is shown reaching into his pocket and removing a folding knife while making his demand. Ransom fled from the bank and was later arrested in Brandon the same day.
Ransom is scheduled to be sentenced on January 9, 2026. Ransom faces a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff made the announcement.
The Jackson Field Office of the FBI investigated the matter with assistance from the Capitol Police Department and the Brandon Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel Goff is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Justice Department Awards over $350,000 in Grants to Area FoundationsRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Ellison C. Travis announced that the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women has awarded $353,303 collectively to the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, Inc. and Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Inc.
The Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, Inc. was awarded $243,213 to: (a) work with local sexual assault programs and other providers of direct services to encourage appropriate responses to sexual assault within the state or territory; (b) work with judicial or law enforcement agencies to encourage appropriate responses to sexual assault cases; (c) work with courts, child protective services agencies, and children’s advocates to develop appropriate responses to child custody and visitation issues when sexual assault has been determined to be a factor; (d) design and conduct public education campaigns; (e) plan and monitor the distribution of grants and grant funds to their state or territory; and (f) collaborate with and informing federal, state, or local public officials and agencies to develop and implement policies to reduce or eliminate sexual assault.
The Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Inc. was awarded $110,090 to coordinating state and territory victim services activities and collaborate and coordinate with federal, state, territory, and local entities engaged in violence against women activities.
For more information about this award, contact the Office on Violence Against Women at 202-307-6026 and ask for the Policy, Communication, and Evaluation Division.
Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Gustavo Olivares-Ramirez, a/k/a Rogelio Madrigal, a/k/a Gustavo Olivares, a/k/a Gustavo Ramirez Olivares, age 54, a Mexican national unlawfully present in Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not more than ten years, and a fine of not more than $250,000.00.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division and the Heavener Police Department.
The Indictment alleged that on June 3, 2025, Olivares-Ramirez, an alien previously removed on November 12, 1997, was found in the United States without having obtained the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Olivares-Ramirez will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dak T. Cohen and Jacob R. Parker represented the United States.
Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – John Ladelle Puryear, 49, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and cocaine base, also known as “crack.”
According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 16, 2025, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Puryear’s apartment in Huntington and seized approximately 299 grams of cocaine, 10 grams of fentanyl and 8 grams of crack, a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm pistol, a Colt MK IV Series 80 .45-caliber pistol, a Ruger LCF .380-caliber pistol, digital scales and approximately $6,487. As part of his guilty plea, Puryear, admitted that he possessed the seized controlled substances. Puryear further admitted that he possessed the seized firearms to protect the controlled substance and the proceeds from distributing them.
Puryear is scheduled to be sentenced on January 12, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor 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. 3:25-cr-125.
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Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Dyson Lamont Woody Jr., also known as “DC Sosa,” 33, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to distribution of a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 17, 2021, Woody sold approximately 27.28 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in exchange for $430. As part of his guilty plea, Woody admitted that he conducted that transaction, that he arranged it beforehand, and that it occurred in a Huntington motel room.
Woody is scheduled to be sentenced on January 5, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cabell County Sheriff's Office, and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams 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. 3:23-cr-81.
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Humboldt County Man to Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
Lawrence Moore, 37, from Bode, Iowa, was sentenced on September 4, 2025, to 96 months’ imprisonment. On April 10, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City, Moore pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Moore was previously convicted of Armed Robbery and Aggravated Battery (three times) in Cook County, Illinois. The convictions prohibited Moore from possessing any firearms or ammunition.
At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that Moore was involved in negotiations for the buying and selling of firearms to other people. During the fall of 2024, Moore communicated with an undercover agent, attempting to buy or trade a firearm with the agent. Moore also discussed selling marijuana to the agent. On November 18, 2024, a search warrant was executed at Moore’s residence. Law enforcement located and seized a Smith & Wesson Model 59 semi-automatic pistol, which Moore had referenced previously to the agent. The fully loaded firearm was located inside a void cut into the mattress in the bedroom shared by Moore and his wife. Law enforcement also located and seized marijuana and drug use paraphernalia in the residence, including in the bedroom.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Moore was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment and must serve three years of supervised release following any imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Moore remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-3050. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
High-Ranking Member of Violent Mexican Drug Cartel Sentenced on Drug Trafficking Conspiracy ChargeRead the Press Release
A Mexican national and high-ranking, violent member of the Los Zetas cartel was sentenced today to over 31 years in prison for conspiring to manufacture and distribute large quantities of cocaine and marijuana. He was also ordered to pay $26.5 million in forefeiture.
“Eleazar Medina-Rojas used extreme violence to rise through the ranks of Los Zetas, and, as a plaza boss, ensured that the cartel maintained control over key drug trafficking routes used to direct cocaine and marijuana into the United States, devastating our communities,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s sentence is a powerful reminder that the Justice Department will aggressively pursue and bring to justice violent cartel members and hold them accountable for the death and destruction they have committed here in the United States and abroad.”
“For four years, Medina-Rojas had a tight grip on routes where he was able to smuggle more than 3,000 tons of drugs into our Southern Texas border,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan C. Pullen of the Houston Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “Medina-Rojas controlled the routes leading to Brownsville, Laredo, and McAllen, eliminating anyone who stood in the way of his profit. DEA Houston agents' relentless work disrupted his drug trafficking routes, which eventually led to his capture, weakening the ruthless Los Zetas drug trafficking organization.”
