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26 August 2025
Council Bluffs Man Sentenced to 180 Months in Federal Prison for Receipt of Child Pornography and Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Council Bluffs man was sentenced July 24, 2025, to 180 months in federal prison for receipt of child pornography and possession of a firearm as felon.
According to public court documents, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTip that an account, later determined to be associated with David Michael Morse, 55, received and uploaded an image containing child sexual abuse material. During a search of Morse’s Council Bluffs residence, law enforcement seized Morse’s electronics, including a cellular phone, and firearms. A forensic examination of Morse’s phone showed that Morse used the device to receive images and videos containing child sexual abuse material.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Morse will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Morse was also ordered to pay $9,000 in restitution.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Iowa Department of Public Safety – Cyber Crime Bureau; Council Bluffs Police Department; Iowa State Patrol; the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Child Exploitation Task Force; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Task Force.
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.
Chicago Grocery Store Owner Sentenced to Three and a Half Years in Prison for Fraudulently Redeeming SNAP and WIC BenefitsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The owner of a Chicago grocery store has been sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison for fraudulently redeeming millions of dollars in benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (“WIC”).
YOUSEF ABU ALHAWA owned a grocery store in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood on Chicago’s Southwest Side. From 2011 to 2019, Alhawa fraudulently redeemed or caused to redeem SNAP and WIC benefits for non-eligible items or cash, and redeemed SNAP and WIC benefits on behalf of stores ineligible to participate in SNAP and WIC. Alhawa admitted in a plea agreement with the government that he caused a loss to those programs of more than $8.3 million.
Alhawa, 50, of Lockport, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and tax charges. The tax offenses pertained to Alhawa’s filing of false income tax returns for the calendar years 2015 to 2017. The tax offenses caused a federal and state tax loss of more than $610,000.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger imposed the 42-month prison sentence and ordered Alhawa to pay $8.9 million in restitution to the U.S. Treasury, IRS, and State of Illinois.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Ramsey E. Covington, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General.
“Defendant’s offense conduct was serious,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mower argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “SNAP is the nation’s largest federally funded nutrition assistance program. His actions not only deprived those programs of vital financial resources that could otherwise have been made available to deserving recipients, but also risked sowing general disfavor and distrust of government benefit systems.”
Carrollton man sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for child exploitation violationsRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas – A Carrollton man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Traylan Xavier Mosley, 21, pleaded guilty to advertising child pornography and was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant, III on August 26, 2025.
According to information presented in court, Mosley used photos he found online to pretend he was an attractive girl to entice teen and pre-teen boys to send him photos and videos depicting sexually explicit conduct. He then packaged the boys’ photos and videos in a compilation thumbnail image with the individual boy’s name written on top. Customers on various social media platforms would then purchase those packages, either one at a time, or in the case of one customer – the entire collection for $950 – and receive a link to access the content. Federal agents identified more than 45 children across the United States who were victimized by Mosley. Other children were unable to be identified, and leads were sent to foreign law enforcement partners when the children were located outside the United States.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Frisco Police Department and the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Miller.
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Career Criminal Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Manufacturing and Selling THC and Psilocybin Products NationwideRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— Antonio Irving Benjamin, age 53 and a resident of Salem, Oregon, was sentenced to 144 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute over 1,000 kilograms of marijuana and conspiracy to launder the proceeds. He also agreed to forfeit assets worth more than $2 million dollars.
According to court documents, Benjamin and a previously convicted co-conspirator named Jered Hayward operated a large-scale illegal THC and psilocybin production and distribution facility headquartered in Salem, Oregon. Benjamin supervised the operations and managed a number of employees who obtained cereal and candy products and infused or sprayed potent THC oils on them. They then inserted the edibles into packages which mimicked legitimate consumer food products and sold them throughout the United States and internationally. While there was no evidence Benjamin deliberately targeted minors, the manner in which his organization packaged the edibles posed a risk to children, who are often unable to comprehend the fine print warnings that the packages contained THC products.
Benjamin’s organization utilized encrypted communications such as Telegram to market, sell and process orders, and straw businesses to mask money laundering transactions. Benjamin had no permits or licenses to produce or sell these products; the entire operation was illegal.
Benjamin has an extensive criminal record, including two prior federal convictions for cocaine and fentanyl trafficking. Because of these convictions, he is a career criminal under federal law.
Benjamin agreed to forfeit substantial assets which he admitted were related to the drug and money laundering enterprise. As part of his guilty plea Benjamin and Hayward agreed to forfeit:
- The Salem production facility;
- More than $1 million in cash;
- $640,000 worth of cryptocurrency and bank account funds;
- More than $400,000 worth of gold and silver;
- Jewelry and a Rolex watch; and
- Twelve vehicles, two UTV’s, boats and
- A property located at 879 Railway Avenue NE, Silverton, Oregon.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Portland Police Bureau, United States Postal Inspection, Oregon State Police, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Salem Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Kemp Strickland and Christopher Cardani, Assistant United States Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
California Man Sentenced to 97 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl in Central PennsylvaniaRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Donnie Woods, age 45, of Northridge, California, was sentenced to 97 months’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Keli M. Neary for conspiring to distribute fentanyl.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Woods admitted that from July 2020 through at least April 2021, he conspired with others to distribute substantial quantities fentanyl in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. In April 2021, law enforcement in Pennsylvania seized two packages that Woods had sent from California to a residence in York, Pennsylvania. The two packages contained, in total, nearly four kilograms of fentanyl.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
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California Man Sentenced for Distributing over 50 Pounds of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Jacob Paul Arjona (32, Bakersfield, CA) to 17 years and 7 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute and distributing methamphetamine. Arjona pleaded guilty in December 2024.
According to court records, Arjona conspired with others to have more than 500 kilograms of methamphetamine brought to the Middle District of Florida. On October 11, 2023, officers observed Arjona deliver 50 pounds of methamphetamine to his co-defendant, Mario Espino, at a residence in Holiday, Florida. Deputies from the Pasco Sheriff’s Office stopped a rideshare vehicle in which Arjona was a passenger as it left the home in Holiday. During a search of the vehicle, deputies seized over $110,000 in drug proceeds.
Espino pleaded guilty on February 24, 2025. He was sentenced to 22 years and 6 months for his role in the conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David P. Sullivan.
California Man Charged with Tax Refund Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed last week in Los Angeles charging a California man with mail fraud and various tax crimes related to a tax refund fraud scheme.
The following is according to the indictment: from 2016 through 2025, Melvin Louis Hughes, also known as “Melvin Louis Huges” and “Bandele El,” of Los Angeles County, operated a scheme to file false federal tax returns claiming millions of dollars in fraudulent tax refunds. As alleged in the indictment, Hughes submitted fraudulent Forms 1041, U.S. Income Tax Returns for Estates and Trusts, for himself and others, claiming more than $360 million in fraudulent tax refunds based on fictitious federal income tax withholdings. These tax returns allegedly attached Forms 1099, which falsely reported that major banks, online payment platforms, and other legitimate businesses made payments from which substantial amounts of tax had been withheld and paid over to the IRS. In 2024 and 2025, as a further part of the scheme, Hughes allegedly filed false IRS Forms 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns, which claimed more than $370 million in refunds based on false tax withholdings.
Hughes allegedly received approximately $6.2 million in tax refunds. He allegedly used the funds to purchase a $1.84 million house in Malibu, California, two Tesla automobiles, and approximately $500,000 in cryptocurrency.
Hughes also allegedly promoted this scheme to at least 17 other taxpayers, collecting various fees from them in exchange for his assistance. From at least five taxpayers, Hughes allegedly demanded 10% of the refund they received but instructed that the payment be made to Brother to Brother Outreach Trust, another purported trust he created and falsely characterized as a charitable donation. As alleged, Hughes received approximately $868,704.45 from the taxpayers who had utilized his scheme.
In total, Hughes is alleged to have caused a total tax loss to the IRS of approximately $13 million.
Hughes was charged with mail fraud, making a false claim, filing a false tax return, and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for mail fraud, a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count of making false claims for refund, a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each count of filing false tax returns, and a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each count of aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of false tax returns. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Patrick Burns and Mahana Weidler of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Brooklyn, New York Man Charged with Evidence TamperingRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Damien DeJesus, 22, of Brooklyn, New York, has been charged by criminal complaint with evidence tampering for his destruction and attempted destruction of evidence that he believed would be used in a criminal prosecution against him.
On August 20, 2025, DeJesus appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, who ordered that DeJesus be released on conditions.
According to court records, on August 14, 2025, DeJesus was detained when law enforcement executed a federal search warrant on a residence in Vergennes, Vermont. Law enforcement found controlled substances including cocaine and three loaded firearms inside of the house. After DeJesus was detained, law enforcement investigators brought him to the Vergennes Police Department for questioning. There, DeJesus was searched and placed in a holding cell prior to an interview.
While waiting to be interviewed, DeJesus told investigators that he needed to use the bathroom. DeJesus then entered a bathroom and locked the door. Investigators waited outside the door and then heard plastic crinkling from inside the bathroom. DeJesus was told to finish up and exit the bathroom. DeJesus responded by flushing the toilet, then exiting the bathroom. When investigators brought DeJesus back to his holding cell, they found a sandwich size plastic bag with small torn twist baggies inside with traces of cocaine in one of DeJesus’s hands. Law enforcement then entered the bathroom that DeJesus had just used and observed cocaine base on top of the toilet tank.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that DeJesus is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. DeJesus faces up to twenty years’ incarceration if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher thanked the officers and agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Marshals Service, the Rutland City Police Department, the Vergennes Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for their work on this matter. The prosecutors are Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle Arra and Zachary Stendig. DeJesus is represented by Jason Sawyer, Esq.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Bethesda Doctor Sentenced to over a Year in Federal Prison for Unlawfully Distributing Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Court Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Anissa Maroof, 48, of Potomac, Maryland, to 15 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for distributing and dispensing controlled substances. After she is released from prison, Maroof will serve the first nine months of supervised release on home detention.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office, and Chief Marc R. Yamada, Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD).
