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Wednesday 25 June 2025
Reinbeck Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Second TimeRead the Press Release
A Reinbeck man who obtained a significant quantity of methamphetamine from a source of supply that he had met in federal prison was sentenced June 23, 2025, to 20 years in federal prison.
Austin David Hansen, age 39, from Reinbeck, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 23, 2024 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance after having previously been convicted of a serious drug felony.
Information disclosed at Hansen’s sentencing hearing and other hearings related to this case showed that, beginning in December 2023, and continuing to May 22, 2024, Hansen worked with a California source of supply that Hansen had met in federal prison to ship methamphetamine and marijuana packages in the mail to post office boxes in Reinbeck, Dike, and Waterloo, Iowa. After the methamphetamine and marijuana packages arrived at the Iowa post office boxes, Hansen worked with others to distribute the methamphetamine and marijuana to individuals in the Northern District of Iowa. Hansen then sent packages containing thousands of dollars of drug proceeds to the source of supply in California. In total, the California source of supply sent at least 37 packages to the Northern District of Iowa, and Hansen sent the source of supply over $260,000 of drug proceeds.
During the investigation, law enforcement seized a package from California and intended for one of the post office boxes, and it contained over 5,000 grams of methamphetamine. On May 22, 2024, officers executed several search warrants in this case, including at Hansen’s residence. At Hansen’s residence, officers seized over 600 grams of methamphetamine, a firearm, over $12,000 in United States currency, and receipts of all the money packages Hansen sent to the source of supply in California.
Hansen had previously been convicted of a federal drug trafficking crime and sentenced to federal prison in November 2011.
Hansen was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Hansen was sentenced to 240 months’ imprisonment, and he must also serve a ten‑year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Hansen 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 Dillan Edwards and investigated by the United States Postal Service; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Tri‑County Drug Enforcement Task Force consisting of the Waterloo Police Department, Cedar Falls Police Department, Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, Evansdale Police Department, Waverly Police Department, Hudson Police Department, La Porte City Police Department, and the Bremer County Sheriff’s Office; the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Mid‑Iowa Drug Task Force; the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office; the Iowa State Patrol; and the Santa Ana, California Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24‑CR‑00044‑CJW.
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Rapid City Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Voluntary ManslaughterRead 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 Voluntary Manslaughter. The sentencing took place on June 18, 2025.
Luke Standing Bear, age 19, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
A federal grand jury indicted Standing Bear in July 2024. He pleaded guilty on March 21, 2025.
On July 6, 2024, Standing Bear was in his neighborhood, in the Eastridge community in Pine Ridge, where he tried to fight several other men. The victim, who was one of the men whom Standing Bear tried to fight, told Standing Bear to go home. Standing Bear went back to his house and armed himself with a knife. Standing Bear returned to the scene of the first argument and got into another argument with the victim. Standing Bear was disarmed by bystanders, but then retrieved a second knife from his home and returned again to the street where the victim was standing. Standing Bear approached the victim after being insulted and stabbed the victim one time in the ribs. The victim took one step and collapsed to the ground. The knife had pierced several internal organs and the victim’s aorta. The victim survived the flight to the hospital in Rapid City but died during surgery.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case.
Standing Bear was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Oxford Man Sentenced to 156 Months in Federal Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor and Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – An Oxford man was sentenced on June 25, 2025, to 156 months in federal prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Illicit Sexual Activities and Receipt of Child Pornography.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Eric Gene Rundle, 44, communicated with an undercover law enforcement officer who was posing as a fifteen-year-old girl. Rundle made plans to meet with the fifteen-year-old to engage in sex acts and was arrested at the meeting location. Rundle had a cell phone with him which was searched. Rundle used the device to receive, view, and possess images and videos containing child sexual abuse material.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Rundle will be required to serve a seven-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Iowa City Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Newcomb Man Charged with Assault for Violent AttackRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Newcomb man is facing federal charges after a violent altercation left a victim with serious injuries.
According to court documents, on June 14, 2025, Vincent Torrez, 35, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, assaulted John Doe at a residence on the Navajo Nation. During the incident, Torrez entered John Doe’s bedroom, repeatedly struck him, slammed him to the floor, and used a ceramic cup as a weapon to inflict a deep laceration to John Doe’s leg. John Doe sustained multiple injuries, including lacerations to the head and leg, abrasions, and an arterial wound, and was transported to Northern Navajo Medical Center for treatment.
Torrez is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury and will remain on conditions of release pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Torrez faces up to 10 years in prison.
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 Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meg Tomlinson is prosecuting the case.
View the Criminal Complaint (Torrez).pdfA criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
New Jersey CPA Pleads Guilty to Conspiring with Others to Defraud the United StatesRead the Press Release
A New Jersey Certified Public Accountant (CPA) pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring to defraud the United States by promoting fraudulent tax shelters to his high-income clients.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between 2018 and 2019, Ofer Gabbay, a CPA, of Paramus, New Jersey, conspired with others, including Jack Fisher, James Sinnott, and their assistant Kate Joy to promote fraudulent syndicated conservation easement tax shelters to their clients. These tax shelters facilitated high-income taxpayers in claiming unwarranted and inflated charitable contribution tax deductions in connection with the donation of a conservation easement over land. To carry out the scheme, Gabbay and others instructed clients to provide backdated checks, agreements and other documents to support the unwarranted tax deductions. Gabbay then prepared false tax returns for his participating clients.
Fisher and Sinnott were sentenced to 25 year and 23 years in prison, respectively, for their roles in the scheme. Joy remains a fugitive.
Gabbay faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Senior Litigation Counsel Richard Rolwing and Trial Attorney Parker Tobin of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
Naugatuck Man Charged with Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that SEAN SAYER, 22, of Naugatuck, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with child exploitation offenses.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on March 20, 2025, an eight-year-old boy (“the minor victim”) in Oregon contacted Sayer by text message and asked Sayer if he was @fornight_legends on TikTok. Sayer responded affirmatively and, over the next three days, exchanged with the minor victim more than 1,300 messages in which Sayer repeatedly and aggressively demanded sexually explicit images and videos of the minor victim in exchange for playing Fortnite with him online. The minor victim sent Sayer at least 15 videos constituting child sexual abuse material or child pornography.
Sayer was arrested on June 18, 2025. It is alleged that a preliminary forensic review of Sayer’s cellphone has revealed screenshots of Snapchat conversations Sayer had with dozens of additional minor victims who Sayer coerced or enticed to send him sexually explicit photos of themselves.
Sayer appeared today for a bond hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria E. Garcia in New Haven. He was released on a $150,000 bond into home detention with location monitoring, and is prohibited from accessing the internet and communicating with, and having contact with, minors.
The complaint charges Sayer with production of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of 30 years of imprisonment; coercion and enticement of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life; receipt of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and transfer of obscene material to a minor, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, with the assistance of the Eugene (Ore.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary G. Vitale.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Murder Charge Filed Against Teen Who Struck Another Person with a CarRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kyree Young, 17, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged with first degree murder while armed – felony murder, that occurred on the morning of May 7, 2025, in Northwest D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Young made his initial appearance before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Robert J. Hildum today, where Judge Hildum found probable cause that Young committed the offense of first-degree murder while armed – felony murder and ordered that Young be held without bond pending trial. The United States is still investigating Young’s accomplices.
According to court documents, Young followed the victim from an ATM and struck him with a vehicle, robbed him, and tried to access his financial accounts at the same ATM he had been using earlier. The victim died at the scene. Police later recovered the vehicle and gathered other evidence that led to Young’s identification.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington Field Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Carter.
These charges are merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Minnesota sex offender sentenced to over a year in prison for failing to registerRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Minnesota man who failed to register as a sex offender was sentenced today to 16 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Jeremiah Robert Wiberg, 42, pleaded guilty in March 2025 to one count of failure to register as a sex offender.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Jeremiah Wiberg is required to register as a sexual offender under SORNA following a 2007 federal conviction for receipt of child pornography. Wiberg has been on federal supervised release for the past eight years and has been revoked off supervised release multiple times.
Following his sentence of incarceration after being revoked from supervision, Wiberg was released from the BOP in Louisiana on November 8, 2023. Per his travel itinerary with BOP he traveled to Billings, Montana the same day. Wiberg arrived in Billings that day, but he did not check in with United States Probation on that day, nor did he register under SORNA upon his arrival in Billings. His whereabouts were unknown.
It was determined through records and witness statements that Wiberg was in Montana for a period of a few weeks after he arrived in Billings. Wiberg traveled to Roundup and then left the state. He never registered in Montana.
On December 27, 2023, law enforcement received information that the Wiberg was staying in Minnesota. Wiberg was subsequently located at a VFW in Forrest Lake, Minnesota. He was arrested on a federal warrant for violating his supervised release. Wiberg had not registered in Minnesota.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Probation Office, Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.
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Middlesex County Woman Admits to COVID-19 Relief Program FraudRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Middlesex County, New Jersey, woman admitted that she fraudulently obtained Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”), Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), and pandemic unemployment insurance benefits, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Damaris Valerio, a/k/a Damaris Tineo Abreu, 42, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch to an information charging her with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From April 2020 through December 2021, Valerio fraudulently obtained $194,212 in COVID-19 emergency relief funds, which included loans and cash advances meant for distressed small businesses under the EIDL program and PPP, and pandemic unemployment insurance benefits meant for unemployed workers, by submitting false and fraudulent applications inflating her business’s revenues, payroll expenses, and number of employees. After receiving the fraudulent funds, she diverted proceeds from the relief programs for her personal gain.
