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8 September 2025
District Man Pleads Guilty to Murders Committed in April and May 2020Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Michael Mason, 21, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty on September 5, 2025, to two charges of second-degree murder for the shooting death of 21-year-old Brea Moon in April 2020 in Southeast Washington and the shooting death of 18-year-old Antwuan Roach in May 2020 in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
His guilty plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval at sentencing, calls for a range of 27-31 years in prison, to be followed by supervised release. Superior Court Judge Jason Park accepted the factual basis for the plea and scheduled sentencing for October 31, 2025.
With respect to the April 2020 homicide, according to the government’s evidence, defendant Mason 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 defendant Mason fired multiple gunshots at the gray sedan, including one that struck the victim and killed her.
With respect to the May 2020 homicide, according to the government’s evidence, defendant Mason learned of Mr. Roach’s location and tracked him to the unit block of Anacostia Road NE shortly before 5:00 p.m. Mr. Roach was walking alone and was unarmed. After locating Mr. Roach, the defendant’s vehicle pulled into an alley behind the 3800 block of East Capitol Street Northeast. As Mr. Roach stepped into the alley, the defendant fired at Mr. Roach killing him.
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.
District Man Arrested in Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Richard J. Pavel III, 34, of the District of Columbia, was arrested and charged last week with distribution and receipt of child pornography in the context of actively discussing the sexual abuse of young boys, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Following his initial court hearing on September 4, Pavel was ordered to be held until his September 9 detention hearing.
On Sept. 4, 2025, law enforcement executed warrants at Pavel’s residence in Northwest Washington, D.C., seized multiple electronic devices, and arrested Pavel.
Pavel communicated with another individual regarding his sexual interest in children. During the course of that conversation, he traded multiple images of child pornography.
The case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and Metropolitan Police Department’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.
The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Bohlen.
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Convicted Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Gun, Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Terrance Demetrius Bass, 34, of Columbia, has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for being a felon possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that on Dec. 16, 2022, Columbia Police Department officers approached Bass in a vehicle after concerned citizens reported that individuals were selling drugs out of the vehicle. Officers smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle and conducted a probable cause search. Officers found a bag containing 295 pills which contained methamphetamine, and 91 grams of marijuana packaged for distribution. Officers also found a firearm in the glove compartment and a scale in the center console. Bass admitted the firearm and marijuana belonged to him.
Bass has prior convictions for conspiracy to commit burglary and armed robbery, assault and battery and domestic violence, all of which prevent him from possessing a firearm under federal law.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Bass to 80 months imprisonment, to be followed by a four-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
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 investigated by the City of Columbia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall is prosecuting the case.
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Child Sex Offender Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Child Sexual Abuse Material PossessionRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — John Edward Prigmore, 40, of Fort Lawn, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material.*
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that in May 2023, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) executed a search warrant on Prigmore’s residence after receiving a cyber-tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). According to the cyber-tip, accounts associated with Prigmore contained child sexual abuse material. Several electronic devices that belonged to Prigmore were searched pursuant to the warrant and found to contain child sexual abuse material.
Prigmore was previously convicted on state charges of criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Prigmore to 120 months' imprisonment, to be followed by a lifetime of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. He was also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Matthews is prosecuting the case.
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* The term “child pornography” is currently used in federal statutes and is defined as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a person less than 18 years old. While this phrase still appears in federal law, “child sexual abuse material” is preferred, as it better reflects the abuse that is depicted in the images and videos and the resulting trauma to the child. The Associated Press Stylebook also discourages the use of the phrase “child pornography.”
Chicago Man Sentenced for Role in Scheme to Transport Contraband into FCI McDowell with DroneRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Miguel Angel Aleman-Piceno, 23, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced today to three years of federal probation for conspiracy to commit the felony crime of attempting to introduce contraband into a federal prison.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 1, 2024, Aleman-Piceno traveled on foot with co-defendant Francisco Alejandro Gonzalez to the fence surrounding Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) McDowell. Aleman-Piceno and Gonzalez possessed a backpack and a duffle bag containing a drone and two camouflaged packages containing four cell phones, chargers, phone cards, marijuana, and tobacco. As part of his guilty plea, Aleman-Piceno admitted that they intended to fly the packages onto the grounds of FCI McDowell using the drone and were stopped by law enforcement as they prepared to launch the drone.
Aleman-Piceno further admitted to traveling to McDowell County, West Virginia, from Chicago with Gonzalez and co-defendant Arturo Joel Gallegos, believing that he would be paid $3,000 to deliver the packages into the prison by drone. Aleman-Piceno also admitted that he and his two co-defendants stayed an area motel where law enforcement seized marijuana, tobacco and materials used to make the camouflaged packages.
Gonzalez, 24, of Chicago, pleaded guilty on July 7, 2025, to conspiracy to commit the felony crime of attempting to introduce contraband into a federal prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3, 2025. Gallegos, 26, of Chicago, pleaded guilty August 26, 2025, to conspiracy to introduce or attempt to introduce contraband into a federal prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 8, 2025.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-126.
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Carteret County Man Arrested After Threatening to “Shoot up” Black Children at a PreschoolRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Federal agents, working with local deputies, arrested Zachary Charles Newell on Monday, September 1, 2025, for a criminal complaint charging him with making vile threats, including to “shoot up a black pre school,” in social media posts.
“The defendant’s alleged threats deeply disturb us as federal law enforcement agents and have no place in our society, certainly not in Eastern North Carolina. We will meet this evil with the full force of the federal law enforcement apparatus.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “We will not tolerate using the internet to spread fear or target communities, especially innocent children, with heinous threats of violence.”
“Every child in North Carolina deserves go to school without fear. Your FBI will work with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to investigate threats directed at schools. This federal charge should be a warning to anyone who believes they can sit behind a keyboard and make violent threats, anonymously. FBI Charlotte commends the Carteret County Sheriff's Office for taking immediate action to make an arrest. And we are grateful to our partners at the U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of North Carolina to levy federal charges as well,” said James C. Barnacle Jr., the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina.
According to court documents, on August 31, 2025, Google notified the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center of threatening comments posted by YouTube user “CommentatorsHateMe.” Investigators identified the account as belonging to Newell.
On August 26 and 27, 2025, Newell allegedly used the account to post threats directed at public YouTube channels discussing a wrestling match involving Raja Jackson. In one instance, Newell wrote, “I’m gonna shoot up a black pre school. 20 black babies will be shot.” The affidavit also alleges that Newell directed additional racist threats promoting violence against Black individuals.
If convicted, Newell faces up to five years in federal prison.
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The FBI is investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Blondel is prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.4:25-MJ-01076.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Canadian national sentenced to over 11 years in prison for facilitating cocaine shipments from South America to CanadaRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 35-year-old man who illegally resided in the Heights area in Houston has been ordered to federal prison for his role in a transnational drug trafficking organization, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Jack Kasjaniuk pleaded guilty May 27.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt has now ordered Kasjaniuk to serve 135 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that described Kasjaniuk’s role in operating a waypoint for hundreds of kilograms of cocaine coming from Mexico and South America and destined for Canada. Not a U.S. citizen, Kasjaniuk is expected to face removal proceedings following the sentence.
Kasjaniuk came to the United States for the express purpose of receiving the shipments of cocaine, repackaging them and sending them on to the drug trafficking organization in Canada. Kasjaniuk operated the cocaine distribution point in the Heights neighborhood of Houston for approximately two years.
The investigation revealed that in one three-month span alone, Kasjaniuk handled at least 620 kilograms of cocaine on behalf of the organization.
He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Alberta, Canada, Law Enforcement Response Team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Tallichet prosecuted the case.
California Man Sentenced for Role in Global Digital Asset Investment Scam Conspiracy Resulting in Theft of More than $36.9M from VictimsRead the Press Release
A California man was sentenced today to 51 months in federal prison for his role in laundering more than $36.9 million from victims in an international digital asset investment scam conspiracy that was carried out from scam centers in Cambodia. The court also ordered him to pay $26,867,242.44 in restitution to victims.
“The defendant was part of a group of co-conspirators that preyed on American investors by promising them high returns on supposed digital asset investments when, in fact, they stole nearly $37 million from U.S. victims using Cambodian scam centers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Foreign scam centers, purporting to offer investments in digital assets have, unfortunately, proliferated. The Criminal Division is committed to bringing to justice those that steal from American investors, wherever the fraudsters may be located.”
“This defendant will spend years in federal prison for participating in a conspiracy in which victims lost tens of millions of dollars, starting with the simple step of responding to unsolicited messages on their phones,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “The public should always remember to be vigilant and wary of strangers marketing promising investment opportunities. Your retirement fund or children’s college money may depend on it.”
Shengsheng He, 39, of La Puente, California, a former co-owner of the Bahamas-based Axis Digital Limited, pleaded guilty in the Central District of California to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business on April 10.
According to court documents, He was part of an international criminal network that induced U.S. victims to transfer funds to accounts controlled by co-conspirators who then laundered victim money through U.S. shell companies, international bank accounts, and digital asset wallets.
As part of the conspiracy, co-conspirators residing overseas would contact U.S. victims directly through unsolicited social media interactions, telephone calls, text messages, and online dating services to gain the victims’ trust. The co-conspirators then promoted fraudulent digital asset investments to the victims. Scammers would tell victims that their investments were appreciating in value when, in fact, the funds the victims sent to the scammers had been stolen. More than $36.9 million in victim funds were transferred from U.S. bank accounts controlled by the co-conspirators to a single account at Deltec Bank in the Bahamas, opened in the name of Axis Digital Limited. He and other co-conspirators directed Deltec Bank to convert victim funds to the stablecoin Tether (USDT) and to transfer the converted funds to a digital asset wallet controlled by individuals in Cambodia. From there, co-conspirators in Cambodia transferred the USDT to the leaders of scam centers throughout the region including in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.