According to court documents, Eleazar Medina-Rojas, also known as El Chelelo, 53, of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, was a member of Los Zetas, a drug trafficking organization comprised primarily of former Mexican military officers that began as an armed militaristic wing of the Gulf Cartel. Los Zetas later formed an alliance with the Gulf Cartel, and they collectively operated under the name “The Company.” Medina-Rojas was responsible for enforcement actions and protection of drug trafficking routes, which he often carried out through violence, threats of violence, and the use of weapons. For example, Medina-Rojas participated in acts of violence against rival drug trafficking groups during conflicts for control over drug plazas and trafficking routes. Medina-Rojas rose through the ranks of The Company and held important leadership roles, including directly facilitating cocaine and marijuana trafficking into and within the United States. Between 2006 and 2007, he served as regional leader, known as a “plaza boss,” in Monterrey, Mexico, commanding dozens of members of The Company in drug trafficking activity and acts of violence. Rojas was personally responsible for the importation of more than 450 kilograms of cocaine and 90,000 kilograms of marijuana into the United States.
The DEA Houston Division investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and July 2023 extradition of Medina-Rojas.
Trial Attorneys Jayce Born, Kirk Handrich, and Hunter Smith of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s OCDETF and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Harrison County Man Sentenced for Insurance FraudRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Jessie Levi Pumphrey, age 31, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 92 months in federal prison for filing false insurance claims.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Pumphrey worked with others to stage vehicle accidents in Preston County. Pumphrey and others then submitted false insurance claims for property damage and medical bills that were fraudulent.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Cogar prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner – Office of Inspector General investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Government Announces Settlement with Manhattan Pharmacist for Unlawful Distribution of Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York,Jay Clayton, and Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Frank A. Tarentino, announced that the United States has settled a civil Controlled Substances Act lawsuit against JANELLE HARRIS, the owner and supervising pharmacist of THE PHARMACY @ LCC (“THE PHARMACY”), a now-defunct pharmacy that previously operated in Manhattan. The settlement resolves claims that THE PHARMACY, under HARRIS’s supervision and direction, repeatedly filled prescriptions for controlled substances that contained “red flags”—warning signs that should have created a reasonable suspicion that the prescriptions were not legitimate.
The Government’s Complaint alleged violations of the Controlled Substances Act and asked the Court to order HARRIS to pay penalties pursuant to that statute. Under the settlement, which was approved on Friday, September 5, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff, HARRIS agreed to pay a total sum of $100,000. The settlement amount is based on the Office’s assessment of HARRIS’s ability to pay based on financial information she provided. HARRIS has also executed a Consent Judgment in the amount of $16,700,000, which may be enforced if she does not make the payments required under the settlement agreement. As part of today’s court-ordered settlement, HARRIS is also barred for five years from serving as a supervising pharmacist, and for seven years from owning, controlling, operating, or managing a pharmacy that purchases, stores, or dispenses controlled substances. HARRIS also made extensive factual admissions regarding her conduct.
“Pharmacists and other healthcare professionals cannot turn a blind eye to opioid abuse,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Pharmacists who recklessly ignore warning signs of diversion will be held accountable.”
“Pharmacists are not exempt from their regulatory responsibilities, especially when dealing with controlled substances and the dangerous effects they have when misused,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino. “This settlement reflects DEA’s commitment to making sure measures are in place to safeguard the community and hold DEA registrants accountable. I commend our Diversion Investigators for bringing this matter to a resolution.”
As alleged in the Complaint:
Between 2014 through 2018 (the “Covered Period”), HARRIS, a pharmacist licensed in the State of New York, owned and operated THE PHARMACY and served as its head pharmacist. As THE PHARMACY’s owner and head pharmacist, HARRIS had a duty to ensure that prescriptions filled at THE PHARMACY for controlled substances, including Schedule II controlled substances, were for a legitimate medical purpose before dispensing those drugs. As part of this duty, HARRIS was required to look for “red flags” indicating that the prescribed controlled substances were at risk for abuse or diversion, or not for a legitimate medical purpose.
However, during the Covered Period, The Pharmacy, under HARRIS’s supervision and direction, repeatedly filled prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances, such as Oxycodone, that presented significant red flags. Such red flags included cash payments by customers for Schedule II controlled substances, numerous prescriptions for a Schedule II controlled substance written by a single doctor, and prescriptions with semi-consecutive prescription numbers. HARRIS and her supervisees ignored these red flags and failed to take sufficient steps to resolve them before filling the prescriptions. Some of THE PHARMACY’s prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances, such as Oxycodone, were ultimately determined to be issued without a legitimate medical purpose.
As part of the settlement, HARRIS admitted and accepted responsibility for certain conduct alleged by the United States, including the following:
- HARRIS, as a pharmacist and owner of THE PHARMACY, had a duty to ensure that prescriptions filled at THE PHARMACY for controlled substances were for a legitimate medical purpose before dispensing. As part of this duty, HARRIS was required to look for “red flags” indicating that the controlled substances prescribed were at risk for abuse or diversion and/or not for a legitimate medical purpose. Such red flags include but are not limited to: prescriptions for high dosage strengths and/or for large quantities of controlled substances; cash payments for controlled substances; sequential prescription numbers; and multiple prescriptions for controlled substances to a single individual within a short period of time.