The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain to the defendant or gross loss to the victim, whichever is greater. The money laundering charge count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain to the defendant or loss to the victim, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for October 28, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel in Newark; Special Agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone, and special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General’s Boston-New York Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Amy Connelly, with the investigation leading to this guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin D. Bleiberg and Fatime Meka Cano of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Defense Counsel: John Russo, Esq, of New York.
valerio.information.pdfMichigan Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Drug Distribution and Loan FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Michigan man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for a conspiracy to import and sell illegal pharmaceuticals, including opioids, and to fund the operation of the scheme by fraudulently obtaining a COVID-19 pandemic relief loan.
Donald Nchamukong, 37, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to two years in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Nchamukong was also ordered to pay $200,000 in restitution. In March 2025, Nchamukong pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States, committing loan fraud and distributing controlled substances.
Starting in 2019 and continuing to 2022, Nchamukong and co-conspirator, Doyal Kalita, conspired to distribute drugs to persons in the United States over the internet and using call centers in India. Nchamukong used shell companies, including a purported dietary supplements company and an auto parts supplier, and associated bank and merchant accounts to process sales of illegal foreign drugs, including the Schedule IV opioid, tramadol. Nchamukong and Kalita also received shipments of tramadol from India and reshipped the drug to customers across the United States, including in Massachusetts. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Nchamukong and Kalita fraudulently obtained a $200,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan to fund their illegal drug scheme.
In June 2024, Kalita was sentenced to 10 years in prison for orchestrating the online drug distribution scheme, a technical support fraud scheme and related money laundering.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Fernando P. McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in New York, the Small Business Administration and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kriss Basil, Deputy Chief of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus and https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.
Mexican citizen sentenced for illegal reentryRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – A Mexican man who entered the United States illegally was sentenced today to 6 months in prison to be followed by removal from the United States, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Miguel Angel Lozada-Dominguez, 36, pleaded guilty in May 2025 to one count of illegal reentry.
U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on April 7, 2025, law enforcement had contact with the defendant in St. Regis. Lozada-Dominguez seemed to be soliciting money by approaching bystanders while holding a notebook with handwritten English phrases. Lozada-Dominguez told officers that he was a citizen of Mexico, he did not possess valid immigration documents and had no legal authorization to enter the United States. He did not claim any United States citizenship or lawful status. He was arrested and transported to a local jail for reinstatement of a prior order of removal. In an interview, the defendant stated he entered the United States by crossing the border undetected through Del Rio, Texas.
Lozada-Dominguez’s records showed he was convicted for illegal entry and ordered removed from the United States on January 24, 2019. Further review of records showed that he did not seek or receive authorization from the Attorney General to reenter the United States.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Mescalero Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse of MinorRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Mescalero man pleaded guilty to the federal charge of sexual abuse of a minor.
According to court records, on February 15, 2025, John Albert Carrillo, Jr., 36, a member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, used force to commit a sexual act with a minor victim.
Carrillo pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor and faces up to 15 years in prison. Upon his release from prison, Carrillo will be required to register as a sex offender and must serve a term of supervised release not less than five years and up to life.
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 Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jackson K. Dering V is prosecuting the case.
View the Plea Agreement (Carrillo).pdfMcKeesport Felon Sentenced to Prison for Possession of Ammunition Collected from Scene of Fatal Apartment Complex ShootingRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court to 33 months of imprisonment on his conviction of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Desmond Dontae Lee, 47.
According to information presented to the Court, on March 1, 2023, Lee and his son were both part of a group of individuals congregating outside of an apartment in a McKeesport apartment complex. When the resident of the apartment confronted the group and asked them to leave, one of the group members approached the resident and struck him with a closed fist, which led to the resident shooting and killing his attacker. Lee entered and proceeded through the apartment next to the resident’s, exiting that apartment from the rear, and then approached the rear of the resident’s apartment, firing five rounds from a 9mm semi-automatic pistol into the apartment before fleeing the scene. At that time, Lee’s son shot back at and killed the resident at the front of the apartment. The firearm used by Lee was never recovered, but investigators with the Allegheny County Police Department Homicide Unit collected the shell casings fired from Lee’s gun.
Lee was previously convicted on state drug trafficking and firearms offenses. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
Assistant United States Attorney V. Joseph Sonson prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Allegheny County Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Lee.
Massachusetts Man Faces at Least 15 Years for Multiple Offenses, Including Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to conspiring to straw purchase firearms, conspiring to distribute controlled substances, and producing child sexual abuse material.
According to court records, from late 2020 until at least July 2023, Aden Mohamed (a/k/a “Mike,” a/k/a “AD”), 26, was among the leaders of a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy to traffic firearms purchased by straw purchasers in Maine to sell to customers in Syracuse, New York and Springfield, Massachusetts. Mohamed was often paid in drugs, primarily cocaine, which he used to facilitate the firearms trafficking activity by paying straw purchasers in drugs for their services. Mohamed regularly bought and sold hundreds of grams per week of cocaine as part of this scheme.
During the investigation into the firearms trafficking conspiracy, law enforcement seized Mohamed’s phone and discovered child sexual abuse material on the device. The resulting investigation revealed that Mohamed had compelled two minors into sexually explicit situations for the purpose of producing child sexual abuse material.
Mohamed faces up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 on the firearms charges, up to 20 years in prison and a maximum $1 million fine on the drug charges, and at least 15 years imprisonment (up to a maximum 30 years) and a fine up to $250,000 on the production of child sexual abuse material charge. The Court may also order him to pay restitution to the victims. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
As part of a plea agreement with the government, Mohamed – a Somalian national – has agreed to the entry of a judicial order of removal, which will result in his deportation from the United States following a term of at least 15 years of incarceration.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the cases.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.
STRAW PURCHASING: A straw purchase is an illegal firearm purchase where the actual buyer of the gun, being unable to pass the required federal background check or desiring to not have his or her name associated with the transaction, uses a proxy buyer who can pass the required background check to purchase the firearm for him/her.
Project Safe Neighborhoods: This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psn.
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Mannford Man Sentenced for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Mannford man was sentenced today for Possession of Child Pornography, announced U.S. Attorney
Clint Johnson.U.S. District Judge Eric F. Melgren sentenced Gary Syd Goldberg, 77, to 120 months imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release. Upon release, Goldberg will also be required to register as a sex offender.
In October 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cybertip concerning an image being uploaded to an artificial intelligence (AI) image generator platform. Law enforcement discovered that Goldberg was the user who uploaded the image of a child being sexually abused. Investigators served a search warrant on Goldberg’s home, seizing several electronic devices. When law enforcement spoke with Goldberg, he admitted to having hundreds of images of child pornography. Further, Goldberg admitted to viewing images and videos of children being sexually abused, daily for the past 24 years.
Federal court records show that Goldberg pled guilty in 2001 to Receipt of Child Pornography through the Mail. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Goldberg will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The Mannford Police Department and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mallory Richard and Ashley Robert prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Lowell Man Arrested for Possessing and Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lowell man has been arrested on federal charges of possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Anthony Saint Jean, 34, was indicted on one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Saint Jean was arrested at his residence this morning and made his initial appearance in federal court today in Boston. He has been detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for June 26, 2025.
According to the indictment, between March 17, 2024, and Aug. 20, 2024, Saint Jean knowingly distributed online videos depicting CSAM. It is further alleged that Saint Jean possessed CSAM, some of which depicted the abuse of minor victims younger than 12 years old.
The charge of distribution of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274 or contact [email protected].
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Lowell Police Department; the Texas Department of Public Safety; and the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Lone American indicted in international drug trafficking investigation sentenced to five years in prisonRead the Press Release
Seattle – A U.S. citizen deeply enmeshed in an international drug smuggling conspiracy was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to five years in prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Just over a year ago, law enforcement teams from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Seattle Police Department and IRS Criminal Investigation executed 24 search or arrest warrants taking four people into custody who were linked to the drug trafficking conspiracy. 56-year-old Curtis McDaniel was arrested at a Tukwila motel and has been in custody ever since. The drug conspirators arrested on June 5, 2024, have ties to suppliers in Mexico and Colombia.
In sentencing McDaniel to five years in prison and four years of supervised release to follow his prison term, U.S. District Judge Tana Lin referenced the significant impact that McDaniel’s distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine have upon our community—specifically noting that methamphetamine and cocaine were the second and third most common substances involved in overdose deaths in King County in 2024.
Lead defendant Ramon Duarte Garcia, 37, a citizen of Mexico who lived in Kent, Washington, was identified as a significant drug supplier when law enforcement stopped him driving back to the Pacific Northwest with 12 pounds of methamphetamine in his vehicle, along with a stolen firearm and $10,000 in drug trafficking proceeds. Duarte Garcia, was sentenced to ten years in prison in May 2025. Defendant Humberto Lopez Rodriguez, 30, a citizen of Mexico, formerly of Renton, Washington, is scheduled for sentencing on July 30, 2025.
Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized 84,000 fentanyl pills, more than a kilogram of fentanyl powder, 32 kilograms of cocaine, 15 kilograms of methamphetamine nearly three kilograms of heroin, and $71,000 in drug proceeds. They recovered nine guns, including an AK-47.
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.
The investigation is being led by the DEA and Seattle Police Department. The IRS Criminal Investigation and OCDETF Auditor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office are conducting the financial investigation that is focused on the money launderers responsible for the transfer of significant sums of drug trafficking proceeds to sources of supply in Mexico and Colombia. Additional assistance was provided by Renton Police Department, Centralia Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of the Inspector General (HUD OIG), Washington State Patrol, Pierce County and Valley SWAT teams.
The Colombian National Police (CNP) and Colombian Prosecutor’s Office (Fiscalia General) partnered with U.S. law enforcement on this investigation. The Justice Department’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá provided critical assistance.
The cases from this investigation are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joe Silvio and C. Andrew Colasurdo in the Western District of Washington.
Leader of PPP Fraud Scheme Sentenced to 51 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for her leadership role in two cases that resulted in more than $900,000 in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans being issued under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Renetta Golden-Larimore, 56, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 51 months imprisonment based upon her guilty pleas to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, contained in two separate federal indictments.