Eight co-conspirators have pleaded guilty so far, including Daren Li, a national of China and St. Kitts and Nevis who has been in U.S. custody since April 2024, and Lu Zhang, a Chinese national illegally in the United States who managed a network of U.S.-based money launderers. Li and Zhang each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering on Nov.12, 2024, and May 13, 2024, respectively.
He co-founded Axis Digital with defendant Jose Somarriba. Chinese national Jingliang Su joined Axis Digital as a director and participated in the digital asset conversions and transfers of victim funds. Somarriba and Su each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business on April 14, and June 9, respectively.
USSS’s Global Investigative Operations Center is investigating the case. The Homeland Security Investigations’ El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force, Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Dominican National Police, and U.S. Marshals Service provided valuable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maxwell Coll and Alexander Gorin of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, Nisha Chandran of the Major Frauds Section, and Trial Attorney Stefanie Schwartz of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Tamara Livshiz of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted this case.
CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cybercriminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.
If you or someone you know is a victim of a digital asset investment fraud, report it to IC3.gov.
Crawfordville Woman Pleads Guilty to Drug and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Lisa Marie Ezell, 39, of Crawfordville, Florida, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
United States Attorney Heekin said, “Our law enforcement partners work hard every day to take dangerous drugs and guns off our streets, and this successful prosecution is another step in keeping our communities safe. My office is committed to aggressively pursuing criminals like this defendant with the full force of the law to fulfill the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America from the dangerous drug traffickers who have flooded our streets with deadly narcotics.”
Court documents reflect that in July 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Ezell’s residence after previously conducting several controlled purchases of large quantities of methamphetamine from her. During the search, officers recovered large quantities of methamphetamine, 18 firearms, and several thousand dollars believed to be the proceeds of her drug trafficking operations. Due to her prior criminal record, including for a previous serious drug felony, Ezell was prohibited from possessing firearms and now faces a minimum term of fifteen years’ imprisonment on the possession with intent to distribute count, and up to fifteen years’ imprisonment on the possession of firearm by convicted felon count. Additionally, Ezell is subject to a consecutive sentence of a minimum term of five years’ imprisonment on the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense count.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Harley W. Ferguson.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Broken Bow Resident Sentenced for Sexual Exploitation of A ChildRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Dylan Hansen Yazzie, age 29, of Broken Bow, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 180 months in prison for one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Child/Use of a Child to Produce a Visual Depiction.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Broken Bow Police Department.
On February 13, 2025, Yazzie pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, between July of 2023 and September of 2023, Yazzie coerced or induced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction to transmit in interstate or foreign commerce. The crime occurred in McCurtain County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
We encourage anyone who suspects or has information regarding child sexual exploitation, trafficking of minors, sextortion, child pornography, or any other means of child exploitation to immediately contact law enforcement. You can file a report through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-843-5678 or online at www.cybertipline.com, through the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or through Homeland Security Investigations at 1-877-4-HSI TIP.
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. Yazzie 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 Sarah McAmis represented the United States.
Baltimore Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Firearm and Ammunition by Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Allan Shaw, 36, of Baltimore, Maryland, pled guilty to a federal Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Prohibited Person charge.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD).
According to the guilty plea, on December 31, 2024, BPD officers conducted Citi-Watch camera surveillance on the 300 block of Monroe Street in Baltimore. As law enforcement surveilled the block, they saw Shaw offering controlled substances to individuals on the street. Officers also saw Shaw enter his red Dodge Ram truck multiple times, which was parked on the street.
Law enforcement specifically saw Shaw conduct a hand-to-hand drug transaction in which he removed an orange pill bottle from his coat, opened the bottle to retrieve one or more pills, dropped one or more pills in a customer’s hand, and then accepted money from the customer. Officers then arrested Shaw. When law enforcement searched Shaw, they found an orange prescription bottle consistent in appearance with the bottle seen on the Citi-Watch surveillance. The bottle contained 18 oxycodone pills.
Additionally, officers searched Shaw’s truck, finding cocaine base, a tan-and-black Polymer80 9mm semi-automatic handgun bearing no serial number, and approximately four rounds of 9mm ammunition. Due to a prior felony conviction, Shaw is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
At the time of his arrest, Shaw was on supervised release in connection with a separate federal conviction for Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Prohibited Person. As part of his plea agreement, Shaw also admitted to violating the terms of his supervised release when he committed another federal crime.
Shaw and the government agreed that if the Court accepts his plea agreement, he will be sentenced to five to eight years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson scheduled sentencing for Monday, January 5, 2026, at 10 a.m.
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.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the ATF and BPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Levin who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Baltimore Man Arrested in Traveling with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with Young GirlRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Andrew Juarez, 28, of Baltimore, was arrested last week and charged with travelling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a nine-year-old girl, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Juarez was arrested Sept. 5, 2025, at a bar in the District where he had gone to meet who he thought was the mother of the girl. He was taken into custody by members of FBI Washington Field Office and Metropolitan Police Department’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
Juarez was found to be in possession of two cell phones at the time of his arrest. During an interview with task force agents, Juarez indicated that there was child pornography on one of his phones.
The case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and Metropolitan Police Department’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from the region The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.
The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Burrell.
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April 2023 Murder at a Southeast Apartment Complex Results in Guilty PleaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Darrell Hinkle, 36, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed for the April 2023 shooting of Dajuan Blakney, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Hinkle’s guilty plea on September 4, 2025, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval at sentencing, calls for a sentence of between 17 and 21 years in prison, to be followed by supervised release. Superior Court Judge Jason Park accepted the factual basis for the plea and scheduled sentencing for January 16, 2026.
According to the proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, at 12:01 a.m. on April 21, 2023, Hinkle parked his vehicle in front of an apartment complex located at 1511 19th Street SE. Thereafter, the defendant approached the victim, who was seated on the steps leading to the entrance of the complex. When Hinkle was within a few feet of the victim, he shot him with an assault-style rifle, killing him. He then fled the scene in his vehicle.
Hinkle was arrested in October of 2023 and has been in custody since.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case was investigated by officers, detectives, and other personnel of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Carson.
Alamo man guilty of smuggling illegal aliensRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 62-year-old Alamo resident has admitted he illegally transported two Mexican citizens in a tractor-trailer, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Lazaro Rosendo Vega drove to the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint in a maroon tractor-trailer May 30. At primary inspection, authorities noticed him sitting unusually high in his seat and acting abnormally loud and excited. When asked what he was hauling, he claimed “avocados loaded about two hours ago.”
A subsequent x-ray scan revealed two illegal aliens hidden under blankets on the top bunk of the sleeper cab. Both were citizens of Mexico. Vega claimed he was unaware of the two men hiding just feet behind him.
As part of his plea, Vega acknowledged one of the illegal aliens had claimed to have entered the United States about a month earlier, was led to a warehouse and later placed in Vega’s tractor-trailer. He had paid $9,000 to be smuggled into Fort Worth and was hidden inside the cab with another man for extended periods before the truck continued north.
Vega had blocked the dash camera view before picking up the aliens.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos accepted the plea and set sentencing for Dec. 10, at which time Vega faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Vega was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Izaak Bruce and Patrick Overman 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 and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Adel Man Sentenced to 108 Months in Federal Prison for Transportation of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – An Adel man was sentenced on Friday, September 5, 2025, to 108 months in federal prison for transportation of child pornography.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTip that an account, later determined to be associated with Douglas Harsh, 55, received files containing child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement seized electronic devices during a search of Harsh’s Adel residence. The investigation showed that Harsh was a member of an online chat group whose members shared images and videos of child pornography including content of prepubescent children.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Harsh will be required to serve a seven-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Harsh was also ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation Internet Crimes Against Children, and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office.
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 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the resources tab.
6 September 2025
Undocumented Mexican National Sentenced for Drug and Immigration Crimes in the District of UtahRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Kevin Enrique Sanchez-Carrillo, 25, a native and citizen of Mexico, who had been living in Draper, Utah, was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment by Senior U.S. District court Judge Dale A. Kimball.
In addition to Sanchez-Carrillo’s term of imprisonment, upon his release, he will be remanded to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation proceedings. The court also ordered the forfeiture of $7,750 in U.S. currency; a Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun; and associated ammunition.
According to court documents and admissions made at Sanchez-Carrillo’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, an investigation into the defendant began in March 2025 when a confidential informant purchased methamphetamine from Sanchez-Carrillo. On April 3, 2025, law enforcement executed search warrants on Sanchez-Carrillo’s apartment and his vehicle. During the search of his apartment, law enforcement recovered, 1,249 grams of fentanyl, 571 grams of heroin, 11,099 grams of methamphetamine, and 15 grams of cocaine, along with a Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun, and $7,750 in United States currency. Sanchez-Carrillo admitted that he knowingly possessed and intended to distribute the narcotics for profit and that he knew he was restricted from possessing the firearm, which affected interstate commerce because he was in the United States illegally.
Additionally, court documents reveal that Sanchez-Carrillo admitted that he entered the United States on or after December 14, 2023, and eluded examination and inspection by immigration officers until his apprehension on April 3, 2025. Sanchez-Carrillo also admitted that after being in the United States illegally for 30 days or longer, he deliberately failed to apply for registration. Court documents reveal that Sanchez-Carrillo had not applied for registration at the time he was found by immigration officers in Salt Lake County, Utah, and remains unregistered.
