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5 September 2025
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Leading Sophisticated Fraud Scheme that Impersonated Dozens of Doctors to Illegally Prescribe NarcoticsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Maryland man pleaded guilty today to leading a long-running scheme in which dozens of medical doctors’ personal information was stolen and then used to create fraudulent e-prescribing accounts, which his accomplices then used to issue thousands of fraudulent prescriptions of controlled substances.
Benjamin Jamal Washington, 25, of Hyattsville, Maryland, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Washington remains in federal custody.
According to his plea agreement, from September 2020 to May 2023, Washington and his co-conspirators obtained personal identifying information (PII) belonging to dozens of doctors, including their names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, National Provider Identification number, and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Registration Numbers.
After obtaining this information, the co-conspirators impersonated the victims by obtaining fake drivers’ licenses in their names. They also paid corrupt telephone company employees to perform illegal subscriber identity module (SIM) swaps – fraudulently inducing a phone carrier to reassign a cell phone number from the legitimate subscriber to a phone controlled by the co-conspirators – to gain access to the physicians’ phone numbers.
Washington and his co-conspirators then used the fraudulent drivers’ licenses and the stolen phone numbers to open fraudulent e-prescribing accounts in the physicians’ names. At least one co-conspirator spoke with a pharmacy technician to understand the patterns and practices of physicians submitting e-prescriptions so Washington and his co-conspirators could avoid detection and issue more fraudulent prescriptions.
Once the co-conspirators opened the fraudulent e-prescribing accounts, Washington and others used the accounts to submit at least 5,600 fraudulent prescriptions of controlled substances, including illegal prescriptions of oxycodone and promethazine with codeine.
The co-conspirators then traveled to pharmacies across the United States, including pharmacies within the Los Angeles area, to pick up the illegally prescribed controlled substances, which they sold for a significant profit.
United States District Judge Wesley L. Hsu scheduled a January 13, 2026, sentencing hearing, at which time Washington will face a statutory maximum sentence of 42 years in federal prison, including a mandatory two-year consecutive prison sentence for the aggravated identity theft count.
The FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Ian V. Yanniello of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, Elizabeth S.P. Douglas of the Major Frauds Section, and Matthew J. Tako of the Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
Maryland Man Charged with Firearms TraffickingRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Maryland man was arrested and charged with trafficking in firearms in Ocean County, New Jersey, Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Luiz Vargas, a/k/a, “El Biggie,” 25, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of trafficking in firearms. Vargas made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni in Trenton federal court on August 11, 2025 and was detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Beginning in January 2025, law enforcement began investigating Vargas for trafficking firearms into New Jersey from, among other places, Texas and Maryland. Using a confidential source acting at the direction and supervision of law enforcement, officers conducted four controlled purchases of firearms, which yielded a total of eight firearms: two semiautomatic rifles and six handguns. Two of the handguns were reported stolen out of Texas and Colorado, respectively, and the two semiautomatic rifles had no serial numbers or other identifiable markings on them. On at least one occasion, Vargas provided cocaine to the confidential source after being unable to follow through with a promised sale of firearms. Vargas has never held a federal license to deal or manufacture firearms.
The firearms trafficking charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Habba credited special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges. She also thanked the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations Newark, under the direction of Field Office Director Ruben Perez, the Howell Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police John Storrow, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy, the Asbury Park Police Department, under the direction of Deputy Chief of Police Guy Thompson, the Freehold Borough Police Department, under the Direction of Chief of Police Chris Colaner, the Lakewood Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Gregory H. Meyer, the Little Silver Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Paul Halpin, the Marlboro Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Peter Pezzullo, the Middletown Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police R. Craig Weber, the Monroe Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Griffin N. Banos, and the Wall Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Sean O’Halloran, for their assistance in the investigation.
The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Garelick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
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: Andrea Aldana, Esq., Federal Public Defenders.
vargas.complaint.pdfManchester Woman Arrested on Animal Crush Video Distribution ChargesRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Manchester woman was arrested on an indictment charging her with the distribution of animal crush videos, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
Lynn Seymour, 51, of Manchester, was indicted on one count of distribution of animal crush videos and one count of conspiracy. Seymour appeared in federal court today and was released pending further court proceedings.
According to the charging documents, Seymour is alleged to have participated in and served as the administrator for private online groups which included hundreds of members. The purpose of the groups was to exchange and distribute animal crush videos depicting the torture, murder, sexually sadistic mutilation and sexual abuse of animals, specifically baby and adult monkeys.
The charge of distribution of animal crush videos provides a sentence of no greater than 7 years in prison, and the conspiracy charges provides a sentence of no greater than 5 years. Both charges can carry terms of supervised release of up to 3 years and fines of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Man Sentenced to Prison Term for Stabbing Two People, including a Corrections OfficerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Chauncy Myers, 31, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced for stabbing two people, one of whom was a D.C. Department of Corrections officer at the D.C. Jail, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Myers pleaded guilty on March 14, 2025, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of aggravated assault while armed and one count of attempted assault with a dangerous weapon. On September 2, 2025, Judge Jennifer Di Toro sentenced Myers to seven years of incarceration, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The government requested a thirteen-year prison term.
According to the government’s evidence, on July 13, 2024, the victim was socializing with friends in Triangle Park in Southeast Washington, D.C., when Myers approached the victim with a knife and then stabbed the victim in the abdomen, causing severe organ damage. Following the stabbing, Myers fled the scene.
Myers was later arrested and detained at the D.C. Jail. On December 23, 2024, while in custody, and after a D.C. Department of Corrections officer attempted to enter Myers’ jail cell, he stabbed the officer with a shank causing a puncture wound to the officer’s forearm.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the efforts of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the work of Assistant United States Attorneys Jacob Green and Jasmine Dohemann, who prosecuted the case.
Man Sentenced for November 2024 Armed Carjacking and August 2022 Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Demonta King, 18, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in Superior Court for carjacking a taxicab driver at knifepoint in November 2024 and robbing another victim at gunpoint in August 2022, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
King pleaded guilty on April 4, 2025, to one count of armed carjacking and one count of armed robbery. Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro ordered King to serve fifteen years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release and denied King’s request to be sentenced under the Youth Rehabilitation Act. The government sought a twenty-two-year term of incarceration.
According to the government’s evidence, on November 18, 2024, in the 5000 block of Fort Totten Drive, NE, King, while armed with a knife, approached the victim, a taxicab driver, who was standing approximately five feet from his taxicab. King announced a robbery and said, “Give me everything,” and ordered the victim to hand over his keys. King then stabbed the victim in the hand causing him to drop the keys. The defendant retrieved the keys and took the victim’s taxicab, phone, driver’s license, bank cards and other personal items. Officers later spotted the victim’s vehicle, which the defendant was driving at a high rate of speed, in the 500 block of Chillum Road in Hyattsville, MD, when he crashed and fled on foot. Police gave chase and stopped the defendant.
In a separate incident, on August 26, 2022, in the 100 Block of Gallatin Street and 1st Place NE, King approached a different victim, brandished a firearm, took the victim’s backpack and cell phone, and then struck the victim in the face with the firearm and fled. King was 16-years-old when he committed this offense and was prosecuted as an adult under Title 16.
Joining in the announcement was and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They also acknowledged Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Greene, who prosecuted the case.
MED-EL Corporation Agrees to Pay $2.1 Million to Resolve Allegations of PPP Loan FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – MED-EL Corporation has agreed to pay approximately $2.1 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that the company falsely certified to the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) its eligibility for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.
As detailed in the settlement agreement, MED-EL Corporation admits that, on Jan. 19, 2021, it applied for a second draw PPP loan. When it did, its headcount, together with its foreign parent company, exceeded SBA’s 300 employee cap.
Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and the Economic Security Act (CARES Act) on March 29, 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain approved expenses through the PPP. On May 5, 2020, the SBA issued guidance that explained that, for purposes of meeting size eligibility requirements (i.e. whether the applicant is a “small business concern” or otherwise falls below the cap on employee headcount) an applicant must count all of its employees and the employees of its U.S. and foreign affiliates, absent a waiver of or an exception to the affiliation rules. SBA’s guidance also made clear that it would only enforce this rule prospectively, i.e., for applications made on or after May 5, 2020. On Jan. 8, 2021, SBA announced the availability of a second round of PPP loans, known as the “second draw” PPP loans.
The settlement credits MED-EL Corporation for cooperation under the Department of Justice’s Guidelines for Taking Voluntary Disclosure, Cooperation and Remediation into Account in False Claims Act Matters.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and Wendell Davis, General Counsel for the Small Businesses Administration made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles B. Weinograd of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the case.
Louisiana man charged in Jefferson County violent crime spree that included carjackings, a shooting, and a convenience store attempted robberyRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Sunset, Louisiana, man has been charged with federal violations related to a violent crime spree in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Bracelon Armon Charles, 22, was named in a six-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with two counts of carjacking, two counts of brandishing or using a firearm during a violent crime, and Hobbs Act robbery.
The indictment alleges that in October of 2023, Charles and a juvenile, engaged in a violent crime spree that included the attempted carjacking of a vehicle in Beaumont, the shooting of the vehicle’s owner, another carjacking in Port Arthur, and an attempted robbery of a convenience store in Beaumont.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
If convicted, Charles faces up to 30 years in federal prison.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Beaumont Police Department; the Port Arthur Police Department; and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tommy Coleman.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Local doctor pleads guilty to making false statements related to 1989 rapeRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – A Sycamore Township man whose DNA implicated him in a 1989 rape pleaded guilty today to making false statements to federal agents.
Frederick Louis Tanzer, 66, admitted to three counts of the crime, each punishable by up to five years in prison.
Tanzer’s plea documents detail that on Aug. 1, 1989, Tanzer broke into a victim’s home in Cincinnati and violently raped the victim over the course of five and a half hours. Tanzer, masked and dressed from head to toe in black Lycra, held a knife to the victim’s throat, dragged her into her bedroom, blindfolded her with surgical tape, bound her hands and feet to her bed frame, and then repeatedly raped her vaginally, anally and orally.
In 2024, the FBI, working with the Cincinnati Police Department, confirmed Tanzer’s DNA matched the semen left by the victim’s attacker in 1989.
When approached about the rape, the defendant made several materially false statements to a federal agent and a Cincinnati Police Department detective, including denying having seen or interacted with the victim on the date she was raped.
Tanzer was arrested in December 2024 and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cincinnati Division; and Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa A. Theetge announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Michael J. Newman. The IRS-Criminal Investigation Cincinnati Field Office assisted in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly K. Rossi and Julie D. Garcia are representing the United States in this case.
