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25 August 2025
Former Basketball Coach Sentenced for Transporting a Minor for SexRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE, MS – A Memphis, Tennessee man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for traveling in interstate commerce to engage in sexual activity with a minor under 16 years old and stalking after the minor turned 18.
According to court documents, Andreus Shannon, 44, held himself out as a basketball coach for an area homeschool association. With his position, he groomed the parents and a minor female basketball player until he was trusted to drive the player to practices and scrimmages in Mississippi and Tennessee. Over several years, Shannon sexually exploited the minor at his home in Memphis, Tennessee, gyms across Mississippi and Tennessee, and his rental property in Tennessee. When the player turned 18, Shannon began a campaign of cyberstalking when the player attempted to break up with him. Shannon also threatened to release sexually explicit images of the player in order to extort her into a continued sexual relationship. These actions continued for two years.
Chief District Judge Debra M. Brown sentenced Shannon to 144 months in federal prison, and five years of supervised release. Judge Brown imposed the 144-month sentence for traveling in interstate commerce for illicit sexual activity with a minor, plus a concurrent 60-month sentence for cyberstalking. Shannon will have to register as a sex offender in any place he lives, works, or goes to school.
“The defendant’s crimes represented a truly reprehensible betrayal of trust, and he is now in prison where he belongs,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “The work by AUSA Parker King, the FBI, the Memphis Police Department, and especially the Olive Branch Police Department was truly outstanding and deserving of our thanks.”
"Andreus Shannon, callously undermined the trust of unsuspecting parents, preying on a minor for years,” stated Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jackson Field Office Robert Eikhoff. “Shannon’s, deliberate actions in targeting the innocence of our youth will not be tolerated. The FBI, U.S. Attorney's Office, Mississippi Attorney General's Office, Olive Branch Police Department, Oxford Police Department and the Memphis Police Department will continue to aggressively investigate and bring predatory individuals like Shannon to justice."
This investigation was led by the FBI. The Memphis Police Department and the Olive Branch Police Department also played a crucial role in the investigation.
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.
Federal Court Sentenced Clayton Woman for Laundering Millions for Cartels and Moving Kilo Quantities of NarcoticsRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – On Wednesday, a federal judge sentenced a Clayton woman to 11 years in federal prison for money laundering and trafficking large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine. Oralia Rodriguez-Flores, 40, pleaded guilty at the end of last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and to distributing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
“Let this case stand as a warning to those willing to help Cartels poison our communities. We will target your drugs, your finances, and your profits and seize them. Then we will ensure you spend decades in prison. Cartel crime will not pay in Eastern North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “Rodriguez-Flores thought she could hide behind money laundering schemes and drug trafficking networks, but she thought wrong.”
“This outcome is the result of dedicated work by law enforcement at every level,” said Jae W. Chung, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “The DEA remains committed to pursuing those who choose to traffic dangerous drugs and profit off of other’s addiction.”
According to court documents and other information presented in court, from June 2021 to June 2024, Rodriguez-Flores distributed large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine that had been shipped from Mexico and laundered the proceeds from the sale of these drugs back to Mexico.
In January 2023, agents learned that Rodriguez-Flores was supplying kilogram quantities of cocaine to a drug trafficking organization (DTO) based in South Carolina. On January 16, 2023, Rodriguez-Flores delivered 4 kilograms of cocaine to the DTO. On January 5, 2024, Rodriguez-Flores sold 891.2 grams of 97% pure methamphetamine.
Approximately two weeks later, Rodriguez-Flores traveled to Kentucky to pick up drug proceeds when agents seized $39,391 in U.S. currency from Rodriguez-Flores as she returned to Raleigh. On February 2, 2024, agents seized 40 kilograms of cocaine from her semi-trailer truck in Kentucky.
Rodriguez-Flores admitted to being involved with drug trafficking for approximately three years and explained her scheme to agents. She distributed drugs to customers in the Carolinas that originated in Mexico. Rodriguez-Flores was also responsible for laundering millions of dollars in drug proceeds to Mexico.
Rodriguez-Flores’ prosecution results from an investigation by the Eastern District of North Carolina’s Illicit Finance Task Force (IFTF) and from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. Created in 2024 in partnership with the Treasury Executive Office of Asset Forfeiture (TEOAF), the IFTF is an interagency anti-money laundering task force comprised of prosecutors and agents. The IFTF is dedicated to combatting money laundering activities affecting the Eastern District of North Carolina through strategic use of criminal and civil laws.
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Toby Lathan and Charles Loeser prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-235.
Dutchess County Man Charged with Sexual Exploitation of A ChildRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Christopher G. Raia, announced the unsealing of a Complaint charging DANIEL ALAN MONARCHI with the sexual exploitation of a minor. MONARCHI was arrested and presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause in White Plains federal court and detained on Friday, August 22, 2025.
“Sexual exploitation of children is too prevalent in our society,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Parents, caregivers, and teachers: if you sense something wrong, please seek assistance. Sexual exploitation of children by teachers and others we entrust must be stopped.”
“We entrust teachers with the responsibility of helping to care for our children and not harm them by engaging in sexual exploitation of minors,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia. “Daniel Monarchi, a special education teacher, allegedly conducted multiple sexually explicit conversations with victims he knew to be minors. The FBI will continue to bring to justice any individual who endangers minor victims with sexually explicit behavior and actions.”
As alleged in the Complaint filed on August 19, 2025:[1]
MONARCHI worked as a special education teacher for a middle school (“School-1”) in Dutchess County.
In September 2024, Victim-1, who was 14 years old, was contacted by a Discord account with the name “mrteacherman.” “[M]rteacherman.” told Victim-1: “I teach 7th grade” and “I’m a social studies special Ed teacher.” “[M]rteacherman.” engaged in sexual conversations with Victim-1 over the course of a month. During that time, “mrteacherman.” asked Victim-1 if she was “an 8th grader” and Victim-1 confirmed that she was. “[M]rteacherman.” asked Victim-1 if she had “any sexy classmates” and referred to Victim-1 as his “after school snack.” About three weeks after their initial conversation, “mrteacherman.” asked Victim-1, to send him sexually explicit videos and stated, “I want to see you strip.” Victim-1 sent “mrteacherman.” three videos in which she appeared naked, exposing her breasts. Approximately two days later, “mrteacherman.” sent Victim-1 a “selfie” showing his face and a second photo displaying his erect penis. Then “mrteacherman.” asked Victim-1 to send him sexually explicit videos and told Victim-1, “Show me how special you are. Show me why you deserve an A+.” Victim-1 responded by sending “mrteacherman.” a sexually explicit video with her breasts and genitals exposed.
In February 2025, Victim-2, who was 13 years old, was contacted by a Discord account with the name “mrteacherman.” “[M]rteacherman.” told Victim-2 what he wanted to do sexually with Victim-2 and Victim-3. He made statements like, “I’d make you stay after class to earn ‘extra credit.’” “[M]rteacherman.” told Victim-2 that he would “never like download or save any of your pictures” and added “you’re safe with me.” About one week after their initial conversation, “mrteacherman.” told Victim-2 that he was going “to leave for home right after school tho” and sent Victim-2 a picture of his classroom. Victim-2 reported to investigators that “mrteacherman.” sent Victim-2 photos of his penis to Victim-2 throughout the day and night as well as videos of him masturbating.
Victim-3, who was 14 years old, was contacted by a Discord account with the name “mrteacherman.” Victim-3 reported to law enforcement that “mrteacherman” was really sexual and wanted to role play, so she eventually blocked him.
MONARCHI’s name appears on the publicly accessible website for School-1. The staff directory includes a “Daniel Monarchi” and identifies him as a “special education teacher.” The photo that “mrteacherman.” sent to Victim-2 includes an image of the exterior of the middle school building which matches the exterior of School-1.
Investigators reviewed New York Motor Vehicle records for MONARCHI and confirmed that his Motor Vehicle photo appears in likeness to the “selfie” that MONARCHI sent to Victim-1.
There may be more victims of this alleged conduct. If you have information to report or you had contact with the Discord account “mrteacherman.,” contact the FBI through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-800-CALL-FBI or by completing its online tip form at tips.fbi.gov.
* * *
MONARCHI, 26, of Red Hook, New York, is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison.
The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the efforts of the FBI Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, and the FBI Columbia, South Carolina Division.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia M. Reville is in charge of the prosecution.
u.s._v._monarchi_complaint.pdf
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Council Bluffs Man Sentenced to 42 Months in Federal Prison for Possession of Firearm as a FelonRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Council Bluffs man was sentenced on August 21, 2025, to 42 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm as a felon.
According to public court documents, on October 28, 2024, Ronald Lee Behee, Jr., 51, a convicted felon and drug user, took a loaded pistol to work at Tyson’s Foods. After receiving a tip, law enforcement located a loaded Ruger, LCP, .380 caliber, pistol, with an obliterated and unreadable serial number in Behee’s locker. Behee was also found in possession of approximately 8 grams of methamphetamine and 4.4 grams of marijuana. Behee’s criminal history includes theft-related, controlled substance and domestic violence convictions.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Behee will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Behee was also ordered to forfeit the firearm and pay a $100 special assessment.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Council Bluffs Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated this case.
Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 40 Years in Federal Prison for Secretly Recording Minor in HomeRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Douglas Gibson, 40, of Lebanon, Indiana, has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, after pleading guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and Committing a Felony Offense while Required to Register as a Sex Offender.
According to court documents, between 2018 and 2021, Douglas Gibson gained access to Minor Victim 1, who was born in 2011. During that time, Gibson placed hidden cameras in the child’s bedroom and bathroom shower drain to surreptitiously record her while showering and getting changed. Gibson then saved images and videos depicting the child in various stages of nudity to his laptop. Gibson also distributed and possessed images and videos of other unknown prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct on his laptop. These files were uploaded and shared with other users on a social medial platform through private chat rooms.
Gibson is a convicted sex offender and was required to register from at least September 2011 to September 2021 due to his 2010 conviction of Sexual Misconduct of a Minor (Intercourse) in Boone County.
“Simply put, Douglas Gibson is a danger to children,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “A child’s home should be a sanctuary of safety and love. Instead, this sick abuser took advantage of a child’s vulnerability to sexually exploit them and invade their safety and dignity. The sentence imposed here will ensure that our children are protected from this defendant for decades to come.”
“The exploitation of children is one of the most serious crimes we investigate. This sentence makes clear there are severe consequences for those who attempt to harm or exploit children,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley. “The FBI will continue to work tirelessly with our partners to protect the most vulnerable members of our communities.”
"The investigation symbolizes how collaborative efforts of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force alongside its local, state and federal partners create a powerful force that is more effective in protecting vulnerable populations than any single entity could be on its own,” said ICAC Task Force Commander, Sergeant Christopher Cecil.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Indiana ICAC Task Force, and Boone County C.A.S.E. Task Force investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James P. Hanlon.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Preston, who prosecuted this case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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.
If you are a victim of child sexual exploitation, please contact your local police department. Resources for victims of child exploitation can be found on our website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/project-safe-childhood.
Indiana’s ICAC Task Force is a partnership of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies led by the Indiana State Police. The Task Force is dedicated to investigating and prosecuting crimes involving the technology-facilitated sexual exploitation of children and the trafficking of child sexual abuse material. Each year, Indiana ICAC investigators evaluate many thousands of tips, investigate hundreds of cases, and rescue dozens of children from ongoing sexual abuse.
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Compliance Director and Office Manager of Substance Abuse Company Convicted in Scheme to Pay Medicaid Kickbacks to PatientsRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – Two former leaders of Life Touch LLC, a Kinston-based substance abuse treatment company, have pleaded guilty to their roles in a scheme to pay kickbacks to Medicaid patients. Keke Komeko Johnson, of Pikeville, the Compliance Director, and Francine Sims Super, of Kinston, an office manager, admitted to their roles in a scheme involving the payment of kickbacks to patients, and tax violations.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our federal and local law enforcement partners will continue to pursue crooks who prey upon America’s generous social service safety net. These two fraudsters not only targeted federal tax dollars but also took advantage of vulnerable individuals who were trying to turn their lives around. The more kickbacks that they paid to vulnerable addicts, the more they were able to help the company steal from Medicaid,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “This case leaves no doubt: Medicaid kickback thieves face serious consequences.”
According to court documents, Johnson, Super, and others, used Medicaid reimbursement funds to purchase more than $1 million in gift cards. In some instances, the purchases were routed through personal bank accounts. The gift cards were then routinely handed out to patients on a weekly basis to incentivize the patients to show up for services. Over four years, Johnson, Super, and other Life Touch LLC employees and agents, routinely paid patients based on the number of days per week that the patients showed up to receive services. Every day a patient showed up, the more money Lifetouch LLC received as a kickback. In furtherance of the scheme, Johnson made false statements to Medicaid auditors, and Super created false documents to support their crimes.
According to court documents, Johnson and Super also received kickbacks from 1st Choice Healthcare Services, LLC, a lab company that they hired for drug testing services for Life Touch LLC patients. Neither reported this as income on tax returns, which meant they committed the crime of failure to file a tax return.