“Pumping poison in the form of illegal narcotics into our communities will not be taken lightly, said Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah. “Sanchez-Carrillo’s sentence sends a clear message to the defendant and others willing to break federal laws, that if you choose to engage in drug trafficking, illegally possess a firearm in the United States or unlawfully enter the United States you will face serious criminal consequences.”
“Individuals like Sanchez-Carrillo seek to profit while our communities are left to bear the cost of addiction, violence, and death,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls of the Salt Lake City FBI. “The FBI will relentlessly pursue and investigate drug traffickers who threaten public safety.”
“The sentencing of Sanchez-Carrillo sends a clear message to anyone involved in bringing drugs into our community: you will be caught, prosecuted, and held accountable,” said Lester R. Hayes, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Las Vegas. “We’re proud of the hard work and strong teamwork of our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, who are committed to bringing criminals like Sanchez-Carrillo to justice.”
The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office and Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO).
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
Kennebec County Man Pleads Guilty to Accessing Child Pornography with Intent to ViewRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A China, Maine, man pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in Portland to one count of Access with Intent to View Child Pornography.
According to court records, in June 2024, the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit began investigating a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding Kik, a free instant messaging mobile app. According to the Cybertip, a Kik user, later identified as Jeffery Furlong, 53, uploaded multiple videos of child sexual abuse material. Based on further investigation, a search warrant was executed at Furlong’s residence in October 2024. During the execution of the search warrant, Furlong admitted that he had obtained multiple images and videos of child sexual abuse material on his cellular telephone via Kik. A search warrant on Furlong’s Kik account revealed child sexual abuse material and the defendant’s expressed sexual interest in children 6-to-12 years old.
Furlong faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit investigated the case.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, 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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5 September 2025
Wyandotte County District Court bookkeepers indicted in $900,000 wire fraud schemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, returned an indictment charging two former Wyandotte County District Court bookkeepers with stealing $900,000 from the Court.
According to court documents, Julia Roberts, 65, of Kansas City, Kansas, and Vicki Robinson, 63, of Bonner Springs were indicted on one count of wire fraud conspiracy as well as individual counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
As part of their duties, Roberts and Robinson were responsible for collecting and depositing funds into the Wyandotte County Clerk Office’s bank account.
Roberts and Robinson are accused of devising a scheme to steal incoming cash between January 2018 and February 2023. They allegedly concealed the ongoing thefts by using the clerk of court’s signature on fraudulent checks that they generated without authorization. According to court documents, the fraudulent checks appeared to be facially valid and were drawn on and deposited into the county clerk office’s bank account, creating a corresponding debit and credit—which eliminated fluctuation in the deposit amount on the bank statements but concealed the stolen cash in the Court’s accounting system.
Roberts and Robinson made their initial court appearances on September 3, 2025, and September 5, 2025, respectively, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Angel D. Mitchell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan J. Huschka and Michelle McFarlane are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Western District of Texas Nears 300 New Immigration Cases to Start SeptemberRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today that federal prosecutors in the district filed 294 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Aug. 29 through Sept. 4.
Among the new cases, four people were charged in El Paso for their roles in a scheme to smuggle children from Mexico into the United States, sometimes using candy laced with THC to sedate them during smuggling events. Mexican nationals Susana Guadian and Daniel Guadian; U.S. citizen Dianne Guadian; and Manuel Valenzuela, a lawful permanent resident residing in El Paso, were charged with conspiracy to transport aliens and bringing aliens to the United States for financial gain. According to the complaint, between on or about May 1 through Oct. 17, 2024, the defendants were part of an alien smuggling organization (ASO) that brought unaccompanied alien children between the ages of five and 13 illegally into the United States from Juarez, Mexico. The complaint alleges that Susana Guadian and Daniel Guadian recruited drivers to transport the children by car from Mexico to a port of entry at the U.S. border. The drivers and their co-conspirator would then present U.S. documents to inspecting officers falsely claiming the documents belonged to the children, and that they were the parents of the children. During at least one smuggling event, the alien children were given gummy candies containing marijuana to sedate them. One of the children was taken to a local hospital and later diagnosed with marijuana poisoning. Once inside the United States, the children were then transported to El Paso, where, according to the complaint, Dianne Guadian and Manuel Valenzuela would pick up the children and provide payment to the drivers. The drivers were paid $900 for each minor that they brought into the United States.
U.S. Border Patrol agents in Alpine arrested a Mexican national for being an illegal alien present in the United States. Ever Ortega-Uranga was previously removed for the second time in July 2021. Ortega-Uranga has multiple felony convictions, having been sentenced in Midland to two years confinement for cocaine possession in 2010, followed by three years for public order crimes in 2016. He was also sentenced in 2018 to 46 months confinement in Spring for illegal re-entry.
Otoniel Lopez-Tellez, a Mexican national, was taken into ICE custody in Williamson County, where he was serving a 40-day jail sentence for assault causing bodily injury to a family member. Lopez-Tellez has been removed from the U.S. twice, the last being in 2018, in addition to four voluntary returns.
Mexican national Juan Eduardo Villanueva-Mancilla was taken into ICE custody in Bastrop County, where he was serving a 180-day jail sentence for evading arrest with a vehicle. Villanueva-Mancilla has been removed from the U.S. twice, most recently in April 2023.
Angel Eduardo Moreno-De La Rosa was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Normandy on Aug. 27. The Mexican national was allegedly guiding two Pakistani illegal aliens to a pick-up location, where the two Pakistanis would then be transported to San Antonio. According to a criminal complaint, Moreno-De La Rosa claimed he would be paid $1,000 for his role, while the Pakistanis alleged that they paid around $30,000 each to be smuggled further into the U.S.
Mexican national Emanuel Ruiz-Alcantara was arrested near Maverick on Aug. 29 and charged with illegal re-entry after being previously removed to Mexico on Jan. 7. In August 2023, Ruiz-Alcantara was convicted for a smuggling of persons felony in Gonzalez, for which he was sentenced to two years in jail.
Cristian Jiovanni Chavez-Sanchez, also a Mexican national, was charged with illegal re-entry after he was arrested near Maverick on Aug. 26. Chavez-Sanchez has been twice deported, most recently in January through San Ysidro, California. In 2024, he was convicted of four misdemeanors in Utah, including a DUI, marijuana possession, and two weapon offenses.
Honduran national Brayan Alexander Villanueva was arrested near Val Verde on Aug. 30 and charged with illegal re-entry. Villanueva was just removed to Honduras through El Paso on June 28, after being convicted and sentenced in March to two years confinement for possession of a controlled substance. Villanueva was also convicted in 2022 for burglary of a vehicle in Georgetown.
Also in the Del Rio Sector, four Indian nationals—Vikash Vikash, Mehakpreet Singh, Aditya Sharma, and Harsh Singh—were each detained in separate incidents and charged with improper entry after they allegedly crossed the Rio Grande River into the U.S. near Eagle Pass between Aug. 28 and Aug. 30.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
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).
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Venezuelan Man Sentenced to 24 Months for Being in the United States Illegally After Having Been Previously Removed by Immigration OfficialsRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on August 29, 2025, Jorge Humberto Moreno Martinez, 34, of Venezuela, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 24 months’ imprisonment. Moreno previously pleaded guilty to being in the United States illegally after having been previously removed by Immigration Officials.
According to court records, Moreno was previously removed from the United States by immigration officials on November 15, 2016, after he completed a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence following his New York felony conviction for burglary in the second degree. At that time, Moreno was advised and acknowledged that due to his criminal history he was prohibited from entering or attempting to enter the United States. Despite that warning, Moreno re-entered the United States and his presence in the country thereafter was in violation of U.S. law.
Court records also state that when agents from the Department of Homeland Security attempted to arrest Moreno at a parking lot in Williston, Vermont, on January 27, 2025, Moreno fled in a vehicle, hitting three law enforcement vehicles before travelling at more than 100 miles per hour on a busy street before he was apprehended. As he drove, items were discarded from Moreno’s vehicle. Law enforcement recovered some of those items, which tested presumptively positive for cocaine base and cocaine. In his plea agreement, Moreno admitted to possessing the cocaine and cocaine base with the intent to distribute them.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Department of Homeland Security, including its Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI"), Enforcement and Removal Operations (“ERO”), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP”) divisions, with assistance from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”).
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew C. Gilman. Moreno was represented by Brooks G. McArthur, Esq.
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).
U.S. Marshals, Tactical K9 Arrest Two Suspects in Congressional Intern’s MurderRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jailen Lucas, 17, and Kelvin Thomas, Jr., 17, both of Washington, D.C., were arrested today by members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Marshals on charges of first-degree murder while armed, for the death of 21-year-old Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, an intern with the U.S. House of Representatives, on June 30, 2025, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“Eric Tarpinian, a senior at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst was interning in our nation’s capital, pursuing his passion for public service when he was fatally gunned down. . .an innocent bystander caught in a violent act not meant for him,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “He was shot four times and he leaves behind a grieving mother Tamara, father Robert, a brother Jeremy and sister Angela. This is why from day one I advocated for criminal jurisdiction over younger individuals with family court records. Eric’s murder could have been prevented if we had captured these two, who have a documented history of family court violence.”
The three armed suspects immediately exited an abruptly stopped stolen vehicle and began firing north on 7th Street NW at two young men who jumped from a bicycle. Investigators suspect that they were firing at these young men believing that they were from an opposition neighborhood. Congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, of Granby, Massachusetts, was shot and killed. He was not an intended target, according to investigators.