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Las Vegas Man Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison for $1.4 Million Cannabis and Restaurant Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Elias Ghanem II, who previously resided in Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced by United States District Judge Gary R. Brown to 84 months’ imprisonment for engaging in a fraudulent scheme to solicit investments in purported cannabis and restaurant entities and defrauding investors of approximately $1.4 million. The Court also ordered Ghanem to pay approximately $1.4 million in restitution to the victims of his crimes. Ghanem pleaded guilty to wire fraud in February 2025.
The sentence was announced by Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI).
“Today, the defendant received just punishment for defrauding more than a dozen investors, including a retired law enforcement officer whose arm was amputated due to gunshot wounds,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Our Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue justice for victims of financial crime who fall prey to individuals like Ghanem who advance their greedy desires at the expense of others.”
“Elias Ghanem shamelessly stole more than one million dollars from investors of his companies to fund personal purchases,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia. “Ghanem prioritized selfish greed and preyed on the wallets of his victims. The FBI will never tolerate any individual who utilizes lies and deceit to enrich themselves.”
According to court filings and the defendant’s admissions, between approximately September 2018 through October 2019, Ghanem solicited approximately $1 million from investors in Viva Capital Ventures, LLC (Viva), a purported cannabis distribution and manufacturing company that Ghanem claimed to operate. One of Ghanem’s Viva investors was a retired police officer who invested around $280,000 he received after he was shot multiple times during an armored car robbery, which led to his arm being amputated. Although Ghanem told the Viva investors that he would use their monies for business-related expenses such as those related to applications for cannabis distribution licenses in various states, Ghanem never applied for such licenses and instead diverted nearly $1 million to fund a lavish lifestyle, including the purchase of a luxury waterfront home in Babylon, New York, and for personal expenses, including the partial repayment of a personal loan, and payments of restitution obligations that were imposed to resolve prior criminal charges against him in Nevada.
In a second scheme, Ghanem solicited approximately $400,000 from investors in the Friends and Family Hospitality Group (FFHG), a purported restaurant entity that Ghanem claimed he operated. Although Ghanem told the investors that he would use their funds to finance the establishment of a New York City restaurant, he instead used approximately $200,000 to purchase jewelry and lease a Florida condominium. In response to demands for repayment, Ghanem issued one of the FFHG investors a series of checks that bounced for insufficient funds.
The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Bradley T. King and Andrew Wang are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Samantha Schroder and Legal Assistant Danielle Casey.
The Defendant:
ELIAS GHANEM II
Age: 38
Las Vegas, NevadaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-520 (S-1) (GRB)
Las Vegas Man Sentenced to over Six Years in Prison for Role in Fentanyl Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas resident was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Anne R. Traum to 80 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release for his role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. The government recommended a prison sentence of 110 months.
According to court documents, from February 2023 to March 2023, Michael Anthony Rivas distributed and sold fentanyl as part of a conspiracy in the Las Vegas area. He and co-defendant Crystal Fawn Hoag sold approximately 693 grams of fentanyl (approximately 8,500 fentanyl pills).
During the execution of a search warrant at Hoag and Rivas’ joint residence, law enforcement recovered a black Smith & Wesson firearm, a Black Xd Springfield Arms firearm, and a black and tan Taurus firearm. Additionally, approximately 67 grams of counterfeit M30 pills containing suspected fentanyl and approximately 113 grams of methamphetamine were also recovered.
Both Hoag and Rivas were disqualified from owning or possessing a firearm based on their prior felony convictions.
Fentanyl presents a significant and growing danger to our community and our children. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine, and only a few milligrams of this chemical compound equivalent to a few grains of table salt are enough to cause a fatal overdose in adults or children.
Acting United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada, Deputy Special Agent in Charge Anthony Chrysanthis for DEA’s Los Angeles Division, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Nathaniel Holland for the FBI Las Vegas Division made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the DEA and FBI. Assistant United States Attorneys Brenna Bush and Steven Rose prosecuted the case.
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Lancaster Man Found Guilty of Shooting Victim to Death During Inglewood Marijuana DealRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An Antelope Valley man was found guilty by a jury today of shooting a victim to death during a marijuana deal in Inglewood in 2021.
Leandrew Raglin, 22, of Lancaster, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), one count of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of possessing, using, carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of, and one count of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, resulting in death constituting murder.
According to evidence presented at an eight-day trial, Raglin and co-defendants Mateo Paul, 23, of Long Beach, Iysis Elanore Smith, 22, of Inglewood, agreed to rob a marijuana dealer at gunpoint. They devised a plan to lure the dealer via a social media application to a meeting location, where they would ambush him at gunpoint and steal his marijuana.
On March 15, 2021, Smith approached the vehicle occupied by the victim. While Smith distracted the victim, Paul and Raglin parked behind the victim’s vehicle. Raglin then exited the vehicle Paul was driving, approached the passenger side of the victim’s car and opened fire, repeatedly wounding the victim in the passenger seat. Raglin then walked around to the driver’s side of the vehicle and opened fire, fatally wounding the victim in the driver’s seat of the vehicle.
United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha scheduled a March 13, 2026, sentencing hearing, at which time Raglin, who has been in federal custody since October 2023, will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Paul pleaded guilty on February 18 to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act) and one count of brandishing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Paul, who has been in custody since November 2023, is scheduled to be sentenced on September 26. Smith also has pleaded guilty to felony robbery charges in this case.
Both Paul and Smith face potential sentences of life in federal prison.
The FBI and the Inglewood Police Department investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Chelsea Norell of the Major Crimes Section and Gregg Marmaro of the Major Frauds Section are prosecuting this case.
Kauai Man Sentenced to over 29 Years’ Imprisonment for Extortion, Drug Trafficking, and Carrying a FirearmRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that David Borges, 43, of Koloa, was sentenced yesterday in federal court by Senior United States District Judge Helen Gillmor to 352 months’ imprisonment followed by 5 years’ supervised release on his guilty pleas to charges of extortion, conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, and distributing a mixture of fentanyl and cocaine. Borges has been detained since he was transferred to federal custody from the State of Hawaii on March 9, 2023.
According to court records, during separate incidents on Kauai during December 26 and 27, 2021, Borges and codefendant Albert Bactad, 49, of Lihue, extorted and stole from two men $2,500 cash, drugs, a firearm, and an automobile. During the crimes, Borges and Bactad assaulted both victims, one of whom sustained facial injuries requiring surgery, threatened the victims with firearms, abducted one of the victims, and held the other for ransom. Borges also engaged in drug trafficking on Kauai, including possessing with intent to distribute 9 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded firearm on April 26, 2022, conspiring with Denise Kalani, 62, of Lihue, to distribute 1,100 grams of methamphetamine and 50 grams of fentanyl from July 17, 2022 to August 5, 2022, and distributing a mixture of fentanyl and cocaine to four men on January 26, 2023.
“Borges and his confederates have been a dangerous menace to our community – plaguing it with drugs and violence – and today’s lengthy sentence is a resounding affirmation of our solemn commitment to convicting and punishing those who profit through the pain and misery deadly drugs like crystal methamphetamine bring to our islands. Today’s sentence finally brings an end to the reign of terror Borges and his confederates brought to the people of Hawaii,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “We will continue to work tirelessly with our dedicated law enforcement partners at the FBI, ATF, and Kauai Police Department to root out those who endanger and victimize our communities.”
“Mr. Borges led a violent narcotics trafficking organization; his crimes significantly contributed to the ongoing drug epidemic facing America and plaguing our island communities. This sentencing marks a crucial victory in the ongoing fight to protect our citizens from deadly drugs and violence,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “The FBI—standing in resolve with our local, state, and federal partners—will continue to use every available resource to dismantle these dangerous criminal organizations and bring their members to justice.”
“There is an undeniable link between drug dealing and gun violence, and Mr. Borges’s possession of firearms and dealer quantities of meth and fentanyl posed an exceedingly dangerous risk to our community,” said ATF Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais. “I commend our ATF special agents and law enforcement partners for remaining steadfast in their com mitment to disrupting the sources of drugs in our communities and keeping firearms out of the hands of violent criminals. This sentence reflects the seriousness of Mr. Borges’s actions, and our citizens are now safer with him behind bars.”
“This conviction represents a major step forward in protecting our community from the devastation caused by drugs and violence,” said Chief Kalani Ke, Kauai Police Department. “For years, this individual has terrorized our island, putting our families and neighborhoods at risk. We thank our federal partners for their strong support in this case, which demonstrates how collaboration leads to substantial results and holds those who endanger our community accountable. Together, we remain committed to safeguarding the people of Kauai and will continue our mission to keep dangerous individuals off our streets.”
Borges is the last defendant in his cases to be sentenced, and his codefendants were sentenced as follows:
- On March 13, 2025, Albert Bactad was sentenced to 168 months’ imprisonment and 3 years’ supervised release on his guilty plea to a charge of extortion.
- On April 8, 2025, Kalani was sentenced to 63 months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ supervised release on her guilty plea to a charge of conspiring with Borges to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.
- On September 9, 2024, Wayne Inouye, 49, of Lihue, was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment and 3 years’ supervised release on his guilty plea to a charge of conspiring to obstruct justice arising from his efforts on behalf of Albert Bactad to secure false written statements from the two victims extorted by Borges and Bactad.
- On September 5, 2024, Robin Takiguchi, 54, of Lihue, was sentenced to 46 months’ imprisonment and 3 years’ supervised release on his guilty plea to a charge of conspiring to obstruct justice arising from his efforts on behalf of Albert Bactad to secure false written statements from the two victims extorted by Borges and Bactad.
- On March 12, 2025, Mahina Bactad, 29, of Kapaa, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment and 3 years’ supervised release on her guilty plea to a charge of conspiring to obstruct justice arising from her efforts on behalf of Albert Bactad to secure false written statements from the two victims extorted by Borges and Bactad.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Kauai Police Department with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig S. Nolan prosecuted the case.
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Arkansas Division of Correction to Improve Medical Care and Mobility ServicesRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department announced an agreement with the Arkansas Division of Correction (ADOC) to provide necessary medical care and mobility services to disabled inmates of ADOC’s Ouachita River Unit prison facility, as required by Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
“Public entities, including correctional facilities, must comply with the ADA by providing facilities and programs that are accessible to people with disabilities,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to enforcing the ADA to ensure equal access for all Americans.”
The Ouachita River Unit is a maximum, medium, and minimum-security prison facility, located in Malvern, Arkansas, with a capacity for 1,782 inmates. It also includes a Special Needs Unit, which provides beds, hospital services, and sheltered living for inmates categorized as having special needs, including elderly, chronically ill, and acutely ill inmates. At a Sept. 3 public Board of Corrections meeting, the ADOC’s Board of Corrections reviewed and approved the agreement without objection.