The CARES Act established several new temporary programs and provided for the expansion of others to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these programs, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) authorized forgivable loans to small businesses to retain workers and maintain payroll, make mortgage interest payments, lease payments, and utility payments.
Golden-Larimore admitted that from February 2021 to May 2022 she conspired with others to submit false and fraudulent applications for PPP loans. The scheme caused over $900,000 in fraudulent PPP loans to be issued to ineligible borrowers, some of which were forgiven even though the funds were not used for the purposes specified in the PPP.
Golden-Larimore admitted she prepared and filed fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of other persons. Generally, she charged fees between $2,000 and $7,000 for her assistance in filing false and fraudulent PPP loans, earning a total of at least $75,833 from the scheme. Golden-Larimore created counterfeit IRS forms for nonexistent businesses and with inflated income for existing businesses in order to qualify the borrower for a PPP loan.
Golden-Larimore prepared approximately 43 false PPP loan applications that were funded and numerous other false applications that were rejected. The total loss to the Small Business Administration was $908,278.
Twenty-one other persons have been charged and convicted in the Golden-Larimore fraud scheme in these two cases and five additional cases.
Golden-Larimore was ordered to forfeit to the government at least $75,833, which represents the proceeds she personally obtained from the scheme and pay $908,278 in restitution to the Small Business Administration, representing the total fraud loss associated with the wire fraud scheme.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
KC Man Pleads Guilty for Computer HackingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has pleaded guilty for hacking into the computer system at an area nonprofit.
Nicholas Michael Kloster, 32, admitted during his plea that he caused reckless damage to a protected computer owned by an area nonprofit during unauthorized access. Kloster admitted that he entered the premises of a nonprofit corporation on May 20, 2024. Kloster entered an area that is not available to the public and accessed a computer with access to the company’s network.
Kloster specifically admitted that he utilized a boot disk to access the computer through multiple user accounts. By accessing the computer in this manner, Kloster was able to circumvent the password requirements by changing the password assigned to one or more users. Kloster was then able to install a virtual private network on this computer. Since Kloster’s intrusion into its computer and its network, the company has sustained significant losses in an attempt to remediate the effects from this intrusion.
Under federal statutes, Kloster is subject to a sentence of up to five years’ imprisonment in federal prison without parole, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and an order of restitution. 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. Attorneys Nicholas Heberle and Patrick D. Daly. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.
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Justice Department Files Suit Against Orange County California Registrar of Voters for Refusing to Provide Non-Citizen Voter Removal Records in Violation of Federal Elections LawsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against Robert Page, the Orange County Registrar of Voters in Orange County, California for refusing to provide the Justice Department with records pertaining to the removal of non-citizens from its voter registration list and for failing to maintain an accurate voter list in violation of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
“Voting by non-citizens is a federal crime, and states and counties that refuse to disclose all requested voter information are in violation of well-established federal elections laws” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Removal of non-citizens from the state’s voter rolls is critical to ensuring that the State’s voter rolls are accurate and that elections in California are conducted without fraudulent voting. The Department of Justice will hold jurisdictions that refuse to comply with federal voting laws accountable.”
The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the integrity of the vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
More information about voting and elections is available on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/voting. Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division’s website at civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931.
Iranian National and Wife Federally Indicted After Wife Threatens to Shoot ICE Officers in TempeRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – On June 24, 2025, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned an indictment against Iranian national, Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, 40, of Tempe, Arizona for Alien in Possession of a Firearm, and against his wife, Linet Vartanniavartanians, 37, a United States Citizen from Tempe, Arizona, for Threatening to Assault a Federal Officer.
Documents filed in the case allege that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers went to Eidivand and Vartanniavartanians’ Tempe residence on Saturday, June 21, 2025, to administratively arrest Eidivand for failing to comply with a 2013 removal order. Eidivand, an Iranian national, had challenged the removal order on several occasions, but the Board of Immigration Appeals denied those motions repeatedly. Despite the court order to return to his home country, Eidivand remained in the United States for over a decade.
When ICE ERO officers arrived at the couple’s residence, they announced themselves and were answered by Vartanniavartanians, who refused to open the door and told the officers to return with a warrant. Shortly thereafter, Tempe Police officers arrived on the scene and told ICE ERO that Vartanniavartanians had called the police and threatened to shoot the federal officers. She claimed that she had a loaded gun and that she would shoot anyone who tried to come inside the house. She also threatened to go outside and shoot ICE officers in the head. When the police dispatcher spoke with Eidivand, he confirmed that there were guns in the home.
The following day, June 22, 2025, agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and officers from ICE ERO executed a federal search warrant on the residence. Inside the home, agents found a loaded firearm on the kitchen counter and a second loaded firearm on a nightstand. Both Vartanniavartanians and Eidivand were arrested at the scene and taken into custody without further incident.
A conviction for Alien in Possession of a Firearm carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, or both. A conviction for Threatening to Assault a Federal Officer carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, or both.
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).
An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
HSI Phoenix, ICE, ERO, and the FBI’s Phoenix Office are conducting the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Addison Owen, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-25-00931-PHX-DGC
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-099_Eidivand, et al.# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.International marine company agrees to pay over $3 million to settle False Claims Act allegationsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Viking Life-Saving Equipment (America) Inc. has agreed to pay $3.86 million to resolve allegations it fraudulently obtained paycheck protection program (PPP) loans, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Viking is a marine equipment company headquartered in Miami, Florida, with operations in Pasadena. It is a subsidiary of Denmark-based Viking Life Savings Equipment A/S. The company provides maritime and offshore safety equipment and services, including lifeboats, life rafts, personal protective gear and safety training programs.
From April 24, 2020, to Nov. 11, 2021, Viking applied for two PPP loans and requested forgiveness for both. The PPP, created under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, offered forgivable loans to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic for employee payroll and certain other expenses. Eligible companies were required to have fewer than 500 employees or meet industry-specific size limits. Under the Small Business Administration (SBA) affiliation rules, businesses with shared ownership or control had to include all affiliated employees when calculating eligibility.
The settlement resolves allegations that Viking obtained two PPP loans by misrepresenting the total number of its own employees and those of its affiliates. Viking allegedly falsely certified eligibility on the dates of the relevant loan application materials to receive PPP funding and loan forgiveness. Viking fully responded to requests for information in this investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul B. Moore handled the matter in coordination with Attorney Amber Perez, SBA - Office of General Counsel.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
International Arms Dealer Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Export Firearms to RussiaRead the Press Release
Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Kyrgyz national Sergei Zharnovnikov pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit export violations. The defendant exported firearms and ammunition worth over $1.5 million from the United States to Russia, in violation of U.S. law. When sentenced, Zharnovnikov faces up to 20 years in prison.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; John Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Jonathan Carson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field Office (BIS-OEE), announced the guilty plea.
“The defendant admitted that he purchased American-made, military-grade firearms and re-exported them to Russia,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Today’s guilty plea is the culmination of extensive investigative work, showing that this Office will not allow merchants of lethal weapons to flout U.S. sanctions.”
“By his own admission, Zharnovnikov willfully violated U.S. export controls to smuggle American-made firearms into Russia,” stated Assistant Attorney General for National Security Eisenberg. “The National Security Division will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to disrupt illicit arms networks and prosecute those who illegally transfer U.S. weaponry abroad.”
“Sergei Zharnovnikov admitted to violating export control laws by exporting US semi-automatic firearms to Russia via Kyrgyzstan. Schemes designed to evade export laws are not only illegal but also endanger our country’s security. The FBI along with our partners will continue our efforts to defend the homeland by bringing to justice any criminal attempting to evade the laws enacted to protect our national security,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia.
According to court filings and statements made during the plea proceeding, the defendant is the owner of an arms dealer located in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyzstan Company-1). Since at least March 2020, the defendant, together with others, has conspired to export firearms controlled by the United States Department of Commerce (DOC) from the United States to Russia. The defendant exported $1,582,836.52 worth of U.S.-manufactured firearms and ammunition from the United States to Russia. In one transaction, he entered into a five‑year, $900,000 contract with a company in the United States (U.S. Company‑1) to purchase and export U.S. Company-1 firearms to Kyrgyzstan. DOC issued a license for U.S. Company-1 to export firearms to Kyrgyzstan Company-1, but the license prohibited the export or re-export of the firearms to Russia. Nevertheless, the defendant exported and re-exported U.S. Company‑1 firearms to Russia (via Kyrgyzstan), including semi‑automatic hybrid rifle-pistols from U.S. Company-1.
According to an export filing, U.S. Company-1 exported semi-automatic rifles from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Kyrgyzstan Company-1 on or about July 10, 2022. On or about November 14, 2022, the General Director of a Russian company that is a client of the defendant executed a tax form listing the same semi‑automatic rifle‑pistols that U.S. Company‑1 had exported to Kyrgyzstan Company‑1, the defendant’s company. The defendant did not apply for, obtain, or possess a license to export or re-export the semi‑automatic pistol-rifles to Russia.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorney Ellen H. Sise is in charge of the prosecution, along with Trial Attorney Leslie Esbrook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, with assistance from Litigation Analyst Rebecca Roth.
The Defendant:
SERGEI ZHARNOVNIKOV
AGE: 47
Bishkek, KyrgyzstanE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-45 (HG)
Illegal Alien Charged with Possessing a Gun and Ammunition in FloridaRead the Press Release
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Camerino Perez Perez, a/k/a “Squirrel,” 41, of Levy County, FL, was indicted by a federal grand jury this week charging him with one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by an illegal alien. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charge today.
Perez is scheduled for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Midori Lowry on July 1, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. in Gainesville, Florida.
