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11 August 2025
Greenville Man Indicted for Robbing a Bank While on Federal Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Greenville man was indicted for robbing a TD Bank branch in New Ipswich, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
Eric Lord, 54, was indicted on August 6, 2025, on one count of bank robbery. Lord is currently in state custody on related charges. He will appear in federal court on a later date.
According to court records, Lord robbed the TD Bank branch on April 2, 2025. At that time, he was on federal supervised release in connection with robbing the same TD Bank branch in 2014
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain, whichever is greater. 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.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Ipswich Police Department led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Fourteen-Time Convicted Felon Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Todd Wade Powers (38, Middleburg) to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Powers pleaded guilty in April 2025.
According to court documents, on April 30, 2024, deputies with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a gas station regarding a complaint. While there, the deputies observed a car parked near a gas pump and recognized the license plate affixed to the car as one that had been reported stolen out of Jacksonville. The deputies saw an open backpack on the passenger seat of the car along with a firearm and a white powdery substance, later identified as cocaine, at the top of the open backpack. During a search of the car, the deputies found fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana, as well as two loaded firearms.
During the course of their investigation, the deputies were able to tie Powers to the car, and Powers later admitted that the firearms and drugs were his. Powers was previously convicted of 14 felonies, including three counts of possession of controlled substances, two counts of felony petit theft, seven counts of sale or delivery of controlled substances, dealing in stolen property, and false verification of ownership on a pawnbroker transaction form. Therefore, Powers is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.
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.
Founder of Lender Service Provider Pleads Guilty for Role in PPP Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A founder of the lender service provider Blueacorn pleaded guilty today in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief money guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
“During a national emergency, this defendant exploited a taxpayer-funded program that individuals and small businesses desperately needed to survive,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This conviction demonstrates the Department’s ongoing commitment to bring to justice those who would steal from the public fisc to enrich themselves.”
“This defendant had the opportunity to help small businesses overcome tremendous financial hardships during a time of national crisis but instead exploited the system to line his own pockets with taxpayer money,” said Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson. “We will continue to pursue convictions against those fraudsters who preyed upon the generosity of the American people as we struggled through the pandemic.”
“The FBI takes our responsibility to investigate and pursue those who commit fraud for personal gain very seriously,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Reis and others exploited a program meant to keep small businesses afloat during the pandemic. The FBI will continue to work tirelessly to prevent these programs from becoming targets and fight fraud wherever we find it.”
According to court documents, Nathan Reis, 47, of Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, and previously of Arizona, conspired with others to submit false and fraudulent PPP loan applications, including by fabricating documents that falsified income and payroll figures in order to receive loan funds for which they were not eligible.
Reis co-founded Blueacorn in April 2020, purportedly to help small businesses and individuals obtain PPP loans. Through Blueacorn, Reis and his co-conspirators submitted fraudulent PPP loan applications they knew contained materially false information to make more money. Reis and others fabricated documents, including tax documents and bank statements. As part of the conspiracy, Reis and his co-conspirators charged borrower’s fees based on a percentage of the funds received.
Reis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 21 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI, IRS-CI, the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery, Federal Reserve Board-CFPB Office of Inspector General, and SBA OIG investigated the case.
Acting Assistant Chief Philip Trout of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Trial Attorneys Elizabeth Carr and Ryan McLaren of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Weybrecht for the Northern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the PPP. Since the enactment of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 200 defendants in more than 130 criminal cases and has seized over $78 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at www. justice. gov/criminal/criminal-fraud/cares-act-fraud
MLARS’s Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers, and employees, whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www. justice. gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Founder of Lender Service Pleads Guilty for Role in PPP Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A founder of the lender service provider Blueacorn pleaded guilty today in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief money guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
“During a national emergency, this defendant exploited a taxpayer-funded program that individuals and small businesses desperately needed to survive,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This conviction demonstrates the Department’s ongoing commitment to bring to justice those who would steal from the public fisc to enrich themselves.”
“This defendant had the opportunity to help small businesses overcome tremendous financial hardships during a time of national crisis but instead exploited the system to line his own pockets with taxpayer money,” said Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson. “We will continue to pursue convictions against those fraudsters who preyed upon the generosity of the American people as we struggled through the pandemic.”
“The FBI takes our responsibility to investigate and pursue those who commit fraud for personal gain very seriously,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Reis and others exploited a program meant to keep small businesses afloat during the pandemic. The FBI will continue to work tirelessly to prevent these programs from becoming targets and fight fraud wherever we find it.”
According to court documents, Nathan Reis, 47, of Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, and previously of Arizona, conspired with others to submit false and fraudulent PPP loan applications, including by fabricating documents that falsified income and payroll figures in order to receive loan funds for which they were not eligible.
Reis co-founded Blueacorn in April 2020, purportedly to help small businesses and individuals obtain PPP loans. Through Blueacorn, Reis and his co-conspirators submitted fraudulent PPP loan applications they knew contained materially false information to make more money. Reis and others fabricated documents, including tax documents and bank statements. As part of the conspiracy, Reis and his co-conspirators charged borrower’s fees based on a percentage of the funds received.
Reis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 21 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI, IRS-CI, the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery, Federal Reserve Board-CFPB Office of Inspector General, and SBA OIG investigated the case.
Acting Assistant Chief Philip Trout of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Trial Attorneys Elizabeth Carr and Ryan McLaren of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Weybrecht for the Northern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the PPP. Since the enactment of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 200 defendants in more than 130 criminal cases and has seized over $78 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at www. justice. gov/criminal/criminal-fraud/cares-act-fraud.
MLARS’s Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers, and employees, whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www. justice. gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Former Dover Interfaith Mission for Housing Employees Plead Guilty to Stealing Federal FundsRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Attorney Julianne E. Murray announced that on August 8, 2025, Karen D. Wilder, age 39, and her husband, Renwick L. Davis, age 49, of Dover, Delaware, pleaded guilty to theft of public funds for embezzling approximately $600,000 as employees of the Dover Interfaith Mission for Housing (“DIMH”), including federal funds awarded to DIMH to provide services to homeless individuals in Delaware. The Honorable U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Hall accepted the pleas.
According to court documents, between December 2021 and November 2023, Wilder, the former Executive Director of DIMH, and Davis, a Case Manager at DIMH, collectively embezzled approximately $600,000 from DIMH’s bank accounts through a variety of fraudulent means. The stolen funds included federal grant funds awarded to DIMH from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Treasury to provide essential services to individuals in Delaware who were homeless or at risk of homelessness, including emergency housing assistance and critical medical assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Wilder withdrew cash from DIMH’s bank accounts purportedly to provide emergency housing assistance to homeless individuals or individuals at-risk of homelessness. Instead, she deposited the stolen cash directly into her own bank accounts. Wilder and Davis also worked together to deposit approximately $150,000 in DIMH funds directly into Davis’s personal bank account under the guise that those funds would be used to provide rental or mortgage assistance to individuals in need. The defendants spent the stolen funds on luxury goods, shopping, and travel, among other personal expenses. Wilder even directed DIMH funds to pay the mortgage on her personal residence.
“The defendants abused the trust of their positions and stole taxpayer dollars intended to provide essential services to Delaware’s most vulnerable citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “The defendants’ greed deprived homeless individuals across southern Delaware of assistance they desperately needed. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to protect taxpayer dollars and hold fraudsters who exploit government aid for personal gain accountable.”
“Wilder and Davis exploited their positions of trust to divert public funds away from the very individuals and families most in need,” said Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG). HUD OIG will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement partners to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure justice for those harmed by this behavior.
“For years, Karen Wilder and Renwick Davis lived large on the taxpayer’s dime. Not only did they steal hundreds of thousands of dollars, but they prevented those who truly needed these resources from receiving help intended for them. As their guilty pleas show, the FBI and our partners will not tolerate corruption. We remain committed to identifying and pursuing those who violate the public’s trust,” stated FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno.
This case was jointly investigated by the HUD-OIG and FBI Baltimore Field Office’s Wilmington Resident Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William E. LaRosa is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. Case 25-CR-93 and 25-CR-94.
Former Correctional Officer Sentenced on Drug Distribution Resulting in Death ChargesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Santino Bellucci, age 28, of Dickson City, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on August 8, 2025, to 252 months’ imprisonment by Senior United States District Judge Robert D. Mariani for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone and 40 grams and more of fentanyl resulting in death and distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl resulting in death.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, between January 2022 and February 2023, Bellucci and others conspired to distribute controlled substances throughout Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties. On December 18, 2022, Bellucci sold an individual pills and a lethal dose of fentanyl which caused the individual’s death. At the time of the incident, Bellucci was working as a correctional officer at a county facility.
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 case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dunmore Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny Roberts and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Olshefski prosecuted the case.
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Florida Man Charged with Defrauding Lynchburg Doctor Out of Almost $500,000Read the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – Tommie Lee Nelson, 65, of Miramar, Florida, was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Roanoke today and ordered detained on six counts of wire fraud, based on a two-year scheme that defrauded a Lynchburg doctor out of nearly a half million dollars. This arraignment follows Nelson’s initial appearance in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after FBI agents arrested him in July at his home near Miami.
According to the indictment, beginning around April 2020, the victim, a Lynchburg doctor, sought to purchase a commercial building in Danville, Virginia, in partnership with an agricultural cooperative. Nelson represented himself to the victim as a hard money lender who could assist in purchasing the building.
Through Nelson’s lies and machinations, he convinced the victim to wire him several payments from July 2020 and into 2021, ultimately totaling almost $500,000. Despite Nelson’s representations, these payments did not go toward the building purchase. Instead, the indictment alleges Nelson spent the victim’s money at casinos and for his personal benefit. By 2021, the purchase agreement had fallen through, and Nelson stopped responding to the victim’s calls.
In 2024, the victim won a civil judgment against Nelson’s corporation. In entering that judgment, the presiding United States district judge referred the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for criminal investigation. If convicted, faces a maximum punishment of 120 years in federal prison.
