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4 September 2025
D’Iberville Man Sentenced to Life in Prison Plus Fifty Years for Coercion of Minors and Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Gulfport, MS – A D’Iberville, Mississippi man was sentenced today to life in prison, plus a consecutive fifty years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for coercing minor victims to participate in sexual activity and for producing images and videos of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
In December 2024, multiple minor children notified law enforcement that they were being sexually abused by Sean Parol, a 53-year-old male. That same month, a search warrant was executed at Parol’s residence.
During the search warrant, officers with the D’Iberville Police Department found various electronic devices belonging to Parol and hidden cameras throughout Parol’s house. Parol was able to record some of the sexual abuse with the hidden cameras.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and a forensic examiner with the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, Cybercrime Division conducted a forensic analysis on the devices and cameras that were in Parol’s house and found videos of Parol performing oral sex on multiple minor boys as well as having the minor boys perform oral sex on him.
On one electronic device, Parol was in possession of over 30,000 images and/or videos of child sexual abuse material.
The investigation revealed that to continue the sexual abuse, Parol would give the children vapes, buy them various items, and show the children adult pornography.
Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the FBI, Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, Cybercrime Division, and the D’Iberville Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Smith prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Department of State employee sentenced for transmitting national defense information to suspected Chinese government agentsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A U.S. Department of State (DOS) employee was sentenced today to four years in prison for conspiring to collect and transmit national defense information to individuals he knew to be working for the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
“The price of Michael Schena’s disgraceful betrayal of his country is far more than the paltry amount for which he traded his honor,” said Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “His acts of selfish avarice left that price to be paid by the faithful women and men of our intelligence community and the nation they serve. The cost Schena will pay is the loss of his integrity, his reputation, and, by today’s sentence, his freedom.”
“The defendant threw away his career, betrayed his country, and abused the trust the United States placed in him by granting his Top Secret security clearance. He will spend years of his life in prison for passing classified information to individuals he believed to be Chinese government agents,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Today’s sentence serves as a warning to those who would violate the trust placed in them by our Nation and double-cross the American people.”
“Michael Schena deliberately undermined U.S. national security and put American lives at risk by selling classified information to the Chinese Government,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “The Chinese government continues to aggressively target U.S. government employees to steal our classified information, and this sentencing makes clear the FBI and our partners will do everything in our power to defend the Homeland. Anyone thinking of betraying their oath to the United States should consider the severe consequences and know the FBI will work tirelessly to bring them to justice.”
"As a State Department employee, Schena's mission should have been to promote U.S. security and prosperity throughout the world, but instead he jeopardized national security by transmitting classified information to individuals whom he believed worked for an adversarial government," said Daniel Wierzbicki, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Counterintelligence and Cyber Division. "As today's sentencing demonstrates, the U.S. government remains committed to investigating and prosecuting clearance holders who seek to cash in on our nation's secrets."
According to court documents, beginning in April 2022, Michael Charles Schena, 42, of Alexandria, communicated with people he met online through various communication platforms and provided them sensitive government information in exchange for money. Two of these individuals represented themselves as employees of international consulting companies. Despite clear indications that they were working on behalf of the PRC, Schena continued his relationship with them.
In August 2024, Schena met an individual at a hotel in Peru who provided Schena $10,000 and a cellphone that was intended to be used for Schena to receive taskings and to image and transmit information.
In October 2024, while at work, Schena photographed and transmitted at least four classified documents that contained national defense information and were classified at the SECRET level. In February 2025, surveillance video captured Schena again using the cellphone he received in Peru to photograph seven documents marked as SECRET that contained national defense information. FBI agents seized the cellphone before Schena could transmit photographs of these classified documents to his handlers and was later arrested.
The announcement was made after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the FBI Richmond Field Office, the Department of Justice’s Office of Enforcement Operations, and the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service Office of Counterintelligence.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Ben’Ary and Gavin R. Tisdale for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Maria Fedor of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-158.
Department of State Employee Sentenced for Transmitting National Defense Information to Suspected Chinese Government AgentsRead the Press Release
A U.S. Department of State (DOS) employee was sentenced today to 48 months in prison for conspiring to collect and transmit national defense information to individuals he believed to be working for the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
“The defendant threw away his career, betrayed his country, and abused the trust the United States placed in him by granting his Top-Secret security clearance. He will spend years of his life in prison for passing classified information to individuals he believed to be Chinese government agents,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Today’s sentence serves as a warning to those who would violate the trust placed in them by our Nation and double-cross the American people.”
“The price of Michael Schena’s disgraceful betrayal of his country is far more than the paltry amount for which he traded his honor,” said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia. “His acts of selfish avarice left that price to be paid by the faithful women and men of our intelligence community and the nation they serve. The cost Schena will pay is the loss of his integrity, his reputation, and, by today’s sentence, his freedom.”
“Michael Schena deliberately undermined U.S. national security and put American lives at risk by selling classified information to the Chinese government,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “The Chinese government continues to aggressively target U.S. government employees to steal our classified information, and this sentencing makes clear the FBI and our partners will do everything in our power to defend the homeland. Anyone thinking of betraying their oath to the United States should consider the severe consequences and know the FBI will work tirelessly to bring them to justice.”
According to court documents, beginning in April 2022, Michael Charles Schena, 42, of Alexandria, Virginia, communicated with people he met online through various communication platforms and provided them sensitive U.S. government information, in exchange for money. Two of these individuals represented themselves as employees of international consulting companies. Despite clear indications and believing that they were working on behalf of the PRC, Schena continued his relationship with them.
In August 2024, Schena met an individual at a hotel in Peru who provided Schena $10,000 and a cellphone that was intended to be used for Schena to receive taskings and transmit information.
In October 2024, while at work, Schena used the cellphone he received in Peru to photograph and transmit at least four classified documents that contained national defense information and which were classified at the SECRET level. In February 2025, surveillance video captured Schena again using the cellphone to photograph seven documents marked as SECRET that contained national defense information. FBI agents seized the cellphone before Schena could transmit photographs of these classified documents to his handlers, and arrested Schena.
John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia; Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI Counterintelligence Division; and Special Agent in Charge Daniel Wierzbicki of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the FBI Richmond Field Office, the Department of Justice’s Office of Enforcement Operations, and the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service Office of Counterintelligence.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Ben’Ary and Gavin R. Tisdale for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Maria Fedor of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.
Department of Justice Sues City of Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu over Sanctuary City LawsRead the Press Release
Today, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the City of Boston, Massachusetts, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and the Boston Police Department and Police Commissioner over Boston’s sanctuary city laws that interfere with the federal government’s enforcement of its immigration laws.
“The City of Boston and its Mayor have been among the worst sanctuary offenders in America – they explicitly enforce policies designed to undermine law enforcement and protect illegal aliens from justice,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “If Boston won’t protect its citizens from illegal alien crime, this Department of Justice will.”
Not only are Boston’s sanctuary city policies illegal under federal law, but, as alleged in the complaint, Boston’s refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities results in the release of dangerous criminals from police custody who would otherwise be subject to removal, including illegal aliens convicted of aggravated assault, burglary, and drug and human trafficking, onto the streets.
On her first day in office, Attorney General Bondi instructed the Department’s Civil Division to identify state and local laws, policies, and practices that facilitate violations of federal immigration laws or impede lawful federal immigration operations. On Aug. 5, Attorney General Bondi published a list of sanctuary jurisdictions, which included the City of Boston, and vowed to bring litigation to end these policies nationwide. Today’s lawsuit is the latest in a series of lawsuits brought by the Civil Division targeting illegal sanctuary city policies across the country, including in New York, New Jersey, and Los Angeles, California.
Cumberland Man Sentenced for Cyberstalking, Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Cumberland man who “marginalized and controlled” a young woman whom he befriended online when she was a minor, and then harassed and threatened when she attempted to end their friendship when she was nineteen, was sentenced today to more than six years in federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Melvin Vidal Herrera Perez, 21, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 78 months of incarceration; 10 years of supervised release; ordered to register as a sex offender; and to pay a total of $38,000, pursuant to the Justice for Victims Act of 2015 and provisions of the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018.
Perez pleaded guilty in May 2025 to one count of cyberstalking and four counts of distribution of child pornography.
According to information presented to the court, Perez befriended the victim online when she was fourteen and engaged in a friendship that lasted for about four years. During that time, he encouraged her to provide him with sexually explicit images of herself. In the fall of 2024, Perez used a variety of tactics to intentionally cause serious emotional distress to the woman by creating a Google Drive link containing images of child pornography produced at Perez’s request years’ prior; setting up social media accounts to display sexually explicit images of the victim; providing those links to others, linking to them to a social media platform; texting and emailing explicit images of the victim and providing the website links to a wide number of individuals in her personal and social circles.
As reflected in information presented to the court, Perez claimed that he was “doing God’s work,” when he harassed the victim and disseminated the child pornography and other personal information about her.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julie M. White.
The matter was investigated by the FBI, with valuable assistance provided by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office and other Philadelphia area law enforcement agencies.
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 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.
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Clovis Mother Convicted of Arming Her Son, a Felon and Gang MemberRead the Press Release
On Wednesday, after a one-day trial, U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd found Jawana Washington, 45, of Fresno, guilty of aiding and abetting a felon’s possession of a firearm as well as disposing of a firearm to a felon, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Jawana Washington knowingly provided a firearm to her son, Taylor Washington, a documented gang member and convicted felon. On March 25, 2022, Jawana Washington agreed to lend him her firearm, cautioning him not to do anything “crazy,” to use his own ammunition, and not to get her sent to jail. Minutes later, agents observed Taylor Washington arrive at his mother’s apartment complex, meet with her, and leave in a vehicle. During a subsequent traffic stop, officers recovered a Springfield Armory XD-9 handgun, registered to Jawana Washington, from the car’s center console. After the stop, Jawana Washington exchanged messages with others in which she acknowledged that Taylor Washington had her firearm and urged deletion of incriminating text messages.