The arrest team located one suspect, a 17-year-old whose name is being withheld due to his status as a juvenile, in Northwest, and surrounded the residence. The suspect refused to exit the residence and a SOG tactical K-9 was announced. He was taken into custody without incident.
The second arrested suspect, also 17, was taken into custody in the 2600 block of 24th Street NE.
Joining the announcement was U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces S. Serralta Mayor Muriel Bowser, Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department, FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Phillip Bates.
The Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force began operations in June 2004 and was among the first regional fugitive task forces to become fully operational following the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. CARFTF has partnership agreements with over 100 federal, state, and local agencies and has eight fully operational offices.
CARFTF has apprehended over 102,700 fugitives since its inception and has made an extraordinary impact on the apprehension of the region’s most dangerous and violent fugitives, always striving to make their communities safer.
The Special Operations Group is a specially trained, rapidly deployable law enforcement element of the U.S. Marshals Service, capable of conducting complex and sensitive operations throughout the globe intended to further the rule of law. SOG leverages these enhanced capabilities in support of the Marshals Service mission and the Department of Justice to protect, defend, and enforce the federal judicial system.
A criminal charge is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 97 Border-Related Cases This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 97 border-related cases this week, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).
In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.
A sample of border-related arrests this week:
- On August 29, Ernesto Cota-Flores, Yaritza Borges Garcia and Idania Yolanda Castillo-Raymundo, all Mexican citizens, were arrested and charged with Attempted Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain. According to a complaint, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a vessel off Point Loma carrying 13 suspected undocumented immigrants, including three children. Cota-Flores is the alleged boat captain; Borges Garcia and Castillo-Raymundo were previously deported in June.
- On August 31, Luis Gustavo Sanchez Sanchez, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Sanchez attempted to cross into the United States at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry with 123 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in his vehicle.
- On September 1, Maria Rivas-Acosta, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Attempted Entry After Deportation. According to a complaint, Border Patrol agents found the defendant hiding in the bushes just north of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. She had been previously deported to Mexico on May 5, 2025, through San Luis, Arizona.
Also recently, several defendants with criminal records were sentenced for border-related crimes such as illegally re-entering the U.S. after previous deportation. Here are a few of those cases:
- On September 5, Emiliano Rendon-Rodriguez, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of felony Burglary, Possession of Controlled Substances for Sale, and Illegal Entry, was sentenced in federal court to 52 days in custody for again entering the U.S illegally.
- On September 5, Jose David Morales-Rodriguez, a Mexican national, was sentenced in federal court to 87 months in custody for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine in the Brawley, California area.
The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes ReportRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies.
In the one-week period ending September 5, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:
- 39 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
- 4 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
- 44 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
- 42 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325), violation of a military security regulation (50 U.S.C. 797) and Entering Military, Naval, or Coast Guard Property (18 U.S.C. 1382), arising from the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico.
Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions for drug trafficking.
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.
These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the District of New Mexico. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The District of New Mexico consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses.
Two Pennsylvania Residents Charged Separately with Election Fraud OffensesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that two defendants have been charged separately with election fraud offenses, one in connection with the 2020 presidential election, and the other in connection with the 2024 presidential election.
Matthew Laiss, 31, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was charged by indictment with one count of voting more than once in a federal election and one count of voter fraud.
As detailed in the indictment, from at least October 2012 until about August 2020, Laiss resided in, and was lawfully registered to vote in, Ottsville, Pennsylvania, a municipality located in Bucks County. In or around August 2020, Laiss moved his primary residence from Ottsville, Pennsylvania, to Frostproof, Florida. The same month, he applied for and obtained a Florida driver’s license and registered to vote in Florida.
In or about October 2020, the Bucks County Board of Elections mailed a ballot for the November 2020 general election to the defendant’s former address in Ottsville, Pennsylvania, where Laiss’s parents continued to reside.
The indictment alleges that, on or about October 31, 2020, Laiss filled out and returned the Pennsylvania mail-in ballot, casting a vote for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States of America.
The indictment further alleges that, on or about November 3, 2020, Laiss went to a polling location in or around Frostproof, Florida, and voted in the 2020 general election, casting a vote for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States of America.
If convicted, on each count of the indictment the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of five years of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $10,000 to $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Pennsylvania Department of State, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Dubnoff.
Miya Pack, 39, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged by indictment with one count of voting more than once in a federal election and one count of voter fraud.
The indictment alleges that Pack was registered to vote in Bergen County, New Jersey, and had been registered there since in or about 2004, and was also registered to vote in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, since in or about 2016.
The indictment further alleges that, on or about October 26, 2024, the defendant voted in person at an early voting location in Teaneck, New Jersey, casting a vote for the office of President of the United States of America.
On Election Day, November 5, 2024, as alleged in the indictment, Pack went to a polling place in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, and cast another ballot in the 2024 general election, to include a vote for the office of President of the United States of America.
If convicted, on each count of the indictment the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of five years of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $10,000 to $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Office of the Superintendent of Elections for Bergen County, New Jersey, and the Office of Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nancy Potts.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictments are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Two Minnesota Men Arrested for Funding and Directing Kidnappings, Bombings, and Killings OverseasRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Minnesota has returned an eight-count indictment charging naturalized U.S. citizens Benedict Nwana Kuah, 51, and Pascal Kikishy Wongbi, 52, with organizing, financing, and directing kidnappings, bombings, and killings in their native country, the Republic of Cameroon. Kuah and Wongbi were arrested this morning in the District of Minnesota and made their initial appearances this afternoon. Kuah and Wongbi are being held pending detention hearings scheduled for Sept 10 and 11, respectively.
According to the indictment, the defendants held leadership roles in the self-styled Ambazonia Defense Forces (ADF), a separatist militia seeking to create an independent country in Cameroon. Together, they allegedly used their positions to raise money and finance the purchase of weapons, and directed their co-conspirators in Cameroon to kidnap, bomb, and kill civilians, government officials, and members of the security forces in order to intimidate the civilian population and coerce the Cameroonian Government into recognizing their legitimacy.
“The defendants are charged with using the United States as a base of operations to finance and direct kidnappings, bombings, and killings in Cameroon,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their alleged conduct caused death, terror, and suffering among innocent civilians. The Criminal Division is committed to holding accountable those who seek refuge in the United States while spreading violence abroad.”
“Minnesota is not a launchpad for overseas violence,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson for the District of Minnesota. “Operating from the comfort of their living rooms in Minnesota, these defendants caused violence and suffering half a world away. They ordered kidnappings, bombings, and murders. Their crimes are an affront to both American law and basic human decency. Cameroon is a safer place because of this prosecution.”
“The defendants were allegedly involved in planning, financing and directing violent attacks that harmed numerous civilians and government officials in the Republic of Cameroon, with targets including a market, an annual footrace, and a Youth Day celebration,” said Assistant Director Donald Holstead of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “Although these violent acts occurred outside of U.S. borders, these charges should underscore that criminal actors cannot hide in the United States. The FBI does not condone violence and will work with our partners to ensure those who engage in, or direct criminal acts are held accountable for their actions.”
According to the indictment, beginning in 2017, the defendants sent thousands of dollars to co-conspirators in Cameroon for weapons and explosives and directed attacks that left civilians dead, injured, or taken hostage. In 2022, the fighters kidnapped a government official and broadcast propaganda videos about the abduction. In 2023, Kuah helped plan an improvised explosive device attack targeting a regional governor and later financed a bombing at the Mount Cameroon Race for Hope that injured 19 people. That same year, a commander appointed by Kuah murdered two unarmed civilians in a market square, while Wongbi appeared in a propaganda video threatening others with the same fate. In 2024, Kuah allegedly approved the funding and operational plan for a bombing at a Youth Day celebration that killed a 15-year-old girl and injured dozens of other children.
The indictment further alleges that Kuah and Wongbi raised money online to support their operations, including campaigns branded as “The Takeover Fund” and “Operation 200AKs,” which solicited donations for AK-47 rifles and explosives. Kuah appeared in multiple videos urging supporters to fund the purchase of weapons and ammunition for the fighters.
The defendants are charged with conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim, and injure persons abroad, conspiracy to provide material support or resources, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. Kuah is also charged with three counts of providing material support or resources, conspiracy to commit hostage taking and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction outside the United States. If convicted, the defendants face a statutory maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office is investigating the case, with assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations.
Trial Attorney Brian Morgan of the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Roso for the District of Minnesota are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Trial Attorneys Michael Dittoe and Matthew Hracho of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, HRSP Historian/Analyst Dr. Christopher Hayden, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Twelve People Charged for Their Roles in International Alien Smuggling, Asylum Fraud, and Money Laundering ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL — Twelve people have been charged in a superseding indictment for their roles in an international conspiracy involving alien smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering schemes that brought thousands of aliens illegally into the United States for profit.
According to court documents, the defendants operated a prolific alien smuggling operation (ASO) that facilitated the unlawful entry of Cuban nationals into the United States by preparing visa applications, laundering millions of dollars in payment, and exploiting the immigration process.
“This Department of Justice is investigating and prosecuting human smuggling more aggressively than ever before, and Joint Task Force Alpha is the tip of the spear,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will not rest until those who profit from the suffering of vulnerable people — including many unaccompanied children — face severe, comprehensive justice.”
“This indictment exposes a criminal organization that smuggled people into the United States on a massive scale, and then fraudulently secured immigration benefits for them,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Posing as a legitimate immigration service, the defendants used social media promotions and false legal filings to attract new clients and perpetuate their fraud. The Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners will continue to dismantle these schemes, protect vulnerable people from exploitation, and safeguard the integrity of the U.S. immigration system.”