Under the agreement, ADOC will: (1) remove barriers to access for inmates with mobility disabilities in different areas of the prison, including cells, toilet rooms, showers, medical facilities, and dining halls; (2) make sure shower water is cool enough to avoid scalding paralyzed inmates who cannot feel their skin burning; (3) ensure inmates with disabilities are provided with medically necessary equipment and durable medical equipment such as trapeze bars, transfer boards, or patient lifts for transferring from a wheelchair to another surface including a bed or toilet; and (4) provide adequate care and treatment such as wound care and adequate catheter care.
To learn more about the Civil Rights Division visit www.justice.gov/crt, and to report possible violations of federal civil rights laws go to www.civilrights.justice.gov. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TTY 1-833-610-1264) or visit www.ada.gov.
Jury Finds Man Guilty of First-Degree Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ovideo Flores-Lemus was convicted of two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
The verdict, which took place today, was returned by the jury after a multi-day trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Danya Dayson scheduled sentencing for November 14, 2025.
According to the evidence and testimony presented at trial, between 2020 and 2021 the defendant, who was the victim’s supervisor at the commercial custodial company they both worked for, cornered the victim in the bathroom during her cleaning shift and forcibly raped her on three separate occasions. The jury convicted Flores-Lemus for two of those encounters.
Flores-Lemus faces a maximum statutory sentence of thirty years for each first-degree sexual abuse count. The defendant would be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life when released.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys LaVater Massie-Banks and Sarah Folse.
Hillsboro Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Child and CyberstalkingRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— A Hillsboro man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison Thursday afternoon after pleading guilty to sexually exploiting a child and cyberstalking.
According to court documents, Jorge Rosales, 29, met a young child who lived outside of the United States on “Musical.ly,” an online social media application that later became TikTok. After interacting with the child online, Rosales convinced the child to send him sexually explicit images and videos. Once he received those files, Rosales demanded more, threatening to send the sexually explicit images to the child’s family and friends. Rosales stalked the child online for months on TikTok and Snapchat, harassing the child and the child's online friends using various social media accounts he created.
Investigators with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at Rosales’s residence, seizing various electronic devices. Searches of those devices revealed a cache of child pornography that included videos depicting the child Rosales had exploited online. The searches also revealed some of the social media accounts Rosales used to exploit and stalk the child.
This case was investigated by HSI, with assistance from law enforcement officers in the child’s country of residence and the Hillsboro Police Department. It was prosecuted by Gary Sussman, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
This case was brought in collaboration with Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Hazleton City Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Hector Alvarez, age 37, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison by Senior United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, on February 3, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted surveillance at a residence located in Hazle Township, Pennsylvania, and observed Alvarez leave the location carrying a grocery bag. Officers followed Avarez as he drove away and witnessed him throw the grocery bag into a garbage can from the window of his car. Officers retrieved the bag and observed empty vacuum sealed bags consistent with packaging kilogram quantities of methamphetamine. Officers attempted to pull Alvarez over, but Alvarez ignored emergency alerts and drove to his residence located on McKinley Street, in Hazleton. Alvarez fled from his vehicle but was eventually caught and arrested by police after a short foot pursuit. Officers located a box Alvarez discarded during his flight which contained 600 glassine packets of fentanyl.
Officers seized additional glassine packets of fentanyl stamped with the same symbols of the fentanyl from Alvarez’s vehicle. Officers also searched the Hazle Township residence and seized 26 kilograms of pure methamphetamine, 90 grams of fentanyl, and 37 grams of cocaine base (crack).
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Luzerne Cunty Drug Task Force, and the Hazleton City Police Department. Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
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Harlan Man Convicted of Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky.- A Harlan, Ky., man was convicted on Thursday by a federal jury in London for producing child pornography.
After 45 minutes of deliberation following a two-day trial, the jury convicted 42-year-old Brandon Farley of two counts of production of child pornography.
According to testimony at trial, Farley sexually abused a minor that was in his care and took photos of that abuse.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Division; and Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police jointly announced the conviction.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and KSP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Blankenship is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Farley is scheduled to be sentenced on January 7, 2026. He faces a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing a sentence.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Guyanese man arrested, charged with escapeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Andre Ali, 27, a citizen and national of Guyana, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with escape from custody, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Smith, who is handling the case, stated that in the early morning hours of September l, 2025, at the Rainbow Bridge Port of Entry in Niagara Falls, NY, Customs and Border Protection officers encountered Ali, who was driving a vehicle that made a wrong turn onto the bridge, coming from the United States. Ali did not have an identity document and was escorted to secondary inspection, during which it was determined that he was unlawfully present in the United States. Ali was admitted to the United States in April 2018, as a visitor and was authorized to remain for a temporary period, not to exceed October 15, 2018.
Ali was handcuffed and escorted to a secure room to await his administrative processing. A short time later, an officer opened the door to the secure room to tell Ali that he was being detained and must see a judge. Less than a minute after the officer left the area, Ali climbed on top of a bench in the secure room and proceeded to climb into the ceiling cavity. A short time later, he fell through the ceiling in the room directly adjacent to the secure room, where he crawled under a shelf. Officers quickly noticed Ali had escaped and retook physical control.
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.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by Customs and Border protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Guilty Plea for the 2020 Daytime Murder in front of the Benco Shopping Center in SoutheastRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Antoine Turner, 32, of Washington, DC, pleaded guilty today to a charge of second-degree murder while armed for the November 29, 2020, murder of Demeitri Anderson, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Turner’s guilty plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon 20–26-year prison sentence, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The Honorable Michael Ryan accepted the factual basis for the plea and scheduled sentencing for November 7, 2025.
According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, on November 29, 2020, at approximately 12:30 p.m., the defendant, Antoine Turner, drove a rented red Nissan Versa to the 4500 block of B Street SE, Washington, D.C. where he parked the car. The defendant then walked around the block from B Street SE, to 46th Street SE, then took a left on East Capitol Street SE, and entered the rear alley behind the BENCO shopping plaza. He then walked to the front of the Ken’s Beauty Supply located in the BENCO shopping plaza at 4528 Benning Rd SE, Washington, D.C. where at approximately 12:38 p.m. the defendant approached the victim, Demeitri Anderson, from behind and shot him repeatedly in the back of the head and body. An officer was parked in a marked cruiser across the street when he heard and saw the shooting and began driving towards the defendant who ran towards the vehicle he had parked on B Street SE. As the officer approached Turner, the officer observed him with an orange hood over his head and with a gun in his hand as he ran directly in front of the officer’s car. The defendant threw the handgun to the street then got into the red Nissan and fled the scene.
Turner has been in custody since his arrest on December 3, 2020.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
This case is being investigated by officers, detectives, and other personnel of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Coronado.
Grand jury indicts Kansas man for drug traffickingRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging a Kansas man with drug trafficking.
Vicente Rodriguez, 45, of Wichita was indicted on one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katie Andrusak is prosecuting the case.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
John J. Hicks Jr, 38, of Wichita was indicted on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, one count of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, and one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ola Odeyemi is prosecuting the case.
Robert D. Veales, 31, of Wichita was indicted on one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm and two counts of prohibited person in possession of ammunition. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katie Andrusak is prosecuting the case.
Jacob Navarrette, 34, of Wichita was indicted on one count of receipt of child pornography. Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gordon is prosecuting the case.
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 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.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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Franklinton Mail Contractor Sentenced for Bank Fraud and Mail TheftRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that RACHEL WATTS SANDERS (“SANDERS”), age 39, of Loranger, Louisiana, was sentenced on August 28, 2025, to five (5) years of probation. The determination of restitution will be held at a later date. SANDERS previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, and mail theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1708.
According to court documents, while working in Franklinton Louisiana as a Postal Highway Contract Route contractor, SANDERS stole over forty checks from the mail, forged endorsements on the stolen checks, and deposited them into her own bank account. The losses totaled $22,717.66.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Christine Calogero of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
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Fourth ICE Detainee Charged with Escaping Detention Facility in Newark Appears in CourtRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – The last of four individuals charged with escaping from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, has been arrested and had his initial appearance in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Andres Felipe Pineda Mogollon, 25, of Colombia, was charged by complaint on June 13, 2025, with escape from the custody of an institution or officer. In separate complaints, Franklin Norberto Bautista Reyes, 20, of Honduras, Joan Sebastian Castaneda Lozada, 18, of Colombia, and Joel Enrrique Sandoval-Lopez, 22, of Honduras, were each charged with the same offense in connection with the same escape.
According to documents filed in this case, each defendant was detained at Delaney Hall, a privately owned detention center in Newark, New Jersey, pending immigration removal proceedings. On or about June 12, 2025, the defendants fled the facility by breaking through an aluminum second-story wall, dropping mattresses through the opening in the wall to provide a landing place on which to jump, and utilizing bed sheets to cover barbed wire in order to climb over the fence.
Castaneda Lozada, Sandoval-Lopez, and Bautista Reyes were each apprehended in New Jersey between June 15 and 16, 2025. Pineda Mogollon was apprehended on July 17, 2025, in Los Angeles, and appeared in court on August 18, 2025, in Court before the Honorable Michael A. Hammer, United States Magistrate Judge.
Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of one year imprisonment and a $100,000 fine.
Acting U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy in the Newark Field Office and Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis in the Los Angeles Field Office; officers of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, under the direction of Acting Director Todd M. Lyons; and officers of Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Hardin of the Public Protection Task Force 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: Stephen Turano, Esq.
mogollon.complaint.pdfFormer U.S. Postal Service Mail Carrier Indicted for Theft of Postal Customers’ Prescription DrugsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly stealing packages containing prescription medications from postal customers on his route.
Michael Vernon, 52, of Somerville, Mass. has been indicted on one count of theft of mail by an officer or employee. Vernon was arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in Boston at 2:45 PM today.
According to the charging document, Vernon worked as a USPS mail carrier in Waltham, Mass. From around June 2022 through January 2024, Vernon allegedly used his official position to rifle through the contents of mail entrusted to him, including packages containing prescription medication. It is alleged that Vernon stole bottles of prescription drugs intended for postal customers on his delivery route in Waltham.
The charge of theft of mail by employee provides a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam W. Deitch of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Mail Handler Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing Mail, Selling Bank InformationRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Vincent Anthony Gailliard Jr., 41, of Sumter, has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that between April 2022 and May 2023, Gailliard was employed as a mail handler at the USPS Processing and Distribution Center in Columbia. Gailliard would steal mail containing bank checks that had been mailed by individuals and businesses and take pictures of these checks with his personal cell phone. He would offer to sell an image of the check online that included the account and routing numbers. The buyer could then use the stolen information to create false and fraudulent checks which could be used in obtaining and attempting to obtain money, goods and services.