Jawana Washington is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 15, 2025, by Judge Drozd. Jawana Washington faces a maximum sentence of 10 years prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Taylor Washington, a co-defendant in this case, was separately convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentenced by the district court to a term of imprisonment.
The case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Fresno Police Department, the Fresno-area Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC), the California Department of Justice Special Operations Unit, the California Department of Justice Human Trafficking / Sexual Predator Apprehension Team, the California Highway Patrol, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the Kings County Sheriff’s Office, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin J. Gilio and Antonio J. Pataca are prosecuting the case.
Clinton Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Receipt and Attempted Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Clinton man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for receipt of child pornography and attempted production of child pornography.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received CyberTips that an account, later determined to be associated with Eric Jensen Salter, 37, received files containing child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement seized electronic devices during a search of Salter’s Clinton residence. The investigation showed that Salter’s email account was used to seek out, receive, view, and possess child pornography, including content of prepubescent children. The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office further received records from Salter’s email account that revealed an email exchange with a sixteen-year-old female between May and October 2018. Salter attempted to use, persuade, induce, or entice the minor female to engage in sexually explicit conduct, with the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct, by requesting her to send sexually explicit images of herself to him.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Salter will be required to serve a ten-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Salter was also ordered to pay $8,000 in restitution.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Clinton County Sheriff's Office, Davenport Police Department, and the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the resources tab.
Cleveland Drug Dealer Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A Cuyahoga County man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a drug conspiracy to sell fentanyl, methamphetamine and crack cocaine throughout the Greater Cleveland region.
Murray Foster, 39, of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Pamela A. Barker after pleading guilty in April to the following charges:
- Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances
- Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance
Foster was also ordered to serve four years of supervised release after imprisonment.
According to court documents, from about April 1 to July 12, 2023, Foster and a co-conspirator intentionally conspired to distribute 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue, 400 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl, 500 grams or more of a substance containing methamphetamine, and 500 grams or more of a mixture containing cocaine base (crack).
Among the items that federal agents seized during a search warrant execution of several residences related to the conspiracy were more than 500 fentanyl pills, five pounds of methamphetamine, one kilogram of fentanyl analogues, one kilogram of cocaine, 28 grams of crack cocaine, five handguns, a rifle, a shotgun, more than $19,000 in cash, and a motorcycle. Miscellaneous packaging, drug paraphernalia, and cutting agents were also seized.
Co-defendant Deion Thompson, 29, of Cleveland, Ohio, pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy in July and is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 5, 2026.
This case was investigated by the Southeast Area Law Enforcement Task Force and the FBI Cleveland Division.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Payum Doroodian for the Northern District of Ohio.
Caregiver Who Abused Vulnerable Adult in His Care Gets SentencedRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Fouodzing Mbord, 49, of Maryland, was sentenced today in Superior Court for the physical abuse of a vulnerable adult in his care in November 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Mbord pleaded guilty on August 29, 2025, to one count of abuse of a vulnerable adult – injure or threat to injure. The government asked that the defendant be ordered to serve 180 days in jail. However, Superior Court Judge Errol Arthur ordered 180 days in jail but suspended the sentence in full and placed the defendant on probation for one year.
According to the government’s evidence, Mbord was a home health aide who was caring for the victim, a vulnerable adult, who needed 24-hour care due to his inability to care for himself. On November 19, 2023, Metropolitan Police Officers were called to the victim’s apartment in the 100 block of I Street, SE, for a report of the abuse of a vulnerable adult who was bedridden after suffering a stroke. When officers arrived at the residence they met with the victim’s sister. She explained that she installed security cameras in the victim’s home after being concerned about her brother’s welfare.
The security camera footage showed that on November 12, 2023, the defendant struck the victim on his backside while cleaning him. After seeing the footage, the victim’s sister asked the defendant why he struck her brother. He said that the victim passed gas in his face while he was cleaning him. He also threatened to do it again if the victim continued the behavior. Then, on November 16, 2023, the victim’s sister, while viewing the security camera, observed the defendant raised his hand up high and strike the victim, who was completely naked at the time.
Mbord was arrested on November 20, 2023.
Joining in the announcement was Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas of the D.C. Office of the Inspector General (D.C.-OIG).
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, the DC OIG’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They also acknowledged Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmanuela Charles, who prosecuted the case, while on detail from the DC-OIG.
California Man Guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property and Interstate Transportation of Stolen PropertyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that PATRICK GARLAND (“GARLAND”), a California resident, pled guilty on September 3, 2025, to a two-count indictment for conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen goods, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, and interstate transportation of stolen goods, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2314.
According to the indictment, GARLAND and others conspired to transport cigarettes that had been stolen during a burglary at a warehouse facility on November 21, 2024. The group then traveled out of state before being apprehended in Fort Stockton, Texas the following day while still in possession of the cigarettes. The group was further implicated in similar burglaries in North Carolina and Texas in February of 2024.
For Count 1, GARLAND faces up to 5 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. As to Count 2, GARLAND faces up to 10 years of imprisonment, up to 3 years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Knightdale Police Department, the Atlanta Police Department, the Rockmart Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Fort Stockton Police Department in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Paul J. Hubbell of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
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Brownsville resident sentenced to 46 months for facilitating export of firearms to MexicoRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 19-year-old man has been ordered to federal prison for attempting to illegally export firearms to Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Kenji Daniel Juarez pleaded guilty April 23 to receiving, concealing, buying, selling and facilitating the transportation, concealment and sale of firearms and ammunition magazines prior to exportation.
U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. has now ordered Juarez to serve 46 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court reviewed additional evidence, including a photograph showing the weapons involved in the offense. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the weapons were highly dangerous and could have been used by the cartel for criminal purposes.
On Nov. 16, 2024, law enforcement observed Juarez receive multiple firearms from several people on two occasions at a gun show in McAllen. He later went to a residence in Brownsville, where authorities approached him.
A search of the home revealed seven handguns, eight semi-automatic rifles and 22 ammunition magazines in his bedroom. He admitted the firearms and magazines were intended for export to Mexico. He further acknowledged he had previously smuggled firearms and ammunition across the border.
Juarez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel Castro 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.
Box Elder man sentenced to over 2 years in prison for illegally possessing firearm on Rocky Boy’s Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Box Elder man who illegally possessed a firearm and ammunition on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation was sentenced yesterday to 32 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Franklin Troy Caplette, 40, pleaded guilty in March 2025 to prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on October 12, 2024, Caplette possessed a 9mm semi-automatic pistol in a chest holster during his arrest for violating his federal supervised release. Because he attempted to run from law enforcement prior to his arrest, a responding officer had to discharge his taser twice before Caplette was arrested.
In June 2013, Caplette was sentenced in federal court to 62 months of imprisonment followed by four years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. His supervised release was revoked five times in that case. In February 2021, Caplette was sentenced to 42 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in a different case, again in federal court.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The ATF, Hill County Sheriff’s Office, Chippewa Cree Law Enforcement Services, and U.S. Probation Office conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
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Boston Man Sentenced to Prison for Extortion ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced yesterday for his role in a conspiracy to give bribes to former Massachusetts State Police (MSP) Sergeant Gary Cederquist, in exchange for Cederquist giving false passing scores to certain Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) applicants who had failed or had taken only partial CDL skills tests.
Eric Mathison, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The government recommended a sentence of 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
In January 2024, Mathison was charged in a 74-count indictment along with five others, including Cederquist and other former troopers who worked in MSP’s CDL Unit, which was led by Cederquist. Mathison pleaded guilty in March 2025. Cederquist was convicted by a jury in May and awaits sentencing.
Mathison worked for a water company that employed drivers who needed CDLs to drive their delivery vehicles. Cederquist gave passing scores to multiple applicants from the water company who actually failed the CDL skills test, as well as others who took only a partial test, in exchange for bribes of free inventory from the water company, such as cases of bottled Fiji, VOSS and Essentia water, cases of bottled Arizona Iced Tea, coffee and tea products, energy drinks, and Twizzlers and Swedish Fish candy, all of which Mathison delivered to an office trailer at the CDL test site in Stoughton, Mass. Mathison admitted to his communications with Cederquist about particular CDL applicants and their performance on the skills test as well as inventory from the water company that Cederquist requested and that Mathison delivered. For example, Mathison received texts from Cederquist describing one water company applicant as “an idiot,” who had “no idea what he’s doing,” and “should have failed about 10 times already.” Cederquist then gave this applicant a passing score. On another occasion, Mathison asked Cederquist, “Hows the trailer holding,” to which Cederquist responded, “In desperate need of restocking,” along with a specific request for, among other things, premium bottled water, tea, energy drinks and a “truckload of large water.”
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Brian C. Gallagher, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Wichers and Adam W. Deitch of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted the case.
Black Hawk Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Large-Scale Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine in Rapid City Area and within the Pine Ridge ReservationRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a man from Black Hawk, South Dakota, convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on September 2, 2025.
Jackie Corean, 63, was sentenced to 11 years and three months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Corean was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024 for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. He pleaded guilty on May 19, 2025.