At sentencing, scheduled for November of 2025, Johnson faces a maximum of 11 years in prison. Super faces a maximum of 6 years in prison.
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after Magistrate Judge Kimberly A. Swank accepted the plea. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office – Medicaid Investigations Division investigated this case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tasha Gardner, and Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Gilmore are prosecuting the case for the government.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-CR-27 and 4:25-CR-28.
Co-Founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, Pleads Guilty in Brooklyn to Engaging in a Continuing Criminal Enterprise and Other Drug-Related ChargesRead the Press Release
BROOKLYN, NY — Ismael Zambada Garcia, also known as “El Mayo,” pleaded guilty today to being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise — the Sinaloa Cartel (the Cartel), one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world — in addition to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charges. Today’s proceeding was held before United States District Judge Brian M. Cogan.
When sentenced, Zambada Garcia will face a mandatory minimum term of life in prison without the possibility of parole for leading a continuing criminal enterprise, and up to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole on the RICO count. As part of the plea agreement, Zambada Garcia also agreed to the entry of a $15 billion forfeiture money judgment.
Zambada Garcia was previously charged by indictments filed in the Eastern District of New York, United States v. Zambada Garcia, et al., 09-CR-466 (EDNY) (the “EDNY/SDFL/NDDS Indictment”) and in the Western District of Texas, United States v. Zambada Garcia, et al., 12-CR-849 (WDTX) (“the WDTX Indictment”), as well as in the District of Columbia (03-CR-34; 03-CR-331 (DDC)); the Northern District of Illinois (09-CR-383 (NDIL)); the Southern District of California (14-CR-658 (SDCA)); and the Central District of California (15-CR-566 (CDCA)).
The plea to the charges in the EDNY/SDFL/NDDS Indictment are the result of a joint prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Brooklyn and Miami and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section of the Criminal Division.
Pursuant to a plea agreement, Zambada Garcia agreed to the transfer of the WDTX Indictment for plea and sentencing in the Eastern District of New York. Zambada Garcia will thus be held accountable in the Eastern District of New York for the criminal conduct in both indictments. The remaining indictments will be dismissed at the time of sentencing.
The EDNY/SDFL/NDDS Indictment charged Zambada Garcia with, among other things, being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 848, from January 1989 through January 2024. The WDTX Indictment charged Zambada Garcia with, among other things, RICO conspiracy for his participation in money laundering, murder and drug conspiracies, and violations of state law for murder and kidnapping for conduct between January 1, 2000 through April 11, 2012.
Zambada Garcia’s rise to power began with the Cartel’s inception and ended with his arrest in July 2024. Previously known as the Mexican Federation, the Cartel is a drug trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico, that has since approximately the late 1980s imported lethal quantities of narcotics—including, among others, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl—into the United States and laundered billions of dollars in drug proceeds back to Mexico.
The Cartel’s operations initially focused on cocaine distribution based on cooperative arrangements and close coordination with South American sources of supply and distribution networks. This changed in the 2000s when the Colombians, seeing increased law enforcement activity, started to abandon their United States distribution businesses in favor of permitting Mexican traffickers to invest in cocaine shipments at wholesale prices, which those Mexican traffickers would then distribute in the United States. As a result, Mexican traffickers and the Cartel began to take a more integral role in moving cocaine from Colombia into and throughout the United States. Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Cartel also recently branched out into the production and trafficking of fentanyl, including by purchasing fentanyl precursor chemicals from Chinese companies and producing many thousands of kilograms of fentanyl in laboratories both in rural areas and major cities in Mexico for distribution in the United States.
Ever since the Cartel’s expansion into the United States, its distribution networks have also supported money laundering efforts that have delivered billions of dollars in illegal profits generated from drugs sales in the United States back to the Cartel. Increased profits allowed the Cartel’s operations to grow a large-scale narcotics transportation network involving the use of land, air, and sea transportation assets, which eventually led to the Cartel shipping multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America, through Central America and Mexico, and finally into the United States.
Zambada Garcia has devoted his efforts over decades to growing, increasing, and enhancing the power of the Cartel—and his individual power and position in the Cartel after his partner Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was captured. Under the defendant’s leadership, the Cartel has regularly used brutal violence, intimidation, and murder to silence potential witnesses and dissuade law enforcement from performing its duties. The defendant has operated with impunity at the highest levels of the Mexican drug trafficking world while being assured of his continued success and safety from arrest through his payment of bribes to foreign government officials and law enforcement officers. He controlled those corrupt officials and officers who protected his workers and drug shipments as his drugs were transported across Mexico and into the United States. Numerous witnesses have testified, including at trials held in the Eastern District of New York of El Chapo and corrupt former Mexican Secretary of Public Security Genaro García Luna, that corruption at all levels was necessary to allow the defendant’s criminal enterprise to function so effectively at such a large scale: from local police officers who escorted the drugs through Mexico, to corrupt officials who informed the Cartel of military actions, thwarted capture operations, and consulted with the Cartel about proceedings and investigations against it.
United States Attorney General Pamela Bondi; Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Matthew R. Galeotti, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division; Terrance C. Cole, Administrator, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Todd M. Lyons, Acting Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Kash Patel, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Jason A. Reding Quiñones, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; and Justin R. Simmons, United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas, announced the guilty plea.
“This foreign terrorist committed horrific crimes against the American people — he will now pay for those crimes by spending the rest of his life behind bars in an American prison. Today marks a crucial victory in President Trump’s ongoing fight to completely eliminate foreign terrorist organizations and protect American citizens from deadly drugs and violence,” stated Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
“With today’s guilty pleas, “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia and “El Chapo” Guzman, the two co-founders of the Sinaloa Cartel—one of the largest, most violent and most destructive cartels in history—will live out the rest of their days in United States federal prison cells without the possibility of parole,” stated United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella. “Zambada Garcia has now been held accountable for the tons of illegal narcotics, including cocaine and fentanyl, that he and his organization trafficked for decades, and the murders and other acts of violence committed in furtherance of that enterprise. Today’s guilty plea were possible because of the work of law enforcement personnel in the United States, Mexico and elsewhere. We hope that their hard work and the pleas can provide a measure of solace to the countless victims of Zambada Garcia’s narcotics trafficking and violence and their families.”
“For decades, under El Mayo’s leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel made billions of dollars by importing poisonous drugs to the United States, flooding our streets with cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl,” stated Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “With El Mayo’s conviction, the Department has now brought both founders of the Sinaloa Cartel to justice, and the growing list of international cartel leaders that have faced justice in American courtrooms sends an unequivocal message to those who seek to fill their shoes that the same fate awaits them if they do. Today’s guilty plea is a credit to the collaboration between the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of New York, Southern District of Florida, and the Western District of Texas; and our law enforcement partners.”
“Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada led one of the world’s deadliest cartels, pumping fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and meth into our communities,” stated DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. “His guilty plea proves no cartel boss is beyond the reach of justice. By taking him down, we are protecting American families and cutting off a pipeline of poison. DEA and our partners will not stop until every cartel network is dismantled.”
“After years of painstaking work, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations New York secured a superseding indictment last year charging Ismael Zambada with fentanyl trafficking,” stated Actingng ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. “Now, one of the world’s most prolific and dangerous drug traffickers is going to face justice for the lives he’s stolen and the illicit profits he’s raked in. This is more than a win for HSI. It’s a win for the American people.”
“Today’s plea is a proud moment for the FBI and its partners as the founders of a notoriously violent drug trafficking organization, one that engages in an array of illegal activity including murder and corruption, face the consequences of their actions,” stated FBI Director Kash Patel. “Our work does not end here. We will continue to relentlessly leverage everything at our disposal in our efforts to thwart the Sinaloa Cartel and put an end to their drug trafficking operations and the carnage that goes along with it.”
“After years of evading justice, Zambada Garcia has been brought to account. With his conviction, his reign of violence and terror is over,” stated U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones. “He will never again direct a cartel that fueled addiction, spread violence, and tore apart families and communities on both sides of our border. This outcome was made possible by the tireless work of our law enforcement partners in the United States and abroad, whose courage and persistence dismantled the Sinaloa Cartel’s operations and delivered long-overdue justice to its victims.”
“For decades, the Western District of Texas has been on the front lines in the fight against the Sinaloa Cartel,” stated United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas Justin R. Simmons. “Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel produced and trafficked thousands of kilograms of narcotics through our border, effectively infiltrating every city in our country, leading to thousands of deaths in our communities, imprisoning millions within the grey walls of addiction, and enriching himself in the process. Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel engaged in a years-long war with the Juarez Cartel, a war which directly affected not just the citizens of Juarez, Mexico, but also the citizens of El Paso, Texas, with multiple residents, including at least one U.S. citizen, being kidnapped, tortured, and killed by Sinaloa Cartel members. Now, like his co-conspirator El Chapo Guzman, Zambada Garcia will pay the price for a life of lawlessness, and using the ‘whole of government’ approach employed in this case, we will continue to systematically eradicate Mexican drug cartels and bring others to justice who enrich themselves to the detriment of Americans.”
“For decades, under El Mayo’s leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel made billions of dollars by importing poisonous drugs to the United States, flooding our streets with cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “With El Mayo’s conviction, the Department has now brought both founders of the Sinaloa Cartel to justice, and the growing list of international cartel leaders that have faced justice in American courtrooms sends an unequivocal message to those who seek to fill their shoes that the same fate awaits them if they do. Today’s guilty plea is a credit to the collaboration between the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of New York, Southern District of Florida, and the Western District of Texas; and our law enforcement partners.”
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section, and as part of the work of the Office’s Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force. Assistant United States Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro, Robert M. Pollack, Adam Amir, Lauren A. Bowman and Rebecca M. Urquiola are leading the prosecution for the Eastern District of New York. Assistant United States Attorneys Andrea Goldbarg and Monique Botero of the Southern District of Florida and Assistant United States Attorneys Antonio Franco and Kyle Myers of the Western District of Texas are leading the prosecution for their respective offices. Trial Attorneys Jayce Born and Kirk Handrich are leading the prosecution for the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of Illinois, Central District of California, and Southern District of California provided substantial assistance. FBI, HSI, and DEA investigated the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Defendant:
Ismael Zambada Garcia (also known as “El Mayo”)
Age: 75
MexicoE.D.N.Y. Docket Nos. 09-CR-466 (BMC) (S-5)
25-CR-262 (BMC)
Co-Founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada Garcia, Pleads Guilty to Engaging in a Continuing Criminal Enterprise and RacketeeringRead the Press Release
BROOKLYN – Ismael Zambada Garcia also known as El Mayo, 75, of Sinaloa, Mexico, pleaded guilty today to being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise — the Sinaloa Cartel (the Cartel), one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world — in addition to a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charge.
Associated Press(AP)“This foreign terrorist committed horrific crimes against the American people — he will now pay for those crimes by spending the rest of his life behind bars in an American prison,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today marks a crucial victory in President Trump’s ongoing fight to completely eliminate foreign terrorist organizations and protect American citizens from deadly drugs and violence.”
“After years of evading justice, Zambada Garcia has been brought to account,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida (SDFL). “With his conviction, his reign of violence and terror is over. He will never again direct a cartel that fueled addiction, spread violence, and tore apart families and communities on both sides of our border. This outcome was made possible by the tireless work of our law enforcement partners in the United States and abroad, whose courage and persistence dismantled the Sinaloa Cartel’s operations and delivered long-overdue justice to its victims.”
“For decades, under El Mayo’s leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel made billions of dollars by importing poisonous drugs to the United States, flooding our streets with cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “El Mayo’s conviction is the latest milestone in the Department’s historic efforts to eliminate the harms wrought by cartels and bring their leaders to justice in American courtrooms. The Criminal Division and our partners will continue our relentless pursuit of these notorious criminal organizations to ensure that they are held accountable and to make our communities safer.”
“Today’s plea is a proud moment for the FBI and its partners as the founders of a notoriously violent drug trafficking organization, one that engages in an array of illegal activity including murder and corruption, face the consequences of their actions,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Our work does not end here. We will continue to relentlessly leverage everything at our disposal in our efforts to thwart the Sinaloa Cartel and put an end to their drug trafficking operations and the carnage that goes along with it.”
“Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada led one of the world’s deadliest cartels, pumping fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and meth into our communities,” said Administrator Terrance Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “His guilty plea proves no cartel boss is beyond the reach of justice. By taking him down, we are protecting American families and cutting off a pipeline of poison. DEA and our partners will not stop until every cartel network is dismantled.”
“After years of painstaking work, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York secured a superseding indictment last year charging Ismael Zambada with fentanyl trafficking,” said Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd M. Lyons. “Now, one of the world’s most prolific and dangerous drug traffickers is going to face justice for the lives he’s stolen and the illicit profits he’s raked in. This is more than a win for HSI. It’s a win for the American people.”