According to the facts Maroof admitted in her guilty plea, between approximately January 2019 and June 2022, Maroof knowingly caused the distributing and dispensing of Alprazolam (commonly referred to as Xanax), Amphetamine-dextroamphetamine (commonly referred to as Adderall), and Buprenorphine. She committed this act with the knowledge that distributing and dispensing the controlled substances were outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.
Maroof, a physician who was board certified in addiction psychiatry, owned and operated a medical practice in Bethesda, Maryland. She also had a Drug Enforcement Administration registration number that authorized her to prescribe controlled substances.
Through her medical practice, which was located in Maryland, Maroof provided patients from West Virginia with prescriptions for controlled substances, including Alprazolam, Amphetamine-dextroamphetamine, and Buprenorphine. Maroof prescribed patients combinations of Alprazolam, Amphetamine-dextroamphetamine, and Buprenorphine without warning them about the risks of combining these medications. She also prescribed controlled substances to patients even after they indicated that they were selling their excess supply of controlled substances through illicit channels.
Additionally, Maroof regularly prescribed controlled substances to patients without providing them with therapeutic services. On numerous occasions, Maroof called in prescriptions to local pharmacies without first seeing the patient, and then she directed the patient to leave cash under her office door in exchange for writing the prescriptions. She also often advised patients how to split filling their prescriptions between different pharmacies.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and MCPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Sarma and Elizabeth Wright who prosecuted 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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Aberdeen, SD Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled SubstanceRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a man from Aberdeen, South Dakota, convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on August 18, 2025.
Kaleb Lee Fletcher Kapit, 44, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Kapit was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in February 2024. He pleaded guilty on May 19, 2025.
Kapit and others conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Aberdeen, South Dakota. In February 2023, law enforcement seized a package sent to Kapit by his co-conspirator, which contained approximately one pound of methamphetamine and was intended for distribution to others. Through further investigation, law enforcement learned that Kapit had sent money to someone in California on multiple occasions.
This case was investigated by the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.
Kapit was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
25 August 2025
“Operation Pick-Off” results in nearly 80 criminal alien arrests throughout the Rio Grande ValleyRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A total of 78 people have been taken into custody for various immigration-related violations following a major enforcement action throughout the Rio Grande Valley, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Several have begun to make their appearances before U.S. magistrate judges in McAllen and Brownsville.
Operation Pick-Off it is a multi-agency immigration/violent crime effort targeting criminals in the Rio Grande Valley. It began Aug. 22 and continued through the weekend in the counties of Cameron, Willacy, Hidalgo and Starr.
“For those that want to come to this country without permission and then victimize American citizens once here, we are more than happy to accommodate them with a stay at a federal facility, followed by a one-way ticket home,” said Ganjei. “SDTX will not rest until we’ve brought Operation Pick-Off to each and every one of the Southern District’s 43 counties. If you’re here illegally and you commit crimes in our community, you can expect a visit from us, and that visit is going to come sooner rather than later. This is what Operation Take Back America looks like.”
The overall effort involved the arrests of 65 people who are allegedly in the country illegally after having been previously removed. The charges allege they were serving varying terms of probation following convictions for state crimes, such as drug offenses, human smuggling, fraud, burglary and assault. If convicted, most face up to 20 years in federal prison.
In addition to those charged with illegal reentry after removal, authorities arrested two others on misdemeanor warrants for avoidance of examination or inspection by immigration officers. They were also on state probation for other crimes.
Law enforcement also identified and arrested 11 others on similar immigration-related violations who are expected to be immediately removed from the country.
In support of Operation Pick-Off, the FBI, through its Summer Heat initiative, surged resources alongside its law enforcement partners to focus on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against priority targets.
“Today’s threats are too complex, too dangerous, and too widespread for any one agency to handle alone. That’s why the FBI joined forces with its law enforcement partners to launch a bold, coordinated strike,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the FBI – San Antonio Field Office. “Operation Pick Off stands as proof of what that unity can achieve, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering dedication of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to protecting our southern border.”
“This operation reflects the strength of coordinated law enforcement at every level,” said Acting Chief Patrol Agent Jason E. Schneider of Border Patrol – Rio Grande Valley Sector. “Through close collaboration we successfully targeted and apprehended individuals who posed a threat to our communities and national security. This mission underscores our commitment to securing our borders and upholding the law through multi-agency operations.”
FBI and Border Patrol worked with the U.S. Attorney’s Office as the primary law enforcement agencies investigating this matter, with assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Marshals Service; ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Texas Department of Public Safety and IRS Criminal Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Brownsville and McAllen Divisions are prosecuting the cases.
The collaborative effort is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Wisconsin Man Sentenced for Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Milwaukee, Wi., man, Alexander Laykovich, 27, was sentenced on Friday by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to 48 months in prison, for unlawful possession of a firearm by a person who has been adjudicated as a mental defective.
According to his plea agreement, on January 25, 2024, Laykovich was stopped by a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Deputy while driving in the Stanford, Ky., area. He had been driving from Wisconsin to North Carolina to Kentucky, where he intended to visit Fort Knox. When Laykovich was stopped, he was wearing body armor, a recording device, and possessed knives, a gas canister, and eight firearms, with six of the firearms being semiautomatic weapons capable of accepting large capacity magazines, and ammunition. A search of his storage unit and delivery boxes in Wisconsin revealed an additional 15 firearms, among other improvised explosive device parts and grenades.
In January 2023, Laykovich had been entered into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, because he had been adjudicated a mental defective and received a lifetime prohibition from purchasing firearms. Laykovich was aware of the 2023 adjudication and knew he was prohibited from owning a firearm. The firearms in Laykovich’s possession on January 25, 2024, had either been purchased by him prior to the January 2023 adjudication and prohibition, or were purchased by his girlfriend afterwards.
Under federal law, Laykovich must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.
“Illegal firearm possession poses a serious threat to the safety of our communities,” said Acting United States Attorney Paul McCaffrey. “This case reflects the strong collaboration between our office and our federal, state, and local partners, and we are grateful for their commitment to removing illegal firearms from our streets and holding offenders accountable under the law.”
“As a result of law enforcement’s swift actions, a potential act of violence against one of our military installations was thwarted and a large supply of illegally purchased firearms was removed from the hands of a dangerous individual. With this sentence, the defendant has been held accountable for his blatant disregard of the law,” said Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Louisville Field Office. “As always, FBI Louisville and our partners across the Commonwealth are committed to protecting the communities we serve and encourage the public to remain vigilant and immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.”
Acting U.S. Attorney McCaffrey, FBI Special Agent in Charge Olson; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Sheriff Shawn Hines, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, ATF, KSP, and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Dieruf is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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Violent Felon Sentenced to a Decade in Prison for Possession of Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A previously convicted violent felon has been sentenced to prison after he flaunted videos of his firearms stash and shooting practice on a popular social media platform.
Reggie Jordan, 37, of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge John R. Adams after a federal jury found him guilty of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition in July 2023. Jordan was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment. The sentence was imposed by Judge Adams Aug. 19.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on March 18, 2022, the defendant posted a video to Instagram in which five firearms are seen on a table. A shooting target from a popular firing range in Cuyahoga County is also seen within the video’s frame. Sergeant Marlon Wills, of the Cleveland Division of Police and the Safe Streets Task Force, observed the video and was aware of Jordan’s criminal history which prohibited him from possessing firearms. Details in the indictment outline Jordan’s previous convictions including aggravated robbery in 2008; trafficking in drugs and drug possession in 2014; and possession of drugs and trafficking in drugs in 2019.
During the investigation, clear security camera footage of Jordan at the shooting range was obtained. In it, the defendant is observed firing several firearms and wearing distinctive red clothing. He is also seen filming the video that he later posted on Instagram and carrying a backpack stuffed with firearms.
During a search warrant execution of Jordan’s residence, investigators seized six firearms—including the five seen in the Instagram video— and two large-capacity magazines. One firearm was discovered to be stolen. Firearms seized included an Interarms Pioneer Arms Sporter, Model AK-47, 7.62x39 mm caliber rifle; Alex Pro Firearms, multicaliber rifle; four pistols; and ammunition.
The distinctive red clothing that Jordan was seen wearing in the video and the backpack he was carrying were also found. Agents also recovered marijuana, two cellphones, a drug scale, a drug press and a blender with fentanyl residue, and $3,620 in cash from Jordan’s apartment.
This case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division, and the Cleveland Division of Police Safe Streets Gang Task Force.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph P. Dangelo and Peter E. Daly for the Northern District of Ohio.
Vanderwagen Man Sentenced for Violent Knife AttackRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Newcomb man was sentenced to 37 months in prison for assaulting another man with a knife, leaving the victim with serious bodily injuries.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on November 12, 2024, Josiah Bodie, 23, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, used a knife to assault a man outside Basha’s grocery store in Shiprock, New Mexico, following an argument. Surveillance video showed Bodie approaching the victim with a knife as the victim attempted to walk away. Witnesses reported that Bodie threw the victim against a wall before stabbing him multiple times.