“Consumers must be able to trust those who process and deliver our mail,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “We’ll continue to prosecute those who abuse their positions of trust to defraud members of our community.”
“As a result of coordinated investigative efforts, the sentence handed down in this case will send a clear message to mail thieves that you will be vigorously pursued and brought to justice,” said Rodney M. Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “An important part of the U. S. Postal Inspection Service mission is to ensure public trust in the mail and to defend the nation’s mail system.”
Senior U.S. District Court Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr. sentenced Gailliard to 30 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Gailliard was ordered to pay $149,692.14 in restitution.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Mid-Atlantic Area Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Potterfield is prosecuting the case.
Former Boston City Councilor Sentenced to Prison for Federal Public Corruption ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Former Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for public corruption charges after receiving a $7,000 kickback from a staff member’s city funded bonus. Fernandes Anderson pocketed the cash from a staffer in a Boston City Hall bathroom.
Tania Fernandes Anderson, 46, of Boston, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Fernandes Anderson was also ordered to pay $13,000 in restitution. In May 2025, Fernandes Anderson pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds. Fernandes Anderson was indicted in December 2024.
“Tania Fernandes Anderson was elected to serve her constituents but instead, she deliberately used her elected position as a Boston City Councilor to serve herself,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “From Boston’s City Hall to the Massachusetts State House, to local and state public officials, this office will continue to aggressively root out and expose public corruption. Massachusetts taxpayers deserve an honest government and accountability. As federal prosecutors we have no fear nor favor, and there will be no blind eye or separate justice system for the powerful. The rule of law does not make exceptions for anyone, including someone like Tania Fernandes Anderson.”
“Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson let the power she wielded go to her head and routinely put herself over her constituents who trusted her to act on their behalf and for their benefit. Today’s sentence holds her accountable for flagrantly embracing a culture of fraud and deceit and brazenly pocketing taxpayer money inside a City Hall bathroom to feather her nest,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Make no mistake, the FBI will continue to investigate and bring to justice unscrupulous public officials. We simply can’t permit such corruption to go unchecked.”
“The sentencing of Tania Fernandes Anderson demonstrates that no one is above the law,” said Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “Fernandes Anderson used her position as a trusted elected official to steal from the City of Boston and the American taxpayers. IRS-CI is committed to identifying, investigating, and prosecuting all instances of public corruption, both in the Commonwealth and across New England.”
In or about 2022, Fernandes Anderson hired two members of her immediate family as salaried employees of her City Council staff, which was in violation of Massachusetts state conflict of interest law. As a result, Fernandes Anderson was required to terminate their salaried employment in or about August 2022. In May 2023, the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission notified Fernandes Anderson that it would be seeking a $5,000 civil penalty payment from her as a result of this violation.
In or about November 2022, Fernandes Anderson emailed a City of Boston employee regarding the hiring of Staff Member A – a relative of Fernandes Anderson who was not an immediate family member – as a salaried employee. In her email to the City of Boston employee, Fernandes Anderson falsely represented that she and Staff Member A were not related.
From in or about early to mid-2023, Fernandes Anderson was facing personal financial difficulty, which included the outstanding $5,000 civil penalty payment to the Ethics Commission. In or about early May 2023, Fernandes Anderson told Staff Member A that she would give them extra pay in the form of a large bonus, but that Staff Member A would have to give a portion of the bonus back to Fernandes Anderson. Staff Member A later agreed to the arrangement with Fernandes Anderson.
On May 3, 2023, Fernandes Anderson emailed a City of Boston employee instructing them to process a $13,000 bonus for Staff Member A – more than twice the total bonuses given to her other staff – without disclosing the repayment arrangement. Staff Member A deposited the check on May 26, 2023 and, following Fernandes Anderson’s instructions, made three separate cash withdrawals over the following weeks in the amounts of $3,000; $3,000; and $4,000. Following the last withdrawal on June 9, 2023, the two met in a bathroom at Boston City Hall, where Staff Member A handed Fernandes Anderson $7,000 in cash.
Additionally, in 2022 and 2023, Fernandes Anderson used funds from her campaign account for her own personal enrichment, and not for campaign-related expenses. For tax years 2021, 2022 and 2023, Fernandes Anderson also filed fraudulent federal income tax returns with the IRS. Specifically, Fernandes Anderson omitted approximately $11,000 in income that she earned from a Massachusetts-based corporation from her 2021 tax return; willfully omitted campaign funds that she used for her own personal enrichment from her 2022 and 2023 tax returns; and willfully omitted the $7,000 kickback that she received from Staff Member A from her 2023 tax return.
From January 2022 to July 2025, Fernandes Anderson served as City Councilor for Boston’s District 7, which includes Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway and part of Boston’s South End. She was first elected to a two-year term in November 2021 and won re-election in November 2023. On June 12, 2025, Fernandes Anderson tendered her resignation from Boston’s City Council, which took effect on July 4, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Foley, FBI SAC Docks and IRS Acting SAC Demeo made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Mulcahy and Dustin Chao of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted the case.
Five Romanians Sentenced for Installing ATM Skimming DevicesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Five Romanian nationals have been sentenced for installing skimming devices on St. Louis area ATMs to harvest bank account information from customers.
U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced Mihai Vlaicu, 48, and Mihai Florin Marinescu, 38, on Friday to two years in prison. Laurentiu Miguel Ivan, 34, Nelu Nae, 37, and Venera Isabelle Dumitru, 28, were sentenced to the time that they already spent in federal custody while awaiting trial. All will likely be deported when they complete any prison time they receive in their St. Louis case and any pending cases elsewhere in the country.
All five pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. A sixth person indicted in the case, Ianus Nita, 53, has not yet been arrested.
Around January of 2024, Vlaicu and Marinescu began installing skimming devices in the St. Louis area. They installed them on at least two bank ATMs, one in Clayton and one in Frontenac and began using cloned cards to try and withdraw cash. Marinescu unsuccessfully tried to install a skimming device on an ATM in south St. Louis County, and then successfully installed one on an ATM in Wildwood. On May 28, Marinescu and Nae installed a skimming device on an ATM in St. Louis, but law enforcement found and removed it.
The conspirators were using an Airbnb in St. Louis County as a base. Investigators found a laptop computer containing hundreds of videos of customers entering their PINs at ATMs outfitted with a skimming device. They also found skimming devices, installation tools, a large amount of cash and numerous gift cards at the rented residence.
The conspirators were successful in stealing about $5,200 from 11 victims. Judge Pitlyk ordered them to repay the money.
The FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Webster Groves Police Department, the Clayton Police Department and the Frontenac Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll prosecuted the case.
Federal Prisoner Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Assaulting Correctional OfficerRead the Press Release
Hewer Berlany Santos, 30, of Los Angeles, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dena M. Coggins to 21 months in prison for assaulting a federal officer, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, on Aug. 21, 2023, Santos intentionally struck a federal correctional officer in the face while he was working at a federal prison in Herlong in Lassen County. The correctional officer sustained cuts and abrasions to his face which necessitated medical attention.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Haddy Abouzeid prosecuted the case.
Federal Jury Convicts LeFlore County Resident on Two Counts of Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that Kenny Ray Smith, age 62, of Whitesboro, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a federal jury of two counts of Distribution of Methamphetamine.
The jury trial began with testimony on September 2, 2025, and concluded on September 4, 2025, with the guilty verdicts.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on two separate occasions, Smith was responsible for the sale of methamphetamine during the course of two undercover drug operations. The Government presented evidence that on June 27, 2024, Smith conducted a sale for 27.85 grams of methamphetamine in a controlled buy during an undercover investigation by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN). The Government also presented evidence that on July 9, 2024, Smith conducted a sale for 52.9 grams of methamphetamine in a controlled buy during an undercover investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the OBN.
The guilty verdicts were the result of investigations by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, the District 16 District Attorney’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. The sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Smith was remanded into the custody of the United States Marshals until sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan Howanitz and Dak T. Cohen represented the United States.
Federal Inmate Sentenced to 45 Months in Prison for Assault with A Dangerous WeaponRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Zachary O’Meara, age 28, an inmate at the United States Penitentiary Canaan, was sentenced on September 3, 2025, to 45 months’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Julia K. Munley, for assault with a dangerous weapon.
According to the Acting United States Attorney John Gurganus, on September 24, 2024, O’Meara stabbed another inmate multiple times in the head with an inmate-manufactured weapon. The victim sustained six lacerations to the back of his head and one laceration to his right temple that required surgical sutures. The weapon, commonly referred to as a “shank,” was recovered by prison officials following the assault. The weapon measured five inches in length and was constructed of melted plastic with a sharpened metal tip on one end.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)—Scranton Office. Assistant United States Attorney Tatum R. Wilson prosecuted the case.
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Eureka Springs Man Sentenced to More Than 16 Years in Prison for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Eureka Springs man was sentenced on today to 196 months in federal prison to be followed by 25 years of supervised release for distributing child pornography. The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing, which was held in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, Seth Alexander Burns, age 24, used an online social media platform to distribute child pornography to multiple users. Burns’ crime came to light after a CyberTip was submitted to a Homeland Security Investigations taskforce officer by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. When interviewed by HSI TFO’s, Burns admitted to creating multiple social media accounts to distribute and receive child pornography, including files of pre-pubescent children.
Burns was indicted by a Grand Jury in the Western District of Arkansas in November of 2024 and entered a plea of guilty in February of 2025.
U.S. Attorney Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations Fayetteville, Eureka Springs Police Department, Harrison Police Department, Springdale Police Department, Berryville Police Department, and Fayetteville Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Still prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov.
Eugene Couple Arrested and Charged with Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
EUGENE, Ore.— Anthony D’Montrez Crawford (Crawford), 29, and Kaytlynn Ann Crawford a/k/a Alderman (Alderman), 27, of Eugene, Oregon, have been arrested and charged by criminal complaint with violations of sex trafficking of children by force, fraud, or coercion, transportation for prostitution, persuading or coercing to travel to engage in prostitution, use of an interstate facility to induce or coerce a minor to engage in prostitution, transportation of a minor for prostitution, and conspiracy.
According to the criminal complaint, Crawford forced individuals to engage in prostitution in the Eugene and Springfield area. Crawford advertised online for sexual services, coordinated prices and services with customers, rented hotel rooms for prostitution, and collected money from the victims through intimidation, threats of violence, and actual violence. Crawford also transported victims using rental cars to other cities, including Portland, to engage in these services.