“With today’s guilty pleas, ‘El Mayo’ Zambada Garcia and “El Chapo” Guzman, the two co-founders of the Sinaloa Cartel — one of the largest, most violent and most destructive cartels in history — will live out the rest of their days in U.S. federal prison cells without the possibility of parole,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella for the Eastern District of New York. “Zambada Garcia has now been held accountable for the tons of illegal narcotics, including cocaine and fentanyl, that he and his organization trafficked for decades, and the murders and other acts of violence committed in furtherance of that enterprise. Today’s guilty plea was possible because of the work of law enforcement personnel in the United States, Mexico and elsewhere. We hope that their hard work and the pleas can provide a measure of solace to the countless victims of Zambada Garcia’s narcotics trafficking and violence and their families.”
“For decades, the Western District of Texas has been on the front lines in the fight against the Sinaloa Cartel,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel produced and trafficked thousands of kilograms of narcotics through our border, effectively infiltrating every city in our country, leading to thousands of deaths in our communities, imprisoning millions within the grey walls of addiction, and enriching himself in the process. Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel engaged in a years-long war with the Juarez Cartel, a war which directly affected not just the citizens of Juarez, Mexico, but also the citizens of El Paso, Texas, with multiple residents, including at least one U.S. citizen, being kidnapped, tortured, and killed by Sinaloa Cartel members. Now, like his co-conspirator El Chapo Guzman, Zambada Garcia will pay the price for a life of lawlessness, and using the ‘whole of government’ approach employed in this case, we will continue to systematically eradicate Mexican drug cartels and bring others to justice who enrich themselves to the detriment of Americans.”
Zambada Garcia was previously charged by indictments filed in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY), the Western District of Texas (WDTX), the District of Columbia, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of California, and the Central District of California.
Today’s plea is the result of a joint prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Brooklyn and Miami and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section of the Criminal Division (NDDS).
Pursuant to a plea agreement, Zambada Garcia agreed to the transfer of the WDTX indictment for plea and sentencing in the Eastern District of New York. Zambada Garcia is thus being held accountable in the Eastern District of New York for the criminal conduct in both indictments. The remaining indictments will be dismissed at the time of sentencing.
The EDNY/SDFL/NDDS indictment charged Zambada Garcia with, among other things, being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise from January 1989 through January 2024. The WDTX Indictment charged Zambada Garcia with, among other things, RICO conspiracy for his participation in money laundering, murder and drug conspiracies, and violations of state law for murder and kidnapping for conduct between Jan. 1, 2000, and April 11, 2012.
Zambada Garcia’s rise to power began with the Cartel’s inception and ended with his arrest in July 2024. Previously known as the Mexican Federation, the Cartel is a drug trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico, that since approximately the late 1980s has imported lethal quantities of narcotics — including, among others, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl — into the United States and laundered billions of dollars in drug proceeds back to Mexico.
The Cartel’s operations initially focused on cocaine distribution based on cooperative arrangements and close coordination with South American sources of supply and distribution networks. This changed in the 2000s when the Colombians, seeing increased law enforcement activity, started to abandon their U.S. distribution businesses in favor of permitting Mexican traffickers to invest in cocaine shipments at wholesale prices, which those Mexican traffickers would then distribute in the United States. As a result, Mexican traffickers and the Cartel began to take a more integral role in moving cocaine from Colombia into and throughout the United States. Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Cartel also recently branched out into the production and trafficking of fentanyl, including by purchasing fentanyl precursor chemicals from Chinese companies and producing many thousands of kilograms of fentanyl in laboratories both in rural areas and major cities in Mexico for distribution in the United States.
The Cartel’s distribution networks also have supported money laundering efforts that have delivered billions of dollars in illegal profits generated from drug sales in the United States back to the Cartel. Increased profits allowed the Cartel’s operations to grow a large-scale narcotics transportation network involving the use of land, air, and sea transportation assets, which eventually led to the Cartel shipping multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America, through Central America and Mexico, and finally into the United States.
Zambada Garcia has devoted his efforts over decades to growing, increasing, and enhancing the power of the Cartel, and to growing his individual power and position in the Cartel after his partner El Chapo was captured in 2016. Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Cartel regularly used brutal violence, intimidation, and murder to silence potential witnesses and dissuade law enforcement from performing its duties. Zambada Garcia has operated with impunity at the highest levels of the Mexican drug trafficking world while being assured of his continued success and safety from arrest through his payment of bribes to Mexican government officials and law enforcement officers. He controlled those corrupt officials and officers who protected his workers and drug shipments as his drugs were transported across Mexico and into the United States. Numerous witnesses have testified, including at the trials of El Chapo and corrupt former Mexican Secretary of Public Security Genaro García Luna, that corruption at all levels was necessary to allow the Zambada Garcia’s criminal enterprise to function so effectively at such a large scale: from local police officers who escorted the drugs through Mexico, to corrupt officials who informed the Cartel of military actions, thwarted capture operations, and consulted with the Cartel about proceedings and investigations against it.
Zambada Garcia’s sentencing is set for Jan. 13, 2026. Zambada Garcia will face a mandatory minimum term of life in prison for leading a continuing criminal enterprise, and a maximum sentence of life in prison on the RICO count. As part of the plea agreement, Zambada Garcia also agreed to the entry at sentencing of a $15 billion forfeiture money judgment.
FBI, HSI, and DEA investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Jayce Born and Kirk Handrich are leading the prosecution for the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, along with the Southern District of Florida’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section, and the Eastern District of New York’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section as part of the work of EDNY’s Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Goldbarg and Monique Botero are leading the prosecution for the Southern District of Florida. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro, Robert M. Pollack, Adam Amir, Lauren A. Bowman, and Rebecca M. Urquiola are leading the prosecution for the Eastern District of New York. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of Illinois, Central District of California, and Southern District of California provided substantial assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antonio Franco and Kyle Myers are leading the prosecution for the Western District of Texas.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.nyed.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.nyed.uscourts.gov, under case number 09-cr-466.
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Co-Founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada Garcia, Pleads Guilty to Engaging in a Continuing Criminal Enterprise and RacketeeringRead the Press Release
Ismael Zambada Garcia also known as El Mayo, 75, of Sinaloa, Mexico, pleaded guilty today to being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise — the Sinaloa Cartel (the Cartel), one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world — in addition to a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charge.
“This foreign terrorist committed horrific crimes against the American people — he will now pay for those crimes by spending the rest of his life behind bars in an American prison,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today marks a crucial victory in President Trump’s ongoing fight to completely eliminate foreign terrorist organizations and protect American citizens from deadly drugs and violence.”
“Today’s plea is a proud moment for the FBI and its partners as the founders of a notoriously violent drug trafficking organization, one that engages in an array of illegal activity including murder and corruption, face the consequences of their actions,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Our work does not end here. We will continue to relentlessly leverage everything at our disposal in our efforts to thwart the Sinaloa Cartel and put an end to their drug trafficking operations and the carnage that goes along with it.”
“Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada led one of the world’s deadliest cartels, pumping fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and meth into our communities,” said Administrator Terrance Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “His guilty plea proves no cartel boss is beyond the reach of justice. By taking him down, we are protecting American families and cutting off a pipeline of poison. DEA and our partners will not stop until every cartel network is dismantled.”
“After years of painstaking work, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York secured a superseding indictment last year charging Ismael Zambada with fentanyl trafficking,” said Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd M. Lyons. “Now, one of the world’s most prolific and dangerous drug traffickers is going to face justice for the lives he’s stolen and the illicit profits he’s raked in. This is more than a win for HSI. It’s a win for the American people.”
“For decades, under El Mayo’s leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel made billions of dollars by importing poisonous drugs to the United States, flooding our streets with cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “El Mayo’s conviction is the latest milestone in the Department’s historic efforts to eliminate the harms wrought by cartels and bring their leaders to justice in American courtrooms. The Criminal Division and our partners will continue our relentless pursuit of these notorious criminal organizations to ensure that they are held accountable and to make our communities safer.”
“With today’s guilty pleas, ‘El Mayo’ Zambada Garcia and “El Chapo” Guzman, the two co-founders of the Sinaloa Cartel — one of the largest, most violent and most destructive cartels in history — will live out the rest of their days in U.S. federal prison cells without the possibility of parole,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY). “Zambada Garcia has now been held accountable for the tons of illegal narcotics, including cocaine and fentanyl, that he and his organization trafficked for decades, and the murders and other acts of violence committed in furtherance of that enterprise. Today’s guilty plea was possible because of the work of law enforcement personnel in the United States, Mexico and elsewhere. We hope that their hard work and the pleas can provide a measure of solace to the countless victims of Zambada Garcia’s narcotics trafficking and violence and their families.”
“After years of evading justice, Zambada Garcia has been brought to account,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida (SDFL). “With his conviction, his reign of violence and terror is over. He will never again direct a cartel that fueled addiction, spread violence, and tore apart families and communities on both sides of our border. This outcome was made possible by the tireless work of our law enforcement partners in the United States and abroad, whose courage and persistence dismantled the Sinaloa Cartel’s operations and delivered long-overdue justice to its victims.”
“For decades, the Western District of Texas has been on the front lines in the fight against the Sinaloa Cartel,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel produced and trafficked thousands of kilograms of narcotics through our border, effectively infiltrating every city in our country, leading to thousands of deaths in our communities, imprisoning millions within the grey walls of addiction, and enriching himself in the process. Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel engaged in a years-long war with the Juarez Cartel, a war which directly affected not just the citizens of Juarez, Mexico, but also the citizens of El Paso, Texas, with multiple residents, including at least one U.S. citizen, being kidnapped, tortured, and killed by Sinaloa Cartel members. Now, like his co-conspirator El Chapo Guzman, Zambada Garcia will pay the price for a life of lawlessness, and using the ‘whole of government’ approach employed in this case, we will continue to systematically eradicate Mexican drug cartels and bring others to justice who enrich themselves to the detriment of Americans.”
Zambada Garcia was previously charged by indictments filed in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY), the Western District of Texas (WDTX), the District of Columbia, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of California, and the Central District of California.
Today’s plea is the result of a joint prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Brooklyn and Miami and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section of the Criminal Division (NDDS).
Pursuant to a plea agreement, Zambada Garcia agreed to the transfer of the WDTX indictment for plea and sentencing in the Eastern District of New York. Zambada Garcia is thus being held accountable in the Eastern District of New York for the criminal conduct in both indictments. The remaining indictments will be dismissed at the time of sentencing.
The EDNY/SDFL/NDDS indictment charged Zambada Garcia with, among other things, being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise from January 1989 through January 2024. The WDTX Indictment charged Zambada Garcia with, among other things, RICO conspiracy for his participation in money laundering, murder and drug conspiracies, and violations of state law for murder and kidnapping for conduct between Jan. 1, 2000, and April 11, 2012.
Zambada Garcia’s rise to power began with the Cartel’s inception and ended with his arrest in July 2024. Previously known as the Mexican Federation, the Cartel is a drug trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico, that since approximately the late 1980s has imported lethal quantities of narcotics — including, among others, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl — into the United States and laundered billions of dollars in drug proceeds back to Mexico.
The Cartel’s operations initially focused on cocaine distribution based on cooperative arrangements and close coordination with South American sources of supply and distribution networks. This changed in the 2000s when the Colombians, seeing increased law enforcement activity, started to abandon their U.S. distribution businesses in favor of permitting Mexican traffickers to invest in cocaine shipments at wholesale prices, which those Mexican traffickers would then distribute in the United States. As a result, Mexican traffickers and the Cartel began to take a more integral role in moving cocaine from Colombia into and throughout the United States. Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Cartel also recently branched out into the production and trafficking of fentanyl, including by purchasing fentanyl precursor chemicals from Chinese companies and producing many thousands of kilograms of fentanyl in laboratories both in rural areas and major cities in Mexico for distribution in the United States.
The Cartel’s distribution networks also have supported money laundering efforts that have delivered billions of dollars in illegal profits generated from drug sales in the United States back to the Cartel. Increased profits allowed the Cartel’s operations to grow a large-scale narcotics transportation network involving the use of land, air, and sea transportation assets, which eventually led to the Cartel shipping multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America, through Central America and Mexico, and finally into the United States.
Zambada Garcia has devoted his efforts over decades to growing, increasing, and enhancing the power of the Cartel, and to growing his individual power and position in the Cartel after his partner El Chapo was captured in 2016. Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Cartel regularly used brutal violence, intimidation, and murder to silence potential witnesses and dissuade law enforcement from performing its duties. Zambada Garcia has operated with impunity at the highest levels of the Mexican drug trafficking world while being assured of his continued success and safety from arrest through his payment of bribes to Mexican government officials and law enforcement officers. He controlled those corrupt officials and officers who protected his workers and drug shipments as his drugs were transported across Mexico and into the United States. Numerous witnesses have testified, including at the trials of El Chapo and corrupt former Mexican Secretary of Public Security Genaro García Luna, that corruption at all levels was necessary to allow the Zambada Garcia’s criminal enterprise to function so effectively at such a large scale: from local police officers who escorted the drugs through Mexico, to corrupt officials who informed the Cartel of military actions, thwarted capture operations, and consulted with the Cartel about proceedings and investigations against it.