- During the Covered Period, HARRIS and/or employees of THE PHARMACY under her supervision filled prescriptions paid for in cash at THE PHARMACY for Schedule II controlled substances, such as Oxycodone, that were ultimately determined to be issued without a legitimate medical purpose and contained numerous red flags.
- For example, HARRIS, and/or employees of THE PHARMACY under her supervision, filled prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances that contained the following indicia of invalidity: over a four-month period, 114 of the 115 prescriptions written by a single doctor were for 120 tablets of Oxycodone 30mg. During this period, no one from THE PHARMACY called this doctor to confirm the validity of these prescriptions.
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Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Frauds Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob M. Bergman is in charge of the case.
u.s._v._harris_settlement_stipulation.pdf u.s._v._harris_complaint.pdfGirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Sentenced to 27 Years for Sex Trafficking Hundreds of WomenRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Michael Pratt, the mastermind of the sprawling GirlsDoPorn sex trafficking empire, was sentenced in federal court today to 27 years in prison for orchestrating a scheme that deceived and exploited hundreds of women and left a trail of broken lives.
Pratt, the owner and operator of GirlsDoPorn.com and GirlsDoToys.com, built a multimillion-dollar criminal empire by luring young women into pornography through lies, coercion, and manipulation, and then broadcasting their abuse to millions online.
At today’s hearing, 40 women urged the court to hand down the maximum sentence, some tearfully describing their ordeals in San Diego hotel rooms where they were exploited, coerced, raped, abused and trapped. Some talked about the aftermath of trauma that included many years of suicide attempts; diagnoses of depression, anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; lost jobs and relationships; stalkers and threats and harassment; and the heavy burden of shame and fear they still carry. Some told of having cosmetic surgery to alter their appearance; several testified that they changed their names; others spoke of substance abuse and alcoholism; one said she had a glass of wine for breakfast just to make it to court today. Most of the victims were 18-21 years old when they were exploited.
Pratt and his co-conspirators posted misleading modeling ads, preyed on vulnerable women, and promised their sex videos would never be seen online. In reality, Pratt’s employees posted the videos onto his websites – which featured young women appearing in their first pornographic videos - and even promoted them on free pornography platforms like PornHub to drive traffic. Victims were coerced into finishing shoots under threats of lawsuits, cancelled flights, and exposure. Some were effectively trapped in hotel rooms by camera equipment blocking the exits.
“Pratt has caused me to fear my own name,” one woman said.
“The life I was meant to have, died in that hotel room,” another told the court.
“Profit over people. Cruelty over humanity,” another said.
Many spoke directly to Pratt:
“I am not your victim. I’m your reckoning…I am the girl who took you down,” said a victim who was a 21-year-old law student at the time. “Look around! We are an army of survivors sharing our truth and we have won.”
Another woman, who was a 19-year-old dance teacher to children but was fired, told Pratt: “You are evil. You are a predator. You are a rapist. This is who you are. Your ego was too big to believe you’d ever get caught but karma comes around. It is your turn now to suffer.”
A woman who was a 21-year-old college student studying to become a teacher said: “This crime dismantled my identity. I lost my voice and sense of safety…The shame and despair were unbearable.”
Another woman who was a college-bound high school senior but dropped out because of her ordeal said: “This was a theft of my identity, my safety, my dreams and my peace.”
After hearing about five hours of testimony from the women, U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino told the defendant that his position as the leader, organizer and mastermind of the massive trafficking organization compelled her to add time to the sentence. “I’ve been doing this a very long time and I’ve never had a case like this before, of this magnitude…The sheer scope and magnitude of this offense causes this court to vary upward.”
Throughout the conspiracy, GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys received millions of views. To promote the websites, video content from both sites was posted on free porn sites such as Pornhub.com, one of the world’s most visited websites. The videos from GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys posted on PornHub were often viewed millions of times according to PornHub’s own view counters. The websites charged visitors a subscription fee to access content, and generated millions of dollars in revenue for Pratt.
To recruit young women to appear in videos for the websites, Pratt and some of his employees (at Pratt’s direction) often told the prospective models that their sex videos would never be posted on-line, that the videos would never be released in the United States, and that no one who knew the women would ever find out about their video, representations that Pratt and other members of the conspiracy knew were false. Women from various places throughout the United States and Canada were recruited to appear in videos based on these material misrepresentations.
Even after Pratt learned that victims’ names and personal details were being doxxed on pornwikileaks.com, he pressed forward with his scheme, reaping millions in profit while ignoring desperate pleas from women begging him to take their videos down.
“Pratt was a calculating and cruel predator,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “He lured young victims, caused others to abuse them on video, and then taunted them for years as they sought to reclaim their names. Afterwards these victims suffered each day the cruelty of the internet and social media. As one victim said today during sentencing, ‘Pratt caused me to fear my own name.’ We as a society failed these women. They were forced to walk alone. But today as they confronted Pratt, they personified courage and grace. They showed everyone what should have been apparent when they first were victimized - they don’t need society’s forgiveness, we need theirs.”