Alderman facilitated Crawford’s sex trafficking criminal venture. Alderman opened a car rental account and rented vehicles for Crawford, allowed hotel bills to be paid with her bank card, and allowed payments from customers to be received through a CashApp account in her name.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Seattle rescued a minor victim who was forced to engage in prostitution there as well as in Portland and the Eugene and Springfield area. An adult victim was also identified as being forced to engage in prostitution in Portland and the Eugene and Springfield area.
Crawford and Alderman made their first appearances in federal court today. Crawford was ordered detained pending further court proceedings. Alderman was released pending further court proceedings.
The FBI is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Huynh is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought in collaboration with 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
If you or someone you know are victims of human trafficking or have information about a potential human trafficking situation, please call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733. NHTRC is a national, toll-free hotline, with specialists available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also submit a tip on the NHTRC website.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Ecuadorian man pleads guilty, sentenced for illegal re-entryRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.–U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today Segundo Juan Maynato-Guaman, a/k/a Segundo Juan Mainato-Guaman, 46, a citizen of Ecuador, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. to re-entry of a removed alien. He was then sentenced to time served and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Testani, who handled the case, stated that on June 25, 2025, Rochester Border Patrol Agents conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle that Maynato-Guaman was driving at the intersection of Brockport-Spencerport Road and Washington Street. When asked for citizenship, he responded, “Ecuador.” Maynato-Guaman voluntarily presented the agent with a New York State identification card which displayed the name Segundo Mainato-Guaman. When asked if he was present in the United States illegally, Maynato-Guaman replied, “yes, I do not have any documents.” A subsequent records check determined that in December 2009, Maynato-Guaman was physically removed from the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The plea and sentencing are the result of an investigation by U.S. Border Patrol, under the direction of Patrol Agent-in-Charge Juan Ramirez, Jr.
Drug Trafficker Unlawfully Residing in the United States Sentenced to Federal Prison for His Leading Role in Distributing Fentanyl and Heroin and Laundering Millions in Drug ProceedsRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— Luis Antonio Beltran Arredondo, 35, a Mexican National residing in Las Vegas, was sentenced today to 135 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute fentanyl and heroin in Oregon, and for conspiring to launder drug proceeds through a Tualatin Beauty Salon. Arredondo is expected to be deported following his prison sentence.
According to court documents, in the fall of 2021, special agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Portland began investigating a drug trafficking organization suspected of transporting counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl and heroin from California into Oregon and Washington for distribution. Between October 2021 and February 2022, agents interdicted couriers and seized drugs and proceeds from locations across three states. In sum, agents seized approximately 41 pounds of methamphetamine, 26 kilograms of heroin, 115,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, as well as more than $348,000 in cash.
A parallel financial investigation led by Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) revealed that Arredondo and his fiancé, Jacqueline Paola Rodriguez Barrientos, laundered money generated by the drug trafficking organization through the Mazatlán Beauty Salon in Tualatin, Oregon and by buying real estate that they converted into income-generating rentals. The real estate purchases were made with cashier’s checks funded by large cash deposits. Bank records showed that Barrientos made frequent cash deposits ranging from $10,000 to more than $373,000 into accounts held in her name or the name of her salon. These deposits totaled more than $3.5 million during a 9-month period in 2021.
Since February 2021, members of the drug trafficking organization purchased a total of nine residential properties in Oregon, Washington, and Nevada, mortgage free, totaling more than $4.6 million in value. Arredondo directed the purchase of these properties with laundered funds. Barrientos then used third-party property management companies to rent these properties and earned approximately $10,000 per month in rental income.
On February 17, 2022, DEA agents arrested Arredondo and Barrientos at their Las Vegas residence. Agents found and seized two luxury vehicles, several loose receipts documenting high-end retail purchases, credit card statements documenting more than $16,000 spent on tickets to attend a professional boxing match, and other evidence memorializing the couple’s high-end lifestyle.
On June 2, 2025, Arredondo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl and to conspiracy to launder drug proceeds.
Arredondo is the 12th and final member of the drug trafficking organization charged in this case to be sentenced. Barrientos was sentenced in October 2024, and is currently serving a sentence in federal prison for her role in laundering the organization’s drug proceeds.
The government has sought forfeiture on all nine residential properties used to launder the drug money. Five of the properties have been forfeited and sold. Four of the properties remain in forfeiture proceedings.
This case was investigated by DEA with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, IRS-CI, Tigard Police Department, and Oregon State Police. It is being prosecuted by Peter D. Sax, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. Forfeiture proceedings are being handled by Katie De Villiers, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Dominican National Sentenced for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national unlawfully residing in Lawrence was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Eddy Antonio Perdomo, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to time served (approximately four months in prison). The defendant is now subject to deportation proceedings. In July 2025, Perdomo pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Perdomo was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2025.
Perdomo was deported from the United States to the Dominican Republic on Oct. 3, 2023. Sometime after his October 2023 removal, Perdomo illegally reentered the United States without permission.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Lawrence Police Chief Maurice Aguiler made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
District of Arizona Charges 218 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from August 30, 2025, through September 5, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 218 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 100 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 107 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed cases against 11 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), 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).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Jose Uriel Meraz-Aguilar: On September 3, 2025, Jose Uriel Meraz-Aguilar, 20, a citizen of Mexico, was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On September 1, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered Meraz-Aguilar south of Dateland, Arizona, after he entered the United States near Monument 179 with three other individuals. The group, wearing camouflage and carpet shoes, attempted to travel north through the desert toward Interstate 8, but became separated. Two members of the group were rescued and received medical treatment for dehydration and heat exhaustion. Agents learned that Meraz-Aguilar was being paid to serve as a foot guide for the Salazares Cartel, and that he had left the individuals behind in the desert on cartel instructions. [Case Number: 25-MJ-1860]
United States v. Edwuin Lucino Hernandez-Cordero: On September 4, 2025, Edwuin Lucino Hernandez-Cordero, a citizen of Mexico, was charged by criminal complaint with Conspiracy to Transport an Illegal Alien. Hernandez-Cordero had previously been pulled over in July 2025 while transporting five illegal aliens. Subsequent investigation linked Hernandez-Cordero to stash houses in Glendale and Phoenix run by a human smuggling organization. Hernandez-Cordero and his associates were identified as drivers and caretakers involved in transporting illegal aliens throughout the United States for profit. [Case Number: 25-MJ-6386]
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).
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-144_August September 5 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Defendants Indicted for Directing Kidnappings, Bombings, and Killings OverseasRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A federal grand jury has returned an eight-count indictment charging naturalized U.S. citizens Benedict Nwana Kuah, 51, and Pascal Kikishy Wongbi, 52, with organizing, directing, and financing kidnappings, bombings, and killings in their native country, the Republic of Cameroon.
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. In addition, Kuah is 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.
According to the indictment, the defendants are leaders of the self-proclaimed Ambazonia Defense Forces (ADF), a group of armed fighters seeking to create a new country called “Ambazonia” in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon. Kuah is the Chairman of the ADF’s so-called War Council. Wongbi is the Head of Defense, Department of Logistics and Human Resources of the War Council. The defendants directed “fighters” to kidnap, bomb, and kill ordinary civilians, government officials, and members of the Cameroonian security forces in order to coerce the Cameroonian Government into recognizing their legitimacy. Both defendants were actively involved in planning, financing, and directing attacks to intimidate and coerce the civilian population and to unlawfully influence the policy and conduct of the Cameroonian government.
“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. “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.”
“The ADF used terror and coercion to torment civilians and threaten the government of Cameroon. The alleged actions of Kuah and Wongbi directed and funded that death, destruction, and terror,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “These arrests underline the strength of the FBI’s partnerships across the federal government and send the clear message that the U.S. will not be a safe harbor for criminals. Across the U.S. and beyond our shores, U.S. citizens who engage in campaigns of kidnapping, bombing, and murder will be found and brought to justice.”
According to the indictment, beginning in 2017, the defendants directed and financed attacks and kidnappings in Cameroon. The defendants sent thousands of dollars to fighters for the purpose of purchasing weapons and ammunition and directed fighters to conduct attacks that resulted in deaths.
On April 30, 2022, the fighters kidnapped a civilian government official from Cameroon’s Northwest Region. Wongbi advocated for killing the official immediately. The fighters forced the official to read a statement denouncing Cameroon and proclaiming loyalty to Ambazonia. Kuah then worked with others to publish a propaganda video that incorporated the statement and demanded that the Government of Cameroon release prisoners in exchange for the government official’s release. Several days later, Kuah appeared in a video on the ADF’s YouTube channel in which he announced that the kidnapped official had been “condemned to death.” While the official was in captivity, co-conspirators accused the official of not supporting the separatist movement and instructed the fighters not to release her until they gave the order. The official was rescued by the Cameroonian military following a month in captivity. Kuah later appeared in a propaganda video lamenting that the official had not been killed.
In January 2023, Kuah and another leader planned and oversaw an attempt to kill the civilian governor of Cameroon’s Northwest Region, which they dubbed “Operation Rattlesnake.” While co-conspirators sent funding for the attack, Kuah reviewed photos of the proposed attack site and the attack plan and instructed the fighters about the construction and placement of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
On the date of the attack, the fighters deployed the IEDs, causing the governor’s convoy to divert, but failing to kill the governor.
In February 2023, the group’s leader directed fighters to bomb the Mount Cameroon Race for Hope, an annual footrace held in the Southwest Region. Kuah sent funds from his personal bank account to finance the attack and fighters sent photographs of the completed IEDs. On February 25, 2023, the fighters detonated the IED at the race, injuring 19 people.
On October 4, 2023, conspirators murdered two unarmed civilians in the market square in Guzang, a town in the Northwest Region. Prior to the killings, Kuah and Wongbi had repeatedly instructed members to kill civilians who were believed to be cooperating with the Government of Cameroon. After the killings, the group’s spokesman publicly confirmed that the men were killed because they had allegedly provided information to Cameroonian forces. Wongbi then appeared in a propaganda video threatening that other cooperators would meet the same fate.
On February 11, 2024, conspirators detonated an IED at a Youth Day celebration in Nkambe, in the Northwest Region. The attack injured dozens of civilians, mostly children, and killed a 15-year-old girl. Prior to the IED attack, Kuah distributed an operational plan for attacks, which included the attack against Youth Day celebrations in Nkambe. Additionally, Kuah approved the purchase of dynamite, a fuse, and a remote, for use in the attack.