Zambada Garcia’s sentencing is set for Jan. 13, 2026. Zambada Garcia will face a mandatory minimum term of life in prison for leading a continuing criminal enterprise, and a maximum sentence of life in prison on the RICO count. As part of the plea agreement, Zambada Garcia also agreed to the entry at sentencing of a $15 billion forfeiture money judgment.
FBI, HSI, and DEA investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Jayce Born and Kirk Handrich are leading the prosecution for the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, along with the Eastern District of New York’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section as part of the work of EDNY’s Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force and the Southern District of Florida’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro, Robert M. Pollack, Adam Amir, Lauren A. Bowman, and Rebecca M. Urquiola are leading the prosecution for the Eastern District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Goldbarg and Monique Botero are leading the prosecution for the Southern District of Florida. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of Illinois, Central District of California, and Southern District of California provided substantial assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antonio Franco and Kyle Myers are leading the prosecution for the Western District of Texas.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
Cincinnati man allegedly involved in downtown brawl charged with federal drug crimesRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A second Cincinnati man charged locally for his involvement in the July 26 brawl in downtown Cincinnati has been indicted by a federal grand jury.
Jermaine Mathews, 39, is one of four men charged in a superseding indictment with conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl.
According to the superseding indictment, Mathews is responsible for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. He is also charged with operating a premises on Kenton Street in Cincinnati for the purpose of trafficking narcotics.
Mathews, who was described as a primary “coordinator” of the July 26 brawl in downtown Cincinnati, was on bond after being charged locally with aggravated riot and assault. He was arrested today by federal agents and Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office RENU officials on the superseding indictment.
The others charged in this case include Jerome Mitchell, 41, Terence Huff, 41, and Clarence Williams, 42, all of Cincinnati.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey and Andrew Lawton, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Detroit announced the new charges. Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Springer is representing the United States in this case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Cartel connected drug distribution ring that used semi-trucks to transport huge loads disrupted with multiple arrestsRead the Press Release
Seattle – Over the last three weeks, federal, state and local law enforcement have been working to dismantle a cartel-connected drug trafficking ring distributing fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin throughout western Washington, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. The drug traffickers transported narcotics from Mexico, via California, sometimes using a semi-truck to bring the drugs up the coast. Drug deals occurred as far north as Whidbey Island and Arlington and as far south as Tacoma and the Lacey area.
“This indictment names not only the redistributors in the Western District of Washington, but also the brothers in Mexico who profited by spreading their poisons and addiction in the Pacific Northwest,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “We will work with DOJ’s Office of International Affairs to hold all the conspirators accountable here in the U.S. and abroad.”
“This Sinaloa Cartel-affiliated drug trafficking group brought misery and death to our community,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “The work of DEA and our partners seized hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl from this group that could have yielded a staggering 6.9 million lethal doses. This fentanyl could have killed everyone living in the Seattle-Tacoma metro area. The entire Puget Sound region is safer without the Camargo Banuelos brothers poisoning our communities.”
According to records filed in the case, the drug ring is led by Rosario Abel “Joaquin” Camargo Banuelos, 31, and his brother Francisco “Fernando” Camargo Banuelos 24. The men are based in the Sinaloa area of Mexico. Throughout 2023 and 2024, law enforcement used undercover agents to uncover the tentacles of the drug ring and seize large loads of narcotics. Over those years law enforcement was able to seize huge shipments of drugs including 95 kilos of meth and more than 41 kilos of fentanyl powder in October 2023. The investigation determined that large loads of drugs were being transported by a coconspirator who is a truck driver. That defendant, Isabel Villarreal Zapien, 44, a Mexican citizen, was arrested on state charges in January 2024 and is now charged federally in the 37-count indictment.
“This investigation exemplifies the success achievable through effective interagency collaboration and coordination,” said HSI Seattle Acting Special Agent in Charge Colin Jackson. “HSI remains firmly committed to combating the dangerous networks responsible for importing deadly narcotics into the United States. These indictments highlight our dedication to holding these individuals accountable.”
The other members of the drug trafficking ring named in the indictment include:
- Jose Mejia Ortiz, 30, a citizen of Mexico, a courier and distributor
- Juan Carlos Garcia Olais, 28, a citizen of Mexico, a courier and distributor
- Jorge Boneo Nieblas, 21, distributor and stash house attendant
- Ivan Garcia Camacho, 30, distributor
- Eder Ramirez Pino, 33, distributor previously removed from the U.S.
- Rosendo Vazquez Medrano, 37, a redistributor who is a Mexican national previously removed from the U.S.
- Kevin Alexander Misacango Solano, 23, courier and distributor
- Karim Davis, 48, of Everett, Washington, a redistributor
- Tyler Johnson, 38, of Shoreline, Washington a redistributor
- Israel Davis, 43, of Shoreline, Washington, a redistributor
- Alex Phan,19, of Everett, Washington, a redistributor
Five of the defendants are charged with firearms violations including carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime or illegally possessing a firearm because of their prior criminal history or immigration status.
Four additional defendants were arrested at the takedown in early August in connection with the serving of multiple search warrants. This brings the total number of defendants in this case to 19. These defendants are charged by criminal complaint with being part of the drug trafficking conspiracy:
- Derel Gabelein, 37, of Greenbank, Whidbey Island, Washington is charged with conspiracy and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute. At Gabelein’s residence law enforcement seized bags of methamphetamine, fentanyl and other controlled substances.
- Aaron Knapp, 52, of Everett, Washington, charged with conspiracy and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute. He was found to have more than two kilograms of fentanyl pills when law enforcement searched his residence on August 4, 2025.
- John Hardman, 57, of Everett, Washington was charged with conspiracy and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute. His residence contained a brick of suspected fentanyl powder stamped with a swastika as well as $50,000 in cash.
- Jose Felix German, 34, a Mexican citizen, was charged with being an alien in possession of a firearm. German allegedly acted as a money courier for the conspiracy. He was arrested at a target residence on August 4, 2025, and had a 9 mm pistol. In 2013 German was deported from the U.S. to Mexico. He did not have legal status in the U.S.
During the coordinated arrests and searches on August 4, 2025, law enforcement seized seven pistols and three rifles, as well as nine kilograms of methamphetamine, more than 5 kilograms of fentanyl, nearly 4 kilograms of cocaine, and more than a kilogram of heroin. Law enforcement seized more than $342,000 in suspected drug trafficking proceeds.
This investigation has produced significant seizures even before the coordinated arrests in early August. Past seizures included approximately 465 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 269 pounds of fentanyl, approximately 23 pounds of cocaine, and approximately 6.4 pounds of heroin. In addition, investigators seized over $309,522 USD in assets and seized an approximate 11 firearms.
Thirteen defendants are in custody, six are being sought by law enforcement.
The charges in the indictment carry significant prison time. Due to the amounts of drugs involved some defendants face a mandatory minimum ten years in prison.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Seattle Police Department with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Max Shiner and Crystal Correa.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Justice Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
California woman pleads guilty to conspiracy to smuggle aliens into the United StatesRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A California woman accused of conspiring to smuggle her husband, an illegal alien, into the United States admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The defendant, Tracy Routh Lautenslager, 53, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring aliens into the United States at a location other than a designated port of entry. Lautenslager faces 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for January 6, 2026. Lautenslager was released with conditions pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that on April 1, 2025, a vehicle operated by the defendant entered the United States through the Roosville, Montana Port of Entry (POE), then proceeded to the Swisher Lake area. Later that morning, the U.S. Border Patrol was alerted to a lone male walking across the international boundary line from Canada to the United States. Border Patrol responded and searched for the man who entered illegally. However, after searching, they were unable to locate him and believed he returned to Canada.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was able to apprehend the man and escorted him to the Roosville, British Columbia (BC) POE to be identified and processed. The man is the defendant’s husband, a citizen of Great Britain, and has no lawful status in the United States.
Around the same time her husband was apprehended, Lautenslager returned to Canada to look for him. On suspicions of smuggling, she was denied entry and returned to the United States. Once in the United States she was interviewed by law enforcement. During the interview, she admitted she and her husband planned to have him circumvent the immigration process and avoid the point of entry because he did not have legal status in the United States. She indicated the plan was to drop her husband off at a location on the Canadian side of the border, drive into the United States, and then pick him up. She admitted that what she attempted to do was wrong.
The defendant’s cellular phone was collected and, pursuant to her consent, was searched. During a review of her phone law enforcement discovered text messages between her and her husband as the conspiracy was unfolding and discussing logistics.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. U.S. Border Patrol conducted the investigation.
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).
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Buffalo man sentenced for his role in drug overdose deathRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Antonio Gutierrez, 29, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, was sentenced to serve 132 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Richard Antoine, who handled the case, stated that on December 9, 2022, an individual identified as C.R. was found dead of a drug overdose in his Orchard Park, NY, residence. Investigators recovered several items from the bedroom where C.R. was found, including his cell phone, as well as suspected fentanyl and drug paraphernalia. Gutierrez’s DNA was found on a glassine envelope recovered from the residence. In addition, C.R. had frequent communications with a phone number linked to Gutierrez, including in the hours before his death. During this time, their phones were in the same area in the City of Buffalo.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan and the Orchard Park Police Department, under the direction of Chief Patrick Fitzgerald.
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Billings woman pleads guilty to methamphetamine chargesRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Billings woman accused trafficking methamphetamine admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The defendant, Raven Michelle Volkomener, 43, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Volkomener faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least 5 years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for December 17, 2025. Volkomener was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that on May 4, 2024, law enforcement received reports of a car driving erratically south towards Billings on Highway 87. Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) identified the vehicle roughly five miles from Billings, observed it commit a traffic infraction, and pulled it over.
Law enforcement asked the driver to step out of the car and she was identified as Volkomener. She had an outstanding felony arrest warrant. She was taken into custody and that same day law enforcement, pursuant to a search warrant, searched the vehicle. Among other items discovered in the vehicle were four packages of suspected methamphetamine located in a backpack in the back seat. The methamphetamine was later analyzed and found to contain over 1,700 grams of pure meth.
Law enforcement also obtained a search warrant for the Volkomener’s cell phone. Among other evidence found on the phone were text messages from at least February 2023 to May 4, 2024, between Volkomener and a co-defendant. In those messages the two are corresponding about a trip by Volkomener to Great Falls in May 2024 to collect methamphetamine.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeff Starnes and Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. Montana Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the and Montana Department of Criminal Investigations, conducted the investigation.
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).
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Baltimore Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Exploiting a MinorRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Zachary Anthony Campbell, 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, pled guilty today, to two counts of sexually exploiting a minor.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office, Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD), and Chief Charles J. Herring, Towson University Police Department (TUPD).
According to his guilty plea, Campbell sexually abused an 11-year-old victim. On two occasions, in October 2023 and February 2024, Campbell recorded a video of himself sexually abusing the victim who appeared to be sleeping. Additionally, on five occasions in 2023 and 2024, Campbell placed a hidden camera in a bathroom and recorded videos of the victim in various stages of undressing. Campbell saved the sexual-exploitation videos on his phone.
Campbell faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 60 years in federal prison, followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release, for these offenses. Sentencing information is forthcoming.
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 the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI, BPD, and TUPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Bakersfield Resident Pleads Guilty to Aiming a Laser at a Sheriff’s HelicopterRead the Press Release
Alejandro Galvan-Silvestre, 26, pleaded guilty today to knowingly aiming the beam of a laser pointer at a Kern County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, Air One, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, on Sept. 5, 2021, Galvan-Silvestre was drinking with his family and friends outside his residence when he noticed the Sheriff’s helicopter. Galvan-Silvestre then began to shine the laser pointer toward the helicopter, which was conducting routine patrol in the area.
In the year of Galvan-Silvestre’s laser strike, there were 9,723 reported incidents involving laser strikes of aircraft across the country. At the time, that was an annual record high according to data kept by the Federal Aviation Administration.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.
Galvan-Silvestre is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 17, 2025. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of five 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.
Army Officer Pleads Guilty to Theft and Sale of Government PropertyRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A commissioned officer in the United States Army awaits sentencing after pleading guilty in federal court to theft and sale of government property.
As described in the plea agreement and in information presented in court proceedings, JACOB SUENKEL, 32, of Richmond Hill, Georgia, stole valuable equipment from various units at Fort Stewart on multiple occasions extending from late 2024 through May of 2025, all while serving as a captain in the United States Army. The stolen equipment included costly items such as skid-steer loaders, UTVs, trailers, generators, welders, commercial grade hand tools, and a tractor. After stealing these items, Suenkel would then market them for sale on social media and sell them to unsuspecting buyers.
As part of the plea agreement, Suenkel admitted that the total amount of financial loss caused by his actions exceeded $150,000, produced an initial payment of $50,000 to go toward the monetary component of his sentence, and agreed to be discharged from the Army with an adverse characterization of service, which will result in the loss of veterans’ benefits.
“Jacob Suenkel violated the trust of his employer and unsuspecting buyers, and is being held accountable for his theft,” said U.S. Attorney Margaret E. Heap. “This guilty plea offers assurance that those who commit theft will be brought to justice.”