United States Attorney C. Todd Gilbert made the announcement today.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Drew O. Inman is prosecuting the case for the United States.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law
First two members of violent drug trafficking organization sentenced to prisonRead the Press Release
Seattle – Two Seattle area men who were significant members of a violent drug trafficking organization were each sentenced to six years in prison today in U.S. District Court in Seattle, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Khaliil Ahmed, aka “Bossup,” 27, was sentenced to 72 months in prison for two counts of illegally possessing firearms. Yohannes Wondimagegnehu, aka “Jon,” 36, was sentenced to 72 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. To each defendant U.S. District Judge John H. Chun noted that, “These are serious offenses.” To Ahmed Judge Chun added, “These offenses carry a maximum of 15 years – serious stuff.” Judge Chun ordered that each man serve three years of supervised release following prison.
Over the course of the year-long investigation law enforcement seized more than 19 kg of fentanyl, 12 firearms, and more than $130,000 in cash. In the arrest operation targeting the group in October 2024, law enforcement seized over 50 firearms to include fully automatic weapons and handguns with Glock switches; thousands of rounds of ammunition, including high-capacity drum magazines, and armor-piercing rounds; several hundred thousand dollars of bulk cash and jewelry; 1 kilogram of fentanyl and 4 kilograms of cocaine.
Each of the defendants sentenced today played different roles in the drug trafficking conspiracy. Khaliil Ahmed, of Kent, Washington, was identified as a member of a drug trafficking conspiracy. One of the charges relates to guns he possessed on August 20, 2023, at the time of a fatal shooting at a hookah bar in South Seattle. Ahmed was injured in the shooting and three others were killed. Ahmed was also involved in a shooting on May 4, 2024, at a First Hill neighborhood apartment. Surveillance video captured Ahmed pointing a gun at the victim. Ahmed is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2022 conviction for illegally possessing and publicly discharging a firearm in a drive-by shooting. When law enforcement served search warrants in this case, they seized two additional Glock firearms from Ahmed’s residence.
Yohannes Wondimagegnehu, aka “Jon,” was identified as a member of the conspiracy and helped to staff an apartment on the edge of Seattle’s University District that was a known drug distribution location. One of the leaders of the conspiracy was gunned down at that location in June 2024. Nevertheless, Wondimagegnehu continued to distribute drugs from that location after the fatal shooting. The murder is still under investigation.
When law enforcement searched Wondimagegnehu’s residence on October 30, 2024, they found eight firearms, various narcotics and drug proceeds. Wondimagegnehu also had a money counting machine for handling his drug proceeds.
In all 14 defendants were arrested in connection with this drug trafficking organization and these are the first two to be sentenced. Seven additional defendants have pleaded guilty and have sentencing hearings in the months ahead. One defendant remains a fugitive. Trial for the lead defendant Ali Kuyateh, aka “Pops,” 50, of Seattle, is expected to be continued to the spring of 2026.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF .
This investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with significant participation by Seattle Police Department (SPD), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington State Patrol (WSP), FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, U.S. Border Patrol, the King County Sheriff’s Office, the Bellevue Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), Everett Police Department, Renton Police Department, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Washington State National Guard, Washington State Gambling Commission, Yakima County Law Enforcement Against Drugs (L.E.A.D) Narcotics and Gang Task Force, and Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle Jensen and Joseph Silvio.
Federal Jury Convicts Man of Burglary and Assault with Intent to Murder on Menominee Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on August 6, 2025, a federal jury in Green Bay found Neegee J. Cloud (age: 32) guilty of burglary and assault with intent to murder in violation of federal law. The offense related to a domestic assault on the Menominee Indian Reservation. Cloud is an enrolled member of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin and formerly resided on the reservation.
The evidence presented at trial showed that on the afternoon of September 20, 2024, the defendant broke into a home in Neopit. Once inside, the defendant attacked his girlfriend, violently beating her unconscious on a bedroom floor. Cloud returned to the bedroom several times over the next twenty minutes, and punched, kicked, and stomped on the victim’s head. Cloud also slammed the victim’s face into the floor.
The trial evidence included video from a camera system inside the home that captured the forced entry and portions of the attacks. The homeowner was alerted by the camera system, saw some of the incident, and contacted tribal police, who responded. The defendant was arrested outside the house.
The evidence also showed that tribal EMS arranged for emergency transport of the victim to a trauma center in Wausau. The victim remained in the intensive care unit for nearly two weeks and was hospitalized for nearly a month. The victim sustained fractured orbital bones and soft tissue injuries to her throat that required intubation while in the ICU to prevent her airway from closing.
Cloud faces a maximum of 10 years in prison on the burglary count and a maximum of 20 years in prison on the assault with intent to murder count when he is sentenced by Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach on November 10, 2025.
The Menominee Tribal Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew J. Maier and Alexander E. Duros prosecuted the case.
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For further information contact:Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
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Eric Grant Sworn in as Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of CaliforniaRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California announced that Eric Grant was sworn in today as the Interim United States Attorney by Chief United States District Judge Troy L. Nunley.
Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed Mr. Grant to be the United States Attorney beginning on Aug. 11, 2025. He is a veteran of the Department of Justice, having served twice in Washington, D.C.: from 1991 to 1993 as an Attorney-Adviser in the Office of Legal Counsel, and from 2017 to 2021 as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). During his tenure at ENRD, Mr. Grant supervised more than a hundred Department litigators advancing the interests of the United States and its agencies in both enforcement and defensive matters, both civil and criminal.
“I am honored to rejoin the Department of Justice to lead an excellent team of lawyers and other public servants in our shared mission to enhance public safety and the rule of law in Northern California. I look forward to working with that team and with our federal, state, local, and tribal partners in law enforcement and otherwise to accomplish that mission,” U.S. Attorney Grant said.
In addition to his service in the Department, Mr. Grant has decades of experience in private practice in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento. That experience includes arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court, the California Supreme Court, and numerous other federal and state courts.
Mr. Grant served as a law clerk to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger (retired) and Associate Justice Clarence Thomas during the Supreme Court’s October 1994 Term. Earlier he served as a law clerk to Judge Edith H. Jones of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Houston, Texas.
Mr. Grant grew up in Modesto, California, and raised his family in Sacramento County. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics (1986) and a law degree (1990).
The United States Attorney serves as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Eastern District of California and is responsible for prosecuting federal criminal cases and representing the United States in civil litigation. The Eastern District encompasses 34 counties throughout the Central Valley and the Sierra, from the Oregon border in the north to the Los Angeles County line in the south. The office has 72 attorneys and 61 non-attorney staff with offices in Sacramento, Fresno, and Bakersfield.
Ellsworth Man Sentenced for Trafficking Methamphetamine in Downeast MaineRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: An Ellsworth man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiring to commit money laundering.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Jeremy Kane, 38, to 87 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Kane pleaded guilty on February 12, 2025.
According to court records, from May 2022 through May 2023, Kane and others conspired to traffic methamphetamine in Maine. A source in California would mail shipments of methamphetamine to Maine for distribution in Downeast Maine. Proceeds from the sale of the methamphetamine were sent to the source using various money services, including Walmart2Walmart, Cash App, and Venmo. A co-conspirator enlisted the aid of Kane and others to use their identifications and accounts to receive the money. This was done to conceal and disguise the source’s involvement in the transactions and the money laundering.
The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Postal Service, Ellsworth Police Department, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, Holden Police Department, and Hancock County Sheriff’s Office.
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Doña Ana Man Sentenced for Fentanyl Trafficking and Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A previously convicted felon was sentenced to 96 months in prison after agents recovered fentanyl and a stolen firearm during an attempted arrest in Las Cruces.
According to court records, on May 21, 2024, FBI task force officers and Las Cruces/Dona Ana County Metro Narcotics agents attempted to stop a vehicle associated with an ongoing investigation into fentanyl trafficking. The driver, later identified as Jaime Lopez, 35, fled at a high rate of speed, and officers did not pursue due to public safety concerns. Agents later determined the vehicle had recently been purchased by Lopez and that he was the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant for failure to appear.
Approximately three hours later, agents located the vehicle again in Las Cruces and observed Lopez exit a public establishment with two other individuals. As officers approached, Lopez fled on foot, discarding a package later found to contain approximately 690 fentanyl pills. Officers pursued and arrested Lopez a short time later.
Agents recovered a stolen handgun from a backpack inside the vehicle. In a post-arrest interview, Lopez admitted he fled because of the outstanding warrant and discarded the pills to avoid getting caught with them. He also admitted to possessing the firearm for protection, stating that he had previously sold drugs in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and feared retaliation from former associates.
At the time of the offense, Lopez was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to prior felony convictions, including a 2005 conviction for second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit second-degree murder.
Lopez subsequently pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Upon his release from prison, Lopez will be subject to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from Las Cruces/Dona Ana County Metro Narcotics, the Las Cruces Police Department, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, and New Mexico State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Maria Y. Armijo prosecuted the case.
Dominick S. Gerace II sworn in as United States Attorney for the Southern District of OhioRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – Today, Dominick S. Gerace II took the oath of office to serve as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. Mr. Gerace was formally sworn in this afternoon in Cincinnati by U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland following his appointment as interim United States Attorney by U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
In July, President Donald J. Trump nominated Mr. Gerace to the position and his nomination remains pending in the United States Senate.
As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Gerace will serve as the chief federal law enforcement officer representing the United States in all federal criminal and civil litigation in the Southern District of Ohio. The district covers the 48 southern-most counties in the state of Ohio and is home to more than five million people. Mr. Gerace leads a staff of approximately 100 prosecutors, civil litigators, and support personnel across three offices in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton.
“It is the honor of my lifetime to serve the people of Southern Ohio as United States Attorney, and I look forward to working closely with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to protect our communities and uphold the rule of law,” said United States Attorney Gerace. “I am extremely grateful for the trust that President Trump and Attorney General Bondi have placed in me, and I thank Senators Moreno and Husted for their support in the confirmation process.”
Mr. Gerace is a former federal prosecutor with nearly a decade of experience in both the Southern District of Ohio and the Eastern District of Virginia, where he prosecuted cases involving national security, domestic and international terrorism, international drug trafficking, violent crime, bank and wire fraud, public corruption, tax evasion and money laundering. He previously served as Deputy Criminal Chief of the district’s Dayton office.