If convicted, Perez faces up to fifteen years’ imprisonment.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Guatemalan National Previously Deported Sentenced for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE - A Guatemalan national who reentered the country illegally after having been convicted for drug trafficking in 2014 and subsequently deported was sentenced today on a charge of illegal reentry and will again face deportation, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
According to court records, Pedro Andony Alvarado Aguilar, 46, was convicted in federal court in Connecticut in November 2014 on charges of conspiracy to import 5,000 grams or more of cocaine and conspiracy to import 1,000 grams or more of heroin. He was deported on July 1, 2015.
On April 10, 2025, Immigration Officers learned through an automated biometric fingerprint match of fingerprints entered into the National Crime Information Center that Alvarado Aguilar was arrested in Rhode Island for driving on a suspended license and on an obstruction charge. The defendant was charged in U.S. District Court in Providence on May 9, 2025, with illegal reentry; he pleaded guilty on May 29, 2025.
At sentencing today, U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy sentenced Alvarado Aguilar to time served (detained in federal custody since May 2, 2025). An immigration detainer has been filed in this matter.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter I. Roklan.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations Immigration and Custom Enforcement.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Guatemalan National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in Lawrence, Mass., was indicted on June 11, 2025 by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Marcos Riquiac-Ordonez, 41, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Riquiac-Ordonez was arrested by immigration authorities on May 12, 2025.
According to the indictment, Riquiac-Ordonez was deported from the United States on April 26, 2016. It is alleged that sometime after his April 2016 removal, Riquiac-Ordonez illegally reentered the United States without permission.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra W. Amrhein of the Major Crimes Unit is 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.
Gladwyne Investment Adviser Sentenced to over Eight Years in Prison for Defrauding Clients of More Than $23 MillionRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Scott Mason, 66, of Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 97 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Timothy J. Savage, in connection with two fraudulent schemes that Mason, through his investment advisory firm Rubicon Wealth Management LLC, orchestrated to divert millions of dollars in client funds in order to finance his own lavish lifestyle. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $24,998,596.46 to his fraud victims and restitution of $2,353,355 to the IRS.
In January of this year, Mason was charged by information with two counts of wire fraud, securities fraud, investment adviser fraud, and five counts of filing a false tax return, and pleaded guilty to all charges later that month.
As detailed in court documents and admitted to by the defendant, Mason — who had a fiduciary duty to make investment decisions in his clients’ best interests — transferred more than $17 million from 13 Rubicon clients to an entity that he owned and controlled, and ultimately used that money to finance his personal expenditures, including international travel, country club membership dues, credit card bill payments, and the purchase of an ownership stake in a Jersey Shore-based miniature golf course.
Mason targeted clients with whom he had a longstanding relationship and who trusted him implicitly, including longtime friends and family members, and he often liquidated those clients’ securities holdings in order to finance the fraudulent transfers. He either forged client signatures on distribution authorization forms or omitted all pertinent details of the so-called “investments” when seeking client authorization for the transfers and instead falsely represented that he was investing client funds in diversified short-term bonds.
In reality, Mason was converting client funds to his own personal use. He also used a portion of the fraud proceeds to partially repay another Rubicon client from whom Mason gradually misappropriated millions of dollars since 2007, in order to avoid detection by that victim. Even after factoring in the partial repayments, Mason stole a net total of more than $6 million from that additional victim.
Finally, Mason failed to report any of his fraud proceeds on his personal income tax returns, generating a tax loss of approximately $3.225 million.
“Frauds like the one Mr. Mason perpetrated on his clients damage the trust and integrity of our financial systems,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners continue to strive to protect the honesty of our financial institutions and bring to justice the criminals responsible for deceiving the public through their financial schemes.”
“IRS-Criminal Investigation is diligent when it comes to enforcing the laws directed at those who attempt to defraud our nation’s tax system,” stated Yury Kruty, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Philadelphia Field Office. “Today’s sentencing shows how seriously the courts take federal tax crimes.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation, with valuable assistance from the Securities and Exchange Commission's Philadelphia Regional Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Rice.
Former Vice-President of Asphalt Paving Company Incarcerated for Bid RiggingRead the Press Release
A former senior executive of a Michigan asphalt paving company was sentenced today to six months in prison and a $500,000 fine for his role in multiple conspiracies to rig bids for asphalt paving services contracts in Michigan.
Bruce F. Israel, former vice-president of Pontiac-based Asphalt Specialists LLC (ASI), pleaded guilty in January 2024 to conspiring with Al’s Asphalt Paving Company Inc. (Al’s Asphalt), F. Allied Construction Company Inc. (Allied), and employees from those companies to rig bids in each other’s favor. Israel is one of seven individuals that have been charged as part of an ongoing federal antitrust investigation into bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct in the asphalt paving services industry. Three companies also have been charged as part of the investigation, which to date has resulted in over $8.7 million in criminal fines.
“Bid rigging is cheating, plain and simple,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “By their own admissions, the defendant and his co-conspirators cheated their customers and betrayed the basic notions of free and fair competition, all to benefit themselves. The Antitrust Division and its law enforcement partners will bring to justice all individuals who deprive the public of the benefits of competition by seeking their incarceration.”
“Anyone choosing corporate greed over open and fair competition should take note of the sentence handed down today,” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony Licari of the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Midwestern Region. “This result underscores our firm resolve and ongoing collaboration with law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to identify, expose, and dismantle any efforts to undermine the systems that exist to protect consumers.”
“Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of bid rigging that degrades the competitive process,” said Inspector General Tammy Hull of the United States Postal Service. “We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those companies that commit fraud by conspiring to engage in anticompetitive practices for personal gain and corporate greed.”
According to court documents, the co-conspirators coordinated each other’s bid prices so that the agreed-upon losing company would submit intentionally non-competitive bids. These bids gave customers the false impression of competition when, in fact, the co-conspirators already had decided among themselves who would win the contracts. Israel participated in the conspiracy with Al’s Asphalt from March 2013 through November 2018 and the Allied conspiracy from July 2017 through May 2021.
Israel’s former employer, ASI, also pleaded guilty for its participation in the Al’s Asphalt and Allied conspiracies in January 2024. Another former ASI executive, Daniel Israel, pleaded guilty for his participation in the conspiracy with Al’s Asphalt in October 2023, and a third former ASI executive, Timothy Baugher, pleaded guilty for his participation in the Allied conspiracy in January 2025. ASI was sentenced in August 2024 to pay a fine of $6,500,000.
The Antitrust Division’s Chicago Office and the Offices of Inspectors General for the Department of Transportation and U.S. Postal Service investigated the case.
The Antitrust Division’s Chicago Office is prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258 or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
Former Venezuelan General Pleads Guilty to Narco-Terrorism, Weapons, and Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and the Acting Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Robert Murphy, announced today that former Venezuelan general HUGO ARMANDO CARVAJAL BARRIOS, a/k/a “El Pollo,” pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein to conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, engaging in narco-terrorism for the benefit of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (the “FARC”), and related weapons offenses.
“The deeply troubling reality is that there are powerful foreign government officials who conspire to flood the United States with drugs that kill and debilitate,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios was once one of the most powerful men in Venezuela. For years, he and other officials in the Cartel de Los Soles used cocaine as a weapon—flooding New York and other American cities with poison. In doing so, Carvajal Barrios partnered with a deadly terrorist group to support their combined drug trafficking and terrorism efforts, wreaking havoc on communities throughout the United States and elsewhere. Today’s guilty plea demonstrates our commitment to holding accountable foreign officials who abuse their power to poison our citizens. I commend the extraordinary efforts of our law enforcement allies in the DEA’s Special Operations Division and our other law enforcement partners here and abroad.”
“Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios exploited his position as the director of Venezuela’s military intelligence and abandoned his responsibility to the people of Venezuela in order to intentionally cause harm to the United States,” said DEA Acting Administration Robert Murphy. “After years of trying to evade law enforcement, Carvajal Barrios will now likely spend the rest of his life in federal prison. As evidenced in this case, DEA will relentlessly pursue anyone who uses violence, drugs, and intimidation to compromise the safety and security of the United States.”
As alleged in the Superseding Indictment, other court filings, and statements made during court proceedings:
Beginning in at least 1999, CARVAJAL BARRIOS, a Venezuelan citizen and the former director of Venezuela’s military intelligence agency, which was known as the Direccion de Inteligencia Militar (“DIM”), along with other high-ranking Venezuelan government and military officials, acted as leaders and managers of the Cartel de Los Soles, or “Cartel of the Suns.” CARVAJAL BARRIOS and other Cartel de Los Soles members abused the Venezuelan people and corrupted the legitimate institutions of Venezuela—including parts of the military, intelligence apparatus, legislature, and judiciary—to facilitate the importation of tons of cocaine into the United States. The Cartel de Los Soles sought not only to enrich its members and enhance their power but also to “flood” the United States with cocaine and inflict the drug’s harmful and addictive effects on users in the United States. To accomplish these goals, the leaders of the Cartel de Los Soles partnered with leaders of the FARC, a violent terrorist organization based in Colombia that was dedicated to the overthrow of the Colombian government, which was responsible for the production and distribution of the majority of the cocaine that reached the United States.
CARVAJAL BARRIOS held multiple positions of public trust in Venezuela that he exploited to benefit the Cartel de Los Soles, including as director of the DIM between approximately 2004 and 2011, and again in 2013. CARVAJAL BARRIOS took advantage of that position to illegally traffic narcotics and support his drug trafficking partners, including the FARC. In or about 2006, for example, CARVAJAL BARRIOS coordinated with other members of the Cartel de Los Soles to dispatch a 5.6-ton cocaine shipment from Venezuela on a DC-9 plane bearing a United States registration number. The plane departed Venezuela and landed in Mexico, where Mexican authorities seized the 5.6 tons of cocaine upon arrival. CARVAJAL BARRIOS also worked with the FARC to coordinate multi-ton drug shipments under his protection; provided heavily-armed security to protect drug shipments; and armed the FARC with automatic weapons and explosives to further the group’s drug trafficking and terrorist activities. To accomplish cocaine distribution on this massive scale, CARVAJAL BARRIOS accepted millions of dollars from drug traffickers. In addition, CARVAJAL BARRIOS participated in violence, including kidnappings and murder, to facilitate this cocaine trafficking and protect his co-conspirators.