“Stealing from the Army isn’t simply about lost property; it’s a matter of national security and good stewardship of taxpayer dollars.” said Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, Southeast Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Ryan O’Connor. “The Army CID, Fort Stewart Resident Agency was instrumental in the recovery of the stolen equipment and securing this prosecution. Suenkel betrayed not only the US Army, but also the trust placed in him by the American people.”
At sentencing, the potential penalties include up to ten years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Additionally, Suenkel will be ordered to pay restitution to the victims of his crimes.
This case was investigated by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division with assistance from the Richmond Hill Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy P. Dean. The United States Attorney’s Office extends its thanks to the military attorneys of the Third Infantry Division’s Office of the Staff Judge Advocate for their coordination and assistance with this matter.
Alabama Man Faces Federal Murder ChargesRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Charles Carson-Dowdy, 30, of Mobile, Alabama, has been indicted in federal court on charges of cyberstalking, interstate domestic violence, murder through use of a firearm, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in relation to the death of Starmichael L. Tucker in Pensacola, Florida, earlier this year. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charges.
Carson Dowdy is scheduled for his initial appearance and arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Hope Thai Cannon at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida, on August 28, 2025, at 11:00 a.m.
If convicted, Carson Dowdy faces up to life imprisonment on the charges in the Indictment.
The case is being jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the State Attorney’s Office. 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.
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.
A Federal Judge Sentenced Halifax County Man to 17 Years for Exploiting Children OnlineRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – On Tuesday, a federal judge sentenced a Roanoke Rapids man to 17 years in prison for distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Christopher Skipper, 39, previously pled guilty to distribution and possession of CSAM while on federal supervised release for an earlier child pornography conviction. The judge sentenced him to 210 months in prison, followed by an additional 18 months for violating his supervision, and 60 months of supervised release.
“Our office will continue to protect children and prosecute child predators who exploit and abuse the most vulnerable members of our community. If you hurt children this way, we will find you and hold you accountable for the endless revictimization that these children face. We will put you in federal prison for as long as possible to protect our communities and children,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
“Let this sentencing serve as a stark warning: Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners will stop at nothing to identify, investigate, and bring to justice those who exploit and harm our children,” said Homeland Security Investigations Charlotte Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant, who also oversees North and South Carolina. “The depraved actions of individuals like this defendant will not go unanswered. We will continue to work tirelessly to protect the most innocent among us and ensure that predators face the full consequences of their crimes.”
According to court documents and other information presented in court, in Fall 2024, the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) related to Skipper. Investigators determined that Skipper was using a Kik social media account to distribute CSAM. A search of his Kik account revealed numerous exchanges where he shared explicit images, distributed CSAM, and expressed sexual interest in children.
On June 27, 2024, Skipper shared images and videos of CSAM with another Kik user, including a video depicting a young girl being sexually assaulted by an adult male. Further investigation linked the Kik account to Skipper’s residence in Roanoke Rapids.
At sentencing, the court highlighted the more than 700 videos of CSAM found on Skipper’s phone, his explicit statements of interest in children, and the extreme impact of distributing such material on the victims.
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 Justice.gov/PSC.
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Halifax County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-CR-00082.
22 August 2025
Whiteside County, Ill. Man Sentenced to More than Eight Years in Prison for Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A Whiteside County, Ill. man has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for distributing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.
THOMAS DUGGER, 55, of Rock Falls, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of distribution of five grams or more of methamphetamine. Duggar admitted in a plea agreement that in July 2021 he sold 55.7 grams of methamphetamine.
U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston imposed a 100-month prison sentence during a hearing on Wednesday in federal court in Rockford.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Shane R. Catone, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ladd.
Western District of Texas U.S. Attorney Adds 269 Immigration Cases This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today that federal prosecutors in the district filed 269 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Aug. 15 through 21.
Among the new cases, Mexican national Hector Garcia and Victor Rodriguez, a U.S. citizen, were arrested in Dilley on Aug. 16, when they were allegedly caught transporting five illegal aliens who were locked in metal compartments affixed to a pickup truck. A criminal complaint alleges that U.S. Border Patrol agents witnessed the pickup truck travel down roads and on routes utilized by human smugglers to avoid Border Patrol checkpoints. The truck driver’s driving behavior further raised the agents’ suspicion, and, as a result, agents conducted a traffic stop. The complaint alleges that Garcia was riding as a passenger in the vehicle and had an expired work visa. Rodriguez was allegedly the driver of the truck and told the agents that the keys to compartments affixed to the sides of the truck bed were at “the yard,” though, during a pat down search, agents found him to be in possession what appeared to be toolbox keys. Using those keys, the agents were able to unlock the compartments and allegedly discovered five individuals—all confirmed to be Mexican nationals illegally present in the U.S.—hidden inside. If convicted of alien smuggling as alleged in the complaint, Garcia faces up to 10 years in federal prison, while Rodriguez faces up to five.
Mexican national Santiago Esquivel Gonzalez was arrested and charged with one count of being an illegal alien in possession of firearm. A criminal complaint alleges he attempted to sell five firearms at a location in San Antonio on Aug. 19. Immigration records revealed Esquivel Gonzalez was in the U.S. illegally. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
In El Paso, U.S. citizen Alberto Dovali-Gamboa was arrested after USBP agents allegedly observed multiple individuals breach the border fence and enter his vehicle. A criminal complaint alleges that Dovali-Gamboa disregarded an attempted investigatory traffic stop and ultimately was stopped after Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers deployed a tire deflation device. When his vehicle finally stopped, Dovali-Gamboa was placed under arrest by USBP and eight passengers—all determined to be illegal aliens—were allegedly observed laying down in the rear of his vehicle.
Joshua Magdaleno, also a U.S. citizen, was arrested on Aug. 17 after he was allegedly identified as the driver of a vehicle transporting four illegal aliens from Mexico, Guatemala, and Colombia. A DPS trooper had allegedly observed the four aliens breach the border fence and enter Magdaleno’s vehicle. A criminal complaint alleges that Magdaleno failed to yield to emergency lights and sirens, and that DPS had to perform a pit maneuver to immobilize the vehicle. According to the complaint, Magdaleno stated he had been recruited to pick up illegal aliens on the border through a post on Instagram.
A Mexican national was arrested during a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspection on a Union Pacific train. Mexican railroad security officers allegedly notified CBP officers that they had seen a person on one of the rail cars. A criminal complaint alleges that during the inspection, the CBP officers removed Francisco Alfredo Palacios-Guerrero from a grain hopper. Further investigation revealed that Palacios-Guerrero was previously removed from the U.S. four times, and had been convicted three times for illegal re-entry, three times for possession of narcotics, twice for battery, twice for presenting false identification, and once for an escape from jail.
A Honduran national was arrested near Maverick on Tuesday and charged with illegal re-entry. Marlon Gerardo Zavala-Garcia had been previously removed from the U.S. twice, the most recent being in January. He was convicted in Hondo on Nov. 12, 2024, for smuggling of persons and sentenced to 130 days confinement.
In Austin, a Salvadoran national was taken into federal custody after he had been arrested and booked in the Williamson County Jail. Rene Adalberto Jacinto-Rodriguez was convicted in 2009 for assault causing bodily injury of a family member and in 2010 for the aggravated felony of indecency with a child by sexual contact.
Jose Marvin Lopez-Sanchez, a Honduran national, was also taken into federal custody and charged with illegal re-entry in Austin. Lopez-Sanchez was previously removed in May 2024 after being convicted of assault causing bodily injury and criminal trespass. He was also convicted in 2023 for assault causing bodily injury of a family member and interfering with emergency request for assistance.
Mexican national Vicente Rodriguez-Santos was transferred into federal custody from the Travis County Jail where he had been booked for his third DWI arrest. Rodriguez-Santos was previously removed from the U.S. in 2018. In addition to the prior DWI convictions, he was convicted in August 2016 for criminal trespass, in October 2016 for theft property, and in 2017 for possession of a controlled substance.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Warm Springs Man Pleads Guilty to Assault with a Dangerous Weapon on the Warm Springs Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Warm Springs, Oregon, man pleaded guilty today for assaulting his girlfriend with a pistol on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.
Henry Jonathan Andrews, 29, pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon.
According to court documents, in October 2024, Andrews was driving with the victim on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Andrews became angry and pulled out a pistol. He struck the victim multiple times in the head with the pistol. Fearing for her life, the victim jumped from the moving car to escape him. She suffered extensive and life-threatening injuries as a result of the assault.
On November 20, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a two-count indictment charging Andrews with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
Andrews faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced on November 13, 2025, before a U.S. District Judge.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Warm Springs Tribal Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Pamela Paaso and Charlotte Kelley, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
Domestic violence is a serious crime that can include both physical and emotional abuse, and it is frequently hidden from public view. Many survivors suffer in silence, afraid to seek help or not knowing where to turn. The traumatic effects of domestic violence also extend beyond the abused person, impacting family members, friends, and communities.
If you or someone you know are in immediate danger, please call 911.
If you need assistance or know someone who needs help, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Many communities throughout the country have also created support networks to assist survivors in the process of recovery.
The StrongHearts Native Helpline offers culturally specific support and advocacy for American Indian and Alaska Native survivors of domestic violence. Please call 1-844-762-8483 or visit www.strongheartshelpline.org for more information.
Wagoner County Resident Pleads Guilty to Felony Assault and Federal Firearm CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Kelly Justin Van Lewis, age 35, of Coweta, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine, and one count of Possession of Ammunition While Subject to Protective Order, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.
The Indictment alleged that on April 30, 2024, Lewis assaulted the victim with a dangerous weapon, intending to do bodily harm. The Indictment further alleged that on July 2, 2025, Lewis knowingly possessed 990 rounds of assorted ammunition shipped and transported in interstate commerce despite knowing he was subject to a court order restraining him from attempting, threatening, or committing domestic violence, stalking, or abuse against an intimate partner.
The crimes occurred in Wagoner County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Coweta Police Department.
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Lewis will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob R. Parker represented the United States.
Vallejo Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Illegal Possession of AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Jeffrey Caldwell, 37, of Vallejo, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins to 14 years and seven months in prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
On May 13, 2025, following a two-day trial before Judge Coggins, a jury found Caldwell guilty of being a felon in possession of ammunition. Caldwell is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to his 14 prior felony convictions, which include convictions for assault, burglary, and stalking.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on Dec. 16, 2024, when multiple guests of a motel in Vallejo called 911 to report that Caldwell was firing a gun inside the building. Officers from the Vallejo Police Department (VPD) quickly responded and evacuated the building, at which point Caldwell barricaded himself in his room and refused to surrender. The Vallejo Police deployed their SWAT and Hostage Negotiation Teams, beginning a multi-hour standoff which lasted into the early morning of the next day.
The standoff finally ended when the SWAT Team deployed chemical agents into Caldwell’s room, which forced him out. Caldwell attempted to flee but was quickly arrested. A search of Caldwell’s person did not locate the firearm, but when the officers entered his room, they found a large hole in the bathroom wall. Stuffed inside the hole were multiple items, including a shower curtain, clothing, a canister of bear spray, and a pistol. Officers inspected the gun and determined that it was a privately manufactured firearm, commonly referred to as a ghost gun due to its lack of a traceable serial number. Caldwell had left the gun with a single round of ammunition still in the chamber.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Vallejo Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Campbell and R. Alexander Cárdenas prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Vacaville Man Pleads Guilty to Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Armond Bass, 40, of Vacaville, pleaded guilty Thursday to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, on two days in October 2024, Bass possessed and sold illegal firearms and ammunition in the parking lot of a softball field in the city of Vacaville. On the first day, October 23, Bass sold an AR-15-style privately manufactured firearm and more than 200 rounds of ammunition. Less than a week later, Bass returned, this time to sell a Colt M16 semi-automatic rifle. Bass is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to his multiple prior felony convictions, including two felony convictions for domestic violence.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Vacaville Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Campbell is prosecuting the case.
Bass is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta on Dec. 11, 2025. Bass 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.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
United States Attorney’s Office in Chicago Creates New Section to Prosecute Criminal Healthcare Fraud ViolationsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, today announced publicly the creation of a new section within the Office’s Criminal Division dedicated to the prosecution of healthcare fraud, which is among the Department of Justice’s top fraud enforcement priorities and the first time the Office has created such a section. The new Healthcare Fraud Section will consist of six federal prosecutors and will be led by Heidi Manschreck, who will serve as the inaugural Section Chief, and Prashant Kolluri, who will serve as the Section’s inaugural Deputy Chief. Both prosecutors have dozens of years of combined experience investigating and prosecuting healthcare fraud cases. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Kelly, Kate McClelland, Alejandro G. Ortega, and Kristin Pinkston have also been assigned to the Section full time. The work of this new section will be in addition to the healthcare fraud-related matters in this district that are being handled by the Healthcare Fraud Strike Force, which is part of the Fraud Section of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. The Healthcare Fraud Strike Force, which is housed in the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office, is led locally by Assistant Chief Patrick M. Mott and collaborates extensively with the Office.
