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15 August 2025
Iowa Man Sentenced to 216 Months’ Imprisonment for Methamphetamine ChargeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Gregory Scott Dreher, 49, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was sentenced on August 14, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Dreher to 216 months’ imprisonment. Dreher, who was on federal supervision when he committed this offense, was sentenced to an additional 16 months of imprisonment for violating the of his supervised release. Dreher also forfeited any claim to $4,000 in US currency seized from his possession. There is no parole in the federal system. After Dreher’s release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
Dreher was charged as a result of his involvement with a Mexico Source of Supply (SOS) of methamphetamine who supplies the Omaha and Council Bluffs area. Dreher assisted a local courier who was distributing the SOS’s methamphetamine in Nebraska and Iowa.
On October 2, 2023, law enforcement observed Dreher meet with a suspected drug courier at an Omaha location. Directly following the meet, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle occupied by Dreher. A search of the vehicle revealed more than 400 grams actual methamphetamine. Dreher was arrested and $4,000 of drug proceeds were seized from his possession.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Kender Jose Alvarez-Hernandez, a/k/a Kender Alvarez-Hernandez, age 21, a Guatemalan national unlawfully present in Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not more than two years, and a fine of not more than $250,000.00.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division and the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office.
The Indictment alleged that on June 17, 2025, Alvarez-Hernandez, an alien, was found in the United States after having been previously removed in 2025 without obtaining the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Alvarez-Hernandez will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dak T. Cohen and Richard J. Lorenz represented the United States.
Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Mariano Gabriel-Gabriel, a/k/a Mariana Gabriel, a/k/a Gabriel Mariano, age 28, a Mexican national unlawfully present in Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not more than two years, and a fine of not more than $250,000.00.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division.
The Indictment alleged that on June 30, 3035, Gabriel-Gabriel, an alien, was found in the United States after having been previously removed in 2017 without obtaining the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Gabriel-Gabriel will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dak T. Cohen represented the United States.
Illegal Alien Charged with Unlawfully Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Olvin Javier Gutierrez Ponce (44, Bradenton) with unlawful possession of a firearm. If convicted, Gutierrez Ponce faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Gutierrez Ponce that the United States intends to forfeit a Taurus 9mm pistol and a Springfield 9mm pistol, which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.
According to the indictment, in July 2025, Gutierrez Ponce, knowing he is an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States, unlawfully possessed a firearm.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), and the Bradenton Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abigail K. King.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Honduran National with Two Prior Deportations Charged for Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Honduran national made his initial court appearance today to face charges of illegally reentering the United States after previously being removed from the country.
Rigoberto Osorio-Merlo, 49, is charged with one-count of deported alien found in the United States. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 4, 2025, before United States Magistrate Judge Elayna J. Youchah.
According to allegations contained in the criminal complaint and statements made during court proceedings, Osorio-Merlo is a citizen and national of Honduras who was previously deported and removed from the United States on January 15, 2009, and November 14, 2018, and reentered the United States illegally.
On July 22, 2024, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) learned that Osorio-Merlo had been arrested by officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for Duty to Stop at Scene of Accident, Destroy/Conceal Evidence, and Reckless Driving Resulting in Death or Substantial Bodily Harm. A year later, on July 30, 2025, Osorio-Merlo was remanded to ICE custody from the Nevada Department of Corrections, based on an immigration detainer. Osorio-Merlo has two DUI convictions, one in 2011 and a second in 2016. Based on Osorio-Merlo’s July 22, 2024, arrest, he was convicted of Reckless Driving Resulting in Substantial Bodily Harm or Death.
If convicted, Osorio-Merlo faces the maximum statutory penalty of two years in prison, a one-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
Acting United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Field Office Director Jason Knight made the announcement.
The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated the case; and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada is prosecuting the case.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
A complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Honduran National Pleads Guilty to Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Honduran national unlawfully residing in Waltham, Mass. pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Samuel Cruz Alvarado, 63, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date. Cruz Alvarado was arrested on May 5, 2025 and indicted by a federal grand in June 2025.
Cruz Alvarado was deported from the United States on Nov. 26, 2012. Sometime after his November 2012 removal, Cruz Alvarado illegally reentered the United States without permission.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. 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 Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Henryetta Resident Pleads Guilty to Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Matthew Wayne Wasson, age 31, of Henryetta, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine, punishable by no less than ten years and up to life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine.
The Indictment alleged that on October 3, 2024, Wasson knowingly and intentionally distributed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Wasson will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob R. Parker represented the United States.
Hawaii Basketball Coach Sentenced to over 33 Years for Child Exploitation and Harassment of 10 VictimsRead the Press Release
A Hawaii man was sentenced today to over 33 years in prison and a lifetime term of supervised release for enticement of a minor, sex trafficking of a minor, production and receipt of child pornography, and harassment offenses.
“The defendant was a youth basketball coach who shamelessly sexually exploited, abused, harassed, and threatened his young victims, causing incalculable harm to them,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to secure justice for victims of these atrocious crimes, especially when such acts are committed by individuals who seek and abuse the trust of their communities in order to target and exploit vulnerable children.”
“Dwayne Yuen grossly and repeatedly violated the sacred trust placed in him by his employer and the parents and families of his young female victims,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson for the District of Hawaii. “He used his power and position to groom and then serially exploit and victimize the young girls entrusted to his care. While nothing can ever undo the harm he has caused these children and their families, it is our sincere hope that today’s sentence will ensure that our community and children are protected from him, and serve to deter other predators like him in the future. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our dedicated law enforcement partners at the FBI will always continue to hunt down and bring to justice all who seek to exploit Hawaii’s children.”
“Yuen held a position of trust that demanded he protect and inspire young athletes,” said FBI Criminal Investigative Division Assistant Director Jose A. Perez. “Instead, he abused his authority by preying upon and threatening his young victims. Today’s sentencing reinforces the message that the victimization of children will not be tolerated by law enforcement. The FBI will continue to meticulously investigate these crimes, which cause irreparable harm and trauma to our nation’s youth.”
According to court documents, Dwayne Yuen, 52, of Honolulu, exploited and harassed at least ten victims, who he met through youth basketball, where he served as a coach and mentor. From 2005 to 2023, Yuen engaged in extensive grooming of his victims, many of whom were especially vulnerable because of financial or family stressors, purchasing elaborate gifts for them and spending an inappropriate amount of time alone with them. Once trust was established, Yuen began engaging in sexual conversations with his victims, including sending them sexually explicit images. In the early 2000s, he engaged in coerced and forced sexual contact with victims as young as 15 years old. He used threats to harm his victims’ reputation and basketball career to stop them from disclosing or attempting to stop his abuse. He threatened at least one victim with rape and death and threatened, blackmailed, and physically assaulted another victim who tried to avoid his sexual advances. In later years, he would pay economically vulnerable players that he coached to send him sexually explicit images or engage in sexually explicit conversations. He got one minor victim, a former player that he knew was a minor, to engage in a sexually explicit video call in 2020, which he then took screenshots of and sent on at least one occasion to another victim. He also used unidentified numbers to send harassing messages to numerous former players, sometimes at the rate of a hundred times a day.
The FBI Honolulu Field Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Perlmutter of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Hartford Man Convicted of Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that a federal jury in Bridgeport today found MORRIS CARTER III, also known as “Mo,” 36, of Hartford, guilty of firearm offenses.
According to the evidence introduced during the trial, in the early morning of February 19, 2023, Carter was involved in a fight a convenience store in the south end of Hartford. Surveillance footage shows Carter possessing a firearm and beating a convenience store patron in the head with a firearm magazine, which ejected ammunition during the altercation. Carter then fled the store, drove toward Wethersfield, and threw two handguns out the car window. Wethersfield Police stopped the car on Nott Street and found a loaded magazine under the passenger seat. Later that morning, a Wethersfield resident called police after discovering one of the discarded guns at the end of her driveway. Officers responded and found both discarded firearms, a magazine, and ammunition in the area. Investigators also recovered the ammunition from the convenience store.
Carter’s criminal history includes a federal conviction in 2013 for conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, crack cocaine. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
The jury found Carter guilty of one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years, and one count of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.
Carter, who was federal supervised release at this time of this offense, faces additional penalties for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
Carter has been detained since February 19, 2023.
This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Hartford Police Department, and the Wethersfield Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel J. Gentile and Sean P. Mahard through Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.
Hampton man convicted for downloading child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Hampton man yesterday on six counts of transportation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, from August 2020 through November 2021, Ryan Matthew Bieber, 31, uploaded multiple files of CSAM depicting adults engaged in sexually explicit conduct with children. Bieber’s Google account was deactivated immediately after Google submitted a CyberTipLine report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Bieber faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison when sentenced on Dec. 18. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Dominique Evans, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes accepted the verdict.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Devon Heath and Peter G. Osyf are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-cr-5.