“Pratt admittedly engaged in a conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, making millions off a deliberate and reprehensible scheme, showing no regard for the suffering he caused,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Dargis of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office. “At his direction, Pratt and his co-conspirators manipulated women into participating in pornographic videos and then bullied, lied, or threatened them when they tried to leave. He then cowardly fled the country in an attempt to avoid prosecution, but the FBI and our domestic and foreign law enforcement partners were determined to hold Pratt accountable for the harm he inflicted on his victims’ lives. Today’s sentence reflects that investigative persistence, ensuring justice was rightfully served.”
The GirlsDoPorn investigation and prosecution spanned years, involving FBI agents, FBI analysts, the U.S. Marshal Service, victim advocates, and prosecutors who worked tirelessly to secure justice for the victims. Multiple co-conspirators have been convicted in connection with the scheme, but Pratt’s sentencing marks the most significant step in dismantling the criminal network he created.
Pratt was charged in October 2019 in the Southern District of California with sex trafficking crimes in connection with the scheme to deceive and coerce young women to appear in pornographic videos. Pratt liquidated his assets and fled the United States in mid-2019. He was named to the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list and lived as an international fugitive for more than three years until his arrest in Spain in December 2022 and extradition to San Diego in March 2024.
Pratt pleaded guilty on June 5, 2025, to Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion; and Committing Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion. Prosecutors argued for the longest sentence given the serious nature of the offenses, Pratt’s leadership role, and the length of the conspiracy.
For more information on Pratts’ plea, please see https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/girlsdoporn-owner-michael-pratt-pleads-guilty-sex-trafficking.
Pratt has received the longest sentence so far of all the conspirators. Ruben Andre Garcia was sentenced to 20 years in prison on June 14, 2021. Theodore Gyi was sentenced to four years in prison on November 9, 2022. Matthew Wolfe was sentenced to 14 years in prison on March 20, 2024. Valorie Moser, the office manager, is set for sentencing on September 12, 2025.
One of the women said: “Today is the day we all get to reclaim our lives. As I stand here, I feel something I haven’t felt in years: Empowerment. After today I choose healing. I choose to reclaim the dreams I once had.”
Another testified: “For years I carried shame that never belonged to me…Today I will walk out of this courtroom an empowered woman. You will walk out in shackles.”
DEFENDANTS Case Number 19cr4488-JLS
Michael Pratt Age: 42 Sentenced to 27 years on September 8, 2025
Matthew Wolfe Age: 43 Sentenced to 14 years on March 20, 2024
Ruben Andre Garcia Age: 36 Sentenced to 20 years on June 4, 2021
Theodore Gyi Age: 47 Sentenced to 4 years on November 9, 2022
Valorie Moser Age: 43 To be sentenced on September 12, 2025
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Sex Trafficking Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1594
Maximum penalty: Life in prison and $250,000 fine
Sex Trafficking – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1591
Mandatory Minimum: Fifteen years in prison
Maximum penalty: Life in prison and $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
FBI – Southern District of California and Legal Attaché in Spain
San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force
U.S. Marshals Service
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs
Spanish National Police
Spain’s Ministry of Justice
Spain’s Ministry of Interior
Former U.S. Postal Service Letter Carrier Sentenced to 5½ Years in Federal Prison for Stealing More Than $10 Million Worth of Checks from the MailRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former United States Postal Service letter carrier from Orange County was sentenced today to 66 months in federal prison for stealing from the mail more than $10 million in Treasury and other checks over a four-year span.
Rashad Deon Stolden, 34, of Huntington Beach, was sentenced by United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner, who also ordered him to pay $1,627,291 in restitution.
Stolden pleaded guilty on April 14 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Stolden worked at the Bicentennial Post Office, located in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles.
According to his plea agreement and court documents previously filed in this case, from 2020 through August 2024, Stolden stole mail containing large value checks, as well as debit cards from the California Employment Development Department (EDD), which manages the state’s unemployment insurance program.
Stolden worked alongside another letter carrier and friends, Charlie Green, 37, of the Wellington Heights area of East Los Angeles, who is scheduled for sentencing on September 14. Stolden and Green sold the checks they stole to co-conspirators who then used counterfeit identity documents to negotiate them. Stolden and his co-conspirators purchased the identifying information of victims so that they could activate their stolen EDD cards.
In June 2022, Stolden stole a $7.3 million Treasury check. He then sold the check to a co-conspirator, who negotiated it at a bank in Tennessee, writing him, “I need you man,” “I’m trying to retire,” according to court documents. The co-conspirator was able to withdraw more than $1 million from the deposit of this check.
Some of Stolden’s co-conspirators have been prosecuted in separate court proceedings. Both Stolden and Green remain free on $50,000 bond.
“Nowhere in [Stolden’s] voluminous communications throughout this conspiracy did he express any empathy for his victims even as he stole their EDD cards containing their disability and unemployment benefits,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “[Stolden] seemed to think only of his own profits, trying to decide whether he should use his thefts to pay for a $13,000 hotel stay in Bora Bora, or if he should upgrade to a $20,000 stay in the Presidential Villa at the Conrad.”
The United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General; the United States Postal Inspection Service; the U.S. Department of Treasury for Tax Administration; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and the Coast Guard Investigative Services investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Brown of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case.