The victim sustained serious bodily injury that required hospitalization for several days. Bodie was also treated for injuries sustained during the altercation.
Bodie pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Upon his release from prison, Bodie will be subject to three years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin L. Dillon is prosecuting the case.
United States uses civil asset forfeiture to recover $1.9M for victim of cryptocurrency investment schemeRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, through civil asset forfeiture, has recovered and cleared title to $1,971,399.80 in investment fraud proceeds and property involved in money laundering. The United States is now in the process of returning that property to the victim.
According to court documents, scam perpetrators first sent an unsolicited text message to the victim about going to Central Park and then continued to engage in communications with the victim. The cryptocurrency investment scheme involved the perpetrators taking time to get to know the victim and earning their trust before encouraging the victim to “invest” in cryptocurrency using a spoofed investment website set up to mimic a legitimate cryptocurrency investment platform and funnel victim funds to the perpetrators. The site falsely represented to the victim that their “investments” were making sizeable gains. When the victim attempted to make withdrawals, however, the perpetrators coerced the victim to send more money, using tactics such as claiming the victim owed taxes on their “profits.” Ultimately, the perpetrators never let the victim withdraw any funds and simply stole the victim’s money.
After receiving the victim’s funds, the perpetrators laundered the victim’s funds by conducting a series of convoluted transactions and making quick swaps from one type of cryptocurrency to another.
In December 2024, the FBI and Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office seized just under $2 million from three cryptocurrency wallets. The United States began a civil forfeiture action against the seized funds by publicly filing a civil forfeiture complaint in U.S. District Court. The seized funds have been ordered forfeited, allowing for the return of the funds to the victim.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal Division; and Michael L. Chapman, Loudoun County Sheriff, made the announcement.
The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Annie Zanobini.
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-cv-559.
U.P. Man Sentenced to Life in PrisonRead the Press Release
Eugene Rantanen was convicted of killing his 19-month-old son, Carter
MARQUETTE – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that Eugene Walter-George Rantanen, 37, of L’Anse was sentenced to life in prison for murder and first-degree child abuse. During sentencing, U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney commented that the sentence imposed “will do justice” given the defendant’s “horrendous treatment” of his 19-month-old son.
The evidence at trial showed that Rantanen had care and custody of his minor son, Carter, on the night of February 19, 2024. The two were alone at their home on the L’Anse Reservation of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community when Rantanen called 911 to report that the nineteen-month-old boy was not breathing. Despite rapid and extensive medical intervention involving three different hospitals, the toddler succumbed to his head injuries on February 24. Numerous treating providers testified that Carter had suffered from abusive assault and inflicted trauma, and the medical examiner found that Carter’s cause of death was blunt-force trauma and the manner of death was homicide. Based on the nature of Carter’s injuries, the government argued that Rantanen was the only person with means and opportunity to commit the murder. The jury agreed, convicting Rantanen of both counts.
“This toddler’s life was tragic. His birth mother had arranged for him to be adopted by a loving family, but Rantanen insisted on having custody of Carter and all evidence suggests that, instead of loving and doting on and caring for Carter, Rantanen subjected him to months of abuse and neglect,” said U.S. Attorney VerHey. “Although this sentence will not bring this little boy back, we hope it provides some measure of justice and comfort to those who loved Carter, including his birth mother, adoptive parents, and family. My office will work tirelessly, even in difficult cases, to see that offenders are held accountable and justice is done.”
“The conviction of Eugene Rantanen further ensures the public that this child predator and murderer will never again have the opportunity to harm another innocent young soul,” said Reuben Coleman, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “I would like to first thank our dedicated team out of the FBI Marquette Resident Agency, whose tireless efforts made this outcome possible. This success was the result of our close partnership with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Police, Village L’Anse Police, Baraga County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan State Police, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan. To the family and loved ones of the innocent child, I extend my deepest condolences. The FBI in Michigan remains unwavering in protecting our children and reassuring our communities that justice will be served.”
The FBI, the Michigan State Police, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Police, the Baraga County Sheriff’s Office, and the Village of L’Anse Police Department investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexis M. Sanford, Jeanne F. Long, and Theodore J. Greeley prosecuted it.
This case was part of the Department of Justice’s work to combat the missing and murdered indigenous person’s (MMIP) crisis. Per the Bureau of Indian Affairs, “For decades, Native American and Alaska Native communities have struggled with high rates of assault, abduction, and murder of tribal members. Community advocates describe the crisis as a legacy of generations of government policies of forced removal, land seizures and violence inflicted on Native peoples.” The BIA website has more information about the MMIP crisis at https://www.bia.gov/service/mmu/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-people-crisis
Two Fort Thompson Men Sentenced to Years in Federal Prison in Assault CaseRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced two men from Fort Thompson, South Dakota, in a case involving a violent assault with a firearm.
Trevin Witt, age 18, pleaded guilty to Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, and Using and Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. On March 31, 2025, Witt was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Lawrence Taylor, age 21, pleaded guilty to Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. On August 19, 2025, Taylor was sentenced to four years and nine months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Witt and Taylor were indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024. Witt pleaded guilty on February 24, 2025, and Taylor pleaded guilty on May 15, 2025.
The convictions stem from a violent incident that occurred on April 13, 2024, in the Crow Creek Sioux Indian Reservation. On that day, Witt and Taylor forcibly entered the home of the victim. Witt held a gun to the head of a resident demanding to know where the victim was. When the victim came up the stairs from the basement, he was shot by Witt. The victim survived the encounter.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the FBI and BIA-Office of Justice Services – Crow Creek Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.
Both Witt and Taylor were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following their respective sentencings.
Two Charleston Men Sentenced to Prison for Roles in Charleston Methamphetamine Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Two Charleston men were sentenced to prison today for their roles in a Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) that distributed methamphetamine in the Charleston area. One of the defendants was also sentenced for violating supervised release.
Kirt Ray King, 48, of Charleston, was sentenced to six years and six months in prison, to be followed by eight years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine and for committing a crime while on supervised release. John Wayne Harkless, 47, of Charleston, was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine
According to court documents and statements made in court, from in or about January 2024 to in or about May 2024, King and Harkless conspired with others to participate in the DTO. Harkless sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant on nine separate occasions during the time period. Investigators were able to confirm that Harkless was obtaining his methamphetamine from King.
Investigators determined that King was responsible for approximately 11 pounds of methamphetamine and was supplying the controlled substance to several individuals including co-defendants in the DTO. At the time of this offense, King was serving a term of supervised release as a result of his December 3, 2004, convictions for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, distribution of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and money laundering. King was sentenced today to one year and six months in prison for committing a crime while on supervised release, to be served concurrently with the prison sentence of six years and six months.
Harkless has a criminal history that includes more than 23 convictions in four states. The investigation of the DTO determined that Harkless was responsible for almost 3 pounds of methamphetamine that he personally distributed.
King and Harkless are among four individuals indicted by a federal grand jury in the DTO conspiracy, and all four pleaded guilty. Anthony Michael Mowery, 49, of Parkersburg, was sentenced on April 21, 2025 to nine years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine and violating supervised release. Michael Dale Cain, 49, of Parkersburg, was sentenced on January 29, 2025, to eight years and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentences. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe prosecuted the case.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-95.
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Two Anchorage residents arrested, charged with maintaining a drug-involved premise at a local hotelRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man and woman were arrested on Friday after a federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging them with conspiring to maintain a drug-involved premise at the Chelsea Inn Hotel (CIH) in Anchorage.
U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska, Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office and Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case made the announcement alongside Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal John Olson during a press conference at the James M. Fitzgerald U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building.
According to court documents, beginning in October 2020, Kyoung Seo, 62, an owner of the CIH, and Chantel Fields, 36, allegedly conspired together and with others to maintain the hotel for the purpose of distributing and using controlled substances.
Court documents allege that the FBI and Anchorage Police Department (APD) began investigating allegations of drug trafficking, involving persons living at, working at and frequenting the hotel. It is alleged that Fields used the hotel to store and distribute drugs, directed people looking to buy drugs to their dealers living on the premise and controlled who was allowed to visit the hotel. Fields and Seo allegedly enforced a $20 “door fee” for people visiting the hotel.
Since 2020, law enforcement conducted multiple enforcement and investigatory actions at the CIH, including a February 2025 search warrant execution that resulted in the seizure of nine firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and over 1.2 kilograms of suspected controlled substances.
The investigation revealed many instances of alleged violent crime or drug related activity occurring at the hotel in the past five years. APD records show over 1,000 emergency calls for service to the CIH since 2020. Many of those calls were requests to respond to violent crime, domestic disputes and drug crimes, including homicides and fatal and non-fatal overdoses.
On Friday, Aug. 22, law enforcement executed related search warrants on three locations—the CIH and two residences. During the search of the three locations, law enforcement discovered and seized 11 firearms, including two behind the front desk, thousands of rounds of ammunition, substantial quantities of suspected controlled substances and approximately $45,000.
The FBI also executed a seizure warrant for the CIH property on Friday. The U.S. Marshals Service took custody of the building, effectively ceasing the alleged drug trafficking at the hotel.
Seo and Fields are charged with one count of conspiracy to maintain a drug-involved premises. The defendants are scheduled for their initial court appearances on a later date before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Anchorage Field Office and Anchorage Police Department are investigating this case as part of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, with assistance from the IRS Criminal Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, APD High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Unit, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Alaska State Troopers.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cody Tirpak and Seth Beausang are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime and drug trafficking. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Three Hondurans Unlawfully Residing in Oregon Arrested for Trafficking Fentanyl in Downtown PortlandRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— Three Honduran defendants unlawfully residing in Oregon made their first appearances in federal court on Monday after being arrested and charged for trafficking fentanyl in downtown Portland last Thursday on National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day.