“The defendants in this case conspired with others to deliberately violate our nation’s immigration laws while personally seeking to enrich themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “Because of the interagency coordination and diligence of our dedicated law enforcement agencies, their crimes have been thwarted. We will continue working with our partners to protect our national borders.”
“This superseding indictment exposes the depth of a multi-year conspiracy of alien smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering that preyed on vulnerable individuals and weakened public trust in the immigration system,” said Acting Director Todd M. Lyons of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “This highlights the critical role ICE has in dismantling these criminal networks, combating immigration fraud, and ensuring criminals who abuse our systems are held accountable. We are absolute in our resolve to protect the integrity of our immigration system and safeguard our national security.
“It is because of the unfettered Department of Justice support we charge criminals with every available statute to provide consequences to those that erode the moral fabric of our society,” said Chief Jeffrey J. Dinise of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Miami Sector. “The message is clear, the United States is closed to illegal immigration and terrorist organizations, and those that make an attempt, will be met with fierce consequences. We are committed to protecting our Florida communities and safeguarding our nation.”
“Through diligent investigation, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and our partners exposed a multi-national, multi-year, multimillion dollar criminal conspiracy operated by aliens that attempted to undermine our immigration system and flood our country with illegal aliens — none of whom had any intention of following our laws,” said USCIS Director Joseph Edlow. “This criminal organization operated a front for fake asylum claims, churning out frivolous applications around the country. To criminals who seek to exploit our immigration system: we will find you, shut down your schemes, and you will face justice.”
The superseding indictment charges:
- Lazaro Alain Cabrera-Rodriguez, 27, unlawfully residing in Hialeah, FL;
- Yuniel Lima-Santos, 30, of Tampa, FL;
- Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez, 26, unlawfully residing in Lebanon, TN;
- Marianny Lucia Lopez-Torres, 25, residing in Cuba, (formerly Hialeah, FL);
- Frandy Aragon-Diaz, 33, of Cuba, (formerly unlawfully residing in Tampa, FL);
- Erik Ventura-Castro, 23, residing in Hialeah, FL;
- Miguel Alejandro Martinez Vasconcelos, 30, of Tampa, FL;
- Walbis Pozo-Dutel, 30, residing in Katy, TX ;
- Emanuel Martinez Gonzalez, 28, unlawfully residing in Hialeah, FL;
- Luis Emmanuel Escalona-Marrero, 31, of Tampa, FL;
- Layra Libertad Treto Santos, 31, of Tampa, FL; and
- Gisleivy Peralta Consuegra, 40, of Tampa, FL.
According to the superseding indictment:
- All defendants except Gisleivy Peralta Consuegra are charged with conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for financial gain.
- Yuniel Lima-Santos and Frandy Aragon-Diaz are also charged with alien smuggling for financial gain.
- Yuniel Lima-Santos, Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez, Frandy Aragon-Diaz, Layra Libertad Treto Santos, and Gisleivy Peralta Consuerga are charged with conspiracy to commit asylum fraud.
- Lazaro Alain Cabrera-Rodriguez, Yuniel Lima-Santos, Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez, Frandy Aragon-Diaz, Erik Ventura-Castro, Miguel Alejandro Martinez Vasconcelos, Luis Emmanuel Escalona-Marrero, and Layra Libertad Treto Santos are charged with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
From January 2021 through June 2025, the defendants promoted bogus visa services online, claiming Cuban nationals could secure U.S. entry through false claims of European citizenship. They filed hundreds of fraudulent Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) applications with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, using fake addresses and fabricated documents.
The ASO promoted its services on social media accounts and encrypted messaging platforms, including a WhatsApp group titled, “TRÁMITE DE ESTA Y VISA DE TURISMO A USA PARA CIUDADANOS ESPAÑOLES” (Processing of ESTA and tourist Visas to the USA for Spanish citizens). One promotional video advertised the scheme by showing stacks of passports, airline tickets, and visa approvals.
What began as a small operation grew into a commercial enterprise. The defendants charged clients between $1,500 and $40,000, sometimes even chartering private planes to move groups of aliens. Records show they spent over $2.5 million on flights alone and funneled more than $7 million through payment apps such as Zelle. Based on a financial analysis conducted of 27 known accounts associated with the defendants and their co-conspirators, the alien smuggling organization took in over $18 million during the course of the conspiracy.
The ASO also smuggled unaccompanied minors. In one case, a teenage girl was told to pose as the lifelong friend of an unrelated adult man when crossing the border.
The defendants operated a sham immigration business, ASESORIA Y SERVICIOS MIGRATORIOS LLC, which promised asylum filings, work permits, and residency applications. In reality, the company churned out boilerplate asylum claims without clients’ knowledge or consent and even blocked them from accessing their own USCIS online accounts.
ASESORIA marketed itself on Instagram with flashy ads for immigration services while simultaneously posting videos of aliens being smuggled into the country.
The investigation and superseding indictment were coordinated under Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). JTFA, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been elevated and expanded by the Attorney General with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along southern and northern borders. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the Office of Enforcement Operations, and the Office of International Affairs (OIA), among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 410 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 355 U.S. convictions; more than 305 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.
HSI Tampa, U.S. Border Patrol Miami Sector, and USCIS’s’ Fraud Detection and National Security led U.S. investigative efforts, with substantial assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force. Authorities in the Cayman Islands provided valuable assistance.
Trial Attorney Jenna Reed of the Criminal Division’s HRSP and Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Derry for the Middle District of Florida 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 Project Safe Neighborhoods.
An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Note: You can read the Indictment here
Twelve Lakeland-Based Gang Members Charged with Paycheck Protection Program FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the unsealing of 9 indictments charging 12 individuals with wire fraud. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The following individuals have been charged:
Name
Age
City of Residence
Jamilah T’Asia Johnson25
Winter Haven
Khalid Preston29
Lakeland
Nickolas Lavonsoa Brantley25
Lakeland
Alexis Lafaye Flournoy34
Lakeland
Quinton Lakeith Owens35
Lakeland
Tinika Sykes35
Lakeland
Richard James Grimes, Jr.39
Lakeland
Kenny White31
Lakeland
Anthony Grant31
Lakeland
Jacquez Howard27
Lakeland
Treasure Johnson28
Lakeland
Letor’e Webster24
Lakeland
According to the indictments, these individuals are members or associates of the Lakeland-based Hood Boys gang. They devised a scheme to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration by submitting false and fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications. These programs were some of the sources of economic relief provided for by the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. While each claimed to operate a business, that statement in each PPP loan application was false.
Each of the defendants received between $13,854 and $20,416. Instead of repaying the loans, they either applied for the loans to be forgiven (which they were) or defaulted on them. The defendants spent the money on automobile payments and purchases at liquor stores, clothing stores, and gun stores. The total loss to the United States from these applications is approximately $236,000.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael J. Buchanan and Jeff Chang.
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.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Three Foreign Nationals Sentenced for Illegally Reentering the United States After DeportationRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that three men convicted separately of illegally reentering the United States after prior deportations were sentenced this week.
Bernardino Reyes-Gutierrez, 42, a Dominican national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Juan R. Sánchez on Thursday to 58 months in prison for illegally reentering the United States. Upon completing his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States again.
Reyes-Gutierrez had previously been removed in February 2016, after completing a prison sentence for a 2013 drug conviction in Philadelphia County.
He reentered the United States illegally on an unknown date, was arrested in the Middle District of Pennsylvania by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in September 2023, and charged by indictment with illegal reentry that October. The defendant pleaded guilty in April of this year.
Aneudy Orlando Otanez, 44, a Dominican national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg on Thursday to time served, almost seven months, for illegal reentry. Having completed his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States again.
Otanez had previously been removed from the United States in March 2022 and reentered illegally on an unknown date.
ICE became aware of Otanez’s presence in Philadelphia and took him into custody in January of this year. He was charged by indictment with illegal reentry in February and pleaded guilty in July.
Vincente Perez-Morales, 24, a Mexican national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joel H. Slomsky on Tuesday to time served, almost four months, for illegally reentering the United States. Having completed his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States again.
Perez-Morales had previously been removed in October 2019, after he was encountered in Texas by the U.S. Border Patrol.
In January of this year, ICE learned that Perez-Morales had been arrested in Chester County by the Pennsylvania State Police. ICE took him into custody in May, and he was charged by information with illegal reentry in July. Perez-Morales pleaded guilty this week, waiving prosecution by indictment.
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 Neighborhoods (PSN).
The cases were investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert Livermore, Rosalynda Michetti, and Ashley Martin.
Third Defendant in Carjacking and Robbery Spree Sentenced to 120 MonthsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Dominic Armstrong, 21, of the District of Columbia., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 120 months in prison in connection with his role in a spree of armed carjackings and robberies across the metropolitan region, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Armstrong, aka “D1” and “Domo,” pleaded guilty April 10, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras to carjacking, to brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and to interfering with interstate commerce by robbery (aka Hobbs Act Robbery).
In addition to the 120-month prison sentence, Judge Contrerars ordered Armstrong to serve 5 years of supervised release.
According to court documents, on March 17, 2023, about 11:35 p.m. Armstrong and two other individuals, including his co-defendant, carjacked a blue Honda Civic at gunpoint on the 3800 block of Minnesota Ave. NE.
On March 28, 2023, about 12:50 p.m. Armstrong and his co-defendant Javon Roach participated in a gunpoint robbery of three construction workers who were unloading equipment on the 300 block of K Street SW.
Armstrong’s participation in the spree of crimes only ceased when he and his co-defendants were brought into custody in Fairfax County, Virginia, on March 30, 2023, after he fled from police on foot while his co-defendants fled in a carjacked vehicle.