Former Executives Sentenced in $1.9 Million Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Michael Vergato, 52, has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison and fined $20,000 for his role in a scheme that defrauded a Colorado-based data management company of nearly $2 million. His co-defendant, Mark Perlstein, 60, received a 25-month prison sentence and a $15,000 fine.
Perlstein pleaded guilty to wire fraud in June 2025, while Vergato was convicted on six counts of wire fraud following a six-day trial in May 2025. The court ordered restitution of $1,949,023, for which both men are jointly liable. After their prison terms, Vergato and Perlstein will each serve three years of supervised release.
According to Perlstein’s plea agreement, and evidence presented at the trial of Vergato, from 2013 to 2020, Vergato served as a vice president at Arrow Electronics, where he oversaw performance tuning of the company’s Oracle EBS databases, including work performed by Perlstein’s company. Vergato and Perlstein devised a scheme to bill the data management company for performance tuning services purportedly to be completed by a shell company created by Vergato, Oracle Performance Tuning and Optimization, LLC (“OPTO”). Posing as a legitimate contractor, OPTO submitted 21 fraudulent contracts and invoices to the data management company for database performance tuning services that were never performed. Perlstein, in his position as CEO, approved the invoices and wired payments to OPTO.
The scheme funneled nearly $2 million in company funds into OPTO. Perlstein and Vergato divided the proceeds, concealing their involvement by using personal email accounts, other corporate entities, and fake identities. To conceal his role, Vergato used his stepdaughter’s identity to conduct business on behalf of OPTO. At trial, the data management company’s current CEO testified that the company could not substantiate any work performed by OPTO or identify any actual employees or contractors related to that entity. Tax records confirmed OPTO paid no salaries and issued no contractor forms.
In total, the data management company paid OPTO $1,949,023. Of that amount, Vergato retained approximately $874,000, using the funds for luxury vehicles, credit card payments, retirement accounts, and rent. Perlstein personally received more than $1 million through the scheme.
“These defendants’ greed has earned each of them years in federal prison, and they have to pay back every dollar they took,” said United States Attorney Peter McNeilly. “Corporate fraud of this magnitude undermines confidence in our business community and harms employees, customers, and shareholders alike. These sentences send a clear message: executives who abuse their authority for personal gain will be held accountable.”
"These two individuals plotted to defraud their companies of nearly $2 million, falsifying work that was never requested nor performed," said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek. “They lined their own pockets until their fraudulent scheme was uncovered, and now they will pay the consequences."
United States District Judge Nina Y. Wang presided over the sentencing. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Cassidy, Bradley Giles, and Bob Brown.
Case Number: 1:23-cr-00302-NYW
Former Dubois County Nonprofit Director Sentenced for Embezzling over $161,000 from Youth Mentorship ProgramRead the Press Release
EVANSVILLE- Ellen L. Corn, 50, of Petersburg, Indiana, has been sentenced to one year and nine months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to five counts of wire fraud. Corn has also been ordered to pay $121,439.72 in restitution.
According to court documents, from March 2017 to August 2022, Ellen Corn served as the Executive Director for a Dubois County nonprofit that facilitates a youth mentoring program and provides college scholarships for local high school students. During her employment, Corn had various financial responsibilities including entering all income and expenses into the organization’s accounting software and had access to the organization’s credit card.
Over that five-year period, Corn stole a total of $161,344.85 via several methods, including by using the organization’s credit card to pay for personal expenses at various businesses and restaurants, such as Amazon, Target, and Walmart, and to make tuition payments to colleges for her children. She made approximately 1,226 unauthorized transactions with the credit card. Corn also stole funds by making unauthorized transfers from the organization’s PayPal account to her personal PayPal account. Additionally, Corn made unauthorized purchases directly from the nonprofit’s checking account via debit card and check.
Corn ensured that the organization’s accounts had enough funds to pay for her illegitimate expenses by reducing funding for certain departments and programs. In 2022, she also failed to notify a first-generation college student that the student had been selected to receive a scholarship.
To conceal her fraud, Corn deliberately omitted the unauthorized transactions from the nonprofit’s accounting records, which she regularly presented to the Board of Directors and the organization’s tax preparer.
“Ellen Corn abused her position of trust and stole from an organization dedicated to serving and mentoring local youth. Her crimes not only harmed the program and its ability to serve young people but also betrayed the trust of the public who support and rely on its mission,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “This sentence holds her accountable and demonstrates our commitment to protecting community nonprofits from fraud and financial exploitation.”
“The sentencing in this case holds Ellen Corn accountable for violating the trust she held as the executive director of an organization focused on mentoring youth. It also reinforces the U.S. Secret Service’s commitment to pursuing officials who shamefully break the public’s trust by illegally enriching themselves through fraud and deception,” said Ike Barnes, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Indianapolis Field Office. “Thanks to the Jasper Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Indiana for pursuing this case.”
“This case is a testament to the dedication and diligence of Detective Sergeant Greg Brescher, whose thorough investigation uncovered a serious breach of public trust. Thank you to those that came forward to provide the initial information as it your courage to contact us played a vital role in bringing this case to light. We are proud of the strong collaboration between the Jasper Police Department and the U.S. Department of Justice, which ensured that justice was served. Our agency remains steadfast in its commitment to holding individuals accountable, no matter their position, and to protecting the integrity of programs that serve our community’s youth.”