The newly created Healthcare Fraud Section will be tasked with prosecuting defendants in all types of healthcare fraud, such as false and fraudulent claims submitted by transnational criminal organizations to America’s health insurance programs; upcoding and unbundling schemes; scams by providers and individuals against Medicare and Medicaid; fraudulent billing; and illegal kickbacks, among many other healthcare-related frauds and schemes.
“Every year, healthcare fraud causes billions of dollars in losses to the federal government and private insurers and siphons off hard-earned tax dollars meant to provide care for people in need,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “Since becoming U.S. Attorney, my Office has charged nearly $2 billion in healthcare fraud schemes involving alleged criminal conduct that has stretched across the country, and even transnationally. The newly created Healthcare Fraud Section that I’ve launched will bring greater focus, efficiency, and impact to our efforts in this important program area, which often involves the exploitation of patients through unnecessary and/or unsafe medical tests and procedures.”
U.S. Attorney Boutros continued, “In addition, under the direct leadership of our Section Chief and Deputy Chief, our Healthcare Fraud Section and its team of federal prosecutors will continue to closely coordinate and collaborate with the Healthcare Fraud Strike Force, which is part of the Fraud Section of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and has proven to be a highly effective and dynamic prosecutorial partner. Healthcare providers, gatekeepers, and others who criminally cheat the system will be vigorously investigated, prosecuted, and punished under federal law and pursuant to the Department’s priorities.”
In announcing the new Section, U.S. Attorney Boutros acknowledged the cooperation and determination of the Office’s investigative partners, including the FBI, DEA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and other federal, state, and local agencies.
The newly created Healthcare Fraud Section will also strengthen coordination with the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, which has partnered with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago and other districts across the country to combat healthcare fraud. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. Recently, the Health Care Fraud Unit led and coordinated the National Health Care Fraud Takedown, which resulted in charges against more than 320 defendants nationwide for allegedly participating in various health care fraud schemes involving more than $14.6 billion in intended losses. This was the largest national health care fraud enforcement action in Department of Justice history–and the largest ever in the Northern District of Illinois.
“The Health Care Fraud Unit and its U.S. Attorneys’ Office partners continue to build on historic successes in health care fraud enforcement—protecting American taxpayer funds, ensuring programs for our most vulnerable citizens receive what they are due, and safeguarding patients from medically unnecessary procedures and false diagnoses,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Beyond our proven track record of holding individuals accountable, the Health Care Fraud Unit is now for the first time focusing on corporate enforcement in the health care space to ensure that all culpable actors are held responsible. The Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office has been an exceptional partner and our Health Care Fraud Unit Strike Force in the district is excited to partner with this new unit to increase our collective reach and enhance our ability to protect the American public from health care fraud.”
“Healthcare fraud is not a victimless crime,” said Mario M. Pinto, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. “These complex schemes not only drain critical resources intended to provide care and protect some our most vulnerable citizens, but can also lead to patient harm. The enhanced collaboration and focus this new section brings will enable federal and state law enforcement partners to strengthen our ability to identify and hold accountable those who seek to defraud our federal healthcare programs and keep patients safe.”
“The DEA Chicago Field Division applauds U.S. Attorney Boutros's decision to launch the Healthcare Fraud Section,” said Shane Catone, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Chicago Field Division. “This will only enhance our capabilities to keep Americans safe from anyone who exploits financial, pharmaceutical, and criminal systems, in collaboration with our federal, state and local law enforcement and prosecutorial partners.”
“FBI Chicago stands committed with our federal partners to find and prosecute all offenders who perpetrate fraud in our healthcare system and violate the trust of vulnerable people seeking care,” said Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. “Together we are sending a clear message to those who steal from the U.S. taxpayers by committing healthcare fraud: you will be caught and you will face justice.”
U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 103 Border-Related Cases This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 103 border-related cases this week, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).
In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.
A sample of border-related arrests this week:
- On August 16, Yasmin Cruz, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with Attempted Transportation of Illegal Aliens. According to a complaint, Cruz posed as the mother of two children, ages 12 and 10, while attempting to enter the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Customs and Border Protection officers determined that the woman was not the mother of the children, and that she used birth certificates that did not belong to the children.
- On August 19, Christin Arnulfo Cruz Yepez, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Deported Alien Found in the United States. According to a complaint, the defendant was intercepted by Border Patrol agents walking two miles west of the Tecate, California, Port of Entry and approximately one mile north of the United States/Mexico International Border. The defendant was previously deported to Mexico on July 24, 2025, through San Diego.
- On August 20, Arturo Gonzalez Aguilar, a Mexican citizen who told Customs and Border Protection officers he is a Tijuana police officer, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, the officer found 87 pounds of cocaine concealed in his vehicle when he attempted to cross the border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
Also recently, a number of defendants with criminal records were convicted by a jury or sentenced for border-related crimes such as illegally re-entering the U.S. after previous deportation. Here are a few of those cases:
- On August 20, Jesus Horacio Soto-Leyva, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of felony Possession of a Dangerous Weapon by a Restricted Person in February 2016 and Illegal Reentry in January 2018, was sentenced in federal court to 12 months and 1 day in custody for again entering the U.S illegally.
- On August 22, Efren Espinoza-Garcia, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of Distribution of Methamphetamine in 2019, was sentenced in federal court to 12 months and one day in custody for again entering the U.S illegally
The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Nearly $4 Million in GrantsRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – The Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin joins the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) in announcing grants provided to combat violent crimes against women and to develop and strengthen victim services in cases involving domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice received $3,030,186 for the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program. It was authorized by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994 and reauthorized by subsequent legislation. The STOP Formula Grant Program encourages partnerships between law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and victim services organizations to enhance victim safety and hold offenders accountable in cases of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The goal of the grant program is to develop and strengthen law enforcement, prosecution, and court strategies to combat violent crimes against women and to develop and strengthen victim services, including community based, culturally specific services, in cases involving domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice received $954,705 for the Sexual Assault Services Formula Program (SAS Formula Program). It was created by the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 (VAWA 2005), 34 U.S.C. § 12511. The SAS Formula Program directs grant dollars to states and territories to assist them in supporting rape crisis centers and nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations that provide core services, direct intervention, and related assistance to victims of sexual assault, regardless of age. Funds provided through the SAS Formula Program are designed to supplement other funding sources directed at addressing sexual assault on the state and territorial levels. Rape crisis centers and other nonprofit organizations, such as dual programs providing domestic violence and sexual assault intervention services, play a vital role in assisting sexual assault victims through the healing process, as well as assisting victims through the medical, criminal justice, and other social support systems.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes ReportRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies.
In the one-week period ending August 22, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:
- 65 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
- 6 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
- 34 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
- 32 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325), violation of a military security regulation (50 U.S.C. 797) and Entering Military, Naval, or Coast Guard Property (18 U.S.C. 1382), arising from the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico.
Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions for involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, assault, fraud and illegal reentry.
This week, Luis Carlos Martinez-Moje, a Mexican national, was charged by criminal complaint with being an alien in possession of ammunition. During a traffic stop in Doña Ana County, law enforcement found approximately 13,980 rounds of ammunition hidden in a concealed compartment in his vehicle. During a subsequent interview, Martinez-Moje admitted that he traveled to Albuquerque to collect the ammunition at the request of an acquaintance he had met in Chihuahua, Mexico, in exchange for payment.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the District of New Mexico. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The District of New Mexico consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses.
Two Charged with Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Earlier this week, a federal indictment was unsealed charging Kurbin Menaugh, 36, and Robert Terry, 44, with drug related offenses. The indictment was unsealed following the arrest and initial appearance of Menaugh.
The indictment alleges that in early September 2021, Menaugh and Terry conspired possess 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. The indictment also charges Menaugh with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
If convicted, each defendant faces a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison. Menaugh also faces a five-year, mandatory-minimum sentence of incarceration, to run consecutive to any other sentence of incarceration, for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense. The minimum and maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. Any sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors following a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James Kirkpatrick. It was investigated by the Independence Police Department.
Operation Take Back America
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Two Albany Men Charged in Fraud Investigation That Resulted in One of the Largest-Ever Firearms Seizures in the History of the Northern District of New YorkRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Iziah Cox, age 37, and Kaya Cox, age 41, both of Albany, were arrested on Tuesday for conspiracy to make false statements to financial institutions as part of Operation Tidal Wave, which included court-authorized searches of more than 15 locations and resulted in the seizure of 134 firearms. Iziah Cox was subsequently charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
The conspiracy complaint alleges that in the spring of 2025, brothers Iziah Cox and Kaya Cox participated in a scheme to make false statements to numerous banks in the Capital Region and elsewhere by operating an elaborate network of dozens of New York State business entities and Albany County “Doing Business As” (DBA) business entities, misappropriating the names of real companies with which the conspirators had no relationship. These trade names were then used to open numerous bank accounts in the Capital Region and elsewhere that served to collect incoming wire transfers and checks resulting from numerous domestic and international scams targeting legitimate companies.
In connection with the execution of court-authorized search and seizure warrants in the fraud investigation, investigators recovered 134 firearms from two residences in Albany and Troy, as well as storage units in Menands. According to a complaint filed yesterday in which Iziah Cox was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm as a felon, many of these guns were hidden inside stereo equipment.
The charges in the complaints are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said: “This is one of the largest firearms seizures, if not the largest firearms seizure, in the history of the Northern District of New York. The number of firearms is significant, but more important are the many lives saved as a result of Operation Tidal Wave now that these guns cannot be used to kill and maim people. Albany and Troy are much safer today than they were last week. This is what happens when federal, state and local law enforcement work together, which has been one of my top priorities since taking office five months ago.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli said, “This seizure, one of the largest ever recorded in our district, is the direct result of the tremendous partnerships displayed throughout Operation Tidal Wave. These guns will never make it into the hands of dangerous criminals looking to wreak havoc in our communities. The FBI is grateful to our partners for standing shoulder to shoulder with us in our shared goal of keeping our communities safe.”
The conspiracy charges filed against both defendants carry a maximum term of 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. The firearm charge against Iziah Cox carries a maximum term of 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to 3 years. 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.
Both defendants appeared in federal court in Albany earlier this week and were ordered detained pending trial by United States Magistrate Judge Paul J. Evangelista.
Albany Police Chief Brendan Cox said, “Operation Tidal Wave represents our ongoing efforts to reduce gun violence. By seizing this large amount of illegal firearms, we have directly prevented these weapons from being used to harm our community. Each firearm removed from our streets is one less threat to our neighborhoods. The Albany Police Department is grateful for our partnerships we have with our federal, state and local agencies. Together, we are committed to protecting the public and holding offenders accountable.”
Troy Police Chief Daniel DeWolf stated: “I’m thrilled and proud we took this many guns off the street, and also of the collaboration that led to these historic seizures. We are all working together to achieve our collective mission of reducing violent crime.”
The FBI and its Albany Regional Financial Crimes Taskforce is investigating the cases, with assistance from Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the New York State Comptroller’s Office, the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, the Albany Police Department, the Troy Police Department, the New York State Police, and the Capital Region Crime Analysis Center and the New York State Intelligence Center. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua R. Rosenthal, Matthew M. Paulbeck, and Benjamin S. Clark are prosecuting the cases.
Tulsan Retried and Found Guilty of Sexually and Brutally Assaulting a NunRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A federal jury reconvicted a homeless Tulsa man who kidnapped, sexually abused, and physically assaulted a 72-year-old nun, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Elga Eugene Harper, 43, was found guilty of Kidnapping in Indian Country; Aggravated Sexual Abuse by Force and Threat in Indian Country; Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country; and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country.
According to court documents, in May 2022, Harper showed up at the victim's house unannounced. The victim knew Harper, who was homeless, and she would pay him to help fix things around her house. After explaining to Harper that she had no work for him, Harper requested to use the restroom. The victim allowed him to use the restroom.
The victim testified that Harper was gone for a while, and she went to check on him. When she found Harper, he was in her bedroom naked and immediately attacked her. During her testimony, the victim described Harper bound her arms and legs and tied a noose around her neck, all while Harper physically and sexually assaulted her for more than four hours. Before Harper left, he went through her home and took possessions that officers later found.
Harper was found guilty during his federal trial in February and sentenced in July 2023. In August, Harper filed an appeal to the Tenth Circuit Court, and the guilty verdict was overturned in October 2024, causing a retrial. While awaiting retrial, the victim passed away.
The retrial began on Monday, and a new jury was selected. Law enforcement and witnesses retestified to the events that happened in 2022. The jury heard audio from the 911 call where the victim cried for help and described being physically assaulted. The victim could be heard telling the 911 dispatcher, EMSA personnel, and responding officers that “Elga Harper” was the person who attacked her.
A body camera video and photos of the victim's injuries displayed to the jury showed the brutality of the violence that Harper committed on the victim.
Harper is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. He will continue to remain in custody until his sentencing is scheduled.
The FBI and Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melody Nelson, Valeria Luster, and Kenneth Elmore prosecuted the case.