Between January 2022 and February 2024, Corean and others were involved in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in South Dakota, including in the Rapid City area and within the Pine Ridge Reservation. During the conspiracy, large quantities of methamphetamine were transported from Denver, Colorado, to South Dakota, for distribution. Corean allowed his home to be used as a central hub for the distribution and also spoke with others in the conspiracy about taking firearms to Colorado to exchange for methamphetamine. Prior to Corean being able to take the firearms to Denver, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Corean’s residence and seized six firearms and numerous items of drug paraphernalia consistent with drug distribution.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rapid City Police Department, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the Wyoming State Highway Patrol, and the North Metro Denver Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Corean was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Baltimore Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing 75 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Desmond Jones, 45, of Baltimore, Maryland, pled guilty today, to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis, Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) – Washington Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington D.C. Field Office; Chief Robert O. McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD); and Chief Richard Worley, Baltimore City Police Department (BPD).
According to the guilty plea, in 2023, multiple federal agencies partnered to investigate a Baltimore-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) distributing large quantities of cocaine. In August 2023, investigators learned that Jones, was a member of the DTO. Investigators identified Jones through his connection with Co-Conspirator 1 (CC-1), a California resident and DTO member.
In August 2023, investigators surveilled CC-1’s activities at his Baltimore City residence. From August 15 to August 24, investigators observed numerous drug traffickers, including Jones, meet CC-1 with bags at the Baltimore City residence to participate in drug-trafficking activities.
On August 16, Jones visited the residence and met CC-1 with a weighted-down bag. The next day, law enforcement observed CC-1 in possession of bulk currency and then investigators surveilled CC-1 drive to a bank where it appeared he made a deposit. Then on August 21, Jones again arrived at the Baltimore residence with another large, weighed-down bag. When Jones left the residence, the bag was substantially smaller in size. On August 24, CC-1 left Baltimore. After conducting these surveillances, law enforcement believed that while in Baltimore, Jones provided CC-1 with money for an upcoming drug shipment.
A week after CC-1’s departure, a commercial airline notified investigators that CC-1 was traveling from California to Baltimore again. On August 30, investigators set up a surveillance team at Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI), where they observed CC-1 arrive, rent a car, and then drive to his Baltimore City residence.
Another group of investigators set up surveillance at Jones’s Timonium, Maryland, stash location. Law enforcement observed co-conspirators carrying large duffle bags of suspected drugs into the stash location. Prior to co-conspirators bringing the duffle bags to the stash location, Jones left the premises in his Dodge Ram. Investigators observed Jones drive to CC-1’s Baltimore City house where he picked up CC-1. Investigators followed Jones and CC-1 to National Harbor, Maryland, where Jones and CC-1 parked.
CC-1 exited the vehicle and met with another co-conspirator, who arrived in a different car, at the “Park-and-Ride” lot next to the National Harbor. After the co-conspirators conversed, both vehicles left the lot. Jones and CC-1 traveled back to Baltimore, as investigators trailed behind, and then eventually arrived at the stash location in Timonium and parked.
Jones and CC-1 exited the Dodge Ram and removed the duffle bags. While Jones and CC-1 were removing duffle bags, investigators approached the two on foot and observed that one of the duffle bags contained a large tear. Law enforcement saw kilogram packages of drugs inside the bag. Authorities seized the duffle bags and detained Jones, CC-1, and another individual who was also at the Timonium stash location.
Investigators recovered another duffel bag and a backpack containing a total of 32 individual kilogram packages of cocaine from the stash location. Additionally, law enforcement discovered equipment used to process bulk drugs, including a kilo press, cutting agents, quick cappers, digital scales, and sifters. They also found two heat-sealed bags of suspected marijuana, cash, and a money counter, along with two firearms. The firearms were a .45 caliber Auto Springfield handgun with an obliterated serial number and a .45 caliber Taurus handgun. Authorities also recovered Jones’s personal documents, including a vehicle registration, bank statement, and mail in his name.
In his plea agreement, Jones agreed that he was involved in possessing 75 kilos of cocaine in furtherance of this drug trafficking conspiracy. Jones faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison, followed by up to lifetime of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for Tuesday, November 18, at 10 a.m.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the DEA, HSI, IRS-CI, BCPD, and BPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Calvin C. Miner who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Baltimore Man Facing Federal Charges for Carjacking and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Ron Wardlow, 26, of Baltimore, Maryland, with carjacking, using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD).
According to the three-count indictment, on February 27, 2025, Wardlow committed a carjacking and used, carried, and brandished a Glock 9mm handgun during the crime.
If convicted, Wardlow faces a maximum life sentence in federal prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding.
This case is possible because of investigative leads generated from the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. It is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information about NIBIN, visit atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
Additionally, this case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the ATF and BPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Levin who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge for Threats Against PresidentRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque man pleaded guilty to using social media to issue violent threats against the President.
According to court records, between January 2 and January 4, 2025, Tyler Miles Leveque, 37, posted multiple videos and messages on social media threatening to kill then President-elect Donald Trump and others at an upcoming rally. Leveque’s posts included statements such as "…you and your rich friends are dead no threat a promise" and references to violence at an event scheduled for January 19 in Washington D.C.
During an interview with agents from the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on January 6, 2025, Leveque admitted to making the threatening posts, believing his posts constituted freedom of speech, and to recently purchasing a firearm. Investigators confirmed Leveque had recently bought a gun from a local business, although he had not yet received the firearm.
Leveque pleaded guilty to making threats against the President. At sentencing, Leveque faces up to five years in prison. Upon his release from prison, Leveque will be subject to three years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison, Resident Agent in Charge Ron Emmot of the U.S. Secret Service Albuquerque Resident Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The U.S. Secret Service investigated this case with the assistance of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office and the Albuquerque Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico is prosecuting the case.
Albany Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Distribution and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Tymell Cooks, age 36, of Albany, pled guilty today to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement.
Cooks admitted that between January and June 2024, he sold approximately 202 grams of fentanyl to another person, both directly and using a co-conspirator. In June 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at his Albany residence and located approximately 69 grams of cocaine, a loaded Cobra Firearms Shadow 38 Special revolver, a loaded M&P Shield EZ 2.0 Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol, ammunition, $4,850 in cash, and body armor. Cooks admitted that he possessed the firearms to protect his drug supply and proceeds.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “Fentanyl continues to fuel the deadly overdose crisis across our communities. This case demonstrates our unwavering commitment to holding accountable those who traffic in this poison and use illegal firearms to protect their criminal enterprises. We thank the DEA and our law enforcement partners for their continued efforts to dismantle these dangerous networks.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III stated: “Today’s guilty plea of Tymell Cooks is thanks to the hard work and determination of our DEA special agents and partners in targeting those individuals who pose a danger to our society. New Yorkers deserve safe communities free of drugs and violence, and the DEA is committed to delivering that.”
Sentencing is scheduled for January 6, 2026, before United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci. Cooks faces a prison term of at least 10 years and up to life; a fine of up to $5 million; and a supervised release term of at least 4 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
DEA investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashlyn Miranda is prosecuting the case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.
Armed Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty to Possessing Firearms and NarcoticsRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Terrance Josiah Fasold, 31, of Pensacola, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I deeply appreciate the hard work by our state and federal law enforcement partners to get this violent drug trafficker off our streets. My office remains fully committed to fulfilling the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America by targeting drug traffickers like this defendant with the full force of the law, and this successful prosecution is yet another win in our fight to keep our communities safe.”
Court documents reflect that law enforcement was investigating Fasold regarding a stolen firearm. Law enforcement located Fasold at the Red Roof Inn in Pensacola, Florida. Fasold fled from law enforcement and discarded a bag containing more than 40 grams of fentanyl. A search of Fasold’s hotel room was conducted and law enforcement located more fentanyl, as well as cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and several loaded firearms. Fasold is a convicted felon and has multiple prior felony convictions for drug related offenses.
Fasold faces up to life imprisonment, and a lifetime of supervision upon release.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 19, 2025, at 3:00pm at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
75th Defendant Charged in Feeding Our Future Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Muna Wais Fidhin, 44, has been charged in a ten-count indictment with three counts of Wire Fraud, four counts of Federal Programs Bribery, and three counts of Money Laundering for her role in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. Fidhin is the 75th defendant charged in this scheme, the largest Covid fraud case in the country. She was arrested this morning.
“With the 75th defendant charged in the Feeding Our Future scandal, the message could not be clearer,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “Feeding Our Future is only one of the many frauds against the state we are pursuing. If you touched these frauds in any way, pick up the phone and call the FBI today. You will still be held accountable, but it will be far better for you than if you wait until we come knocking.”
Fidhim participated in a scheme to defraud the Federal Child Nutrition Program by exploiting changes in the program intended to ensure that underserved children received adequate nutrition during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Feeding Our Future was a non-profit organization purportedly in the business of helping community partners participate in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Aimee Bock, convicted at trial and pending sentencing, was the founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future. Prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Feeding Our Future was a small non-profit that sponsored the participation of daycares and after-school programs in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Beginning in approximately April 2020, Feeding Our Future dramatically increased the number of sites under its sponsorship as well as the amount of Federal Child Nutrition Program funds received by those sites. Feeding Our Future went from receiving and disbursing approximately $3.4 million in federal funds to sites under its sponsorship in 2019 to nearly $200 million in 2021.
In 2020, Fidhin enrolled her company, M5 Café, in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. Fidhin later created a nonprofit organization called M5 Care, which, in 2021, she also enrolled in the program under another sponsor. Fidhin fraudulently claimed to be serving meals to 500 children a day, seven days a week, at her sites. In reality, Fidhin served few, if any, children at her sites. Fidhin submitted fake invoices purporting to document the purchase of food for use in feeding these children.