Antoni Yahir Pavon-Rosales, 18, has been charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Cristian Ravolales, 27, has been charged by criminal complaint with distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Kevin Concepcion Ramos-Espinoza, 34, has been charged by criminal complaint with distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents, on August 21, 2025, investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Portland Police Bureau (PPB) Central Neighborhood Response Team (NRT) and Bike Squad, PPB Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit (NOC), the Clackamas County Interagency Task Force (CCITF), and the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) conducted a fentanyl enforcement mission in downtown Portland. Investigators observed defendant Pavon-Rosales attempting to sell fentanyl and arrested him, seizing 22.5 grams of fentanyl and $795. The same evening, investigators observed defendant Ravolales engage in drug trafficking and arrested him, seizing 45.9 grams of fentanyl and $579. Investigators also observed Ramos-Espinoza engaged in multiple acts of drug trafficking and arrested him, seizing 14.7 grams of fentanyl and $2,461. Defendant Ramos-Espinoza has two pending delivery of controlled substance cases in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
All three defendants made their first appearances in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. All three defendants were ordered detained pending further court proceedings. Arraignments have been scheduled for September 24, 2025.
These cases were investigated by the FBI, PPB Central NRT and Bike Squad, PPB NOC, and the CCITF. They are being prosecuted by AUSA Scott Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
CCITF is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program (HIDTA) and is composed of members from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, Canby Police Department, Oregon State Police, Clackamas County Parole and Probation, and the FBI.
The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 100 times more powerful than morphine and 50 times more powerful than heroin. A 2-milligram dose of fentanyl—a few grains of the substance—is potentially enough to kill an average adult male. The wide availability of illicit fentanyl in Oregon has caused a dramatic increase in overdose deaths throughout the state.
If you are in immediate danger, please call 911.
If you or someone you know suffers from addiction, please call the Lines for Life substance abuse helpline at 1-800-923-4357 or visit www.linesforlife.org. Phone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also text “RecoveryNow” to 839863 between 2pm and 6pm Pacific Time daily.
Two Young Males Sentenced for Possession of a MacHinegunRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Kewhan Landrum, 19, and Deyonte’ Betties, 21, of Pensacola, Florida, were sentenced to 36 months and 40 months, respectively, in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to possession of a machinegun. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I sincerely appreciate the excellent work by our state and federal law enforcement partners to investigate this case and help bring these two defendants to justice. This is yet another win for the Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America, and fulfills the promise by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to aggressively target violent criminals to improve the safety of our communities.”
According to court records, in October of 2024, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office seized a Glock pistol from Landrum’s possession. The pistol had a machinegun conversion device attached to it, allowing it to function and fire as a machinegun. Law enforcement discovered Landrum acquired the weapon from Betties. Law enforcement also discovered evidence that Betties was in possession of several other firearms with machinegun conversion devices. Landrum and Betties had consistently been engaged in trading firearms and narcotics.
The conviction and sentence were the result of a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton.
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 for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Tallahassee Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm and Drug Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Triston Chacoey Aric Johnson, 21, of Tallahassee, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of a firearm and ammunition by an unlawful user of controlled substances, possession with the intent to distribute oxycodone and marijuana, possession of a short-barreled rifle in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and possession of ammunition by an unlawful user of controlled substances. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said, “I applaud the excellent coordination of our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners in their detection and investigation of these crimes. My office is committed to fulfilling the promise of President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America by aggressively pursuing and prosecuting armed drug traffickers, and I deeply appreciate the outstanding work of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to keep drugs off our streets.”
Court documents reflect that Johnson pleaded guilty to incidents from two separate dates. On October 1, 2023, Johnson fled on foot from a Florida A&M University (FAMU) police officer. Surveillance video showed Johnson hide a purple bag near a car. The next morning a FAMU employee reported finding a firearm and a purple bag. The purple bag contained a second firearm, marijuana packaged for sale, mushrooms, a digital scale with marijuana residue, and Johnson’s credit and debit cards.
On July 17, 2024, Johnson got into a verbal argument with another individual who was returning home in the early morning hours. Johnson and the other individual were both armed. Johnson shot the other individual, striking him in the heart. The other individual fired back, accidentally striking his girlfriend multiple times as Johnson fled.
Following the homicide, the Tallahassee Police Department executed a search warrant at Johnson’s apartment, finding loose oxycodone pills, approximately 1.4 pounds of marijuana, over 25 empty one-pound vacuum seal bags with marijuana residue, various types of ammunition, and a short-barreled rifle which had been previously stolen from a Leon County Sheriff’s Office vehicle.
Johnson faces at least 10 years in prison and up to life imprisonment.
The case involved an investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the FAMU Department of Campus Safety and Security. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 17, 2025, at 10:00 am at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor
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).
As part of its PSN strategy, the United States Attorney’s Office is encouraging everyone to lock their car doors, particularly at night. Burglaries from unlocked automobiles are a significant source of guns for criminals in the Northern District of Florida. Please do your part and protect yourself by locking your car doors.
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.
Serial Child Molester Sentenced to over 27 YearsRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE, MS – A Moundville, Alabama man was sentenced today to 328 months in prison for enticement of a minor.
According to court documents, Angel Chavez-Heras, 35, solicited sexually explicit pictures and videos through various online applications from a minor victim, aged 14, located in the Northern District of Mississippi. On at least two occasions, Chavez-Heras traveled over 2 hours to sexually assault the minor. When agents searched Chavez-Heras’s electronic devices, they discovered he had engaged in this behavior with a number of other minor victims. Charges in other jurisdictions will be pursued separately.
In announcing his sentence, Chief Judge Debra Brown imposed over 27 years in prison and supervised release for five years. Chavez-Heras will be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison as well as pay restitution to the minor victim.
“This sentence is a message to anyone who would think about traveling to the Northern District of Mississippi to prey on children – you will go to prison for a very long time,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “The case began with a concerned parent making a report to the Pontotoc P.D. about and unknown person contacting a child on social media, and Deputy Chief Nathan Gregory led an investigation that began with just a social media handle and a vehicle description that he tracked to the out of state defendant and then asked for assistance from HSI…this outstanding result represents what is possible with effective state and local collaboration.”
"HSI, in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, remains steadfast in our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable among us—our children. The sentencing of this serial child molester for enticing a minor is a testament to the tireless efforts of law enforcement and the justice system to hold perpetrators accountable,” said ICE HSI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune. “This case underscores the importance of vigilance, collaboration, and unwavering dedication to ensuring the safety and security of every child in our nation."
Pontotoc Police Chief Bob Poe stated, “This department will do everything in our power to protect our kids from those who would abuse or exploit them, and I am proud that we were able to take a case without much to go on at first, and with the help of the Moundville P.D. and the Department of Homeland Security make sure that a serial child predator is behind bars where he belongs.”
The Department of Homeland Security and the Pontotoc Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Parker S. King prosecuted the case 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 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.
Selah Man Sentenced to 5 years in Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Yakima, Washington – United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that Kevin Lee Towner, age 61, of Selah, Washington, was sentenced to 60 months (5 years) in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release by United States District Judge Rebecca L. Pennell on August 21, 2025. Towner pled guilty to the charge of Possession of Child Pornography on April 10, 2025.
According to court documents, after a search warrant was executed on October 6, 2020, at Towner’s residence he was found to have electronic storage media containing images of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. He admitted to using peer-to-peer file sharing to obtain images of child pornography. Towner was found to possess over 3,000 images of child pornography. In addition to 60 months of imprisonment and ten years of supervised release, Judge Pennell imposed $45,000 in restitution to victims depicted in the child pornography files Towner possessed. Judge Pennell also required Towner to pay $17,000 pursuant to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018 (“AVAA”). Special penalty assessments imposed pursuant to that Act go to a fund from which child pornography victims can draw a one-time payment depending on the amount of restitution they have already received. In addition, Judge Pennell imposed a special penalty assessment of $5,000 pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, which imposes an assessment on any non-indigent person or entity convicted of an offense involving: (1) peonage, slavery, and trafficking in persons; (2) sexual abuse; (3) sexual exploitation and other abuse of children; (4) transportation for illegal sexual activity; or (5) human smuggling in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The money assessed shall be directed into a fund and used to support the Internet Crimes Against Children task forces as well as programs providing services to victims of human trafficking and child abuse.
“This sentence sends a powerful reminder to Mr. Towner and others like him: Crimes that exploit children cannot, and will not be tolerated,” stated U.S. Attorney Serrano. “Thanks to the dedicated work of the FBI and prosecutors from my office, we were able to hold Mr. Towner accountable and protect the most vulnerable among us.”
W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office stated, “Child sexual abuse material is extremely damaging to young people, especially because it is often repeatedly shared and can be nearly impossible to remove from the Internet. Mr. Towner was found to possess not just some but thousands of these graphic images, including of very young children, and he will now face the consequences of that conduct. The FBI is committed to protecting child victims by holding these kinds of predators accountable and showing them they cannot hide their illegal online activity.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Murphy.