Texarkana felon charged with possessing child pornography in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
TYLER, Texas – A Texarkana, Texas convicted felon has been charged with federal child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
John Matthew Emerson, 41, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with possession of child pornography.
The indictment alleges that Emerson, while on supervised release for a previous possession of child pornography conviction, was found with a cellular phone that contained images of child pornography.
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.
If convicted, Emerson faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Jackson.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Teacher’s Aide at New York City Public School Charged with Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Alejandro F. Santos was arraigned on an indictment charging him with transportation of child pornography and possession of child pornography. Santos was arrested on a complaint in July 2025. At the time of his arrest, Santos was employed by the New York City Department of Education as a teacher’s aide at a public school in the Bronx for children with disabilities. Today’s proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Ricky J. Patel, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI New York), and Francis J. Russo, Director of New York Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), announced the charges.
“The defendant, who held a position of trust as a teacher’s aide in a New York City elementary school, is charged with possessing photos and videos depicting horrific sexual abuse of children,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Our Office is committed to identifying and prosecuting individuals like the defendant who possess such images, which contribute to the depraved market for child pornography and the victimization of vulnerable minors.”
“The details of Alejandro Santos’ alleged crimes are among every parent’s worst nightmare. This defendant worked closely with young kids nearly every day over the course of 23 years. Protecting minors from individuals like this defendant is not only paramount, it’s personal. I implore any person who believes they have information related to crimes involving Santos to contact authorities as soon as possible,” stated HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Patel.
“This case underscores the vital role CBP plays in identifying potential criminal activity during border inspections,” stated CBP Director Russo. “Our officers are dedicated to protecting the public, safeguarding our children from exploitation, and collaborating with partner agencies to ensure thorough investigations are conducted.”
As alleged in court filings, on July 15, 2025, Santos arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport on a flight from the Dominican Republic. While proceeding through customs, Santos was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers pursuant to a law enforcement alert based on information that the defendant was likely in possession of child sex abuse material. Santos was escorted to an inspection area and provided the officers with his iPhone. A subsequent examination of that phone revealed thousands of photographs, videos and other files depicting the sexual exploitation of children, including infants and toddlers. Santos has worked for the New York City Department of Education for 23 years.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of transporting of child sexual abuse material, Santos faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment.
Anyone with information about criminality involving the defendant should contact HSI New York at [email protected]The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth D’Antonio is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
ALEJANDRO F. SANTOS
Age: 47
Bronx, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-258 (NRM)
Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Assisting in the Filing of False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Survalarie Harris has pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return. Harris faces a maximum sentence of three years. Her sentencing has been scheduled for December 10, 2025.
According to court documents, Harris worked as a tax return preparer in Jacksonville. While preparing tax returns for others, Harris knowingly reported false information including false claims of having a business to decrease the amount taxpayers would owe to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and to increase the amount taxpayers would receive as tax refunds from the IRS. IRS agents determined that Harris falsified tax returns in a similar manner multiple times, specifically by creating fictitious business expenses. Despite a lack of documentation from taxpayers, Harris included these fictitious expenses on the tax returns, indicating a net loss for a non-existent business. This would lower the taxpayers Adjusted Gross Income, allowing the taxpayer to apply for an Earned Income Credit, which is a refundable tax credit based primarily on income and filing status.
On March 22, 2022, Harris prepared a 2021 tax return for an undercover IRS agent who posed as a customer. During the conversation, Harris told the undercover agent that the agent was going to owe money on her tax return. Harris asked the undercover agent if she did any work on the side, to which the undercover agent stated she sometimes braided hair. Harris told the undercover agent that she could help the undercover agent receive a refund for an additional fee. Moments later, Harris told the undercover agent that she was receiving a refund of $2,950, minus the additional fee. However, Harris did not ask for, and the undercover agent did not provide, any documentation or information associated with business losses or income. Despite the lack of documentation, Harris prepared the undercover agent’s tax return, which indicated a net loss for a non-existent business. Harris understood that the non-existent business net loss would lower the undercover agent’s Adjusted Gross Income to a point that the undercover agent would qualify for an Earned Income Credit.
Throughout the investigation, IRS agents learned that Harris had been preparing falsified tax returns on behalf of taxpayers since at least 2018. Agents estimated that Harris prepared more than 900 falsified tax returns between the 2020 tax year and the 2022 tax year. As part of her guilty plea, Harris has agreed that the tax loss to the United States is at least $1,824,279.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.
Summerfield Man Sentenced to 19 Years for Ponzi Scheme and Tax FraudRead the Press Release
Winston-Salem, NC – A Summerfield man was sentenced today, August 22, 2025, to more than 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud, money laundering, securities fraud, tax evasion, and failure to file tax returns in connection with a $20 million Ponzi scheme, announced United States Attorney Clifton T. Barrett of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC).
William Lamar Rhew, III, age 39, was sentenced to 235 months’ imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release by the Honorable Thomas D. Schroeder, United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the MDNC.
According to court records, from November 2017 to December 2023, Rhew defrauded at least 117 investors of at least $24 million. He induced victims to invest with his company Chadley Capital, LLC which would allegedly buy accounts receivable at a discount, sell them for a profit, and provide consistently high rates of return on investment. Rhew touted the company’s increasing deal flow and underwriting standards and, in offering materials, claimed $300 million in transactions in 2023, consistent returns in excess of 20% per year, and nearly 74% total growth over 24 months. All of Rhew’s representations were false. Instead of investing victims’ funds as promised, Rhew used their money to pay his personal expenses including the purchases of a boat, a beach house, and luxury cars, payments on his personal credit cards, and to make “interest” and “withdrawal” payments to other victim-investors as part of the Ponzi scheme.
In addition, for Tax Years 2018 through 2022, Rhew willfully failed to report nearly $9 million in income to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and evaded over $3 million in taxes. According to court records, Rhew maintained a shell business entity, funded in part by Chadley Capital, LLC victim funds, to support his personal lifestyle. Rhew claimed payments into this shell business entity as business expenses but lied to his accountant about the existence of any corresponding reportable income. Rhew also falsely reported his personal spending from Chadley Capital, LLC as business expenses. Finally, Rhew willfully failed to file Forms 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, for the tax years 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022.
“This defendant devastated the personal finances of individual victims and defrauded the public at large by failing to file and pay taxes to the IRS,” said United States Attorney Barrett. “We will prosecute such schemes to the full extent of the law. We appreciate the robust investigation conducted by our law enforcement partners in this matter.”
“The defendant victimized his investors and defrauded American taxpayers by concealing his income from the IRS and evading his tax liability,” said Special Agent in Charge Donald “Trey” Eakins, Charlotte Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. “IRS-CI’s collaborative investigative efforts alongside our law enforcement partners led to justice for the victims in this case.”
“The time Rhew will spend behind bars will never make up for the millions of dollars he stole from more than a hundred people. He promised to make them rich, instead Rhew is the one who profited. He bought fancy cars, a beach house, and even a boat. Fraud of this magnitude can have a lasting impact not only financially, but emotionally for victims. The FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to hold fraudsters who rip off hard working Americans accountable,” said James C. Barnacle Jr., the FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge.
“Through the combined efforts of the SBI and our partner agencies, this individual was held accountable for exploiting his investors’ trust,” said NCSBI Special Agent in Charge Chris Cardwell. “Together, we will continue to pursue those who commit fraud and help protect our citizens.”
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI). This case was prosecuted by MDNC Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Jeanne Dildine.
Stockton Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for Trafficking Firearms on InstagramRead the Press Release
Julian Arellano-Taylor, 21, of Stockton, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins to nine years in prison for dealing firearms without a license and distribution of cocaine, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, between May 3, 2023, and March 3, 2024, Arellano-Taylor advertised and sold firearms on Instagram. Unbeknownst to Arellano-Taylor, one customer was a confidential informant and purchased 11 firearms from him. These firearms included ghost guns without serial numbers that were designed to replicate Glock pistols and AR-15-style rifles. At the same time as he was selling firearms, Arellano-Taylor was also selling cocaine.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Sacramento Police Department, the Lodi Police Department, the Stockton Police Department, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Gang Suppression Unit, and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Lee and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew De Moura prosecuted the case.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
Springfield Man Convicted of Sexual Exploitation of a Child, Receipt and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD – A Springfield, Mass. man was convicted yesterday, following a 4-day trial, of possession and receipt of child pornography and sexual exploitation of children.
Bairon Ubeda, 45, was convicted by a federal jury of one count of possession of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of sexual exploitation of children. U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy scheduled sentencing for Nov. 24, 2025. Ubeda was previously indicted in May 2023. At the time, Ubeda was serving a state sentence for aggravated rape and abuse of a child, posing or exhibiting a child in a state of nudity, disseminating child pornography, trafficking of a person for sexual servitude, extortion, larceny, assault and battery and trafficking of a person under 18 years of age for sexual servitude.
Evidence introduced at trial demonstrated that Ubeda carried out a multi-year effort to trick and coerce women using fraudulent social media persona and accounts while claiming to represent a fictitious adult modeling company. Ubeda would trick women targeted by the scheme into providing explicit images as well as personal information and identification. Ubeda would then threaten to make the images and information public if the women did not agree to engage in sexual acts with him. For women with children, Ubeda would threaten to provide the images and information to child protective services so that the women would lose custody of their children.
Ubeda was charged in federal court after he coerced a woman caught up in a scheme to use a three-year-old minor victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. Ubeda was also charged with knowingly receiving and possessing that child pornography.
The charge of sexual exploitation of a child provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentenced of up to 20 years in prison, up to five 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.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi; and Police Superintendent Lawrence Akers of the Springfield Police Department made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Maynard and Mark Grady of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Southbridge Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Southbridge man pleaded guilty in federal court in Worcester to conspiring to distribute cocaine in Central Massachusetts.
Eric Rivera, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for Nov. 12, 2025. In November 2024, Rivera was indicted by a federal grand jury along with alleged co-conspirators Luis Sastre Pagan and Miguel Lopez.
From in or about April 2023 through April 2024, Rivera participated in a conspiracy that shipped kilograms of cocaine into Central Massachusetts. Specifically, Rivera provided addresses to be used as “drop addresses” for drug packages in Worcester County and drove packages of cocaine to other known drug traffickers in the Springfield area.
Over the course of the investigation, four packages related to the drug trafficking organization were seized, each of which were found to contain cocaine. This includes one package seized in February 2023 that was addressed to Rivera and found to contain three kilograms of cocaine. In total, between 15-50 kilograms of cocaine is attributable to Rivera as part of his participation in the conspiracy.
Rivera’s alleged co-conspirators have pleaded not guilty and are pending trial.
The charge of conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the DEA Puerto Rico and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Brown of the Worcester Branch Office is 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 https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Shooting That Killed One Man and Wounded Another Leads to Guilty PleaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Walter Jenkins, 36, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty yesterday to second-degree murder while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon for the November 2021 shooting of two men, killing one and wounding another, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Jenkins pleaded guilty on August 21, 2025, to one count of second-degree murder while armed and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon is contingent upon the Court’s approval. Jenkins faces a sentence range of between 18 and 33 ½ years under the District of Columbia Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines. Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt accepted the factual basis for the plea and scheduled sentencing for November 18, 2025.
According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, at approximately 4:47 p.m., on November 14, 2021, MPD Seventh District officers responded to the 2000 Block of Alabama Avenue SE, for the report of the sounds of gunshots. Upon conducting a canvass of the area, officers located two victims near a vehicle on Bruce Place. They found Mr. David Williams, who was breathing but barely conscious, suffering from multiple gunshots to the body. DC Fire and EMS personnel responded to the scene and transported Mr. Williams to George Washington University Hospital where all lifesaving efforts failed, and he was pronounced dead more than an hour later. The second victim was conscious and breathing, suffering from gunshot wounds to the lower legs. He was transported to Med-Star where he was admitted in stable condition.
Jenkins was arrested on February 4, 2022, and has been in custody since.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case was investigated by officers, detectives, and other personnel of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Horton and Miles Janssen.
San Diego Man Sentenced to More Than 21 Years for Sexual Exploitation of 14-Year-Old GirlRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Eric Jin of San Diego was sentenced in federal court today to 262 months in prison for sexually exploiting a 14-year-old girl by directing her to produce child sex abuse material.
Jin was indicted on May 15, 2024, and pleaded guilty in October 2024, admitting he ordered the young victim to take sexually graphic pictures of herself without clothing in December 2022 and again in February 2023. The girl did as Jin directed.
Also in February 2023, Jin ordered the victim to carve his first name, “Eric,” into her skin and send him a photo. The victim again did as Jin directed. Jin knew the victim was 14 years old.
Jin also admitted in his plea agreement that he possessed and sent pictures to the girl via his cell phone of other minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
At today’s hearing, U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta told the defendant that his “truly hurtful and evil actions on young children …defies adequate description.”
“Mr. Jin managed to exploit a vulnerable child despite the parents’ diligent efforts to protect her,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “This office will do everything legally possible to achieve justice for children and hold predators like the defendant accountable.”