In all, Fidhin fraudulently claimed to have served more than 300,000 meals at her two food sites, for which she claimed to be entitled to approximately $1 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds.
Fidhin did not use these funds to purchase food to feed children. Instead, she used the money to pay off her home mortgage, to purchase a car, and to fund her lifestyle. Fidhin also wired tens of thousands of dollars out of the country. She paid approximately $27,000 in kickbacks to a Feeding Our Future employee in exchange for his sponsorship and submission of her fraudulent claims.
“Today’s arrest of Muna Wais Fidhin represents yet another major milestone in this investigation: the 75th indictment in this massive fraud scheme,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston, Sr. “As alleged in the indictment, Fidhin, using fraudulent documents, stole more than $1 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program. Fidhin, and all of those charged in connection with this scheme, may have underestimated the FBI’s ability to identify, investigate and prosecute individuals who steal from taxpayers with funds intended for hungry children. Rest assured; the FBI will work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners, together with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, until every culpable person is held responsible.”
“The Feeding Our Future fraud investigation ignited an awareness of the pervasive fraud that exists in government-funded programs in this state,” said Adam Jobes, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “Well-intentioned assistance programs will always be targeted for fraud and when the system fails to protect federal funds, IRS Criminal Investigation will work with the United States Attorney’s Office and partner agencies to expose those who use deception and fraud to enrich themselves at the expense of those who truly need help. While we take a moment to reflect on the great investigative work performed by talented and devoted investigators and attorneys resulting in charges filed against seventy-five individuals, there is still more work to be done on this and other fraud schemes targeting government funded programs. Our agents will continue to provide their investigative and financial expertise to these fraud investigations.”
United States Postal Inspection Service Denver Division Inspector in Charge Bryan Musgrove said, “The arrest of the 75th defendant in this case demonstrates the Postal Inspection Service’s steadfast pursuit of justice for anyone who uses the mail in a scheme to divert emergency funds intended to help those most in need. The US Postal Inspection Service is proud to work with its law enforcement partners to bring this kind of greed to an end.”
These cases result from an investigation conducted by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Jacobs and Daniel W. Bobier are prosecuting these cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
3 September 2025
Youngstown Drug Dealer Sentenced to 23 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A Mahoning County man has been sentenced to prison for his role in selling controlled substances including fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine, throughout the Youngstown-area region.
Rayshawn Hall, 24, of Youngstown, Ohio, was sentenced to 276 months (23 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko after pleading guilty in April to the following charges as outlined in the indictment:
- One count of Distribution of Fentanyl
- Three counts of Distribution of Methamphetamine
- One count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
- One count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine
- One count of Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
- One count of Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl
Hall was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment. The sentence was imposed by Judge Boyko Sept. 3, 2025.
According to court documents, from about Aug. 11 to Oct. 17, 2023, investigators conducted multiple controlled drug buys from Hall that included fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Upon obtaining a search warrant for his residence, agents seized more than $56,000 in cash and other items consistent with illegal drug activity. Federal agents also discovered a box with a FedEx shipping label from Spring Valley, California, in a black Chrysler vehicle that was located on the premises. The box was suspected to contain controlled substances. A forensic laboratory analysis later confirmed that the box contained 9,810.8 grams (Approximately 21 pounds) of 90.4% pure methamphetamine, and 989.7 grams (approximately two pounds) of fentanyl. In total, at least 90,000 kilograms of converted drug weight were attributable to Hall’s actions.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Mahoning County Law Enforcement Task Force.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yasmine Makridis for the Northern District of Ohio.
Virginia Trucker Admits to Transporting a Minor with Intent to Engage in SexRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Virginia truck driver admitted to a federal judge today that he had sexual contact in multiple states with a minor female who traveled with him in his tractor-trailer truck, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
David Romero Reyes, 55, of Stafford, Virginia, pleaded guilty as charged by way of indictment with transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. No plea agreement was filed in this matter. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In April 2021, Romero Reyes was detained by Naval Station Newport Police when a routine background check conducted prior to his being allowed to enter the Navy base to make a delivery determined that he was wanted in Texas on a charge of felony assault of a child. The young girl was located inside the sleeping compartment of the truck during a routine inspection. The girl, determined through a medical examination at Hasbro Children’s Hospital to be approximately five months pregnant, was reported missing from her Virginia home in July 2020, when she was 14 years old. An investigation determined that Romero Reyes was known to the girl and to her family prior to her disappearance.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ronald R. Gendron and John P. McAdams.
The matter was investigated by the Naval Station Newport Police, FBI, and Rhode Island State Police.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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
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U.S. Seizes 300,000 Kilos of Meth Precursor Chemicals Sent from China Destined for Mexico’s Sinaloa Drug CartelRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – More than 300,000 kilograms of chemicals used to produce methamphetamine and intended for clandistine labs controlled by the Sinaloa Drug Cartel in Mexico were seized this week by agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) at the Port of Houston, announced U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Acting Director Todd Lyons of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“This is the largest seizure of precursor chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine in U.S. history,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “China was sending over 700,000 pounds on the high seas to the Sinaloa Cartel before my office seized them. Because President Trump and Secretary Rubio declared the Sinaloa Cartel a Foreign Terrorist Organization, we can now strike faster and hit harder.”
“This marks the first time a seizure warrant was issued for material support for terrorism,” said Acting Director Todd M Lyons of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “After seizing these two shipments, Homeland Security Investigations International worked closely with foreign law enforcement partners to consolidate the shipments in Panama and bring them here to the Port of Houston. I can’t thank all of our partners enough."
“These many barrels of precursor chemicals are directly linked to one of the most dangerous and deadly terrorist networks, the Sinaloa Cartel. It’s one of the most violent and brutal terrorist organizations in the world. They are responsible for countless deaths, devastation, and destruction of communities in the U.S. and abroad,” said Director of Field Operations Jud Murdock of Customs and Border Protection, Houston. “This represents one of the largest interdictions of its kind in history and highlights the critical role of collaboration and intel sharing in combating threats posed by drug trafficking organization and terrorist groups.”
The chemicals, which originated in and were sent from China, could have been used to produce nearly 190,000 kilos of methamphetamine – worth about $569 million if they had reached their intended destination. Instead, agents seized six shipping containers of benzyl alcohol, a solvent used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, weighing 164,880 kilos and six shipping containers of N-methyl formamide, another liquid organic solvent, weighing 151,560 kilos.
To put in perspective the impact of this seizure, in Fiscal Year 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) seized a total 78,925 kilos of methamphetamine along the entire southwest border. In order to transport the chemicals from port to a secure HSI storage facility, it took twenty-four, 18-wheeler trucks to transport the sheer volume of precursor chemicals.
In 2023, more than 34,800 Americans died of overdoses from psychostimulants, primarily methamphetamine.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia obtained the seizure warrant that provided the legal authority to seize the chemicals. Because the Administration designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on January 20, 2025, the designation provided federal prosecutors in the District the authority to execute the seizure under the terrorism forfeiture provision.
Joining in today’s announcement were Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz of Homeland Security Investigations, Houston; Director of Field Operations Jud Murdock of Customs and Border Protection, Houston; Acting Special Agent in Charge William Kimbell of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Houston; and FBI Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams of the Houston Field Office.
The matter is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia as part of its Cartel Elimination effort, a collaboartion between the office’s National Security section’s Threat Finance Unit (TFU) and Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking (VCNT) section.
The effort is also a part of the Attorney General’s February 5, 2025 directive, calling for the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations by harnessing the resources of the Department of Justice and empowering federal prosecutors throughout the country to work urgently with the Department of Homeland Security and other parts of the government toward the goal of eliminating these threats to U.S. sovereignty.
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U.S. Attorney’s Office Obtains Settlement in Housing Discrimination MatterRead the Press Release
Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on August 22, 2025, the United States entered into a settlement agreement in United States v. Estrada (E.D. Wis.). The complaint, which was filed on November 19, 2024, alleged that defendants Tammy Estrada and Ramiro Estrada—the owners and managers of a rental property in Appleton, Wisconsin—discriminated on the basis of disability in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA).
In particular, the complaint alleged that the Estradas denied tenants’ reasonable accommodation requests related to emotional support animals and retaliated against the tenants when they attempted to exercise their rights under the FHA, among other violations. The case was referred to the Department of Justice after the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) received a complaint, conducted an investigation, and issued a charge of discrimination. Under the settlement, the tenants will be paid $20,000 and the defendants are required to adopt a reasonable accommodation policy and attend fair housing training.
The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nia Schmaltz for the Eastern District of Wisconsin handled the matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
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Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
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Two Foreign Nationals Sentenced in Burglary Ring That Targeted Individuals of Asian DescentRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – Two foreign nationals who participated in a sweeping, multi-state burglary ring that targeted individuals of Asian descent, including in Rhode Island, were sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Providence, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Jorge Andres Cardenas Murillo, 32, a Columbian national, identified in court documents as a central figure of the conspiracy, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose to 48 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release. He previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property and two counts of attempt to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. An immigration detainer has been issued against Cardenas Murillo.
Mohammed Islam, 30, a Bangladesh national, was sentenced by District Court Judge DuBose to 33 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release. Islam previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property, interstate transportation of property taken by fraud, and two counts of attempt to commit interstate transportation of stolen property.