1:24-cr-02059-SAB
Saratoga Man Charged with Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Conner Buskey, age 20, of Saratoga Springs, New York, was arrested and charged on Friday with receipt and possession of child pornography.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
Buskey had previously been arrested by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office and charged with raping a minor victim who was known to him. Buskey’s phone was seized at the time of his arrest, and images and videos of child sexual abuse material were found, leading to the federal charges. The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Buskey appeared in federal court on Friday afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Paul J. Evangelista and was ordered remanded to custody.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said: “Conner Buskey was arrested and charged in state court with raping a minor, but was inexplicably released on bail. He is a danger to the community who should be detained, which is why my office has charged him. I thank our partners at the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations for their work in helping bring this individual to justice, and keeping our children and community safe from this alleged predator.”
Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the HSI Buffalo Field Office, said: “Conner Buskey is accused of abhorrent crimes against an innocent child, and would be roaming free if not for the federal charges brought last week. I applaud our HSI Albany personnel, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York for ensuring the wellbeing of the public, including and especially victims and vulnerable communities, remains the priority above all else.”
The charge of receipt of child pornography carries a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison. The charge of possession of child pornography carries a maximum of 20 years in prison. Each charge carries a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. Buskey would also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. 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.
HSI is investigating the case, with assistance from the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Walter is prosecuting the case.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
San Joaquin County Man Arrested for Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Timothy McCulley, 35, of Escalon, was arrested today after a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging him with production of child sexual abuse material, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, on Nov. 9 and 14, 2024, McCulley used a minor victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child sexual abuse material.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit of the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, which includes the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department, as well as Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea J. Kenny is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, McCulley faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of production of child sexual abuse material. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a man from Rapid City, South Dakota, convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on August 18, 2025.
Brady Makes Room For Them, age 40, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Makes Room For Them was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2025. He pleaded guilty on June 2, 2025.
Makes Room For Them was convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact in September 2005. Consequently, he is required to register as a sex offender and update his registration within three business days of relocation or changing employment or student status. Makes Room For Them was convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender in 2012, 2018, and 2023. In December 2024, Makes Room For Them updated his sex offender registration with the Rapid City Police Department. He relocated from his registered address on March 6, 2025, but did not thereafter update his sex offender registration. On March 20, 2025, Makes Room For Them was arrested in Rapid City.
This case was brought as a 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. Attorney’s 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.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Makes Room For Them was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for 20 Years for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl in the Rapid City AreaRead 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 Rapid City, South Dakota, convicted of two counts of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on August 15, 2025.
Michael Cole, a/k/a “Texas,” 34, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. For Count 2, Cole was also sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Both sentences are set to run concurrently.
Cole was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024. He pleaded guilty on March 31, 2025.
Between January 2024 and February 2024, Cole engaged in a conspiracy with others to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl throughout the Rapid City area. Cole travelled to Colorado, where he purchased large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Cole would then transport the narcotics back to South Dakota for further distribution. Cole was on federal supervised release for a prior drug conspiracy at the time of his participation in this conspiracy.
“This investigation resulted in the seizure of more than seven pounds of methamphetamine and over 2,000 counterfeit M/30 fentanyl pills destined for distribution in the Rapid City area,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “Thanks to the dogged work of the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team and this resulting federal prosecution, Cole will be spending the next two decades of his life in prison.”
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, which is comprised of investigators from the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the National Guard Counter Drug Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward C. Tarbay prosecuted the case.
Cole was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Prolific drug distributor with lengthy criminal record sentenced to 10 years in prison for role in drug ring tied to Aryan prison gangRead the Press Release
Tacoma – A 52-year-old Tukwila, Washington resident was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 120 months in prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Anthony Escoto was indicted in connection with a two-year investigation of drug trafficking organizations connected to the Aryan Family and Omerta prison gangs. At the sentencing hearing Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo said, “Controlled substances cause a huge amount of damage… the damage is not just to the individual but also to the community.”
According to records filed in the case Escoto was repeatedly heard on the wiretap investigation ordering up pound quantities of methamphetamine and thousands of fentanyl pills for distribution to his drug customers. Following one drug deal the car Escoto was riding in was stopped by police. The co-defendant driving Escoto claimed the drugs in the car were his. Investigators had heard Escoto making the deal over the wiretap and knew the drugs belonged to Escoto. When authorities searched Escoto’s residence on March 22, 2023, they found more methamphetamine and two firearms, a shotgun and an SKS rifle, which as a felon he is prohibited from possessing.
Escoto denies being a member of an Aryan prison gang but has multiple neo-Nazi tattoos and was previously charged with assault for biting a prison guard while yelling racial slurs. He has an adult criminal history spanning more than three decades with convictions for aggravated assault, identity theft, drug trafficking, assault with a deadly weapon, obstruction of justice and domestic assault.
On March 22, 2023, law enforcement made two dozen arrests on federal charges. The coordinated takedown involved ten swat teams and more than 350 law enforcement officers. On that day law enforcement seized 177 firearms, more than ten kilos of methamphetamine, 11 kilos of fentanyl pills and more than a kilo of fentanyl powder, three kilos of heroin, and more than $330,000 in cash from eighteen locations in Washington and Arizona. Earlier in the investigation law enforcement seized 830,000 fentanyl pills, 5.5 pounds of fentanyl powder, 223 pounds of methamphetamine, 3.5 pounds of heroin, 5 pounds of cocaine, $388,000 in cash, and 48 firearms.
On April 22, 2025, Escoto pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The top-level leader of the drug trafficking ring, Jesse Bailey, was sentenced in July to 17.5 years in prison. Prosecutors recommended a 13-year prison term for Escoto writing to the court, “Escoto’s criminality is a result of his decisions, his attitudes toward criminal activity, and his disrespect for other individual members of society who may be victimized by such behavior. Escoto committed the instant offenses in association with members of the Aryan Family and Omerta prison gangs, and while he denies belonging to either gang, he appears to share their ideology of white supremacy and racial animus.”
Chief Judge Estudillo ordered Escoto to be on five years of federal supervised release following his prison term.
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.
This investigation was led by the FBI with critical investigative teamwork from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Washington State Department of Corrections and significant local assistance from the Tacoma Police Department, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, and the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force, led by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. Throughout this investigation the following agencies assisted the primary investigators: Washington State Patrol, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine, Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, Lakewood Police Department, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Zach Dillon, Max Shiner, and Jehiel Baer.
Previously Deported Man Pleaded Guilty to Misuse of a Social Security Number and Selling a Fraudulent California Driver’s LicenseRead the Press Release
Javier Aguilera Rosas, 43, residing in Los Angeles, pleaded guilty today to transfer of a false identity document, misuse of a social security number, and reentry of a removed alien, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, between August 2020 and December 2023, Rosas transferred at least 20 false identification documents to multiple buyers in the Eastern District of California. On multiple occasions, buyers submitted orders to Rosas through text message asking for fraudulent passports, driver’s licenses, and/or Social Security cards. After obtaining the fraudulent IDs as specified by the particular buyer, Rosas mailed the false IDs to the buyer. On at least four occasions, he provided IDs containing the true name, birthdate, and Social Security number of identity theft victims.
At least one buyer used the false IDs Rosas provided to sell marijuana out of state, pay for short-term rentals, and travel, including passing through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Moody is prosecuting the case.
Rosas is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb on Jan. 12, 2026. Rosas faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Poland Man Sentenced, Ordered to Repay $45,615.78 for Theft of Government MoneyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Poland man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for Social Security fraud.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Peter Files, 60, to 30 months of probation and ordered him to pay $45,615.78 in restitution. Files pleaded guilty on May 8, 2025.
According to court records, Files lied to the Maine Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) for more than a decade. In multiple benefit eligibility reviews, Files falsely represented to Maine DHHS that he and his wife lived separately, and he omitted her presence from his household. Files knew that he was required to disclose that information, and that it could affect his eligibility for benefits. When interviewed by federal investigators, Files acknowledged that he had lived with his wife during the relevant period.
Files’ wife, Susie Files, previously pleaded guilty to Social Security and SNAP fraud on May 19, 2025. Her sentencing is scheduled for September 18, 2025.
The Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General and Maine DHHS’s Fraud Investigation and Recovery Unit investigated the case.
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Pensacola Man Federally Charged with ArsonRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Gregory E. Simonds Jr., 42, of Pensacola, has been indicted in federal court for arson by means of an explosive damaging a building located at 792 Beal Parkway in Fort Walton Beach and causing personal injury. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges.
Simonds is scheduled to appear before United States Magistrate Judge Hope Thai Cannon on August 27, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. for his initial appearance at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida.
If convicted, Simonds faces a minimum mandatory of seven years’ imprisonment up to a maximum term of 40 years’ imprisonment.
The indictment was the result of a joint investigation by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Pensacola Arson Results in Federal IndictmentRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Justin J. Wright, 35, of Bay Shore, New York, has been indicted in federal court on charges of cyberstalking, attempted interstate extortion of a public official, and the use of fire to commit a federal felony offense. The charges stem from his alleged criminal acts leading up to June 1, 2024, in Pensacola. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charges.
Wright is scheduled for his initial appearance and arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida, on September 10, 2025, at 1:30 p.m.
If convicted, Wright faces a mandatory minimum ten years’ imprisonment on the charges in the Indictment.
The case is being jointly investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pensacola Police Department, and the State of Florida, Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosive Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Operator of SeaTac drug ring ‘stash house’ sentenced to three years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised releaseRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 22-year-old native of Sinaloa, Mexico was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to three years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, for operating a stash house for the drug trafficking organization, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Jose Carlos Peraza Alvarez was arrested August 2, 2024, when Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents raided the SeaTac, Washington stash house where Peraza Alvarez resided. DEA agents seized 70 kilograms of methamphetamine, three kilograms of heroin, one kilogram of fentanyl pills, and six kilograms of fentanyl powder. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Kymberly K. Evanson said, “The aggravating point is the quantity of drugs seized. This is a serious offense involving large amounts of controlled substances.”