“Today’s sentence demonstrates the seriousness with which the FBI takes crimes-against-children investigations,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Dargis of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “Jin coerced heinous activity from an innocent 14-year-old girl, unconscionable demands no child should ever have to endure. The FBI will continue to do everything within our authorities to hold accountable those who sexually exploit children, vigorously investigating such actions to protect the most vulnerable in our community.”
According to the FBI, the most important advice for parents is to have open and ongoing conversations about safe and appropriate online behavior. Educate yourself about the websites, software, games, and apps that your children use. Immediately report any inappropriate contact between an adult and your child to law enforcement or your local FBI field office. You can also call the FBI at 1-800-CALL FBI (800-225-5324) or submit a report online at tips.fbi.gov.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Sherwood and Katie Grammenidis.
DEFENDANT Case Number 24cr1071-JO
Eric Jin Age: 31 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2251(a) and (e)
Maximum penalty: Thirty years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a $500,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
Federal Bureau of Investigation
SDTX files a whopping 372 new cases this week as part of ongoing Operation Take Back America effortsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A total of 376 people have been charged from Aug. 15-21 in continuing efforts to secure the southern border, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The filed cases include 18 people allegedly involved in human smuggling. A total of 206 more are charged with illegally entering the country, while another 150 face charges of felony reentry after removal. Most of those foreign nationals have prior felonies involving narcotics, violent crime, immigration offenses and more. Other relevant cases charged this week relate to other immigration crimes.
One of those charged this week in Laredo includes Kenneth Gamboa. On Aug. 15, Gamboa allegedly drove a box truck hiding 40 illegal aliens to a Border Patrol checkpoint in Jim Hogg County. The investigation revealed a false wall in the storage area of the vehicle that had created a hidden compartment, according to the complaint. The charges allege it had multiple boards screwed shut to prevent the individuals from being able to get out on their own. A total of 26 of the illegal aliens are now also charged with illegal reentry after removal. Gamboa faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of human smuggling.
A McAllen criminal complaint charges four more people, two of whom are illegal aliens themselves, for their alleged involvement in an alien smuggling ring in Hidalgo County. Rio Grande Valley residents Enrique Gonzalez and Rigoberto Esteban Perez-Cruz and Mexican nationals Erick Vallejo-Zapata and Mirza Garcia-Zapata allegedly harbored illegal aliens at residences. Gonzalez, Vallejo-Zapata and Garcia-Zapata are also alleged to have transported the aliens, who were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador and India, and who face their own immigration charges as a result of the investigation.
Another illegal alien facing charges this week is Mexican national Carlos Alberto Garza-Garcia, who authorities allegedly discovered unlawfully in the United States near Hidalgo. According to court documents, he was previously removed just this year - May 29 - and has a prior conviction for illegal reentry.
Criminal complaints also allege Mexican nationals Magdaleno Valadez-Ortiz, Luis Gustavo Ramos-Ibarra and Esvan Gonzalez-Manzano had been previously removed from the country on various dates between 2018-2023. However, all were allegedly found in the Rio Grande Valley this week. Gonzalez-Manzano has a prior conviction for illegal reentry, while Valadez-Ortiz and Ramos-Ibarra both have prior convictions of drug-related crimes, according to their charges.
If convicted of felony illegal reentry after removal as charged, all four face up to 20 years in prison.
In addition to the new cases, Honduran national Elmer Leonel Ramos-Agurcia was sentenced to federal prison after assaulting law enforcement agents as he attempted to unlawfully enter the country. On April 15, he arrived at the Brownsville & Matamoros port of entry. He did not have any documentation and was denied entry. He tackled an agent and ran towards the bridge where he jumped over the fence towards the Rio Grande. Authorities conducted a foot pursuit. As they attempted to arrest him, Ramos-Agurcia bit one agent and reached for the other’s holster. The court ordered he serve 18 months in prison and warned him his sentence would increase if he reentered illegally and committed further crimes.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal histories, including convictions for human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Romanian National Pleads Guilty to Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – A Romanian woman pleaded guilty on Tuesday, August 19th to a wire fraud scheme defrauding grocery stores in Central Mississippi.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 7, 2025, a popular supermarket chained observed Loredana Sava, 36, and an accomplice execute a “quick change” scheme involving a wire transaction to steal money from five local stores and impacting five others in the district.
Loredana Sava could be seen on surveillance video at various stores on May 7 in Flowood, Brandon, Ridgeland, and Jackson requesting $2500 wire transfers from kiosks inside the stores, using sleight- of-hand techniques to trick cashiers into giving over money to which she was not entitled. The scheme’s design exploited the supermarket terminals and interstate wires for servers located in Denver, Colorado. At all times, Loredana Sava did not have authorization to be lawfully present in the United States.
Loredana Sava is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis, and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch made the announcement.
The United States Secret Service and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office are investigating the case through their partnership in the Cyber Fraud Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys C. Brett Grantham and Kimberly T. Purdie 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Rochester man pleads guilty to drug and gun chargesRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Brandon Washington a/k/a B Mack, 40, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a fine of $8,000,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas E. Gregory, who is handling the case, stated that between May 2021 and July 21, 2022, Washington conspired with others to sell marijuana from various drug houses located in the city of Rochester. He oversaw the operation of marijuana distribution houses on St. Paul and Sixth Street in Rochester, and stored marijuana at two residences on Laser Street, also in Rochester. Washington oversaw the supply of drug houses, which were hardened with firearms, with quantities of pre-packaged marijuana for sale and paid individuals to deliver to and sell marijuana from these locations.
On July 14, 2022, Rochester Police officers executed a search warrant at the St. Paul Street residence, seizing quantities of marijuana, scales and drug ledgers, as well as $8,254 in cash. On July 16 and July 21, 2022, search warrants were executed at the Sixth Street residence, during which investigators seized quantities of marijuana, approximately $13,390 in cash, and four firearms. Also on July 21, 2022, a search warrant was executed at a Laser Street residence, which served as a stash location, revealing significant quantities of marijuana packaged for sale and five firearms. Gun traces on the firearms connected the conspirators to several other shootings in Rochester in the summer of 2022. A search warrant was also executed at another Laser Street residence, which was Washington’s residence, resulting in the seizure of quantities of marijuana and over 100 rounds of ammunition. Washington, as a previously convicted felon, was prohibited from possessing any ammunition.
The case against Washington and his co-conspirators stemmed from the investigation into the murder of Rochester Police Department Investigator Anthony Mazurkewicz and the assault of Investigator Sino Seng, who were shot in the line of duty on July 21, 2022. Mazurkewicz died because of his injuries. Co-conspirator Kelvin Vickers was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life in prison. The investigation also focused on a double homicide occurring the day before, on July 20, 2021, resulting in the deaths of Richard Collinge and Myjel Rand. Co-conspirators Kelvin Vickers, Deadrick Fulwiley and Raheim Robinson were convicted of those murders. Vickers and Robinson were sentenced to life in prison, and Fulwiley received 30-years in prison.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 18, 2025 before Judge Geraci.
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Pensacola Man Charged Federally for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon During Shooting IncidentRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Michael Stephen Johnson, 58, of Pensacola, Florida, has been indicted in federal court for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charge.
Johnson is scheduled for arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida, on August 28, 2025 at 11:00 a.m.
If convicted, Johnson faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison up to life imprisonment.
The case is being jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer H. Callahan.
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.
Owner of local ‘Raining Cash’ tax company sentenced to 3 years in prison for causing $1.7M in tax lossesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A local tax preparer was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to the statutory maximum, 36 months, in prison for aiding in the preparation of false and fraudulent tax returns.
Ali Kasimu Alston, 48, of Columbus, aided in the filing of thousands of fraudulent tax returns. He is ordered to pay more than $1.7 million in restitution to the IRS.
According to court documents, from at least 2015 through at least 2022, Alston owned and operated a tax return preparation business in Columbus named Overtime Ventures, LLC that did business as Raining Cash Tax Service.
Alston systematically falsified client tax returns to maximize refunds from the IRS. He filed Schedule Cs with fake businesses to maximize tax credits. For example, one false tax return for calendar year 2021 reported false losses for a home healthcare company that did not exist. The false business losses reduced the client’s taxable income, thereby decreasing the tax due and increasing the client’s claimed tax refund.
The defendant also attempted to bribe one of his former employees with $4,000 in cash to provide false information to law enforcement, which he knew at the time was investigating his tax preparation business. Even after entering his guilty plea, the defendant continued to assist in the filing of false tax filings.
Alston was charged by a bill of information in September 2024 and pleaded guilty in October 2024.
Aiding in the preparation of a false and fraudulent tax return is a federal crime punishable by up to three years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Cincinnati Field Office, announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge James L. Graham. Assistant United States Attorney David J. Twombly is representing the United States in this case.
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New Orleans Man Guilty of Violating Federal Gun Control ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – KENNETH JACKSON (“JACKSON”), age 33, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on August 20, 2025, before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, to violating the Federal Gun Control Act, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
According to court records, in March 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted aerial surveillance at an apartment complex in New Orleans East and observed a Toyota Camry with damage to the rear bumper parked behind the complex. The aerial surveillance was being conducted as part of an investigation into a murder that had occurred the previous day, and agents believed the Camry to be the same one used in the murder. FBI agents who were watching the apartment complex saw the Camry begin to circle around the side of the complex to leave. An agent blocked the Camry’s exit with his vehicle, which caused the occupants, JACKSON and another male, to abandon the Camry and flee on foot. Both were apprehended by law enforcement shortly after exiting the vehicle. JACKSON had a .45 caliber pistol on his person. JACKSON is a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms. JACKSON was charged, in a multi-defendant indictment, with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Judge Milazzo set sentencing for January 30, 2026. JACKSON faces a maximum term of fifteen years imprisonment, up to three years supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the New Orleans District Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted out of the Violent Crime Unit by Assistant United States Attorneys Liz Privitera and Sarah Dawkins.
New Orleans Man Guilty of CarjackingRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – RASHUAD FONTENBERRY (“FONTENBERRY”), age 33, formerly a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty on August 19, 2025 before United States District Judge Brandon S. Long to Carjacking, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. Section 2119. FONTENBERRY faces a term of imprisonment of up to 15 years, a fine of up to $250,000, up to 3 years of supervised release following his release from imprisonment, and payment of a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
Judge Long ordered a pre-sentence report and scheduled sentencing for December 2, 2025.
Court documents showed that on September 5, 2022, the victim of the offense stopped at a local gas station to buy snacks. She parked her car next to the fuel pumps and exited the vehicle. FONTENBERRY quickly approached the victim who was then stopped by a second male perpetrator. As they ordered the victim to surrender her belongings, she noticed FONTENBERRY’s hand resting near, or on, a firearm. The victim then handed them her keys and cell phone, following which FONTENBERRY and his accomplice entered her car. FONTENBERRY sat in the driver’s seat. When the gas station store customers walked out to see what was happening, FONTENBERRY and his accomplice fled on foot but were later identified by police.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Mark A. Miller of the Narcotics Unit is handling the prosecution.
Mobile Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm as a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 137 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Jamar Lee Webb, 42, was arrested by Mobile County Sheriff’s Office deputies during a traffic stop in Mobile on February 24, 2023. That day, federal agents were monitoring a court-authorized closed-circuit television (“CCTV”) recording device installed in a pickup truck belonging to the leader of a major drug-trafficking organization (“DTO”) in Mobile. Agents saw Webb holding a firearm on his lap in plain view on the CCTV video. Agents confirmed that Webb was a convicted felon who also had an active warrant for felony domestic violence assault, so they mobilized to locate and arrest him.
During a subsequent traffic stop, agents arrested Webb on his active warrant and detained a passenger who was a drug dealer and member of the DTO. Webb told deputies he had a pistol in the truck. Underneath Webb’s seat, deputies recovered a loaded .40 caliber pistol. Underneath the passenger’s seat, deputies recovered a loaded .380 caliber pistol. On the back floorboard behind the center console, deputies found a bag containing distribution amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl pills, and marijuana, as well as a small amount of crack cocaine. The passenger claimed ownership of the drugs, but CCTV video showed Webb moving items around in the backseat area of the truck and hiding his pistol as deputies initiated the traffic stop. At the time Webb possessed the pistol, he knew he had multiple prior felony convictions, including for distribution of drugs and domestic violence. Webb’s prior felony convictions made his possession of a pistol illegal under federal law.
In addition to the 137-month prison sentence, United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer ordered Webb to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Webb to pay $100 in special assessments and forfeited Webb’s pistol to the United States.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Roller and George May prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Mexican national, unlawfully living in Longview, indicted for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
TYLER, Texas – A Mexican national, unlawfully living in Longview, has been charged with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Humberto Hernandez-Fornue, 43, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
The indictment alleges that on August 14, 2025, Hernandez-Fornue was found illegally in the Eastern District of Texas and in possession of a firearm.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
If convicted, Hernandez-Fornue faces up to 15 years in federal prison.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; Homeland Security Investigations; and the Tyler Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Farahnak.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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