One of CARVAJAL BARRIOS’s co-defendants in this case has already been sentenced. On or about April 11, 2024, Cliver Antonio Alcala Cordones was sentenced principally to a term of 260 months in prison, after pleading guilty to providing material support, including firearms, to the FARC. Other co-conspirators remain at large.
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CARVAJAL BARRIOS, 65, of Venezuela, pled guilty to four counts contained in the Superseding Indictment. A table containing the charges and minimum and maximum penalties is set forth below. CARVAJAL BARRIOS is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29, 2025.
CountMin. and Max. Prison TermCount One: Narco-terrorism conspiracyMandatory minimum of 20 years in prison; maximum of life in prisonCount Two: Narcotics importation conspiracyMandatory minimum of 10 years in prison; maximum of life in prisonCount Three: Possession of firearms, including machineguns and destructive devicesMandatory minimum of 30 years in prison, which is to run consecutively to any other prison term imposed; maximum of life in prisonCount Four: Conspiracy to possess firearms, including machineguns and destructive devicesMaximum of life in prisonThe minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding efforts of the DEA’s Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit, Miami Field Division, New York Field Division, Madrid Country Office, Bogota Country Office, and Mexico City Country Office; the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Treasury Department, Office of Foreign Assets Control; the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division; the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida; the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs; the U.S. Embassy Madrid; the U.S. Embassy Bogota; the U.S. Embassy Mexico City; and our law enforcement partners in Colombia, Mexico, and Spain.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and July 19, 2023, extradition from Spain of Carvajal Barrios.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“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.
This case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas S. Bradley, Kaylan E. Lasky, and Kevin T. Sullivan are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Kevin Nunnally of the Counterterrorism Section.
Link to a previous press release in this case: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/former-venezuelan-official-hugo-armando-carvajal-barrios-extradited-united-states.
Former New York City Corrections Officer Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Celeste Ramirez, 44, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced today to 180 months’ imprisonment, 10 years of supervised release, and $38,000 in restitution by United States District Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl for distribution of child pornography.
Ramirez was charged with that offense by indictment in March 2023 and pleaded guilty in March of this year. She will have to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), as required by federal and state law.
As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, in February 2022, Ramirez, then a corrections officer employed by the New York Department of Corrections, distributed six videos depicting child pornography via Telegram, an online messaging application, to Person 1, while Person 1 was located in Easton, Pennsylvania.
The defendant’s conduct came to light during an investigation into child exploitation crimes committed by Person 1. In 2022, Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) had received a Cybertip indicating that Person 1, of Easton, Pa., had used their Snapchat account to distribute child pornography. Person 1 confessed to receiving child pornography over the internet, and specifically from a corrections officer in New York City known as “CeCe,” identified through investigation as the defendant Celeste Ramirez.
In November 2022, federal agents executed a search warrant at Ramirez’s residence and found hundreds of videos of child pornography on her phone. Along with Person 1, Ramirez had communicated with numerous others online for the purpose of distributing and receiving child pornography.
One of those users, Cleveland Dewayne Chambers, charged elsewhere, told Ramirez that another woman he was chatting with online had offered to produce sexually explicit images of an infant. That woman was later identified by police as Raven Pointer, also charged elsewhere.
Chambers shared images that he had received from Pointer with the defendant. Ramirez and Chambers discussed how the child should be sexually abused and reflected on the images produced. Ramirez then repeatedly directed Cleveland to have Pointer film herself engaged in specific sex acts with the infant. Chambers responded by sharing additional sexually explicit images and videos produced by Pointer with defendant Ramirez.
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 projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police and Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Priya De Souza.
Former Bookkeeper Charged with Stealing from her EmployerRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney, Michael M. Simpson, announced that BELINDA MARTIN, age 50, of New Orleans, was charged in a bill of information on June 23, 2025, for access device fraud.
According to court documents, between 2014 and 2023, BELINDA MARTIN, allegedly embezzled money and things of value in excess of $1,000 from her employer through the fraudulent use of her company’s access device accounts.
The maximum penalty for the offense is ten years imprisonment, and/or a fine of up to $250,000, followed by up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that the bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Richard R. Pickens, II of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Florida Man and New York Man Sentenced for Aiding and Abetting an Attempt to Bring Aliens to the United StatesRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Joel Gil-Garcia, 23, currently residing in Orlando, Florida, and Maykel Reyes-Castillo, 22, currently residing in Yonkers, New York, have both been sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a time-served term of imprisonment to be followed by a 1-year term of supervised release. Both men pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting an attempt to bring aliens to the United States.
Reyes-Castillo, who was also ordered to pay a $500 fine, was sentenced on June 24, 2025. Gil-Garcia, who was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, was sentenced on May 22, 2025.
According to court records, in March 2024, Gil-Garcia made arrangements with an individual to pick up four foreign nationals crossing into Vermont from Canada illegally. Gil-Garcia asked Reyes-Castillo to drive with him to Vermont. In exchange for his promise to pick up the foreign nationals illegally entering the United States, Gil-Garcia received $1,800 and Reyes-Castillo received $500. Prior to this event, neither Gil-Garcia nor Reyes-Castillo had any criminal history.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Arra. Gil-Garcia was represented by Mark Oettinger, Esq., and Reyes-Castillo was represented by Stephanie Greenlees, Esq.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Five MS-13 Gang Members Indicted for a Murder in Kings Park and a Related Murder ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Earlier today in Central Islip, an indictment was unsealed in federal court charging five members of the violent transnational criminal organization La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the “MS-13,” with multiple racketeering offenses in connection with two murders—the October 28, 2023 murder of Yoneli Ramos-Moreno at the Sunken Meadow Bluff in Kings Park, New York, and the March 3, 2025 murder of Carlos Lopez-Lopez in Blue Point, New York—and with other charges including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and narcotics trafficking conspiracy (the Indictment). The five defendants are David Orellana-Aleman, also known as “Tenebroso” (Orellana-Aleman), who is a leader in the Hollywood Locos Salvatruchas (Hollywood) subgroup or “clique” of the MS-13; Noel Portillo-Romero, also known as “Discreto” (Portillo-Romero), a member of the Carlington Locos Salvatruchas clique of the MS-13 (Carlington); Cruz Eduardo Sanchez-Gutierrez, also known as “Escriper,” “Poison,” and “Bellaco” (Sanchez-Gutierrez), a member of the Hollywood clique; Ernesto Torres-Hernandez, also known as “Perverso” (Torres-Hernandez), a member of the Carlington clique; and Omar Zavala-Ventura, also known as “Snyder,” “Little Ejecutor,” “Pequeno Ejecutor,” and “Liro” (Zavala-Ventura), a member of the Hollywood clique.
Portillo-Romero, Sanchez-Gutierrez and Torres-Hernandez were arrested yesterday, and they are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States District Judge Gary R. Brown. Orellana-Aleman is currently in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”), and Zavala-Ventura is currently in federal custody. They will be arraigned at a later date.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Michael Alfonso, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI New York); Kevin Catalina, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD); Raymond A. Tierney, Suffolk County District Attorney; and Steven G. James, Superintendent, New York State Police (NYSP), announced the arrests and charges.
“The legal terms in the Indictment cannot adequately describe the sheer savagery with which the defendants, in service to the MS-13 gang, beat, strangled, and murdered Ramos-Moreno, and plotted to murder Lopez-Lopez,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “The charges in the indictment demonstrate my Office and our law enforcement partners’ resolve to hold vicious transnational organized crime groups like MS-13 accountable for their crimes and continue the mission to eradicate them from Long Island.”
Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York City Police Department, the Glen Cove Police Department, and U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations for their valuable assistance and partnership in this case.
“These violent gang members, allegedly involved in murder and poisoning our communities through the sale of drugs, pose a serious threat to our communities that we will not tolerate,” stated HSI New York Acting Special Agent in Alfonso. “MS-13 gang members committing such vile acts, as outlined in this indictment, represent the 'worst of the worst' among criminal aliens. HSI is dedicated to disrupting and dismantling these foreign terrorist organizations that threaten our communities and national security.”
“The indictment of these five individuals connected to the brutal executions of two people—all because they were viewed as disloyal—is a clear demonstration of our commitment to hold these defendants accountable,” stated SCPD Commissioner Catalina. “The violence carried out by MS-13 reaches barbaric proportions and we will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to put an end to this transnational gang’s reign of terror.”
“I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office EDNY for their leadership in working together with their local partners to investigate and charge these alleged members of the MS-13 gang. Meaningful collaboration between all levels of law enforcement is always vital to safeguard public safety, but never more so then when you are investigating alleged crimes committed by members and associates of violent transnational gangs such as the MS-13,” stated Suffolk County District Attorney Tierney.
“Precise coordination, excellent police work and investigative persistence at all levels was key in bringing these murderers to justice. I commend each agency involved for their tireless efforts and invaluable partnership. The New York State Police remains committed to keeping our communities safe from dangerous criminals and the violence that they perpetuate,” stated NYSP Superintendent James.
As alleged in the Indictment, the defendants participated in the murder of Ramos-Moreno, a former associate of the MS-13, who was targeted by the gang because he was suspected of being disloyal, and specifically by associating with the rival Latin Kings. Ramos-Moreno was first lured to a parking lot in Hauppauge and then driven to the Sunken Meadow Bluff where he was strangled with a rope and beaten to death. The gang members dragged his body deeper into the woods and left the area. Later, the defendants burned the rope used to kill Ramos-Moreno and destroyed his cellular phone.