According to records filed in the case, Peraza Alvarez came onto the radar of law enforcement in the summer of 2024. The DEA was investigating a drug trafficking organization and by July 2024, was able to surveil and determine Peraza Alvarez’ address in the city of SeaTac. In early August they searched Peraza Alvarez’s address as well as the address of a co-conspirator in Kent, Washington. That co-conspirator, Martin Alonzo Peinado Torres, served as a runner for the drug trafficking organization. Peinado Torres had minimal amounts of drugs at his residence but had more than $12,000 in cash at the time of the search. Peinado Torres was sentenced in June 2025 to 22 months in prison.
Peraza Alvarez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances in May 2025.
In asking for a 6-year sentence for Peraza Alvarez prosecutors noted the deadly consequences of both fentanyl and methamphetamine. “While Mr. Peraza Alvarez certainly possessed copious amount of deadly fentanyl, he also had a sizable cache of methamphetamine. Fentanyl is obviously known for its deadly properties, the government also notes that methamphetamine was the second most common drug involved in King County overdose deaths in 2024. In 2024, there were 581 overdose deaths that involved methamphetamine, which represented 56% of all overdose deaths in King County,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.
Peraza Alvarez was illegally in the United States and will likely be deported following his prison term.
The case was investigated by the DEA and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Casey Conzatti.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 250 Months for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Joshua M. Meyer, 44, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on August 22, 2025, in federal court in Omaha for distribution of child pornography with a prior conviction. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr., sentenced Meyer to 250 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Meyer’s release from prison, he will begin a 20-year term of supervised release. Meyer was also ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution to each of the six identified victims.
On August 18, 2023, Medialab/KIK (KIK) made a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicating a KIK user uploaded files depicting child pornography between June 27, 2023, and July 17, 2023. The IP address associated with the CyberTip resolved to an Omaha residence belonging to Meyer. A member of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force obtained a search warrant for Meyer’s KIK account and, in reviewing the KIK account’s contents, learned Meyer sent the child pornography files reported in the CyberTip to other KIK users between June 27, 2023, and July 17, 2023. During the investigation, KIK made three additional reports to NCMEC regarding users sharing child pornography on the social media application. The IP addresses associated with these reports also resolved to Meyer’s residence.
During an interview, Meyer admitted to using the various KIK accounts reported to NCMEC to send child pornography to other KIK users and receive child pornography from other KIK users. Meyer is a registered sex offender. On February 6, 2014, Meyer was convicted of receipt and distribution of child pornography in the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska. Meyer was serving a 120-month supervised release term when he distributed child pornography in June and July 2023. Meyer acknowledged possessing a TracFone to circumvent restrictions placed on his known cell phone as part of supervised release. Meyer used this TracFone to access KIK and distribute child pornography.
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 United States Attorney’s 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.
This case was investigated by the Omaha FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
Omaha Man Sentenced for Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Lucas J. Lacy, 40, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on August 20, 2025, in federal court in Omaha for Accessing with Intent to View Visual Depictions of Minors Engaging in Sexually Explicit Conduct. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Lacy to 10 years’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Lacy’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
Lacy was sentenced on February 2, 2009, in the District of Nebraska for Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography. He received a sentence of 60 months’ imprisonment and 5 years of supervised release. On July 16, 2018, Lacy was sentenced in the District of Nebraska for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender and was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release.
On November 22, 2021, the United States Probation Office conducted a search of Lacy’s residence in Omaha. The search recovered two unauthorized cellphones. One of the phones held at least one image of child pornography. Further analysis of the phone revealed at least 16 internet search terms indicative of child pornography.
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 United States Attorney’s 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.
This case was investigated by the Omaha FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
New Orleans Woman Indicted for Making and Passing Counterfeit $100 BillsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced today that AMANDA CANGELOSI (“CANGELOSI”), age 39, was indicted on August 22, 2025, for conspiracy to make and pass counterfeit United States currency, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, and passing counterfeit one hundred dollar bills, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 472.
According to the indictment, CANGELOSI, conspired with others to manufacture counterfeit one hundred dollar bills and used the counterfeit bills to pay for goods and services. CANGELOSI and her co-conspirators used genuine $1 bills to create the counterfeit $100 bills all to deceive merchants into believing the currency was a genuine $100 bill. CANGELOSI is charged with knowingly passing three counterfeit $100 bills to pay for a hotel stay at a hotel in Metairie, LA. If convicted of conspiracy, CANGELOSI faces up to five years’ imprisonment and up to 20 years’ imprisonment if convicted of passing counterfeit currency. If convicted of both counts, she also faces, up to a $500,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory $200 special assessment fee. CANGELOSI also may be ordered to pay restitution.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson praised the work of the United States Secret Service and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiwana Wright of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Mission Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Voluntary Manslaughter and Assault with a Dangerous WeaponRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a man from Mission, South Dakota, convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. The sentencing took place on August 19, 2025.
Eric Roubideaux, II, age 21, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for Voluntary Manslaughter and 10 years in federal prison for Assault With a Dangerous Weapon, with the sentences to be served concurrently, followed by three years of supervised release. Roubideaux was further ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Roubideaux was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2024. He pleaded guilty on May 19, 2025.
In the early morning hours of July 7, 2024, within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation, Roubideaux was with family members at a residence in Mission, South Dakota. Roubideaux became angry and attacked a family member with a garden hoe and kicked and stomped her with shod feet. He then fled the residence. The family member suffered injuries that included a concussion and a laceration to her scalp that required medical attention. After he fled the residence, Roubideaux came upon a man walking along the street and confronted him. Roubideaux attacked the man with a stick and knocked him to the ground. Roubideaux then kicked and stomped the man with shod feet, including repeatedly kicking the man in the head. Roubideaux fled the scene, but he was arrested a short time later. The man suffered fatal blunt force trauma injuries.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Roubideaux was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Mishawaka Man Sentenced to 72 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Kevin Ellis, 41 years old, of Mishawaka, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after pleading guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.
Ellis was sentenced to 72 months in prison followed by 4 years of supervised release.According to documents in the case, police conducted a traffic stop on a car that Ellis was driving and found a loaded gun with a large capacity magazine, fentanyl pills, methamphetamine pills, marijuana, and a digital scale. Police then executed a search warrant on Ellis’s house in Mishawaka and found more fentanyl and methamphetamine pills. Ellis was a felon and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm. His criminal history includes a prior federal firearms conviction.
“Kevin Ellis admitted that he illegally possessed a gun,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Proctor. “He also admitted that he possessed, and planned to distribute, some of the most dangerous drugs available. His case shows that those exposing the citizens of this District to such dangers will suffer the consequences. I thank all the public servants involved in this case for bringing it to a just end.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Mishawaka Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lydia T. Lucius.
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.
Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced to over 19 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Jesus Perez Garcia Jr., 25, of Arleta, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 19 years and seven months in prison for trafficking methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, Garcia worked for a Mexico-based drug-trafficking ring that imported from Mexico into the United States large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl. That drug ring was dismantled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in June 2024, in an operation dubbed “Toxic Waste.”
Garcia was arrested in June 2022, trying to smuggle 25 pounds of methamphetamine into the United States from Mexico. He was charged but skipped bail. While a fugitive, he began serving as a “stash house” operator for a Mexican-based drug ring. Between July 2023 and March 2024, he maintained the organization’s drugs in the United States and distributed them to others who resold them. He was involved in trafficking over 3,500 pounds of methamphetamine and 6 pounds of fentanyl. In March 2024, he was arrested while transporting methamphetamine and a firearm.
Garcia was indicted along with 14 others in an investigation that resulted in the seizure of more than 12,900 pounds of methamphetamine, more than 50 pounds of fentanyl mixture, 39 pounds of cocaine, and 22 pounds of heroin. As evidenced by tens of thousands of recorded communications, the organization smuggled methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl (in powder and pill form) in portable projectors and batteries, under the guise of a legitimate transportation business. The organization also secreted thousands of pounds of methamphetamine inside semi-trucks and hundreds of pounds of liquid methamphetamine in the gas tanks of cars and brought it across the border.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Marshals Service, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Inland Regional Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Merced Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team, and the Los Angeles Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin J. Gilio and Cody S. Chapple are prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. In July 2018, the Justice Department announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.
Maine Man Arrested in Missouri After Being Charged with Making False Statements to the GovernmentRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Forest City Township man was arrested on August 21 in La Plata, Missouri, after being charged with making false statements to the Government.
According to court records, Gregory P. Heimann Jr., 51, was indicted in October 2024 for making false statements to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Specifically, Heimann is alleged to have falsely represented to the VA in May 2023 that he had been wheelchair bound since 2004 and was unable to walk or stand. Before the indictment, Heimann had been charged by federal criminal complaint for the same offense. An arrest warrant issued in April 2024. As alleged in the affidavit in support of the complaint, Heimann was documented and recorded walking and standing without the assistance of any mobility devices on numerous occasions in Maine.
Following an investigation into Heimann’s whereabouts by the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Maine Violent Offender Task Force, Heimann was arrested in La Plata, Missouri by USMS investigators from the Eastern District of Missouri. The VA Office of Inspector General and the Maine Warden Service also assisted in the investigation.