From July 2022 to December 2022, members of the conspiracy targeted residences in various states to burglarize, including at least two properties in Rhode Island, with the intent to steal large sums of money, valuable jewelry, and other items, and then transport the stolen goods in interstate for the financial benefit of members of the conspiracy.
Court documents reflect that members of the conspiracy targeted and surveilled individuals, businesses, and residences and then burglarized or attempted to burglarize homes in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Wisconsin, and Florida.
Members of the conspiracy used sophisticated means to carry out their scheme. In addition to surveilling individuals, the conspirators used drones and GPS trackers placed on vehicles to monitor potential victims’ movement and identify times when they were away from their residences. They also used drones and lookouts to monitor law enforcement activity, and had getaway cars and drivers at the ready while other conspirators broke into and burglarized residences.
According to court documents, members of the conspiracy are known to have stolen at least $717,735 worth of property and cash.
The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Julianne Klein and Ly T. Chin.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Warwick and Smithfield, RI Police Departments; Shrewsbury and Framingham, MA Police Departments; Gorham, NH Police Department; Stamford, Wallingford, and Westport, CT Police Departments; West Allis, WI Police Department; New Castle County, DE Police Department; Manalapan, NJ Police Department; New York City Police Department; Jacksonville and Flagler County Police Departments; Massachusetts State Police; Pennsylvania State Police; and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
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Three Foreign Nationals Indicted for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of indictments charging Francisco Juarez-Hernandez (25, Mexico), Javier Melendez-Serrano (29, Honduras), and Israel Godinez-Carrillo (27, Guatemala) with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison.
According to the indictments, Juarez-Hernandez was found voluntarily present in the United States on August 3, 2025, after having been previously deported on November 10, 2020. Melendez-Serrano was found voluntarily present in the United States on March 7, 2025, after having been previously deported on October 11, 2019. Godinez-Carrillo was found voluntarily present in the United States on August 2, 2025, after having been previously deported on June 25, 2019. None of these individuals had received the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
The cases are being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. They are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David B. Mesrobian.
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.
The Department of Justice Proposes Legislation to Protect Children from Gender MutilationRead the Press Release
Yesterday the U.S. Department of Justice transmitted a legislative proposal to Congress that protects and defends children from chemical and surgical mutilation under the guise of “gender-affirming care,” in line with Executive Order 14187.
The Victims of Chemical or Surgical Mutilation Act (VCSMA), led by Representative Bob Onder (R, MO-03) and Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), prohibits healthcare professionals, physicians, hospitals, or clinics from participating in the chemical or surgical mutilation of a child and creates a private right of action for children and the parents of children whose healthy body parts have been damaged by medical professionals practicing chemical and surgical mutilation.
“The Department of Justice has heard from far too many families who have been devastated by mutilative medical procedures that fly in the face of basic biology,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “While we continue our ongoing legal battle to protect children, we appreciate our colleagues in Congress who are working diligently alongside us to end these abusive procedures once and for all.”
Read The Victims of Chemical or Surgical Mutilation Act HERE.
Sully County Farmers Ordered to Pay over $4 Million in Civil Judgment for Crop Insurance FraudRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange has entered a judgment against James and Levi Garrett and ordered them to pay a combined total of $4,019,820 to resolve violations of the False Claims Act arising out of their 2018 and 2019 crop insurance fraud.
The civil judgment follows the defendants’ 2022 criminal convictions for the same conduct. The defendants operated a family farm and ranch in Sully County. In 2018, the defendants falsely certified to a crop insurance company that they planted 2,200 total acres of sunflowers. In fact, the defendants did not plant any sunflowers, and they wrongfully received indemnity from the insurance company as if their entire crop failed. In 2019, James Garrett falsely certified he planted 47.5 acres of corn as part of a larger claim. In fact, no corn was planted, and he wrongfully received indemnity from the insurance company that year. The defendants fraudulently obtained over $1.3 million in total benefits from their crimes.
“Protecting taxpayer-funded programs from fraud and abuse remains a top priority for our office,” said U.S. Attorney Ramsdell, “and we won’t stop at criminal convictions. As this case demonstrates, those who attempt to cheat federal programs face serious consequences—both criminal and civil.”
The False Claims Act allows the government to seek treble damages and civil penalties against individuals and companies that knowingly submit false or fraudulent claims for payment to federal programs. In this case, the defendants were held liable for civil damages in addition to their criminal convictions.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Risk Management Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis A. Warner prosecuted the case.
St. Louis Man Admits Moderating Child Pornography Chat RoomRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man on Wednesday admitted acting as one of the moderators of an online chat group that shared child sexual abuse material.
David Korte Daues, 37, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of child pornography.
The investigation began with a Cyber Tipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the messaging app Kik. The account was traced to Daues, and FBI special agents interviewed him at work. Daues admitted operating the account that triggered the tip. He also told the FBI that he was the moderator of a group on the Wire platform which regularly posted child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Daues said he began viewing CSAM about four years earlier and was in about 25 Kik groups and five Wire groups that shared CSAM. Daues admitted distributing CSAM in these groups. He also had images and videos containing CSAM on two cell phones.
Daues is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1. The charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both prison and a fine.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Sitka Woman Sentenced to 15 Years for Role in Drug Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Karly Fuller, 31, of Sitka, was sentenced today to 15 years in prison and, upon release, will serve three years on supervised release for her leading role in the southeast arm of an Alaska drug trafficking ring.
According to court documents, Fuller met a co-conspirator while incarcerated at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in 2022. That co-conspirator allegedly recruited Fuller to distribute drugs upon her release from incarceration for a drug trafficking organization directed by an inmate in a California prison.
Fuller returned to Sitka in July 2022 and recruited at least five other individuals to work for the drug trafficking enterprise and distribute drugs in Southeast Alaska. One of those individuals was co-defendant Stormy Cleveland, 39, of Ketchikan. Cleveland distributed drugs on behalf of Fuller and at Fuller’s direction. Between November and December 2022, federal agents intercepted three drug parcels shipped by members of the drug enterprise to Cleveland in Sitka. Those parcels contained over 15,500 illicit fentanyl pills.
Fuller’s role also included laundering money for the drug enterprise. Between April 25, 2023, and July 15, 2023, Fuller participated in at least 95 monetary transactions totaling over $99,500.
Co-defendants in this case are as follows:
- Larry Marsden, 43, of Ketchikan, pleaded guilty on December 9, 2024, to a conspiracy to distribute and to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and a money laundering conspiracy. On March 12, 2025, Marsden was sentenced to 66 months’ imprisonment and will serve three years on supervised release after his release from prison.
- Cleveland pleaded guilty on November 15, 2024, to a conspiracy to distribute and to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and a money laundering conspiracy. On March 25, 2025, Cleveland was sentenced to 135 months’ imprisonment and will serve five years on supervised release after her release from prison.
- Mario Klanott, 38, of Sitka, pleaded guilty on June 13, 2025, to a conspiracy to distribute and to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Klanott faces up to 20 years in prison.
- Douglas Vanmeter, 44, of Sitka, pleaded guilty on May 8, 2025, to a conspiracy to distribute and to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. On September 3, 2025, Vanmeter was sentenced to 40 months’ of imprisonment and will serve three years on supervised release after her release from prison.
- Sara Orr, 34, of Ketchikan, pleaded guilty on June 6, 2025, to a conspiracy to distribute and to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Orr is scheduled to be sentenced on September 9, 2025, and faces up to 20 years in prison.
- Patricia Seal-Uttke, 32, of Ketchikan, pleaded guilty on June 25, 2025, to a conspiracy to distribute and to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and a money laundering conspiracy. Seal-Uttke is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29, 2025, and faces up to 20 years in prison.
- Julia Brusell, 43, of Ketchikan, pleaded guilty on November 15, 2024, to a money laundering conspiracy. On March 17, 2025, Brusell was sentenced to time served and will serve two years on supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon made the announcement. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska has been recused from this case with the exception of certain personnel. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven D. Clymer from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York has been appointed as Special Attorney to the United States Attorney General to assist with this and other recused cases. He reports to and acts under the direction of the Deputy Attorney General, or his delegee, or U.S. Attorney Bradford in these cases. Special Attorney Clymer supervises personnel from the District of Alaska who have been exempted from the recusal.
The Drug Enforcement Administration Seattle Field Division and Anchorage District Office, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Seattle Field Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Seattle Division and Anchorage Domicile, Federal Bureau Investigation Anchorage Field Office and Alaska State Troopers, with significant law enforcement support from the U.S. Marshals Service, are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alana Weber, Stephan Collins, and Chris Schroeder prosecuted the case.
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Six Illegal Aliens Convicted in the Month of August for Illegally Reentering the Country After Prior RemovalsRead the Press Release
GAINESVILLE & PENSACOLA – United States Attorney John P. Heekin announced today that six previously deported aliens were recently convicted for illegal reentry into the United States.
According to court records, the defendants had each been previously removed due to being unlawfully present in the country and thereafter illegally reentered without seeking the necessary permission or approval from the United States. The illegal aliens convicted in August include:
- Wilson Omar Hernandez-Ramos, a citizen of Honduras, who was previously removed in August 2018. He was encountered in Escambia County on April 19, 2025.
- Noe Flores Vasquez, a citizen of Honduras, who was previously removed in November 2013, November 2017, and May 2022. He was encountered in Alachua County on July 17, 2025.
- Juan Martinez-Hernandez, a Mexican national, who was previously removed in October 2017 and November 2022. He was encountered in Santa Rosa County on April 11, 2025.
- Maximo Solis-Xec, a citizen of Guatemala, who was previously removed in August 2018. He was encountered in Santa Rosa County on May 21, 2025.