In addition to planning and directing attacks like the ones described above, the defendants raised money and sent thousands of dollars to fighters for weapons, ammunition, explosives, and other supplies. For example, in 2017 and 2018, Kuah and Wongbi personally sent fighters thousands of dollars to buy materials for attacks. Then, in 2021, the defendants began to raise funds for the group through social media platforms. Through an internet site called “The Takeover Fund” the defendants solicited donations and raised funds for weapons. Kuah also appeared in videos on social media platforms in which he requested donations for explosives. In October 2022, Kuah announced the launch of a new fund-raising campaign called “Operation 200AKs,” which was designed to arm fighters with AK-47 assault rifles. Kuah appeared in multiple videos requesting donations for Operation 200 AKs, and accounts controlled by the conspirators received numerous donations, many of which specified that the funds were to be used for weapons and ammunition. Conspirators directed members to send the funds to fighters in Cameroon, often in support specific planned attacks.
Kuah and Wongbi were arrested this morning in the District of Minnesota and made their initial appearances this afternoon. Kuah and Wongbi are detained pending detention hearings set for September 10, 2025 (Kuah) and September 11, 2025 (Wongbi). If convicted, the defendants face a statutory maximum penalty of life in prison.
These cases result from an investigation conducted by the FBI, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Roso and Trial Attorney Brian Morgan of the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) are prosecuting the case, and 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.
Dauphin County Man Sentenced to 29 Years’ Imprisonment for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Michael Boyd Damgaard, age 37, of Dauphin, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 29 years’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Keli M. Neary for producing child pornography. Judge Neary also ordered Damgaard to serve 15 years on supervised release after he is released from prison.
According to the Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, between April and June 2020, Damgaard contacted two adolescent girls aged 14 and 15 via online platforms and, after learning the girls’ ages, engaged in illegal sexual activity with them. Damgaard created videos and other digital images of his sexual acts with one of the victims and enticed both victims to send him sexually explicit images via online messaging platforms.
On September 25, 2024, Damgaard pleaded guilty to producing child pornography. and as part of a plea agreement admitted to committing all the offenses charged in the federal indictment, including producing, receiving, and possessing child pornography, and coercing and enticing minors to engage in illicit sexual activity.
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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Cuba Man Sentenced to Prison for Fatal Shooting and Highway ChaseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Cuba man was sentenced to eight years in prison for shooting into a vehicle during a highway chase resulting in the killing a 14-year-old passenger.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, May 16, 2022, Rodgerick Tsosie, 32, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, chased a vehicle carrying several occupants along New Mexico Highway 197 near Torreon. Tsosie had been called to break up a fight between the driver of the vehicle, John Doe 2, and other family members. As he pulled alongside the vehicle, Tsosie fired once towards John Doe 2 but inadvertently struck John Doe 1, his 14-year-old nephew, in the head. Despite efforts by an off-duty EMT, ambulance, and medivac crew, John Doe 1 was pronounced dead that evening at a hospital in Santa Fe.
Law enforcement from the Navajo Nation Police Department, Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office, and FBI responded to the scene. Witnesses identified Tsosie’s vehicle, and multiple occupants immediately told authorities he was the shooter. Tsosie later admitted to firing a shot, stating, “I guess I’ll take the fall for it.”
Tsosie pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Upon his release from prison, Tsosie will be subject to five 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 FBI’s Albuquerque Violent Crime Task Force investigated this case with assistance from the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office and the Navajo Nation Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Probasco prosecuted the case.
Couple Sentenced for Bank Fraud Scheme and Theft from Tesuque Pueblo Gas StationRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Two Chimayo women were sentenced to prison for a bank fraud scheme that spanned more than two years and for breaking into a Tesuque Pueblo gas station.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, between January 2020 and August 2022, Angelica Dominguez, 41, and her wife Billy Jo Gussler, 44, carried out a bank fraud scheme that involved stealing and fraudulently cashing checks intended for other people. The scheme caused more than $40,000 in actual loss.
While engaged in this scheme, the pair also burglarized a Tesuque Pueblo gas station in May 2022, breaking a glass door to enter and stealing lottery tickets and cigarettes. They were linked to the theft when Dominguez tried to cash stolen lottery tickets the next day. The burglary caused nearly $2,500 in losses, including property damage.
Neither Dominguez nor Gussler is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe.
Dominguez and Gussler both pled guilty to one count of theft in Indian Country and seven counts of bank fraud. Dominguez was sentenced to 33 months’ imprisonment for her role in these offenses, and Gussler was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment. Upon their release from prison, Dominguez and Gussler will each be subject to three years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison made the announcement today.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated the theft case with assistance from the Tesuque Tribal Police and Quay County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the fraud case with the assistance of the Santa Fe Police Department, Espanola Police Department, and New Mexico State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Meg Tomlinson and Maria Stiteler are prosecuting the cases.
Convicted Felon Charged with Arson and Destruction of Government PropertyRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Federal charges were unsealed today against Ronald Watson, a/k/a Sarah Watson, a/k/a Miranda Kyle, a/k/a Emily Smith, 28, of Kennesaw, Ga., for arson and destruction of government property. The charges stem from an attack on the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) building located in downtown Atlanta during the summer of 2020.
“The right to peacefully protest never excuses acts of violence, like smashing windows and attempting to set fire to a government building,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Anyone who perpetrates or threatens violence against federal officers or property must be identified, found, and held accountable.”
“The First Amendment does not allow individuals to commit arson or destroy property,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “The FBI will continue to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of our communities while respecting individuals’ First Amendment rights.”
“Those who attack our government institutions with fire and violence will be held accountable. Setting fire to a government building is not only an attack on bricks and mortar—it is an attack on the rule of law and the safety of our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama Steven N. Schrank. “Homeland Security Investigations, working alongside our law enforcement partners, will relentlessly pursue those who endanger lives and destroy public property. HSI remains committed to protecting the people, safeguarding government facilities, and ensuring that justice is served.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the indictment, and other information filed in court: On July 25, 2020, shortly before midnight, a crowd gathered at the Atlanta ICE building and protested outside a fenced area. At the same time, several masked individuals wearing dark clothing breached the fences and vandalized the building.
The rioters used rocks, cinder blocks, modified fireworks, Molotov cocktails, lighter fluid bottles, and other materials to cause more than $78,000 in damage. Inside the building, law enforcement found blood near a broken window and a lighter fluid bottle near an unexploded Molotov cocktail.
Although the vandals attempted to conceal their identities, law enforcement identified Watson based on evidence collected following his January 2023 felony conviction for assaulting a public safety officer in Oregon.
Prior to the attack on the ICE building, Watson posted numerous anti-ICE messages on social media, including a depiction of an ICE agent about to be struck in the head with a baseball bat. Watson also claimed on social media to have “thrown bricks, done other things not to be mentioned, . . . [and] Doxxed people” as examples of “taking action.”
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations.
If you know Watson’s whereabouts or have information that may lead to Watson’s arrest, please contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 800-CALL-FBI. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the location and arrest of Watson.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Construction Company CEO Arrested for Amassing Real Estate Empire Through $4 Million in Fraudulently Obtained Covid-19 Relief LoansRead the Press Release
A Visalia construction company CEO was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint alleging that he fraudulently obtained more than $4 million in taxpayer-funded COVID-19 relief funds and federally guaranteed small business loans, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, between April and June 2020, Joey Wayne Mackey, 45, of Visalia, submitted fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications for three of his companies: Forcum-Mackey Construction Inc., a general contractor based in Ivanhoe; JWM Inc., a purported construction consulting company for which Mackey is the sole proprietor based in Mackey’s Visalia home; and Mack Aviation LLC, a provider of refueling and hangar‑rental services for charter jets at Visalia Municipal Airport.
All three of these applications contained fraudulent numbers of employees and monthly payroll cost calculations, which caused a bank, serving as a lending partner funding the COVID-19 relief through guaranteed small business loans, to disburse $4,082,550 in funds it otherwise would not have given. Over the following months, Mackey laundered the PPP loan funds through fraudulent payroll payments to family members (including his minor children), while Mackey controlled the bank accounts of those family members. In October 2020, Mackey then pulled the funds out of the family member accounts to buy revenue-generating real estate acquisitions, such as office parks and luxury apartment complexes from which he enriched himself further through rent payments from tenants. Mackey continued making real estate investments and luxury goods purchases traceable to PPP funds through at least 2023.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General, and the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Calvin Lee and Kevin Khasigian are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Mackey faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This effort is part of a California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force operation, one of five interagency COVID-19 fraud strike force teams established by the U.S. Department of Justice. The California Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources in the Eastern and Central Districts of California and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces use prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
Carjacker Charged with Federal Crimes for Carjacking Spree that Killed Two Women and Injured a ChildRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Edward Tiki Arrington, 45, was charged by complaint this morning with one count of carjacking and one count of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. Yesterday morning, Arrington engaged in a carjacking and shooting crime spree, targeting at least eight victims. Arrington crashed the vehicle he carjacked, killing two women and seriously injuring a child.
“Two young women should be alive today. Instead, their lives were cut short by a senseless crime committed by a career criminal,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “They deserved better. We all deserve better. I am weary of this endless violence. Minnesota deserves peace. We will keep fighting to restore it.”
According to the complaint, around 8 am on September 4, 2025, 911 calls began to come in about a man with a gun around 334 Lake Street East in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Edward Tiki Arrington, also known as Troy Mike Payton, was the gunman.
Arrington was driving erratically towards Lake Street that morning. He was speeding, swerving into oncoming traffic, and driving on the sidewalk. Arrington drove his red SUV through a red light and crashed into another car, a white Infiniti SUV.
Arrington got out of his red SUV and ran towards the other car, pointing a gun at the driver. Arrington tried to open the door of the white Infiniti, but the driver accelerated and was able to get away from Arrington.
Arrington then ran towards another car, a black Volkswagen Passat. Again, Arrington brandished his firearm at the driver. Arrington carjacked the driver, a second victim. He ordered the driver out of her car at gunpoint, got into the black Passat, and drove the car against traffic.
Arrington drove the black Passat back to his red SUV. Arrington tried to remove two dogs from his red SUV. He was eventually able to get the dogs into the carjacked Passat.
As this was happening, a black Jeep approached the intersection. Arrington pointed his gun at a third victim, the driver of the black Jeep. The driver ducked and she was able to accelerate away.
Arrington then ran up to a fourth victim, a woman walking on foot on Lake Street. Arrington ran up to the pedestrian and pointed his gun at her. The pedestrian put her hands up. Arrington grabbed her hands and demanded to know where her guns were. The pedestrian said she didn’t have a gun. Arrington released her and ran back to the carjacked Passat.
As Arrington began to drive away in the black Passat, he fired a shot out of the vehicle. He appeared to be shooting at a work van, whose driver was driving past the black Passat. Arrington left the intersection around 8:10 am and drove to North Minneapolis.
The Minneapolis Police Department sent out a city-wide notice that the black Volkswagen Passat was used in a shots-fired call. MPD officers located Arrington driving the carjacked black Passat in North Minneapolis. Officers attempted to pull Arrington over but he fled, driving towards downtown Minneapolis. Recognizing the immediate threat to public safety and human life, officers followed.
Arrington sped through the intersection of Penn Avenue and Olson Memorial Boulevard, running a red light without stopping. As he did so, Arrington crashed at full speed into a blue Ford Focus sedan, which was driving lawfully through the intersection. In crashing his carjacked vehicle into the blue sedan, Arrington killed two women in their twenties and seriously injured a six-year-old child in the back seat; the child suffered bilateral femur fractures and a traumatic brain injury. One of the women killed was the child’s mother.
Arrington has a long and extensive criminal history that includes state convictions for assault and firearms offenses and a 2009 federal conviction for possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
Arrington faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison and up to a maximum of life in prison if convicted of these offenses. Carjacking resulting in death is a death penalty-eligible crime.
“This violent suspect had an extensive criminal history and showed a complete disregard for the value of human life,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. “His reckless and violent actions claimed the lives of innocent people and put countless others at risk. We are grateful for the partnership with the United States Attorney’s Office as we all work to ensure that he is held fully accountable and that justice is pursued for the victims and their families to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Two innocent young women died yesterday, and a young child was hospitalized, due to the reckless and senseless actions of Edward Tiki Arrington, aka Troy Mike Payton,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston, Sr. “Violent carjackings have permeated Minneapolis for far too long; these federal charges represent the commitment by the FBI, our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to reduce violent crime in Minnesota. The FBI will bring every resource available to ensure a safe community where its residents can thrive. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
These cases result from an investigation conducted by the Minneapolis Police Department and the FBI, with assistance from the Minnesota State Patrol.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office extends its profound sympathies to the families of the decedents and to all the victims in this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office appreciates its strong partnerships with the Minneapolis Police Department, the FBI, the Minnesota State Patrol, and many other state and local partners. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is grateful to the men and women of law enforcement who serve and protect Minnesota.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Green is prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Buffalo felon pleads guilty to new gun chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that William Morrison, Jr., 26, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to being a felon in possession of a firearm, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that late in the evening of July 19, 2024, Buffalo Police responded to the area of Ashley and Mohr Streets for a report of a man with a gun. The caller indicated the suspect, later identified as Morrison, was wearing an ankle bracelet and was waiving a black pistol around. The caller then reported that the suspect was inside an Ashley Street residence, which was referred to as a “dope house.” When officers arrived, they observed Morrison running from the rear of the residence. Morrison was quickly apprehended. Officers searched the area of the yard where Morrison had fled and recovered a loaded 9mm handgun. In November 2019, Morrison was convicted of a felony gun charge in Erie County Court and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Alphonso Wright, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 5, 2025, before Judge Arcara.
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Baltimore Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Armed Commercial Robberies and CarjackingRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced John Hyman, 21, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for two armed commercial robberies and a carjacking in Baltimore County and Baltimore City, Maryland.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) – Baltimore Field Division; Chief Robert O. McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD); and Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD).
According to his guilty plea, in November 2022, Hyman and two other men committed two armed robberies of two commercial businesses and carjacked a vehicle from an employee. On November 29, Hyman and his co-defendants entered a 7-Eleven convenience store in East Baltimore. Upon entering the store, the men brandished a handgun and proceeded to rob the store.
The suspects stole money from the cash register before fleeing the store. Unknown to the suspects, a money tracker was within the stolen money. This alerted the police and enabled them to track the suspects. Both BPD and BCPD dispatched officers, detectives, and aviation squads to locate the suspects.
After leaving the store, the money tracker showed the suspects traveled to the Stokos carry-out restaurant, approximately 0.6 miles away from the store they robbed. While at that restaurant, one of the co-conspirators brandished a handgun, confronted a delivery driver, and robbed the man of the keys in his pocket.
Then the men stole money from the store’s cash register and fled the location. BPD and BCPD aviation units soon located two vehicles closely following each other that matched the movements of the money tracker. The vehicles then separated and attempted to flee police, but law enforcement ultimately apprehended Hyman and the other two men who committed the robberies and carjacking. During the arrests, law enforcement recovered a loaded Smith & Wesson firearm.
Co-defendant Devin Grimes previously pled guilty and received a 10-year sentence.
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, BCPD, and BPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Sippel, Jr. who prosecuted the 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/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
Another week, another 350+ cases: Southern District continues relentless border enforcement effortsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A total of 352 cases have been filed charging 356 people from Aug. 29 – Sept. 4 for various immigration and related border security crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
This week’s cases include 21 people allegedly engaged in human smuggling. Charges were also filed against 194 individuals accused of illegal entry and 140 others charged with felony reentry after prior removal. Many already have felony convictions for narcotics, violent crime, immigration crimes and more. Another case filed this week involves an assault of an officer.
Also of note this week was the announcement regarding three Guatemalan nationals who had been extradited on charges stemming from a 2021 mass casualty event in Chiapas, Mexico. Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the excellent work that led to the charges in the case and noted the huge cost of human smuggling.
The crash allegedly involved a tractor-trailer packed with at least 160 illegal aliens – many of them Guatemalan – that killed more than 50 people, including unaccompanied children, and injured over 100 more. The three smugglers – Tomas Quino Canil, Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino and Josefa Quino Canil De Zavala – were arrested in Guatemala last December and made their appearances in Laredo Sept. 4. If convicted they face up to life in prison for conspiracy to bring illegal aliens into the United States, placing lives in jeopardy and causing death.
“Human smugglers do not care if the people they transport live or die,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei of the Southern District of Texas. “They do not care if unaccompanied children have food, water, or even air to breathe. They respect neither the law nor basic principles of decency. They care for only one thing—the blood money they make from the suffering of others. But these extraditions show that the United States will never tire in pursuing them. There is no border, no refuge that can shield these criminals from justice.”
As part of the new cases filed this week, law enforcement allegedly attempted to arrest a group of illegal aliens Sept. 2. The charges allege Mexican national Jesus Gabriel De Lira-Villapando rushed at and pushed a Border Patrol agent. Authorities were able to apprehend De Lira-Villapando after a short foot chase, according to the charges. He faces up to eight years in federal prison, upon conviction.
Four more criminal complaints allege foreign nationals attempted to unlawfully reenter the country after they had already been removed just this year. Mexican nationals Pedro Sandoval and Leobardo Reyes-Gonzalez were allegedly removed less than two months ago - July 30 and Aug. 21, respectively. According to court records, Honduran nationals Ricardo Mauricio Cruz-Najera and Winston Churchill Grant-Mesen were removed May 9 and July 21, respectively. Each allegedly has prior convictions, including possession of a controlled substance, evading arrest or illegal reentry. The charges allege authorities discovered all four in the Rio Grande Valley area without legal authorization.
Another illegal alien facing charges this week is Mexican national Juan Antonio Ruiz-Gutierrez, who authorities allegedly discovered unlawfully in the United States near Penitas. According to court documents, he was previously removed April 2013 and has a prior conviction for indecency with child sexual contact.
If convicted of felony illegal reentry after removal, all five face up to 20 years in prison.
In Brownsville, Mexican national Daniel Antonio Varcenas-Aguilar pleaded guilty to unlawfully reentering the United States without permission. Law enforcement discovered him July 12 near Brownsville after having been removed Sept. 21. According to court records, he has a previous conviction for aggravated assault of a child. He is set for sentencing in November and faces up to 20 years in prison.
In Laredo, a 21-year-old Mexican national was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for assaulting a Border Patrol agent who was trying to assist him after illegally entering the United States. Marco Cupil-Hernandez struck the agent as he attempted to flee. The court noted he did more than push the agent aside and instead appeared to plan a fight that caused the agent’s knee and back injuries.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The 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 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.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. 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 U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Annapolis Man Pleads Guilty to Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Today, Dalonte Ray Jones, 21, of Annapolis, Maryland, pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office, and Chief Edward Jackson, Annapolis Police Department (APD).
According to Jones’ guilty plea, on November 11, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant for Jones’ apartment located in Maryland. During the search, law enforcement found a Glock 17 semi-automatic handgun, with an extended magazine, in Jones’ bedroom. The magazine, which is capable of holding 45 rounds of ammunition, was loaded with 17 live rounds. In 2023, the firearm was reported stolen. Jones’ DNA, along with the DNA of three other individuals, was on the firearm.
Investigators also searched Jones’ iPhone pursuant to a warrant. Law enforcement uncovered numerous videos of Jones holding a variety of firearms, including the firearm he possessed on November 11.
Jones knew that he had previous felony convictions which prohibited him from possessing a firearm and ammunition. Jones’ prior convictions included a January 2023 conviction for second-degree assault and an April 2023 conviction for second degree assault. Jones was on probation for the April 2023 assault conviction at the time he possessed the handgun in this case.
Jones faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison for the felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition charge. Judge Brendan A. Hurson scheduled sentencing for Monday, December 8, at 2 p.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 FBI and APD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow who is prosecuting the 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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Alleged Leader of Sinaloa Cartel Faction Indicted in Chicago on Terrorism, Drug Trafficking, and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury has indicted an alleged leader of a violent faction of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico on terrorism, drug, and firearm charges, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise.
According to the superseding indictment returned yesterday in the Northern District of Illinois, Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe, 50, of Sinaloa, Mexico, also known as El Musico, directed the importation of large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and other drugs — at times in shipments of hundreds or thousands of kilograms — into the United States on behalf of the Beltran Leyva faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
“As alleged, Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe led a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel that flooded the United States with fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin and used murder and intimidation to protect its profits,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Sinaloa Cartel has been designated a foreign terrorist organization because of the kinds of crimes announced today. This indictment further demonstrates that the Criminal Division will use every tool at its disposal to target cartel leaders, including by holding them accountable for acts of terrorism against our country.”
“Today’s narcoterrorism indictment of El Musico sends a powerful message that this Administration is going to aggressively pursue transnational criminal organizations and hold their highest-ranking members and associates accountable for poisoning the American public with illegal and harmful drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois. “The Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office has a proud history going back many decades of prosecuting some of the nation’s biggest and most significant narcotrafficking cartel cases. Building on that tradition, under my leadership, our office will continue to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of violent drug cartels, several of which, including the Sinaloa Cartel, have very deservedly been designated as foreign terrorist organizations. Working closely with other prosecutors and law enforcement partners across the United States, our goal remains unchanged: to disrupt and dismantle the Sinaloa Cartel’s drug empire and bring its leaders to justice.”