Heimann appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on August 22 and was ordered to remain in USMS custody pending a future court appearance in the District of Maine.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Lincoln Man Sentenced to 10 Years on Drug and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Vincent James Foster, 27, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on August 21, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine along with unspecified amounts of marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinols and for being a felon in possession of eight firearms. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Foster to 120 months’ imprisonment on each count to run concurrently. There is no parole in the federal system. After Foster’s release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release. Foster will also forfeit $5,597.00 in U.S. currency to the United States of America.
Information obtained by law enforcement indicated Foster was involved in the sale of cocaine, marijuana, and tetrahydrocannabinols in the Lincoln area between April 11, 2021, and August 10, 2023. On August 10, 2023, investigators executed a search warrant at Foster’s Lincoln residence. During that search, they found more than 828 grams of cocaine, 1.8 kilograms of marijuana, 86 1-gram THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) concentrate containers, and other evidence of drug distribution. A total of $5,597.00 in U.S. currency was seized from Foster’s car and his residence.
Investigators also found eight handguns with magazines and ammunition. Two of the guns were found to be stolen. Foster was prohibited from possessing firearms due to two prior felony convictions in Lancaster County District Court for burglary in 2017 and possession of a controlled substance in 2021.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force.
Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marcus Allen Johnson, also known as “Mook,” 40, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to distribution of a quantity of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Johnson sold approximately 53.76 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl to a confidential informant on January 14, 2025. The transaction occurred in the informant’s vehicle that was parked on 10th Avenue in Huntington. As part of his guilty plea, Johnson admitted to conducting the transaction and to arranging it beforehand.
Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on December 8, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cabell County Sheriff's Office.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is prosecuting the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS), an enforcement surge that has sought to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-96.
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Human smugglers head to federal prison after recruiting drivers on social mediaRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Two Houston residents have been sentenced following their convictions for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Richard Dell Carroll II, 26, and Josue Isaac Hernandez aka Dre, 23, pleaded guilty May 28 and April 3, respectively, admitting they worked together to recruit drivers from around the country to smuggle illegal aliens to Houston in exchange for money.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now imposed a 66-month term of imprisonment for both men to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release.
At the hearing, the court heard how Carroll lied about his background, falsely claiming Tesla employed him and that he was enrolled at Rice University. Evidence showed Carroll portrayed himself as an entrepreneur and financial adviser to those he recruited, offering to invest their illegal proceeds despite having no qualifications. In imposing the sentence, Judge Morales told Carroll he needed to focus on his integrity in the future and that he should not embellish things in person or online because when people believe it, it could lead to fraud.
Hernandez had used his illegal gains to fund a lavish lifestyle that included international trips and private jets.
Testimony also detailed the inhumane conditions the smuggled aliens faced. In one instance, a seven-year-old girl was sweating inside a plastic bin after being separated from her mother. In another, authorities discovered two young women hidden in a fake speaker box in a trunk which reached temperatures of 102.4 degrees.
The court heard that law enforcement had apprehended more than 100 aliens during at least 53 failed smuggling attempts that could be definitively linked to Carroll and Hernandez.
In December 2022, authorities began linking a series of smuggling attempts after repeatedly encountering illegal aliens hidden in fake speaker boxes inside car trunks and in large plastic totes concealed with sheets. The investigation revealed Hernandez and Carroll were the coordinators and had recruited drivers through Instagram and other social media platforms. Law enforcement also uncovered shopping lists Hernandez and Carroll sent to drivers and discovered they had arranged the installation of the fake speaker boxes. They also charged drivers $1,000 per alien to recover costs.
Hernandez and Carroll 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 with the assistance of Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara J. De Pena prosecuted the case.
Hugo Residents Sentenced for Interstate Transport of Stolen GoodsRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Matthew Carl Wilson, age 38, and Candice Marie Logan, age 35, of Hugo, Oklahoma, were each sentenced in federal district court for transporting stolen goods across state lines.
On April 3, 2025, Wilson pleaded guilty to one count of Interstate Transportation of Stolen Goods. On August 8, 2025, Wilson was sentenced to 30 months in prison and court-ordered restitution of $285,749.45.
On April 15, 2025, Logan pleaded guilty to one Count of Interstate Transportation of Stolen Goods. On August 19, 2025, Logan was sentenced to 8 months in prison and court-ordered restitution of $45,067.00.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Choctaw County Sheriff’s Department, and the Paris, Texas Police Department.
According to investigators, on January 16, 2024, Wilson and Logan knowingly transported stolen industrial radio equipment from Hugo, Oklahoma, to Paris, Texas.
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. Wilson and Logan will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob R. Parker represented the United States.
Honduran National Sentenced to 37 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND – Ricardo Castro Murillo, 34 years old, of Honduras, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud in two cases, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.
Castro Murillo was sentenced to 37 months in prison followed by 1 year of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $533,043 in restitution. Castro Murillo has no legal status within the United States and will be subject to a separate and immediate removal process upon release from prison.
According to documents in each case, on January 11, 2023, Castro Murillo and his co-conspirators used fake identification cards to cash 169 fraudulent paychecks totaling $233,569 at three branches of the same bank in the Northern District of Indiana. The fraudulent paychecks were designed to look like they had been issued by a company that operates dairy farms in the Northern District of Indiana.
Almost six months later, on June 23, 2023, Castro Murillo and his co-conspirators used fake identification cards to cash 178 fraudulent paychecks totaling $299,474 at five branches of the same bank and three check cashing businesses in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The fraudulent paychecks were designed to look like they had been issued by a building materials supply company in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
“Castro Murillo participated in a far-reaching conspiracy that caused major financial harm to community banks and small businesses across the United States. Due to the unwavering efforts and collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement, Castro Murillo was brought to justice for his role in this scheme,” said Proctor. “The sentence imposed by the court sends a message that there are real consequences for engaging in fraud, particularly in northwest Indiana.”
“The illicit actions of co-conspirators to commit bank fraud as they travel throughout the United States will not be tolerated,” said Matthew J. Scarpino, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Chicago. “HSI will continue to partner with our fellow law enforcement agencies to disrupt these types of offenders and hold them accountable for their crimes.”
“Sophisticated fraud operations like this require investigative teamwork that spans state lines,” said Sergeant Jeremy Piers, Public Information Officer for the Indiana State Police. “From the first lead to the final arrest, our detectives, troopers, and support staff worked relentlessly alongside federal, state, and local partners to track the suspects’ movements, gather critical evidence, and bring this scheme to an end. This outcome reflects countless hours of coordination and determination, and it sends a clear message: when criminal activity crosses into Indiana, we will work tirelessly with our partners to protect our communities, our businesses, and our financial institutions.”
Co-conspirator Luis Banegas Rodriguez was previously sentenced to 27 months in prison for his role in the scheme.
These cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Secret Service, and the Indiana State Police, with valuable assistance provided by the Benton County (Indiana) Sheriff’s Department, the Benton County (Indiana) Prosecutor’s Office, the Poteau (Oklahoma) Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Travis County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office, and the Houston (Texas) Police Department. The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Steven J. Lupa from the Northern District of Indiana and Assistant United States Attorneys Kara Traster and Jordan Howanitz from the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
Grand Jury for the District of NebraskaRead the Press Release
Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned 10 unsealed Indictments charging 14 defendants. Indictments are charging documents that contain one or more individual counts that are merely accusations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Anthony Masquat, age 20, of Winnebago, Nebraska, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm on or about April 5, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Lawrence Smith, age 31, of Lyons, Nebraska, is charged with failing to register as a sex offender from on or about February 27, 2025, to on or about June 15, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Kalam K. Yiel, age 24, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm on or about August 9, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Ketankumar Chaudhari, age 36, of Elkhorn, Nebraska; Rashmi Samani, age 42, of Elkhorn, Nebraska; Amit P. Chaudhari, age 32, of Omaha, Nebraska; Amit B. Chaudhari, age 33, Omaha, Nebraska; and Maheshkumar Chaudhari, age 38, of Norfolk, Nebraska, are charged in a 24-count Indictment. Count I charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, Amit P. Chaudhari, and Amit B. Chaudhari with sex trafficking of a minor and by force, fraud or coercion beginning on an unknown date, but from at least on or about February 1, 2022, and continuing through on or about June 27, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 15 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 5-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, Amit P. Chaudhari, and Amit B. Chaudhari with sex trafficking of a minor and by force, fraud or coercion beginning on an unknown date, but from at least on or about December 16, 2024, and continuing through on or about January 7, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 15 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 5-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, Amit P. Chaudhari, and Amit B. Chaudhari with sex trafficking of a minor and by force, fraud or coercion beginning on an unknown date, but from at least on or about December 16, 2024, and continuing through on or about January 7, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 15 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 5-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, Amit P. Chaudhari, and Amit B. Chaudhari with maintaining a drug premises between on or about January 1, 2021, and August 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count V charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, Amit P. Chaudhari, and Amit B. Chaudhari with maintaining a drug premises between on or about April 9, 2021, and August 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count VI charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, Amit P. Chaudhari, and Amit B. Chaudhari with maintaining a drug premises between on or about March 9, 2023, and August 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count VII charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, Amit P. Chaudhari, and Amit B. Chaudhari with maintaining a drug premises between June 15, 2023, and August 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count VIII charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, Amit P. Chaudhari, Amit B. Chaudhari, and Maheshkumar Chaudhari with conspiracy to commit labor trafficking by peonage between on or about January 1, 2022, and August 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count IX charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, Amit P. Chaudhari, Amit B. Chaudhari and Maheshkumar Chaudhari with conspiracy to commit labor trafficking by peonage between on or about January 1, 2022, and August 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count X charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, Amit P. Chaudhari, and Amit B. Chaudhari with conspiracy to commit labor trafficking by peonage between on or about June 1, 2025, and August 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count XI charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, Amit P. Chaudhari, Amit B. Chaudhari and Maheshkumar Chaudhari with conspiracy to harbor aliens beginning on an unknown date, but from at least on or about January 1, 2021, and continuing through on or about August 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count XII charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, and Amit P. Chaudhari with harboring aliens beginning on or about June 15, 2025, through on or about August 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count XII charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, and Amit P. Chaudhari with harboring aliens beginning on or about June 15, 2025, through on or about August 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count XIII charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, and Amit P. Chaudhari with harboring aliens between on or about June 15, 2025, through on or about August 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count XIV charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, and Amit P. Chaudhari with harboring aliens between on or about June 15, 2025, through on or about August 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count XV charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, and Amit P. Chaudhari with harboring aliens between on or about June 15, 2025, through on or about August 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count XVI charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, and Amit P. Chaudhari with harboring aliens between on or about February 28, 2022, through on or about August 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count XVII charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, and Amit P. Chaudhari with harboring aliens between on or about January 1, 2025, through on or about August 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count XVIII charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, and Amit P. Chaudhari with harboring aliens between on or about July 4, 2025, through on or about August 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count IXX charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, and Amit P. Chaudhari with transporting aliens between on or about June 15, 2025, through on or about June 20, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count XX charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, and Amit P. Chaudhari with transporting aliens between on or about June 15, 2025, through on or about June 20, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count XXI charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, and Amit P. Chaudhari with transporting aliens between on or about June 15, 2025, through on or about June 20, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count XXII charges Ketankumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Samani, and Amit P. Chaudhari with transporting aliens between on or about June 15, 2025, through on or about June 20, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count XXIII charges Ketankumar Chaudhari and Rashmi Samani with conspiracy to defraud the United States on or about August 1, 2011, through on or about August 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count XXIV charges Ketankumar Chaudhari and Rashmi Samani with fraud and misuse of visas sometime after December 12, 2022, but before May 1, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
The following individuals were charged with being an alien, who previously had been excluded, deported and removed from the United States and were found in the United States, without the Attorney General of the United States or her designated successor having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States:
Alex Abel Avila Matute, age 34
Ediberto Garcia Donis, age 48
Roberto Carlos Carrillo Garcia, age 37
Benito Perez Mendoza, age 53
The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
The following individuals were charged with being an alien, who previously had been excluded, deported and removed from the United States following an aggravated felony conviction and were found in the United States, without the Attorney General of the United States or her designated successor having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States:
Carlos Eduardo Galan Vargas, age 46
Cesar Meza-Marta, age 53
The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Contact Amy Donato at 402-661-3700 for further information.