- Joel Coto-Mendoza, a citizen of Honduras, who was previously removed in May 2023. He was encountered in Escambia County on May 20, 2025.
- Francis Cantor-Garcia, a citizen of Honduras, who was previously removed in June 2014, November 2014, and January 2015. She was encountered in Escambia County on July 19, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Each of these offenders had been previously deported for illegally entering our country – some, multiple times – and each knowingly and intentionally violated our national immigration laws yet again because they thought they could get away with it. Wrong. My office is committed to aggressively prosecuting these crimes in fulfillment of the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America by making the enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws a top priority.”
The cases were investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, with assistance from several state and local partners. Assistant United States Attorneys Adam Hapner, Jenna H. Callahan, Walter Narramore, Jeffrey M. Tharp, and Brooke DiSalvo prosecuted the cases.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Romanian Man Guilty of Access Device FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that on August 19, 2025, Romanian national, ANDREI FAGARAS (“FAGARAS”), age 35, pled guilty to the three-count indictment, charging him with access device fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1029(a)(4).
According to court documents, on November 13, 2024 and November 14, 2024, FAGARAS and two other individuals possessed device-making equipment, namely credit/debit card skimmers, at three retail locations in the Eastern District of Louisiana and installed those skimmers on point-of-sale machines. FAGARAS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of fifteen (15) years, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100 per count.
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).
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General; the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office; the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office; and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Christine M. Calogero of the General Crimes Unit is handling the prosecution.
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Previously convicted felon sentenced to over 9 years in prison for illegally possessing firearmsRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – An Auburn, Washington man who illegally possessed several firearms was sentenced today to 115 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Mallory Nehemiah Brown, 44, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on June 9, 2004, Brown was convicted of bank robbery in the Eastern District of California. Brown was sentenced to 51 months in prison to be followed by 36 months of supervised release. The conditions of his supervision included that Brown was not allowed to own, possess, or have access to a firearm or ammunition.
On January 8, 2024, Brown boarded an Amtrak train in Seattle, WA, with a black duffel bag and several long boxes. Brown placed his bags and boxes on the luggage rack. The train was bound for Washington D.C., with a stop in Chicago, IL.
On January 9, 2024, the train stopped in Libby, MT, based on a complaint by other passengers about Brown. Law enforcement contacted Brown and removed him from the train. The train conductor located Brown’s bag and boxes on the luggage rack. Inside, he discovered four firearms, ammunition, magazines, a suppressor, eight firearms receivers, night vision googles, a tactical vest, and other assorted accessories. Law enforcement took custody of the bags and inventoried their contents.
Brown denied the bags belong to him. However, several Amtrak employees identified Brown as the person who loaded the bags on the train. Further, one of the boxes had a shipping label on it addressed to “Mallory Brown”.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the ATF, FBI, Libby Police Department, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and Montana Probation and Parole.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
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Ohio County Man Admits to Federal Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Joshua Carney, 32, of Wheeling, West Virginia, has admitted to heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine charges.
Carney pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine base, fentanyl, and heroin, and one count of distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a protected location. According to court documents, Carney worked with others to sell illicit drugs in Ohio County and sold more than five grams of methamphetamine near Ritchie Elementary School in June 2024.
Carney faces up to 20 years for the conspiracy charge and at least 5 years and up to 80 years in federal prison for the distribution charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Nogay is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
Investigative agencies include the Ohio Valley Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Wheeling Police Department.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
Nineteen Members and Associates of Jersey City Gang Charged for Drug Trafficking ActivitiesRead the Press Release
Newark, N.J. – Nineteen members and associates of the Jersey City gang associated with the Salem Lafayette Housing Complex were charged by Complaint for their roles in an expansive drug trafficking conspiracy, Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced today.
The Complaint charges Isaiah West, a/k/a “Snoop,” a/k/a “Bandz,” 22, of Jersey City, Jamantay Gaines, a/k/a “D-Rose,” 28, of Jersey City, Curtis Felder, a/k/a “Cee Grizzley,” 26, of Jersey City, Dorian Garrett, a/k/a “Nero,” 21, of New York City, William Washington, a/k/a “OnSight,” 23, of Jersey City, Aamir Thomas, a/k/a “Mir,” 23, of Jersey City, Nareef Frimpong, a/k/a “Huncho,” 24, of Jersey City, Reakwon Harvey, 28, of Jersey City, Pedro Torres, 21, of Jersey City, Najon Pettiford, a/k/a “Na,” 23, of Jersey City, Desmar Rivers, a/k/a “Pacman,” 26 of Jersey City, Stephon Turner, 26, of Jersey City, Tyler Thornton, 30, of Jersey City, Christopher Maldonado, a/k/a “G Chris,” 18, of Jersey City, Keiyan Golden, a/k/a “Kevin Council,” 48, of Jersey City, Cornell Bell, 49 of Jersey City, Serge Rodriguez, 29, of Jersey City, Gerard Crawford, a/k/a “Jason Reed,” 51, of Jersey City, and Alfred Reaves, 56, of Jersey City.
Today’s charges and arrests are the result of a long-running wiretap investigation led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Jersey City Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The charges include conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, 28 grams or more of cocaine base, and quantities of heroin, cocaine, PCP, and other narcotics including various prescription pills.
The 16 defendants arrested today are scheduled to have their initial court appearances this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge José R. Almonte in Newark federal court. One defendant was already in custody on state charges, and 2 defendants remain at large.
“These defendants are charged with operating a drug trafficking organization that poisoned the community of Jersey City with their distribution of fentanyl, crack cocaine, PCP, and several other narcotics. Today’s arrests and charges mark another strike in our relentless war against the deadly narcotics and ruthless street gangs that infest and terrorize our communities. We will not rest until every drug trafficker and violent offender is held accountable and removed from our streets.”
- Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba
“This investigation and charges are a testament to the combined efforts of law enforcement and underscores the resolve of ATF and our federal, state, and local partners. Drug trafficking and the heinous criminal acts associated with violent criminal organizations have an insidious impact on the public and tear apart the fabric of our communities. We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal, throughout the state of New Jersey and across the U.S., to combat violence, drug distribution, and the illegal possession of firearms to safeguard the safety and well-being of all,” stated ATF Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks.
“DEA New Jersey continues to work with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners in targeting those drug trafficking organizations and their members who are responsible for the trafficking of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and firearms in our communities” stated DEA New Jersey Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz. “As we have seen, many of these individuals use violence to conduct their illicit drug and gun trafficking business which often has senseless and deadly consequences. The DEA remains committed to protecting our communities and saving lives.”
“Today’s arrests are a testament to the collaborative work of law enforcement. Every illegal drug removed from the streets helps ensure the safety of our community,” stated Acting Prosecutor Wayne Mello. “The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office is committed to continuing this joint effort to rid our community of dangerous drugs.”
“Today, as part of our Violent Crime Initiative with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a coordinated operation with the Jersey City Police Department, ATF, and federal partners resulted in multiple arrests along with the recovery of suspected CDS and illegal guns. Over the past 12 years, we have driven down violent crime across Jersey City to historic lows by investing in smart policing strategies, stronger community partnerships, and unprecedented public safety resources, and today’s arrests are yet another example of our dedication to keeping residents safe,” Mayor Steven M. Fulop, City of Jersey City said.
“Our priority has always been to protect the people of Jersey City, and today’s operation shows that commitment in action. By arresting these violent offenders and removing illegal guns and drugs from our streets, we are protecting residents today and reinforcing the long-term safety gains we’ve made under this administration’s leadership,” stated Public Safety Director James Shea.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
West, Gaines, Felder, Garrett, Washington, Thomas, Frimpong, Harvey, Torres, Pettiford, Rivers, Turner, Thorton, and Maldonado are all members and associates of the neighborhood street gang associated with the Salem Lafayette Housing Complex, which is known as “SaLaf.”
The gang’s drug trafficking activities were extensive, with federal, state, and local investigators observing and documenting hundreds of narcotics transactions that occurred within and around the Salem Lafayette Housing Complex during the months-long investigation.
The investigation likewise revealed that Bell, Rodriguez, Crawford, and Reaves were suppliers of narcotics to the SaLaf drug trafficking organization.
Law enforcement used investigative techniques including, but not limited to, wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics by confidential informants, telephone record analysis, and physical and fixed surveillance, among other lawful means of investigation. The investigation revealed that the SaLaf DTO distributes large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine base, PCP, various prescription pills, and other narcotics in this public housing community as well as the surrounding area.
The charged offense carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 5 years and a maximum potential prison sentence of 40 years, and a maximum fine of $5,000,000.
Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Habba credited special agents and task force officers of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks Jr., Newark Field Division; special agents and task force officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz; investigators of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Wayne Mello; and investigators of the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Director James Shea, for the investigation leading to the charges.
This investigation was conducted as part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The VCI was formed in 2018 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Jersey City Police Department, for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Jersey City. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate to strategize and prioritize the prosecution of violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Jersey City Police Department, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, the Hudson County Jail, and the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center.
This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Kober of the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Unit and Trial Attorney Justin Bish of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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west.complaint.pdfNicaraguan National Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Reentry After RemovalRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Nicaraguan national has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after being removed.
On August 26, Senior U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck sentenced Marco Orlando Vado, 66, to 60 months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to illegal reentry. The sentence will run consecutive to a 72-month term Vado received in June 2024 in Broward County for violating his probation in a drug trafficking case, following his guilty plea in Miami-Dade County to attempted sexual battery of a minor under 12.