Three of the defendants, Portillo-Romero, Torres-Hernandez, and Zavala-Ventura, have also been charged with a conspiracy to murder Carlos Lopez-Lopez, who was stabbed to death and drowned after being attacked on the beach in Blue Point, New York. The victim, a former member of the MS-13 who also participated in the Ramos-Moreno murder, was targeted because the MS-13 members believed that he was cooperating with law enforcement.
Finally, the Indictment charges the defendants with conspiring to distribute cocaine and marijuana. These charges stem from the MS-13 cliques’ street-level sales of cocaine and marijuana on Long Island, the proceeds of which were used to help finance the MS-13’s criminal operations, including purchasing firearms, ammunition, and other weapons, and sending money to MS-13 leadership in the United States and Central America.
The Indictment is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent transnational criminal organization. The MS-13 is comprised primarily of immigrants from Central America, and it has leaders in El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and the United States, with thousands of members all over the world. With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island. Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults. Since 2010 alone, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 75 murders in the Eastern District of New York, and it has convicted dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders. These prosecutions are the product of extensive collaboration with numerous law enforcement agencies, including HSI, FBI, and our local and state partners.
The charges in the Indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, each of the defendants faces up to life in prison, or the possibility of the death penalty.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at eradicating transnational criminal organizations, combating violent crime, and restoring the rule of law.
The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Megan E. Farrell, Paul G. Scotti, and Justina L. Geraci are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:David Orellana-Aleman (also known as “Tenebroso”)
Age: 27
Hyattsville, MarylandNoel Portillo-Romero (also known as “Discreto”)
Age: 27
Hempstead, New York and Central Islip, New YorkCruz Eduardo Sanchez-Gutierrez (also known as “Escriper,” “Poison,” and “Bellaco”)
Age: 29
Glen Cove, New York and Central Islip, New YorkErnesto Torres-Hernandez (also known as “Perverso”)
Age: 26
Port Jefferson, New York and Central Islip, New YorkOmar Zavala-Ventura (also known as “Snyder,” “Little Ejecutor,” “Pequeno Ejecutor,” and “Liro”)
Age: 27
Glen Cove, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-209 (GRB)
25cr209_orellana_aleman_et_al_indictment.pdfFelon Pleads Guilty to Drug and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A previously convicted felon from Springfield, Mass. pleaded guilty today to possessing cocaine intended for distribution and firearms offenses.
Pedro Deleon, 32, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine; being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition; and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug distribution. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for Sept. 25, 2025. Deleon was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2025.
On Oct. 22, 2024, Deleon possessed with the intent to distribute drugs and two firearms. Deleon was previously convicted of a crime punishable for a period exceeding one year.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug distribution provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Matt Lawlor, Acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; and Colonel Geoffrey Nobel of the Massachusetts State Police made the announced today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd E. Newhouse of the Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.Felon Indicted for Illegal Possession of a Firearm Following Arrest in AnacostiaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Ronald Stevenson Richardson, 29, of the District of Columbia, has been indicted on a federal firearms charge as part of the "Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful" initiative. The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Richardson is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon.
According to court documents, on May 6, 2025, members of the Seventh District Special Missions Unit (SMU) were patrolling the area of 1509 W Street SE in Washington, D.C., in the Anacostia neighborhood. While on patrol, police observed allegedly Richardson standing at a bus stop with an open container of alcohol at the intersection of 16th Street SE and W Street SE.
Richardson was subsequently arrested for possession of an open container of alcohol. During a search incident to the arrest, officers allegedly discovered a firearm in Richardson's undergarments, beneath his waistband. The firearm was identified as a Glock 42, chambered in .380 auto, loaded with one round in the chamber and four additional rounds in its six-round capacity magazine.
Richardson is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition due to a prior conviction in D.C. Superior Court for carrying a pistol without a license outside home/business, establishing him as a felon in possession.
This case is being investigated by the ATF Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Truscott is prosecuting this case.
The "Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful" initiative is a public safety effort surging resources to reduce violent crime in the District of Columbia. This initiative was created to address gun violence in the District, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenders, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Fayetteville Woman Sentenced to Prison in a $3.5 Million in Federal Student Aid SchemeRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Fayetteville woman was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the theft of millions from the federal student aid program. Cynthia Denise Melvin, age 60, pled guilty to the charge on February 26, 2025. The court also ordered Melvin to pay $3,641,473 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Education.
“This case represents one of the most significant federal student aid fraud schemes ever prosecuted in North Carolina,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar. “We will continue to investigate and prosecute those who seek to steal from programs that help students who need it, as they pursue an education.”
“I’m proud of the work of OIG special agents and our law enforcement colleagues for shutting down yet another student aid fraud ring and holding Ms. Melvin accountable for her criminal actions,” said Andrew Balceniuk, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General’s Eastern Regional Office. “The Office of Inspector General is committed to stopping student aid fraud rings, and we will continue to aggressively pursue anyone who participates in them.”
According to court documents and other information presented in court, between approximately 2016 and 2023, the defendant organized, led, and conspired with approximately 80 “straw students” and others to fraudulently apply for federal student aid at multiple community colleges in North Carolina, including Wake Technical Community College, Cape Fear Community College, and Fayetteville Technical Community College. Federal investigators from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General (OIG), estimate that the scheme resulted in more than $4.7 million in financial aid awards, of which more than $3.5 million was disbursed. Based on the fraud losses, OIG indicates the scheme is the largest of its kind prosecuted in the State of North Carolina.
Federal Student Aid (FSA), an office within the U.S. Department of Education, is responsible for administering financial aid programs to assist qualified students in their pursuit of post-secondary education, including grants, loans, work study funds, and other disbursements. FSA also develops, distributes, and processes the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). After a school applies a financial award to a student’s tuition and fees, any remaining balance is refunded to the student for education-related expenses.
According to the investigation, Melvin collected personal identifying information (PII) of straw students in North Carolina and used that information to submit fraudulent applications for admission at the targeted schools. Thereafter, Melvin attempted to make it appear that the straw students were attending classes, completing coursework, and communicating with the targeted schools when, in fact, Melvin impersonated the straw students for these and other purposes. To obtain financial aid, Melvin submitted FAFSA forms for the straw students through FSA’s website and concealed her identity as the preparer.
During the execution of a federal search warrant at Melvin’s residence, OIG investigators recovered evidence establishing the operation and mechanics of the scheme, including PII and coursework for straw students, FSA account usernames and passwords, and bank account and routing numbers.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief Judge Richard E. Myers, II. The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam F. Hulbig prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-CR-14-M.
Fraudster Sentenced to Federal Prison for Bank Fraud and Stolen Identity SchemeRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Rodrick Florence Jr., 35, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced in federal court to 72 months in prison after having previously pled guilty to bank fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft charges. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
United States Attorney Heekin said: “This case is an excellent example of how coordination between federal, state, and private stakeholders leads to justice for those in our community whose identities were stolen and the federally insured financial institutions that were defrauded. I am proud of the cooperation between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and private sector partners that is key to dismantling large-scale impersonation fraud rings like this one.”
Court documents reflect that between 2021 and 2023, Florence possessed the personal identifying information of over 7,500 individuals for the purpose of fraudulently obtaining money from their bank accounts. Florence worked with others to create fake identification and bank cards bearing real people’s information, which he and his conspirators used to access their account funds, including by making cash withdrawals and cashing counterfeit checks at various banks and credit unions through northwest Florida and across the nation. From Navy Federal Credit Union alone, Florence and his accomplices attempted to access the accounts of over 250 of its members and successfully obtained over $335,000 using those stolen identities.
Florence was sentenced to 48 months for the bank fraud conspiracy count to be followed by a mandatory consecutive 24 months for the aggravated identity theft count, for a total prison sentence of 72 months.
Other members of the conspiracy were previously convicted in state court as part of this joint investigation. Freedom Prince Brown, 32, was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment after pleading to racketeering. Ridel Baptiste Michel, 33, was sentenced to time served (approximately 20.5 months’ imprisonment) after pleading to racketeering. James Matthew Spears, 60, was sentenced to time served (approximately 23.9 months’ imprisonment) after pleading to illegal use of personal identification information, grand theft, and possession of a forged driver’s license. Michelle Moore, 43, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment after pleading to illegal use of personal identification information, grand theft, uttering forged bills or promissory notes, and possession of a forged driver’s license.
“Navy Federal commends the efforts to hold accountable those who defrauded our members,” said a Navy Federal Spokesperson. “We fully support the pursuit of justice of the fullest extent permitted by the law.”
“We are proud to have worked alongside our federal, local, and private partners in this case, and we commend the efforts of the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District of Florida and all involved agencies for their dedication to seeing justice served,” said Carrollton Police Department Chief of Police Joel Richards. “The sentencing of Rodrick Florence Jr. sends a clear message that criminal behavior of this nature will not be tolerated. Our agency remains committed to protecting our community and upholding the rule of law through strong partnerships and an unwavering commitment to our mission to provide the public with driven professionals who partner with citizens to create a safe and responsible community.”
The sentence was the result of a joint investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Gulf Breeze Police Department, and the State Attorney’s Office for the First Judicial Circuit, with special assistance from the Navy Federal Credit Union Global Security Investigations team and the Carrollton (Georgia) Police Department. The federal case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alicia Forbes, and the state cases were prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Robert Paul Gillespie and Ki McInnis.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Former Employee of the Louisiana Workforce Commission Pleads Guilty to Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Ellison C. Travis announced that Paris Lashay Haynes, age 28, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles to wire fraud.
