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Monday 14 July 2025
Honduran National Arrested for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the filing of a criminal complaint charging Bayros Aguilar-Ramirez (29, Honduras) with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Aguilar-Ramirez faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison.
According to court documents, Aguilar-Ramirez is a citizen and national of Honduras. He was previously removed from the United States on November 23, 2016. Aguilar-Ramirez was found voluntarily back in the United States on July 13, 2025, when he was encountered by law enforcement in St Johns County. Aguilar-Ramirez has not received the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to apply for readmission to the United States.
A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.
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).
Honduran Man Illegally in U.S. Pleads Guilty to Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Marvin Enrique Pena-Portillo, 38, a Honduran national unlawfully residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg to possession of a firearm by a felon.
The defendant was arrested on a criminal complaint and warrant in April of this year and charged by information in June.
As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, on April 15, 2025, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents arrested the defendant for immigration violations, Pena-Portillo had a loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol in his waistband.
In August of 2024, in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Pena-Portillo had pleaded guilty to carrying an illegal firearm in public and was sentenced to two years of probation for that offense.
Pena-Portillo is scheduled to be sentenced on October 22.
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).
The case was investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and the ATF and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert Eckert.
Hamden Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Narcotics in Southwestern ConnecticutRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTIAN PICHARDO, also known as “Swerve,” “Craig,” and “Bobby Shmurda,” 30, of Hamden, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 144 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking narcotics in southwestern Connecticut.
According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation by the FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department identified Pichardo as a significant distributor of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, crack, and narcotic pills in southwestern Connecticut. During the investigation, investigators intercepted calls and text messages between Pichardo, his associates, and their drug customers over court-authorized wiretaps, made controlled purchases of narcotics, and seized drugs from Pichardo, his associates, and drug customers. Some of the drugs seized during the investigation had been cut with fentanyl analogues and xylazine, a large animal tranquilizer. The investigation also revealed that Pichardo maintained a residence on Norman Street in Bridgeport to store narcotics.
On July 17, 2024, a grand jury in Bridgeport returned a superseding indictment charging Pichardo and seven others with controlled substances offenses.
Pichardo has been detained since his arrest on August 5, 2024. On April 3, 2025, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl and quantities of cocaine, heroin, and other opioids.
This matter has been investigated by the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen L. Peck and Kenneth L. Gresham through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Guatemalan National Sentenced to Five Months in Prison for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in New Bedford was sentenced today for illegally reentering the United States after deportation.
Jose De Leon Ventura, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani to five months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In May 2025, De Leon Ventura pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. De Leon Ventura was arrested in April 2025 and has remained in custody since.
De Leon Ventura was previously removed from the United States in December 2019, after being arrested by U.S. Border Patrol in Yuma, Ariz. Sometime after his removal, De Leon Ventura unlawfully reentered the United States. Federal authorities became aware of De Leon Ventura’s presence in the United States following his arrest in August 2023 for operating under the influence of liquor and operating after a suspended license.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Lyons prosecuted the case.
Grove Man Sentenced for Possessing and Producing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Grove man was sentenced today for Possession of Child Pornography in Indian Country and Production of Child Pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Dakota Austin Clark, 24, to 240 months imprisonment, followed by 15 years of supervised release. Upon his release, Clark will also be required to register as a sex offender.
In February 2023, Clark began communicating with a 14-year-old through social media. The investigation revealed that Clark coerced and enticed the minor child to produce sexually explicit photos. Law enforcement further discovered that Clark possessed hundreds of images that contained the sexual abuse of minor children.
Clark is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Grove Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Harris prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 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.
Former U.S. Army Soldier Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Aggravated Child NeglectRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Andrew J. Garasich, 29, of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for aggravated child neglect, announced Robert E. McGuire, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.
“The victim in this case was a two-month-old child who was horribly neglected by the Defendant and barely survived,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “The child is now in a loving home but will face lifelong struggles because of the Defendant’s choices. This case shows that we will not hesitate to prosecute those who hurt children and, if they are convicted, we will seek long sentences in federal prison for them.”
“This sentencing is a result of the unwavering commitment of the FBI and our justice system to protect the most vulnerable members of our community—our children,” said Special Agent in Charge Joe Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “There is no place in our community for those who harm children, and we will do everything we can to find and punish those who engage in this repugnant activity and seek justice for victims.”
“This case highlights the strong partnership between Army CID, the FBI, and the Department of Justice,” said Special Agent in Charge John McCabe of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Midcentral Field Office. “This sentencing reflects our dedication to justice for this young victim and sends a clear message that child abuse will not be tolerated within our ranks or in our communities."
Garasich, a former sergeant (E-5) in the United States Army stationed on Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was a father of a two-month-old baby when, on December 30, 2022, Garasich severely burned his baby by bathing him in water so hot that the baby’s skin peeled off his body. The two-month-old baby did not receive medical treatment for five days after the bath. When the baby was finally taken to Houston County Community Hospital for medical treatment, Garasich did not accompany the baby to the hospital. Medical personnel immediately arranged for the baby to be life flighted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center due to the severity of his injuries, and they contacted the Erin, Tennessee, Police Department, which dispatched officers to the hospital to speak with witnesses about how the baby was injured. When the baby was assessed at Vanderbilt, in addition to partial to full thickness burns on the baby’s buttocks, perineum, lower extremities, and left elbow, medical personnel also noted a left parietal skull fracture.
Although Garasich does not have any prior criminal convictions, he has a prior case with the Department of Children’s Services involving another child in 2019.
Following his term of imprisonment, Garasich will be on supervised release for 4 years.
Garasich’s co-defendant, the child’s mother, will be sentenced on August 5, 2025.
This case was investigated by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the FBI Nashville Field Office, Clarksville Resident Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Morrison and Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire prosecuted the case.
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Former State Employee Charged with Providing K2-Laced Paper to a Federal Prison Inmate; Inmate Indicted for Possessing K2Read the Press Release
BOSTON – A Bridgewater, Mass. woman and a federal inmate have been charged with providing and possessing a controlled substance in the form of a synthetic cannabinoid, also known as “K2,” at the federal prison FMC Devens. The inmate had been granted clemency on Jan. 17, 2025, reducing his 2022 federal prison sentence for drug distribution.
Tasha Hammock, 43, a former employee with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, is charged by Information with providing contraband to a prison inmate. Raymond Gaines, 45, an inmate at FMC Devens, has been indicted by a federal grand jury with possessing contraband by a prison inmate. In March 2025, Hammock and Gaines were charged by criminal complaint.According to court documents, on Jan. 25, 2022, Gaines was sentenced to more than seven years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court in Boston to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. At the time he committed the offenses, he was on federal supervised release after serving a prison sentence resulting from a 2017 conviction for distributing cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a school. In both prior cases Gaines was alleged to be an associate of the Orchard Park Trailblazers, a street gang in Boston. On Jan. 17, 2025, Gaines received an Executive Grant of Clemency, reducing his current federal sentence to five years in prison.
It is alleged that on Aug. 18, 2024, Hammock, while visiting Gaines in the prison, surreptitiously passed K2-laced papers to Gaines, which he pocketed. At the time, Hammock was employed with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Hammock also allegedly previously handled money connected with the distribution of K2 to Gaines in FMC Devens and she allegedly received K2 at her residence for distribution into the prison. Court records allege that law enforcement obtained a cellphone that had been smuggled to an inmate in the prison (“Inmate A”). In September 2023, Inmate A allegedly sent messages on the cell phone to another person (“Person 1”), discussing obtaining K2 in prison. Inmate A allegedly told Person 1 that the drugs could be delivered to a particular address in Bridgewater - later determined to be Hammock’s residence - and that Inmate A’s “co” would arrange for the drugs to be brought into the prison from there.
As described in court documents, K2 presents a health problem at FMC Devens, where inmates have become sick from smoking paper believed to contain K2, as well as prison staff who have been exposed to the secondary smoke.
The charges of providing a prohibited object to a prison inmate, and receiving a prohibited object by a prison inmate, each carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston; and Ryan Geach, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Regional Office of DOJ-OIG, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Special Investigative Services Unit at FMC Devens. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Federal Task Force Agent Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for CorruptionRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Antonio Pizarro Adorno, a former Puerto Rico Special Investigations Bureau (“NIE” as known in Spanish) officer who was assigned to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HSI), was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Camille Vélez-Rivé to 15 months in prison and three years of Supervised Release Term for corruptly concealing $170 during a law enforcement seizure.
On March 13, 2025, after a five-day jury trial, a federal jury convicted Antonio Pizarro Adorno. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on April 27, 2023, Pizarro Adorno, took $170 in cash seized by the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB), with the intent to impair its integrity and availability for use in an investigation being conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives related to drug trafficking in a community in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; and Devin J. Kowalski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI made the announcement.
The FBI San Juan Field Office, Public Corruption Unit investigated the case, with the collaboration of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie Christine Amy prosecuted the case.
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Female Teacher Arrested After Being Indicted for Sex Trafficking of Children in Puerto RicoRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — On July 10, 2025, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging a woman from Bayamón with sex trafficking of children. Lizamarie Rivera-García, 42, was arrested today by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents.
“These charges reflect the seriousness of the defendant’s conduct inflicted on her victims,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “The sexual exploitation of children robs children of their freedom, dignity and sense of security. Such conduct is unacceptable in our society. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will use all the tools at our disposal to prosecute sex traffickers and to seek justice for the victims.”
“We cannot let our guard down! Our children are being sexually exploited by individuals in positions of public trust. Law enforcement agencies are committed to being the voice of these victims,” said Rebecca C. Gonzalez-Ramos, HSI San Juan’s Special Agent in Charge. “HSI’s multidisciplinary team will guarantee that our children receive the necessary assistance to overcome this trauma, and our agents will make sure that these individuals are arrested, away from causing more damage. A female religion teacher that had the responsibility to guiding our children about principles and beliefs was actually developing a plan to sexually assault them. HSI and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau are committed to protecting our children. We will not let these acts happen on our watch.”
According to court documents, between December 2023 and October 2024, Lizamarie Rivera-García knowingly and willfully recruited, enticed, transported, and maintained a 15-year-old male minor to engage in commercial sex acts. Rivera-García is also accused with knowingly employing, using, persuading, inducing, enticing, and coercing the same 15-year-old male minor to engage in sexual activity; transporting the male victim in a commonwealth, territory or possession of the United States, with intent that the male individual engage in any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense; and using internet instant messaging services and social media, to knowingly transfer and attempt to transfer obscene matter to an individual who had not attained the age of 16 years.
In addition, from in or about December 2023 to November 2024, Rivera-García knowingly and willfully recruited, enticed, transported, and maintained a 17-year-old male minor to engage in commercial sex acts.
If convicted for the charges the defendant faces the following penalties: sex trafficking of a child - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years up to life in prison; transportation of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity -- a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years up to life in prison; and coercion and enticement of a minor - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years up to life in prison. All charges of conviction are to be followed by a term of supervised release after imprisonment of no less than 5 years up to life. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
HSI San Juan is leading the investigation into this case, with the collaboration of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elba Gorbea, from the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit, is prosecuting the case.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov. To report suspicious activities, call 787-729-6969 or send an email to [email protected]. Learn more about ICE HSI San Juan’s mission to increase public safety in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on Instagram, Facebook, and X.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Federal Employee Pleads Guilty to Possession of A Firearm by an Unlawful Drug UserRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Bryan Roger Byers (57, Jacksonville), a United States Postal Service employee, has pleaded guilty to being in possession of a firearm as an unlawful drug user. Byers faces up to 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
According to court documents and proceedings, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) began investigating Byers after a firearm he had purchased was recovered during a drug trafficking investigation. During that earlier investigation, a felon was found to be in possession of a firearm and admitted purchasing the firearm from Byers in exchange for crack cocaine.