According to court records, Vado was initially encountered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in November 2009 after learning he had been convicted in Broward County of trafficking more than 400 grams of cocaine and sentenced to six years of probation. On December 23, 2009, Vado was deported to Nicaragua.
Despite his removal, on April 22, 2022, Vado was again encountered in the United States after being arrested by the North Miami Beach Police Department for attempted sexual battery of a minor under 12.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Field Officer Director Garrett Ripa of the ICE Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
ICE/ERO Miami Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph A. Cooley prosecuted the case.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-60244.
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New Orleans Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine Distribution and Being Felon in Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that DAYSHAWN BROWN (“BROWN”), age 40, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on August 28, 2025, by United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier, after previously pleading guilty to Counts 3 and 4 of the indictment pending against him. Count 3 charged BROWN with distribution of 50 or more grams of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B). Count 4 charged BROWN with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
BROWN was sentenced to 144 months as to Counts Three and Four, to be served concurrently. Judge Barbier also ordered that BROWN be placed on supervised release for four (4) years upon release from incarceration and pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $200.00.
Court documents reveal that on September 13, 2023, BROWN met with an individual he believed was a legitimate buyer at a gas station in New Orleans, to sell narcotics and a firearm. During the transaction, BROWN sold the agent a Beretta Pietro S.P.A. Model 70S, .380 caliber pistol with an obliterated serial number, and approximately 54 grams of methamphetamine.
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.
Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Troy Bell of the Violent Crime Unit.
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New Orleans Man Sentenced for Federal Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that, BRANDON TURNER (“TURNER”), age 39, was sentenced on August 26, 2025, by United States District Judge Susie Morgan, after previously pleading guilty to Counts One, Two, and Three of the indictment pending against him. Count One charged TURNER with possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 841(b)(1)(C). Count Two charged TURNER with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). Count Three charged TURNER with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
TURNER was sentenced to two hundred and ten (210) months as to counts One, Two and Three of the Superseding Bill of Information. This term consists of 150 months as to Counts One and Three, to be served concurrently to each other, and a term of 60 months as to Count Two, to be served consecutively to the terms imposed on Counts One and Three. Upon release from imprisonment, TURNER will be placed on supervised release for four (4) years as to Counts One, Two and Three, to be served concurrently with each other. TURNER also faces payment of a $300 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court documents, on January 30, 2024, TURNER was arrested for suspected narcotics trafficking. Law enforcement officers searched TURNER’s apartment and found a detectable amount of fentanyl, ammunition, and a Glock, Model 43, nine-millimeter caliber pistol. TURNER knew he was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing the firearm and ammunition.
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.
Acting United States Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Troy Bell of the Violent Crime Unit.
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Montgomery County Man Pleads Guilty to Insider Trading Linked to CVS’s 2023 Acquisition of Oak Street HealthRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Carlos Sacanell, 59, of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge Wendy Beetlestone on one count of securities fraud (insider trading) and one count of making a false statement to a federal agency.
The defendant was charged by indictment with those offenses in October 2024.
As detailed in the indictment and admitted to by the defendant, Sacanell obtained material nonpublic information from his domestic partner, who was an executive at Oak Street Health, about CVS Health Corporation’s acquisition of Oak Street Health in 2023. At all times relevant to the indictment, both CVS and Oak Street Health were publicly traded companies on the New York Stock Exchange, with ticker symbols CVS and OSH, respectively.
Sacanell used the material nonpublic information obtained from his domestic partner to trade stock and options in Oak Street Health before the transaction was publicly announced on February 8, 2023, resulting in him obtaining profits of approximately $617,000.
As further detailed in court filings, when the defendant was interviewed by the FBI in April 2024, he falsely told agents that he did not obtain from his domestic partner information regarding CVS’s planned acquisition of Oak Street Health before the acquisition was publicly announced on February 8, 2023.
This case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Francis A. Weber. The Securities and Exchange Commission also charged Sacanell, in a parallel matter.
Mexican National Sentenced to Four Months in Prison for Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Mexican national unlawfully residing in New Bedford was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for illegally reentering the United States after deportation.
Bernardo Lorenzo-Guatemala, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to four months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In June 2025, Lorenzo-Guatemala pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. He was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in May 2025.
Lorenzo-Guatemala was deported from the United States on June 4, 2019. Sometime after his removal, Lorenzo-Guatemala unlawfully reentered the United States. Immigration officials became aware of Lorenzo-Guatemala’s unlawful presence in the United States following his arrest on July 2, 2024 for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
Mexican National Arrested in Meriden Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that JUAN JOSE CARRASCO CARDENAS, 39, a citizen of Mexico, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in January 2002, Carrasco was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol and was issued a voluntary return to Mexico. In May 2009, U.S. Border Patrol encountered Carrasco illegally entering the country in Arizona. He was charged in the District of Arizona with improper entry of an alien, sentenced to five days of imprisonment and, in June 2009, was issued a voluntary return to Mexico. In January 2018, Carrasco was arrested in Saline County, Kansas, and charged with various offenses related to the trafficking of marijuana. He was convicted of a state marijuana distribution offense and sentenced to 30 months in jail. He was removed to Mexico in October 2019.
Carrasco was arrested by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations on August 27, 2025, in Meriden. He appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford and was ordered detained.
If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Carrasco faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Man Ordered to Serve 30 Years in Prison for Second Degree Murder After Killing a Woman Found Near a Bus StopRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Sand Springs man was sentenced today for Second Degree Murder in Indian Country, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Anthony Clay Russell, 32, of Sand Springs, to 360 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.
According to court documents, on October 22, 2024, first responders were dispatched in response to a call about a woman lying on a sidewalk with blood coming from her head. Medical personnel told responding officers that the woman, later identified as Tasha Shepard, was deceased from a gunshot wound to the back of the head.
Surveillance footage from the area showed a BMW pulling into a nearby parking lot. The surveillance showed Tasha getting out of the passenger side of the BMW and walking away from the car. The BMW is seen following Tasha as she walked out of the parking lot and then sped away from the area where first responders found Tasha’s body.
Detectives discovered a cellphone on Tasha and retrieved text messages with Anthony Russell from the evening of the shooting. Russell texted Tasha about paying for sex and coordinating where he could pick her up.
When detectives interviewed Russell, he initially lied about being with Tasha. When confronted with evidence, Russell eventually admitted that he picked up Tasha to have sex for money. Russell admitted he did not have money to pay Tasha, so she got out of the BMW and walked away. Eventually, Russell admitted to shooting at Tasha, claiming he was only trying to scare her.
The investigation further revealed additional surveillance footage of Russell and Tasha together in the BMW several minutes before Tasha was killed. During a search of Russell’s home, detectives found the BMW and the firearm used to shoot Tasha.
Russell is a citizen of the Osage Nation, and he will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The Tulsa Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam D. McConney and John Brasher 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Los Angeles Man Pleads Guilty to Kern Valley Prison-Based Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Justin Damonte Mitchell, 32, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, two counts of distributing methamphetamine, and one count of distributing fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, Mitchell was recruited by his brother, co-defendant Kristopher Thomas, 37, who is serving a gang-related murder sentence at the Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, to assist in drug transactions outside of prison. In September 2022, Mitchell agreed to and did deliver one-half pound of fentanyl to co-defendant Natasha Michelle Bailey, 46, of Bakersfield, to smuggle into the prison for another inmate, co-defendant Derrick D. Charles, 43. Later that month, Mitchell assisted Thomas in the shipment of packages containing approximately 48 pounds of methamphetamine intended for delivery in Oklahoma and Alabama. The fentanyl and methamphetamine seizures followed wire intercepts of Thomas’s contraband cellphone.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the IRS Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen A. Escobar is prosecuting the case.
Mitchell is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on Dec. 1, 2025. Mitchell faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest‑level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor‑led, intelligence‑driven, multi‑agency approach. Learn more at Justice.gov/OCDETF.
Leader of Akron Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Sentenced to 35 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – An Akron man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for leading and conspiring with others to traffic methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other illegal substances throughout Northeast Ohio.
Terrance D.N. McCormick, aka TNasty, 41, of Akron, was sentenced to 420 months (35 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent after pleading guilty in May to the following charges as outlined in the indictment:
- Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl.
- Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl.
- Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; previous convictions for aggravated burglary in 2003; domestic violence in 2009 and 2013; and aggravated trafficking in drugs in 2018.
- Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense.
McCormick was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after imprisonment and to forfeit $8,560 in cash, a Rolex watch, a Chevrolet Corvette, and all firearms seized by federal agents.
According to court documents, McCormick was the leader of an Akron-area drug trafficking organization dealing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine in 2023-2024. He admitted to his involvement with several co-conspirators to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine to customers throughout Northeast Ohio. The conspiracy maintained and used residences and commercial buildings in Akron to store and distribute controlled substances. Members of the conspiracy also allegedly possessed firearms to further their drug enterprise and protect their illegal inventory.
Investigators recovered methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, and three loaded firearms during the execution of federal search warrants at McCormick’s homes in 2023 and 2024.
This wiretap case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Cleveland Field Office.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter E. Daly for the Northern District of Ohio.
Lancaster County Man Indicted in Connection with Massive Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – At a news conference this afternoon, United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Daryl F. Heller, 55, of Lititz, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with one count of securities fraud and four counts of wire fraud, arising from a fraudulent investment scheme that resulted in significant investor losses of approximately $402 million.
As detailed in the indictment, the defendant controlled and was the majority owner of several companies based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, including Paramount Management Group, LLC (“Paramount”), which purchased, installed, operated, maintained, and processed transactions for automatic teller machines (“ATMs”) in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and throughout the country.