During his time as a federal prosecutor, Mr. Gerace received the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of U.S. National Security for his work in the federal investigation and prosecution arising from the August 2019 mass shooting in Dayton. He also received the U.S. Attorney’s Award for Outstanding Performance for his service as counsel in the first international terrorism trial held in the district.
Most recently, Mr. Gerace was a Partner at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, where he practiced in the areas of white-collar criminal defense, government investigations, compliance, and civil litigation.
Mr. Gerace earned his law degree, magna cum laude and Order of the Coif, from Georgetown University, where he was a senior board member of The Georgetown Law Journal and Editor-in-Chief of The Georgetown Law Journal’s Annual Review of Criminal Procedure. Following graduation from law school, Mr. Gerace clerked for the Honorable John M. Rogers of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Mr. Gerace earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the United States Military Academy and served as a tank platoon leader and company executive officer in the United States Army prior to attending law school.
For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, visit justice.gov/usao-sdoh.
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Deming Teenager Charged in Federal Drug, Firearms, and Immigration-Related OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Deming teenager is facing federal charges in two separate cases after allegedly selling cocaine and a modified firearm capable of automatic fire to an undercover officerand later fleeing from a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint during a high-speed incident.
According to court documents, on February 11, 2025, an undercover agent conducted a controlled purchase of cocaine from Gerald Anthony Lopez, 19. During the transaction, Lopez allegedly displayed a firearm equipped with an extended magazine and an MCD. Lopez offered to sell it for $1,300 with the switch or $1,000 without. He also claimed he could supply additional weapons, conversion devices, and narcotics.
On February 20, Lopez met with the agent again and sold cocaine and the firearm equipped with an MCD for $1,300. Lopez demonstrated how the switch worked and confirmed the extended magazine was loaded with 30 rounds.
Lopez is charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a machinegun, possession of an unregistered machinegun and possession of a firearm which was not identified by a serial number and will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Lopez faces up to 25 years in prison.
In addition to the firearms charges, Lopez is also facing a second federal case stemming from a separate incident. On May 6, 2025, Border Patrol agents encountered Lopez at the Interstate 10 Border Patrol checkpoint. Lopez initially consented to a canine inspection after agents detected the odor of cannabis coming from the vehicle. However, after briefly stopping at the secondary inspection area, Lopez fled the checkpoint at a high rate of speed.
Agents quickly alerted nearby units, and Border Patrol agents from Deming located and stopped Lopez on Highway 549 near Ventura Road. Based on the incident, Lopez is also facing charges for high-speed flight from an immigration checkpoint. If convicted, Lopez faces up to five years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison, Special Agent in Charge Brendan Iber of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, andChief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector made the announcement today.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the firearms offense with assistance from the New Mexico State Police. The U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector is investigating the immigration-related offense. The Las Cruces Branch Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico is prosecuting the case.
Machine gun conversion devices and auto sears are illegal devices that transform semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic weapons capable of continuous firing with a single trigger pull. The possession, manufacture, and sale of these devices without proper licensing is a federal offense carrying severe penalties, including up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $250,000.
The proliferation of these devices poses an immediate and critical threat to public safety. Between 2018 and 2023, the ATF recovered thousands of machine gun conversion devices, indicating an alarming trend in their availability and use. Violent street gangs are increasingly employing these devices, devastating communities and neighborhoods with unprecedented firepower.
This dramatic increase in illegal automatic weapons puts both civilians and law enforcement at extreme risk. Officers responding to incidents may find themselves severely outgunned, facing weapons capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute. The potential for mass casualties in such encounters is staggering.
Law enforcement agencies are racing against time to intercept these devices before they can be used in violent crimes. Public cooperation is crucial in combating this threat. If you have information about illegal firearms or conversion devices, please contact the ATF immediately:
Call: 1-888-ATF-Tips (1-888-283-8477)
Email: [email protected]
Visit: www.atf.gov/atf-tips
Your tip could save lives and prevent these dangerous weapons from falling into the wrong hands. The time to act is now, before our community fall victim to the devastating impact of these illegal automatic weapons.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Cracking Down on Fentanyl: Two Indianapolis Dealers Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Two Indianapolis men have been sentenced for their roles in the distribution of fentanyl. The following cases are unrelated.
On July 31, Richard Garner III, 38, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by eight years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a substance containing fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, on August 8, 2024, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
(IMPD) Officers initiated a traffic stop on Garner after he ran a red light at Keystone Avenue and English Avenue in Indianapolis. Garner ignored the police and fled at a high rate of speed through a neighborhood, throwing a loaded Glock .40 handgun out of the car, and eventually stopping in a traffic jam on Hoyt Avenue.Officers searched Garner’s vehicle and located 55 fentanyl pills, powder cocaine, and over $9,000 in cash. The same day, investigators searched Garner’s home and found over 1,000 M30 fentanyl pills, powder fentanyl, powder cocaine, various pills, digital scales, pill presses, as well as a loaded Ruger handgun, an AR-15-style rifle, ammunition, a machine gun conversion device, and $11,550.00 in cash. In total, Garner was in possession of 244 grams of fentanyl and 470 grams of cocaine.
On August 5, Andres Hernandez-Alamar, 29, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to attempted possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
According to court documents, on May 20, 2022, IMPD detectives were alerted to a U.S. Postal Service package containing 1,165 grams of fentanyl addressed to a residence in Indianapolis. Hernandez-Alamar was found at the residence and denied knowledge of the package. However, during a search of his phone, investigators located the parcel’s tracking number and text messages between Hernandez-Alamar and a Mexican phone number in which he ordered and discussed the drugs.
“The fentanyl epidemic continues to claim lives across our country, and those who profit from its distribution will be held accountable,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Thanks to the outstanding work of our law enforcement partners, two dangerous individuals are now off the streets of Indianapolis and no longer able to threaten the safety of our community.”
“Every dose of fentanyl distributed has the potential to destroy a life and leave a family shattered. Those who traffic it are fueling a deadly epidemic with zero regard for the lives they ruin,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy O’Malley. “These sentences represent justice for the countless victims - many of them young people - who will never have the chance to recover. The FBI stands with those families and, along with our law enforcement partners, remains unwavering in our mission to stop the flow of this deadly drug into our communities.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation and IMPD investigated these cases. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson and Chief U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Gibson and Jayson McGrath, who prosecuted these cases.
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Columbus Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Geiontay Marshant Hoskins, 27, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced today to 121 months in federal prison for selling methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a playground.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Hoskins, also known as “G” and “Cuddy,” was selling methamphetamine near Overbrook Playground in Wheeling. Investigators searched Hoskins’ motel room in Elm Grove, and seized150 grams of methamphetamine and 56 grams of fentanyl. A subsequent traffic stop on Hoskins’ vehicle recovered nearly $5,000 and the key to the motel room.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Nogay prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
Investigative agencies include the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office; and the Wheeling Police Department.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Chinese national pleads guilty to exporting protected turtlesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, NY — U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo and Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) announced today that Wei Qiang Lin, of Brooklyn, NY, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to falsely labeling live turtles as fake toys prior to exporting them in delivery boxes on a weeks-long journey to Hong Kong. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000. As part of his plea, Lin agreed to abandon any property interest in the reptiles seized during the investigation.
According to court records, between August 2023, and November 2024, Lin exported to Hong Kong approximately 222 parcels containing around 850 turtles, but he labeled the boxes as containing “plastic animal toys,” among other things. The approximate market value of the turtles was $1.4 million. Law enforcement intercepted the turtles during a border inspection and observed them bound and taped inside knotted socks within the shipping boxes. Lin also exported 11 other parcels filled with reptiles including venomous snakes. Lin primarily shipped eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles, native U.S. species which feature colorful markings — a prized feature in the domestic and foreign pet market, particularly in China and Hong Kong. Both are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as a result of the illegal export of tens of thousands of box turtles every year during the 1990s.
Lin was investigated and charged as part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Operation Terrapene, which is an ongoing operation coordinated with other federal and local law enforcement agencies to detect turtle smugglers and dismantle highly organized syndicates. Federal agencies include Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Trial Attorney Rachel Roberts and Senior Trial Attorney Ryan Connors of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango for the Western District of New York are prosecuting the case.
Lin is scheduled to be sentenced on December 23, 2025, before Judge Vilardo.
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Chinese National Pleads Guilty to Exporting Protected TurtlesRead the Press Release
Note: correcting information in an earlier caption, the case number is 25-cr-100 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.
Wei Qiang Lin, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York for falsely labeling live turtles as fake toys prior to exporting them in delivery boxes on a weeks-long journey to Hong Kong.
According to court records, between August 2023 and November 2024, Lin exported to Hong Kong approximately 222 parcels containing around 850 turtles, but he labeled the boxes as containing “plastic animal toys,” among other things. The approximate market value of the turtles was $1.4 million. Law enforcement intercepted the turtles during a border inspection and observed them bound and taped inside knotted socks within the shipping boxes. Lin also exported 11 other parcels filled with reptiles including venomous snakes.
Photo of intercepted eastern box turtles; from the criminal complaint in United States v. Wei Qiang Lin, 25-cr-100 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. Credit: USFWS.Lin primarily shipped eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles, native U.S. species which feature colorful markings — a prized feature in the domestic and foreign pet market, particularly in China and Hong Kong. Both are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as a result of the illegal export of tens of thousands of box turtles every year during the 1990s.
Lin is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 23. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss from the illegal activity. As part of his plea, Lin also agreed to abandon any property interest in the reptiles seized during the investigation.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo for the Western District of New York made the announcement.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — with help from other federal and local law enforcement entities including Customs and Border Protection, Postal Inspections Service, and Homeland Security Investigations — investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Rachel Roberts and Senior Trial Attorney Ryan Connors of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango for the Western District of New York are prosecuting the case.
Charleston Man Sentenced to Prison for Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Jaron Andrew O'Neal, 39, of Charleston, was sentenced today to six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, investigators obtained a search warrant for a package addressed to a Barboursville address after a K9 alerted to the package. Investigators opened the package and found it contained approximately 1 kilogram of fentanyl. Investigators replaced the fentanyl with a sham substance and conducted a controlled delivery of the package to the Barboursville address. On January 24, 2023, O'Neal retrieved the package from the address and drove away with it in his vehicle. Investigators conducted a traffic stop of O’Neal’s vehicle and found the package in the vehicle. O’Neal told investigators that he retrieved the package believing that it contained controlled substances.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Courtney L. Finney prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS), an enforcement surge that has sought to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-85.