A year following his arrest and conviction in Fairfax County, Virginia, Armstrong committed an additional robbery in D.C. on May 14, 2024, when he robbed an Uber driver at gunpoint.
On August 1, 2024, Armstrong was charged federally in the March 17, 2023, carjacking and for brandishing a firearm during that carjacking. Arrested on Sept. 12, 2024, he has remained in custody since.
Armstrong’s co-defendant Javon Roach, 20, was sentenced June 27 to 228 months in prison for his role in the spree of violent armed carjackings and armed robberies. Co-defendant Andre Rushing, 23, was sentenced August 19 to 108 months.
This case was investigated by the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force, the Fairfax County Police Department, and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Gaelin Bernstein and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Duvall of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section.
Tallahassee Man Charged with Stealing Department of Veterans Affairs FundsRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Anthony Curtis Brewer, 47, of Tallahassee, FL, was indicted by a federal grand jury this week and charged with theft of government property. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today.
Brewer appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick for his arraignment in federal court on September 3, 2025, in Tallahassee, Florida. Trial is set for November 4, 2025, before Chief United States District Judge Allen Winsor.
If convicted, Brewer faces up to ten years’ imprisonment.
The Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Criminal Investigations Division investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Harley W. Ferguson is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
St. Albans Man Sentenced to 74 Months in Prison for Aggravated Identity Theft and Mail FraudRead the Press Release
Rutland, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on September 2, 2025, Jonathan Whalley, 52, of St. Albans, Vermont was sentenced by United States District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. to a total term of 74 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Whalley previously pleaded guilty to both Mail Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft in relation to his purchase of six vehicles using the stolen identity of a Vermonter. Judge Geraci imposed a 50-month term of imprisonment on the Mail Fraud conviction, and the 24-month mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment for Aggravated Identity Theft, resulting in the total 74-month sentence.
According to court records, Whalley obtained the identity documents from a Vermont man whose wallet was stolen from the victim’s vehicle. Whalley traveled to the State of Georgia, where he engaged in numerous fraudulent transactions, including the purchase of a 2022 Ford Explorer, a 2022 Ford Bronco, a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado, a 2020 Kawasaki ATV, a 2021 CF Moto ATV, and a 2022 Honda dirt bike, together valued at over $224,000. Whalley also engaged in fraudulent conduct with multiple banks and insurance companies. On June 8, 2022, Whalley was back in Vermont with the Silverado he had fraudulently purchased, when law enforcement conducted a motor vehicle stop. Whalley fled the stop, dragging an officer over 10 feet, and endangering pedestrians as he sped away at speeds over three-times the speed limit. In sentencing Whalley, Judge Geraci noted Whalley’s extensive criminal history, which includes 34 criminal convictions dating back to 1991.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles’ Enforcement and Safety Division (Investigative Section) and Homeland Security Investigations.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corinne M. Smith and Jonathan A. Ophardt. Whalley was represented by Assistant Federal Defender Charles N. Curlett, Jr.
Serial Border Crosser from Honduras Sentenced to 27 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Honduran national has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after multiple prior removals.
U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra imposed the sentence, followed by three years of supervised release, after Marvin Wilton Max Ayala, 36, pleaded guilty.
According to court records, Max Ayala unlawfully reentered the United States for the fifth time. On April 1, law enforcement discovered Max Ayala after he was arrested for cocaine possession.
Max Ayala was previously removed from the United States on November 21, 2012; April 6, 2015; May 4, 2020; and August 5, 2021. During his prior unlawful stays in the country, Max Ayala was also convicted of other crimes, including an attempted forgery offense in Texas in 2021.
Following the completion of his federal prison sentence, Max Ayala will be removed from the United States.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Field Office Director Garrett Ripa of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement Removal Operations (ICE-ERO) Prosecutions Unit, Miami announced the sentence.
ICE-ERO investigated the case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Roca Shaw prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-20192.
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September Federal Grand Jury 2025-A Indictments AnnouncedRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the September Federal Grand Jury 2025-A Indictments.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Jeffrey Todd Christner. Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor; Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct. Christner, 59, of Paden City, West Virginia, is charged with attempting to coerce and entice a person he believed was under 18 years old to engage in sexually explicit conduct. He is additionally charged with traveling from West Virginia to Tulsa to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The Homeland Security Investigations Tulsa, Homeland Security Investigations Charleston, the Broken Arrow Police Department, and the Tulsa Airport Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Robert is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-325
Christopher Don Harl. First Degree Burglary in Indian Country; Retaliation by Threatening to Cause Bodily Injury; Retaliation by Damaging Tangible Property; Tampering with a Witness and Victim by Using the Threat of Physical Force. Harl, 41, of Tulsa and a member of the Cherokee Nation, is charged with breaking into an occupied home with the intent to commit a crime. He knowingly threatened to cause bodily harm and damage the property of a victim if they provided information about the burglary. Lastly, Harl is charged with threatening to use physical force in an attempt to keep the victim from cooperating with law enforcement. The FBI and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara Heign is prosecuting the case.
25-CR-332Roderick Douwey Jordan; Bertram Jerome Leonard. Conspiracy (Count 1); Passing and Attempting to Pass Counterfeit Obligations and Securities of the United States (Counts 2 through 5). Jordan, 30, of Port Lucie, Florida, and Leonard, 30, of Miami, Florida, are charged with conspiring with each other and with others to pass counterfeit currency by purchasing items from several retailers. Further, they are both charged with attempting to use and using counterfeit currency that was knowingly altered and forged. The U.S. Secret Service, the Tulsa Police Department, the Catoosa Police Department, and the Broken Arrow Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Whipple is prosecuting the case.
25-CR-326Kameron Lee King. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Illegal Possession of a Machine Gun. King, 20, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of a felony. Further, King is charged with knowingly possessing a handgun fitted with a machinegun conversion device. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elmore is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-323
Agustin Luevano Najera. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Najera, 52, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Sep. 2015. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Ihler is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-324
Barry Wayne Newberry. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country. Newberry, 60, of Tulsa and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is charged with assaulting the victim with a dangerous weapon that resulted in bodily injury. The FBI and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Dunn is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-321
Eduin Osmar Ramos-Lemus. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Ramos-Lemus, 39, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Mar. 2022. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Dill is prosecuting the case.
25-CR-322Noe Nava Mata. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Nava Mata, 39, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in June 2023. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-320
Joseph Lee Starkey. Failure to Appear After Pretrial Release. Starkey, 45, of Tulsa, is charged with knowingly and willfully failing to appear before the court as required under the conditions of his pretrial release in a separate case. The Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Greenough is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-331
La’Dontae Lavere Taylor. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition (Counts 1 & 2); Sex Trafficking (Count 3); Transporting an Individual for Prostitution (Count 4) (superseding). Taylor, 27, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition in Dec. 2024 and Feb. 2025, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. He is charged with benefiting financially from recruiting, harboring, and providing transportation to an individual to engage in commercial sex acts. Lastly, Taylor is charged with transporting a person to engage in prostitution and other sexual activities. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John W. Dowdell and Kenneth Elmore are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-134
Sacramento Deputy District Attorney Appointed to Federal Team Prosecuting Transnational Drug Organizations in the Sacramento RegionRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Eric Grant and Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho announced today the appointment of Deputy District Attorney Brad Ng to be a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney to prosecute cases in federal court relating to transnational drug organizations with ties to the Sacramento region.
Ng will work on the Homeland Security Task Force, a team of federal and state prosecutors, agents, and analysts dedicated to combatting transnational organized crime and targeting cartels. As a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, Ng will remain employed by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office and will be able to prosecute cases in both state and federal court. Ng will work in this role for a two-year term.
“We see the impact of dangerous drugs throughout our community, from homelessness, violence and property crimes, and even fatalities,” said U.S. Attorney Grant. “Partnering with the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office will allow our offices to bring more cases targeting transnational drug organizations that impact Sacramento County. Brad Ng is a talented and experienced lawyer who will work to ensure that those who distribute large amounts of drugs in the Sacramento region are held accountable. I am grateful to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office and District Attorney Ho for their collaboration and commitment to keeping our community safe.”
“This partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office is a continuation of our fight to eradicate the fentanyl crisis, which has already resulted in Sacramento fentanyl deaths dropping 70% since 2023,” said Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho. “With Brad’s prosecutorial skills, he will play a key role in taking down transnational organizations that are flooding our communities with fentanyl and other deadly drugs.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office currently has Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the District Attorney’s Offices of Yolo, Placer, and Fresno Counties.
Pine Ridge Woman Sentenced to 2 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine within the Pine Ridge ReservationRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a woman from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on August 29, 2025.
Kadell Richard, 31, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Richard was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024 for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. She pleaded guilty on June 9, 2025.
Between October 2023 and April 2024, Richard and others were involved in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in South Dakota and within the Pine Ridge Reservation. Richard assisted her co-conspirators in arranging narcotics transactions and finding end-users to whom her co-conspirators could sell methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Badlands Safe Trails Task Force (BSTTF). BSTTF is a joint-agency taskforce comprised of law enforcement from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigations, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward C. Tarbay prosecuted the case.
Richard was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Panama City Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Child Sex Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Terrance Vertrone Alwayne Lowder III (a/k/a “Trey”), 29, of Panama City, Florida, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor, sex trafficking a minor, and receiving benefits from sex trafficking a minor. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I deeply appreciate not only the excellent investigative work by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office that helped bring this offender to justice, but also the vigilance of the private citizen who reported the suspicious activity that led to his arrest. This offender exploited and victimized a vulnerable minor for his own financial gain, and now a prison cell awaits him for his heinous crimes.”