Georgia Man Convicted for $16M COVID-19 Unemployment FraudRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Albany, Georgia, convicted a Georgia man today for his participation in a scheme to defraud the Georgia Department of Labor (GaDOL) out of millions of dollars in benefits meant to assist unemployed individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The defendant and his co-conspirators orchestrated a scheme where they used stolen identities to submit fraudulent unemployment claims in order to steal millions of dollars of funds intended for the benefit of unemployed Americans,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Such schemes are all too common, but the Criminal Division is resolved to bring to justice fraudsters who seek to enrich themselves from the public fisc.”
“This trial conviction underlines our dedication and steadfast commitment to holding individuals accountable who exploit federal relief programs for personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). “As proven in this case, our criminal investigators along with our law enforcement partners will work together and diligently pursue anyone who attempts to exploit programs created to help legitimate people and businesses affected by the global pandemic.”
“Malcolm Jeffery and his co-conspirators helped themselves to money earmarked for unemployed Georgia residents already struggling during the pandemic,” said Inspector in Charge Rodney M. Hopkins of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Atlanta Division. “Not only is he responsible for the depletion of that program’s funds, but he used stolen personal information to commit the fraud. Postal Inspectors want criminals to know, we are committed to investigating these cases and working with our partners to make sure they feel the full weight of the law. These crimes will not go unanswered.”
“Malcolm Jeffrey engaged in a scheme with his co-defendants to defraud the Georgia Department of Labor by filing numerous fraudulent unemployment insurance claims in the names of identity theft victims and other individuals who were not entitled to such benefits," said Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG) Southeast Region. "The claims were filed through a fictitious employer account that Jeffrey created in the name of his business, resulting in substantial losses to the program. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Unemployment Insurance program.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Malcolm Jeffrey, 34, of Cordele, Georgia, and his co-conspirators, caused more than approximately 7,000 fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims to be filed with the GaDOL, resulting in more than $16 million in stolen benefits.
To execute the scheme, Jeffrey and his co-conspirators fabricated lists of purported employees using personally identifiable information from hundreds of identity theft victims and filed fraudulent UI claims on the GaDOL website under his defunct business, Down N Dirty Transportation LLC (Down N Dirty). After Jeffrey opened an account to file UI claims through GaDOL’s website for Down N Dirty’s purported employees, thousands of claims were submitted through his employer account, which caused more than $16 million in fraudulent UI benefits to be disbursed. The stolen UI funds were then distributed to Jeffrey and his co-conspirators via prepaid debit cards mailed to various locations in the vicinity of Cordele.
The jury convicted Jeffrey of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
DOL-OIG, IRS-CI, USPS-OIG, USPIS, USSS, HSI, and DHS-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Lyndie Freeman, Siji Moore, and Kyle Crawford of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Gallatin Man Sentenced to over 12 Years in Prison for Enticement of A MinorRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On August 14, 2025, Andrew John Paolini, 64, of Gallatin, Tennessee, was sentenced to 151 months imprisonment by the Honorable Katherine A. Crytzer, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville. Following his imprisonment, he will be on lifetime supervised release, and he will be required to register with state sex offender registries and to comply with special sex offender conditions.
As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Paolini agreed to plead guilty to an indictment charging him with one count of Attempted Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Statutory Rape as defined in Tennessee Code Annotated Section 39-13-506(c), in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b).
According to court filed documents, in late October 2024, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents began an undercover investigation online in public chat areas known to be trafficked by purveyors of child sexual abuse material. This investigation led to communications with an online user, later identified as Paolini, attempting to entice who he believed to be a thirteen (13) year old girl for sex. Federal agents arrested Paolini in November of 2024, after Paolini arrived at an arranged meeting location with whom he believed to be his underaged victim.
U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III, of the Eastern District of Tennessee and Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI made the announcement.The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by the FBI, led by Special Agent Mike Carter.
Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Kolman represented the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006, by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab "resources.”
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Four-Time Convicted Drug Trafficker Sentenced for Dealing Cocaine and FentanylRead the Press Release
Atlanta – Mekael Desean Daniels, who has three prior federal drug trafficking convictions, will serve a 292-month prison sentence following his conviction for possessing with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl. At the time of his arrest, Daniels was storing 110 kilograms of cocaine and 62 grams of fentanyl at a Buckhead-area condominium building and was attempting to deliver $600,000 of drug proceeds to money launderers working on behalf of a transnational drug trafficking organization.
“Despite three prior federal convictions for drug trafficking, Daniels continued to distribute vast quantities of narcotics in our community and attempted to launder drug money,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Thanks to the determined investigative work of our law enforcement partners, Daniels’s 24-year prison sentence should finally end his criminal career and serves as a stern warning to others who push deadly fentanyl and cocaine.”
“Career criminals who traffic drugs show no regard for the devastation they leave behind,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “Let this case serve as a clear warning: drug traffickers can no longer operate with impunity.”
“Daniels was a repeat offender fueling the flow of deadly drugs into our communities,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI and our partners will continue to dismantle these networks and hold traffickers accountable.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In 2022, Daniels and others conspired to transport cocaine and fentanyl from Mexico to Atlanta, Georgia. Daniels operated a stash house in a condominium building in Buckhead, which he used to supply his network with large amounts of cocaine. At the time of his arrest on December 9, 2022, Daniels was storing 110 kilograms of cocaine that had recently arrived by tractor-trailer from Mexico. Agents also found in his condominium unit 62 grams of fentanyl pressed into pills with the marking for oxycodone, approximately $66,000 in drug proceeds, and a drug ledger documenting $500,000 in transactions. In the condominium garage, agents searched a car linked to Daniels, where they found a bag containing $500,000 and a shoebox containing $100,000, which were proceeds of recent cocaine sales in the Atlanta, Georgia area.
This is Daniels’s fourth federal drug trafficking conviction in this district after prior convictions for possession with intent to distribute cocaine in 1995 and 2000 and for possession with intent to distribute heroin in 2012. As part of his 2000 case, Daniels was also convicted of possessing a firearm while he was a convicted felon. Daniels engaged in the drug trafficking conspiracy charged in this case one year after his release from federal prison for his 2012 conviction.
Earlier today, United States District Judge Steven D. Grimberg sentenced Daniels, 55, of Dallas, Georgia, to serve 24 years, 4 months in prison to be followed by a lifetime sentence of supervised release. Daniels was convicted of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl on March 27, 2025, after he pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth M. Hathaway and Austin M. Hall, and former Assistant United States Attorney Joshua May, prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of an 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. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to eliminate the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
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 OCDETF and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Fort Pierce Drug Dealer Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Fort Pierce man has been sentenced to 96 months in federal prison for drug trafficking. U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon imposed the sentence on Derron Nathaniel Johnson, 28, following his guilty plea to distribution of fentanyl and cocaine.
According to the facts admitted at the change of plea hearing, Johnson conducted two separate drug sales in Fort Pierce: on July 6, 2022, he sold 13.92 grams of fentanyl; and on August 19, 2022, he sold 84.1 grams of cocaine.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, and Sheriff Richard Del Toro Jr. of the Saint Lucie County Sheriff’s Office (SLCSO) made the announcement.
DEA Miami Field Division and SLCSO investigated the case. Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office provided invaluable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Porter prosecuted the case.
According to the DEA’s National Drug Threat Assessment, synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl, are poisoning our nation. Fentanyl has proven to be a deadly poison that does not discriminate. Its victims include every gender, race, age, and economic background, and its debilitating effects are the same across all demographics. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Even in small doses, fentanyl can be deadly. As little as two milligrams, about the size of 5 grains of salt, can be fatal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”), fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths. Over 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. The State of Florida has also seen an exponential increase in overdoses associated with fentanyl. In 2022, more than 5,622 people died from overdoses involving fentanyl and fentanyl analogs in Florida.
For more information visit: https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/MEC/Publications-and-Forms/Documents/Drugs-in-Deceased-Persons/2022-Annual-Drug-Report-FINAL-(1).aspx; https://www.cdc.gov/opioids/basics/fentanyl.html#; and https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/fentanyl.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-14003.
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Former Salinas Construction Company Controller Charged with Stealing More Than $8 Million Dollars from EmployerRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – Monique Marie Dodson, the former controller of a Salinas construction company, was charged by information yesterday with six counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering in connection with the alleged theft of more than $8 million from her employer.