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Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Michael Eugene Ginther, 42, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 24, 2024, Ginther possessed approximately 98.58 grams of methamphetamine in the Charleston area. Ginther admitted that he intended to distribute the methamphetamine.
At the time of this offense, Ginther was serving a term of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on August 2, 2018.
Ginther is scheduled to be sentenced on November 10, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a $10 million fine.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the United States Marshals Service.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Gabriel Price is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-33.
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Carson Woman and Former U.S. Postal Service Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing Checks and Credit Cards from the MailRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A South Bay woman who formerly worked as a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service in Torrance pleaded guilty today to stealing checks and debit and credit cards from the mail then selling them to her accomplices for three years, using the illicitly obtained funds to take international trips and buy luxury goods, and then flaunting the cash on Instagram.
Mary Ann Magdamit, 31, of Carson, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
Magdamit, who has been in federal custody since July 1, is a former letter carrier at the Torrance Main Post Office.
According to her plea agreement and court documents previously filed in this case, from at least 2022 until July 2025, Magdamit stole mail containing checks, personal identifying information (PII), and debit and credit cards. She then activated the stolen bank-issued cards online, used the cards to make purchases, and sold some stolen cards to her co-conspirators.
She also arranged to have her co-conspirators cash the stolen checks, usually by people using counterfeit identity documents in the name of the check’s payee. Federally insured banks and credit unions were victimized in this scheme.
Law enforcement searched Magdamit’s apartment in December 2024, and seized 133 stolen credit and debit cards,16 U.S. Department of Treasury checks, and a loaded, un-serialized Glock-clone, with an extended 27-round magazine, commonly referred to as a “ghost gun.” Agents also discovered luxury goods purchased with cards she stole from the mail. She also used stolen cards on international trips she took to Turks and Caicos and Aruba.
Agents arrested Magdamit on July 1, after learning that she continued to make purchases with victims’ credit cards. A second search of Magdamit’s apartment that day yielded more stolen cards. Magdamit remains in federal custody.
Magdamit posted on Instagram her luxury purchases and vacations, and flaunted stacks of hundred-dollar bills. Magdamit has agreed to forfeit a Rolex watch and other luxury goods.
United States District Judge John F. Walter scheduled an October 27 sentencing hearing, at which time Magdamit will face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Treasury Inspector General of Tax Administration investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Brown of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.
Career Offender Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison for Threatening a Federal Judge and a Federal ProsecutorRead the Press Release
COEUR D’ALENE – Nathanael Michael West, 28, was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release on July 31, 2025, for, with the intent to retaliate, threatening to murder, assault, or kidnap a federal judge and a federal prosecutor, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon. The court ordered the sentence to be served consecutively to two prior sentences in 2020 and 2022 for similar convictions in the District of Idaho.
According to court records, in October 2022, West was sentenced to federal prison for mailing threatening communications to three state prosecutors. In February 2023, while serving a state sentence for burglary at an Idaho state prison, West sent a threatening letter to Assistant United States Attorney David Robins, who prosecuted the two cases that led to West’s incarceration. The letter contained graphic descriptions of West’s threat to assault, kidnap, torture, mutilate, and murder the prosecutor. Less than two weeks later, in March 2023, West sent another threatening letter to Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye, who sentenced West in October 2022. That letter vividly described West’s threat to assault and murder the judge.
On August 14, 2024, a federal grand jury in Idaho returned a four-count indictment, charging West with mailing threatening communications, threatening to assault, kidnap, or murder a federal law enforcement officer with intent to retaliate, and threatening to assault or murder a United States Judge with intent to retaliate. On July 31, 2025, West pleaded guilty to all four counts of the indictment.
“The 96-month sentence in this case is appropriate and justified, reflecting the seriousness, brazen, and violent nature of the defendant’s persistent threats,” said Scott E. Bradford, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “The defendant’s deliberate actions were not only incredibly personal to the victims in this case, but they were also an assault on the integrity of the criminal justice system.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho was recused from this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas H. Edmonds from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon was appointed as Special Attorney to the United States Attorney General to prosecute the case. He reports to and acts under the direction of the Deputy Attorney General, or his delegee, or U.S. Attorney Bradford in the case.
U.S. Attorney Bradford commended the work of the FBI, which conducted the investigation.
Carbon County Man Sentenced on Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON, The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jesus Bracero, age 29, of Bowmanstown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on August 8, 2025, to 121 months and 18 days’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Julie K. Munley for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and over 40 grams of fentanyl.
According to Acting United States Attorney John Gurganus, between January 2023 and September 2023, Bracero and others distributed large amounts of controlled substances throughout Carbon and Lehigh Counties. Investigators conducted multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Bracero at his residence. In July 2023 investigators executed a search warrant at Bracero’s residence and seized controlled substances, firearms, ammunition, explosive devices, drug transaction records, and drug packaging material. The area where the contraband was located was protected by video surveillance cameras and two aggressive dogs.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Belle Glade Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell today sentenced Kemmye Jimbryl Watson (29, Belle Glade) to 3 years and 10 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Watson to forfeit the firearm possessed during the offense. Watson pleaded guilty on March 25, 2025.
According to court documents, on August 1, 2024, in Lehigh Acres, Watson sold a pistol to another individual for $500. At the time, Watson had multiple prior felony convictions including aggravated assault with a firearm, trespass while armed, and robbery by sudden snatching. As a convicted felon, Waston is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Fort Myers Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan.
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.
Batavia man pleads guilty to sex trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Joseph Barsuk, 67, of Batavia, NY, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caitlin M. Higgins and Louis A. Testani, who are handling the case, stated that in 2015, Barsuk met a woman (Victim) at Pharaoh’s Gentlemen’s Club. At that time, the Victim was heavily addicted to cocaine and heroin, which was well known to PGC staff and customers, and became known to Barsuk. Between 2015 and 2016, Barsuk engaged in sexual contact with the Victim, renting an apartment month-to-month for her, providing her with a vehicle, and providing funds for drugs when the Victim needed them. When the Victim began experiencing withdrawal symptoms, Barsuk would coerce her to have sex with him before taking her to get more drugs. He repeatedly provided money and drove the Victim to purchase heroin and cocaine. Barsuk conspired with Pharaoh’s employees to allow him to engage in sex acts with the Victim, including paying employees when he was engaging in such sex acts with the Victim.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 23, 2025, before Judge Vilardo.
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Arizona Man Sentenced to 30 Years Imprisonment for $24 Million Ponzi SchemeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – An Arizona man was sentenced to 30 years in prison and ordered to pay $24,065,636.20 in forfeiture following his conviction for orchestrating a Ponzi-style investment fraud scheme that defrauded more than 100 victims, many of whom were Northern New Mexican residents, out of millions of dollars. A restitution order remains pending.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial and sentencing, from 2014 to 2022, John Lopez, 74, solicited investments through his company, Personal Money Management Company (PMMCO), falsely claiming to have developed a proprietary algorithm that generated above-market returns. He guaranteed returns ranging from 10 to 42 percent annually and assured clients their money was invested in stocks and bonds. In reality, he used client funds to purchase precious metals and to make Ponzi-style payouts to earlier investors, disbursing $6.1 million to maintain the illusion of legitimate investment returns.
Lopez collected approximately $24 million from investors and used about $16 million to acquire precious metals, which he stockpiled in his home basement, office, a rented storage unit, and even buried underground.
All the bullion seized in November 2021When federal agents seized PMMCO’s assets in November 2021, they recovered less than $15 million, far short of the $39 million Lopez falsely claimed was under management.
Despite the seizure, Lopez continued to solicit new investors and issue fake account statements. He lived comfortably on a self-assigned six-figure salary while portraying himself as a successful investor with assets rivaling major financial institutions. Trial evidence revealed that he failed to segregate or track individual investments, lied about account balances, and actively discouraged large withdrawals to keep the scheme afloat.
After his indictment, Lopez violated his court-ordered release conditions at least five times—two before his conviction and three afterward—including committing additional fraud, making unauthorized financial transactions, refusing to turn over financial documents, and having prohibited contact with victims and witnesses.
Prior to sentencing, federal agents executed another search warrant on Lopez’s home and recovered additional precious metals he had purchased with client funds. Specifically, the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service discovered approximately 19 boxes of silver coins, worth approximately $350,000, hidden in the crawl space under Lopez’s home. To this day, however, the location of approximately $3 million in additional precious metals remains unknown.
Upon his release from prison, Lopez will be subject to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office brought a separate civil forfeiture action on April 15, 2022, seeking to forfeit assets seized in November 2021. Litigation in the civil proceeding is ongoing.
9 August 2025
PRC National Sentenced to 55 Months in Federal Prison for Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Saipan, MP – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that YANG Liang, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), was sentenced on August 8, 2025 by Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona in the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands to 55 months imprisonment for Conspiracy to Possess Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1). Yang was also ordered to report to immigration officials for deportation proceedings upon release from prison.
In September 2023, Yang facilitated the shipment of methamphetamine concealed inside lava lamps, which were sent by mail from California to Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The suspicious packages were intercepted by the CNMI Customs Service. In collaboration with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, authorities executed a controlled delivery operation that led to the arrest and conviction of Yang and co-conspirator Ye Fang, also known as "Batu," a PRC national who was unlawfully present in the United States. The operation resulted in the seizure of approximately eight pounds of liquid methamphetamine.
“Methamphetamine is a poison in our communities,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “Although commonly trafficked in solid or powder form, liquid methamphetamine presents a unique danger to aviation workers during cargo handling operations. The quantity of drugs seized during this investigation magnifies that concern. Regardless of the form, our federal and local law enforcement partners are skilled in detecting this contraband in our mail system. Our office will continue to aggressively prosecute drug traffickers and their sources of supply.”