Court documents reflect that between January 2, 2024, and January 3, 2024, Lowder recruited and directed a 16-year-old to engage in commercial sex acts with adults at a local motel. Lowder conspired with others to transport the minor to the motel and to provide the minor with drugs and alcohol. Lowder offered the minor for sex to multiple adults via text messaging and social media. The motel alerted the Bay County Sheriff’s Office to unregistered guests in the motel room which led to the minor’s recovery and Lowder’s arrest.
Sheriff Tommy Ford said: “Thanks to the quick action of our deputies and the strong partnership we share with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, this young victim was rescued, and the offender will never again have the opportunity to harm another child. The Bay County Sheriff’s Office remains steadfast in our commitment to protect the most vulnerable among us and to bring to justice those who would prey upon them.”
“Lowder admitted to orchestrating the trafficking of a juvenile, and today’s sentence ensures he can no longer harm vulnerable victims,” said FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley. “Human trafficking is a crime that happens all around us and impacts the safety of our neighborhoods and our quality of life. FBI Jacksonville will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners at every level to disrupt and dismantle the people responsible for this illegal activity.”
Lowder’s sentence of imprisonment will be followed by ten years of supervised release and a requirement to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
The conviction and sentence were the result of a joint investigation by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen.
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).
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 and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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.
Orleans Parish Man Guilty of Wire FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JASON PICK (“PICK”), age 44, a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty on September 3, 2025 to an eight-count indictment for wire fraud, announced Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
According to court documents, from June 2020 through October 25, 2021, PICK worked as an accounting clerk for a company that manages residential and commercial real estate in the New Orleans area. During his employment, PICK stole approximately $64,137.00 from the company by altering the face of money orders intended to be rent payments from tenants and deposited the altered money orders into his own bank account. While awaiting sentencing for a scheme to defraud his previous employer, PICK submitted a fraudulent letter from the company to a federal judge, requesting that his prison report date be delayed because it was a busy period for the company. In truth and in fact, the letter was forged by PICK, and the owner of the company was unaware of the letter, or PICK’s crimes. The Court granted the defendant’s request, and PICK used this delay to further conceal his crimes. Before reporting to serve his prison sentence, PICK lied to the company about his upcoming absence by stating that he needed to undergo immediate emergency kidney surgery. He advised the company that he would be able to complete his duties on a remote basis during this time. On his way to prison, PICK remotely accessed the company’s computer system and fraudulently edited the accounting books to conceal the money he had stolen.
If convicted, PICK faces up to 20 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney G. Dall Kammer, Chief of the General Crimes Unit, is in charge of the prosecution.
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Oklahoma Man Sentenced to 130 Months’ Imprisonment for Enticing A Minor to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that James Cody Duncan, age 37, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 130 months’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Keli M. Neary for enticing a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity. Judge Neary also ordered Duncan to serve 10 years on supervised release after he finishes serving his prison term.
According to the Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Duncan pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor on November 13, 2024. Starting in August 2022, Duncan began communicating online with a 13-year-old girl in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, and sent her gifts, including cellphones that she would use to communicate with him. Duncan subsequently traveled to Pennsylvania in April 2023 and had sex with the minor in a local hotel.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Christian T. Haugsby prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
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Oglethorpe Mall Suspect Indicted FederallyRead the Press Release
Aujawan Hymon, 20, of Savannah, Georgia was indicted by a federal grand jury this week for Illegal Possession of a Machinegun.
Aujawan Hymon was one of six suspects involved in the shooting that occurred in the Oglethorpe Mall on July 2, 2025. The investigation revealed that Hymon was in possession of a firearm with an extended magazine and an affixed machinegun conversion device during the shooting. Officers were able to successfully recover the machinegun during the investigation.
Hymon is not a convicted felon.
“We are working with our law enforcement partners to stop the illegal possession of machineguns. Let me be clear- if you possess a glock switch, or any device that converts a firearm into a machinegun, we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” stated United States Attorney Margaret E. Heap.
"Machinegun conversion devices are fueling a deadly uptick in gun violence, turning routine firearms into weapons of war," said ATF Acting ASAC Robert Davis. "This case is yet another example of why ATF is committed to aggressively identifying and removing these illegal devices from our communities."
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with the Savannah Police Department. The case is being prosecuted for the United States by Special Assistant United States Attorney Makeia R. Jonese and Deputy Criminal Chief Greg Gilluly.
All indicted defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
For any questions, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.
46-25
Off-Duty Commercial Airline Pilot Pleads Guilty to Interfering with Flight CrewRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—Joseph David Emerson, 46, of Pleasant Hill, California, an off-duty commercial airline pilot, pleaded guilty today for attempting to shut down the engines of a passenger plane in flight.
According to court documents, on October 22, 2023, Emerson, an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot seated in a cockpit jump seat, attempted to shut down the engines of a commercial passenger plane traveling from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco, California. After a brief physical struggle with Emerson, who quickly left the cockpit, the pilots diverted from their route and landed at Portland International Airport. Once on the ground, Port of Portland police officers placed Emerson under arrest.
On October 23, 2023, Emerson was charged by criminal complaint with interfering with flight crew members and attendants.
Emerson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
As part of the plea agreement, Emerson has agreed to pay restitution in full to the victims.
Emerson will be sentenced on November 17, 2025, before a U.S. District Court Judge.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, and Port of Portland Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Parakram Singh is prosecuting the case.
OPERATION LOW VOLTAGE- Homeland Security Investigations Executes Federal Search Warrant at the HL-GA Battery Company, LLC, located on the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant American Campus in Ellabell, GeorgiaRead the Press Release
Ellabell, Georgia, Southern District of Georgia: On September 4, 2025, hundreds of federal agents executed a federal search warrant at the HL-GA Battery Company, LLC, in Ellabell, Georgia, searching for evidence related to the unlawful employment of illegal aliens in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1324. Upon execution of the criminal search warrant, several people attempted to flee the location. For example, a handful of people ran into a sewage pond located on the premises. Agents used a boat to fish them out of the water. One of the individuals swam under the boat and tried to flip it over to no avail. These people were captured and identified as illegal workers.
Over the course of the day, federal, state, and local law enforcement executed the search warrant and identified hundreds of illegal workers. Law enforcement identified over 475 people who were unlawfully working at the location.
United States Attorney Margaret E. Heap states: “This was a significant undertaking with substantial results. Over 400 agents participated in this massive event, and over 400 illegal workers were identified and detained. The goal of this operation is to reduce illegal employment and prevent employers from gaining an unfair advantage by hiring unauthorized workers. Another goal is to protect unauthorized workers from exploitation.”
This investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigations, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, United States Marshal Service (USMS), and Georgia State Patrol. Assistant United States Attorneys Tania Groover, Ryan Bondura, Kelsey Scanlon, and E. Greg Gilluly, Jr., are investigating this case.
The investigation is ongoing. All people are presumed innocent until proven guilty 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
For any questions, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.
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New Jersey Man Sentenced to Almost 11 Years in Prison for Violent Armed Robberies of Three Corner Stores in Philadelphia’s Kensington SectionRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Jared Stanley, 33, of Lindenwold, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 130 months in prison, five years of supervised release, and restitution of $1,450 by United States District Judge John F. Murphy, for carrying out three commercial robberies in January and February of 2024.
In March 2024, Stanley was charged by indictment with one count each of Hobbs Act robbery, carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to the commission of a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a felon. That August, he was charged by information with two additional Hobbs Act robberies. Stanley pleaded guilty to all charges against him in October 2024.
Stanley committed all three robberies during a two-week span.
On January 21, 2024, the defendant entered the Birch Mini-Market, located at 2001 East Birch Street. He approached the counter, pointed a gun at the cashier, and demanded money. When the cashier didn’t understand him, Stanley started screaming at them. He repeatedly hit the cashier in the head with the gun, stole approximately $550 from the register, and fled.
On January 28, 2024, Stanley and an unidentified co-conspirator entered the Capricorno Grocery, located at 2000 East Orleans Street. Stanley walked to the employee area of the store, displayed a firearm, grabbed the employee by the shirt and forcibly pulled him away, pistol whipped him repeatedly, and stood guard over him while his accomplice went back to the register and stole approximately $500.
On February 2, 2024, Stanley and an unidentified co-conspirator entered Bonifacios Grocery, located at 3052 Frankford Avenue. They pushed an employee to the cash register, told him to get on the ground and then pistol whipped him in the head. Stanley and his accomplice then stole approximately $500 from the cash register and fled the store on foot.
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 investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Eckert.
Nevada Man Pleads Guilty to Promoting Fraudulent Tax Avoidance SchemeRead the Press Release
A Nevada man pleaded guilty today to advising clients to commit tax evasion.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Michael J. Moore, of Las Vegas, operated a tax and accounting business known as X Tax Pros. From 2015 and through April 2025, Moore promoted a fraudulent tax avoidance scheme called the “Special Tax Shelter Strategy.” Moore promised clients that if they paid him certain “fees,” he could prepare a tax return that eliminated the clients’ taxes owed to the IRS and, in most cases, create a large tax refund. Moore charged the clients tens of thousands of dollars in fees, which the clients paid from the refunds they received from the IRS.
To carry out the “Special Tax Shelter Strategy” Moore falsified entries on the clients’ tax returns. In many cases, he did this by falsely reporting that the client had sustained a large loss from one or more business entities that Moore controlled. In most cases Moore’s entities carried on no business, did not file tax returns, did not sustain or report any losses to the IRS, and did not report the clients as partners. For some clients, Moore falsified entries relating to cost of goods sold and royalty expenses.