The U.S. Secret Service and Jasper Police Department investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Richard L. Young
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant United States Attorney Matthew B. Miller, who prosecuted this case.
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Florida Man Sentenced for Defrauding Missouri Company, Others out of More Than $250,000Read the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Monday sentenced a man who defrauded three companies out of $257,000 to 15 months in prison and ordered him to repay his victims.
Nadeem Gul, 54, pleaded guilty in March to two counts of wire fraud. He admitted claiming to represent wholesale distributors of merchandise including grocery items and electronics. The companies used the names Mega Liquidations Group, Mega Liquidations Warehouse and Mega Liquidations Corp.
In late 2021, an employee of a Maryland Heights company began communicating by email with someone claiming to be an “executive senior partner” at Mega Liquidations Group. The victim submitted nine purchase orders and wired a total of $112,000 but never received any merchandise.
A Phoenix, Arizona company responded to a solicitation email from Mega Liquidations Group by submitting two purchase orders and wiring $30,376 in November of 2021. They never received any merchandise from Mega Liquidations Group.
In June of 2021, a Ft. Worth, Texas company received a solicitation email from Mega Liquidations Warehouse, submitted five purchase orders and wired a total of $115,000. They also never received any product.
The U.S. Secret Service and the Maryland Heights Police Department investigated the case.
Five Members of Violent Crew Sentenced for 2020 Homicide and Shootings That Occurred in 2020 and 2021Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Five members of the Avenue Crew a.k.a. the 1080 Clickas a.k.a. Simple City of Washington, D.C., were sentenced for their roles in the April 2020 murder of 21-year-old Brea Moon and shootings that took place in May 2020 and June 2021, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
DaJuan Jones, 24, pleaded guilty on April 11, 2025, to one count of second-degree murder while armed for his role in the April 2020 murder of Brea Moon and one count of assault with intent to kill while armed for his role in the May 2020 shooting in the 5000 block of H Street Southeast. On September 3, 2025, Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman sentenced Jones to 23 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.
Charles Hill, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder while armed for his role in the April 2020 murder of Brea Moon and one count of assault with intent to kill while armed for his role in the June 2021 shooting in the 3200 block of 34th Street Northwest. On September 3, 2025, Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman sentenced Hill to 23 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.
Dominique Franks, 24, Melvin Morris, 27, and Nkobia Edwards, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of assault with intent to kill while armed for their roles in the June 2021 shooting on the 3200 block of 34th Street Northwest. On August 22, 2025, Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman sentenced Franks to 13 years in prison, Morris to 12 years in prison, and Edwards to 11 years in prison, each of which will be followed by five years of supervised release.
With respect to the April 2020 homicide, according to the government’s evidence, Jones was driving, and Hill was riding in a stolen white vehicle that pulled into the BP gas station located at 4101 Alabama Avenue SE shortly before 10:30 p.m. on April 7, 2020. Minutes later, a gray sedan pulled into that same gas station with the victim, Brea Moon, in the front passenger seat. When the gray sedan left the gas station, the white vehicle intentionally followed closely behind. Shortly thereafter, the white vehicle pulled up beside the gray sedan and multiple gunshots were fired by the occupants of the white vehicle at the gray sedan, including one that struck the victim in the head and killed her.
With respect to the May 2020 shooting, according to the government’s evidence, Jones rode in a silver car toward the 5000 block of H Street Southeast shortly before 4:00 p.m. on May 2, 2020. After the car stopped nearby, Jones exited the vehicle and fired multiple gunshots in the direction of numerous individuals who were in the front yard of 5023 H Street SE. Two individuals were hit by Jones’ gunshots, suffering gunshot wounds to their leg and arm, respectively. When Jones was done shooting, he got back into the silver car and the car drove off.
With respect to the June 2021 shooting, according to the government’s evidence, on June 17, 2021, at approximately 1:35 p.m. Hill, Franks, Edwards, and Morris were inside a stolen silver Dodge Charger that stopped on the 3200 block of 34th Street Northwest, immediately adjacent to John Eaton Elementary School, which was undergoing renovation. After the car came to a stop, the defendants got out of the car, brandished their firearms, and fired multiple gunshots at an individual, who was standing just 50 to100 feet from the defendants. As a result, the individual suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gauri Gopal, Julia Cosans, Sarah Folse, Yasmin Emrani, and Daniel Bromwich, who investigated and prosecuted the case, along with former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory Kimak and Alec Levy.
Federal Indictment Charges Man with Illegally Possessing Loaded Machine Gun in Chicago ParkRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been indicted on a federal firearm charge for allegedly illegally possessing a loaded machine gun in a Chicago park.
EDDIE ARGUELLES possessed the firearm on May 14, 2025, in Riis Park in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood of Chicago, according to an indictment returned Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago and a criminal complaint previously filed in the case. The Glock handgun was equipped with a conversion device, also known as a “Glock switch” or “auto sear,” allowing the gun to fire multiple rounds with a single pull of the trigger. Chicago Police officers responded to the scene after receiving calls of a person with a gun firing a shot in the park, the charges allege. When officers approached Arguelles, he tried to drive away on a moped but lost control and fell to the ground on a football field in the park, the charges allege. The officers took Arguelles into custody and discovered the firearm in his possession, the charges allege. He remains detained without bond.