According to the information, Dodson, 42, of Monterey County, was the controller of Company A, a civil contracting construction company headquartered in Salinas. Beginning around October 2021 until November 2023, Dodson allegedly conducted approximately 136 unauthorized wire transfers from Company A’s business account to her personal bank accounts that she falsely characterized as payments for materials for the company.
The information alleges that Dodson used a variety of means to conceal the unauthorized transfers to avoid detection and facilitate future transfers, including by intercepting and destroying paper bank statements sent by Company A’s bank documenting the unauthorized wire transfers. Dodson also allegedly downloaded Company A’s bank statements, modified the electronic bank statements by removing her name from wire transfer descriptions, and saved the altered bank statements in Company A’s records. The information further alleges that Dodson concealed the unauthorized wire transfers by falsely listing them in Company A’s expense accounts in the accounting journal.
Dodson is alleged to have conducted unauthorized wires totaling approximately $8,579,647.48.
United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Oakland Field Office Special Agent in Charge Linda Nguyen, and Special Agent in Charge Ryan Korner of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG) made the announcement.
Dodson is scheduled to appear in federal district court in San Jose on Aug. 19, 2025, for an initial appearance and arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins.
An information merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each count of wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343 and 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for the count of money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957. Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Neal C. Hong is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Sahib Kaur. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, IRS-CI, and FDIC-OIG.
Dodson Information
Florida Man Convicted for Sex Trafficking and Other Offenses in New York StateRead the Press Release
A federal jury in the Eastern District of New York convicted Joel David Forney, 42, of Kissimmee, Florida, today on two counts of sex trafficking and related charges for his conduct in trafficking two women to work in commercial sex in New York, including at an open-air sex trafficking market along a stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in Brooklyn known as the Penn Track, as well as the defendant’s transportation of a woman from New York to multiple other states, including Connecticut and Wisconsin, with the intent that she engage in commercial sex for his financial benefit. Forney was also found guilty of coercion and enticement of a minor for having sexual intercourse with a teenager when he was 31 years old.
“The defendant used violence and threats to force victims into commercial sex for his profit,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Such inhumane conduct has no place in a civilized society. The Justice Department is committed to combating human trafficking and securing justice for its victims.”
“The jury found that Forney used violence and threats to compel women to engage in commercial sex acts at the Penn Track for his own profit, and enticed a vulnerable minor into having sex with him,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “Our office will relentlessly pursue those, like the defendant, who engage in sex trafficking, and I commend the survivors of Forney’s depraved conduct who bravely assisted law enforcement in bringing him to justice.”
“Joel Forney’s actions inflicted lasting harm on his victims through violence, coercion and manipulation,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to protecting everyone in our communities, and we hope today’s sentencing brings some measure of closure to the victims.”
Evidence at trial showed that Forney used false promises to lure women into his trafficking network. The defendant then compelled these women to have sex with multiple men per day for money, while keeping the proceeds for himself. If the women refused to engage in commercial sex for his financial benefit, the defendant subjected them to physical abuse and threatened to hurt or kill them if they did not comply.
The evidence also showed that the defendant lured a third victim to his home by sending her romantic and sexual text messages. Once in his house, the defendant had sex with the victim, even though he was 31 years old at the time and she knew no more than 15. Forney then sent the victim text messages that implied he was recruiting her for commercial sex.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. Forney faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison as well as mandatory restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the FBI NYPD Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Elbert and Antoinette N. Rangel for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Leah Branch of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Firearms Possession and Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
Hagåtña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant Daniel Thomas Sanchez, age 36, from Dededo, Guam was sentenced in the U.S. District Court of Guam to 63 months imprisonment for Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). The Court also ordered three years of supervised release and a mandatory $300 special assessment fee. In addition, defendants convicted of a federal drug offense may no longer qualify for certain federal benefits.
On October 13, 2023, officers with the Guam Police Department (GPD) approached Daniel Thomas Sanchez’s residence to investigate a report of criminal activity. Officers discovered Sanchez asleep in a running vehicle parked in his driveway. Officers also observed a 12-gauge shotgun next to him. The gun was seized and found to be loaded.
On March 5, 2024, GPD officers observed Sanchez in the backseat of a vehicle during a routine traffic stop. Sanchez made furtive movements toward his feet, which resulted in his removal from the vehicle. Officers then saw the grip of a revolver protruding from a tennis shoe where Sanchez had been sitting. Following a detailed search of the vehicle, officers recovered approximately 14 grams of methamphetamine, various drug paraphernalia, cash, multiple loaded firearms, and ammunition. Sanchez admitted to selling a small amount of methamphetamine earlier that day. Further investigation led to the discovery of another loaded firearm at Sanchez’s residence. Sanchez was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to his felony criminal history, including convictions for family violence and aggravated assault.
“Armed felons and unlawful drug users are grave dangers to our communities,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “Federal law prohibits the possession of firearms and ammunition by such individuals. The Department of Justice will continue to prioritize these prosecutions to prevent violent crime.”
“Drug trafficking and the illegal possession of firearms will not be tolerated in our communities. ATF and its partners in law enforcement are dedicated to safeguarding our citizens, and we will continue to relentlessly pursue these criminals with every resource available,” said ATF Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais. “Those who choose to traffic drugs and illegally possess firearms will be held accountable for the harm they cause our communities.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives and the Guam Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Devarup Rastogi prosecuted the case in the District of Guam.
Felon Indicted for Illegal Possession of a Firearm Following Police Foot Chase and Arrest in NortheastRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Damion Barnett, 22, of the District of Columbia, was charged in an indictment unsealed yesterday in U.S. District Court with being a felon in illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition and unlawful discarding of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Barnett allegedly had been in possession of a loaded Glock 19 9mm semiautomatic pistol shortly before he was arrested July 14 by Metropolitan Police officers following a foot chase in Northeast Washington, D.C.
This prosecution comes as part of the "Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful" initiative, which is surging resources to reduce violent crime in the District of Columbia. This initiative was created to address gun violence in the District, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenders, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.
According to the charging documents, officers with the MPD’s Robbery Suppression Unit were on patrol July 14 about 6 p.m. when they saw a group of men standing on the 1100 block of 16th Street NE. One of the individuals, later identified as Barnett, was smoking a white cigarette that officers believed contained marijuana.
On seeing the officers approach, Barnett passed the cigarette to another member of the group and ran in the opposite direction down 16th Street. Barnett dashed into an alley as officers gave chase.
During the foot pursuit, an officer observed Barnett reach into his waistband with his right hand and discard a firearm into the air. Officers soon apprehended Barnett, placed him under arrest, and traced his flight path. The officers recovered a black Glock 19, 9mm pistol loaded with 23 rounds of ammunition in an extended magazine. An NCIC check revealed the firearm had been reported stolen on Nov. 3, 2024, to the Prince George’s County Police Department.
Barnett previously was convicted on a 2021 felony charge in D.C. Superior Court, and as a result, prohibited from possessing any firearm.
This investigation is being conducted by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Sussler of the Federal Major Crimes Section.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Felon Charged in November 2024 Daytime Shooting of over 15 Rounds in Southeast D.C.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Vance McIlwain, 32, and Kenneth Johnson, 32, both of Washington, D.C., were indicted Wednesday and arraigned today for the November 2024, firing of over 15 rounds of ammunition in a residential neighborhood and shooting of a man in southeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
McIlwain and Johnson were indicted on August 13, 2025, by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, on charges of assault with intent to kill while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, aggravated assault while armed, endangerment with a firearm, and conspiracy. Johnson was also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm.
Both men were arraigned on today, August 15, 2025, at a hearing before the Honorable Judge Jason Park. They each face a maximum of thirty years in prison if convicted of the charges.
According to the government’s evidence, on November 8, 2024, at about 3:50 p.m., McIlwain and Johnson were captured on CCTV conspiring to shoot the victim. Inside of an apartment building hallway, Johnson was captured on video passing a cross-body bag to McIlwain, which is believed to have contained a firearm. They both made their way to the apartment building’s entryway landing. McIlwain stepped out of the building and removed the firearm from the bag, but then returned to the entryway and handed the gun to Johnson. Johnson re-racked the firearm and gave it back to McIlwain. McIlwain walked down the alley, turned the corner, and began firing over 15 rounds of ammunition at the victim, who was sitting on a front porch. A stray bullet went into a neighbor’s house and another was found on the front porch.
Following the attack, McIlwain ran back to the apartment building and handed the gun to Johnson. McIlwain then continued to run from the scene. Johnson entered one of the apartment units. Johnson was found inside the apartment unit and was arrested. McIlwain was arrested about an hour and a half later in the area. Investigators recovered 15 spent shell casings from the scene. Both have been in custody since their respective arrests.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rudolf.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Federal Inmate Convicted of First-Degree MurderRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today the conviction of DANIEL V. SMITH of first-degree murder. SMITH was convicted by a jury following a trial before U.S. District Judge Philip M. Halpern and will be sentenced on December 4, 2025. SMITH faces a mandatory life sentence.