In total, Moore caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $3.5 million.
Moore is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 8 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Patrick Burns of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Anthony Lopez for the District of Nevada are prosecuting the case.
Nevada Man Pleads Guilty to Promoting Fraudulent Tax Avoidance SchemeRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Nevada man pleaded guilty today to advising clients to commit tax evasion.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Michael J. Moore, of Las Vegas, operated a tax and accounting business known as X Tax Pros. From 2015 and through April 2025, Moore promoted a fraudulent tax avoidance scheme called the “Special Tax Shelter Strategy.” Moore promised clients that if they paid him certain “fees,” he could prepare a tax return that eliminated the clients’ taxes owed to the IRS and, in most cases, create a large tax refund. Moore charged the clients tens of thousands of dollars in fees, which the clients paid from the refunds they received from the IRS.
To carry out the “Special Tax Shelter Strategy,” Moore falsified entries on the clients’ tax returns. In many cases, he did this by falsely reporting that the client had sustained a large loss from one or more business entities that Moore controlled. In most cases Moore’s entities carried on no business, did not file tax returns, did not sustain or report any losses to the IRS, and did not report the clients as partners. For some clients, Moore falsified entries relating to cost of goods sold and royalty expenses.
In total, Moore caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $3.5 million.
Moore is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 8, 2025, and he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Patrick Burns of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant United States Attorney Tony Lopez for the District of Nevada are prosecuting the case.
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Middlesex County Man Charged with Transferring Obscene Material to a MinorRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Middlesex County, New Jersey man was arrested on August 27, 2025, for allegedly sending obscene material to a minor knowing that the minor was under the age of 16, Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Mahir Chaudhry, 21, of Piscataway, New Jersey is charged by complaint with one count of transferring obscene material to a minor. Chaudhry appeared on August 28, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa in Newark federal court and was detained pending approval of certain bail conditions.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
Between in or around March 2023 and May 2023, Chaudhry sent a minor victim at least six obscene images via text message at a time when Chaudhry knew the victim was younger than 16 years of age.
The charge of transferring obscene material to a minor is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.
“The defendant’s arrest is a testament to the combined work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to protect the people of New Jersey from individuals who prey on minor victims—no matter where the victims are located."
- Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba
“Chaudhry’s arrest is impactful on many fronts. He can no longer cause harm to minor victims, as the complaint alleges, and his arrest serves as a warning to others who think their actions are unseen. The FBI and our partners will stop at nothing to find and apprehend these predators,” SAC Stefanie Roddy, FBI Newark said.
Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, with the investigation leading to the charges. She also thanked the FBI Newark’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, and international partners for their assistance.
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 Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Maloy of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel: Timothy Donahue, Esq.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican national has pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally reentering the United States subsequent to his deportation.
Ibrahim Orozzo-Ramirez, 30, a three-time deported Mexican national, pleaded guilty to a one-count indictment charging him with illegally reentering the United States of America subsequent to his deportation following a 2019 aggravated felony conviction.
Orozzo-Ramirez admitted that he reentered the United States subsequent to a 2019 Jackson County, Mo., conviction for stealing a motor vehicle. Orozzo-Ramirez admitted that after this conviction he was deported on July 17, 2019, from the United States to Mexico via Brownsville, Tx., and that at some later date he reentered the United States without having obtained the consent of the Attorney General of the United States or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security for reapplication for admission into the United States of America. Orozzo-Ramirez admitted that he was arrested on Feb. 1, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo., by special agents with the Department of Homeland Security.
Orozzo-Ramirez had been previously deported from the United States on two other occasions; first, on Nov. 17, 2017, from the United States to Mexico via Brownsville, Tx., and again on Nov. 2, 2018, from the United States to Mexico via El Paso, Tx., following a federal conviction for improper entry by an alien before the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico.
Under federal statutes, Orozzo-Ramirez is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years’ imprisonment in federal prison without parole, with up to three years of supervised release following any sentence. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 6, 2026, after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Daly. It was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Enforcement and Removal Operations (“ERO”) and Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”).
Operation Take Back America
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Meth and Fentanyl Supplier Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
AKRON, Ohio – A fourth defendant in a drug conspiracy case has been sentenced to prison for his role as being a supplier of methamphetamine and fentanyl throughout Summit County.
Ernest Shropshire, 38, of Akron, Ohio, was sentenced to 121 months (approximately 10 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge John R. Adams after pleading guilty in January to the following charges as outlined in the indictment:
- Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl
- Distribution of Methamphetamine and Fentanyl
- Distribution of Fentanyl
Shropshire was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after imprisonment.
According to court documents, from about April 1 through Aug. 28, 2023, Shropshire served as a supplier of methamphetamine and fentanyl to Calvin Roberts, 42. Shropshire would place the illicit drugs in a garbage can in the backyard of his house and then tell Roberts, and other buyers, where to retrieve them. In turn, Roberts would sell drugs to his neighbor, Andrew Corbin, 36, who lived only a short distance away from him. During the investigation, agents learned that the two neighbors would regularly sell the drugs—supplied by Shropshire—out of their homes. Using a network of co-conspirators, the methamphetamine and fentanyl supply was further distributed to customers in and around the Summit County area.
Roberts, Corbin, and Phillip August, age 57, all of Akron, were previously sentenced after pleading guilty to their roles in the drug conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph P. Dangelo for the Northern District of Ohio.
Mentmore Man Pleads Guilty to Multiple Felony AssaultsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Mentmore man has pleaded guilty to all counts in a federal indictment charging him in relation to assaulting and strangling an intimate partner and causing her substantial bodily injury.
According to court records, on December 5, 2024, Alery Al Reid, 26, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, punched, strangled and threatened to kill Jane Doe.
Reid pleaded guilty to a count of assault of an intimate partner by strangling and a second count of assault of an intimate partner resulting in substantial bodily injury. At sentencing, Reid faces up to 10 years in prison. Upon his release from prison, Reid will be subject to three years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Probasco is prosecuting the case.
Mason City Brothers Sentenced to More than 20 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
Bradley Winters, age 58, was sentenced today, to 20 years in federal prison, after a March 18, 2025, guilty plea to two counts of distribution of methamphetamine. Bradley had previously been convicted of a serious drug felony. Bradley’s criminal history is extensive, with 33 prior convictions. His convictions include controlled substance violations (including a 2009 federal conviction for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine), multiple thefts, and multiple assaults.
Gary Winters, age 63, was sentenced January 3, 2025, to 25 years in federal prison, after a July 24, 2024, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Gary had previously been convicted of a serious drug felony in 2010. Gary’s criminal history includes a 1999 possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and carrying firearms in connection with drug trafficking and a 2010 conviction for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Evidence in the case revealed that between July 2023 and August 2023, Bradley Winters and Gary Winters were part of an ongoing drug conspiracy based in Mason City, Iowa to distribute methamphetamine. Bradley Winters sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant, working with law enforcement. Gary was serving a term of supervised release for his 2010 drug conviction when he was involved in the conspiracy, including his possession of over 180 grams of methamphetamine when he was stopped by law enforcement on August 24, 2023.
After Bradley was indicted in this case, he was released on pre-trial supervision. Bradley failed to appear as ordered on July 18, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City. It was later discovered that Bradley cut off his GPS ankle monitor. An arrest warrant was issued for his arrest, and on July 26, 2024, Bradley was located by officers in Clear Lake, Iowa where he fled from officers on foot and fought with them. Bradley was in possession of several baggies of methamphetamine, as well as more than $6,000 cash.
Gary Winters was sentenced on January 3, 2025, in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 300 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term. Bradley Winters was sentenced today, by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 240 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Gary Winters and Brad Winters are being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until they can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department, Clear Lake Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-3032.
Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Mason City Brothers Sentenced to More than 20 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
Bradley Winters, age 58, was sentenced today, to 20 years in federal prison, after a March 18, 2025, guilty plea to two counts of distribution of methamphetamine. Bradley had previously been convicted of a serious drug felony. Bradley’s criminal history is extensive, with 33 prior convictions. His convictions include controlled substance violations (including a 2009 federal conviction for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine), multiple thefts, and multiple assaults.
Gary Winters, age 63, was sentenced January 3, 2025, to 25 years in federal prison, after a July 24, 2024, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Gary had previously been convicted of a serious drug felony in 2010. Gary’s criminal history includes a 1999 possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and carrying firearms in connection with drug trafficking and a 2010 conviction for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Evidence in the case revealed that between July 2023 and August 2023, Bradley Winters and Gary Winters were part of an ongoing drug conspiracy based in Mason City, Iowa to distribute methamphetamine. Bradley Winters sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant, working with law enforcement. Gary was serving a term of supervised release for his 2010 drug conviction when he was involved in the conspiracy, including his possession of over 180 grams of methamphetamine when he was stopped by law enforcement on August 24, 2023.
After Bradley was indicted in this case, he was released on pre-trial supervision. Bradley failed to appear as ordered on July 18, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City. It was later discovered that Bradley cut off his GPS ankle monitor. An arrest warrant was issued for his arrest, and on July 26, 2024, Bradley was located by officers in Clear Lake, Iowa where he fled from officers on foot and fought with them. Bradley was in possession of several baggies of methamphetamine, as well as more than $6,000 cash.
Gary Winters was sentenced on January 3, 2025, in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 300 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term. Bradley Winters was sentenced today, by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 240 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Gary Winters and Brad Winters are being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until they can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department, Clear Lake Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-3032.
Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.