The indictment charges Arguelles, 20, of Chicago, with one count of possession of a machine gun, which is punishable by a maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison. Arraignment is set for Sept. 17, 2025, at 11:30 a.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will seek Arguelles’s continued pre-trial detention.
The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wesley Morrissette.
The investigation is being conducted in coordination with ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center of Chicago. The CGIC is a centralized law enforcement hub that focuses exclusively on investigating and preventing gun violence in Chicago and throughout northern Illinois. The CGIC is an interagency collaboration that brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and intelligence analysts to move quickly to investigate and prosecute violent crimes.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
arguelles_indictment.pdf arguelles_complaint.pdfFederal Charges Filed in Assault CaseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Two men have been indicted on federal charges for an assault that left one victim seriously injured.
According to court documents, on January 10, 2025, Myron Scott, 34, of Navajo, New Mexico, and Eric Scott, 34, of Fort Defiance, Arizona, both enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, assaulted John and Jane Doe with a baseball bat and a large stick, resulting in serious bodily injury to John Doe.
Myron and Eric are both charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury for the attack on John Doe. Myron faces an additional count of assault with a dangerous weapon for the attack on Jane Doe. Myron and Eric will remain on conditions of release pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Myron and Eric both face up to 10 years in prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meg Tomlinson is prosecuting the case.
View the Indictment (Scott)_0.pdfAn indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Fairfax man pleads guilty to threatening to kill Veterans Affairs and U.S. Postal Service employeesRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Fairfax man pled guilty today to making threatening communications over interstate commerce and threatening to kill a federal official.
According to court documents, on April 29, Kenneth R. Woodard, 57, called the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) crisis line and demanded to be connected to a VA hospital and, specifically, a VA police officer that he interacted with earlier in the day. During the call, Woodard stated he was on his way to the VA hospital with an armor-piercing firearm to kill the officer.
On May 13, Woodard made three calls the United State Postal Service (USPS) Customer Care Center, speaking with a different USPS employee each time regarding a package he was waiting to receive. Woodard threatened to kill one of the employees with whom he spoke. He stated the next time he saw a mailman he was going to “kill him,” and that if the package was not delivered that day, he would travel to the post office with a firearm. Woodard claimed that he was a U.S. Marine sniper and that if he had to go to the post office, he would bring a gun.
During a phone call later that day with Postal Inspectors from the United States Postal Inspection Service, Woodard stated he would sit outside a local post office and put a bullet in someone’s head if he did not receive his package. Woodard claimed to possess three firearms and told the Postal Inspectors that if they came to his house they should come with firepower.
On May 28, during a phone call with the VA crisis line, Woodard told a VA Crisis Specialist that he was going to find and rape the specialist’s husband and children.
Woodard is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 26 and faces up to 10 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Cheryl L. Mason, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Mercer is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-204.
Federal Charges Filed in Wire Fraud and Money Laundering ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Salvatore John Carpanzano, 66, and Heather Gayle Fisher, 54, both of Pensacola, Florida, have been indicted in federal court on charges related to a multi-year scheme to defraud victims out of millions of dollars. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charges.
Carpanzano and Fisher appeared in federal court for their initial appearances on September 3, 2025, before United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho in Pensacola, Florida. Trial is scheduled for October 20, 2025, at 8:30 am before Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II. in Pensacola, Florida.
The Indictment charges Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and two counts of Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.
If convicted, Carpanzano and Fisher each face up to fifty years’ imprisonment on the conspiracy charges.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey Tharp.
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.
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.
Eight MS-13 Gang Members Plead Guilty to Multi-Year Racketeering Conspiracy Involving Murders and Witness TamperingRead the Press Release
Eight members of the violent transnational criminal organization Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, pleaded guilty today to charges stemming from a multi-year racketeering conspiracy that included multiple murders and acts of witness tampering. The defendants—identified as Walter Antonio Chicas-Garcia, 28, aka “Mejia,” Wilson Jose Ventura-Mejia, 29, aka “Discreto,” Miguel Angel Aguilar-Ochoa, 40, aka “Darki,” and Marlon Miranda-Moran, 26, aka “Chinki,”—are all citizens of El Salvador and were unlawfully residing in Houston, Texas at the time of the offenses.
According to their plea agreements, Chicas-Garcia, Ventura-Mejia, and Aguilar-Ochoa will each be sentenced to 50 years of imprisonment while Miranda-Moran will be sentenced to 35 years of imprisonment.
“These defendants carried out brutal murders in the name of MS-13, killing victims with machetes, baseball bats, and their bare hands, and then sending photos of the victims’ bodies to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendants committed these unthinkable acts to maintain their status in a gang that spread fear in local neighborhoods and targeted those brave enough to cooperate with law enforcement. Today’s guilty pleas send a powerful message that the Justice Department will aggressively pursue and hold accountable MS-13 members who use violence and murder to terrorize our communities.”