“From narcocorridos to narcoterrorist. El Musico famously writes his own lyrics, but his next one will be written from the Bureau of Prisons,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California. “As El Musico once boasted, ‘La vida es curiosa, hoy soy poderoso,’ but soon his ‘Rancho Querido’ will be nothing but a distant memory.”
“This indictment sends a clear and uncompromising message: cartel leaders who flood our streets with fentanyl and arm their networks with machine guns and grenades are not just drug traffickers — they are terrorists,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. “Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe and his faction turned cartel violence into a campaign of terror, targeting police, military, and civilians alike. DEA remains relentless in our pursuit of these narco-terrorists, and we will not stop until the Sinaloa Cartel — and every organization like it — is dismantled, its leaders brought to justice, and American families protected.”
“The indictment of El Musico and the dismantlement of the leadership structure of these foreign terrorist organizations are direct results of the unwavering commitment of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and our law enforcement partners to protect the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Shawn Gibson of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations San Diego. “We remain resolute in our mission to bring all members of these criminal cartels to justice, regardless of where they attempt to evade accountability.”
“As a leader of a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, Gastelum Iribe allegedly directed the importation of cocaine, heroine, fentanyl, and other lethal drugs into the United States and oversaw atrocious acts of violence, including kidnappings and murders, in Mexico,” said Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division. “The superseding indictment against him is the result of years of collaboration among multiple federal agencies and judicial districts. The FBI and our partners will continue to work toward dismantling the Sinaloa Cartel and bringing its violent leaders — including El Musico — to justice.”
After the arrest or death of the faction’s original leaders, Gastelum Iribe assumed a leadership role and conspired with associates to distribute drugs nationwide. including in the Chicago area, using cars, trucks, rail cars, and other interstate carriers. To protect the cartel’s operations, Gastelum Iribe allegedly ordered and carried out violent attacks against rivals, military personnel, and law enforcement, including ordering the murder of a Mexican police officer and two others. Under Gastelum Iribe’s leadership, the faction armed its members with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, explosives, and other weapons, while also engaging in kidnappings, assaults, and bribery of corrupt public officials.
Gastelum Iribe is charged with terrorism, drug trafficking, and firearm offenses. The terrorism charges, which accuse Gastelum Iribe of engaging in narcoterrorism and providing material support and resources to the Sinaloa Cartel, is a result of President Trump’s Executive Order 14157 designating the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and the State Department’s subsequent designation of the same in February of this year.
If convicted, Gastelum Iribe faces a mandatory penalty of life in prison. He is not in custody and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
The indictment is the result of a collaboration between prosecutors in the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, the Northern District of Illinois, and Southern District of California, as well as law enforcement partners from Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, and DEA.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s OCDETF and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Alleged Boss of Violent Sinaloa Cartel Faction Indicted in Chicago on Narcoterrorism, Drug, and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted an alleged boss of a violent faction of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico on narcoterrorism, drug, and firearm charges.
OSCAR MANUEL GASTELUM IRIBE, also known as “El Musico,” oversaw the importation of substantial quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and other drugs—at times in individual shipments of hundreds or thousands or kilograms—into the United States on behalf of the Beltran Leyva faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, a foreign terrorist organization, according to a superseding indictment returned Thursday in the Northern District of Illinois. Gastelum Iribe served as a co-leader of the faction after its initial leaders were arrested or killed, the indictment states. Once in charge, Gastelum Iribe conspired with other members and associates of the faction to continue transporting the drugs throughout the United States, including in the Chicago area, using cars, trucks, rail cars, and other interstate carriers, the indictment states.
The charges allege that Gastelum Iribe sought to protect the faction’s drug trafficking activities by attacking rivals, military personnel, and law enforcement, including commanding the murder of a Mexican police officer and two others. The Beltran Leyva faction under Gastelum Iribe’s leadership armed its members with machine guns, semiautomatic firearms, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and explosive devices, bribed corrupt public officials and law enforcement, and engaged in numerous kidnappings and assaults, the indictment states.
The indictment charges Gastelum Iribe, 50, of Sinaloa, Mexico, with terrorism, drug, and firearm offenses. The terrorism charges, which accuse Gastelum Iribe of engaging in narcoterrorism and providing material support and resources to the Sinaloa Cartel, is a result of President Trump’s Executive Order 14157 designating the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and the United States Secretary of State’s subsequent designation of the same in February of this year.
Gastelum Iribe faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison if convicted of the charges in the indictment. Gastelum Iribe is not in custody and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
The indictment is the result of a collaboration between prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois and Southern District of California and the Justice Department's Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, as well as law enforcement partners from Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, and DEA.
The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Matthew R. Galeotti, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Adam Gordon, United States Attorney for the Southern District of California, Reid Davis, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, Shawn Gibson, Special Agent-in-Charge of HSI San Diego, and Terrance Cole, Administrator of the DEA. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Maione and Andrew Erskine of the Northern District of Illinois, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Mellor and Matthew Sutton of the Southern District of California, and Trial Attorney Kirk Handrich of NDDS.
The indictment was announced as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve various law enforcement goals, including the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), as well as 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).
“Today’s narcoterrorism indictment of El Musico sends a powerful message that this Administration is going to aggressively pursue transnational criminal organizations and hold their highest-ranking members and associates accountable for poisoning the American public with illegal and harmful drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “The Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office has a proud history going back many decades of prosecuting some of the nation’s biggest and most significant narcotrafficking cartel cases. Building on that tradition, under my leadership, our Office will continue to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of violent drug cartels, several of which, including the Sinaloa Cartel, have very deservedly been designated as foreign terrorist organizations. Working closely with other prosecutors and law enforcement partners across the United States, our goal remains unchanged: to disrupt and dismantle the Sinaloa Cartel’s drug empire and bring its leaders to justice.”
“As alleged, Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe led a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel that flooded the United States with fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin and used murder and intimidation to protect its profits,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Galeotti. “The Sinaloa Cartel has been designated a foreign terrorist organization because of the kinds of crimes announced today. This indictment further demonstrates that the Criminal Division will use every tool at its disposal to target cartel leaders, including by holding them accountable for acts of terrorism against our country.”
“From narcocorridos to narcoterrorist, El Musico famously writes his own lyrics, but his next one will be written from the Bureau of Prisons,” said U.S. Attorney Gordon. “As El Musico once boasted, 'La vida es curiosa, hoy soy poderoso,' but soon his 'Rancho Querido' will be nothing but a distant memory.”
“The indictment of El Musico and the dismantlement of the leadership structure of these foreign terrorist organizations are direct results of the unwavering commitment of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and our law enforcement partners to protect the United States,” said HSI SAC Gibson. “We remain resolute in our mission to bring all members of these criminal cartels to justice, regardless of where they attempt to evade accountability."
“As a leader of a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, Gastelum Iribe allegedly directed the importation of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and other lethal drugs into the United States and oversaw atrocious acts of violence, including kidnappings and murders, in Mexico,” said FBI SAC Davis. “The superseding indictment against him is the result of years of collaboration among multiple federal agencies and judicial districts. The FBI and our partners will continue to work toward dismantling the Sinaloa Cartel and bringing its violent leaders—including El Musico—to justice.”
“This indictment sends a clear and uncompromising message: cartel leaders who flood our streets with fentanyl and arm their networks with machine guns and grenades are not just drug traffickers—they are terrorists,” said DEA Administrator Cole. “Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe and his faction turned cartel violence into a campaign of terror, targeting police, military, and civilians alike. DEA remains relentless in our pursuit of these narco-terrorists, and we will not stop until the Sinaloa Cartel—and every organization like it—is dismantled, its leaders brought to justice, and American families protected.”
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
gastelum_iribe_indictment.pdfAlbuquerque Man Sentenced to 240 Months for Drug Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A convicted felon who trafficked massive quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine and continued committing crimes while in custody was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, the FBI’s Violent Gang Task Force began investigating Jerry Bezie, 36, after he openly flaunted gang affiliation, firearms, and illicit wealth on social media, drawing attention to his suspected role in large-scale drug trafficking. On March 23, 2023, FBI SWAT executed a search warrant at Bezie’s residence in the South Valley. Agents encountered Bezie coming from the hallway leading to the master bedroom, where they found a loaded pistol beneath a bag of Xanax pills, a gold-colored money counter, and blue fentanyl pills marked “M-30” in and around the toilet. A backpack containing crystal methamphetamine was located near a semi-automatic assault rifle, and another pistol was found next to a bag of cash. Outside, agents discovered a large diaper box inside Bezie’s Hummer H2 containing approximately 114,000 fentanyl pills. Bezie admitted the drugs, firearms, and cash belonged to him and that he had tried to flush pills down the toilet.
Drugs, money and body armor seized from Bezie's residenceIn total, investigators seized more than seven kilograms of methamphetamine, over 100,000 fentanyl pills, $64,000 in cash, multiple firearms, and body armor.
While being held at the Cibola County Correctional Center, Bezie continued his criminal activity by trafficking drugs, smuggling contraband, and participating in a violent assault on a correctional officer.
Bezie subsequently pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Upon his release from prison, Bezie will be subject to five years of supervised release.
As part of his sentence, Bezie was ordered to forfeit the $64,000 in cash, multiple vehicles including a 2018 Polaris Slingshot motorcycle, a 2018 CanAm ATV, and two trailers, his Albuquerque residence, five firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, ballistic vests, jewelry, a gold-colored money counter, and seven cell phones.
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 FBI’s Violent Gang Task Force (VGTF) investigated this case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mysliwiec is prosecuting the case.
Aiken County Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Adam Sloan, 40, of Jackson, has been sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to production of child sexual abuse material. *
During an international investigation of an illicit online marketplace on the Dark Web, FBI agents identified Sloan as a user committing online fraud and conducted a search warrant at his residence on April 18, 2023. During a forensic review of the electronic devices seized from Sloan, agents located evidence corroborating those crimes and discovered multiple files on Sloan’s electronic devices depicting child sexual abuse material. The material included videos and images of several minor girls changing clothes, showering, and using the bathroom captured by a hidden camera positioned in various angles in Sloan’s bathroom. Analysts also located videos and images of Sloan placing and manipulating the hidden camera. The minor female victims were at Sloan’s home for birthday parties, pool parties, and sleepovers.
Senior United States District Cameron McGowan Currie sentenced Sloan to 210 months imprisonment, to be followed by a term of life court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. The court ordered $5,021 of restitution to be paid to one requesting victim.
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 the FBI Columbia Field Office and the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lee Holmes and Dean H. Secor are 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.”