According to admissions made as part of her guilty plea, from approximately April 2020 to March 2021, Haynes was employed with the Louisiana Workforce Commission (“LWC”) as a customer service representative. In this position, she was responsible for assisting individuals with their unemployment insurance claims.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was a federal law enacted in March of 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to individuals suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other provisions, the CARES Act expanded unemployment insurance eligibility and benefits for workers who lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic (“Pandemic Unemployment Assistance” or “PUA”).
The LWC located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, administered the PUA program for the State of Louisiana. The LWC maintained a self-service system for PUA applications, identified as “HiRE.” For claims filed or accessed via the internet, the LWC’s website captured certain data surrounding the interaction between the individual and the HiRE system. This information tied to the user-entered information for the claim, such as name, address, or bank account information.
As an employee of the LWC, Haynes was assigned credentials that allowed her to access LWC’s HiRE system, including individual claimant accounts. Beginning on or about April 2020, and continuing through at least March 2021, she devised a scheme to defraud by entering false and fraudulent information in the HiRE system, via interstate wires, in order to obtain PUA benefits to which she was not entitled. Haynes used her credentials to access the HiRE system from her residence in Texas and elsewhere. Thereafter, she made changes, without lawful authority, to the accounts of inactive PUA claimants. Specifically, Haynes changed usernames, passwords, and email addresses associated with the accounts. She then logged into claimant accounts and changed the claimants’ preferred method of payment, including their bank routing information, in order to re-direct PUA benefits to her own bank accounts or to accounts under her control. After changing their bank information, Haynes filed false and fraudulent weekly certifications in the names of UI claimants, causing LWC to transmit UI funds in the names of other individuals to her.
Beginning in or around March 2021, and continuing through at least June 2022, Haynes also electronically submitted PUA applications to the LWC in her own name in which she falsely certified that she was unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic when, as she well knew, her prior employment had been terminated due to her own misconduct.
During the course of the scheme, Haynes accessed and made changes to approximately forty (40) claimant accounts in order to redirect PUA program benefits to her own bank accounts or to accounts under her control. In total, Haynes obtained at least $200,000 in PUA benefits to which she was not entitled.
This matter is being investigated by the Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristen Lundin Craig.
Federal Charges Filed Against Dixie County Man for Trafficking in MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Ronald Carl Peavy II, 49, of Old Town, Florida, has been indicted in federal court for possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charge.
Peavy is scheduled for arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Midori A. Lowry at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville, Florida on July 1, 2025, at 2:15 p.m.
If convicted, Peavy faces up to life imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Dixie County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys James A. McCain and Adam Hapner.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Eureka Chiropractor Sentenced to 20 Months in Prison and Ordered to Repay More than $2.3 Million for Defrauding MedicareRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – Carrie Musselman, 48, of Eureka, Illinois, was sentenced on June 24, 2025, to 20 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $2.3 million dollars in restitution following her convictions on multiple charges related to her scheme to defraud Medicare and twelve other insurance companies. A jury found Musselman guilty of one count of healthcare fraud and five counts of wire fraud after a 13-day trial in February 2025.
At the sentencing hearing before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm, the government presented evidence that Musselman, a chiropractor in Eureka, engaged in a multi-year fraud to steal more than $2.5 million from Medicare and other insurance companies. As part of the scheme, Musselman submitted fraudulent insurance claims which indicated that services had been performed by medical doctors when they were actually performed by mid-level providers. That resulted in automatic pay increases for Musselman to which she was not entitled.
Musselman also made claims that falsely asserted patients had received services that were never provided. These claims included purportedly providing patients with allergy injections when no such injections were given. Instead, patients were sent home with oral drops that had not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, were considered “experimental,” and had not been proven to be effective.
And Musselman misrepresented services that were provided, again resulting in her receipt of payments to which she was not entitled. One of Musselman’s most highly reimbursed services, the placement of an electroacupuncture device, which she falsely billed as a surgically implanted neurostimulator, would not have qualified for any payment but for her deception.
Also at the hearing, Judge Mihm found that Musselman had committed perjury in her testimony. In doing so, the judge noted that Musselman’s statements lacked credibility. He stated that Musselman was well aware of the fraud she was committing and that she had directed and encouraged the fraud.
“This case should serve as a warning to anyone who would commit fraud against health insurance,” said Acting United States Attorney Gregory M. Gilmore. “We will seek out fraud, waste, and abuse and prosecute those who engage in it. Providers who take advantage of the trust placed in them to line their own pockets abandon their ethical responsibilities and raise health insurance costs for vulnerable patients.”
“The submission of false claims undermines the integrity of our federal healthcare system,” said Linda T. Hanley, Special Agent in Charge with the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “We remain committed to holding healthcare providers accountable for complying with Medicare regulations so that enrollees can continue to rely on the program and receive the care they deserve.”
“Bad actors in healthcare, such as Dr. Musselman, think they can cover up fraud through clouded paperwork and technical healthcare jargon all while they commit illegal acts such as false claims, fraudulent services, and in this case, services not even rendered,” said Christopher J.S. Johnson, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Springfield Field Office. “This sentencing and ordered restitution are a testament to the FBI’s commitment to working these types of cases. It doesn’t matter how clouded the paperwork, or how many files there are to go through, if there is a victim, then there will be an agent investigating it.”
The case investigation was conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Douglas F. McMeyer, Bryan D. Freres, and Grace J. Hitzeman represented the government at trial.
Eugene Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl and MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
EUGENE, Ore.— A Eugene man was sentenced to federal prison today for trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine in Oregon.
David Toedtemeier, 34, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release.
According to court documents, on January 24, 2022, as part of a drug trafficking investigation, officers from the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team conducted a traffic stop on Toedtemeier’s vehicle in Deschutes County, Oregon. Toedtemeier, his wife, and their infant child were in the vehicle at the time of the stop.
The officers searched Toedtemeier’s vehicle and located a safe on the rear passenger floorboard, located just beneath the car seat of the infant child, which contained fentanyl pills, heroin, methamphetamine, and a firearm. Additionally, officers found fentanyl, methamphetamine, a digital scale, Narcan nasal spray, and multiple cell phones in the trunk of the vehicle.
Later the same day, officers searched Toedtemeier’s residence and seized methamphetamine, heroin, and a firearm. When questioned by investigators, Toedtemeier admitted to possessing the drugs and firearms and stated that he intended to sell the drugs in Oregon.
On February 17, 2022, Toedtemeier was charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
On March 6, 2025, Toedtemeier pleaded guilty to one-count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one-count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The case was investigated by the CODE team with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Agency. It was prosecuted by Adam E. Delph, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
The CODE team is a multi-jurisdictional operation, comprised of federal, state, county and city law enforcement agencies that investigate large-scale drug trafficking organizations.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 80 to 100 times more powerful than morphine and 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin. A 2-milligram dose of fentanyl—a few grains of the substance—is enough to kill an average adult male. The wide availability of illicit fentanyl in Oregon has caused a dramatic increase in overdose deaths throughout the state.
If you are in immediate danger, please call 911.
If you or someone you know suffers from addiction, please call the Lines for Life substance abuse helpline at 1-800-923-4357 or visit www.linesforlife.org. Phone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also text “RecoveryNow” to 839863 between 2pm and 6pm Pacific Time daily.
Essex County Man Charged in Bank Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County resident was charged for his role in a bank fraud conspiracy, United States Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Isiah J. Jordan, 27, is charged by criminal complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of bank fraud. He made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre and was released on $100,000 bond.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Jordan was part of a multi-person scheme to steal checks from the mail and deposit those checks into bank accounts controlled by his co-conspirators. For example, in June 2023, Company-1 mailed out a business check for over $50,000. That check was stolen and altered by Jordan and his co-conspirators such that the payee information on the original check was changed so that the check could be deposited into an account controlled by the conspirators. Then in July 2023, after the stolen check cleared, Jordan and his co-conspirators withdrew the money from the account and split the proceeds.
Jordan and his coconspirators then continued to actively recruit other members to participate in and join the conspiracy. Specifically, they recruited individuals who had long-standing bank accounts to continue the scheme of depositing stolen checks and withdrawing the funds before the bank or the victims whose checks were stolen were aware of the illegal activity.
The bank fraud conspiracy and the bank fraud charges both carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1,000,000.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy in Newark, and the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey S. Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division and Thomas S. Kearney of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel: John Yauch, New Jersey
jordan.complaint.pdfDominican National Sentenced to 18 Months for Illegally Entering the Country After a Prior RemovalRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Dominican national was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for the felony offense of re-entering the United States after a prior removal.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Odanis Manuel Brea Mejia, 54, to 18 months in prison. He pleaded guilty on March 20, 2025.
According to court records, in January 2025, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) assisted the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) with a search warrant in Lewiston. During the warrant’s execution, investigators arrested Brea Mejia for drug trafficking. Brea Mejia, a Dominican national with an extensive criminal history, had been previously removed from the country in October 2021 following a Massachusetts conviction for distributing heroin. Since Brea Mejia’s prior removal, he had not obtained consent to re-enter the U.S.
HSI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigated the case with assistance from the MDEA.
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).
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Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national unlawfully residing in Lawrence pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to illegally reentering the United States after deportation.
Melvin Villar, 60, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Sept. 16, 2025. Villar was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2025.Villar was arrested by immigration authorities on Feb. 2, 2025, at the Essex County House of Correction in Middleton following his release from state custody on narcotics trafficking charges. In 2004, 2009, 2019 and 2021, Villar was previously removed following criminal convictions for immigration, drug and firearm offenses – including two prior convictions for unlawful reentry.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Grady of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
District Man Charged with Assaulting MPD Officer with Intent to Kill Following Knife Attack in NorthwestRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ian Andre Zephyrin, 45, of the District of Columbia, has been charged with assault with intent to kill while armed and assault on a police officer while armed following an incident that occurred on June 24, 2025, during which Zephyrin allegedly assaulted a police officer with a knife. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Zephyrin was presented today before Superior Court Judge Robert Hildum, who ordered Zephyrin held without bond until a July 7, 2025 preliminary hearing before Judge Rainey Brandt.