Heller also controlled and was the majority owner of Heller Capital Group LLC (“HCG”) and Prestige Investment Group, LLC (“Prestige”). Further, Prestige was the majority owner of four companies, collectively, the “Prestige Management Companies.” The Prestige Management Companies, in turn, managed the operations of more than two dozen companies, collectively, the “Prestige ATM Funds” and the “WF Velocity ATM Funds.”
The indictment alleges that, from about January 2017 to December 2024, Heller solicited, and caused others to solicit, approximately $770 million from investors in the Prestige ATM Funds and WF Velocity ATM Funds investors, based on materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises, including that the money they invested would be used by Paramount to purchase and operate ATMs on behalf of the investors, and that investors would receive a fixed amount every month from the revenues derived from the operation of the ATMs allegedly purchased by Paramount on the investors’ behalf.
The indictment further alleges that a substantial amount of the funds obtained from the Prestige and WF Velocity ATM Fund investors was not used by Paramount to purchase ATMs as promised, but used instead to pay the monthly payments owed to earlier investors in the Prestige and WF Velocity ATM Funds, other Paramount investors, Heller’s own personal expenses, and business debts incurred by Paramount and other companies that the defendant owned and controlled. The indictment further alleges that a substantial amount of the ATMs that were purportedly purchased by Paramount on behalf of the Prestige and WF Velocity ATM Fund investors either did not exist or were not in operation and, thus, were not capable of generating any revenues.
According to the indictment, to carry out and conceal the scheme, Heller created false and fraudulent records, which grossly misrepresented the number of ATMs in Paramount’s network and grossly overstated the revenues being generated by those ATMs. Heller used these documents to satisfy existing investors, solicit new investors, and deceive others by falsely representing that the ATM investments were legitimate, and the ATMs were generating sufficient revenues to make investor payments.
In or about April 2024, Heller caused Paramount to stop making monthly payments to investors after the Prestige and WF Velocity ATM Funds stopped providing substantial amounts of new investor money to Paramount. Investors have not received any payments since April 2024, despite Heller’s promises from April 2024 to December 2024 to make payments to and buyout the investors.
Paramount went out of business in or about December 2024, and investors in the Prestige and WF Velocity ATM Funds have unpaid principal amounts totaling approximately $402 million.
“The magnitude of the offense alleged by this indictment is enormous,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Daryl Heller allegedly piled lie upon lie, in order to bilk thousands of victims of their hard-earned money. This case is a prime example of the diligent and detailed work done by FBI Philadelphia’s white-collar crime branch, and the economic crimes section in our office.”
“Complex financial fraud cases like this demand close coordination, because no single agency can see the entire picture alone,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Field Office. “Together, we brought the combined resources of federal, state, and local law enforcement—pairing the FBI’s investigative reach, the SEC’s regulatory expertise, and the insights of our local partners on the ground. That collective effort, strengthened by persistence and information-sharing, allowed us to peel back the layers of deception and uncover the full scope of this alleged scheme.”
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 100 years’ imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Francis Weber and J. Andrew Jenemann. The Lancaster County Police Department, Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, East Hempfield Township Police Department, and Pequea Township Police Department provided investigative assistance.
In a parallel matter, the Securities and Exchange Commission also announced charges against Heller today.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Justice Department Seeks to Denaturalize War Criminal Who Beat, Tortured, and Sexually Assaulted Civilians in the Bosnian War in 1992Read the Press Release
The United States filed a denaturalization action in the Western District of Virginia yesterday against Slobodan Letic, a native of Croatia, who, according to the Department of Justice’s complaint, concealed and misrepresented his involvement in the beating, torture, and sexual assault of civilians in the Bosnian War in 1992, when he was an officer in the Bosnian Serb army. Letic took two women detainees out of a camp before driving them to an apartment where he beat and raped them. After the women were released from the camp, Letic later found one of them walking in the streets and again took her to an abandoned house and forcefully raped her. Letic also invaded the homes of other civilians in Bosnia and inflicted severe beatings, torture, and mock executions on them.
Letic concealed his involvement in war crimes and acts of persecution throughout his immigration and naturalization proceedings after entering the United States by claiming to be a refugee in 2000. Additionally, the civil complaint alleges that Letic concealed his Bosnian criminal convictions for corruption-related acts he performed as a police officer after the war. Letic naturalized as a U.S. citizen on Sept. 22, 2006.
“The United States is not a safe haven for war criminals and human rights violators,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Letic entered our country posing as a victim of persecution when in fact he had committed horrendous acts as a persecutor of others. He took advantage of our generous system for refugee admissions and should not have been granted U.S. citizenship. This action seeks to redress that wrong, and we are committed to upholding the integrity of the naturalization process against fraud and misrepresentation.”
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a naturalized U.S. citizen’s citizenship may be revoked, and his certificate of naturalization canceled, if the naturalization was illegally procured or procured by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation.
This case was investigated by the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation, with assistance from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations Historian William Tomljanovich and Attaché John Christoforo of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the government of Bosnia. The litigation is being handled by Trial Attorney Christopher Lyerla and reviewed by Max Weintraub of the Office of Immigration Litigation, General Litigation and Appeals Section, Affirmative Litigation Unit.
The claims made in the complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Justice Department Returns Full Control of Police Practices to the City of SeattleRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington recognized the successful completion of the consent decree in United States v. City of Seattle, returning complete control of the Seattle Police Department (SPD) to the City. The 13-year consent decree effort addressed use of force, crisis intervention, stops and detentions, supervision and accountability.
“We congratulate the Seattle Police Department on its achievement of sustained substantial compliance with this consent decree,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We are proud to stand by the men and women of the Seattle Police Department as federal oversight ends and the court returns full control of local law enforcement to the city.”
“The Seattle Police Department has worked over many years to develop and implement policies and procedures that have transformed the department into an example for other police forces,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller for the Western District of Washington. “Multiple Police Chiefs, city leaders, community stakeholders, and U.S. Attorneys have supported that effort. I commend the hard work that has led to the end of the consent decree.”
In 2011, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington jointly initiated an investigation into the SPD under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. After concluding the investigation, in 2012 the United States and the City of Seattle entered into a consent decree to address the investigation’s findings that SPD engaged in a pattern or practice of unnecessary or excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. In 2023, the Court granted the parties’ joint motion to terminate most of the consent decree’s requirements. The City and the Department worked collaboratively toward completion of the last remaining requirements, leading to today’s termination of the consent decree and final dismissal of the lawsuit.
Justice Department Returns Full Control of Police Practices to the City of SeattleRead the Press Release
Today, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington recognized the successful completion of the consent decree in United States v. City of Seattle, returning complete control of the Seattle Police Department (SPD) to the City. The 13-year consent decree effort addressed use of force, crisis intervention, stops and detentions, supervision and accountability.
“We congratulate the Seattle Police Department on its achievement of sustained substantial compliance with this consent decree,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We are proud to stand by the men and women of the Seattle Police Department as federal oversight ends and the court returns full control of local law enforcement to the city.”
“The Seattle Police Department has worked over many years to develop and implement policies and procedures that have transformed the department into an example for other police forces,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller for the Western District of Washington. “Multiple Police Chiefs, city leaders, community stakeholders, and U.S. Attorneys have supported that effort. I commend the hard work that has led to the end of the consent decree.”
In 2011, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington jointly initiated an investigation into the SPD under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. After concluding the investigation, in 2012 the United States and the City of Seattle entered into a consent decree to address the investigation’s findings that SPD engaged in a pattern or practice of unnecessary or excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. In 2023, the Court granted the parties’ joint motion to terminate most of the consent decree’s requirements. The City and the Department worked collaboratively toward completion of the last remaining requirements, leading to today’s termination of the consent decree and final dismissal of the lawsuit.
Justice Department Files Lawsuit for Mississippi Woman Terminated for Alleging Sexual HarassmentRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the city of Hattiesburg, Mississippi for violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by terminating a former employee who opposed and complained about sexual harassment in the workplace.
Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex and religion and prohibits retaliation against employees for opposing discriminatory employment practices. According to the Department’s complaint, filed today in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, the city terminated former employee, Hope Chatman, after she reported sexual harassment and refused to sit near her harasser after reporting his conduct to management. The complaint seeks damages, back pay, and revisions to the City’s policies, practices, and procedures to prevent and remedy retaliation that violates Title VII.
“No one who speaks up against workplace sexual harassment should face retaliation for doing so. The Department is committed to fully enforcing our federal employment discrimination laws, including through banning sexual harassment and retaliation,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
This case stems from a charge of discrimination filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and investigated by the EEOC’s Jackson Area office. The EEOC investigated the charge and found reasonable cause to believe the city violated Title VII. After unsuccessful conciliation efforts, the EEOC referred the charge to the Justice Department.
You can view the complaint here.
Employees with complaints of sexual harassment can report them to their local EEOC office or their respective state or local fair employment practices agencies. The contact information for each local EEOC office can be found at www.eeoc.gov/field-office.
Illegal Alien Sentenced for Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jeffry Gabriel Zamora-Pineda, age 33, a Honduran national unlawfully present in Oklahoma, was sentenced to time served for one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division and the Environmental Protection Agency.
On April 22, 2025, Zamora-Pineda pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on March 19, 2025, Zamora-Pineda, an alien, was found in the United States after having been previously removed in 2019 without obtaining the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan W. Howanitz and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia Staubus represented the United States.