On August 11, four additional MS-13 members—Defendants Luis Ernesto Carbajal-Peraza, 33, aka “Destino,” Edgardo Martinez-Rodriguez, 35, aka “Largo,” Carlos Alexi Garcia-Gongora, 27, aka “Garcia,” and Wilman Rivas-Guido, 29, aka “Inquieto” —also pleaded guilty to the same racketeering conspiracy. All four are citizens of El Salvador and were residing in the Houston area. The parties stipulated to a sentencing range of 40 to 45 years of imprisonment for Carbajal-Peraza, and 45 to 50 years for Martinez-Rodriguez, Garcia-Gongora, and Rivas-Guido.
According to court documents and statements made in court, MS-13 is a violent international street gang involved in a variety of violent criminal activities across the United States, including Texas, Virginia, Maryland, New York, and California. MS-13 also has a large international presence in El Salvador and Honduras. To protect MS-13’s power, reputation, and territory, members and associates must use intimidation and violence, including murder and assault with deadly weapons, such as machetes.
As part of their plea agreement, the defendants admitted to being members of MS-13 and participating in a criminal enterprise responsible for multiple murders, extortion, drug trafficking, robbery, and obstruction of justice in and around the Houston, Texas area from 2017 through 2018. High-ranking MS-13 leaders based in El Salvador ordered and approved of the murders, sometimes listening by phone as MS-13 members carried out the murders. MS-13 members participated in the murders to increase or maintain their own position within MS-13’s ranks. MS-13 targeted the murder victims because they were believed to be members of rival gangs, cooperating with law enforcement, or working against MS-13’s interests. MS-13 members committed the murders using machetes, a baseball bat, and strangling. After the murder, MS-13 members sent photos of the victims’ bodies to high-ranking MS-13 members in El Salvador, sometimes further mutilating or dismembering the victim’s body before sending the photos.
According to their plea agreements, Chicas-Garcia, Ventura-Mejia, and Aguilar-Ochoa will each be sentenced to 50 years in federal prison while Miranda-Moran will receive a 35-year-term of imprisonment. Martinez-Rodriguez, Garcia-Gongora, and Rivas-Guido have agreed to a term from 45-50 years, while Carbajal-Peraza is expected to receive 40-45 years of imprisonment.
Sentencing hearings for all eight defendants are scheduled to take place later this year. A federal district court judge will consider the sentencing stipulations and impose any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Galveston Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, the United States Marshal Service, and the Texas Office of the Attorney General led or contributed to the lengthy and complex investigation of this case.
Trial Attorney César S. Rivera-Giraud from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Keri Fuller, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Britni Verdeja for the Southern District of Texas are 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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s OCDETF and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Edmond Man Pleads Guilty after Filing Fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program Loan ApplicationRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – RUSSELL KIM, 63, of Edmond, has pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a financial institution and money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to public records, in 2020, Kim was the owner of R&D 2 Investment Group (R&D) in Oklahoma City. On April 3, 2020, Kim submitted an application for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, administered by the Small Business Administration, to support the ongoing operations of a restaurant operated by R&D. The PPP was a COVID-19 pandemic relief program that provided forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses. Court documents show R&D’s restaurant had in fact closed in March 2020, and that Kim submitted payroll information for employees who no longer worked for R&D. As a result of Kim’s false statement, the bank approved a PPP loan in the amount of $174,000. On August 12, 2025, Kim was charged by Information with making a false statement to a financial institution and money laundering.
On September 4, 2025, Kim pleaded guilty to the Information, and admitted he knowingly made a false statement to a bank in order to influence the bank to approve a PPP loan, and that he knowingly engaged in a monetary transaction of a value greater than $10,000 with funds derived from the unlawful activity of making a false statement on a PPP loan application.
At sentencing, Kim faces up to 40 years in federal prison, and fines of up to $1,250,000.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the United States Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle London is prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Ecuadorian National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that STANLIN DANIEL VASQUEZ-SALINAS, also known as “Stalin Vasquez-Salinas” and “Stalin Vasquez,” 25, a citizen of Ecuador last residing in Danbury, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to unlawful reentry of a removed alien.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 11, 2025, Danbury Police arrested Vasquez-Salinas and charged him with conspiracy to commit commercial sexual abuse of a minor between the ages of 15 and 17 years old. Vasquez-Salinas identified himself as “Stalin D. Vasquez” at the time of his arrest. Analysis of Vasquez-Salinas’ fingerprints confirmed his true identity, and the investigation revealed that Vasquez-Salinas had illegally entered the U.S. in December 2019 and was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol in Texas. He was removed to Ecuador in May 2020.
On March 14, 2025, Vasquez-Salinas was released from state custody on bond. That same day, after a brief vehicle chase and subsequent foot pursuit, he was taken into ICE custody and has been detained since his arrest.
At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Vasquez-Salinas faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years. His state charges are pending.
This matter has been investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj. N. Patel.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of Danbury for its cooperation in investigating and prosecuting this 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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Dulce Man Charged in Federal Court for AssaultRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A federal grand jury has indicted a Dulce man on a charge of assault resulting in substantial bodily injury to an intimate or dating partner.
According to court documents, on July 23, 2025, Shelton Atole, 35, an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, assaulted the victim and the assault resulted in substantial bodily injury.
Atole will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Atole faces up to 5 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Jicarilla Apache Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meg Tomlinson is prosecuting the case.
View the Indictment (Atole).pdfAn indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.