Fugitive Gang Member Arrested on Federal Gun and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Vice Lord gang member from Athol, Mass. has been arrested after two months at-large as a wanted fugitive. At the time of the alleged gun and drug offenses, the defendant was on parole following multiple six to 10-year concurrent state prison sentences.
Keith Harlow, a/k/a “Lord Savage,” 39, of Athol, Mass., was arrested this morning in Smyrna, Ga., on charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition; conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery; and engaging in the business of manufacturing and dealing in firearms without a license.
Harlow will appear in a Georgia State Court on state fugitive charges pertaining to a pending Parole Warrant and related state charges. He will appear in federal court in the Northern District of Georgia at a later date to face extradition to the District of Massachusetts.
Harlow’s three co-defendants – Jonathan Perry, a/k/a “Peazy,” 25, of Arlington, Mass.; Andrew Poor, 29, of Athol, Mass.; and Dante Machuca, 25, of Athol, Mass., were arrested on related state charges in May 2025 and charged in federal court in June 2025. Perry is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Poor is charged with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery; and Machuca is charged with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery. Harlow fled the District of Massachusetts and has been a fugitive since May 2025.
According to the charging documents, Harlow is a member of a Vice Lords chapter known as the Four Corner Hustlers. Known by his street name “Lord Savage,” Harlow has been convicted of multiple prior armed robberies and, at the time of the alleged offenses, was on parole following multiple six to 10-year concurrent state prison sentences.
It is alleged that during 2025, while on state parole, Harlow sent numerous text messages and was captured in photographs and video recordings in possession of firearms, a suppressor and machinegun conversion device – commonly known as a selector “switch.” In numerous text messages, Harlow allegedly discussed the manufacturing of firearms and selector switches and the sale of numerous firearms he had in his possession.
According to the charging documents, one of the firearms seized during the investigation was allegedly purchased by Poor and given to Harlow. Further investigation of Poor revealed his alleged involvement in a January 2025 home invasion of a residence in Athol. Dante Machuca was also identified as allegedly participating in the home invasion, along with Harlow and Poor.
According to the charging documents, Harlow, Poor and Machuca are alleged to have entered into the residence of a suspected drug dealer armed with firearms in order to rob the dealer of drugs and proceeds. Harlow is alleged to have engaged in a struggle with the dealer and fired his weapon to demonstrate its authenticity, before putting the hot barrel of the firearm against the victim’s abdomen. At the time of this home invasion, Harlow was on parole for multiple state prison terms.
It is alleged that during a search of Harlow’s residence on May 29, 2025, multiple firearm receivers, suspected firearm suppressors, machinegun conversion devices, 3D printers and firearm manufacturing supplies were recovered. Approximately 100 grams of suspected cocaine was also allegedly found in the residence.
A review of Perry’s cellphone seized during his arrest on state charges on May 29, 2025, allegedly revealed that Harlow and Perry worked together to distribute controlled substances and sell firearms throughout Massachusetts. It is further alleged that, in text message communications, Harlow and Perry discussed committing multiple robberies and using firearms to shoot at various individuals. At the time of the alleged offenses: Harlow and Perry were prohibited from possessing firearms due to numerous prior felony convictions, including Perry’s youthful offender conviction of manslaughter. At the time of all the messages, Harlow was on parole following multiple concurrent state prison sentences for multiple armed robberies and Perry was on probation for a domestic violence offense.
The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of conspiring to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of unlicensed manufacturing and dealing in firearms provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Kevin Neal, Acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; David E. Sullivan, Northwestern District Attorney; and Athol Police Chief Craig Lundgren made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia; the Massachusetts State Police; the Franklin County House of Correction; and the Massachusetts Department of Correction. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
harlow_-_complaint_affidavit.pdf
Former Maui Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Federal Civil Rights ViolationRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – A former Maui Police Department officer pleaded guilty Friday to one count of using unreasonable force against an arrestee. According to the plea agreement, on Jan. 6, 2024, Carlos Frate, 40, repeatedly tased the arrestee, even though the arrestee was not resisting or posing any threat. Frate admitted that he knew that his force was unjustified, but he nonetheless continued to tase the arrestee despite the arrestee’s pleas for him to stop.
“Officers who abuse their position of authority to inflict excessive force must be held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate — and where appropriate, prosecute — alleged police misconduct.”
“Our police officers are entrusted to protect our citizens and perform their duties professionally, and it is the norm here in Hawaii that our law enforcement officers faithfully serve and protect us. In those rare instances where an officer abuses the public trust by using excessive force, that officer will be held accountable and prosecuted,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson for the District of Hawaii. “This Office will continue to safeguard the constitutional rights of all of Hawaii’s citizens, including individuals under arrest.”
“We entrust our law enforcement officers with vast power and authority, and when they abuse it, they’re not just depriving victims of their civil rights, but they are also degrading the public’s trust in our criminal justice system,” said Special Agent in Charge David Porter of the FBI Honolulu Field Office. “The FBI will continue to investigate and hold accountable anyone who violates federal law, regardless of their position.”
Frate faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison. His final sentence will be determined at a hearing scheduled for Jan. 6, 2026 by U.S. District Judge Micah W. J. Smith based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case based on a referral from the Maui Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Albanese for the District of Hawaii and Trial Attorney Julia White of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
Former Maui Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Federal Civil Rights ViolationRead the Press Release
A former Maui Police Department officer pleaded guilty Friday to one count of using unreasonable force against an arrestee. According to the plea agreement, on Jan. 6, 2024, Carlos Frate, 40, repeatedly tased the arrestee, even though the arrestee was not resisting or posing any threat. Frate admitted that he knew that his force was unjustified, but he nonetheless continued to tase the arrestee despite the arrestee’s pleas for him to stop.
“Officers who abuse their position of authority to inflict excessive force must be held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate — and where appropriate, prosecute — alleged police misconduct.”
“Our police officers are entrusted to protect our citizens and perform their duties professionally, and it is the norm here in Hawaii that our law enforcement officers faithfully serve and protect us. In those rare instances where an officer abuses the public trust by using excessive force, that officer will be held accountable and prosecuted,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson for the District of Hawaii. “This Office will continue to safeguard the constitutional rights of all of Hawaii’s citizens, including individuals under arrest.”
“We entrust our law enforcement officers with vast power and authority, and when they abuse it, they’re not just depriving victims of their civil rights, but they are also degrading the public’s trust in our criminal justice system,” said Special Agent in Charge David Porter of the FBI Honolulu Field Office. “The FBI will continue to investigate and hold accountable anyone who violates federal law, regardless of their position.”
Frate faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison. His final sentence will be determined at a hearing scheduled for Jan. 6, 2026 by U.S. District Judge Micah W. J. Smith based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case based on a referral from the Maui Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Albanese for the District of Hawaii and Trial Attorney Julia White of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.