Investigators located text messages, which reflected that Byers used sex workers to find buyers for his firearms. The buyers then exchanged drugs for the firearms. Records reflect Byers purchased at least 10 firearms over the last four years.
On April 2, 2025, a search warrant was executed at Byers’s home. Law enforcement officers seized seven firearms, multiple rounds of ammunition, and two suspected crack pipes from the home. The next day, Byers attempted to purchase another firearm. ATF agents arrested him for being an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brenna Falzetta.
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).
Federal Charges Filed Against Williston Man for Armed Drug-TraffickingRead the Press Release
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Kendrick Jermaine Hills Jr., 22, of Williston, Florida, has been indicted in federal court for charges related to armed drug-trafficking. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charges.
Hills was arrested on July 10, 2025, and appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Midori A. Lowry at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville, Florida on the same day.
Hills was indicted for one count of possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, and one count of carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime.
Jury trial is scheduled for August 13, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. before Chief District Court Judge Allen C. Winsor. If convicted, Hills faces up to life imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys James A. McCain and Adam Hapner.
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.
Extradited Colombian Entrepreneur Convicted in Miami of Conspiracy to Distribute Thousands of Kilograms of Cartel Cocaine for Import to the United StatesRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A federal jury in the Southern District of Florida returned a guilty verdict against defendant Neder Valencia Julio for a multi-year conspiracy to distribute thousands of kilograms of cocaine, with knowledge that the cocaine would be unlawfully imported into the United States.
Based on the evidence at trial, Valencia owned several businesses along the coastal gulf of Colombia near the Caribbean Sea, including a resort-style hotel, an apartment complex, a boat transport business, and a fleet of speedboats. These businesses were all located in territory controlled by the Clan del Golfo (CDG), a Colombian paramilitary group, racketeering organization, and armed drug trafficking cartel. The CDG cartel was a highly organized criminal group that trafficked its own cocaine, selling to partners in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras, who would then sell the cocaine to Mexican cartels for eventual transport across the border of the United States. The CDG cartel also charged a per-kilogram tax for any other drug trafficking groups that moved cocaine through CDG territory in Colombia and Panama. In exchange for the payment of this tax, CDG would provide storage, security, and inventorying of the cocaine until the traffickers were ready to dispatch the cocaine for shipment.
On May 14, 2018, a Colombian military plane began tracking a speedboat that left from this region and was moving north along a known drug trafficking corridor. As the boat crossed into Panama’s territorial waters, a patrol boat from Servicio Nacional Aeronaval de Panamá (SENAN) was able to locate and begin pursuit of the speedboat. The speedboat crew tossed its cargo overboard and turned back towards Colombia. The crew escaped and the empty boat was seized by Colombian law enforcement. However, the SENAN patrol boat was able to follow the speedboat’s wake and recover 626 kilograms of bundled cocaine still afloat along its path.
Valencia provided the speedboat, organized and hired the crew, and met with CDG cartel leadership to plan and coordinate this May 2018 shipment of 1,050 kilograms of CDG cocaine. Valencia was personally present to oversee the loading and dispatch of the cocaine onto his speedboat.
Beyond the May 2018 shipment, Valencia served as a logistics and transportation coordinator for many more thousands of kilograms and millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine shipments, dating back to at least 2011. In 2012, Valencia participated in planning meetings with CDG cartel leadership and representatives of a Honduran narcotrafficking client of CDG, and then provided the boats and crew for a 1200-kilogram shipment of CDG cocaine to Honduras. In 2015, Valencia held the same role in a 1500-kilogram shipment to this same group in Honduras. In 2017, Valencia oversaw the loading and dispatch of a 1000-kilogram shipment from one of his speedboats, piloted by his crew. In February 2018, Valencia again oversaw the loading and dispatch of a 1400-kilogram cartel cocaine shipment from one of his speedboats, piloted by his crew.
Valencia continued to oversee the coordination, logistics, and transportation of cocaine shipments in 2019 and 2020. He was arrested in Colombia in 2021 and subsequently extradited to the United States.
The evidence at trial otherwise reflected that one of the branded stamps on the cocaine bricks from the May 2018 seizure had been linked to the CDG cartel, and that cocaine bricks bearing the same or similar branded markings had been seized in United States territory between 2017 and 2020, including in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Corpus Christi, Texas.
U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal presided over the trial. Valencia faces a maximum term of life imprisonment. The sentencing hearing has been set for September 23, 2025. Judge Singhal will sentence Valencia after a review of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Deanne Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Miami Field Division, announced the guilty verdict.
DEA investigated the case, with substantial assistance from law enforcement and armed forces in the Republic of Colombia, including the Fiscalía General de la Nación, the Colombian Navy, and the Republic of Panama, including SENAN. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia provided significant assistance in this matter. The United States Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Broward Sheriff’s Office also provided valuable support during the proceedings.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marc Chattah and Sterling M. Paulson are prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-CR-20273-AHS.
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Eighth Former Correctional Officer Sentenced to Prison for Federal Civil Rights Crime in Connection with Death of Inmate at West Virginia JailRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A former correctional officer from the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia, was sentenced today for his role in an assault that resulted in the death of an inmate, identified by the initials Q.B., on March 1, 2022. Andrew Fleshman, 22, of Shady Spring, was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
According to his plea agreement, Fleshman responded to a call for officer assistance after Q.B. tried to push past another correctional officer and leave his assigned pod. When Correctional Officer Fleshman arrived at the pod, Q.B. was on the floor as force was being used against him. The officers restrained and handcuffed Q.B. Officer Fleshman and other members of the conspiracy then escorted Q.B. to an interview room, where, aided and abetted by each other, they struck and injured Q.B. while he was restrained, handcuffed and posed no threat to anyone. Fleshman admitted that he and the members of the conspiracy struck and injured Q.B. to punish him for attempting to leave his assigned pod.
Fleshman pleaded guilty before Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk on November 2, 2023. That same day, former correctional officer Steven Nicholas Wimmer also pleaded guilty to conspiring to use unreasonable force against Q.B. On May 8, 2025, Chief Judge Volk sentenced Wimmer to nine years in prison.
On November 29, 2023, a federal grand jury indicted six other defendants in connection with the death of Q.B. In November 2024, Mark Holdren, Corey Snyder, and Johnathan Walters each pleaded guilty in connection with the use of unreasonable force against Q.B., resulting in his death. On July 9, 2025, United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin sentenced Holdren to 20 years in prison and sentenced Walter to 21 years in prison. On July 10, 2025, Judge Goodwin sentenced Snyder to 19 years and seven months in prison.
In August 2024, Ashley Toney and Jacob Boothe each pleaded guilty to failing to intervene to protect Q.B. from the officers’ assault. On June 9, 2025, Judge Goodwin sentenced Toney to six and a half years in prison. On July 10, 2025, Judge Goodwin sentenced Boothe to three years in prison.
On January 27, 2025, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict at trial for the sixth indicted defendant, Chad Lester, a former lieutenant at the Southern Regional Jail, finding him guilty on three obstruction of justice charges for his role in conspiring to cover up the death of Q.B. On May 15, 2025, Judge Goodwin sentenced Lester to 17 and a half years in prison.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston for the Southern District of West Virginia made the announcement.
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office, Charleston Resident Agency, investigated the case.
Deputy Chief Christine M. Siscaretti and Trial Attorney Tenette Smith of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-133.
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Eighth Former Correctional Officer Sentenced on Federal Civil Rights Charges in Connection with Death of Inmate at West Virginia JailRead the Press Release
A former correctional officer from the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia, was sentenced today for his role in an assault that resulted in the death of an inmate, identified by the initials Q.B., on March 1, 2022. Andrew Fleshman, 22, was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison.
According to his plea agreement, Fleshman responded to a call for officer assistance after Q.B. tried to push past another correctional officer and leave his assigned pod. When Correctional Officer Fleshman arrived at the pod, Q.B. was on the floor as force was being used against him. The officers restrained and handcuffed Q.B. Officer Fleshman and other members of the conspiracy then escorted Q.B. to an interview room, where, aided and abetted by each other, they struck and injured Q.B. while he was restrained, handcuffed and posed no threat to anyone. Fleshman admitted that he and the members of the conspiracy struck and injured Q.B. to punish him for attempting to leave his assigned pod.
Fleshman pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Frank W. Volk on Nov. 2, 2023. That same day, former correctional officer Steven Nicholas Wimmer also pleaded guilty to conspiring to use unreasonable force against Q.B. On May 8, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Frank W. Volk sentenced Wimmer to nine years in prison.
On Nov. 29, 2023, a federal grand jury indicted six other defendants in connection with the death of Q.B. In November 2024, Mark Holdren, Corey Snyder, and Johnathan Walters each pleaded guilty in connection with the use of unreasonable force against Q.B., resulting in his death. On July 9, U.S. District Court Judge Joseph R. Goodwin sentenced Holdren to 20 years in prison and Walters was sentenced to 21 years in prison. On July 10, Judge Goodwin sentenced Snyder to 19 years and seven months in prison.
In August 2024, Ashley Toney and Jacob Boothe each pleaded guilty to failing to intervene to protect Q.B. from the officers’ assault. On June 9, Judge Goodwin sentenced Toney to six and a half years in prison. On July 10, Judge Goodwin sentenced Boothe to three years in prison.
On Jan. 27, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict at trial for the sixth indicted defendant, Chad Lester, a former Lieutenant at the Southern Regional Jail, finding him guilty on three obstruction of justice charges for his role in conspiring to cover up the death of Q.B. On May 15, Judge Goodwin sentenced Lester to 17 and a half years in prison.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston for the Southern District of West Virginia made the announcement.
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office, Charleston Resident Agency, investigated the case.
Deputy Chief Christine M. Siscaretti and Trial Attorney Tenette Smith of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
Defense Contractor Berg Co. Agrees to Pay $3.3M to Resolve Allegations of Causing Fraudulent BidsRead the Press Release
Berg Companies Inc. (Berg) has agreed to pay $3.3 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting, or causing the submission of, false claims under prime vendor contracts with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), which the Department of Defense (DoD) uses to purchase goods and services.
Berg, based in Spokane, Washington, manufactures rigid wall shelters and sells them to the federal government, including through various prime vendor programs. In September 2019, Berg was acquired by Hunter Defense Technologies, Inc., which is a defense contractor that is based in Solon, Ohio.
Berg was a vendor to Noble Sales Co. Inc. doing business as Noble Supply & Logistics (Noble), which is a Boston-based prime contractor to DLA for Maintenance, Repair & Operations (MRO) contracts for the European Command. Under the MRO contracts, the DoD can place orders for goods and services through Noble. Noble is then required to solicit bids from two independently competing vendors for transactions below $25,000 and from three independently competing vendors for transactions at or above $25,000. According to DLA, MRO contracts are “a partnership aimed at achieving infrastructure savings, inventory cost reductions and favorable product pricing through leveraged buying.”
Pursuant to the settlement agreement, Berg admitted that, from 2019 to 2021, Berg coordinated with Noble and two other Noble vendors to submit inflated quotes for Berg-made rigid wall shelters so that the other vendors would win the awards at inflated prices. In the first scheme, Berg admitted that it coordinated and submitted inflated quotes on two solicitations for the sale of 10 Berg-made rigid wall shelters that Noble awarded to a New Mexico-based vendor. In the second scheme, Berg admitted that it coordinated and submitted inflated quotes on 26 solicitations for the purchase of 29 Berg-made rigid wall shelters that Noble awarded to a Florida-based vendor. As a result of these schemes, the United States contends that the requirements were not competed as required by the prime vendor contract and the military customers were overcharged for the Berg-made rigid wall shelters.
“Bid rigging of this type inhibits competition on the products and on prices, thereby creating the risk that the government is purchasing inferior products at exorbitant prices,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This settlement reinforces the Department’s commitment in using the FCA to pursue anti-competitive fraud.”
“As evidenced in this settlement agreement, these contractors manipulated and undermined the fair and open bidding process designed to save our military and taxpayers money,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “We commend Berg for cooperating with the government to resolve this matter and taking responsibility for this conduct. As this settlement demonstrates, not only will my Office continue to use the False Claims Act to help root out fraud, waste and abuse involving taxpayer funds, but it will reward those that accept responsibility and cooperate with the government.”
“Collusion in government contracting erodes public trust, distorts fair competition, and drives up costs for taxpayers and service members,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison for the District of New Mexico. “Such conduct undermines the integrity of the procurement process and betrays the public’s expectation that government funds will be used responsibly. This resolution demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting taxpayer dollars, ensuring a level playing field for all businesses, and holding accountable those who seek to profit by manipulating federal contracting. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to defend the integrity of government procurement and safeguard the interests of the American people.”
“Today’s settlement announcement demonstrates the commitment of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), along with our law enforcement partners, to aggressively pursue those who undermine the integrity of the DoD contracting process,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Chad Gosch of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, DCIS Southwest Field Office. “DCIS will use all available resources to hold accountable those who betray the trust of the American taxpayer by corrupting the DoD procurement system for personal gain.”
“GSA OIG will continue to work with its investigative partners to hold government contractors accountable for concealing relevant information that may affect the award or performance of government contracts,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph Dattoria of the U.S. General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Division.
Berg cooperated with the government in this matter. As part of the settlement, Berg acknowledged and accepted responsibility for the facts that form the basis of this settlement.
This settlement resolves claims brought against Berg under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the FCA, which permit private parties to sue on behalf of the government when they believe that a defendant has submitted false claims for government funds and to receive a share of the recovery. The settlement in this case provides for the whistleblowers, Mark G. Davis and Andrew G. Gunn, to receive a $561,000 share of the recovery. Davis is a U.S. Army veteran and former salesperson for one of the sub-vendors involved in the conspiracy allegation. Gunn is the managing director of a United Kingdom company that manufacturers storage equipment for United States military customers and sold its equipment through this prime vendor’s MRO contracts. The remainder of the matter remains under seal.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the United States Attorney’s Offices for the District of New Mexico and District of Massachusetts, with assistance from the Defense Criminal Investigative Services, the Army Criminal Investigation Division, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General.
The matter was handled by Trial Attorney Samson Asiyanbi of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Cunniff of the District of New Mexico, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Ross and Brian LaMacchia of the District of Massachusetts.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Defense Contractor Berg Co. Agrees to Pay $3.3 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations for Bid Rigging on Defense ContractsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Berg Companies, Inc., of Spokane, Washington, has agreed to pay $3,300,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by engaging in a bid rigging conspiracy with a government prime vendor and two sub-vendors – including Albuquerque-based Improve Group, Inc. – that caused fraudulent, non-competitive bids to be submitted to the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). As a result, Department of Defense (DoD) customers were overcharged for rigid wall shelters manufactured by Berg.
Berg manufactures rigid wall shelters and sells them directly and indirectly to the federal government, including through various prime vendor programs. In September 2019, Berg was acquired by Hunter Defense Technologies, Inc. (HDT), which is a defense contractor based in Solon, Ohio. HDT manufactures integrated expeditionary products and solutions.
The DLA oversees several prime vendor contracts that it makes available to military customers to acquire a variety of products and services. At issue here are DLA’s Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) prime vendor contracts for the European Command. These contracts were operated by a prime vendor based in Boston, Massachusetts. Through these contracts, military customers in Europe could purchase supplies and equipment such as chemicals, electrical supplies, hardware, HVAC/refrigeration, prefabricated structures, and a variety of small tools. The goals of the MRO program are to achieve favorable product pricing through leveraged buying, infrastructure savings, and inventory cost reductions. To obtain the best price, the MRO contracts require the prime vendor, which is paid per transaction, to engage in a competitive bidding process, soliciting bids from at least two independently competing vendors for transactions below $25,000 and from at least three independently competing vendors for transactions at or above $25,000.
The United States alleged that from 2019 to 2021, Berg conspired with the prime vendor and two sub-vendors to rig bids on the MRO contracts for the European Command for the sale of its rigid wall shelters. More specifically, Berg admitted that it coordinated with the prime vendor and sub-vendors and submitted inflated quotes for Berg-made rigid wall shelters so that the sub-vendors would win the awards at inflated prices.
In the first scheme, Berg admitted that it coordinated and submitted inflated quotes on two solicitations for the sale of 10 Berg-made rigid wall shelters that were awarded to Albuquerque-based sub-vendor Improve Group.
In the second scheme, Berg admitted that it coordinated and submitted inflated quotes on 26 solicitations for the purchase of 29 Berg-made rigid wall shelters that were awarded to a sub-vendor that operated out of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. As a result of these bid rigging schemes, the United States contends that the prime vendor did not engage in a competitive bidding process, that bids were not submitted by independently competing vendors, and that the collusion caused the prime vendor, sub-vendors, and Berg to overcharge the military customers.
Berg received cooperation credit under the Department of Justice’s guidelines for taking disclosure, cooperation, and remediation into account in FCA cases. Berg cooperated with the government in this matter, conducted internal investigation, and voluntarily self-disclosed one issue that was not known to the government before.
“Collusion in government contracting erodes public trust, distorts fair competition, and drives up costs for taxpayers and service members,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison for the District of New Mexico. “Such conduct undermines the integrity of the procurement process and betrays the public’s expectation that government funds will be used responsibly. This resolution demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting taxpayer dollars, ensuring a level playing field for all businesses, and holding accountable those who seek to profit by manipulating federal contracting. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to defend the integrity of government procurement and safeguard the interests of the American people.”
“Bid rigging of this type inhibits competition on the products and on prices, thereby creating the risk that the government is purchasing inferior products at exorbitant prices,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This settlement reinforces the Department’s commitment in using the FCA to pursue anti-competitive fraud.”
“As evidenced in this settlement agreement, these contractors manipulated and undermined the fair and open bidding process designed to save our military and taxpayers money,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “We commend Berg for cooperating with the government to resolve this matter and taking responsibility for this conduct. As this settlement demonstrates, not only will my Office continue to use the False Claims Act to help root out fraud, waste and abuse involving taxpayer funds, but it will reward those that accept responsibility and cooperate with the government.”
“Today’s settlement announcement demonstrates the commitment of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), along with our law enforcement partners, to aggressively pursue those who undermine the integrity of the DoD contracting process,” said Chad Gosch, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, DCIS Southwest Field Office. “DCIS will use all available resources to hold accountable those who betray the trust of the American taxpayer by corrupting the DoD procurement system for personal gain.”
“GSA OIG will continue to work with its investigative partners to hold government contractors accountable for concealing relevant information that may affect the award or performance of government contracts,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph Dattoria of the U.S. General Services
This settlement resolves claims brought against Berg under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the FCA, which permit private parties to sue on behalf of the government when they believe that a defendant has submitted false claims for government funds and to receive a share of the recovery. The settlement in this case provides for the whistleblowers, Mark G. Davis and Andrew G. Gunn, to receive a $561,000 share of the recovery. Davis is a U.S. Army veteran and former salesperson for one of the sub-vendors involved in the conspiracy allegation. Gunn is the managing director of a United Kingdom company that manufacturers storage equipment for United States military customers and sold its equipment through this prime vendor’s MRO contracts. The remainder of the matter remains under seal.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the United States Attorney’s Offices for the District of New Mexico and District of Massachusetts, with assistance from the Defense Criminal Investigative Services, the Army Criminal Investigation Division, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General.
The matter was handled by Trial Attorney Samson Asiyanbi of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Cunniff and Auditor Phillip Stella of the District of New Mexico, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Ross and Brian LaMacchia of the District of Massachusetts, and criminal investigators from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
berg_settlement_agreement_7.10.25_fully_executed_redacted.pdfThe claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Defense Contractor Berg Co. Agrees to Pay $3.3 Million to Resolve Allegations of Causing Fraudulent BidsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Berg Companies, Inc. (Berg) has agreed to pay $3.3 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting, or causing the submission of, false claims under prime vendor contracts with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), which the Department of Defense (DoD) uses to purchase goods and services.
Berg, based in Spokane, Wash., manufactures rigid wall shelters and sells them to the federal government, including through various prime vendor programs. In September 2019, Berg was acquired by Hunter Defense Technologies, Inc., which is a defense contractor that is based in Solon, Ohio.
Berg was a vendor to Noble Sales Co., Inc. d/b/a Noble Supply & Logistics (Noble), which is a Boston-based prime contractor to DLA for Maintenance, Repair & Operations (MRO) contracts for the European Command. Under the MRO contracts, the DoD can place orders for goods and services through Noble. Noble is then required to solicit bids from two independently competing vendors for transactions below $25,000 and from three independently competing vendors for transactions at or above $25,000. According to DLA, MRO contracts are “a partnership aimed at achieving infrastructure savings, inventory cost reductions and favorable product pricing through leveraged buying.”
Pursuant to the settlement agreement, Berg admitted that, from 2019 to 2021, Berg coordinated with Noble and two other Noble vendors to submit inflated quotes for Berg-made rigid wall shelters so that the other vendors would win the awards at inflated prices. In the first scheme, Berg admitted that it coordinated and submitted inflated quotes on two solicitations for the sale of 10 Berg-made rigid wall shelters that Noble awarded to a New Mexico-based vendor. In the second scheme, Berg admitted that it coordinated and submitted inflated quotes on 26 solicitations for the purchase of 29 Berg-made rigid wall shelters that Noble awarded to a Florida-based vendor. As a result of these schemes, the United States contends that the requirements were not competed as required by the prime vendor contract and the military customers were overcharged for the Berg-made rigid wall shelters.
Berg cooperated with the government in this matter. As part of the settlement, Berg acknowledged and accepted responsibility for the facts which form the basis of this settlement.“As evidenced in this settlement agreement, these contractors manipulated and undermined the fair and open bidding process designed to save our military and taxpayers money,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “We commend Berg for cooperating with the government to resolve this matter and taking responsibility for this conduct. As this settlement demonstrates, not only will my Office continue to use the False Claims Act to help root out fraud, waste and abuse involving taxpayer funds, but it will reward those that accept responsibility and cooperate with the government.”
“Bid rigging of this type inhibits competition on the products and on prices, thereby creating the risk that the government is purchasing inferior products at exorbitant prices,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This settlement reinforces the Department’s commitment in using the FCA to pursue anti-competitive fraud.”
“Collusion in government contracting erodes public trust, distorts fair competition, and drives up costs for taxpayers and service members,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison for the District of New Mexico. “Such conduct undermines the integrity of the procurement process and betrays the public’s expectation that government funds will be used responsibly. This resolution demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting taxpayer dollars, ensuring a level playing field for all businesses, and holding accountable those who seek to profit by manipulating federal contracting. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to defend the integrity of government procurement and safeguard the interests of the American people.”
“Today’s settlement announcement demonstrates the commitment of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), along with our law enforcement partners, to aggressively pursue those who undermine the integrity of the DoD contracting process,” said Chad Gosch, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, DCIS Southwest Field Office. “DCIS will use all available resources to hold accountable those who betray the trust of the American taxpayer by corrupting the DoD procurement system for personal gain.”
“GSA OIG will continue to work with its investigative partners to hold government contractors accountable for concealing relevant information that may affect the award or performance of government contracts,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph Dattoria of the U.S. General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Division.
U.S. Attorney Foley; AAG Shumate; D-NM USA Ellison; DCIS Southwest Acting SAC Gosch; GSA-OIG SAC Dattoria; and the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian LaMacchia and Lindsey Ross of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the matter, along with Trial Attorney Samson Asiyanbi of the Justice Department’s Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Cunniff of the District of New Mexico.Colorado Woman Sentenced After Using Deceased Person’s Identity to Cash Counterfeit ChecksRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – In March 2025, a federal jury convicted Sarai Jamila Nyasha Freeman, 41, of Aurora, Colorado, for two counts of Passing and Uttering Counterfeit Obligations and Securities, two counts of Aggravated Identity Theft, and one count for Failure to Appear for her trial initially scheduled for December 2024.
Today, U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Freeman to 48 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Frizzell further ordered Freeman to pay $2,826 in restitution.
In July 2024, Freeman was indicted after fraudulently using a deceased person's identity to cash two counterfeit U.S. Treasury Checks in 2020 in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, totaling a loss of $2,826. Freeman’s transactions in Sand Springs were part of a larger operation spanning across several states from Louisiana to Colorado, with Freeman also fraudulently cashing checks in at least Missouri and Arkansas. While on Pretrial bond, Freeman requested and was provided a plane ticket to accommodate her out-of-state travel for trial but failed to appear for trial. Freeman was arrested in Colorado by the U.S. Marshal Service for failing to appear at trial.
Three months before Freeman fraudulently cashed U.S. Treasury checks in this case, Freeman was arrested and charged in State Court after cashing four other fraudulent checks. Like her federal case, when released on State bond, she failed to appear, resulting in bench warrants for failing to appear.
Freeman will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Inspector General, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and Wal-Mart Global Investigations investigated the case, and the U.S. Marshals Service assisted in the arrest.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David D. Whipple and Charles Greenough prosecuted the case.
Chinese-Owned Concrete Equipment Manufacturer to Pay over $2.8 Million to Resolve Allegations That It Submitted False Claims to Receive a Paycheck Protection Program LoanRead the Press Release
Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced today that Schwing America, Inc., a Minnesota corporation, agreed to pay $2,894,739 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to obtain a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which it was not eligible.
Congress created the PPP in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the PPP, eligible small businesses could receive loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and, if the business spent the loan proceeds on qualified expenses, SBA would repay the loan and any accrued interest on the borrower’s behalf. Regulations provide various eligibility requirements for the PPP, including limitations on the number of individuals the borrower and its affiliated entities employed and exclusions for certain types of businesses, like those that are owned by government entities. In their loan applications, borrowers were required to certify that they were eligible for the PPP and that the information they provided was accurate.
Schwing America’s ultimate corporate parent is the Jiangsu Xuzhou State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, which is owned and controlled by the government of the People’s Republic of China. Through common ownership, Schwing America is also affiliated with other companies in China, Europe, and elsewhere that employed thousands of individuals.
In applying for its PPP loan, however, Schwing America certified that it was eligible for its loan, and it received a loan in the amount of $1,932,800. SBA subsequently forgave $1,702,787.82 in principal and interest. The United States alleges that Schwing America was not a small business eligible for its PPP loan because Schwing America, together with its affiliates across the globe, employed more individuals than permitted by SBA’s size standard for its industry. The United States also contends that Schwing America was not eligible because it is owned by a government entity. Schwing America will pay $2,894,739 to resolve these allegations.
“Congress intended for the PPP to help small businesses, not companies that are part of large multinational corporations owned by foreign governments,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Frohling. “Schwing America submitted false information to avoid the rules, and it will now repay the SBA plus a substantial penalty. The United States Attorney’s Office remains committed to pursuing companies that defraud government programs.”
“The settlement in this matter reflects SBA’s commitment to identifying and pursuing those who perpetrated fraud on Covid relief programs to the detriment of small businesses” said Wendell Davis, SBA General Counsel. “Working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Wisconsin and our other law enforcement partners, SBA continues its enhanced efforts to uncover fraud and pursue recoveries wrongfully taken by the perpetrators.”
The settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam lawsuit was filed by GNGH2 Inc., which will receive $289,473.90 in connection with this settlement.
Together with the SBA, Assistant United States Attorney Michael Carter and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Lindsey Roberts represented the government in this matter. The settlement agreement states allegations only; Schwing America, Inc., does not admit liability for the allegations.
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California Man Pleads Guilty in Connection with $16M Hospice Fraud Scheme and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
A California man pleaded guilty today in connection with his role in defrauding Medicare of nearly $16 million through sham hospice companies and laundering the fraudulent proceeds.
According to court documents, Juan Carlos Esparza, 33, of Valley Village, schemed with others, including co-defendants Petros Fichidzhyan and Karpis Srapyan, to bill Medicare for hospice services that were not medically necessary and never provided. From July 2019 until January 2023, the defendant and his co-defendants operated four sham hospices, one of which, House of Angels Hospice, was owned by Esparza. The defendants controlled the other three hospices, even though the listed owners were foreign nationals. Fichidzhyan, Esparza, and Srapyan concealed the scheme by using foreign nationals’ personal identifying information to open bank accounts, submit information to Medicare, and sign property leases. They also controlled and used cell phones in the names of the foreign nationals in furtherance of the scheme. In total, Medicare paid the sham hospices nearly $16 million.
Fichidzhyan, Esparza, and Srapyan worked with others, including their co-defendants Susanna Harutyunyan and Mihran Panosyan, to launder the fraudulent proceeds. As part of the money laundering scheme, Esparza and his co-defendants maintained fraudulent identification documents and other documents associated with the sham hospices at the House of Angels office, and bank documents, checkbooks, and credit and debit cards in the names of purported foreign owners in a pair of residential properties. After defrauding Medicare, Esparza and his co-defendants moved the funds between various assets and accounts, including bank accounts in the names of shell companies, to conceal the scheme. Esparza spent $90,000 in fraudulent proceeds to purchase a vehicle.
Esparza pleaded guilty to health care fraud and transactional money laundering and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 6. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for healthcare fraud and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for transactional money laundering. A federal district court judge will determine his sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Co-defendant Petros Fichidzhyan previously pleaded guilty to health care fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering. In May, Fichidzhyan was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Co-defendant Mihran Panosyan pleaded guilty to money laundering last month and is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 8. Co-defendant Karpis Srapyan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and money laundering and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 6. Co-defendant Susanna Harutyunyan pleaded guilty to money laundering and is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 17. Harutyunyan faces deportation.
The guilty plea today is the most recent conviction in the Justice Department’s ongoing effort to combat hospice fraud in the greater Los Angeles area. Last year, a doctor was convicted at trial for his role in a scheme to bill Medicare for hospice services patients did not need, and two other defendants were sentenced for their roles in a hospice fraud scheme.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office, and Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.
The FBI and HHS-OIG are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Sarah E. Edwards, Allison L. McGuire, and Michael Bacharach of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara B. Vavere for the Central District of California is handling asset forfeiture.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. 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 $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Bakersfield Tax Return Preparer Pleads Guilty for His Role in $25 Million Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Victor Cruz, 40, who was a tax return preparer in Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to helping Miguel Martinez, a Mexican national who was in the United States illegally, submit fraudulent individual federal income tax returns that claimed $25 million in refunds, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
According to court records, from November 2019 through June 2023, Martinez led a scheme to file thousands of fraudulent tax returns that claimed millions of dollars in refunds and Cruz helped him carry out the scheme. Martinez used stolen identities to create fake businesses and report phony wage and withholding information for the businesses to the IRS. Martinez then submitted hundreds of individual income tax returns to the IRS in the names of individuals whose identities he had stolen, claiming that those individuals worked for the fake businesses and were owed tax refunds based on the phony wage and withholding information that had been reported. Cruz prepared and filed more than 500 of the fraudulent tax returns, which claimed more than $3 million in refunds. Cruz received thousands of dollars in fees from Martinez in exchange for his services.
The IRS actually paid out $2.3 million of the $25 million in refunds that was claimed by the fraudulent tax returns.
This case is the product of an investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton is prosecuting the case.
Cruz is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 17, 2025. He faces a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and $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.
Martinez pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six years in federal prison.
Attorney Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Benjamin Crawford (47, Brandon) has pleaded guilty to distribution of child sexual abuse material. Crawford faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 25, 2025.
According to the plea agreement, Crawford, a local attorney, distributed child sexual abuse material over a social media application and possessed child sexual abuse material on his cellphone and laptop. Crawford has agreed to his phone and laptop, which were used in the commission of the offense.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Tampa and Tennessee. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Ashland Man Indicted for Transportation, Receipt and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Ashland man was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston on charges involving child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Brent Vreeland, 36, was indicted on one count of transportation of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. He will be arraigned in federal court in Boston on July 17, 2025 at 11:30 a.m. Vreeland has remained in federal custody since being arrested and charged by complaint on April 23, 2025.
According to the charging documents, Vreeland was flagged for secondary screening at Boston’s Logan Airport upon arrival from Reykjavik, Iceland in October 2024. It is alleged that during a review of Vreeland’s cell phone, images and videos depicting CSAM were found in his Telegram Messenger app. A subsequent forensic examination of the device allegedly revealed approximately 30 media files depicting CSAM in direct messages with other unknown Telegram users. It is further alleged that Vreeland received and distributed three such videos in October 2021, depicting the abuse of minor victims between the ages of four and 10 years old. In one exchange, Vreeland allegedly asked another user to trade CSAM files for “the youngest [they] hve [sic].”
The charge of transportation of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Customs and Border Patrol, Boston Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by 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.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Armed and Violent Drug Traffickers Operating in the Yakama Nation and Yakima Valley Facing Federal Charges, Thousands of Pounds of Drugs SeizedRead the Press Release
Yakima, Washington – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington announced that 13 people have been charged following the return of 12 indictments alleging more than a dozen charges against these defendants.
The arrests follow a long-term joint federal, local, and tribal investigation that began in 2024, concluding in June 2025, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Indian Affairs. The investigation targeted violent individuals and armed drug traffickers on the Yakama Nation and in the Yakima Valley with the goal to disrupt drug distributors operation both on and off the reservation.
“Fentanyl continues to be one of the most dangerous substances threatening our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie Van Marter. “Thanks to the hard work and tireless dedication of our tribal, state and federal law enforcement partners, working side by side with members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Yakima, offenders have been removed from our communities and families are safer today.”
To date, agents have seized 7,100 pounds of marijuana, 336 pounds of methamphetamine, nearly 25 pounds of cocaine, 7 pounds of fentanyl power, 4,704 fentanyl laced pills, $22,512 in drug proceeds, and 12 firearms.
According to unsealed charging documents, the following individuals have been charged in connection with the investigation. The United States anticipates bringing additional charges against other individuals identified during this investigation.
Angel Navarro Aleman, age 55, charged with Distribution of 50 Grams and More of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine (three counts)
Jose Francisco Aguirre, age 56, pleaded guilty to Distribution of 50 Grams and More of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine; sentencing in July 2025.
Jose Caudillo-Ascencio, age 23 charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute a Mixture or Substance Containing Cocaine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
Jesus Caudillo, age 31, charged with Felon in Possession of a Firearm
Johnny Thomas Axtell, age 54, charged with Distribution of 5 Grams or More of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine; Distribution of Fentanyl
Israel Nicolas Castaneda, age 37, charged with Distribution of Fentanyl; Distribution of 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl
Samantha Rasberry-Besa, age 31, charged with Distribution of 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl; Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
Lonzell Hawk Lucei, age 37, charged with Felon in Possession of a Firearm
Hollis Marion Woodward, age 70, pleaded guilty to Felon in Possession of a Firearm, sentencing in September 2025.
Miguel Angel Alvarado-Munoz, age 45, charged with Alien in United States After Deportation
Ira Charles Pete, age 39, charged with Felon in Possession of a Firearm
Edgar Jovnni Nunez Bocanegra, age 29, charged with Drug User in Possession of a Firearm; Possession with Intent to Distribute 5 Grams or More of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime
Fernando Gonzalez, age 38, charged with Possession with the Intent to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted the investigation along with Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, ATF, Yakima Police Department, Wapato Police Department, Yakama Nation Tribal Police Department, and the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office.
25-CR-02035-RLP
25-CR-02016-RLP
25-cr-02064-MKD
25-CR-02046-RLP
25-CR-02013-SAB
25-CR-02034-SAB
25-CR-02050-MKD
25-CR-02041-RLP
25-CR-02058-SAB
25-CR-02036-SAB
25-CR-02055-SAB
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
30-Year-Old Carolina Man Arrested for Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Aneudy Jazzan Pérez-Santiago, a 30-year-old teacher from Carolina, Puerto Rico, was arrested on criminal charges related to child exploitation, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. Today, Homeland Security Investigations special agents arrested Pérez-Santiago.
On July 10, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Aneudy Jazzan Pérez-Santiago on charges involving the coercion and enticement of a minor, and transfer of obscene material to a 14-year-old female minor.
According to court documents, from February 2023 to February 2025, Pérez-Santiago used a cellphone, online instant messaging services, and social media to knowingly persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a 14-year-old female minor to engage in sexual activity and transferred obscene material to her.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone who exploits minors for sexual purposes,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “Those who prey on children will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Rebecca González-Ramos, HSI San Juan’s Special Agent in Charge said: “This case demonstrates the importance of adult supervision on digital devices. A responsible father monitoring social media platforms discovered the sexually explicit conversations between a teacher and its student. This individual that also calls himself a minister of a church, exploited his role as an educator and spiritual guide to approach a minor and engage in sexually explicit conversations. The defendant does not represent the amazing teachers of the Puerto Rico’s Department of Education who day to day, work with us to identify and report these predators. The perfect formula to protect our children is strong parental supervision, engaged personnel from the Puerto Rico’s Department of Education, and HSI’s Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force whose main mission is to keep our children safe from sexual predators.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daynelle Álvarez-Lora of the Crimes Against Children, Human Trafficking and Immigration Unit, is prosecuting the case. The Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force led by HSI is in charge of the investigation.
If convicted for the charges the defendant faces the following penalties: (1) coercion and enticement of a minor - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years up to life in prison; and (2) transfer of obscene material to a minor – up to 10 years in prison. All charges of conviction are to be followed by a term of supervised release after imprisonment of no less than 5 years up to life. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov. To report suspicious activities, call 787-729-6969 or send an email to [email protected].
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Friday 11 July 2025
Western District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s Office Adds 222 Immigration CasesRead 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 222 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from July 3 through July 10.
Among the new cases, Karen Y. Ordonez-Granados and Ledy Veronica Ordonez-Granados aka Veronica Granados were both charged with one count of fraud or misuse of an immigration document. The two defendants were arrested as Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) conducted a court-authorized search warrant at Groomer’s Seafood of San Antonio on July 2. The search warrant had been authorized after HSI auditors discovered, through an investigation of Forms I-9, that 29 employees hired between 2016 and 2025 had presented fraudulent legal permanent resident (LPR) cards and fraudulent social security numbers at their time of hiring or rehiring. A criminal complaint affidavit alleges that two of those employees were Karen Y. Ordonez-Granados and Ledy Veronica Ordonez-Granados. Both defendants allegedly stated they $150 for the fraudulent LPR cards and presented them when they applied for employment. If convicted they each face up to 10 years in federal prison and/or up to a $250,000 fine.
In Austin, Honduran national Jose David Sifuentes was encountered by ICE at the Caldwell County Jail where he was serving a five-year sentence for sexual assaulting a child. Sifuentes was arrested for the charge July 14, 2020, at which time ICE lodged a detainer. He was federally charged with illegal re-entry on July 7, 2025, having been previously removed from the U.S. to Honduras in 2019. Sifuentes was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury on July 9.
Two Guatemalan nationals were arrested in El Paso and charged with illegal re-entry after they had just been removed from the U.S. in May. Diego Garcia-Godinez was allegedly located just over three miles east of the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry and has been deported three times, most recently to Guatemala on May 20, 2025. Jose Luis Cabrera-Lopez was allegedly found approximately .01 miles east of the Bridge of the Americas and has also been removed three times, the last being to Guatemala on May 14.
Samuel Meza-Escobedo, a Mexican national with nine prior removals, was also arrested in El Paso and charged with illegal re-entry. Meza-Escobedo was allegedly found just less than a mile west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry and has three prior illegal re-entry convictions. He was last removed from the U.S. to Mexico on Aug. 13, 2024.
Mexican national Daniel Sauceda-Borrego was arrested by Customs and Border Protection in El Paso after he allegedly presented identification documents under an assumed or fictitious name. A criminal complaint alleges that Sauceda-Borrego presented a Washington ID card bearing his photograph, name, and date of birth, along with a Social Security Card of another individual with the initials J.F.R. He was referred to Passport Control Secondary (PCS), where his fingerprints were scanned and revealed that he had been previously removed from the U.S. to Mexico in 2011. The criminal complaint alleges that Sauceda-Borrego admitted that he was given a Texas Birth Certificate from an individual in Seattle, Washington, and had been using a different identity for approximately five or six years.
Tomas Velazquez-Jijon, a Mexican national, was arrested on July 7, after U.S. Border Patrol agents located him during a Greyhound bus inspection at the Sierra Blanca Border Patrol Checkpoint and allegedly discovered he was in possession of a fraudulent LPR card with his demographics printed on the card. A record check for the LPR card number resulted in a different name, date of birth, and citizenship. Agents also allegedly found that Velazquez-Jijon possessed a fraudulent Social Security Card. He was recently removed from the U.S. to Mexico for the first time on May 22, and is charged with one count of fraud and misuse of visas, permits and related documents, and false personation.
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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Violent Felon Sentenced for Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Tariq Dazour Walker, 27, of Pensacola, Florida was sentenced to 120 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
According to court records, on December 4, 2024, Pensacola Police Department responded to reports of shots fired at the Pensacola Village apartment complex. Multiple witnesses identified Walker as the shooter. Walker was a convicted felon at the time, with multiple prior felony convictions for robbery, grand theft auto, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Removing violent offenders from our communities remains a top priority of my office, and we will continue to aggressively prosecute those who terrorize our streets. I deeply appreciate the combined efforts of our state and federal law enforcement partners to keep our neighborhoods safe, and my prosecutors will stand shoulder to shoulder with them in the fight to protect our communities from violent criminals.”
Chief Eric Randall of the Pensacola Police Department said: “We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensure the safety of Pensacola. Our collaboration with our local, state and federal partners is unwavering in the pursuit to keep our neighborhoods safe from armed felons.”
The conviction and sentence were the result of a joint investigation by the Escambia County Sherriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Pensacola Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey M. Tharp.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
United Kingdom Citizen Extradited to Face Charges in $99 Million Wine FraudRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, James Wellesley was arraigned following his extradition from the United Kingdom (UK), where he was arrested in 2022. In 2022, Wellesley, along with his co-defendant Stephen Burton, was charged with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy in connection with a scheme perpetrated through Bordeaux Cellars, a company he and Burton operated. Wellesley was arraigned today before United States Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy. Burton was extradited from Morocco in 2023 and is currently pending trial. Wellesley was ordered detained pending trial.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Ricky J. Patel, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI New York) announced Burton’s arraignment.
“Today’s arraignment sends a message to all perpetrators of global fraud schemes that my Office will work tirelessly to ensure they answer for crimes committed in the United States,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “We will not rest in our efforts to seek justice for victims of fraud.”
“James Wellesley and his business partner allegedly concocted an elaborate scheme defrauding investors out of millions of dollars to finance their own personal expenses. Their alleged deceit spread across years and continents,” stated FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge Raia. “Today’s arraignment signals to all criminals that the FBI will practice the same resolve in bringing perpetrators to justice.”
“James Wellesley and his co-conspirator are accused of masterminding their nearly $100 million international fraud scheme that exploited the unsuspecting public, including New Yorkers, for their own selfish enrichment. As alleged, the defendants claimed Bordeaux Cellars boasted a high-value wine stockpile and a clientele of ‘high-net-worth wine collectors’ – and in turn profited handsomely – all while they swindled investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more,” stated HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Patel. “Let it be known, regardless of the nature of the transnational criminal scheme, HSI New York, alongside our law enforcement partners, will continue to adapt and evolve to fight global and domestic financial crimes wherever and whenever possible.”
The indictment alleges that from at least June 2017 and continuing through February of 2019, the defendants posed as executives Bordeaux Cellars. The defendants solicited investors, including residents of the Eastern District of New York, at, among other places, investor conferences held in the United States and overseas. The defendants claimed to investors that Bordeaux Cellars brokered loans between investors and high-net-worth wine collectors that would be fully collateralized by high-value collections of wine. The defendants promised that investors would receive regular interest payments from the borrowers, and that Bordeaux Cellars would keep custody of the wine, securing the loans while the loans were outstanding. As alleged, these representations were lies, the “high-net-worth wine collectors” did not actually exist, and Bordeaux Cellars did not maintain custody of the wine purportedly securing the loans. Instead, the defendants used incoming loan proceeds to make fraudulent interest payments to investors and for their own personal expenses, resulting in $99 million dollars’ worth of misdirected funds.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) provided significant assistance in securing Wellesley’s arrest and extradition from the UK. This Office thanks UK authorities for their assistance in this matter.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Weintraub is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
STEPHEN BURTON
Age: 60
United KingdomJAMES WELLESLEY
Age: 58
United Kingdom
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-79 (PKC)U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 95 Border-Related Cases This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 95 border-related cases this week so far, 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 July 6, Lorenzo Arturo Bernabe-Alejo, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested and charged with Deported Alien Found in the U.S. after a Border Patrol agent spotted him lying on the ground about a quarter mile north of the border near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. According to a complaint, the defendant was previously deported on June 26, 2025, at the Calexico Port of Entry.
- On July 7, Luis Fernando Ramos-Mendez, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain and Aiding and Abetting. According to a complaint, a Customs and Border Protection officer found an undocumented Mexican immigrant hiding in a modified rear bench seat compartment near the trunk of the defendant’s car as he attempted to cross at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
- On July 7, Refugio Ramos Daniel, a Mexican citizen and lawful permanent resident of the United States, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, a Customs and Border Protection officer found 198 packages containing 200 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in a non-factory compartment in the bed of the defendant’s truck as he tried to cross the border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
Also this week, 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 some of those cases:
- On July 7, Eliseo Gonzalez Chaidez, a citizen of Mexico who previously was convicted of a federal immigration and a drug trafficking crime that resulted in an eight-year sentence, was sentenced in federal court to 24 months in custody for illegally reentering the United States.
- On July 9, Francisco Ramirez, a Mexican national, was sentenced in federal court to 36 months in custody for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.
Pursuant to the Department’s Operation Take Back America priorities, federal law enforcement has focused immigration prosecutions on undocumented aliens who are engaged in criminal activity in the U.S., including those who commit drug and firearms crimes, who have serious criminal records, or who have active warrants for their arrest. Federal authorities have also been prioritizing investigations and prosecutions against drug, firearm, and human smugglers and those who endanger and threaten the safety of our communities and the law enforcement officers who protect the community.
The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes ReportRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies.
In the one-week period ending July 11, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:
- 57 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
- 7 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
- 42 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
- 30 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 infliction of bodily harm on a child, drug trafficking, and illegal reentry.
In one significant case, Rudy Garcia was sentenced to 19 years in prison for fentanyl trafficking and for using and discharging a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. According to Garcia, during the drug deal, he saw the victim reach for a pistol. Feeling threatened, Garcia exited the vehicle, drew his shotgun, and fatally shot the victim.
In another case, Reymondo Mandonado was charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute 166 kilograms of cocaine after New Mexico State Police stopped him while he was driving a tractor trailer northbound from the international border. During a subsequent search of the tractor, officers discovered 166 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a hidden compartment in the floor of the trailer.
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 Wellington Park Gang Members Sentenced in the Murder of 10-Year-Old Makiyah WilsonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Mark Price, 30 and Antonio Murchison, 31, both members of the violent Wellington Park crew, were sentenced today for the murder of 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Mark Price received 50 years in prison. Antonio Murchison received 72 years.
On Sept. 3, 2024, Price and Murchison were each found guilty of first-degree murder while armed, conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, participation in a criminal street gang, obstruction of justice, and multiple counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and related firearms offenses.
The jury also found Quanisha Ramsuer, 31, guilty of obstruction of justice in connection with the investigation into the murder of Makiyah Wilson.
According to the government’s evidence, on July 16, 2018, Mark Price, Antonio Murchison, and three other individuals, drove to the Clay Terrace neighborhood armed with guns. Price, who was driving, briefly stopped to allow the other defendants to exit the vehicle. They opened fire on the Clay Terrace courtyard, indiscriminately firing more than 50 rounds. An innocent bystander, Makiyah was killed by random gunfire while she was sitting on the front stoop of her home. Several other people were wounded.
Joining the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They also commended Investigative Analyst Zach McMenamin, Supervisory Victim/Witness Program Specialist Jennifer Clark, Victim/Witness Program Specialist Jennifer Allen, Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Maenylie Watson, Witness Security Specialist Ashli Tolbert, USAO Criminal Investigator Neil D’Cunha, USAO Paralegal Specialist Grazy Rivera, Lead Paralegal Sharon Newman, and Lead Paralegal Meridith McGarrity. A specific thank you to former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rich Barker, John Timmer and Melissa Jackson, Lindsey Merikas. Lastly, thank you to Chrisellen Kolb (Chief of the Appellate Section) and Nick Coleman (Deputy Chief of the Appellate Section) for their pre-trial assistance and support throughout the trial. Finally, they commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Bach and Natalie Hynum who prosecuted and tried the case.
Two Louisville Men Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – Two Louisville men were sentenced on July 9, 2025, to 10 years in federal prison for trafficking in methamphetamine, metonitazene, and fentanyl.
U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of the Homeland Security Investigations Nashville, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to court documents, Bruce A. Mills, 34, and Frank H. Brown, 35, were both sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. Both defendants were also fined $3,000. Mills and Brown conspired together between January 8, 2024, and May 9, 2024, to distribute 775.642 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 14.356 grams of metonitazene, and 34.84 grams of fentanyl. The execution of multiple search warrants by HSI and LMPD on May 9, 2024, October 21, 2024, and October 24, 2024, resulted in the seizure of methamphetamine, metonitazene, fentanyl, six firearms, multiple vehicles, and drug proceeds, including approximately $40,000 and jewelry.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the HSI and LMPD.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mac Shannon prosecuted the case.
This conviction is a 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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Two Des Moines Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – Two Des Moines men were sentenced on July 11, 2025, to federal prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, in the summer of 2023, Ajang Malou Wour, 43, began trafficking fentanyl pills, shortly after he was discharged from a term of federal supervised release. By September 2024, Wour began bringing trafficking fentanyl powder. Within an 18-month period, Wour obtained and distributed over 60,000 fentanyl pills and 40 ounces of fentanyl powder. Omar Mohamed Nurani, 22, received fentanyl pills from Wour frequently and sold the pills to other distributors and customers.
In June 2024, Wour sold Nurani fentanyl pills, which Nurani then to a customer. The victim used the pills, overdosed, and died. After the victim’s death, Wour and Nurani continued to sell fentanyl pills and fentanyl powder. Nurani obtained and distributed over 2,000 fentanyl pills and eight ounces of fentanyl powder.
Wour was sentenced to 144 months in prison, followed by a five-year term of supervised release. Nurani was sentenced to 120 months in prison, followed by a four-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Des Moines Police Department, with assistance from the Ankeny Police Department and the Mid-Iowa Drug Enforcement Task Force.
Fentanyl has become the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States. Fentanyl deaths for youth ages 15 to 24 more than doubled between 2018 and 2022. Counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills often resemble pharmaceutical pills, but contain potentially lethal doses of fentanyl. Visit the Drug Enforcement Administration’s website to learn more about One Pill Can Kill.
To’Hajiilee Man Sentenced to 17 Years for 2020 MurderRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A To’Hajiilee man was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for the brutal killing of a local man in 2020. Earlier this month, that man also pled guilty in a separate case to assaulting a federal detention officer while he was in custody awaiting trial.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on June 24, 2020, Antonio Chaco, 42, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, argued with Thomas Anthony Brown outside Chaco’s trailer home in To’Hajiilee. Without warning or cause, Chaco struck Brown in the face and continued to punch and kick Brown until he lost consciousness. Chaco then wrapped Brown in a square of carpet, transported Brown to a remote desert location within the Navajo Nation, and continued his assault before abandoning Brown—leaving Brown to perish in the wilderness without water, food, phone, or shelter.
On July 4, 2020, Thomas Anthony Brown’s family found Brown’s skeletonized remains in the To’Hajiilee wilderness. The Office of the Medical Investigator later determined Brown’s cause of death was homicidal violence, including blunt-head trauma.
Thomas Brown’s picture and cowboy hat, as displayed during sentencingUpon his release from prison for this crime, Chaco will be subject to five years of supervised release.
In a separate case, Chaco pled guilty on June 30, 2025, to assaulting a federal detention officer at the Cibola County Correctional Facility while Chaco was in custody pending trial for the murder of Thomas Brown. For this offense, Chaco faces up to 20 years in prison. That sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones and Brittany DuChaussee are prosecuting these cases.
Three-Time Felon Charged with Possession of a Firearm in AustinRead the Press Release
AUSTIN, Texas – An Austin felon made his initial appearance in federal court today after he was arrested on criminal charges related to his alleged possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, Frank Horton Lee Jr., 38, was allegedly found to possess a.45 ACP caliber semiautomatic pistol following a traffic stop by officers of the Austin Police Department on May 24.
According to the complaint filed in federal court, Lee is a convicted felon and is charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Austin Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Buie is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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The former senior Costa Rican official has been charged, arrested, and is pending extradition to the United States on international drug trafficking chargesRead the Press Release
A former Costa Rican government official and judge has been charged with federal drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Celso Manuel Gamboa Sanchez, 49, was named in a federal indictment returned by a grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with manufacturing and distributing cocaine knowing it would be unlawfully imported into the United States and conspiracy.
The indictment alleges that Gamboa Sanchez conspired with and assisted other international drug traffickers to manufacture, distribute, and transport significant quantities of cocaine, much of which was trafficked through Costa Rica and ultimately into the United States for further distribution. Gamboa Sanchez has held several governmental positions in Costa Rica, including Minister of Public Security in 2014, a position charged with overseeing crime prevention in the country, and judge from 2016 to 2018.
On June 23, 2025, Gamboa Sanchez was arrested in Costa Rica, pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant issued because of similar international drug trafficking charges alleged against Gamboa Sanchez in 2024 in the Eastern District of Texas. Also on June 23, 2025, Costa Rican officials arrested another alleged Costa Rican international narcotics trafficker, Edwin Danny Lopez Vega, who was an associate of Gamboa Sanchez, and indicted in the Eastern District of Texas.
Both remain jailed in Costa Rica and are awaiting extradition to the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
If convicted, Gamboa Sanchez and Lopez Vega face a minimum of ten years and a maximum of life in federal prison.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the North Texas Strike Force. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wes Wynne and Christopher Eason.
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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Texas Company Guilty of Aiding and Abetting Fraudulent Transactions Related to False Ethanol Sales, Pays over $15,000,000 in Fines, RestitutionRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS –Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced today the June 10, 2025, guilty plea and sentencing of Plano, Texas-based MUREX MANAGEMENT, INC. (“MMI”), for aiding and abetting transactions that defrauded financial institutions, including failed New Orleans-based First NBC Bank. U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier sentenced MMI to pay $15,745,846.10 in fines and restitution, a sum that MMI paid on the day of sentencing as part of its plea agreement in this case.
According to court documents, MMI was the management company and affiliate of Murex LLC, a privately-owned ethanol marketing and logistics company. Another company, named as “Company A” in court records, was the U.S.-based subsidiary of a separate, foreign publicly traded company that operated ethanol production plants.
Beginning in 2013, Company A and its parent companies, began to experience financial stress. In order to ameliorate cash flow issues and to manufacture additional financing for its debts, Company A initiated a strategy called “buy/sells” and approached MMI to assist in this strategy. Company A’s plan called for Company A and MMI, through its affiliate, to create fictitious invoices purporting to be sales of ethanol between the two companies, which could then be sold as accounts receivable to unwitting buyers via a New Orleans-based online marketplace. This strategy would provide cash flow for Company A and a profit to MMI. Although these invoices purported to show the bona fide sale of ethanol between MMI and Company A, in fact, no ethanol was exchanged between the companies through these transactions. The unwitting buyers of these fraudulent accounts receivable included FDIC-insured financial institutions like First NBC Bank.
In plea documents, MMI admitted that, between October 28, 2013, and September 18, 2015, Company A and MMI conducted approximately $1.2 billion in fraudulent “buy/sell” transactions, with MMI making a profit of approximately $6,073,049. Company A eventually defaulted on paying financial institutions for the accounts receivable that had been posted for auction by MMI. The defaulted auctions caused a loss of approximately $73,073,683.05 to First NBC Bank, and a loss of approximately $8,330,427.02 to a North Carolina-based bank.
As part of MMI’s plea agreement, it agreed to a fine of $6,073,049.24. Furthermore, MMI agreed as part of its plea to pay $4,263,145.30 in restitution to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as Receiver for First NBC Bank, as well as $5,409,651.56 to the successor of the North Carolina-based bank that also purchased the false accounts receivables. MMI was also ordered to pay a $400.00 mandatory special assessment fee.
“The conclusion of this case sends a clear message”, said Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson. “Entities that engage in fraudulent schemes to manipulate and damage the security of our nation's banking system will be held accountable. Along with our federal, state and local investigative partners, our office will continue to investigate and prosecute financial corruption-wherever it may be uncovered in the Eastern District of Louisiana”.
“The FDIC OIG is pleased to join our law enforcement partners in announcing today’s guilty plea, and we remain committed to investigating and holding accountable corporate offenders who defraud our insured financial institutions and cause harm to our nation’s banking industry,” said Robert De Los Santos, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Dallas Region, Office of Inspector General for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division is proud to have played a key role in this collaborative effort, which resulted in more than $15 million in restitution and penalties,” said Special Agent in Charge Kimberly Bahney of EPA’s Southwest Branch. “Working alongside the FDIC OIG and our law enforcement partners, we remain committed to holding accountable those who defraud the government and undermine the integrity of the renewable fuels program.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the FDIC Office of Inspector General, Dallas Field Office, and the Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division, Houston Resident Office, that investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew R. Payne of the Financial Crimes Unit and Nicholas D. Moses, Healthcare Fraud Coordinator, handled this prosecution.
Tallahassee Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Illegal Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Jason Rigdon, 44, of Crawfordville, Florida, pleaded guilty July 9, 2025, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of multiple firearms by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I applaud the excellent work of our federal, state, and local partners to make our community safer by getting this dangerous individual off the streets. My office remains fully committed to fulfilling the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America by targeting violent criminals with the full force of the law.”
Court documents reflect that pursuant to a federal search warrant of Rigdon’s Crawfordville residence, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and thirteen firearms were seized. Rigdon was previously convicted of multiple State of Florida felony charges including drug trafficking, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, fleeing and eluding law enforcement, and illegal possession of firearms. At the time of arrest, a privately made firearm, commonly known as a “ghost gun,” was also seized.
Rigdon is scheduled for sentencing before United States District Judge Robert L. Hinkle on September 25, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. in Tallahassee, Florida. Rigdon faces up to thirty years’ imprisonment on the drug charge, and up to fifteen years’ imprisonment on the firearms charge.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tallahassee Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Mountin is 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).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Suburban Chicago Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Threatening FEMA Employees and Law Enforcement OfficersRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for threatening Federal Emergency Management Agency employees and local law enforcement officers.
DARREN D. WALTON, 31, of Midlothian, Ill., made more than 100 phone calls to FEMA employees in connection with an application for disaster assistance that Walton filed with the agency for alleged damage to his vehicle due to flooding in 2023. Many of the calls contained threats of violent and destructive behavior against FEMA and its employees. In one call, Walton told a FEMA employee, “Y’all better stop [expletive] playing with me, bro. Before there be a mass shooting in a little bit, bro. Real talk. And I’ll smile in court on camera on the news, letting ‘em knowing I killed them [expletive] ‘cause you was playing with me, bro.”
When FEMA reported the calls to local law enforcement, Midlothian Police Department officers performed a welfare check at Walton’s residence, after which his calls began to reference police officers. In a call to FEMA on the day after the welfare check, Walton stated, “Send ‘em again. And I’ll kill the [expletive]. Tell them I kill they [expletive] this time. I’m ready to kill. And I’m going to kill. And I’m gonna make sure I kill. I’m going to kill a good four, five officers before the police even take me out the [expletive], guaranteed.”
Walton pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal charge of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger imposed the two-year prison sentence during a hearing on Wednesday in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. The investigation was led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security / Federal Protective Service-Region 5. Valuable assistance was provided by the Midlothian Police Department.
“Defendant’s threats were terrifying to the FEMA employees who received them,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Rosenbloom argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “The FEMA employees who received the calls were public servants doing their job. They did not deserve to be exposed to the terrifying threats contained in defendant’s calls.”
Stephanie Van Marter to Serve as Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of WashingtonRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – On July 7, 2025, Stephanie Van Marter assumed the role of Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Van Marter, who was born and raised in Spokane, is a distinguished graduate of Gonzaga Prep, Gonzaga University, and the Gonzaga School of Law, where she graduated with highest honors in 1999. She has been with the United States Attorney’s Office for more than two decades and has served in numerous leadership positions over that time, most recently as Senior Litigation Counsel, Deputy Criminal Chief, and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) Coordinator. Working alongside federal, state and tribal agency partners, she has taken on hundreds of complex federal cases involving transnational drug trafficking, murder, weapons offenses, crimes against our tribal communities and members, and crimes against children. Van Marter has been nationally recognized for her successful prosecutions and leadership in targeting and bringing to justice the most dangerous transnational drug traffickers harming our community.
Van Marter began her prosecutorial career as a deputy prosecuting attorney for Ada County in Boise, Idaho. During law school, she began serving in the U.S. Attorney’s Office as an intern and volunteered as a victim advocate at Lutheran Family Services in Spokane. While earning undergraduate degrees in criminal justice and psychology from Gonzaga, she worked at the Spokane Police Department, supporting community policing initiatives. Van Marter continues to be an active member of the Spokane community, serving as a board member of the Cancer Care Foundation with her father and sister, and as one of the founding board members for the Spokane Alliance for Fentanyl Education (“SAFE”), which recently received national recognition for its work educating the public on the dangers of illicit fentanyl. Skiers at Mount Spokane may also recognize Van Marter, a certified first responder, who served for 13 years as a member of the National Ski Patrol. She and her husband, who was also raised in the Spokane community, are the proud parents of four grown sons, each of whom has gone on to earn a college or advanced degree. Two of her sons also serve in the United States military. Van Marter intends to remain engaged in community service throughout her time at the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Having grown up in this community and chosen it as the place to raise my own family, I am humbled and honored to serve as Acting United States Attorney,” Van Marter said. “I have dedicated my career to this community and to developing and maintaining partnerships with all who serve in law enforcement. I have always been driven by a deep commitment to bring justice to those impacted by crime, to ensure that the voices of victims are heard, and to carry out the important law enforcement and prosecutorial missions of this District. I am proud to be a part of a team of dedicated professionals who work every day to protect our communities, and to work with our federal, state, tribal and community partners and to bring and defend cases that will continue to make our communities stronger and safer.”
Van Marter’s law enforcement colleagues have welcomed her into her new role as the chief law enforcement officer for the Eastern District, which spans all 20 counties east of the Cascade mountains in Washington. “Steph Van Marter has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to justice and public safety in all of her work, from transnational drug cases to complicated Indian Country matters,” said Tom Atkinson, the Deputy Associate Director of the Division of Drug Enforcement for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. “Her strong support for the BIA and her unwavering collaboration with tribal, federal, and local partners continues to make a real impact in the communities that make up the Eastern District. We fully support her appointment as Acting U.S. Attorney and are confident she will continue to champion tribal sovereignty, safety, and justice for all.”
Van Marter succeeds Richard R. Barker, who concludes his service as Acting U.S. Attorney but leaves the leadership of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in experienced hands. “Through her years of service, Steph Van Marter has built outstanding relationships with law enforcement and community members and has brought unmatched dedication to the mission of this office,” Barker said.
Van Marter looks forward to building on the legacy established by the United States Attorneys who have come before her. “This office has an incredibly rich tradition of outstanding leadership. From Jim Connelly, Jim McDevitt, Mike Ormsby, and Joseph Harrington, from whom I learned so much in the early part of my career, through the late Bill Hyslop, to Vanessa Waldref and Richard Barker, the U.S. Attorneys in this District have laid a strong foundation upon which I am eager to build. I am privileged to have been mentored by these incredible leaders and to have seen firsthand the vast talent of so many Assistant United States Attorneys who have worked and sacrificed for the good of this office and the people in this District. I am grateful for the high standards set by those who have come before me, and I am humbled to be able to follow their examples.”
Van Marter also highlighted her excitement about continuing the great work done by her team at the U.S. Attorney’s Office: “We will build on our already-strong and important relationships with law enforcement and community partners throughout this District. We will keep seeking justice by bringing a one team approach; to combine and expand our resources together so we can bring the most impactful cases that help our community to be safer. We will continue to stand for those impacted by crime. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to continue to strengthen Eastern Washington and secure justice for those who call this beautiful and special place home.”
Southern District of Texas charges 238 this week alone in relation to border enforcement effortsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A total of 236 new cases have been filed in immigration and border security-related matters from July 3-10, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Among those are 106 people who face charges of illegally reentering the country. The majority have prior felony convictions for narcotics, violent crimes, prior immigration crimes and more. A total of 116 people are charged with illegally entering the country, while six cases allege various instances of human smuggling with the remainder involving other immigration related crimes.
Two of those charged include Mexican nationals Charlie Ruben Ortiz-Lopez and Mauricio Rivera-Medina. According to their criminal complaints, both have prior convictions for illegal reentry. Rivera-Medina was last removed just last month, but authorities allegedly found him again illegally in the United States near Mission. They encountered Rivera-Medina near Edinburg after he had been previously removed in November 2023, according to his charges.
Another man facing charges this week is Honduran national Jose Eduardo Escobar-Reyes, who law enforcement allegedly discovered unlawfully in the United States near Roma. According to court documents, he was previously removed March 12 and has a prior conviction for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
If convicted, all three face up to 20 years in prison.
In addition to the new cases, a Rio Grande City man was ordered to prison for 24 months for unlawfully transporting an illegal alien. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Jason Al Venecia took his girlfriend and her minor daughter with him to smuggle the illegal alien to facilitate passage through the Falfurrias Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint. While on bond awaiting sentencing, Al Venecia was also caught assisting his girlfriend during her own attempt to smuggle illegal aliens. She has since pleaded guilty to separate charges in her case prosecuted in the McAllen Division.
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, BP, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Scottsdale Man Sentenced to Nearly 3 Years in Prison for FraudRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Brandon Scott Menaged, 22, of Scottsdale, Arizona was sentenced on July 9, by Senior United States District Judge David G. Campbell to 33 months in prison and ordered to pay $751,000 in restitution. Menaged previously pleaded guilty to Wire Fraud.
Between January 2023 and December 2024, Menaged defrauded multiple victims by soliciting their money for investments that did not exist. For example, Menaged misrepresented to victims the nature of the investments and referenced phantom investors to convince the victims to provide him with funding. Meanged then diverted victims’ funds for his personal expenses. When victims asked Menaged to return their funds, he provided them with a series of excuses for why the funds could not be returned or blocked their communications. Through this scheme, Menaged fraudulently received $1,000,000 from victims and used the money to fund his lavish lifestyle by gambling at casinos, traveling internationally, and purchasing luxury vehicles, firearms, and Rolex watches.
The FBI’s Phoenix Division conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney, Kevin M. Rapp, District of Arizona handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-01974- PHX-DGC
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-112_Menaged# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.San Diego Securities Attorney Sentenced to Prison for FraudRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Securities attorney Andrew Coldicutt was sentenced in federal court today to 85 months in prison for securities fraud, false securities registration statements, and wire fraud in connection with two pump-and-dump schemes.
U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta also ordered Coldicutt to pay $42,970 in forfeiture and a $100,000 fine.
Coldicutt was convicted by a federal jury in March on all 17 counts following a weeklong trial. According to evidence presented at trial, in the first scheme, Coldicutt worked with others from 2017 through 2019 to prepare and execute a pump-and-dump stock fraud scheme. Coldicutt created a business plan for a fake backyard fruit harvesting company. He prepared and filed securities registration statements with the SEC for an initial public offering of the company’s stock.
The securities registration statements contained false and misleading information about the company, its business plans, and the people who owned and controlled the company. Since Coldicutt was unwittingly working with undercover FBI agents and sources gathering evidence against him, no investors were injured.
In the second scheme, in 2019, one of Coldicutt’s corporate clients needed to raise money fast. Rather than raise money legally, Coldicutt presented the undercover FBI agents with another pump-and-dump stock fraud scheme. Coldicutt wrote a false attorney opinion letter to facilitate the sale of stock for the pump-and-dump scheme. However, a broker-dealer denied the stock transfer and again, no investors were injured.
A “pump and dump” scheme is a type of fraud where manipulators gain control over a company’s stock and boost a company's stock price by spreading false information or trading in a way that creates fake demand. Once the stock price is inflated, they sell off their shares (the “dump”), causing the price to drop and leaving investors with losses.
“Attorneys are expected to uphold the law, not exploit it,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “Today’s sentence holds the defendant accountable for abusing that trust and attempting to manipulate the market for personal gain.”
“Today’s sentence demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to hold accountable those who unlawfully pursue personal gain at the expense of the American people,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Dargis of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office. “Attorneys who exploit the system not only hurt potential victims. They also erode the community’s trust. The FBI will relentlessly investigate such criminals to protect our citizens and ensure justice is served.”
The Securities and Exchange Commission has also taken civil action against Coldicutt.
DEFENDANT Case Number 22cr1881
Andrew Coldicutt Age: 44 San Diego, California
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Title 15, U.S.C., Sec. 77q, 77x – Securities Fraud
Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison
Title 15, U.S.C., Sec. 77g, 77x – False Securities Registration Statements
Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison
Title 18, U.S.C., Sec. 1343 – Wire Fraud
Maximum Penalty: Twenty years in prison
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
Federal Bureau of Investigation
San Antonio Man Arrested for Alleged Facebook Threat Against President Trump Ahead of Friday’s Visit to Texas Hill CountryRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was arrested Thursday night in San Antonio on criminal charges related to his alleged threat against the President of the United States.
According to court documents, Robert Herrera, 52, commented on a San Antonio news outlet’s July 10 Facebook post pertaining to President Donald Trump’s planned visit to the Texas Hill Country. Using the handle, “Robert Herrer,” Herrera allegedly commented, “I won’t miss,” along with a photo depicting President Trump surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents immediately after the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. The criminal complaint alleges that a separate Facebook poster replied to “Robert Herrer” stating, “you won’t get the chance, I promise,” to which “Robert Herrer” responded to, “I’ll just come for you.” Accompanying that statement, “Robert Herrer” included a photo of an assault rifle and loaded magazines.
Herrera was arrested the same day and is facing a federal charge of making threats against the President and interstate threatening communications. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison for each charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“This case is an example of great cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement partners committed to taking down anyone who would threaten the life of the President or anyone else,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “I want to thank Chief McManus and his team at SAPD for their swift response to this threat. To be clear, these types of threats will not be taken lightly, and we will always take a swift, aggressive approach, as was done here.”
“I would like to thank the San Antonio Police Department and the FBI San Antonio Field Office for assisting the U.S. Secret Service in this matter,” said Special Agent in Charge Brian J. Gibson for the U.S. Secret Service San Antonio Field Office. “Investigating threats towards individuals under Secret Service protection are treated as our highest priority. This is one of the countless reasons the Secret Service prides ourselves on forging and maintaining relationships with other law enforcement agencies. As this is an ongoing investigation, the Secret Service will have no further comment on this incident.”
"While the FBI fully supports and defends every American’s right to free speech, it is important to understand that threatening violence against any individual is not constitutionally protected speech, it is a federal crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office. “The FBI and our partners take threats of violence seriously and we urge the public to do the same. We would like to thank the United States Secret Service, the San Antonio Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the United States Attorney's Office for their tremendous partnership in addressing this threat against the President. We urge all members of the public to express their views peacefully and respectfully in a manner consistent with the values that define our nation.”
“SAPD remains committed to working alongside our federal partners to ensure that threats of violence are taken seriously and addressed quickly,” said Chief William McManus for the San Antonio Police Department. “I want to commend the individual who reported the threatened violence against POTUS. Law enforcement cannot do this job without the assistance of our community.”
The U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and San Antonio Police Department are investigating the case with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Roomberg is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Sacramento Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl and MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Gilbert Ramirez, 27, of Sacramento was sentenced Thursday by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Troy L. Nunley to 16 years and three months in prison for participating in a conspiracy to distribute, and possessing with intent to distribute, fentanyl and methamphetamine; distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine; and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
According to court documents, from April through July 2022, Ramirez and his co-defendant, Michael Valentino Lovato, 36, of Sacramento, sold large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in Sacramento County.
On Oct. 24, 2024, Lovato was sentenced 19 years and 10 months in prison.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sacramento Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin F. Scott 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.
This prosecution is also part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. The Sacramento Strike Force is a co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The specific mission of the Sacramento Strike Force is to identify, investigate, disrupt, and dismantle the most significant drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) shipping narcotics, firearms, and money through the Eastern District of California, thereby reducing the flow of these criminal resources in California and the rest of the United States. The Sacramento Strike Force leads intelligence-driven investigations targeting the leadership and support elements of these DTOs and TCOs operating within the Eastern District of California, regardless of their geographic base of operations.
Sacramento Man Pleads Guilty to Shooting at Federal AgentsRead the Press Release
Jason Raysean Broadbent, 38, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty Thursday to assaulting federal officers with a deadly weapon, possession of methamphetamine near a school with intent to distribute, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of an unregistered destructive device, and possession of an unregistered, short-barreled machine gun, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
According to court documents, on Nov. 19, 2015, federal agents went to Broadbent’s girlfriend’s residence in Sacramento to serve a search warrant. After the agents knocked and announced their presence and no one came to the door to answer, they forced entry and began filing into the living room shouting “police” and “search warrant.” Within seconds, Broadbent fired shots through a bedroom wall at the agents in the living room, narrowly missing them. Broadbent then fled out a back door of the residence, climbed up onto a fence in the backyard, and pointed his Glock semi-automatic pistol at another ATF agent on the perimeter, who then shot Broadbent several times. Broadbent was transported to the hospital where he was treated for and recovered from his injuries.
In the bedroom from which Broadbent fired at the agents, law enforcement found almost two pounds of methamphetamine, a revolver, and a small safe that contained a semi-automatic pistol and a pipe bomb. Broadbent possessed the methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it to others, within 1,000 feet of Christian Brothers High School. Broadbent also knowingly possessed the firearms and the pipe bomb. Broadbent was prohibited from possessing firearms because he had multiple prior felony convictions.
Law enforcement also served a search warrant at Broadbent’s Sacramento residence that same day. In Broadbent’s bedroom, law enforcement found approximately 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine, a loaded pistol in the same backpack as the methamphetamine, and two unserialized (ghost gun) AR-15 style short-barreled machine gun rifles. Each rifle had a 9-inch barrel, and a conversion device called a “lightning link” to convert them into fully automatic machine guns.
This case is the product of an investigation by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Sacramento Police Department, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, the Woodland Police Department, the Yolo County Sheriff’s Department, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Spencer, Justin Lee, and Nicole Vanek are prosecuting the case.
Broadbent is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Daniel J. Calabretta on Oct. 23, 2025. Broadbent faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $20 million fine. The plea agreement contemplates a sentence of 50 years in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case was a 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.
Randolph County Man Admits to Methamphetamine ChargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Jacob Paul Wilson, 28, of Harmon, West Virginia, has admitted to distributing more than five grams of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, Wilson was selling methamphetamine from his home in Randolph County, West Virginia.
Wilson faces at least 5 years and up to 40 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
The Mountain Region Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Raleigh County Physician Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Crimes in Connection with HOPE ClinicRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Sanjay Mehta, D.O., 57, of Shady Spring, pleaded guilty on Thursday, July 10, 2025, to three counts of aiding and abetting obtaining a controlled substance by fraud. Mehta admitted to unlawful prescription practices at HOPE (Hitech Opioid Pharmachovigilance Expertise) Clinic, a purported pain management clinic that operated in Beckley, Beaver and Charleston, West Virginia, and Wytheville, Virginia.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Mehta worked at the Beckley HOPE Clinic from November 2012 through July 2013 and the Beaver HOPE Clinic from August 2013 through May 2015. Mehta had little to no experience in dealing with chronic pain patients and no training in prescribing Schedule II narcotics for the treatment of chronic pain when he was recruited to work at HOPE Clinic.
As part of his guilty pleas, Mehta admitted to writing prescriptions for three different HOPE Clinic customers with no legitimate medical purpose, including prescriptions for oxycodone, methadone, and Roxicodone, a brand name for oxycodone hydrochloride. Two of the three customers died of opioid intoxication within days of receiving their unlawful prescriptions.
Mehta is scheduled to be sentenced on October 31, 2025 and faces a maximum penalty of four years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $750,000 fine. Mehta also agreed to surrender his Drug Enforcement Administration Certificate of Registration, not oppose the revocation of his registration to dispense controlled substances, and not apply for re-registration.
Mehta was initially indicted in 2018 along with others associated with HOPE Clinic and Patients, Physicians and Pharmacists Fighting Diversion (PPPFD), which managed HOPE Clinic’s daily operations. The indictment alleges that from November 2010 to June 2015, the defendants conspired to distribute oxycodone and other Schedule II controlled substances, not for legitimate medical purposes and outside the usual course of professional practice.
Mehta and six other physicians pleaded guilty to separate charges in lieu of the indictment. PPPFD owner-operator Mark T. Radcliffe, 68, of Shady Spring, and co-defendant Michael T. Moran, M.D., 60, of Covington, Virginia, are scheduled for trial on October 6, 2025. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
“It is readily evident that the Southern District of West Virginia has been severely impacted by the opioid crisis. The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to bringing to justice those whose criminal conduct contributes to this crisis and worsens its most tragic consequences,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston. “This commitment stems from the recognition that such actions harm patients and undermine efforts to combat the epidemic.”
Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the Food and Drug Administration-Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the West Virginia State Police, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the Beckley Police Department, the Kentucky State Police, the Harrison County, Kentucky, Sheriff’s Department, and the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (AHIDTA).
“Medical professionals who cause the distribution of controlled substances not for legitimate medical purposes and not within the usual course of professional medical practice can cause significant harm to the those who purchase them,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ronald Dawkins, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Metro Washington Field Office. “This case demonstrates that we will hold accountable individuals who would compromise patient safety for personal gain by causing the unlawful distribution of Schedule II prescription medications.”
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Brian D. Parsons are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-cr-104.
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Previously Convicted Felon from Donora Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Donora, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court on July 9, 2025, to fentanyl and cocaine trafficking and the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Tre Robert Goins, 31, pleaded guilty before Senior United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti to possession with the intent to distribute quantities of fentanyl and cocaine and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Goins will proceed to trial in August 2025 on an additional federal charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on May 24, 2024, Goins fled from a traffic stop initiated by the City of Duquesne Police Department. Goins led law enforcement on a high-speed chase and crashed his vehicle, at which time, police recovered fentanyl, cocaine, and a loaded firearm, which had been reported stolen, from Goins’ car. Goins has multiple prior felony convictions for firearms. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
Judge Conti scheduled sentencing for October 22, 2025. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly M. Locher and Katherine C. Jordan are prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
Pending sentencing, Goins will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service.The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, City of Clairton and Duquesne police departments, and Elizabeth Township Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Goins.
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.
Parmelee Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Assaulting a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Parmelee, South Dakota, man convicted of Assaulting, Resisting and Impeding a Federal Officer. The sentencing took place on July 8, 2025.
Lonnie Running Bear, Jr., age 32, was sentenced to ten months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Running Bear was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 7, 2025.
On the afternoon of November 21, 2024, Running Bear was arrested by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services following a disturbance at the community center in Parmelee. As Running Bear was being placed in a patrol vehicle, he kicked the arresting officer multiple times in the chest.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Running Bear was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.