“As demonstrated by this case, drug criminals will go to extreme lengths to cash out on their product. Be it using lava lamps or other packaging to conceal methamphetamine, drug syndicates are relentless, resourceful, and boldly inventive. But our skilled DEA investigators and law enforcement partners are just as unswerving in their determination to intercept drug traffickers and seize dangerous drugs, before they reach our communities,” said Anthony Chrysanthis, Deputy Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division, which oversees Saipan. “We will continue to work with vehemence to ensure that those who contribute to this country’s drug crisis are held accountable.”
“Liang Yang's sentencing demonstrates HSI's dedication to protecting our communities, “said HSI Special Agent in Charge Lucy Cabral-DeArmas. “HSI remains focused on preventing drug smuggling and ensuring everyone follows our immigration laws.”
“The FBI, along with our partner agencies, works relentlessly every day to protect our communities from the dangers of drug trafficking organizations,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “This sentencing sends a strong message – the FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to use every available resource to confront and disrupt these dangerous criminal organizations, wherever they operate.”
“USPIS is proud of our work bringing drug traffickers to justice in CNMI and keeping methamphetamine out of the mail,” said U.S. Postal Inspection Service San Francisco Division Inspector in Charge Stephen Sherwood. “I want to extend my gratitude to CNMI Customs, the CNMI Department of Public Safety, and the members of the Guam Interdiction Anti-Narcotics Trafficking Task Force (GIANT TF), including the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency, Guam Police Department, and the Guam Army National Guard Counterdrug Program. I would also like to acknowledge our federal law enforcement partners for their invaluable collaboration in this case.”
This investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration with the support from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Marshal Service, CNMI Customs, CNMI Department of Public Safety, and in collaboration with the CNMI Attorney General’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Albert S. Flores, Jr., and former Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Kost prosecuted this case in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
PRC Citizen Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison for Preventing Immigration RemovalRead the Press Release
Saipan – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that ZHANG Aimin, age 55, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), was sentenced on August 7, 2025, in the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands to eight months imprisonment for Preventing or Hampering Removal, in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1253(a). The Court also ordered one year of supervised release, 50 hours of community service, and a $100 special assessment fee. Zhang must report to immigration officials for deportation proceedings upon release from prison. Zhang’s conviction was also a violation of his supervised release for a prior conviction for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens and Conspiracy to Defraud the United States. Zhang was therefore sentenced to an additional 6 months, to run consecutive to his term of imprisonment for Preventing or Hampering Removal.
On April 30, 2025, during the immigration removal process at Saipan International Airport, Zhang refused to exit a vehicle operated by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations. Zhang’s departing flight was awaiting his boarding. He eventually agreed to exit the car but then became physically uncooperative with the immigration officer. Zhang grabbed onto a nearby light pole and attempted to insert his hand into an uncapped electrical port, posing a serious safety hazard. Once officers succeeded in removing Zhang from the light pole, he immediately grabbed onto a nearby signpost and refused multiple lawful commands to release his grip. Furthermore, as officers attempted to remove him, one officer’s arm was briefly pinned between the post and Zhang’s body. The officer was able to free his arm without serious injury. Zhang was then placed in handcuffs and transported back to the CNMI Department of Corrections.
“The enforcement of immigration laws is our highest priority,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “Zhang showed no respect for the law or the officers working to uphold it. This case demonstrates the federal government’s ongoing commitment to removing illegal aliens from our country.”
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Assistant United States Attorney Garth Backe prosecuted the case in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands.
8 August 2025
Woodruff Drug Dealer Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Travis Legg, 44, of Woodruff, has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine and over 40 grams of fentanyl.
Evidence presented to the court showed that in 2023, a joint federal and local investigation revealed Legg was part of a fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy based in Spartanburg. Legg was indicted for his role in the conspiracy and was arrested on federal charges in June 2024, at which time he possessed additional methamphetamine and marijuana.
United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins sentenced Travis Legg to 126 months imprisonment to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations Border Enforcement Security Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, Greenville Police Department, Greenville County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit, the South Carolina Department of Corrections Office of Inspector General, and Anderson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Schoen is prosecuting the case.
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Winner Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Abusive Sexual Contact with a ChildRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Shulte has sentenced a man from Winner, South Dakota, who was convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact with a Child. The sentencing took place on August 5, 2025.
Clayton Spotted Calf, age 30, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Spotted Calf was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024. He pleaded guilty on April 14, 2025.
The conviction stems from conduct that occurred between approximately April 2015 and June 2017 in Todd County, South Dakota, within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. On more than one occasion during that period, Spotted Calf engaged in sexual contact with a child who was then between the ages of six and eight 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 investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Spotted Calf was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Waterbury Men Charged with Committing Violent Crimes Culminating in Shooting of Waterbury Detective in FebruaryRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Maureen T. Platt, State’s Attorney for the Waterbury Judicial District; P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo, today announced that a federal grand jury in Bridgeport has returned a seven-count indictment charging ARIAN PEREZ-FELICIANO, also known as “A,” 21, ALBERTO RODRIGUEZ, also known as “NeNe,” 19, and SYDNEY REID, also known as “Syd,” 18, all of Waterbury, with offenses related to their roles in a robbery, a carjacking and attempted carjacking, and the shooting of a Waterbury Police detective earlier this year.
The indictment was returned on August 7, 2025, and the three defendants have been detained since their arrests on related state charges on February 13, 2025.
As alleged in the indictment, Perez-Feliciano, Rodriguez, and Reid conspired to steal firearms and marijuana, and to commit carjackings using stolen vehicles. On January 13, 2025, Rodriguez and Reid, each of whom pointed a firearm at a victim’s face, stole a 12-gauge shotgun, narcotics, cash, and other items from the victims. On February 13, 2025, at approximately 8:30 p.m., Perez-Feliciano, Rodriguez, and Reid attempted to commit an armed carjacking on Waterville Street in Waterbury. A short time later, they committed an armed carjacking on Chase Avenue in Waterbury. As they fled from police, Perez-Feliciano opened fire on a pursuing Waterbury Police detective in an attempt to kill the officer, striking him in the thigh.
The indictment charges Perez-Feliciano, Rodriguez, and Reid with conspiracy; conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery; interference with commerce by robbery; carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; attempted carjacking; carjacking; and carrying, using, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. If convicted of all of the charged offenses, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 17 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Waterbury Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Pierpont, Jr. and Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don E. Therkildesen, Jr., who is cross designated as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in this matter.
Virginia Man Sentenced in Sex Tourism, Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Randall Meck, 52, of Virginia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 188 months in federal prison in connection with possessing 180 videos and 560 images depicting the sexual abuse of children. The files were recovered on his phone following his arrest at Dulles International in December 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Meck pleaded guilty Apr. 2, 2025, before U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton to distribution of child pornography. In addition to the 188-month prison term, Judge Walton ordered Meck to serve a lifetime of supervised release, to register as a sex offender, and to pay $5,000 in restitution.
“Children are our most precious resource and those who seek to exploit and harm them—whether online or overseas—will be hunted down, prosecuted, and face the full weight of justice. We will not allow predators to hide behind screens while committing the most heinous acts imaginable.”
Joining in the announcement were FBI Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis of the Washington Field Office Criminal Division and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to court documents, in September 2024, law enforcement obtained Facebook messages between Meck and another individual in connection with a sex tourism investigation.
On Sept. 26, 2024, an undercover agent with the Washington D.C. Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force contacted Meck. Meck shared a video with the undercover officer depicting prepubescent boys being sexually abused by adult men. Meck also provided the undercover agent with a contact in the Philippines who he said could provide children to abuse. In addition, Meck provided travel tips, transportation and hotel recommendations, and made efforts to coordinate a trip to the Philippines for the purpose of sex with minors.
On Dec. 21, 2024, law enforcement arrested Meck after landing at Dulles International Airport and seized Meck’s iPhone 13 Pro which contained approximately 180 videos and 560 still images depicting the sexual abuse of children.
Following his arrest, Meck waived his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with law enforcement. In an interview, Meck confirmed that he had traveled to the Philippines on multiple occasions between 2021 and 2024 for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual activity with minors and provided details of the encounters.
This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and MPD’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.
The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Parron and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Bond.
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U.S. Attorney’s Office Starts August with 231 New Federal Immigration Cases 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 231 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Aug. 1 through 7.
Among the new cases, an Ecuadorian national was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. The defendant, Christian Patricio Murillo-Orellana, was previously deported to Ecuador on April 22 through Alexandria, Louisiana. Murillo-Orellana is a convicted felon, sentenced in 2024 to 195 days confinement for unlawful possession of a weapon and simple assault in Plainfield, New Jersey.
A Honduran national with a prior felony conviction was also arrested by USBP and charged with illegal re-entry in Eagle Pass. Leo Dan Olivera-Hernandez was previously deported to Honduras on Nov. 8, 2024. He was convicted in March 2022 for first degree burglary in Raleigh, North Carolina and sentenced to 44-65 months in prison.
In El Paso, Mexican national Isreal Garcia-Ibarra was arrested and charged with illegal re-entry after he was located nearly five miles east of the Ysleta Port of Entry. Garcia-Ibarra was previously removed to Mexico for the second time on April 5 through Nogales, Arizona, following a March conviction for domestic battery in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Jorge Alberto Lopez-Casique, also a Mexican national, was allegedly found trying to hide in the Chihuahuita Park near the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry on Wednesday, Aug. 6, after being deported from the U.S. to Mexico on July 21 through Del Rio. Prior to that removal, on June 20, Lopez-Casique was convicted in Dallas and sentenced to six months confinement for two felonies—theft from person and kidnapping.
Multiple illegal aliens were arrested this week for charges related to alleged human smuggling schemes involving storm drains. In one case, Andres Castaneda-Luna was one of seven illegal aliens who El Paso Police officers allegedly observed exiting a storm drain on Aug. 1. According to a criminal complaint, Castaneda-Luna has worked with an alien smuggling organization as a foot guide for approximately two years and, on this occasion, was smuggling a group of illegal aliens through the storm drain tunnel for $100 per person. Immigration records indicate Castaneda-Luna had been granted a voluntary return out of the U.S. on Oct. 30, 2023.
On Aug. 4, USBP agents allegedly observed two individuals attempting to pry open a grate connected to a storm drain a mile and a half east of the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry in El Paso. A criminal complaint alleges that the individuals were identified as Javier Obregon-Flores and Jorge Solis-Soto, and both were determined to be Mexican nationals. The complaint alleges that Obregon-Flores became combative with the agents and attempted to flee on foot toward Mexico. Both were placed under arrest and charged with human smuggling conspiracy. The complaint alleges that Obregon-Flores and Solis-Soto were working with a smuggler and worked together with the intent of cutting rebar to further facilitate smuggling of illegal aliens.
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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U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 79 Border-Related Cases This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 79 border-related cases this week, including charges of assault on a federal officer, bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).
In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.
A sample of border-related arrests this week:
- On August 1, Stephanie Sanchez Portillo, a United States citizen, was arrested and charged with Personation in Immigration Matters. According to a complaint, the defendant attempted to smuggle an unrelated child from Mexico into the U.S. through the San Ysidro Port of Entry pedestrian lanes using her own child’s American birth certificate.
- On August 2, Edgard Uriel Urbina Jiron, citizen of Nicaragua, was arrested and charged with Transportation of Illegal Aliens. According to a complaint, he was taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol agents when they made a traffic stop and found that he was driving with an undocumented immigrant in his car.
- On August 2, Jose Luis Garcia Cota, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers found 191 pounds of methamphetamine and 5.5 pounds of cocaine concealed in the defendant’s car when he attempted to cross the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.
- On August 4, Jose Alejandro Valadez-Blancarte, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Attempted Entry after Deportation. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers found him hiding in the trunk of a car at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. He was previously deported in January 2025 and June 2025.
Pursuant to the Department’s Operation Take Back America priorities, federal law enforcement has focused immigration prosecutions on undocumented aliens who are engaged in criminal activity in the U.S., including those who commit drug and firearms crimes, who have serious criminal records, or who have active warrants for their arrest. Federal authorities have also been prioritizing investigations and prosecutions against drug, firearm, and human smugglers and those who endanger and threaten the safety of our communities and the law enforcement officers who protect the community.
The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Immigration Enforcement ActionsRead the Press Release
TOLEDO, Ohio – The United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) has announced immigration enforcement actions in the Northern District of Ohio. These are separate cases and not related.
Edin Oneil Carrillos-Rodriguez, 36, a citizen of Honduras, has been charged with one count of illegal reentry in violation of Title 8 U.S. Code (USC) 1326. He was previously removed from the United States on at least two occasions with the most recent being Dec. 11, 2014. On July 25, 2025, he was found in Vickery, Ohio, without the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security for readmission. This case was investigated by U.S. Border Patrol-Sandusky Bay Station. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gene Crawford.
Additionally, Vicente Lopez-Gomez, 37, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced to time served by U.S. District Judge Jack Zouhary after pleading guilty to illegal reentry. He was previously removed from the United States Oct. 3, 2016. Lopez-Gomez remains detained pending deportation from the United States. The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by U.S. Border Patrol-Sandusky Bay Station and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Al-Sorghali.
Aurelio Mariscal-Chavez, 37, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced to time served by U.S. District Judge Jack Zouhary after pleading guilty to illegal reentry. He was previously removed from the United States Feb. 3, 2016. Mariscal-Chavez remains detained pending deportation from the United States. The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by U.S Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Tangeman.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal records, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations.
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, and protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes ReportRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies.
In the one-week period ending August 8, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:
- 67 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
- 4 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
- 35 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
- 40 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325), violation of a military security regulation (50 U.S.C. 797) and Entering Military, Naval, or Coast Guard Property (18 U.S.C. 1382), arising from the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico.
Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions for drug trafficking and illegal reentry.
In one significant case, Andrew Michael Dillehay was charged with fleeing at high speed from an immigration checkpoint. On August 4, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered Dillehay at the checkpoint west of Alamogordo, New Mexico. When referred for secondary inspection, he instead sped away from the checkpoint. Agents pursued and apprehended him near Organ, New 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.
These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the District of New Mexico. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The District of New Mexico consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses.
Two Kansas men charged with drug trafficking related crimesRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – Two Kansas men have been charged through separate criminal complaints with charges related to drug trafficking following search warrants executed earlier this week.
Thomas Lewis Williams, 64, of Haysville is charged with one count of possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents on August 6, 2025, a federal search warrant was conducted at Williams’ home on South Meridian Avenue in Haysville. Officers found firearms, U.S. currency, items used in the conversion process of methamphetamine, and suspected methamphetamine and fentanyl pills.
Oswaldo Gutierrez-Rodriguez, 29, of Wichita is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
According to court documents, on August 6, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a commercial building on North Mascot Avenue in Wichita. During a search, officers found acetone containers, ventilation fans, a propane tank hooked up to a hot plate, and other paraphernalia used to aid in conversion of methamphetamine. They also located a white crystal/powder substance that field tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine.
Williams is scheduled to make his initial court appearance August 11, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gwynne E. Birzer of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.
Gutierrez-Rodriguez is schedule to make his initial court appearance August 11, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gwynne E. Birzer of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.
The Wichita Police Department, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and IRS Criminal Investigations are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Debra Barnett and Kari Burks are prosecuting the case.
This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Kansas City Regional Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline). HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###Two Charged with Possession of Approximately 13 lbs. of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two women were charged yesterday in federal court for possession with intent to distribute approximately 13 pounds of methamphetamine.
Brittney N. Stanley, 32, and Christina L. M. Davis, 32, were charged by complaint with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Stanley was also charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
On Aug. 6, 2025, following a car stop, Stanley and Davis were found in possession of approximately 13 pounds of suspected methamphetamine. Stanley was also found in possession of a loaded, Ruger 9mm handgun that was inside a backpack that was on Stanley’s lap when she was approached by law enforcement. The backpack also contained Stanley’s driver’s license. Inside the rear cargo-area of the SUV Stanley was driving, officers discovered two more handguns.
The charges contained in this complaint are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
Under federal statutes, Stanley and Davis are subject to a sentence of up to up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.
Operation Take Back America
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Tioga County Man Charged with Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Transportation of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Tristan Kovacs, age 21, of Waverly, New York, appeared today in federal court on charges of sexual exploitation of a child and transportation of child pornography announced Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The complaint alleges that in April of 2025, Kovacs produced a sexually explicit image of himself and a nine-year-old female child which Kovacs later uploaded to a pornographic website to generate revenue from other users of the site. The website reported Kovacs’ upload of the image, which subsequently led to the investigation of Kovacs and his arrest yesterday evening.
The sexual exploitation charge filed against Kovacs carries a mandatory minimum term of 15 years in federal prison and maximum sentence of 30 years while the charge of transportation of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum term of five years and maximum sentence of 20 years. Both charges carry a maximum fine of $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. If convicted, Kovacs will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
Kovacs was arraigned today before United States Magistrate Judge Thérèse Wiley Dancks and was detained pending further proceedings.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “the defendant’s conduct as alleged in the complaint is despicable. Not only is the defendant alleged to have sexually exploited a child, but he also appears to have sought to profit from it. My office is committed to doing whatever is in our power to ensure this defendant never has the opportunity to harm another child.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig A. Tremaroli stated: “Hours after FBI Albany received this disturbing tip from law enforcement, Mr. Kovacs was in custody facing federal charges that carry significant sentences. The FBI will continue to devote every resource available to swiftly investigate these despicable predators and protect our most vulnerable. Our office is especially thankful to our partners at Waverly Police Department, New York State Police, and Broome County Sheriff’s Office for their invaluable assistance in this investigation.”
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and the New York State Police with assistance from the Waverly New York Police Department and the Broome County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins Indicted for Alleged ExtortionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins, who serves as the Sheriff for the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, has been charged with extortion involving the purchase of an equity interest in a Boston-based cannabis company.
Tompkins, 67, of Boston, Mass, was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of Extortion Under Color of Official Right. He was taken into custody this morning in the Southern District of Florida and will have an initial appearance at 11:00 a.m. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
“Mr. Tompkins is a sitting Sheriff, responsible for over 1,000 employees, who was elected by the good people of Suffolk County. Today, he is alleged to have extorted an executive from a cannabis company, using his official position as Sheriff to benefit himself. Elected officials, particularly those in law enforcement, are expected to be ethical, honest and law abiding – not self-serving. His alleged actions are an affront to the voters and taxpayers who elected him to his position, and the many dedicated and honest public servants at the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. The people of Suffolk County deserve better,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Public corruption remains a top priority for my administration and we will continue to investigate and prosecute anyone who uses their position of trust and power for their own gain.”
“From his very first day as Suffolk County Sheriff, Steven Tompkins sought to portray himself as a man of the people – a principled public servant and reformer, devoted to the cause of justice. That’s why it’s beyond disappointing that he’s now accused of gaming a system instituted in the interests of public safety and fair play. The FBI took Sheriff Tompkins into custody today for allegedly extorting $50,000 from the owner of a national cannabis retailer seeking to do business in Boston. We believe what the Sheriff saw as an easy way to make a quick buck on the sly is clear cut corruption under federal law,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “The citizens of Suffolk County deserve better, not a man who is accused of trading on his position to bankroll his own political and financial future. Public servants must be held to the highest of ethical standards, and those falling short will be rooted out.”
Tompkins currently serves as the Sheriff for the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department (SCSD). He was first appointed Sheriff in 2013, elected as Sheriff in a special election in or about 2014, and thereafter elected to successive six-year terms. As Sheriff, Tompkins oversees approximately 1,000 correctional officers and other employees responsible for operating and maintaining correctional facilities in Boston at the House of Correction and the Nashua Street Jail.
According to court documents, in 2019, the cannabis company, Company A, sought to open a retail cannabis dispensary in Boston and applied to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) for a dispensary license. To satisfy the Positive Impact Plan (PIP) requirement of the CCC, Company A entered into a partnership with the SCSD whereby the SCSD would help screen and refer graduates of its re-entry program to apply for work at Company A’s retail store.
Company A’s partnership with the SCSD was memorialized in a September 2019 letter signed by Tompkins and submitted to the CCC in its completed dispensary license application in or about March 2020. In or about March 2021, the CCC approved a license for Company A to operate a cannabis dispensary in Boston. The CCC later approved license renewal applications for Company A in 2021, 2022 and 2023. In each of the renewal applications, Company A included its ongoing partnership with the SCSD as part of its fulfillment of the PIP requirement.
According to court documents, one of Company A’s goals was to raise capital to launch an initial public offering (IPO) and then continue its growth as a publicly traded company. Company A officials, including a company executive identified as Individual A, sought multimillion-dollar investments from institutions or other high net-worth, sophisticated investors in order to raise capital. Company A officials, including Individual A, were not looking to raise capital from the general public or small, individual investors. Beginning in or about mid-2020, Company A began preparing for an IPO of Company A stock, which included producing audited financial statements, hiring attorneys to ensure compliance with securities laws and obtaining additional financing from large scale and high net-worth investors, among other things.
It is alleged that Tompkins pressured Individual A for stock, reminding Individual A that Tompkins had helped Company A in its Boston licensing efforts. It is alleged that Individual A believed and feared that Tompkins would use his official position as Sheriff to jeopardize Company A’s partnership with the SCSD and thus imperil both the dispensary license for Company A, as well as the timing of the IPO. In fact, in October 2020, Company A asked Tompkins for an updated partnership letter to submit to the CCC for its yearly renewal of Company A’s Boston license. Within one month of signing the October 2020 SCSD partnership letter with Company A, and after increased pressure on Individual A, Tompkins allegedly obtained a pre-IPO interest in Company A stock after Individual A relented to Tompkins’s demands.
In November 2020, Tompkins allegedly wired a $50,000 payment from his retirement account to an account controlled by Individual A. Tompkins paid a pre-IPO price of approximately $1.73 per share of Company A stock (equity equivalent to 28,883 shares) and after a reverse stock split, Tompkins held approximately 14,417 shares at a price of approximately $3.46 per share.
According to court documents, in or about mid-2021, when Company A launched its IPO, the stock had a value of approximately $9.60 per share. Thus, Tompkins’s $50,000 purchase of 14,417 shares of Company A stock had appreciated to an approximate value of $138,403.
In May 2022, Company A stock decreased in value such that Tompkins’s equity interest in Company A stock was worth several thousand dollars less than the $50,000 he originally invested. However, Tompkins demanded a refund of $50,000 and, despite the decrease in the value of Tompkins’s investment, Individual A agreed to Tompkins’s demands for full repayment of $50,000.
Subsequently, from approximately May 2022 to July 2023, Individual A refunded Tompkins $50,000 investment by issuing Tompkins five checks. Allegedly in accordance with Tompkins’s wishes, Individual A wrote memos on certain checks that read “loan repayment” and “[company] expense” to disguise the nature of some of the payments:
The charges of extortion under color of official right each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.U.S. Attorney Foley and FBI SAC Docks made the announcement. Special assistance was provided by the Internal Revenue Service. Assistant United States Attorneys John Mulcahy of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit and Dustin Chao, Chief of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Southern District of Texas charges 288 people in first week of August in relation to border enforcement effortsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A total of 287 new cases have been filed in the last week related to immigration, border security and related offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The filed cases include 14 involving human smuggling. A total of 142 people are charged with illegally entering the country, while another 127 face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felony convictions for offenses involving narcotics, domestic violence and other violent crime, immigration violations and more. Other relevant cases charged this week relate to fraud and other immigration crimes.
Criminal complaints allege four individuals attempted to unlawfully reenter the country within six months of their most recent removals. Mexican nationals Adolfo Omar Maldonado-Ortiz and Aureliano Baeza-Martinez were previously removed July 9 and July 12, respectively, according to court records. Authorities removed Colombian national Luis Fernando Diaz-Caicedo March 12, while Honduran national Yermin Bardales-Castro was removed April 6. Each allegedly has prior felony convictions, including burglary of habitation, robbery with a deadly weapon, criminal sexual conduct with a minor or possession of a controlled substance. All four were allegedly found in the United States without legal authorization and now face up to 20 years in federal prison, if convicted.
Charges also allege Carlos Guadalupe Salazar-Gonzalez and Walfre Patricio Hernandez-Mazariegos committed illegal reentry after having been previously removed in 2020 and 2024, respectively. Law enforcement allegedly encountered both in Edinburg.
In addition to the new cases, a notable sentencing occurred in Laredo when 25-year-old Laredo resident Salma Galilea Veliz was ordered to serve 36 months for attempting to smuggle a three-year-old Mexican child into the United States using her own son’s birth certificate. Authorities encountered Veliz at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge with the child, whom she falsely claimed was her son. She later admitted to picking up the boy in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and planning to pass him off as her biological son in exchange for $2,500. Evidence presented at trial confirmed the child was a Mexican citizen with no legal claim to enter the United States. A federal jury found Veliz guilty following a two-day trial earlier this year.
“We may never know who or what awaited that three-year-old boy had he been successfully smuggled across the border. What is certain, however, is that no child’s safety or well-being has a price tag. The Southern District of Texas will not hesitate to prosecute those who illegally bring children into the United States by falsely claiming family ties,” said Ganjei. “Also, a word of warning - if you put a child, even if it’s your own, into the hands of smugglers, you will be prosecuted. Return home to them; don’t endanger your children by placing their lives in the hands of people you don’t know.”
Also of note were the sentencings of three known felons who had illegally reentered the country. Ivan Lopez-Sonora and Gregorio Mendoza-Martinez received their respective 57- and 30-month sentences in Brownsville. Lopez-Sonora has a criminal history including convictions for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, deadly conduct discharging a firearm and numerous convictions for immigration violations, while Mendoza-Martinez has a burglary conviction in addition to a previous illegal reentry charge. In Houston, Jose Maldonado-Vasquez was ordered to serve an 84-month sentence. He has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2008 with convictions for possession of a controlled substance, burglary, assault and evading arrest in addition to other immigration violations and three previous removals.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
South Sioux Man to Federal Prison for Fentanyl ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A man who conspired to distribute fentanyl was sentenced today to more than seven years in federal prison.
Joshua Rysavy, age 35, from South Sioux City, Nebraska, received the prison term after a March 18, 2025, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
At the sentencing hearing, evidence showed that Rysavy took part in the distribution of approximately 8.5 pounds of pills containing fentanyl across Iowa and Nebraska between 2022 and June 2023. As part of the investigation, law enforcement utilized an undercover officer to make several purchases from Rysavy of counterfeit oxycodone pills marked “M30” but which contained fentanyl. Following these purchases, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Rysavy’s South Sioux City residence where several firearms were located.
“As a result of this investigation, thousands of lethal doses of fentanyl were removed from the streets of South Sioux City, Nebraska, and Sioux City, Iowa,” Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Rafael Mattei said. “No town in America is immune to this deadly substance and the lethal consequences that can come from its use. We’re grateful for the opportunity to work with our law enforcement partners in both Nebraska and Iowa who strive to achieve the same goal of removing these deadly threats and keeping our communities safe.”
Rysavy was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Rysavy was sentenced to 86 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Rysavy is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-3027.
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Six Individuals Charged in Alleged Fentanyl Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A newly unsealed federal indictment charges six people, including two Georgia inmates and two Chinese nationals, with allegedly distributing synthetic controlled substances, including fentanyl, sourced from China into the Middle District of Georgia.
A federal grand jury returned the indictment on May 14, 2025, and it was unsealed on Aug. 7. The indictment charges the following individuals:
Devito Duran Young aka “Big” aka “Big Man,” 44, of Macon State Prison and Marietta, Georgia, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison and an $8 million fine;
Trace Davrin Works, 29, of Mableton, Georgia,is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison and an $8 million fine;
Xin Wang, 27, of China, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison with a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a $5 million fine for the fentanyl charge and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine for the conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance charge;
Andreaus Benard Oliver, Sr. aka “Doomie Oliver,” 43, of Macon State Prison and Cordele, Georgia, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $2 million fine;
Andreaus Benard Oliver, Jr., aka “Dray Oliver,” 26, of Cordele, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substanceand one count of using or maintaining a drug premises and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine; and
Gao Yong, 29, of China, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
Young, Works and Oliver Sr. are in custody and had their initial appearances. The three defendants were arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles H. Weigle on Aug. 7, and were remanded to federal custody awaiting trial. Oliver Jr. is in federal custody and had his initial appearance before Judge Weigle on Aug. 7; his arraignment hearing is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 11, in Albany, Georgia.
The indictment alleges that Young and Oliver, Sr., both inmates at Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, Georgia, allegedly conspired to acquire and distribute fentanyl or synthetic cannabinoids (marijuana) from China to the United States beginning in 2023. It is alleged that shipments of the synthetic cannabinoids arrived at an address occupied by Oliver, Jr., on 4th Avenue in Cordele, Georgia. Wang and Yong are alleged to have facilitated the sale and distribution of synthetic controlled substances from China to customers around the world, including to Young and Oliver, Sr. Yong allegedly communicates directly with customers and negotiates the sale of the drugs and provides shipment tracking information. Wang allegedly directs the sale of fentanyl worldwide and maintains cryptocurrency wallets for payments.Yong was allegedly aware that the substances were being introduced into prison facilities.
Young allegedly placed multiple orders of fentanyl from Wang and Yong using encrypted chat applications he accessed using a contraband cellphone while in prison. Young allegedly directed Works to acquire the fentanyl and ship it to customer addresses, including addresses in the Middle District of Georgia, and both Young and Works allegedly paid Wang and Yong with cryptocurrency. Oliver Jr. and other co-conspirators allegedly placed multiple orders for synthetic cannabinoids from Wang and Yong online and paid them with cryptocurrency, directing the packages to addresses in Cordele and his 4th Avenue residence, allegedly referred to as the “lab.”
After a package originating from China was intercepted by law enforcement, agents executed a search warrant at Oliver Jr.’s residence on July 22, 2024, and found more than 175 metal pans with sheets of paper; multiple jugs and bottles containing suspected cannabinoids; several measuring beakers; more than 350 dried sheets of paper soaked with cannabinoids; return address labels purporting to be from various attorneys; shipping labels addressed to inmates in jail and prison facilities around the country; cash; and ledgers indicating how many sheets had been processed. In addition, $170,000 in cryptocurrency was seized from Wang as part of the investigation.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), with assistance from the GBI and Georgia Department of Corrections.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Peach is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is only an allegation of criminal conduct, and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.
Seattle resident convicted at trial of directing sexual abuse of young child in VietnamRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 38-year-old Seattle man was convicted late yesterday of producing child sexual abuse imagery for his scheme to obtain images of sexually abused children from a coconspirator in Vietnam, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Richard Stanley Manness Jr. was convicted of two federal felonies following a three-day jury trial. Jurors deliberated about three hours before returning the jury verdict. Manness faces a mandatory minimum 15 years in prison and up to 30 years in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones on November 14, 2025.
According to records filed in the case, law enforcement in Vietnam rescued two young children who had been kidnapped off the street in April 2024. The mother of the two sisters was distraught when she could not find them. The young girls were taken to an Airbnb by Maness’ female coconspirator. Records showed Maness rented the apartment. Messages between Manness and the coconspirator documented him directing sexual abuse of a child as young as 6-years-old. The coconspirator sent the images of the child sexual abuse to Maness over the internet. Maness had plans to travel to Vietnam for further child sexual abuse. Maness was arrested in a Seattle apartment after detectives in Vietnam contacted Homeland Security Investigations with information about the child kidnapping and abuse. Maness has remained in federal custody since his arrest on August 28, 2024.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in cooperation with the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Hampton and Cecelia Gregson.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Registered sex offender pleads guilty to sex crimes for sexual exploitation of ten girls ages 12-16Read the Press Release
Seattle – A 28-year-old registered sex offender who sexually exploited ten different minor teens after cutting off his electronic monitoring device and absconding from Department of Corrections Community Custody, pleaded guilty to federal charges today in U.S. District Court in Seattle, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. James “Jake” Harrison Newcomer admits that between February and April 2024 he sexually abused ten different teens he met via various social media platforms. Prosecutors and defense will both recommend that Newcomer be sentenced to 17 years in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge John H. Chun on November 17, 2025.
According to records filed in the case, Newcomer was on state supervision following his 30-month prison sentence for two counts of rape of a child. As part of the supervision, Newcomer was on electronic monitoring with an ankle bracelet. On January 19, 2024, the ankle monitor lost connection and when corrections officers went to arrest Newcomer on January 25, 2024, he had left the residence and could not be located.
Over the next three months, Newcomer connected with various teen girls via social media and then arranged to meet them in person. In those meetings he gave girls drugs and alcohol and sexually assaulted them. The victims were from King, Kitap, Snohomish, Lewis, Clark, Thurston, and Spokane Counties as well as Woodburn Oregon. The victims ranged in age from 12 to 16.
Newcomer pleaded guilty to Travel with intent to engage in sexual acts with a minor and two counts of attempted enticement of a minor. Travel with intent to engage in sexual acts is punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Enticement of a minor is punishable by a mandatory minimum ten years in prison and up to life in prison.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, the Woodburn, Oregon Police Department, the Marion County District Attorney’s Office, the Auburn Police Department, the Snoqualmie Police Department, the Black Diamond Police Department, the Des Moines Police Department, the King County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kent Police Department, with the assistance of the Department of Corrections.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to Nearly Three Years in Federal Prison for Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on August 7, 2025.
Dorian Lester, 29, was sentenced to two years and nine months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Lester was indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender by a federal grand jury in April 2025 and later pleaded guilty on May 19, 2025.
Lester is required to register as a sex offender for life because he was previously convicted of sexual abuse of a minor, where the victim was 12 years old. Federal law requires a sex offender to update his residence to the sex offender registry within three days of changing residence. Lester was released from custody from a separate sentence and failed to update the sex offender registry with his current residence. It is a violation of federal to fail to register as a sex offender.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.
Lester was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison on Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Receipt of a Firearm while Under Indictment. The sentencing took place on August 7, 2025.
Terrance Drapeaux, 31, was sentenced to one year and three months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Drapeaux was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Receipt of a Firearm while Under Indictment by a federal grand jury in March 2025. He pleaded guilty on May 19, 2025.
On December 4, 2024, Drapeaux was found by law enforcement with an active warrant for his arrest. Drapeaux resisted arrest and was discovered to have a firearm in his pocket. Before this date, Drapeaux had been charged elsewhere with a felony crime, which charge was still pending at the time he possessed the firearm. It is illegal for a person charged with a crime punishable beyond a year in prison to receive a firearm.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
This case was investigated by the ATF, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.
Drapeaux was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Prince George’s County Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Exploiting Two ChildrenRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Today, U.S District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced David Jamal Watson, 40, of Fort Washington, Maryland, to 30 years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for sexually exploiting two children and producing child sexual abuse material. Judge Xinis also ordered that, upon release from prison, Watson must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, is an employee, and is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Baltimore, and Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr. Superintendent, Maryland State Police (MSP).
As detailed in the plea agreement, from September 2023 to October 2023, Waston sexually exploited two children — who were 9 and 13 years old at the time — to produce, distribute, and attempt to sell child sex abuse materials (CSAM). Watson used platforms such as Telegram, Instagram, Twitter, and Google to store and distribute the victim’s CSAM and material depicting other children.
In July 2023, the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received two CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, indicating that a Google user uploaded 51 files of suspected CSAM to Google’s platform between October 2022 and July 2023. Authorities traced the tips to an IP address associated with Watson’s Fort Washington address.
Then in October 2023, law enforcement obtained and executed a search warrant for Watson’s residence. During an MSP interview, Watson admitted to viewing, retaining, and distributing CSAM. On the morning of the search, MSP also seized five devices from a basement bedroom where Watson was sleeping.
During a forensic analysis of Watson’s devices, law enforcement identified more than 600 CSAM images, including nude images and videos of Watson’s victims and other children. Law enforcement also found conversations on Telegram between Watson and other users in which he referenced charging money for nude images of his victims.
In November 2023, law enforcement arrested Watson at his residence on a federal arrest warrant. During an interview, Watson said that he recorded the nude images of his victims at his residence. Additionally, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for the contents of Watson’s Instagram account, which revealed conversations in which he attempted to sell CSAM depicting his victims to at least three other Instagram users.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended HSI and the MSP for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan S. McKoy who prosecuted the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Parkersburg Man Pays Restitution and Fine for Immigration CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – John Robert Coe, 66, of Parkersburg, paid $54,740 in restitution and a $500 fine for continuing to employ a known illegal alien.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from early 2011 until May 12, 2021, a foreign national from Madagascar worked without monetary compensation at the business that Coe co-owned with Frederick Sayre Anderson. Coe admitted that, at some point in 2011, he learned the foreign national’s presence in the United States was unlawful. Coe further admitted that the foreign national continued to work at the business until May 12, 2021, despite her illegal immigration status.
The foreign national was also housed at the business, sleeping in an office converted into a bedroom. The business is a laboratory that provides water quality testing kits to state and local governments across the country. Coe admitted that the foreign national performed work for the business including shipping supplies to customers, receiving customer service calls, and handling the company’s accounts receivable.
Coe further admitted that he also had the foreign national perform side jobs for him during this time period. These side jobs included cleaning his residence and editing history book manuscripts that he was preparing for publication. Coe compensated the foreign national in cash for these side jobs.
On May 7, 2021, Coe learned from Anderson that federal immigration agents were at the business and searching for the foreign national. Coe admitted that Anderson suggested later that day that they move the foreign national into Coe’s residence. Coe further admitted that he did not want the foreign national moving into his residence. They discussed moving the foreign national into a motel before agreeing that the foreign national should remain at the business. On May 12, 2021, the foreign national permanently left the business with the assistance of federal authorities.
Anderson, 65, of Parkersburg, pleaded guilty on January 4, 2024, to concealing, harboring, and shielding an alien from detection. Anderson admitted that the foreign national entered the United States on a 90-day fiancée K-1 nonimmigrant visa that he obtained. Anderson further admitted that he knew the visa required him to marry the foreign national within 90 days, that he never married her, and that he knew her presence in the United States became unlawful once her K-1 visa expired on April 8, 2011. Anderson was sentenced on May 13, 2025, to three years of federal probation and ordered to pay $75,000 in restitution.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the West Virginia State Police, and the Parkersburg Police Department.
Coe paid the $500 fine on August 7, 2025, and the $54,740 in restitution on March 17, 2025, after pleading guilty on January 22, 2025. United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-178.
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Orange County Man Pleads Guilty to Using Semi-Automatic Rifle to Shoot at Sheriff’s Department Helicopter After His Birthday PartyRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A Laguna Niguel man pleaded guilty today to using a semi-automatic rifle to repeatedly shoot at an Orange County Sheriff’s Department helicopter last year from a second-story window at his home.
Justin Derek Jennings, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to damage, destroy, disable, or wreck an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States.
According to his plea agreement, on March 9, 2024, Jennings – from a second-story window of his residence – used a semi-automatic rifle to shoot at a helicopter operated by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
Court documents previously filed in this case stated that Jennings and his family were celebrating his birthday party on that day. Jennings had been drinking and became angry. As anger grew, family members in attendance left the home. After most of his family left, Jennings removed a rifle from his gun safe and fired an entire magazine worth of ammunition inside the home. The rest of Jennings’ family fled and reported the incident to law enforcement.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department responded with several deputies and a police helicopter that flew in circles around the area. Jennings then went to the home’s second story and began shooting a rifle upwards in the sky, firing only when the helicopter was visible to him. The shooting continued intermittently for at least 20 minutes. After speaking with an Orange County sheriff’s deputy, Jennings exited the residence and surrendered.
During a search of Jennings’ residence, law enforcement seized two revolvers, two handguns, and two rifles along with multiple rounds of ammunition. Bullet casings were scattered throughout the floor and law enforcement also seized two magazines and a box of ammunition that was on a couch beneath the window from where Jennings fired the weapon.
United States District Judge John W. Holcomb scheduled a January 30, 2026, sentencing hearing, at which time Jennings will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office charged Jennings in connection with this incident but dismissed the case so the federal case against him could proceed.
The FBI and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Caitlin J. Campbell and Lisa J. Lindhorst of the Orange County Office are prosecuting this case.