“Daniel V. Smith murdered a fellow inmate in cold blood at FCI Otisville by brutally beating him in the head with a lock tied to a belt,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Thanks to the career prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners, the defendant has been held accountable for his heinous crime.”
According to the Indictment, court filings, and statements made in court:
On October 26, 2021, SMITH was incarcerated at FCI Otisville, where he was serving a sentence related to a prior assault he committed in 2013 while incarcerated. To obtain a transfer to a different housing unit, SMITH, without provocation, brutally attacked another inmate—housed in the cell next to his own—by swinging a lock tied to a belt and striking his victim in the head repeatedly, cracking open the victim’s skull. The inmate suffered traumatic brain injury, fell into a vegetative state, and died from his injuries.
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SMITH, 65, of Otisville, New York, was convicted of one count of murder in the first degree, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
Mr. Clayton thanked the staff of FCI Otisville for their assistance and praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin L. Brooke, Shaun E. Werbelow, Benjamin D. Klein, Jeffrey C. Coffman, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Jackie Fleury, are in charge of the prosecution.
Federal Complaint Filed Against Los Angeles Man Following In-Flight DisturbanceRead the Press Release
GRAND JUNCTION – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that David Leroy Carver Jr., 47, has been charged by criminal complaint for interfering with flight crew members and attendants on a Breeze Airways flight from Norfolk, Virginia, to Los Angeles, California, on August 13, 2025. The flight was diverted to Grand Junction Regional Airport.
According to the criminal complaint, Carver made inappropriate sexual comments and racial slurs toward a flight attendant during the commercial flight. When a passenger overheard and told him to stop, Carver threatened to strike the passenger and threw chewing tobacco from his mouth into the passenger’s face. Another passenger intervened and restrained Carver, allowing flight attendants to place him in zip tie restraints. During the struggle, Carver lunged at a flight attendant, injuring her hand. Carver then freed himself from the restraints, removed his belt, and wrapped it around his knuckles in a threatening manner before flight attendants were able to separate him from the belt.
Carver made his initial appearance in Federal Court in Grand Junction on August 14, 2025, in front of United States Magistrate Judge Richard T. Gurley.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Grand Junction Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Springer.
The charge in the criminal complaint is an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Case Number: 25-mj-199-RTG
Federal Charges Filed Against Pensacola Man for Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Alaisjah Dayshawn Perkins, 22, of Pensacola, Florida, has been indicted in federal court for one count of unlawful transfer and possession of a machine gun and one count of receipt, possession, transfer and production of a firearm which is not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFR&TR) and unserialized. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charges.
Perkins appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon on August 12, 2025, for his arraignment at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida. Trial is scheduled for October 6, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. before United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers.
Perkins faces a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment for each count.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer H. Callahan.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
El Salvadoran national, illegally living in Carrollton, indicted for unlawfully returning to the United StatesRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas – An El Salvadoran national, illegally living in Carrollton, has been charged with unlawfully returning to the United States, announced Eastern District of Texas Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
David Antonio Lopez-Hernandez, 43, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien.
The indictment alleges that on April 18, 2025, Lopez-Hernandez was found in the Eastern District of Texas after having been previously deported.
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, Lopez-Hernandez faces up to 2 years in federal prison and deportation.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stevan Buys.
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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Eau Claire Woman Sentenced to 7 ½ Years for Illegally Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that May X. Kong, 42, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 7 ½ years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Kong pled guilty to this charge on May 7, 2025.
On July 4, 2024, Eau Claire police officers stopped a vehicle that Kong was riding in after it left the house of a known methamphetamine dealer. Inside the vehicle’s center console, officers found a loaded SCCY CPX-2 9mm handgun. Officers also found a small amount of methamphetamine. Kong admitted to police that the gun belonged to her. Kong is prohibited from legally possessing a firearm because of prior felony convictions.
At Kong’s sentencing, Judge Conley found that a substantial sentence was necessary because this was Kong’s third conviction for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon. Judge Conley was particularly concerned that Kong was returned to crime only a few months after being released from state prison.
The charge against Kong was the result of an investigation conducted by the West Central Drug Task Force, Eau Claire Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Clark County Sheriff’s Department. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force also assisted with the case. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force consists of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Levins prosecuted the case.
Federal criminal cases involving firearms 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).
Earling Man Sentenced to Four Months in Federal Prison for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – An Earling, Iowa, man was sentenced on August 15, 2025, to four months in federal prison for wire fraud.
According to public court documents, from September 2021 to October 2022, Mitch William Gross, 34, defrauded his employer, Ruan Transportation Corporation, by using business-related credit cards for personal purchases, including prepaid gift cards, Pokemon cards, and gaming items. Gross submitted falsified receipts and mischaracterized fraudulent charges on his expense reports so that the purchases appeared as legitimate business expenses. His fraudulent purchases totaled over $140,000.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Gross will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Gross was also ordered to pay $146,590.15 in restitution.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Des Moines Police Department.
Eagle Butte Woman Sentenced to 11 Years in Federal Prison for Voluntary ManslaughterRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a woman from Eagle Butte, South Dakota, who was convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter. The sentencing took place on August 11, 2025.
Jaclyn Blue Coat, age 26, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Blue Coat was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2024. She pleaded guilty on May 15, 2025.
On September 24, 2024, Blue Coat stabbed the father of her children with a knife in the left upper chest, causing his death. The incident occurred during an argument on the deck outside the victim’s residence in Dupree, South Dakota, within the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.
Blue Coat was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Eagle Butte Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Abuse of a MinorRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a man from Eagle Butte, South Dakota, who was convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. The sentencing took place on August 4, 2025.
Dion Michael Brown, age 55, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Brown will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
Brown was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2023. He pleaded guilty on April 21, 2025.
Between May 1, 2020, and October 2, 2022, Brown engaged in a sexual relationship with the victim while they were living in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, within the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. During this period, Brown was between 50 and 52 years old, and the victim was between 13 and 15 years old.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.
Brown was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
District of Arizona Charges 161 Individuals with Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from August 9, 2025, through August 15, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 161 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 79 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 71 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 10 cases against 11 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Isidro Calleros-Sotelo: On August 11, Isidro Calleros-Sotelo was charged by criminal complaint with Re-entry of a Removed Alien. Calleros-Sotelo had been previously removed from the United States in 2024 after being convicted of Conspiracy to Transport and Harbor Illegal Aliens for Financial Gain in the United States District Court, District of Arizona. In that case, Calleros-Sotelo was sentenced to 15 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. [Case Number: 25-MJ-08396]
United States v. Mario Alberto Rodriguez-Herrera: On August 13, a Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Deputy performed a traffic stop on Mario Alberto Rodriguez-Herrera. Border Patrol Agents responded to the scene to conduct an immigration inspection and determined that the back seat passenger in the car was a citizen of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Rodriguez-Herrera initially claimed to be a Lawfully Admitted Permanent Resident (LAPR), and later explained that he “shared” a LAPR card with a friend who has similar physical attributes. However, when agents found a LAPR card bearing the name “Mario Rodriguez" located inside Rodriguez-Herrera’s vehicle, they determined that it was a fraudulent document. Agents then confirmed that Rodriguez-Herrera was a citizen of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Rodriguez-Herrera was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien and Fraud and Misuse of Visas, Permits and Other Documents. [Case Number: 25-MJ-08447]
United States v. Ricardo Daniel Villalobos-Cardenas: On August 14, Ricardo Daniel Villalobos-Cardenas was charged with Conspiracy to Transport and Harbor Illegal Aliens, for his role in an alien smuggling conspiracy that involved picking up aliens in southern Arizona and transporting them to a stash house in Phoenix. Villalobos-Cardenas was identified as both the caretaker of the stash house and someone who transported illegal aliens. [Case Number: 25-MJ-3060]
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-136_August 15 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Defendant Convicted of Sex-Trafficking of Women at Notorious “Penn Track” in Brooklyn and the Coercion and Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
BROOKLYN, NY – Earlier today, a federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Joel David Forney, also known as “Sirbar,” on two counts of sex trafficking for using force, fraud and coercion to cause two women to work as prostitutes, including at an open-air sex trafficking market along a stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in East New York known as the Penn Track, as well as related charges for transporting a woman to and from New York and other states, including Connecticut and Wisconsin, with the intent that she engage in prostitution. Forney was also found guilty of coercion and enticement of a minor with whom he had sexual intercourse in 2014 when he was 31 years old. The verdict was returned after a five-day trial before United States District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto. When sentenced, Forney faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, and up to life, in prison.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; and Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the verdict.
“The jury found that Forney used violence and threats to compel women to engage in commercial sex acts at the Penn Track for his own profit, and enticed a vulnerable minor into having sex with him” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Our Office will relentlessly pursue those, like the defendant, who engage in sex trafficking, and I commend the survivors of Forney’s depraved conduct who bravely assisted law enforcement in bringing him to justice."
Mr. Nocella also expressed his thanks to the FBI/NYPD Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force for their outstanding investigative work on the case.
“The defendant used violence and threats of violence to compel his victims to engage in commercial sex for his profit,” stated Assistant Attorney General Dhillon. “There is no place in a civilized society for the defendant’s inhumane conduct, and the Justice Department is committed to punishing human trafficking and achieving justice for its victims.”
“Joel Forney lured and forced women into commercial sexual acts with multiple individuals for his own profit and personally sought out and sexually abused a minor. Forney mercilessly punished and threatened extreme violence to induce compliance from his trafficked victims. May today’s conviction empower survivors of sexual violence and emphasize the FBI’s intolerance of those who seek to profit from another’s abuse,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia.
As proven at trial, Forney used false promises to lure women into his trafficking business. Forney then compelled these women to engage in commercial sex with men while keeping their earnings for himself. If the women refused, Forney subjected them to physical abuse and threatened to hurt or kill them if they did not comply. Forney showed one victim an image on his cellphone of a dismembered woman and stated, “this is what happens to whores who don’t obey their pimps.”
The evidence also showed that the defendant lured a third victim, a minor whom he met in June 2014 near his then-home in Queens, New York, by sending her romantic and sexual text messages. Forney and the minor victim discussed her life as a teenager, including her school and her relationship with her parents, and the defendant repeatedly offered her money. Once in his house, Forney had sex with the victim, even though he was 31 years old, and she was no more than 15 years old.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Antoinette N. Rangel, Lauren A. Bowman, and Trial Attorney Leah Branch of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Chelsea Guzman and additional assistance from Victim Witness Coordinator Huda Abouchaer and Victim Witness Specialist Kristina Marius.
The Defendant:
JOEL DAVID FORNEY (also known as “Sirbar”)
Age: 42
Kissimmee, FloridaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-146 (KAM)
DeLand Man Sentenced for Convenience Store RobberyRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Tyrese Littles (25, DeLand) to seven years and three months in federal prison for Hobbs Act robbery. The court also ordered Littles to forfeit $10,000, which represented the proceeds of the robbery, and to pay the same amount in restitution to the victim. Littles pleaded guilty on May 13, 2025.
According to court documents, on March 3, 2024, Littles orchestrated and served as the getaway driver for the robbery of a gas station convenience store in DeLand. During the robbery, one of the accomplices held what appeared to be a Glock firearm to the back of the store clerk’s head while demanding money. The robbers took $10,000 and ran out of the convenience store to a nearby parking lot, where Littles was waiting for them in his SUV.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, and the DeLand Police Department. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Del Mastro.
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.
Darin D. Smith Appointed to Serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of WyomingRead the Press Release
CHEYENNE, WY – The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Darin D. Smith has taken the oath of office—administered by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Kelly H. Rankin on Monday—to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Wyoming. U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi appointed Mr. Smith to serve as interim U.S. Attorney.
The United States Attorney’s Office is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the District of Wyoming, including all criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits brought by or against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers.
The Office is involved in several programs designed to make Wyoming communities safer including Project Safe Childhood, Operation Take Back America, and the Victim Witness Program dedicated to ensuring victims of federal crimes and their family members are treated with compassion, fairness, and respect.
Mr. Smith was elected to represent District 6 in the Wyoming State Senate in November 2024. He has practice law in Wyoming since 2000 and is the founding member of the Smith Group Law Office. Smith has also worked with major non-profit organizations like the Family Research Council during that time.
Smith received a B.S. from the University of Wyoming in 1996 and J.D. from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 2000. He earned Honorable Mention Academic All-American honors while a member of the University of Wyoming wrestling team.
“I am honored to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming and thank Attorney General Bondi for placing her trust in me. It is a privilege to lead this great office, and I look forward to working with our federal, state, and local partners to protect the public and defend the interests of the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Darin D. Smith.
Crypto Influencer Sentenced to Prison for Multi-Million Dollar “Cryptojacking” SchemeRead the Press Release
Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Charles O. Parks III, also known as “CP3O,” was sentenced by United States District Judge Eric Komitee to one year and one day in prison for operating a large-scale illegal “cryptojacking” operation. As part of the scheme, Parks defrauded two well-known providers of cloud computing services out of more than $3.5 million worth of computing resources so that he could mine cryptocurrency worth nearly $1 million. Parks was charged with wire fraud, money laundering, and engaging in unlawful monetary transactions in connection with the scheme and pleaded guilty to wire fraud in December 2024. As part of the sentence, Parks was ordered to forfeit $500,000 and a Mercedes Benz luxury car purchased with proceeds from the scheme. The amount of restitution will be determined at a later date.
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 Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD) announced the sentence.
“Parks branded himself as an innovator and a thought leader, but in the end he was merely a fraudster whose secret to getting rich quick was lying and stealing,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “This Office remains committed to prosecuting criminal actors who take advantage of new, sophisticated technologies to engage in fraud and deceit.”
Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the FBI’s New York Cyber Crimes Task Force (CCTF).
“Charles Parks III stole more than $3.5 million worth of resources to illegally mine another million in cryptocurrency for personal luxurious purchases,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia. “While Parks gloated across social media platforms, he failed to mention his purported success was rooted in deceit and theft. May today's sentencing reaffirm the FBI's steadfast commitment to dismantling any cryptojacking operation that targets legitimate companies for nefarious reasons.”
“Charles Parks manipulated technology, stole millions in computer resources, and illegally mined cryptocurrency—and today’s sentencing holds him fully accountable for his deceitful actions,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “I am grateful to the NYPD and FBI investigators for their dedication, and I commend the prosecutors for their tireless efforts in securing this meaningful prison sentence. We will continue to work with all of our law enforcement partners to bring to justice anyone who seeks to undermine the integrity of our financial institutions.”
“Cryptojacking,” also referred to as malicious cryptomining, is the unauthorized use or hijacking of another party’s resources, such as electricity, hardware, or computing power, to mine cryptocurrency. According to court filings and facts presented at today’s sentencing, from in or about January 2021 through August 2021, Parks operated a large-scale “cryptojacking” operation in which he defrauded two well-known providers of cloud computing services out of more than $3.5 million worth of computing resources in order to mine nearly $1 million in cryptocurrency.
Parks created and used a variety of names, corporate affiliations, and email addresses, including emails with domains from corporate entities he operated called “MultiMillionaire LLC” and “CP3O LLC,” to register numerous accounts with the service providers and to gain access to massive amounts of computing processing power and storage that he did not pay for. Parks also deceived the providers into approving heightened privileges and benefits, including elevated levels of computing services, and deflected inquiries from the providers regarding questionable data usage and mounting unpaid subscription balances. For example, Parks told one provider that he was using the computing resources to build “a global online training company that focuses on media, technology, and business strategy” and that his goal was “to serve 10,000 students simultaneously.” In reality, there was no training company, and there were no students. Parks instead used the fraudulently obtained computing resources to mine various cryptocurrencies including Ether, Litecoin, and Monero.
Parks then converted and laundered the cryptocurrency proceeds through cryptocurrency exchanges, a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace, an online payment provider, and traditional bank accounts, and structured money movements to avoid transaction reporting requirements under federal law. After converting the ill-gotten cryptocurrency into dollars, Parks used the proceeds to make extravagant purchases, including a Mercedes-Benz, jewelry, and first-class hotel rooms, and to pay travel expenses.
Parks boasted about his profits so as to earn credibility as a crypto influencer. In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel in September 2022, Parks purported to share tips for achieving what he called a “MultiMillionaire Mentality.” Describing the fraudulent scheme, Parks boasted that, “Last year I set a goal for myself that I wanted to make seven digits or more, and so I spent the first ten days of the year creating a—we’ll just call it a really nice crypto script—that I was able to use at scale. And after working that ten days, let’s just put it this way, I didn’t work the rest of the year.” He later added that, “…by April, I purchased myself a Mercedes Benz AMG S class coup.”
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Reich is in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Wayne Colon.
The Defendant:
CHARLES O. PARKS III (also known as “CP3O”)
Age: 46
Omaha, NebraskaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-105 (EK)
Court Sentences Mexican Drug Smuggler Caught on the High Seas with Approximately 1,148 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
On August 14, 2025, United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced Adrian Palomeque Gordillo, a Mexican national, to 108 months’ imprisonment for smuggling 1,148 kilograms of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean following his prior guilty plea on the charges.
Court documents show that on September 24, 2024, while on routine patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) helicopter from the USCG Cutter Munro spotted a suspected drug trafficking vessel in international waters, approximately 160 nautical miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico. The helicopter signaled the vessel to stop and eventually fired warning shots which were ineffective in stopping the vessel. The helicopter then shot out the engines of the vessel to stop the drug smuggling boat. Helicopter crew then recorded video of the drug smugglers jettisoning packages while the boat was disabled.
USCG personnel launched a Zodiac boat from the Cutter and boarded the vessel. USCG personnel recovered 24 bales from the water surrounding the drug smuggling vessel, which yielded a weight of approximately 1,148 kilograms of cocaine.
Gordillo and four other smugglers were taken into custody from the vessel and transferred to USCG Cutter Munro with the cocaine and brought to the United States for prosecution under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act. The vessel was deemed a danger to navigation due to no suitable tow points and its distance from land. Consequently, the vessel was sunk upon completion of law enforcement activities.
The case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant United States Attorney George F. May prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
California Man Sentenced for Enticing Minors to Create Child PornographyRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A man from Santa Ana, California, was sentenced today for Production of Child Pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge John F. Heil, III, sentenced Alejandro Gomez, 32, to 180 months imprisonment, followed by lifetime supervised release. Upon his release, Gomez will also be required to register as a sex offender.
“Despite living more than a thousand miles away from the victims, the internet allowed Gomez to entice minor boys into sending him nude photos and videos,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “While we use the internet daily, child predators abuse the internet to gain access to children.”
“I commend the work of the FBI and our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in securing justice for the victims in this case, and for ensuring this vile predator faces accountability,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater. “Together, we will continue to aggressively pursue those who exploit children for their own sick gratification.”
According to court documents, the FBI received a tip from a 15-year-old minor victim and their parent in June 2024. The minor victim told agents that he was sharing sexually explicit material with an adult woman. Through court-authorized search warrants, agents discovered that Gomez used two different social media names and presented himself online as an adult woman who was interested in minor boys.
The investigation revealed that Gomez sought out a 16-year-old minor victim before the 15-year-old, and he immediately began grooming the 16-year-old. Their chats became sexual, and Gomez shared sexual images of an adult woman that he was pretending to be. The minor victim, in return, shared sexually explicit photos or videos of themselves. Gomez further persuaded the minor victim to create a chatroom and to invite their friends. This allowed Gomez to meet other minor victims that he ultimately enticed to produce sexually explicit images and photos of themselves for several months.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) operates a CyberTipline. It is the nation’s centralized reporting system for suspected child sexual exploitation. Online enticement can involve enticing a child to share sexually explicit images, to meet in person for sexual purposes, to engage in sexual role playing, and, in some instances, selling or trading the child’s sexual images with others.
Child predators may use a variety of tactics when enticing a child online. The CyberTipline reports that children are often approached on social media, gaming, or other online platforms. They frequently look for information about the child that is publicly available online, like the child’s school, interests, topics posted, or photos of their location. Typically, when initial contact is made, the perpetrator will persuade the child into switching applications in an attempt to keep the messaging private.
In May, President Donald J. Trump signed the TAKEITDOWN Act into law. This Act requires certain online platforms to promptly remove sexually explicit images of a child, whether authentic or computer-generated. If you believe sexually explicit photos of you are online, you can request that they be taken down through NCMEC here.
Gomez will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Jiang 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.
Butte woman pleads guilty to drug chargesRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – A Butte woman accused of distributing fentanyl admitted to charges yesterday, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The defendant, Brooke Rose Louise Cardonia, 33, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Cardonia faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least 5 years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for December 18, 2025. Cardonia was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that between February 2023 and March 2025, members of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) transported fentanyl into Montana for distribution. The DTO did so in part by utilizing local contacts in Montana, one of which was Cardonia. Cardonia both facilitated the distribution of fentanyl and connected a co-defendant to contacts in Montana that aided in the distribution efforts of the DTO.
In November 2024, Cardonia was arrested after a series of fentanyl overdoses occurred in Butte, MT, based on information developed by law enforcement that Cardonia supplied those victims with fentanyl. Cardonia spoke with law enforcement at that time and advised she worked with members of the DTO for the past two to three years to distribute fentanyl in Montana. Cardonia said the DTO provided her with a local resupply connection in Butte via her employment. She admitted using the connection to receive fentanyl from the DTO, which she then distributed.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Lowney and Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. Homeland Security Investigations, Southwest Montana Drug Task Force, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, DEA and IRS conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Broken Arrow Resident Sentenced for Failure to Register as Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Dale Lynn Taylor, age 60, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, was sentenced to a term of 30 months in prison, followed by 10 years of Supervised Release, for one count of Failure to Register as Sex Offender.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force.
On March 19, 2025, Taylor pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, Taylor was convicted of Rape-Second Degree in the State of Oklahoma on May 28, 2014, and was required to register as a sex offender, and that from April 2, 2019, until July 8, 2024, Taylor failed to register and update his registration despite entering, leaving, or residing in Indian country, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Taylor will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dak T. Cohen represented the United States.
Blanchard Man who Shared ISIS Propaganda Online Sentenced to Serve a Decade in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography and Communicating a Threat to Bomb SynagoguesRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – LANDON KYLE SWINFORD, age 20, of Blanchard, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to serve 120 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography and communicating a threat, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to public records, on May 18, 2023, Swinford made contact with an undercover law enforcement officer (UC) after posting Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) propaganda on social media. Swinford communicated with the UC through October 22, 2023, during which time he expressed a desire to travel overseas to fight with ISIS. Swinford also scouted out Gaylord Memorial Stadium at the University of Oklahoma for a possible terror attack, and suggested a Walmart or the city of New Orleans be targeted for attack as well. Additionally, Swinford sent the UC a manifesto and an ISIS Bayat video in which he pledged his allegiance to ISIS and burned an Israeli flag.
Through the course of the investigation, the FBI learned that Swinford had multiple social media accounts. On October 23, 2023, Swinford posted a public statement on Instagram that read “CAST FEAR INTO THE HEARTS OF THE KUFFAR THIS HALLOWEEN Dress up as your favorite mujahideen and bomb a synagogue.”
During the investigation, the FBI also learned that the known IP address and two accounts of Swinford were found to have accessed child pornography in April and July of 2023. Swinford later confessed to having possessed and shared child pornography. On July 17, 2024, a federal Grand Jury charged Swinford with possession of child pornography and with communicating a threat.
“The egregious conduct of this defendant stands in direct violation of our core values and must be confronted with the full force of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. “The Justice Department remains unwavering in its commitment to protect children and defend our communities from the vile, hateful rhetoric exposed in this case. This sentence sends an unmistakable message: those who exploit the internet to target the vulnerable and spread fear will face swift and severe consequences.”
“In an apparent pledge of loyalty to ISIS, the defendant used his access to the internet to make threats of violence against innocent Americans,” said FBI Oklahoma City Acting Special Agent in Charge Sonia Garcia. “The sentence handed down today reflects the deliberate and calculated nature of his crimes, which also include viewing child pornography. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate this kind of egregious behavior, and we will continue to respond to all threats with the utmost urgency.”
Swinford pleaded guilty on November 13, 2024, and admitted he knowingly possessed material containing child pornography, including images of prepubescent children, and that he knowingly transmitted a communication containing a threat to injure another person.
At the sentencing hearing on August 14, 2025, U.S. District Judge Charles Goodwin sentenced Swinford to serve 120 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge Goodwin noted the seriousness of the offenses, that Swinford had specifically targeted Synagogues and people of the Jewish faith, Swinford’s willingness to fight for ISIS, his distribution of child pornography, and that Swinford had direct contact with minors in which he had discussions and traded pictures of a sexual nature.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Edmond Police Department, the McClain County Sheriff’s Office, the New York City Police Department, the Norman Police Department, the Oklahoma City Community College Police Department, the Oklahoma City Police Department, the Oklahoma City University Police Department, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the University of Oklahoma Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Dillon prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Bar Argument Which Ended in a Shooting Yields Prison TimeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Duarte Santos, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on August 15, 2025, in Superior Court, to 13 years in prison, for assault and related firearms charges, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Santos pleaded guilty on April 24, 2025, to aggravated assault while armed, possession of firearm during violence, assault with a dangerous weapon, and carrying a pistol without a license outside of home/business. The Honorable Judge Brandt Rainey, of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, sentenced Santos to 13 years in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 11:30 p.m., on July 5, 2024, Santos open fired a handgun toward three victims in a bar and restaurant at 3521 14th St NW. Specifically, officers viewed the establishment’s surveillance video and observed the defendant sitting inside the establishment at the bar. He then proceeded up the stairs and appeared to have a verbal exchange with two individuals. A fight between one individual and Santos broke out. During the fight, Santos took a firearm from his waistband and discharged a single round, at which point a bar employee threatened to call the police.
Santos left the bar but then returned a few minutes later and started shooting at the two men that he had been in a verbal dispute with earlier and the bar employee who told him to leave. One victim realized he was shot shortly after the shots were fired and was taken to a hospital.
Santos was arrested on July 5, 2024 and has been in custody since.
Joining the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Pericak Ginsburg and Anthony Cocuzza, who prosecuted the case.
Armed Robber Found Guilty of Robbing His Former EmployerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Stephon Martin, 25, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty yesterday for, stemming from his April 15, 2025, attack on his former employer, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
On August 14, 2025, after a jury trial in Superior Court, Martin was convicted of one count each of robbery while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with significant bodily injury while armed, and felony destruction of property. Superior Court Judge Judith Pipe scheduled sentencing for November 7, 2025.
On October 18, 2024, Martin was employed as a cashier at the victim’s tobacco store in Northwest Washington, D.C. Faced with budgetary constraints, the store’s owner had to lay Martin off, and Martin reacted with extreme violence. Martin mercilessly beat the victim for several minutes before taking the cash out of the victim’s pocket and leaving the store. While the victim was still in shock, Martin returned to the store about 30 minutes later and entered using his employee key which he did not originally surrender. After entering the store the second time, Martin mercilessly beat the victim again. This time, Martin picked up a wooden board and smashed it over the victim’s head several times and forced the victim to surrender additional money from the cash register. Martin then picked up a shelving unit containing several thousand dollars’ worth of merchandise and left the store with it.
Joining the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the conviction, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Dal Lago, who prosecuted the case and Augustin Horner who investigated the case.
Armed Drug Dealer on Federal Supervised Release Is Sentenced to 25 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Torrey Lane Hodsden, 28, of Asheville, was sentenced to 300 months in prison yesterday followed by five years of supervised release for using a gun in furtherance of drug trafficking and other charges, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which oversees the Charlotte District Office, and Chief Michael Lamb of the Asheville Police Department, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents and the sentencing hearing, in March 2023, law enforcement began to investigate Hodsden for drug trafficking in the Asheville area. Authorities also determined Hodsden was on federal probation in South Carolina. On March 7, 2023, the Asheville Police Department attempted a traffic stop on Hodsden, but he fled and evaded his arrest. Officers then obtained warrants and conducted a traffic stop of Hodsden who was in a different vehicle. During a search of Hodsden, law enforcement recovered a loaded XDS .45 caliber pistol loaded with five rounds of ammunition and more than $3,694 in cash. Officers then searched the vehicle and recovered $44,661 in cash, methamphetamine, and marijuana from Hodsden’s Gucci bag. Later that day, law enforcement searched Hodsden’s Jaguar where they found 18 large vacuum sealed bags containing over a pound of marijuana, nearly 200 tablets of a mixture containing cathinone, over 100 grams of methamphetamine, fentanyl mixed with cocaine, and various separate amounts of fentanyl and cocaine. A search warrant was executed at Hodsden’s residence where law enforcement seized nearly half a kilogram of methamphetamine, over three pounds of marijuana, fentanyl, fentanyl mixed with cocaine and methamphetamine, digital scales, a blender with white residue, ammunition, and $7,210 in cash.
On November 19, 2024, Hodsden pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Hodsden will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until he is transferred to a designated federal facility of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the DEA and the Asheville Police Department for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hess with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.
Arizona CEO Indicted for Embezzling over $2.4M from Employee Benefit PlansRead the Press Release
An indictment unsealed today in the District of Maryland charges an Arizona man with embezzling more than $2.4 million from an Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) benefit plan and related money laundering offenses.
According to court documents, James Vincent Campbell, 47, of Scottsdale, Arizona, is CEO and founder of Axim Fringe Solutions Group, LLC (Axim), a company that processes employee benefits for employees of federal contractors. At the time of the alleged thefts, the company was headquartered in Maryland.
The indictment alleges Axim’s clients sent funds to the company to pay for health insurance premiums and 401(k) retirement contributions. Axim was responsible for forwarding those funds to insurance carriers and retirement accounts, charging clients a contractual fee of $40 per employee per month for its services.
Before forwarding the funds, Campbell allegedly pooled them in a master trust account. Between 2015 and 2024, he made 135 unauthorized withdrawals – totaling $2,486,905 – beyond the legitimate fees owed to Axim. Campbell used a significant portion of the stolen funds for personal expenses including big game hunting trips in Alaska, Africa, and other locations; taxidermy fees; jewelry; casino gambling; and direct payments to his girlfriend.
The indictment charges Campbell with a single count of theft from an ERISA plan and eleven counts of money laundering.
If convicted, Campbell faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison for each count of money laundering and up to five years for theft from an ERISA plan. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Acting Assistant Secretary Janet Dhillon of the Labor Department’s Employee Benefits Security Administration made the announcement.
The Employments Benefits Security Administration of the Labor Department is investigating the case, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service Investigative Operations Section.
Trial Attorneys Vincent Falvo and Jared Hernandez of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
American ex-pat pleads guilty to groping fellow airline passengerRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An American residing in the United Arab Emirates pled guilty yesterday to abusive sexual contact aboard an aircraft in flight.
According to court documents, on June 6, Darrell Ray Seale, 56, was a passenger aboard a flight from Boston Logan International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Shortly after ascent, Seale intentionally touched himself and another passenger in a sexual manner without the victim’s consent.
After the victim gestured for Seale to stop, Seale removed his hand, but later again started touching the victim without the victim’s consent. Shortly afterward, the victim notified a flight attendant and was reseated for the remainder of the flight. Seale’s actions were witnessed by a third passenger.
Seale is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 5 and faces up to two years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Joshua P. Stone, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Counterterrorism Division, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Clement and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Morgan are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-193.
Albuquerque Man Sentenced for Violent Retail Robbery SpreeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque man was sentenced to 22 years in prison for committing a series of armed robberies that targeted retail stores across the city in 2023.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, between July 11 and September 16, 2023, Demetrius Antonnie Bailey, 41, and an accomplice committed a series of armed robberies at Harbor Freight Tools, multiple Metro by T-Mobile locations, a T-Mobile store, a Verizon store, and a JC Penney. During the robberies, they brandished a BB gun, a toy gun, and, in one instance, a real handgun to threaten employees and security while stealing electronics, cell phones, cash, and clothing valued at tens of thousands of dollars.
At the time of his arrest on September 28, 2023, Bailey, a repeat violent offender with prior armed robbery convictions, was in possession of a stolen firearm.
Bailey pleaded guilty to 10 counts, including interference with commerce by robbery, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. Upon his release from prison, Bailey will be subject to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department and New Mexico Department of Justice. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Elena Stiteler and Natasha Moghadam are prosecuting the case.
- Admitted gang member and felon imprisoned for possessing rifles
Alabama Man Indicted for Traveling to Florida to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with a MinorRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Justin William Gifford, 26, of Enterprise, Alabama, has been indicted in federal court on one count of attempted enticement of a minor, one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to minors, and one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges.
Gifford is scheduled for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick on August 19, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. in Tallahassee, Florida.
If convicted as charged, Gifford faces up to life imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Panama City Beach Police Department, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric K Mountin.
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 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 and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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.
232 New Immigration Cases This Week in the Western District of TexasRead 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 232 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Aug. 8 through 14.
Two Mexican nationals were arrested in Seguin on Aug. 8, when they were caught allegedly transporting 137 kgs of methamphetamine and 7.5 kgs of heroin. A Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office K9 deputy conducted a traffic stop on Roberto Moreno-Rangel and Martin Gomez-Cisneros near the intersection of Highway 90 and Interstate Highway 10. After the two individuals allegedly provided conflicting stories to the deputy, the K9 conducted an open-air sniff inspection of the vehicle and allegedly alerted to the presence of illegal narcotics on the rear driver side fender well area of the vehicle. Further investigation of the vehicle allegedly revealed 48 bundles concealed in an aftermarket compartment. 47 of the bundles were allegedly found to contain methamphetamine, while the remaining bundle allegedly contained heroin. Charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, Moreno-Rangel and Gomez-Cisneros each face 10 years to life in prison, if convicted.
Among the new cases, Mexican national Heriberto Monsivais Lopez aka Erik Lopez, was arrested in San Antonio as part of an investigation into firearms trafficking to Mexico. On Wednesday, Homeland Security Investigations agents, along with officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety (TX DPS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, allegedly observed Monsivais Lopez sell two 9mm pistols and 28.93 g of suspected cocaine. He was previously removed from the U.S. to Mexico on March 14, 2019. Monsivais Lopez is charged with one count of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years imprisonment.
Salvadoran national Samuel Chulo-Aguilar was charged with illegal re-entry in Del Rio, having been previously deported in 2012 through Phoenix, Arizona. In 2007, Chulo-Aguilar was sentenced to six years in prison following a conviction in Los Angeles, California, for lewd acts with a child under 14.
In Austin, Honduran national Jose Carcamo-Santos was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after he was arrested during a traffic stop by TX DPS on Aug. 9. Carcamo-Santos is charged with illegal re-entry and has been removed from the U.S. seven times between 2004 and 2022. He’s been thrice convicted for illegal re-entry and has three other convictions for controlled substance charges.
Rosell Bladimir Ortiz-Garcia, also a Honduran national, was arrested and charged with illegal re-entry in Eagle Pass. Ortiz-Garcia has been deported seven times, the last one being on Feb. 26, after being convicted for assault causing bodily injury.
Victor Aaron Vargas-Leon, a Mexican national, was arrested near El Indio on Aug. 10 and charged with transporting illegal aliens. A criminal complaint alleges that Border Patrol agents found three illegal aliens and another deceased individual in the brush. Vargas-Leon was allegedly determined to be a foot guide for the group.
In El Paso, Mexican national Victor Hugo Lopez-Murillo was allegedly found in a storm drain just over a mile west of the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry. He is charged with illegal re-entry, having been previously removed from the U.S. four times, the last time being in February following a felony conviction for trespassing in a habitation.
Mexican national Jorge Santillan-De La Cruz was arrested in El Paso and charged with illegal re-entry after he allegedly applied for admission into the U.S., presenting himself as a U.S. citizen who had lost his documents in Mexico. Customs and Border Protection officers found that Santillan-De La Cruz had previously been removed from the U.S. for the fourth time in March. Additionally, he has been convicted five times for theft and burglary offenses and twice for illegal re-entry.
Raul Robledo, a U.S. citizen, was charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens after allegedly being observed acting as a look-out during a failed alien smuggling scheme in El Paso on Aug. 4. A criminal complaint alleges that, during the scheme, Border Patrol agents responded to subjects exiting a storm drain and observed multiple vehicles suspected of being involved in the smuggling operation. One subject was allegedly observed lifting the storm drain grate, then dropping it, injuring a female subject who was later transported to a hospital with finger amputations and a head injury. Border Patrol agents located four additional illegal aliens inside the storm drain. Further investigation revealed that Robledo had allegedly fled the scene and had served as a look-out on three other occasions.
Mexican national Luis Heriberto Baca-Baca was arrested while crossing the Rio Grande River with nine other individuals determined to be in the U.S. illegally. Baca-Baca allegedly served as the foot guide for the group and had been observed entering the U.S. illegally with a group of 14 individuals the day prior.
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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14 August 2025
West Memphis Resident to Spend 10 Years in Prison Following Second Federal Felon in Possession of Firearms ConvictionRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—A second federal firearm conviction has resulted in Christopher Grays spending the next 120 months in prison. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the 10-year sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.
A federal grand jury indicted Grays, 25, of West Memphis, on June 6, 2024, on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Grays pleaded guilty to the charge on February 4, 2025. Judge Moody also imposed three years of supervised release to follow the prison sentence, which was a significant upward variance from the recommended sentencing range. There is no parole in the federal system.
Judge Moody previously sentenced Grays to 46 months’ imprisonment on November 16, 2020, in Grays’ first federal case, again for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Grays was released from federal prison on that sentence on October 4, 2023. He was then arrested in the present case while in possession of two firearms on February 28, 2024, while still on federal supervised release.
On February 28, 2024, according to testimony disclosed at today’s sentencing hearing, West Memphis Police received a call about a female being held against her will and a subject, identified as Grays, being in possession of multiple guns in a West Memphis hotel room. When officers arrived at the hotel room, they encountered Grays at the door and saw an extended ammunition magazine in his back pocket. Grays kicked multiple police officers while they attempted to take him into custody.
After Grays was detained, officers located two firearms in the toilet tank of the hotel bathroom, including one which was loaded with the same ammunition that was in the magazine in Grays’ pocket.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Moody heard details from numerous police reports describing alleged gun violence that involved Grays, which began when he was a juvenile. In a five-year span from 2015-2020, Grays was mentioned in more than 17 police reports, with most detailing violent conduct.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the West Memphis Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Chris Givens prosecuted the case.
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Waterbury Armed Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ELVIN SANTOS, 26, of Waterbury, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for drug distribution and firearm possession offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the U.S. Attorney’s Office adopted three separate state cases involving Santos for federal prosecution.
On March 21, 2021, Waterbury Police observed Santos and others conducting what appeared to be hand-to-hand drug transactions from a car Santos was driving. Law enforcement apprehended Santos and two others, and a search of the car revealed three loaded handguns, additional ammunition, a digital scale, and distribution quantities of fentanyl and crack cocaine.
In June 2021, Waterbury Police obtained a state search warrant based on continued narcotics trafficking by Santos. On July 8, 2021, officers arrived as Santos’s residence to execute the search warrant and stopped Santos as he exited his vehicle. A search of a satchel Santos was carrying revealed approximately 50 grams of crack, 280 baggies of fentanyl, more than 120 narcotic pills, a digital scale, a .40 caliber bullet, and other items. A search of Santos’s car revealed quantities and marijuana, a digital scale, drug packaging material, and other items. A search of his residence revealed more than a kilogram of marijuana, 250 baggies of fentanyl, drug packaging material, gun magazines, empty firearms boxes, and more than $10,000 in cash.
In May 2022, Waterbury Police obtained a state search warrant for Santos based on continued narcotics trafficking. Santos was arrested on June 14, 2022. On that date, a search of a satchel Santos carried revealed more than 900 baggies of fentanyl; quantities of cocaine, crack, and marijuana, and a digital scale. The search of Santos’s residence revealed a .38 caliber revolver, a distribution quantity of marijuana, and more than $2,000 in cash. A related search of stash location Santos and others used on Gilyard Drive in Waterbury revealed more than 5,500 baggies of fentanyl and drug packaging materials.
Santos has been detained since June 14, 2022. On August 3, 2023, he pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and other controlled substances, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
This matter was investigated by the Waterbury Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha M. Freismuth.
Warsaw Man Convicted by JuryRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Late yesterday, Gary Schmucker, 47 years old, of Warsaw, Indiana, was found guilty after a two-day jury trial presided over by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.
The jury returned a verdict of guilty against Schmucker on the sole count of the Indictment charging him with possessing a firearm as an unlawful drug user.Sentencing is scheduled for November 25, 2025, at 10:00 AM. Any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the District Court Judge after consideration of federal statutes and the United States Sentencing Guidelines.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph P. Falvey and Jerome W. McKeever.
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.
Two St. Louis Carjackings Lead to ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men have been indicted and accused of two carjackings in St. Louis in December, and two women have been accused of aiding one of the crimes.
Davion Pruitt, 18, of St. Louis, and Tywone Calvin, 19, of Pine Lawn, were each indicted on July 30 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with two counts of carjacking and two counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Mya Reagan, 19, and Evanna Myers-Taylor, 20, face one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Pruitt, Calvin and Reagan appeared in court Thursday and pleaded not guilty.
The indictment says all four were involved in the armed carjacking of a 2011 Cadillac Escalade on Dec. 23, 2024, in St. Louis. The indictment says Pruit and Calvin stole a 2017 Chevrolet Trax three days later in St. Louis.
Motions seeking to hold Pruitt and Calvin in jail until trial say the first victim met a woman on Facebook and arranged to pick her up in his SUV. She asked him to stop for cigars at a gas station, where two armed men demanded his keys, the motions say. After the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department released the photo of the woman, Reagan was identified as that woman and Myers-Taylor as another passenger in the car, the motion says. The second carjacking victim was alerted by his key fob that something was happening to his vehicle. He went outside and was met by two armed men who took his keys, phone and SUV, the motion says. St. Louis County Police Department officers later spotted the stolen Trax with Pruitt and Calvin inside, the motion says. They arrested Calvin after he crashed the vehicle while fleeing police, the motion says, and arrested Pruitt on Feb. 14, 2025.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie J. Schneider is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations 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.