According to court documents, on June 24, 2025, at approximately 8:31 a.m., MPD officers responded to a call regarding a theft in progress at a CVS in Northwest. A CVS employee reported that defendant Ian Zephyrin had allegedly filled a reusable bag with unpaid merchandise and walked past all points of sale, last seen heading northbound towards V Street NW. The CVS employee also reported that Zephyrin allegedly attempted to grab her phone as she was trying to call the police.
MPD officers later located Zephyrin in the 600 block of Florida Avenue NW. When approached by officers, Zephyrin fled, dropping the allegedly stolen merchandise. Officers pursued Zephyrin and attempted to apprehend him. However, during the apprehension, Zephyrin allegedly pulled out a knife with a black handle and silver blade and swung it multiple times at the MPD officer, striking the officer in the head and causing the officer to bleed profusely. Zephyrin was then apprehended and placed under arrest.
Court documents say that the injured MPD officer sustained severe injuries to the head, including a three-inch laceration that required 30 stitches.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Scholz is prosecuting this case.
All charges are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Court Appoints Hayes U.S. Attorney for the District of MarylandRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Kelly O. Hayes has taken the oath of office — administered by Chief Judge George L. Russell III — to remain as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the District of Maryland. Ms. Hayes was previously appointed U.S. Attorney by the United States Attorney General in February 2025, after serving as Chief of the Office’s Southern Division since 2021.
Pursuant to the Vacancy Reform Act, 28 U.S.C. § 546, the Attorney General has the authority to name a U.S. Attorney to serve on an interim basis for up to 120 days. After that time, if a successor isn’t nominated and confirmed, it falls to the district court to appoint a U.S. Attorney to serve until the confirmation of his or her successor. The District of Maryland judges recently voted to re-appoint Ms. Hayes as U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. Chief Judge Russell swore Ms. Hayes in as U.S. Attorney in front of her family, U.S. Attorney’s Office staff, the Federal Public Defender for the District of Maryland, and court personnel.
“I am honored by the confidence the district judges have placed in me to continue serving as United States Attorney in Maryland,” Hayes said. “It is a privilege to lead this great office and to work alongside such dedicated public servants committed to upholding the rule of law and seeking justice on behalf of our communities. I look forward to continuing to zealously combat criminal activity to ensure public safety and to steadfastly represent the interests of the United States.”
Ms. Hayes joined the District of Maryland in 2013 as an Assistant United States Attorney. She has also served as Principal Deputy Chief for the Southern Division, Deputy Chief for the Southern Division, and Deputy Appellate Chief for the District. As Chief of the Southern Division, Ms. Hayes oversaw all criminal investigations and prosecutions in the Southern Division, including prosecutions related to MS-13, violent crime and illegal firearm possession and trafficking offenses, human trafficking, child exploitation, fraud, and illegal immigration offenses.
Raised in Montgomery County, Maryland, Ms. Hayes completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland at College Park. She then earned her law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law. Following law school, Ms. Hayes clerked for the Honorable Janis L. Sammartino in the Southern District of California.
As U.S. Attorney, Ms. Hayes has been and will continue to serve as the chief law enforcement officer for the District of Maryland. Under Ms. Hayes’s leadership, public safety, national security, and the protection of children are top priorities for the District.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s successes under Ms. Hayes’s leadership include securing guilty pleas from a defendant who attempted to murder a witness connected to a federal investigation; a USAID employee, three executives, and two companies involved in a bribery scheme involving $550 million in government contracts; and an individual engaged in the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material. Additionally, since Ms. Hayes became U.S. Attorney, a defendant was sentenced to more than 22 years for the kidnapping and using a firearm resulting in death during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; and four individuals were indicted for visa and marriage fraud for facilitating sham marriages.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys will continue to work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state, and local levels to prosecute offenders of these and other federal crimes.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Convicted Murderer Sentenced to 63 Months for Unlawful Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Willie Green, age 42, of Albany, was sentenced on Monday to 63 months in prison following his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), made the announcement.
In previously pleading guilty, Green admitted that on January 1, 2022, he possessed a loaded pistol in Albany. A prior felony conviction prohibited him from possessing the pistol. Green has an extensive criminal history that includes a 2024 murder conviction, which was secured by the Albany County District Attorney’s Office. The sentence in this case will run consecutive to the 25 years-to-life term he is serving on his state murder conviction.
United States Attorney Sarcone stated: “Willie Green cannot serve enough prison time for the crimes he’s committed. He should never get out, and if he is granted parole by New York State, he will be immediately taken to federal prison to start serving his term of imprisonment in this case. Albany is safer if this murderer stays locked up for good.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge Bryan Miller stated: “This sentence reflects our unwavering commitment to holding violent offenders accountable—especially those who continue to possess firearms despite felony convictions. This individual not only admitted to carrying a loaded firearm illegally, but he is also serving a 25-to-life sentence for murder. His actions represent the very threat to public safety that ATF and our law enforcement partners work tirelessly to prevent. Thank you to our partners at Albany PD and U.S. Attorney’s Office NDNY for their efforts.”
Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr. also imposed a 3-year term of supervised release to begin when Green is released from federal prison.
ATF investigated this case with the assistance of the Albany Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikayla Espinosa prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.
Convicted Felon from Hyannis Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Unlawfully Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Hyannis man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Donnell Pina, 52, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Judge William G. Young to 10 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In March 2025, Pina pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. In November 2022, Pina, along with co-defendant Ryan Diefenbach, was indicted by a federal grand jury.
In September 2021, Pina and Diefenbach possessed a Chinese SKS .762 caliber rifle. In September 2021, Pina sold two firearms – the Chinese SKS .762 caliber rifle and a Walther Colt M4 Carbine .22LR caliber semi-automatic rifle – to a confidential informant working with federal law enforcement in two separate transactions on Cape Cod.
Due to prior felony convictions, both Pina and Diefenbach are prohibited from possessing firearms. In October 2024, Diefenbach was sentenced to six years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Scott Riordan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant United States Attorney Elianna J. Nuzum of the Criminal Division 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 gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Contractor to Pay $1 Million to Settle Allegations of Overcharging U.S. Air Force at Cannon Air Force BaseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – The U.S. Attorney's Office announced today that it has reached a $1 million settlement with Noble Supply & Logistics, LLC to resolve civil claims related to Noble’s operations under a contract supporting the Contractor Operated Civil Engineer Supply Store at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico.
The contract, issued by the Department of the Air Force through the 27th Special Operations Contracting Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base (CAFB), required Noble to provide supplies and materials for upkeep of the base’s infrastructure and civil engineering needs. Under the terms of the agreement, Noble will pay the United States $1,034,495.99, including $250,497.94 in restitution, with interest, in semi-annual installments through January 2028.
The settlement resolves allegations that Noble did violate Air Force contract requirements for pricing and competitive quotes, which resulted in overpayments for certain transactions and violations of the False Claims Act. For items that could be bought from local vendors and suppliers, Noble allegedly gave the Air Force inflated prices and improperly withheld actual local supplier pricing to which CAFB was entitled.
For higher priced items that required competitive quotes, Noble is accused of providing fake, fabricated, or altered vendor quotes and withholding the lowest vendor bids, causing further overpayments. On some occasions, after government contracting officials flagged vendor quotes submitted by Noble as fake or altered, Noble submitted a second round of fake quotes to the government for the same transaction. The government also alleges Noble charged the Air Force extra for shipping when it was already included in the price quoted by the supplying vendor.
The United States alleges that Noble’s corporate leadership had knowledge related to these issues but failed to act; despite multiple discoveries by CAFB contracting officials of apparent misconduct. Noble denies all allegations, and the settlement is not an admission of liability.
“We expect every contractor doing business with the United States to uphold the highest standards of honesty and transparency,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison. “When those standards are compromised, we will act decisively to safeguard public funds and maintain trust in government operations.”
“The Defense Criminal Investigative Service will tirelessly pursue those who allow greed to compromise the integrity of the DoD contracting process,” said Chad Gosch, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, DCIS Southwest Field Office. “This settlement reflects DCIS’s ongoing commitment – alongside our prosecutorial partners – to hold contractors accountable and protect the interests of the American taxpayer.”
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison made the announcement today.
Agents from the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) supported the Government’s investigation. The government’s investigations were led by Assistant United States Attorney Sean M. Cunniff and Auditor Phillip Stella and criminal investigators from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and DCIS.
Connecticut Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Drug and Firearms CaseRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on June 23, 2025, Brendan Salmon, 36, of Hartford, Connecticut, was sentenced by United States District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford to a term of 132 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release. Salmon previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl, cocaine base, and cocaine between mid-2022 and November 2023, and causing a straw purchase of a firearm in September 2022.
According to court records, Salmon, who used the street name “Nice,” began distributing fentanyl, crack, and powder cocaine in the Stowe, Vermont area in the spring of 2022. His operation, which included several associates, expanded to Morristown, Vermont and Hardwick, Vermont as his trafficking continued into 2023. Two of his Connecticut couriers were stopped along Interstate 89 in separate 2023 law enforcement operations. In each stop, law enforcement seized over 2,700 bags of fentanyl and over half a kilogram of crack and powder cocaine. The two couriers were also convicted in connection with those seizures. Salmon was also actively involved in acquiring firearms, principally handguns, in Vermont from drug customers, some of whom purchased guns for him at Vermont firearms dealers. Salmon was arrested during a search warrant on a residence in Hardwick in November 2023. He has been detained since that time.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Vermont State Police, the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department, the Morristown Police Department, and the Stowe Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Van de Graaf and Jason Turner. Salmon was represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq.