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Friday 20 June 2025
Mexican National Sentenced for Illegal Re-EntryRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – LAURENCIO OLVERA-TERRAZAS (“OLVERA-TERRAZAS”)age 54, a native of Mexico, was sentenced on June 10, 2025, by United States District Judge Greg G. Guidry, after previously pleading guilty to illegal re-entry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M.Simpson.
OLVERA-TERRAZAS was sentenced a term of time served and to 2 years of supervised release. Judge Guidry also ordered that OLVERA-TERRAZAS pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court documents, on or about August 22, 2024, OLVERA-TERRAZAS re-entered the United States after being previously deported on September 20, 1997 and March 12, 2007.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Border Patrol in investigating this matter. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman of the General Crimes Unit.
Mason City Man Sentenced for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
A man who possessed methamphetamine with the intent to distribute was sentenced June 18, 2025, to more than 7 years in federal prison.
Todd Aaron Howard Hamilton Sutton, Jr., age 34, from Mason City, Iowa, received the prison term after a February 12, 2025, guilty plea.
In a plea agreement, Sutton admitted that on July 27, 2024, he was the driver of a vehicle pulled over for a traffic violation in Cerro Gordo County. He was arrested for driving while barred and taken to the Cerro Gordo County Jail. While being booked into the jail, law enforcement found a plastic baggie containing approximately 45 grams of methamphetamine Sutton had discretely hidden on his person. Previously, Sutton had attempted to conceal drugs on his person on two prior occasions when being processed at the Cerro Gordo County Jail for other offenses. Sutton has an extensive criminal history involving, amongst others, violence and drug convictions.
Sutton was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Sutton was sentenced to 90 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 4-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Sutton is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Greenwood and investigated by the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR03037.
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Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Murdering His Girlfriend’s HusbandRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Keyon Slaughter, 28, of Waldorf, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to the December 2022 murder of Dana Bailey, Jr., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Slaughter pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed. His guilty plea, which is contingent on the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon 16-year prison sentence, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The Honorable Danya Dayson scheduled sentencing for August 29, 2025.
According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, on December 5, 2022, at approximately 10:15 a.m., Slaughter entered Apartment 3 at 3224 E Street Southeast, Washington, D.C., the residence of Dana Bailey, Jr. Once inside the apartment, Slaughter confronted Mr. Bailey and shot him once in the chest with a .40 caliber handgun, causing his death. Slaughter then fled the apartment and soon thereafter fled the District of Columbia to North Carolina.
At the time of the murder, Slaughter was engaged in a relationship with the wife of Mr. Bailey, who was indicted with Slaughter and pleaded guilty to obstructing justice. At the time of the offense, Slaughter was on supervised probation for a 2019 conviction for armed robbery in Charles County, Maryland. Slaughter was arrested in this case in July 2023 and has been detained since.
This case was investigated by members of MPD’s Homicide Branch. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles R. Jones.
Man Charged for Stabbing Visitor at the Wounded Knee Memorial Site in the Pine Ridge ReservationRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that the United States Attorney’s Office has charged 18-year-old Raymond Eagle Hawk, Jr., of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, with Assault with Intent to Commit Murder.
On June 12, 2025, Eagle Hawk was intoxicated and panhandling at the Wounded Knee cemetery parking lot. The victim, a 71-year-old man, and his wife had traveled to the Pine Ridge Reservation from their home in Texas to visit the Wounded Knee Memorial site, near Wounded Knee village, within the Pine Ridge Reservation.
At the memorial site, Eagle Hawk asked the victim for money. The victim gave Eagle Hawk a small sum of cash, but Eagle Hawk continued to demand money. When the victim did not give Eagle Hawk more money, Eagle Hawk stabbed him in the throat with a knife. The victim sustained a grievous injury to his neck and attempted to return to his vehicle. Eagle Hawk continued to advance on the victim, but then fled the cemetery. The victim was transported to the Pine Ridge hospital and later flown by air ambulance to Monument Health Hospital in Rapid City, where he underwent emergency surgery to repair the wound to his neck.
Eagle Hawk appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on June 18, 2025, and pleaded not guilty to the criminal complaint. Eagle Hawk was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending a preliminary hearing and a detention hearing, scheduled for June 27, 2025.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is 20 years in custody in a federal prison.
The charge is merely an accusation and Eagle Hawk is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This matter is being 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.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division. Assistant United States Attorney Heather Knox is prosecuting the case.
Laurel County Company Pleads Guilty to Obtaining Misbranded Injectable DrugsRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. – A Laurel County, Kentucky company, Facial Expressions, pleaded guilty to the receipt of misbranded drugs in interstate commerce. Separately, its owner, Dr. Paula Gill, pleaded guilty to providing false information on an application to the DEA.
Dr. Gill owned and operated Facial Expressions, which was a business that provided treatments to customers involving injectable drugs, primarily derived from botulinum toxins to remedy or mitigate skin wrinkles. Dr. Gill administered these drugs to Facial Expressions’ customers. The manufacturing, labeling and distribution of these prescription drugs are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and they can only be legally acquired from an authorized and licensed distributor in the United States. Botulin toxin drugs available from unlicensed foreign suppliers are not authorized for use in the United States.
According to the company’s plea agreement, between August 2019 and August 2023, Facial Expressions purchased botulinum toxin type A drugs that were manufactured, packaged, and labeled for sale in Korea and/or Turkey, and thus were not authorized for use inside the United States by the FDA. Multiple customers experienced side effects linked to the botulinum injections that they received at Facial Expressions during this period. In total, these customers incurred additional medical expenses of at least $24,369 to fix these side effects.
In addition to Facial Expressions’ guilty plea, Dr. Gill pleaded guilty to providing false information to the DEA. On August 4, 2021, she knowingly lied on a DEA form to renew her DEA registration number by stating that her license to practice dentistry had never been suspended, when in fact the Kentucky Board of Dentistry did suspend her license in October 2010.
“Patients should be able to trust that the clinics they go to for care are operating by the book, which includes the purchase of prescription drugs through safe, FDA-approved channels,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Paul McCaffrey. “When medical providers breach that trust, we will hold them accountable.”
“Medical professionals who obtain prescription drugs outside the legitimate supply chain put their unsuspecting patients at significant risk,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ronald Dawkins, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Metro Washington Field Office. “We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who put profit over patient safety and jeopardize the public’s health.”
Acting U.S. Attorney McCaffrey, FDA Acting Special Agent in Charge Dawkins, and Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police (KSP), jointly announced the guilty plea.
The investigation was conducted by the FDA- Office of Criminal Investigations and KSP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Dunn-Pirio is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Dr. Gill is scheduled to be sentenced on October 16. She faces up to four years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes.
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Justice Department Secures Denaturalization of Convicted Distributor of Child Sexual Abuse Material Who Fraudulently Obtained U.S. CitizenshipRead the Press Release
On June 13, 2025, the Justice Department secured the denaturalization of a convicted collector and distributor of child sexual abuse material.
While still a citizen of the United Kingdom, Elliott Duke enlisted in the U.S. Army. In 2012, while serving in Germany, Duke began receiving and distributing child sexual abuse material via email and the internet.
In November 13, 2012, Duke applied for citizenship under a provision that permits U.S. servicemembers to obtain U.S. citizenship. When asked on his naturalization application if he had “ever committed a crime or offense for which you were not arrested,” Duke listed only a speeding ticket. On January 18, 2013, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer interviewed Duke, and Duke, once more, orally testified that he had never committed a crime or offense for which he had not been arrested. On January 18, 2013, Duke took the Oath of Allegiance and was granted U.S. citizenship.
On May 14, 2013, police officers in Louisiana arrested Duke and charged him with receipt and distribution of child pornography. During a police interview and in his plea agreement, Duke confessed to downloading, possessing, and distributing child pornography via his email account and the internet on dates both before and after his naturalization. Law enforcement officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) later found 168 videos and 187 still images on Duke’s computer depicting minor boys and girls engaged in the lascivious display of sexual activity and bestiality. On January 23, 2014, Duke was convicted of receipt and possession of child pornography.
On February 19, 2025, the Justice Department filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana seeking Duke’s denaturalization based on his crimes and his failure to disclose them during his naturalization process. On June 13, 2025, the Honorable James D. Cain, Jr, United States District Judge, entered an order revoking Duke’s U.S. citizenship.
“The laws intended to facilitate citizenship for brave men and women who join our nation’s armed forces will not shield individuals who have fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship by concealing their crimes,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate. “If you commit serious crimes before you become a U.S. citizen and then lie about them during your naturalization process, the Justice Department will discover the truth and come after you.”
The case was investigated as part of Operation Prison Lookout, an ongoing national initiative involving the Justice Department and ICE to identify and prosecute sex offenders who have fraudulently obtained United States citizenship. This case was prosecuted by Deputy Chief Hans H. Chen of the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation, General Litigation and Appeals Section, Affirmative Litigation Unit, with assistance from HSI, ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon Smitherman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana.
Justice Department Ramps up Community Outreach and Prosecution of Fraudsters Targeting Elderly VictimsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - In recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi and U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg announced that the Justice Department has increased efforts to protect American seniors from schemes that cost victims billions of dollars, often depleting their life savings. In the past few months, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia has prosecuted several fraudsters who targeted the elderly as well as conducted outreach to educate law enforcement about these schemes.
“Prosecutors across the country are stepping up the fight against malicious schemes that target older Americans,” said Attorney General Bondi. “We are working with domestic law enforcement and foreign counterparts every day to hold criminals accountable and ensure that justice is done for our seniors both here at home and abroad.”
“Our Office is committed to identifying and prosecuting fraudsters who target elderly citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Hertzberg. “We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to bring opportunistic scammers to justice and ensure they get the punishment they deserve.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office utilizes a two-pronged approach to addressing the threat of elder abuse by: (i) identifying and prosecuting domestic and foreign criminals involved in perpetrating elder fraud schemes and laundering the proceeds of their crimes; and (ii) engaging with law enforcement partners and community groups to educate them about elder fraud offenses and preventive measures to avoid such scams.
Elder Fraud Schemes
Although elder fraud may occur in a variety of ways, the most common schemes involve romance fraud, lottery fraud, tech support fraud, and grandparent scams.
- Romance fraud involves perpetrators who feign romantic interest in victims in order to later extract money or property under false pretenses.
- Lottery fraud schemes trick victims into believing they have won a non-existent lottery or sweepstakes prize to extract fake fees, taxes, or other fabricated charges from the victim.
- Tech support fraud scams involve perpetrators deceiving victims into believing that a computer or phone is faulty, often through fake pop-up messages, followed by demands for payment to repair the problem.
- Grandparent scams involve scammers impersonating a grandchild or other close relative experiencing a fictitious emergency who needs money from the victim as soon as possible.
Recent Prosecutions
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has achieved significant results in prosecuting recent elder fraud matters.
- U.S. v. Parikh, et al. On June 18, 2025, Pradip Parikh and Alpesh Patel were convicted following a jury trial for their roles in receiving and laundering fraud proceeds arising from an Indian call center scam. The scam callers—posing as government officials—scared victims into believing that they faced serious financial or legal problems because their social security numbers had been compromised. To avoid the perceived consequences, these victims, many of whom were elderly, were instructed to deposit cashier’s checks in or wire money to bank accounts identified by the scammers. Parikh and Patel each controlled and operated a bank account that received the victims’ funds. Parikh was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of money laundering. Patel was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and two counts of money laundering. While Parikh and Patel are awaiting sentencing, on April 14, 2025, co-defendants Robert Starling and Sarah Starling received sentences of 27 months and 20 months imprisonment, respectively, after pleading guilty. The court also ordered restitution to the victims.
- U.S. v. Young, et al. and U.S. v. Grey. In April 2025, Rederic Young and Randolph Leggs pleaded guilty to bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering for their roles in a retirement account takeover scheme. According to court documents, from July 2022 through January 2023, scammers involved in the scheme tricked an investment management company into authorizing a distribution to an imposter posing as the true accountholder. The conspirators created phony identification documents for the victim accountholder to open bank accounts in the victim’s name, which were used to receive and launder the stolen funds. In a related case, on June 10, 2025, Kendall Grey, a former community relations business associate, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. Grey abused his position as a bank employee to open the fraudulent bank accounts used by Young and Leggs, knowing the accounts would be utilized to receive and launder proceeds of the identity theft crime. Sentencing hearings for Young, Leggs, and Grey are pending.
Outreach Efforts
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) Outreach Program. On June 11, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office participated in an Elder Abuse Training for law enforcement presented in partnership with the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, and the Georgia Department of Human Services. The event hosted more than 125 attendees from approximately 45 agencies and service organizations across the district.
National Elder Fraud Hotline 2025 WEAAD Campaign. The National Elder Fraud Hotline is a free, national resource for older adults and their loved ones experiencing financial fraud. Supported by the Office for Victims of Crime, the National Elder Fraud Hotline is staffed by professionals experienced in working with older adults. Staff are continuously updated on the latest scams, are trained to make referrals concerning resources and services in the older adult’s local area and to assist older adults in placing a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, a report which has the potential to freeze funds.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: (833) FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311). This Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly to appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step, enabling authorities to identify those who commit fraud and to report certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible to increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Eastern Time. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is part of the Department of Justice’s Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force. The Strike Force focuses on investigating and prosecuting defendants associated with foreign-based fraud schemes that disproportionately affect American seniors. These include romance scams, phone scams, mass-mailing fraud schemes, and tech-support fraud schemes. For further information on these scams, see https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/senior-scam-alert.
More information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov or at (877) FTC-HELP (877-382-4357). The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Justice Department Files Statement of Interest in Alabama Redistricting Case Opposing Request for Preclearance under the Voting Rights ActRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a Statement of Interest in the Alabama redistricting case, Milligan v. Allen, 2:21-cv-1530 (N.D. Ala.), opposing Plaintiffs’ request to have Alabama submit its future redistricting plans for preclearance by the U.S. Attorney General under Section 3(c) of the Voting Rights Act.
Three sets of plaintiffs filed lawsuits arguing that two Congressional Districts in Alabama should be majority Black. The Court found that Alabama’s attempt to create a second majority-Black district was insufficient. Alabama has agreed to use the Special Master’s Remedial Map going forward and has explained to the Court that it will not seek to redistrict again until after the 2030 Census. One plaintiff argues that it is insufficient and seeks Section 3(c) relief.
In its Statement of Interest, the Justice Department explains that it would not be appropriate to require Alabama to submit future redistricting plans for preapproval by the Court or the federal government. “Section 3(c) preclearance is a drastic departure from basic principles of federalism, and nothing presented to the court justifies the extraordinary requirement of forcing Alabama to have redistricting plans pre-approved by the federal government,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael E. Gates of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
“The issues raised by the plaintiffs in this case have been remedied by the State of Alabama’s agreement to use the Remedial Map and pledge to not seek to redistrict again until after the next Census—over five years from now,” said United States Attorney Prim Escalona for the Northern District of Alabama. “The plaintiffs’ request to impose preclearance would unnecessarily tax principles of equal sovereignty that afford Alabama the Constitutional right to manage its own elections.”
The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces 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.
Human smuggler heads to federal prison for fatal smuggling eventRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 23-year-old Mexican national has been sentenced for alien smuggling resulting in death, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Jose Guadalupe Antonio-Arredondo pleaded guilty April 3.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Antonio-Arredondo to serve 30 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment.
Antonio-Arredondo admitted to assisting in the smuggling of an illegal alien July 12, 2024, by acting as a river guide. He led the illegal alien and a brush guide across the river to the border wall, then returned to Mexico.
After crossing, the illegal alien had trouble breathing and collapsed. The brush guide fled to a nearby house to hide from law enforcement. Authorities found the alien and took him to a hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased July 17, 2024.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devin V. Walker is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Honduran National Sentenced to Six Months in Prison for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Honduran national was sentenced June 18, 2025, in federal court in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Manuel A. Padilla, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to six months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. In April 2025, Padilla pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. In February 2025, Padilla was indicted by a federal grand jury.
Padilla first entered the United States unlawfully in 2003. On March 4, 2003, Padilla was voluntarily removed to Mexico.
At an unknown date, Padilla returned to the United States and in 2007 was charged and convicted of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and intimidation of a witness. On March 15, 2010, Padilla was removed to Honduras pursuant to a court order.
After his 2010 removal, Padilla once again entered the United States unlawfully. In January 2013, Padilla was charged with multiple counts of assault and battery. On June 28, 2013, Padilla was once again removed to Honduras.
Sometime after his 2013 removal, Padilla unlawfully reentered the United States for a fourth time. Since his return, Padilla was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and operation under the influence of alcohol. On Aug. 2, 2024, Padilla received a continuation without a finding on one count of operation under the influence of liquor. In January 2025, Padilla was arrested by immigration authorities.
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. Attorneys Sandra Gonzalez Sanchez and David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
High-Ranking Member of Violent Mexican Drug Cartel Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for His Role in an International Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A Mexican national and violent member of Los Zetas cartel was sentenced today to 35 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $792 million for conspiring to manufacture and distribute large quantities of cocaine and marijuana knowing that the drugs would be unlawfully imported into the United States. The United States Department of State designated Los Zetas, now known as Cartel del Noreste, as a foreign terrorist organization on Feb. 20, 2025.
According to court documents, Jaime Gonzalez-Duran, also known as Hummer, 49, was personally responsible for importing into the United States more than 450 kilograms of cocaine and 90,000 kilograms of marijuana, engaging in acts of violence against rival drug trafficking groups for control over drug plazas and trafficking routes, storing and transporting weapons, explosives, and ammunition, and bribing law enforcement officers to ensure drug loads would not be disturbed.
Gonzalez-Duran was an original member of Los Zetas, a drug trafficking organization comprised of former Mexican military officers that began as an armed militaristic wing for the Gulf Cartel. Gonzalez-Duran later served as a regional commander in the Mexican cities of Matamoros, Reynosa, and Miguel Aleman, after Los Zetas formed an alliance with the Gulf Cartel known as “The Company.” Gonzalez-Duran personally maintained a warehouse in Reynosa from which, in November 2008, authorities seized 540 rifles, 165 grenades, 500,000 rounds of ammunition, and 14 sticks of TNT that were used to secure drug territory and shipments. Gonzalez-Duran also was intercepted in a phone call in May 2007 coordinating the transportation of almost $1.5 million in cash from McAllen, Texas, into Mexico.
“Jaime Gonzalez-Duran employed violence and intimidation tactics to maintain Los Zetas’ reign over key drug trafficking routes, especially on the U.S.-Mexico border, used to send vast quantities of narcotics into the United States,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s sentence is a forceful reminder to Mexican terrorist organizations that the Department of Justice is committed to bringing to justice those who threaten the wellbeing and safety of the American people for their own personal gain.”
“For decades, DEA agents have tirelessly pursued justice to bring down one of Los Zetas’ most violent leaders, Jaime Gonzalez-Duran,” Said Acting Special Agent in Charge William Kimbell of the DEA Houston Division. “Today, those relentless efforts by our agents have paid off, and Duran will now be held accountable for years of bringing deadly drugs into American communities and killing those who stood in his way. No matter the distance of a violent drug trafficking organization or the rank of its leader, DEA will track down anyone who threatens our national safety and security.”
On Feb. 28, Gonzalez-Duran pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine and marijuana for unlawful importation into the United States from Mexico.
The DEA Houston Division investigated the case.
Deputy Chief Melanie Alsworth and Trial Attorneys Kirk Handrich and Jayce Born of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section prosecuted the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and October 2022 extradition of Gonzalez-Duran.
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 other transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Human Trafficking Conspiracy Spanning Florida Panhandle and Southern Alabama DismantledRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Kimberly Robinson Gandy, 47, of Gulfport, Mississippi, was found guilty on Wednesday afternoon, June 18, 2025, by a federal jury, of: Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion; Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion; and Money Laundering. Her codefendant, Chad Cornelius Seymore, 49, of Dothan, Alabama, pled as charged, on Monday, June 9, 2025, immediately prior to the scheduled trial, to: Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion; Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion; Receiving Benefits From Sex Trafficking; Interstate Travel In Aid of Racketeering; and Money Laundering. The guilty plea and verdict were announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the tireless efforts of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners who investigated this case, and the tenacious work of the federal prosecutors and support staff in my office, we have dismantled this sex trafficking conspiracy and obtained justice on behalf of its victims. My office is committed to fulfilling the promise of President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to aggressively prosecute those who prey upon and profit from human trafficking victims. This outcome is a testament to the outstanding collaborative work of the Capital City Human Trafficking Task Force.”
Court documents reflect that over a four-year period Seymore conspired with others to bond adult women out of county jail and then force them to commit commercial sex acts in Alabama and North Florida. Seymore recruited women suffering from drug addictions at hotels and through online advertisements. He threatened and physically abused his sex trafficking victims. Gandy conspired with Seymore to traffic women in Panama City Beach and Destin. They used online money exchange platforms to transfer funds received from commercial sex acts.
Sentencing for Chad Seymore is scheduled for August 15, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. Kim Gandy will be sentenced on September 15, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. The defendants will be sentenced at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before Chief United States District Judge Alan C. Winsor.
The convictions were the result of a joint investigation by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Dothan, Alabama Police Department, the Panama City Beach Police Department, the Panama City Police Department, with assistance from the United States Marshal’s Service, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama. The case is being prosecuted by First Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Spaven.
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.
Former Mayor of Les Irois, Haiti Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Immigration FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The former Mayor of Les Irois, Haiti was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for illegally obtaining a Permanent Resident Card (commonly referred to as a Green Card) by means of a false statement, specifically, that he ordered and carried out or materially assisted in extrajudicial and political killings, and other acts of violence, against the Haitian people.
Jean Morose Viliena, 53, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to nine years in prison and three years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of the sentence imposed. On March 28, 2025, Viliena was convicted of three counts of visa fraud following a two-week jury trial.
“Jean Morose Viliena built a life in the United States by burying the truth about his violent past – a past marked by political persecution, bloodshed and the silencing of dissent in Haiti,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “For more than a decade, he lived freely and comfortably in this country while the victims of his brutality lived in fear, exile and pain. Today’s sentence brings a measure of justice for the lives he shattered and sends a clear message: the United States will not be a safe haven for human rights abusers. Lying to gain entry into this country and then lying again under oath to avoid accountability, strikes at the heart of our immigration and legal systems. I commend the tremendous courage of the victims and witnesses who stood up and spoke the truth, despite the risks, and made this outcome possible.”
“In Haiti, Jean Morose Viliena was involved in the violent killings, beatings, and assaults of whomever he believed threatened his power as mayor,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His lies to U.S. immigration authorities allowed him to unlawfully enter this country and obtain lawful permanent resident status. Individuals who commit violent crimes in their home countries should take note: we do not tolerate human rights abusers who lie to take refuge here. We will find you, investigate you, and prosecute you to ensure that you are held accountable to the maximum extent of U.S. law for your heinous criminal conduct.”
“Today's sentencing underscores the commitment of Homeland Security Investigations to ensuring that individuals who commit heinous acts of violence and fraud are held accountable, regardless of where those crimes were committed” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations, New England. “Jean Morose Viliena's actions were not only a gross violation of human rights but also a betrayal of the trust placed in him by his community. HSI will continue to work tirelessly with our partners to bring justice to victims and protect the American people from foreign criminals seeking to escape justice in their home countries.”
“The men and women of CBP work diligently alongside our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of the people in our communities. Emigrating to the United States is a privilege and if you conceal your criminal conduct to deceive your way into this country, you will ultimately be detected, held accountable and brought to justice,” said Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office.
Viliena was the Mayor of Les Irois, Haiti from December 2006 until at least February 2010. As a candidate and as Mayor, Viliena was backed by a political machine called Korega, which exerts power throughout the southwestern region of Haiti through armed violence. Viliena personally supervised his mayoral staff and security detail and led an armed group in Les Irois aligned with Korega. Under Viliena’s direct supervision, the Korega militia enforced Viliena’s policies by various means, including by targeting political opponents in Les Irois through armed violence.
As Mayor, Viliena was involved in several instances of violence. The first occurred in or around July 27, 2007 when a witness spoke at a judicial proceeding in Les Irois on behalf of a neighbor who had been assaulted by Viliena. In reprisal for that testimony, that evening, Viliena led an armed group to that witness’ home, where Viliena and his associates shot and killed the witness’ younger brother, and then smashed his skull with a large rock before a crowd of bystanders.
The second incident occurred in or around April 2008, when a group of local journalists and activists founded a community radio station. According to court documents, Viliena opposed establishment of the radio station and, on April 8, 2008, mobilized members of his staff and the Korega militia to forcibly shut down the radio station and seize its broadcasting equipment. At that time, Viliena distributed firearms to the Korega militia members, some of whom also carried machetes and picks.
On the day of the attack on the radio station, Viliena pistol-whipped an individual with his gun and struck him with his fists. When the individual tried to flee, Viliena ordered one of his associates to shoot and kill him. Shots were fired which hit the individual in the leg. The individual spent several months in various hospitals and his leg was later amputated above his knee. Another individual, also a citizen of Haiti, became a target of Viliena because of his association with the radio station. On the day of the attack of the radio station, that individual was present and when he tried to flee, he was hit by a bullet in the face. He required months of intensive medical treatment, including two surgeries to extract shotgun pellets from his face, which left him permanently blind in one eye. According to court documents, pieces of shotgun pellets remain in the individual’s scalp and arms.
On June 3, 2008, Viliena presented himself at the United States Embassy Consular Office in Port au Prince, Haiti where he submitted an Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration, Form DS-230, Part II in order to gain entry to the United States. The form specifically requires that each applicant state whether or not they are a member of any class of individuals that are excluded from admission into the United States, including those who have “ordered, carried out or materially assisted in extrajudicial and political killings and other acts of violence against the Haitian people.” Viliena falsely responded that he was not. Viliena thereafter swore to, or affirmed, before a U.S. Consular Officer that the contents of the application were true and signed the application. According to court documents, thereafter, on or about June 4, 2008 and based upon Viliena’s false representations in the Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Form DS-230, the U.S. Department of State approved Viliena’s DS-230 application.
On or about July 14, 2008 – as the result of the approval of his DS-230 application – Viliena gained entry into the United States and was thereafter granted lawful permanent residence status in the United States. As a further result, Viliena received a Permanent Resident Card. Viliena has continued to possess a Permanent Resident Card and has used such card on numerous occasions to enter the United States, including after visiting his family in Les Irois. Since unlawfully gaining entry into the United States, Viliena has received sufficient income through employment and raised a child who is now a U.S. citizen by birth.
On March 22, 2017, a civil lawsuit was filed against the defendant alleging various violations under the Torture Victim Protection Act and Alien Tort Statute. On March 21, 2023, a jury found the defendant liable for the extrajudicial killing of Ecclesiaste Boniface, and the attempted extrajudicial killing and torture of Juders Yseme and Nissage Martyr. The plaintiffs were awarded $11 million in punitive damages.
U.S. Attorney Foley; DOJ Head Galeotti; HSI SAC Krol; CBP Director De La O; Matthew O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; and Denis C. Riordan, District Director of the Fraud Detection and National Security Division of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. This matter was investigated with the assistance of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the United States Interagency Human Rights Violators & War Crimes Center and the United States Citizen and Immigration Service. Valuable assistance was provided by the Malden Police Department and HRSP historian Christopher Hayden. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura J. Kaplan of the National Security Unit prosecuted the case along with Alexandra Skinnion of the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Unit Section (HRSP).
Former Haitian Mayor and Human Rights Violator Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Lying about Past Involvement in Political ViolenceRead the Press Release
Note: See indictment here.
Jean Morose Viliena, the former Mayor of Les Irois, Haiti, was sentenced today to nine years in prison followed by three years of supervised release by Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV for the District of Massachusetts for possessing and using a Permanent Resident Card he had fraudulently obtained by falsely stating that he had not ordered, carried out, or materially assisted in extrajudicial and political killings and other acts of violence against the Haitian people. A federal jury convicted Viliena in March 2025 of three counts of visa fraud.
“In Haiti, Jean Morose Viliena was involved in the violent killings, beatings, and assaults of whomever he believed threatened his power as mayor,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His lies to U.S. immigration authorities allowed him to unlawfully enter this country and obtain lawful permanent resident status. Individuals who commit violent crimes in their home countries should take note: we do not tolerate human rights abusers who lie to take refuge here. We will find you, investigate you, and prosecute you to ensure that you are held accountable to the maximum extent of U.S. law for your heinous criminal conduct.”
“Jean Morose Viliena built a life in the United States by burying the truth about his violent past – a past marked by political persecution, bloodshed and the silencing of dissent in Haiti,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “For more than a decade, he lived freely and comfortably in this country while the victims of his brutality lived in fear, exile and pain. Today’s sentence brings a measure of justice for the lives he shattered and sends a clear message: the United States will not be a safe haven for human rights abusers. Lying to gain entry into this country and then lying again under oath to avoid accountability strikes at the heart of our immigration and legal systems. I commend the tremendous courage of the victims and witnesses who stood up and spoke the truth despite the risks and made this outcome possible.”
“Today's sentencing underscores the commitment of Homeland Security Investigations to ensuring that individuals who commit heinous acts of violence and fraud are held accountable, regardless of where those crimes were committed,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England. “Jean Morose Viliena's actions were not only a gross violation of human rights but also a betrayal of the trust placed in him by his community. HSI will continue to work tirelessly with our partners to bring justice to victims and protect the American people from foreign criminals seeking to escape justice in their home countries.”
Viliena, 53, was the Mayor of Les Irois, Haiti, from December 2006 until February 2010. As a candidate and as mayor, Viliena was backed by Korega, a political machine that used armed violence to exert power throughout the southwestern region of Haiti. Viliena personally supervised his mayoral staff and other armed supporters aligned with Korega and directed them to engage in armed violence to quash opposition to his authority.
According to evidence presented at trial, on July 27, 2007, Viliena violently retaliated against an activist who had previously spoken at a judicial proceeding on behalf of a neighbor whom Viliena had assaulted. In a brutal act of reprisal, that evening, Viliena led an armed group to the activist’s home, where Viliena and his associates shot and killed the activist’s younger brother and then smashed the brother’s skull with a large rock before a crowd of bystanders.
Viliena committed another act of violent retribution in April 2008, when he and his associates attacked community members who had founded a radio station that Viliena opposed. According to multiple witnesses’ testimony, Viliena mobilized armed members of his staff and supporters to forcibly shut down the radio station and seize its broadcasting equipment. Viliena distributed firearms to his men, some of whom also carried machetes and picks. According to the evidence presented at trial, during this incident, Viliena beat one man and ordered an associate to shoot him when he tried to flee. As a result, the man’s leg was later amputated above the knee. Viliena also beat a student who was at the radio station; when the student tried to flee, a bullet struck his face, leaving him permanently blind in one eye.
Less than two months after the radio station attack, Viliena presented himself at the U.S. Embassy Consular Office in Port au Prince, Haiti, where he applied for a visa to enter the United States. The visa application specifically requires an applicant to state whether they are a member of any class of individuals excluded from admission into the United States, including those who have “ordered, carried out or materially assisted in extrajudicial and political killings and other acts of violence against the Haitian people.” Viliena falsely responded “no,” indicating that this category did not apply to him. Viliena thereafter swore to and affirmed before a U.S. Consular Officer that the contents of the application were true and signed the application.
Based on Viliena’s false representations, the United States approved his visa application and permitted him to enter the country. The United States later granted Viliena lawful permanent resident status and a Permanent Resident Card, also known as a “Green Card.” For years, through the use of his fraudulently obtained Green Card, Viliena enjoyed a job; sufficient income; a comfortable home; a safe community; the ability to visit his family in Les Irois at any time; and the privilege of raising and educating a son who is now a U.S. citizen by birth.
The HSI Boston Field Office investigated the case, with coordination provided by the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC). Established in 2009, the HRVWCC furthers the government’s efforts to identify, locate, and prosecute human rights abusers in the United States, including those who are known or suspected to have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female mutilation, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers. Invaluable assistance was also provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection from Boston Logan Airport.
Trial Attorney Alexandra Skinnion of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura J. Kaplan for the District of Massachusetts prosecuted the case, with assistance from HRSP Historian/Analyst Dr. Christopher Hayden.
Members of the public who have information about former human rights violators in the United States are urged to contact U.S. law enforcement through the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or its online tip form at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp.
Former Federal Officer Charged with Possession and Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material Appears in CourtRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson announced today that Philip Andrew Douglass, 42, of Pineville, N.C., and a former federal officer, appeared in court this morning to face charges of possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Chip Hawley, Director of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
According to allegations in the criminal indictment that was unsealed in federal court today, from July 24 to August 20, 2024, Douglass knowingly distributed CSAM and possessed and accessed with intent to view CSAM. During the time of the alleged offense, Douglass was an Enforcement and Removal Operations Officer with U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to holding accountable those who commit crimes involving vulnerable children, especially those serving in positions of public trust,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “I commend the SBI for their investigative work on this case and I thank Homeland Security Investigations for their assistance throughout the investigation.”
“The SBI is dedicated to protecting children from predators and exploitation. I take great pride in the work of our Computer Crimes Unit and our collaboration with federal partners to ensure that those who prey on our children are brought to justice. The SBI will continue its relentless efforts to hold those who exploit our youth accountable. The SBI would like to thank the office of the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the United States Attorney's Office, Western District, for their partnership in this case,” said Director Hawley.
Douglass made his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler. He was released on bond and subject to electronic monitoring and warrantless searches pursuant to the U.S. Probation Office.
The SBI is in charge of the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Cervantes of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case. The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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 Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
First Sentencing in Burglary of Dozens of Firearms from Maryland Pawn ShopRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Juwon Markel Anderson, 22, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 84 months in federal prison for his role in the December 2023 burglary of a Maryland pawn shop that netted dozens of firearms and for his subsequent attempt to sell several of the stolen guns.
The sentencing 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) Washington Field Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Anderson, aka “Peezy,” pleaded guilty on March 4, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking. In addition to the prison term, Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered Anderson to serve three years of supervised release.
According to the court documents, on Dec. 13, 2023, Anderson and at least four co-conspirators drove in two vehicles from the District to the A&D Pawn Shop, a Federal Firearms Licensee, in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
At the pawn shop, one of the co-conspirators used a portable saw to cut the locks on a pull-down security gate. Another co-conspirator then used a crowbar-type tool to pry open the main door. Once inside, the quintet grabbed an array of rifles, shotguns, and pistols from the shelves and display racks. They fled with at least 34 guns. Two days after the burglary, on December 15, 2023, Anderson was arrested with two of the stolen firearms. He has been detained ever since.
Co-defendant Tyjuan McNeal, 27, is scheduled to be sentenced July 1 for conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking. Vincent Lee Alston, 23, and Niquan Odum, 23, pleaded guilty March 6, 2025. Alston, aka “Vedo,” pleaded to one count of conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking. Cy'juan Hemsley, who pleaded guilty on May 7, 2025, and Odumn, aka “Stickz,” pleaded to conspiracy to commit theft from a firearms licensee and to possession of stolen firearms.
This case is being investigated by the ATF Washington Field Division and the Metropolitan Police Department, with assistance from the ATF Baltimore Field Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar with valuable assistance from former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Lipes.
Erie Coke Corporation Pleads Guilty to Air Emissions ViolationsRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. – Erie Coke Corporation, which is no longer in operation, pleaded guilty earlier this week in federal court to two counts related to criminal air emissions violations and agreed to pay a $700,000 fine for those violations, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
On June 17, 2025, Erie Coke pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act and knowingly emitting unburned or raw coke oven gas, a hazardous air pollutant, in violation of Erie Coke’s environmental permit.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that Erie Coke, which owned and operated a now-shuttered coke manufacturing plant in Erie, Pennsylvania, conspired with its employees to violate the Clean Air Act by, among other things, removing caps on heating flues atop the coke oven batteries in order to allow combustion gases to vent directly into the air and avoid the plant’s environmental monitoring system. In doing so, Erie Coke emitted pollutants in violation of specific provisions of the Title V permit governing opacity limits and discharge of raw coke oven gas. The corporation then knowingly submitted emissions monitoring data to regulators each quarter that did not reflect the actual amount of emissions. The Court was also advised that Erie Coke fostered a culture of noncompliance with the relevant regulations and permit conditions, and that the amount of the fine called for under the plea agreement was determined in part based on the funds currently available to the corporation, which ceased business in 2019. The Court may accept or reject the fine as agreed to by the parties in the plea agreement.
Judge Baxter scheduled sentencing for October 7, 2025. The law provides for a fine of up to $1 million.
Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Vasquez Schmitt and Michael L. Ivory are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Environmental Protection Agency conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Erie Coke.
Eight Defendants Indicted in Connection with Drug Trafficking Conspiracies and One Defendant Indicted for Unlawful Reentry into the United StatesRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Eight defendants have been indicted in connection with drug trafficking organizations operating out of Massachusetts and distributing illegal narcotics in Manchester. One defendant was also in the United States following a previous deportation, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
On June 18, 2025, law enforcement arrested six of these defendants each on one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl, and one defendant was also charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.
The following defendants have been indicted and arrested in connection with these charges:
- Ariel Lara Aguasviva, age 35, of South Attleboro, MA; and is in federal custody.
- Victor Manuel Mejia Guzman, age 49, of Methuen, MA; and is in federal custody.
- Jarlin Soto Jimenez, age 29, of Lynn, MA; and is in federal custody.
- Robert Alexis Pena Lara, age 25, of Providence, RI; and is in federal custody.
- Edwin Manuel Mejia Mejia, age 43, of Dorchester, MA; and is in federal custody.
- Carlo De Los Santos Ruiz, age 28, of Dorchester, MA; and is in federal custody.
According to the charging documents, between November 20, 2023 and May 7, 2025, the defendants knowingly and intentionally conspired to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl.
Additionally, according to the charging documents, Victor Manuel Mejia Guzman, a Dominican Republic national unlawfully residing in Methuen, was previously deported on November 19, 2007. Mejia-Guzman was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Major Offender Task Force and the Manchester Police Department led the investigation. DEA New England, HSI New England, and the Boston, Attleboro, Methuen, Lynn, and Providence Police Departments provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Shannon and Heather Cherniske are prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Drug Trafficker Sentenced to More Than Eight Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – An Elizabeth City man was sentenced on Tuesday to 8.5 years in prison for possessing with intent to distribute 189 grams of fentanyl. Al Esteban Ortiz, age 49, pled guilty to the charges on January 17, 2025.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, law enforcement received information that Ortiz, aka “Floyd Lee Riddick, Jr.”, had driven to New York to purchase narcotics. On May 4, 2024, Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office investigators stopped Ortiz’s car once he entered Pasquotank County. After initiating the stop, law enforcement saw the driver throw a white bag out of the passenger side window onto the shoulder of the road. Investigators arrested Ortiz, the driver and sole occupant of the car, and recovered the bag from the shoulder of the road. The bag contained 189 grams of fentanyl. Law enforcement then obtained a search warrant for Ortiz’s house, where they recovered 25 grams of cocaine. Ortiz confessed to travelling to New York and purchasing what he believed to be heroin for $11,000, to bring back to Elizabeth City, North Carolina for distribution.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Pasquotank County Sherriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Avera and Phil Aubart 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. 2:24-cr-00021.
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District of Arizona Charges 177 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from June 14, 2025, through June 20, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 177 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 80 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 87 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 9 cases against 10 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Heriberto Medina: On June 16, 2025, Heriberto Medina drove a Toyota Camry from Mexico into the United States through the Douglas Port of Entry. At the port, Customs and Border Protection Officers asked Medina to open his trunk. As officers were inspecting the trunk, they noticed a speaker box that seemed out of place. When officers moved the speaker box, they found an individual hiding behind it who was a Mexican citizen, illegally present in the United States. Medina was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien for Profit. [Case Number: 25-MJ-08110]
United States v. Carlos Barrera-Aguilar: On June 17, 2025, Border Patrol Agents arrested Carlos Barrera-Aguilar near Wellton, Arizona. At the time of his arrest, Barrera-Aguilar was illegally present in the United States, and had previously been removed from the United States on three occasions. He also has a prior felony conviction for burglary. Barrera-Aguilar was charged by criminal complaint with Illegal Re-entry. [Case Number: 25-MJ-1674]
United States v. Juan Carlos Morales-Chavez: On June 18, 2025, law enforcement officers were arresting Juan Carlos Morales-Chavez for an administrative immigration violation when they found him in possession of a handgun. Morales-Chavez was charged by criminal complaint with Alien in Possession of a Firearm. [Case Number: 25-MJ-9270]
A criminal complaint 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.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-097_June 20 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Co-Founder of Los Cuinis Drug Cartel Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison; High-Ranking Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) Operative Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
Today, a Mexican national and the co-founder of the armed, violent, and prolific Los Cuinis drug cartel was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in a major drug trafficking conspiracy.
According to court documents, Jose Gonzalez-Valencia, 49, of Michoacan, Mexico, was one of the top leaders — alongside his brothers, Gerardo Gonzalez-Valencia and Abigael Gonzalez-Valencia — of Los Cuinis, a major Mexican drug cartel responsible for trafficking multiple tons of cocaine from South America, through Mexico, into the United States. Los Cuinis financed the founding and growth of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), which traffics hundreds of tons of cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the United States and other countries, and is known for extreme violence, murders, torture, and corruption.
In February 2025, President Trump designated CJNG a foreign terrorist organization. According to court documents, the top leader of CJNG, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” is the brother-in-law of the Gonzalez-Valencia brothers. Closely allied, Los Cuinis and CJNG form one of the most violent and prolific transnational criminal organizations in the world, responsible for sending staggering amounts of drugs into the United States and inflicting extreme violence to further that objective.
Also today, as part of the Department of Justice’s focus on dismantling CJNG, another Mexican national, Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa, also known as “El Guacho,” a high-ranking CJNG member and El Mencho’s son-in-law, pleaded guilty to one count of international money laundering conspiracy.
“Today, the Criminal Division dealt two more devastating blows to CJNG and Los Cuinis through the sentencing of Jose Gonzalez-Valencia and the conviction of Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These men and the cartels they led are responsible for immeasurable death and destruction in the United States and Mexico. The Justice Department will continue to dismantle CJNG, Los Cuinis and all other transnational criminal organizations that flood our streets with dangerous drugs and engage in extreme violence to control their operations.”
“CJNG is one of the most powerful, influential, and ruthless criminal organizations to threaten our public safety and national security. Each leader and associate of CJNG who faces justice within the United States brings us one step closer to dismantling this terrorist organization,” said Acting Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Robert Murphy. “DEA will continue to use all available resources to disrupt CJNG’s drug trafficking and money laundering operations and systematically destroy their network.”
From at least 2006 to 2016, according to court documents, Jose Gonzalez-Valencia directed and coordinated numerous multi-ton shipments of cocaine destined for the United States using air, land, sea, and underwater methods. In 2007 the U.S. Coast Guard seized one shipment from a semi-submersible vessel that was transporting at least 4,000 kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico for further distribution into the United States.
As one of Los Cuinis’ top leaders, Jose Gonzalez-Valencia directed acts of extreme violence in furtherance of drug trafficking activities, including the murder of an individual who allegedly stole a shipment of approximately 1,000 kilograms of cocaine from Los Cuinis, according to court documents. Jose Gonzalez-Valencia personally carried firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities and supplied weapons and ammunition to the CJNG.
In 2015, Jose Gonzalez-Valencia went into hiding in Bolivia — a country that did not extradite anyone to the United States from 2001 to 2023, despite an existing extradition treaty — and resided there for over two years under a fictitious identity. In 2017, Jose Gonzalez-Valencia was arrested in Brazil while on vacation and was subsequently extradited to the United States. Brazil’s extradition treaty required that the U.S. Government not recommend more than a 30-year sentence.
Pursuant to his plea agreement, Gutierrez-Ochoa admitted that he was a member of CJNG who was connected to CJNG’s top leadership. He also admitted that from at least 2023 until his arrest in 2024, he and other CJNG operatives used sophisticated money laundering methods involving real estate transactions, shell companies, and international money transfers to launder CJNG’s drug trafficking proceeds. For example, Gutierrez-Ochoa and others completed two wire transfers totaling $1.2 million of CJNG’s drug proceeds to purchase a luxury residence in Riverside, California, titled in the name of a Mexican entity owned and controlled by CJNG. When Gutierrez-Ochoa was arrested in November 2024, he was living at that property under a fictitious identity and possessed two untraceable and illegal firearms, approximately $2.2 million of CJNG’s drug proceeds, and numerous luxury items purchased with CJNG’s drug proceeds, including jewelry, watches, and vehicles.
Gutierrez-Ochoa is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 7 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine his sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Today’s sentencing of Gonzalez-Valencia and conviction of Gutierrez-Ochoa follow several recent strikes into CJNG’s most inner circle.
El Mencho’s older brother, Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, and Erick Valencia Salazar, an alleged co-founder of CJNG and El Mencho’s close advisor, were among the 29 wanted cartel leaders taken into U.S. custody on Feb. 27, 2025.
Shortly after, on March 7, 2025, El Mencho’s son, Ruben Oseguera-Gonzalez, known as El Menchito, was sentenced to a term of life in prison plus 30 years to run consecutively and ordered to forfeit over $6 billion in drug trafficking proceeds. Before his arrest, Oseguera-Gonzalez was CJNG’s second-in-command and led CJNG for nearly seven years. He is responsible for trafficking more than 50 metric tons of cocaine and supervising drug labs that produced more than 1,000 metric tons of methamphetamine in Mexico. In 2013, he was one of the first contributors to the fentanyl epidemic in the United States, pledging to “do it big” and build an empire from counterfeit oxycontin pills laced with fentanyl. As the evidence at trial showed, he also committed heinous acts of violence. According to statements made in court and trial testimony, Oseguera-Gonzalez ordered the murder of more than 100 people, some of whom he murdered himself.
The DEA and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section have been systematically dismantling the leadership of the CJNG and Los Cuinis at the highest level. To date, the ongoing investigation has led to indictments of approximately 30 high-value CJNG and Los Cuinis command-and-control targets, including seven Consolidated Priority Organization Targets (CPOTs), the top drug trafficking command-and-control leaders. As of June 2025, 12 defendants have been convicted, including two at trial.
A number of indicted leaders of CJNG and Los Cuinis remain fugitives, including El Mencho, whose capture reward was recently increased to $15 million under the State Department’s Narcotic Rewards Program. Abigael Gonzalez-Valencia, another top leader of Los Cuinis and El Mencho’s brother-in-law, was arrested in 2015 by Mexican authorities pursuant to the U.S. indictment but since then has been fighting extradition to the United States.
The DEA Los Angeles Field Division investigated the cases. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance with obtaining foreign evidence and securing Jose Gonzalez-Valencia’s extradition to the United States.
Trial Attorneys Lernik Begian and Douglas Meisel of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting the cases.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Chesterfield Doctor Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Healthcare FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Friday sentenced a doctor who committed healthcare fraud to five years in prison and ordered him to repay $2.87 million.
Dr. Stanley L. Librach, now 64, of Chesterfield, pleaded guilty in August in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy, one count of illegally prescribing controlled substances, one count of paying illegal kickbacks for referrals and one count of health care fraud. He admitted participating in healthcare fraud schemes involving both kickbacks and the illegal prescribing of controlled substances.
In one scheme, Dr. Librach, Dr. Asim Muhammad Ali, and chiropractor Jerry Dale Leech agreed to send urine samples for testing to Central Diagnostic Laboratory (CDL) in exchange for illegal kickbacks that went to business entities owned by Leech and Denis J. Mikhlin. CDL then sought reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid for the testing. Dr. Librach also sent urine samples directly from his own separate private practice clinic to CDL. In exchange, Dr. Ali paid the wages of Dr. Librach’s employees.
In another scheme, Dr. Librach, Dr. Ali and Leech wrote prescriptions for the powerful pain medication oxycodone and other controlled substances when there was no legitimate medical purpose and while acting outside the usual course of professional conduct. Drs. Librach and Ali had not examined the patients at the pain clinics with which they were associated. They did not determine that the patients whose names appeared on prescriptions had a medical need for the controlled substances. Instead, they spent several hours one day a week pre-signing prescriptions that would be used for patients at upcoming visits. The doctors did not examine or evaluate the patients and rarely looked at patient charts before signing prescriptions. The doctors signed prescriptions for patients whose test results indicated that they were selling or otherwise diverting the controlled substances and did not address that obvious drug diversion. The conspirators knew that pharmacies would seek reimbursement for the medications from Medicare and Medicaid.
“This provider was involved in multiple elaborate healthcare fraud schemes that involved accepting kickbacks and illegally prescribing dangerous and addictive opioids for financial gain,” said Linda T. Hanley, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG remains committed to working closely with our law enforcement partners to protect patients and protect the integrity of federal healthcare programs.”
Special Agent in Charge Michael A. Davis heads the Drug Enforcement Administration division that leads DEA investigations in Kansas and Missouri. "Because opioids are highly addictive, doctors have a duty to ensure they are prescribing controlled medications according to law to protect their patients’ health and safety,” said Davis.
Eleven defendants were indicted in 2020, including three doctors, their staff and purported patients. A twelfth was added in 2022. All have pleaded guilty.
Dr. Ali, 54, of Creve Coeur, pleaded guilty in May of 2024 to charges similar to the ones to which Dr. Librach pleaded. He is scheduled to be sentenced in August. Leech, 52, of Creve Coeur, pleaded guilty in 2021 to one count of conspiracy, one count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, one count of paying illegal kickbacks for referrals and one count of health care fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced in September. Mikhlin, 46, of Chesterfield, was sentenced in 2021 to nine years in prison and ordered to repay $181,265.
The HHS-OIG, the DEA, the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Sestric, Derek Wiseman and Jonathan Clow are prosecuting the case.
Buffalo man convicted by a federal jury of murdering a federal informantRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that a federal jury has found Alphonso Payne, a/k/a Ajay, 29, of Buffalo, NY, guilty of conspiracy to murder a federal informant, murdering a federal informant, conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and distributing cocaine, possessing with intent to distribute and distributing cocaine, conspiring to retaliate against a federal informant, retaliating against a federal informant, discharge of a firearm in furtherance of crimes of violence and a drug trafficking crime, and discharge of a firearm causing death in furtherance of crimes of violence and a drug trafficking crime. The charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy C. Lynch, Michael J. Adler, and Stacey Jacovetti, who handled the prosecution of the case, stated that between approximately 2016 and August 20, 2019, Payne, co-defendant Gregory Hay and others conspired to sell cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin. The conspiracy began with Hay selling drugs in the Salamanca, NY, area, before moving his operation to the Olean area, where Payne assisted him with selling drugs. After Gregory Hay’s house was searched on May 7, 2019, by members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Buffalo Police Department, and illegal firearms were seized, Hay and Payne suspected Joshua Jalovick was a police informant. In the early evening of July 1, 2019, Payne and Hay lured Jalovick into the backyard of 87 Freund, where Payne used to live. Once Jalovick was in the backyard, Payne shot him multiple times with a semi-automatic pistol, in front of multiple witnesses. Hay then stood over Jalovick and shot him an additional five times with a revolver. Payne and Hay murdered Joshua Jalovick to prevent him from testifying about their alleged drug trafficking crimes and Hay’s firearm crimes.
Gregory Hay was previously convicted of narcotics conspiracy, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and discharge of firearm causing death in furtherance of crimes of violence and a drug trafficking crime and is awaiting sentencing. In addition to defendants Payne and Hay, defendants Daeshawn Stevenson, Raejah Blackwell, Eric Brooks, and Roland Eady were also convicted for their roles in obstructing a grand jury’s investigation into Joshua Jalovick’s murder.
The verdict is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division, and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Alphonso Wright. Additional assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm, the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Charles Perras, and the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Eric Butler.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 27, 2025, at 11:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara who presided over the trial.
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Bristow Man Sentenced to Life After Violently Killing His 5-Year-Old Daughter and Setting Her on FireRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Bristow man was sentenced today for the murder of his 5-year-old daughter, announced U.S. Attorney
Clint Johnson.U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Adam Raymond Mason, 34, for Second Degree Murder in Indian Country.
Judge Russell ordered Mason to serve life imprisonment.“What Mason did to this 5-year-old little girl was inhumane. There will be no first dances for her. She will not have the opportunity to attend college or become a mother herself,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “This was a hard-fought case for prosecutors and law enforcement. Life imprisonment shows the seriousness of this crime and ensures public safety.”
“The suffering this innocent child endured at the hands of her own father is completely incomprehensible. The defendant deserves every second of the sentence imposed, and more,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will use every tool and authority to pursue this kind of evil in our community. I commend the efforts of the investigators and prosecutors who handled this case with unwavering dedication. Our thoughts remain with all who loved this child.”
On August 26, 2020, the Creek County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to check on the well-being of a 5-year-old child. The mother of the child told law enforcement that their daughter was staying the night with her father, Mason, and that he would not let her speak with the child. Upon arrival, deputies located the burned body of a child, which they believed to be the 5-year-old.
Deputies found Mason hiding in the woods nearby and took him into custody. Mason told law enforcement that he believed the 5-year-old was controlled by witchcraft. Court records show that Mason punched the child in the head multiple times. Mason took her to a nearby creek where he placed a tire on top of her, set her on fire, and fled the scene.
Mason is a citizen of the Muscogee Creek Nation and will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Creek County Sheriff’s Office, and the Muscogee Creek Nation Lighthorse Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew P. Cyran prosecuted the case.
Baton Rouge Man Guilty of Federal Drug and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced today that ROY ROBINSON (“ROBINSON”), age 35, a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pled guilty on June 10, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Brandon Long to Title 27, U.S.C. Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), and 846, by conspiring to distribute, and possessing with the intent to distribute, five hundred (500) grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, as well as to violating Title 18, U.S.C. Section 92a(c)(1)(A) by possessing a firearm to further this drug trafficking conspiracy. Judge Long scheduled sentencing for September 16, 2025.
At sentencing, ROBINSON faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life imprisonment, up to a $10,000,000 fine, and at least 5 years of supervised release as to Count 1, and a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years and up to life imprisonment, which must run consecutive to Count 1, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 5 years of supervised release, as to Count 2. There is also a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for each count.
According to court records, law enforcement in Thibodaux, Louisiana observed ROBINSON conduct what they believed was a drug transaction in a parking lot. Specifically, law enforcement observed ROBINSON place two bags inside the vehicle of the individual he met while receiving a shoe box in return. After leaving the parking lot, law enforcement observed that the vehicle ROBINSON drove did not have a license plate. After a traffic stop, officers located a firearm, a Smith & Wesson 9-millimeter semiautomatic handgun, along with a large amount of cash in ROBINSON’S vehicle. Officers also followed the vehicle into which ROBINSON placed the bags, and after the execution of a search warrant, they located over 6,000 grams of methamphetamine within the bags.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Louisiana State Police, Thibodaux Police Department, Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.
This effort 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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at http://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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.
Arkansas Men Plead Guilty in Illegal Paddlefish Snagging Investigation; More Than $14,000 in Fines, Restitution LeviedRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—As summer fast approaches, many will be heading to the beautiful lakes and rivers across the Natural State to enjoy time with family and friends.
While taking advantage of these outdoor opportunities, it’s important to remember to be safe, responsible, and mindful of federal laws that govern our public lands and waters. Failure to do so can lead to serious consequences, as evidenced by the recent conduct of four Arkansans now facing serious penalties for the illegal snagging of paddlefish.
In March 2025, four Arkansans pleaded guilty after being charged with multiple federal violations stemming from a three-year, multi-agency investigation led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service into the illegal snagging of paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) from the Little Red River in the Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge located in White County.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Joe J. Volpe imposed the sentences on Matthew “Cole” Harken of Conway, Andrew Jennings of Searcy, Dakota Wilson of Russellville, and Steven Lawrence of Jacksonville, who all pleaded guilty to federal violations concerning the illegal taking and transport of 29 paddlefish over an approximate three-year period, resulting in fines and restitution totaling $14,190.00.
The investigation revealed that the men were illegally snagging the paddlefish to collect their eggs, which are commonly referred to as “roe.” Not unlike salmon, paddlefish are migratory in nature, traveling many miles to reach their spawning grounds every year. Paddlefish are also prehistoric, growing at slower rates, and a 40-pound paddlefish may be up to 50 years old. Paddlefish feed on plankton located in the water which makes them unable to be caught using conventional methods of fishing, such as bait and lures, requiring them to be snagged or netted. The Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge contains areas where paddlefish migrate to spawn annually. During spawning season paddlefish are full of roe which is highly sought after and valuable as caviar both domestically and internationally.
“We are extremely proud of the Officers of Unites States Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Refuge Law Enforcement and Arkansas Game and Fish Commission whose devotion to the protection of our natural resources made this investigation successful,” said Patrol Captain Brandon Bland, who supervises U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Refuge Law Enforcement operations in Arkansas.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Refuge Law Enforcement with assistance from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katie Hinojosa.
Let this serve as a reminder: enjoy Arkansas’s natural beauty, but do so with respect for the law, the environment, and one another.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
X (formerly known as Twitter):
@USAO_EDAR
251 New Immigration Cases Filed in Western District of Texas, Fewest Since MarchRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO –United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 251 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from June 13 through 19.
Among the new cases, U.S. citizens Derrick Eugene Huntington, 39, and Michael Jerear Smith Jr., 39, of Arlington, along with Christina Elena Duggan-Rankin, 42, of Huffman, were arrested at an immigration checkpoint near Carrizo Springs after they were allegedly discovered conspiring to transport four illegal aliens concealed in two separate vehicles. A criminal complaint alleges that Huntington and Smith occupied a sedan carrying an illegal alien in the trunk, while Duggan-Rankin drove an SUV with one illegal alien hidden on the floorboard in the passenger compartment and two others in the rear of the vehicle. The complaint further alleges that the three Americans admitted to conspiring with a facilitator to transport the aliens to a location near San Antonio for monetary gain, and that cell phone evidence revealed photos of the smuggled aliens and communications with the facilitator, along with a pin-drop of the pick-up location. Huntington, Smith and Duggan-Rankin are each charged with bringing in and harboring aliens.
In a separate case, U.S. citizens Raul Hilario Alvarado, 24, and Timothey Nathan Easterling, 40, were arrested during a vehicle stop on Highway 85 near Big Wells for allegedly transporting two illegal aliens. During an immigration inspection, a criminal complaint alleges, one backseat passenger was determined to be illegally present in the U.S., while a second illegal alien was found in the trunk of the vehicle. According to the criminal complaint, both defendants admitted to conspiring with a facilitator and that they were going to be paid up to $2,500 for transporting the illegal aliens.
Mexican nationals Israel Moreno-Salgado, 38, and Jose Hector Ramirez Roman, 43, were arrested near Maverick and charged with illegal re-entry felonies. Moreno-Salgado has been previously removed from the U.S. eight times, the most recent being April 1. Ramirez Roman has been removed from the U.S. five times, the latest being Jan. 22. Honduran national Delmar Sanchez-Zuniga, 42, was also arrested near Maverick for illegal re-entry. The three-time felon, with convictions for possession of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm by a felon, and a previous illegal re-entry conviction, has been deported twice before, the last being Dec. 13, 2024.
Mexican national Jose Rodolfo Cruz-Lopez was arrested and charged with illegal re-entry in El Paso. Court documents reveal that, in May 2023, Cruz-Lopez was convicted of three felonies related to child abduction in Elizabethtown, North Carolina. He was removed from the U.S. to Mexico in October 2023. Also a Mexican national, Edwin Enrique Carpio-Lopez was arrested for illegal re-entry, having been removed from the U.S. five times, the last being on Feb. 11. Additionally, immigration records show Carpio-Lopez has been granted four voluntary returns and has been expelled 17 times under Title 42.
On June 14, U.S. Border Patrol agents in El Paso attempted a traffic stop after they allegedly observed multiple individuals enter a pick-up truck near the border. A criminal complaint alleges that the driver of the truck, identified as Mexican national Ruben Alfredo Carrillo-Castruita¸ fled at a high rate of speed in a reckless manner, running several red lights before exiting the vehicle at an intersection and fleeing on foot. An assisting Texas Department of Public Safety trooper was able to apprehend Carrillo-Castruita, while the two passengers who fled from the pick-up were located by Border Patrol agents. The complaint alleges that Carrillo-Castruita admitted to being hired by a smuggler and was going to be paid $300 per illegal alien. The defendant was previously convicted for transporting illegal aliens in New Mexico in May 2023.
Heriberto Betancourt-Morales, a Mexican national, was charged in a criminal complaint for conspiracy to bring in aliens as the result of a U.S. Border Patrol investigation that identified him as a person involved in human smuggling. The complaint alleges that Betancourt-Morales was previously removed from El Paso to Ciudad Juarez on Sept. 21, 2024, and had transported multiple illegal aliens in May 2025. In one victim account, Betancourt-Morales allegedly carried a makeshift ladder for an alien to climb the border fence and pushed them over the fence causing the alien to fall and sustain injuries. Another victim cited in the complaint alleged that Betancourt-Morales and other smugglers transported her to multiple stash houses in Mexico prior to making illegal entry using a makeshift ladder to climb the fence. A third victim also identified Betancourt-Morales as an individual who conducted random checkups and gave orders at a stash house in Ciudad Juarez, where she was harbored with more than 10 other subjects.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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13 Indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Cocaine as well as Illegal Possession of Machine GunsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Ten Mexican nationals, one Guatemalan national, and two United States citizens have been indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine as well as numerous counts of distribution of those controlled substances, illegal possession of machine guns, alien in possession of firearms, felon in possession of firearms, and illegal reentry of removed aliens.
The investigation began in January of 2024 and continued through June of 2025, during which time investigators seized approximately 40 kilograms of methamphetamine, two kilograms of cocaine, and 11 firearms, three of which had been equipped with machine gun conversion devices and functioned as fully automatic weapons.
A law enforcement operation conducted on June 18, 2025, resulted in nine arrests. Three defendants were already in custody, and one defendant remains at large. More than a dozen law enforcement agencies were involved in the operation which also resulted in the seizure of nine additional firearms.
Uriel Lopez-Farias, 31, a Mexican national; Jesus Adrian Meza-Meza, 42, a Mexican national; Walter Fernandez, 34, of Kansas City, Mo.; Carlos R. Lepe-Virgen, 52, a Mexico national; Pedro Ivan Roldan-Minjares, 44, a Mexican national; Joel Armando Guillen-Rodriguez, 31, a Mexican national; Jose Rodriguez-Vasquez, 44, a Mexican national; Jose Aroldo Troches-Reyes, 33, a Guatemalan national; Adalberto Meza-Meza, 37, a Mexican national; Maximiliano Oliva-Verdin, 30, a Mexican national; Osvaldo Chiapas-Aguilar, 38, a Mexican national; Jesus Alvarez-Giron, 23, a Mexican national; and Kenneth Baez, 25, of Kansas City, Mo., were charged in a forty-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on June 11, 2025. The federal indictment was unsealed and made public today following the initial appearances of those in custody.
Lopez-Farias is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of methamphetamine, alien in possession of a firearm, illegal possession of a machine gun, distribution and attempted distribution of cocaine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.
J. Meza-Meza is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of methamphetamine, alien in possession of a firearm and reentry of a removed alien. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.
Fernandez is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.
Lepe-Virgen is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.
Roldan-Minjares is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine and reentry of a removed alien. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.
Guillen-Rodriguez is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.
Rodriguez-Vasquez is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of methamphetamine and reentry of a removed alien. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.
Troches-Reyes is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and attempted distribution of cocaine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.
A. Meza-Meza is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.
Oliva-Verdin is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.
Chiapas-Aguilar is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.
Alvarez-Giron is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.
Baez is charged with illegal possession of a machine gun and felon in possession of a firearm. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole for this charge.
The maximum statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan A. Baker and Heather Siegele. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Jackson County Drug Task Force in conjunction with other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
Wednesday’s law enforcement operation included the FBI, DEA, ATF, HSI, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Postal Service, the Internal Revenue Service, Jackson County (MO) Drug Task Force, Johnson County (KS) Drug Task Force, Kansas City Missouri Police Department, Kansas City Kansas Police Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Lee’s Summit Police Department, Sugar Creek Police Department, Wyandotte County (KS) Sheriff’s Department, St. Joseph (MO) Police Department, Buchanan County (MO) Drug Strike Force, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of Missouri and the District of Kansas.
The investigation and arrest operation were part of the Kansas City Regional Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) which is dedicated to identifying and prosecuting criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
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).
Thursday 19 June 2025
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison Announces First National Defense Area Convictions in New MexicoRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico today announced the first two convictions under Title 50 U.S.C. § 797, Violation of Defense Property Security Regulations, and Title 18 U.S.C. § 1382, Military Trespass, following the recent designation of a military-controlled National Defense Area (NDA) along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Title 50 U.S.C § 797 and Title 18 U.S.C. § 1382 are among the federal statutes that establish criminal penalties for unlawful intrusions into areas designated as National Defense Areas. Title 50 USC § 797 refers to the willful violation of a defense property security regulation, which, pursuant to lawful authority, was approved by the Secretary of Defense—or a military commander designated by the Secretary of Defense—for the protection or security of Department of Defense property. Title 18 USC § 1382 subjects anyone to criminal penalties who, within the jurisdiction of the U.S., entered upon a military post, fort, or yard—in these cases, the New Mexico National Defense Area—for a purpose prohibit by law or lawful regulation, that is, illegal entry into the United States. These laws allow for prosecution of unauthorized entry into the NDA as a federal misdemeanor, carrying penalties of up to one year in prison and/or a fine.
In the first case, Andres De Los Santos-Martinez, a citizen of Mexico, pled guilty to re-entry after deportation, willfully violating a defense property security regulation, and military trespass by entering the New Mexico National Defense Area (NMNDA), a restricted military zone established in April 2025. De Los Santos-Martinez was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agents on June 1, 2025, in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, after crossing the border at a location not designated as a lawful port of entry. De Los Santos-Martinez had previously been apprehended in the NMNDA on May 7, 2025, and was advised in Spanish that unauthorized entry into the restricted military area was prohibited and subject to federal prosecution.
In the second case, Eduardo Herrera-Juvencio, also a Mexican national, pled guilty to re-entry after deportation, willfully violating a defense property security regulation, and military trespass by entering the New Mexico National Defense Area (NMNDA), a restricted military zone established in April 2025. Herrera-Juvencio was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agents on June 1, 2025, in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, after crossing the border at a location not designated as a lawful port of entry. Herrera-Juvencio had previously been apprehended in the NMNDA on May 7, 2025, and was advised in Spanish that unauthorized entry into the restricted military area was prohibited and subject to federal prosecution.
These are the first convictions in the District of New Mexico under the new federal enforcement strategy, which grants the military expanded authority over an approximately 60-foot-wide, 170-mile-long strip of land along the New Mexico border, now managed by the U.S. Army as a National Defense Area. The NDA is marked with signs in English and Spanish warning that unauthorized entry is prohibited and subject to federal prosecution.
“These first convictions reflect the resolve of the United States Attorney’s Office to do its part in securing our nation’s southern border,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison. “I am tremendously proud of our staff in the Las Cruces Branch Office, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the U.S. military for their relentless efforts to secure our southern border. This partnership is a prime example of what can be accomplished through coordinated enforcement of existing federal laws. New Mexico—and the entire country—is more secure because of these efforts.”
“Let this send the message that entering the United States illegally is a crime; and if you do so in an area marked as a National Defense Area, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and removed far from the border,” said Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar.
The Court has ordered both defendants to remain in custody pending sentencing. Upon completion of their sentences, they will be subject to deportation proceedings.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector made the announcement.
The U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector investigated the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Saltman and Alyson Hehr are prosecuting the cases.
USA Ellison speaks during a news conference on the southern border
Wednesday 18 June 2025
“Operation Showdown” Targeting Violent Crime in Fort Worth Results in 76 Defendants Arrested for Firearms and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
June 18, 2025
FORT WORTH – Following a two-month targeted initiative called “Operation Showdown” to reduce violent crime in Fort Worth, Texas, 76 individuals have been arrested for federal and state firearms and drug offenses.
Wednesday's announcement was made by Nancy E. Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, and Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives (ATF), who led the investigation. Other critical partners in this operation include:
• Eduardo Chavez, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration
• Keith Brown, Executive Director, Texoma High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
• Chief of Police Robert Alldredge, Fort Worth Police Department
• Phil Sorrells, Tarrant County District Attorney
• Bill Waybourn, Tarrant County Sheriff
• Marco Villarreal, United States Marshals Service for the Northern District of Texas, represented by Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Toby Reed
• Texas Department of Public Safety
• U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal OperationsFederal Defendants: Fifty-six defendants have been arrested on federal charges. Offenses with which individuals have been charged include illegal firearms trafficking, unlawful possession and transfer of machineguns, unlawful possession of firearms, using a firearm during and in relation to a drug-trafficking crime, and conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl. The potential sentences of these federal defendants, if convicted, range from 10 years to up to life in prison. Reference is made to public records, including related, recently unsealed federal complaints, for additional information.
State Defendants: Twenty defendants have been charged in Tarrant County District Court with possession of controlled substances, including methamphetamine and fentanyl. Reference is made to public records for additional information.
Seizures: In addition to charging 76 defendants, law enforcement recovered the following items:
• 287 firearms, including:
o 91 Pistols
o 6 Revolvers
o 17 Rifles
o 1 Shotgun
o 25 Machineguns, and
o 147 Machinegun conversion devices (MCDs)
• 14.8 kilograms of cocaine
• 7.5 kilograms of methamphetamine
• 480 grams of fentanyl
• 13 grams of heroin
• 1.4 kilograms of marijuanaPlease note these numbers are the collective recoveries over the course of Operation Showdown and are not attributable to each individual defendant.
Machinegun conversion devices (MCDs), commonly known as “switches” or “auto sears,” unlawfully convert semi-automatic handguns into fully automatic weapons (i.e., machineguns). The possession, manufacturing, and sale of MCDs violates federal law as illegal possession of a machinegun. Those charged with MCD-related offenses face up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Examples of those arrested, as discussed during today’s announcement, include:
• A complaint charged Darrick Carter, Maya Bradshaw, D’Morion Holleman, Charles Blackshire, and Raul Penalver. All five are convicted felons. All are alleged to have participated in trafficking methamphetamine. Charles Blackshire is also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Criminal histories of these individuals include:
o Blackshire has four felony convictions: 3 family violence assaults, the last one in 2019, and unlawfully possessing a firearm. The complaint charges him with selling a pistol for $850 in May, with his promise of future firearms sales.
o Carter mentioned during one of his drug sales that he was likely going to jail soon for a narcotics offense and that he was currently on parole. In this case, he is alleged to have brokered methamphetamine transactions and helped facilitate Blackshire’s firearm sale.
o Bradshaw has three felony convictions in Texas; two for possession of a controlled substance, and a robbery in 2016. She is charged in this case with supplying methamphetamine.
o Holleman has two felony convictions. One is a state conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and the other is a federal conviction for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon in 2018.
o Penalver has a prior state felony conviction for manufacturing and delivering a controlled substance. Bradshaw identified him as her source of supply.• Another complaint charged Anthony Wilson, a convicted felon on probation as of January 2025 for second-degree robbery in California. He is charged with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The complaint alleges that Wilson sold a pistol and ammunition for $850 in May. He had a child in the backseat of his car during this gun sale.
• A third complaint charged eight illegal aliens from Venezuela. They are: Edixon Urdaneta-Colina, Rodrigo Riquel Cardozo, Carlos Moreno Olivero, Luis Garcia-Zamora, Darwin Ayala-Ochoa, Benito Castro Marrufo, Elwin Manama Rodriguez, and Kenny Manama Perez. These defendants are charged with trafficking mixtures of powder cocaine, methamphetamine, ketamine, and MDMA (commonly known as Ecstasy). They referred to the narcotics they sold as Tusi, which had a distinct pink color, usually indicative of drugs tied to Venezuela. Four of these defendants are also alleged to have sold numerous 9-millimeter and .380 caliber handguns at the same time or in the surrounding dates of the controlled drug buys. On May 21, 2025, all eight defendants showed up that day to provide armed protection for what they believed to be a 50-kilogram methamphetamine transaction, which was actually a ruse arranged by agents. They were charged with firearm possession in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Moreover, at arrest, agents saw and photographed crown and star tattoos on three of the defendants, Manama Rodriguez, Castro Marrufo, and Urdeneta-Colina. Members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan transnational criminal organization (TCO) known for violence, often bear these types of tattoos.
“This operation highlights the tremendous work of our law enforcement partners in dismantling criminal networks—located within and outside our borders—that flood our communities with deadly drugs and tools for violence,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy Larson. “We are committed to returning safety and order to our neighborhoods through rigorous prosecutions of these types of crimes. I thank each and every law enforcement officer and agent involved that contributed to the success of this mission.”
“Every day, someone living throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex is affected by gun violence. And the effects of it are spread throughout the victims’ families and the community,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “The tremendous effect that violent crime has on our communities is why coordinated efforts like this Operation Showdown are so important. ATF is committed to disrupting the violent crime in our communities. With the help of our partners here today, we were successful.”
“There is no debate that guns and drugs in the hands of criminals is everybody’s problem,” said Eduardo A. Chavez, DEA Special Agent in Charge over operations in Fort Worth. “Since April, through a strategic and targeted approach by our DEA Fort Worth and ATF partners, we have successfully taken kilos of illicit drugs and hundreds of weapons off of Fort Worth neighborhoods while arresting dozens of those victimizing our Tarrant County residents. We want children to play safely at community parks and ride bikes around neighborhood streets. This joint operation was a giant, positive step toward that goal this summer.”
“This is about protecting our families and making sure drug dealers know: Tarrant County is not open for business. We are sending a simple message today: if you choose to poison our streets, you will be met with the full force of the law — no exceptions, no excuses,” said Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells. “We will continue to work hand-in-hand with our federal partners, with law enforcement at every level, and we will keep doing the job the people entrusted us to do. My office is firm in our resolve, if you bring this poison into our communities, we will find you, we will prosecute you, and we will put you in prison.”
“The Texoma High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program has two primary, yet simple objectives: facilitate cooperation among law enforcement at all levels and to apply taxpayer funding to law enforcement operations that increase public safety, combat violent crime and saves lives nationwide. When approached by ATF, DEA, and all of our law enforcement partners to support this initiative last year, I jumped at the opportunity. As the saying goes, this wasn't our first rodeo together. Law enforcement has a track record of cooperation and success working together in the North Texas, and this operation is not a finale, it is just the beginning. As these results show, if you want to live as a gangster, I wouldn’t get too comfortable,” stated Texoma HIDTA Director Keith Brown.
This Operation is the result of collaboration and partnership between ATF, DEA, Fort Worth Police Department, ICE-ERO, Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texoma HIDTA, and U.S. Marshal’s Service.
This investigation 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 OCDETs and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
The public is reminded these charges are merely allegations, and that each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Williston Man Charged with Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on June 12, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging John Caleb Wright, 43, of Williston, Vermont, with attempting to evade payment of over $1 million of tax. Wright’s arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle is scheduled for July 22, at 11:00 A.M. in Burlington.
According to court records, after the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) notified Wright that it would begin enforced collection of his assets to satisfy a tax debt of over $1 million, Wright moved his cryptocurrency assets on two occasions in 2021 from a cryptocurrency exchange where they were accessible to the IRS via legal process, to an off-exchange, unhosted wallet beyond the reach of the IRS.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Wright is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Wright faces up to 5 years’ imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Corinne Smith. Wright is represented by Brooks McArthur, Esq.
Washington, DC Man and Felon Pleads Guilty to Defrauding COVID-19 Loan Program and Identity Theft While on Federal Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Jemel Lyles, 43, of Washington, DC, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges in federal court. In his guilty plea, Lyles admitted to submitting applications for and receiving funds from six fraudulent CARES Act loans.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Acting Special Agent in Charge Amanda M. Koldjeski, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act — a federal law enacted in March 2020 — provided emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It gives financial assistance including forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and other expenses. Established by the CARES Act, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) — administered through the Small Business Administration (SBA) — along with the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), helped businesses meet their financial obligations.
According to the guilty plea, between April 2020 through February 2021, while on supervised release for a prior federal felony fraud conviction, Lyles defrauded the SBA and PPP by obtaining six fraudulent PPP loans. In the relevant applications, Lyles inflated the applicant businesses’ number of employees and monthly payroll amounts to fraudulently increase the amount of PPP funds he received. Lyles also knowingly submitted both false payroll documentation and false tax documents to support the false assertions.
Under PPP regulations, Lyles’s prior felony fraud conviction made any business in which he had a reportable ownership interest ineligible to receive PPP funds. Lyles fraudulently obscured either his ownership interest in the applicant businesses or the fact that he would be the immediate recipient and have primary control over the PPP funds to evade this legal restriction. When Lyles submitted one set of applications, he omitted his reportable interest in the applicant companies Green Capital Construction and Landscape, LLC (Green Capital) and JSL, Investments LLC. In another set of applications, Lyles used the identity of his then friend and employee, Individual-3, to apply for PPP loans in the individual’s name. These loans were then deposited into bank accounts that Lyles was a signatory.
Then Lyles proceeded to use PPP funds in impermissible ways, some of which included expenditures involving a home gym, jewelry, child-support payments, personal retail credit accounts, food, and personal financial investments. In total, Lyles defrauded approximately $281,900 in PPP funds from the United States and PPP lenders.
Lyles faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, followed by up to five years of supervised release, for his wire fraud conviction. He also faces a minimum mandatory sentence of two years in prison for his aggravated identity theft conviction, consecutive to any other sentence. Lyles also faces up to an additional two years in prison for violating the terms of his supervised release. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman scheduled sentencing for Wednesday, September 10, at 2 p.m.
The District of Maryland 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, including fraud relating to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 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.
For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Wenner who is prosecuting the federal case. She also recognized the Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force and Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber for their valuable assistance.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Virginia Man Sentenced for Attempted Church ShootingRead the Press Release
A Virginia man was sentenced today in Alexandria for his attempt to carry out a mass shooting at a Haymarket, Virginia church, for carrying a gun during that attempt, and for transmitting threats over the internet. Rui Jiang, 36, of Fairfax, Virginia, was sentenced to 25 years in prison and five years of supervised release. Jiang was previously convicted by a jury in March 2025.
According to evidence presented at trial, Jiang began posting online threats against the Park Valley Church on the evening of Sept. 23, 2023, which made clear his intention to kill congregants. The next morning, police searched for Jiang in response to a concerned citizen’s call. Officers located Jiang at the church while Sunday services were underway. Jiang was armed with a semiautomatic handgun, two magazines of ammunition, and two knives. He had additional ammunition, knives, and a canister of bear spray in his nearby car. During a search of Jiang’s apartment, police discovered copies of a manifesto, signed by Jiang, which read in part, “I am here deny (sic) the love lives blessed by God to these lucky men, by taking out these men . . .To the families of those men about to be slain – I am sorry for what I have done and about to do (sic).”
“This was the closest of calls. But for the determination of a concerned citizen; the exceptional police work by the Anne Arundel, Fairfax, and Prince William County Police Departments; and the steadfast vigilance of the church security team, this would have ended in unimaginable tragedy,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will relentlessly investigate and prosecute attacks on our nation’s houses of worship.”
“The freedom to worship without fear is one of the bedrock principles of our Nation,” said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Rui Jiang set out to violate that principle by entering a church during a religious service armed with the intent to murder innocent parishioners. This unspeakable act, only thwarted by brave law enforcement officers and civilians, has no place in our Republic and will always be a priority of my office.”
“The church shooting that was thwarted because of the vigilance of concerned citizens is a reminder that when communities and law enforcement agencies work together, we can prevent targeted acts of violence.” said Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the FBI Washington Field Office.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, with substantial assistance from the Prince William County and Fairfax County Police Departments. The Anne Arundel County Police Department also assisted. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas A. Durham and Troy A. Edwards Jr., for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Kyle Boynton of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case.
Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime and Firearms ViolationRead the Press Release
Douglas Wayne Cornett, 58, of Ruther Glen, Virginia, pleaded guilty in federal court today to two federal hate crimes charges involving attempts to kill and to discharging a firearm during a federal crime of violence.
According to court documents, on the evening of Feb. 28, 2024, Cornett followed a box truck driven by a victim with the initials O.G., an adult Latino male, into the Sheetz gas station along Interstate 95 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Cornett then asked a victim with the initials J.M., an adult Latino male and a friend of O.G., how long O.G. had been present in the United States.
Upon learning that O.G. had arrived within the last two years, Cornett drew handgun and fired six rounds, striking O.G. three times and J.M. once. Cornett later confessed to a Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Deputy to shooting the victims because of his perception of their national origin.
“Hate crimes driven by bias against national origin or any other protected characteristic are a direct assault on the principles of equality and justice that define our nation,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division is committed to vigorously prosecuting such acts of violence to secure a just outcome.”
“Crimes like Douglas Cornett’s, acts of hate motivated violence, victimize not just the individual, but harm families, communities, and groups by robbing them of their sense of security,” said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Every person has a right to live free of the fear of violence and the menace of hate, and my office is committed to eliminating both.”
“Hate crimes not only harm individuals but undermine the fabric of our communities,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Stephen Farina of the FBI Richmond Field Office. “FBI Richmond is steadfast in its dedication to investigating these violations thoroughly and swiftly to ensure justice for the victims and to protect the American people.”
“Violence based on race or nationality will not be tolerated in Spotsylvania County," said G. Ryan Mehaffey, Spotsylvania County Commonwealth’s Attorney. "Douglas Cornett found out there is a heavy price to be paid.”
Cornett faces a mandatory 10-year sentence on the firearms violation and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for the two hate crimes. His final sentence will be determined by U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors at a sentencing hearing scheduled for Nov. 13.
The Richmond Field Office of the FBI investigated the case, with substantial assistance from the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Garnett for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Kyle Boynton of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
Note: The press release was updated to accurately reflect the defendant's residence.
United States Files Civil Forfeiture Complaint Against $225M in Funds Involved in Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against more than $225.3 million in cryptocurrency. According to the complaint, law enforcement used blockchain analysis and other investigative techniques to determine that the cryptocurrency is connected to the theft and laundering of funds from victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes, commonly referred to as “cryptocurrency confidence scams.”
The complaint alleges that the cryptocurrency addresses that held the over $225.3 million in cryptocurrency were part of a sophisticated blockchain-based money laundering network that executed hundreds of thousands of transactions and was used to disperse proceeds of cryptocurrency investment fraud across many cryptocurrency addresses and accounts on the blockchain to conceal the source of the illegally obtained funds.
“Today’s civil forfeiture complaint is the latest action taken by the Department to protect the American public from fraudsters specializing in cryptocurrency-based scams, and it will not be the last,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These schemes harm American victims, costing them billions of dollars every year, and undermine faith in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Our investigators and prosecutors are relentlessly pursuing these scammers and their ill-gotten gains, and we will relentlessly pursue recovery of victim funds.”
“Under my leadership, with the support of President Trump and Attorney General Bondi, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is taking a leading role in the fight against crypto-confidence scams, partnering with law enforcement throughout the country to seize and forfeit stolen funds and rip them from the hands of foreign criminals, all with the eye toward making victims whole,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia.
"The forfeiture of these illicit funds is a powerful tool in the FBI’s toolbox to stop the fraudsters who are operating online from stealing from the American people," said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Division. "The FBI will not standby while these criminals target unsuspecting victims who believe they are making legitimate investments. The hard work of the FBI and our partners continues as we work with victims and potential victims across the country to put an end to these scams and warn others about their devastating effects."
“This seizure of $225.3 million in funds linked to cryptocurrency investment scams marks the largest cryptocurrency seizure in U.S. Secret Service (USSS) history,” said Special Agent in Charge Shawn Bradstreet of the USSS San Francisco Field Office. “These scams prey on trust, often resulting in extreme financial hardship for the victims. The USSS, FBI, and our private partners worked diligently to trace these illicit transactions, identify victims and seize these funds so that they can eventually be returned to their rightful owners.”
As part of the investigation of the laundering network, over 400 suspected victims are believed to have lost funds after being duped into believing that they were making legitimate cryptocurrency investments. The complaint recounts millions of dollars in victim losses. According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2024 Internet Crime Report, cryptocurrency investment fraud caused more than $5.8 billion in reported losses in 2024 alone. The USSS San Francisco Field Office and FBI San Francisco Field Offices investigated the case. The Department of Justice thanks Tether for its proactive assistance in this investigation.
Trial Attorneys Stefanie Schwartz and Ethan Cantor of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Rosenberg and Rick Blaylock Jr. for the District of Columbia are handling the matter.
Members of the public who believe they are victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud and other cyber-enabled crime should contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. If you believe you may be a victim of one of the scams alleged in the government’s complaint, add the code “BT06182025” in the narrative of your complaint, and if you have previously filed a related complaint, make note of the prior complaint in the narrative.
U.S. Attorney Ramsdell Recognizes Elder Abuse Awareness MonthRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - Alison J. Ramsdell, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota, joins federal, state, tribal, and local advocates in recognizing June as Elder Abuse Awareness Month to increase awareness of the many forms of elder abuse and promote the resources available to those at risk.
“Millions of seniors are affected by elder abuse each year, which robs them of their finances, their security, and their dignity. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those that target our vulnerable friends, family and neighbors. It is crucial that the public also join the effort by checking on older adults and watching for signs of abuse or unusual financial transactions.” said U.S. Attorney Ramsdell.
Warning signs that your loved one may be experiencing elder fraud include:
- Unexplained charges or withdrawals from a bank account;
- Suspicious signatures on checks or other financial documents;
- Abrupt changes in a will or other financial document; and
- Unpaid bills despite having adequate financial resources.
To help older individuals and their families identify and avoid fraudulent activity, the Justice Department provides Senior Scam Alerts with information about the various tactics used in specific scams or frauds. Common examples may include:
- Calls from someone you don’t know telling you a loved one has been kidnapped or arrested;
- Requests for money from an online romantic partner you’ve never met or have just met; and
- Requests to buy and forward gift cards and information.
To learn more about the Department’s elder justice efforts, visit the Elder Justice Initiative page.
To report elder fraud, contact the dedicated National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 or 1-833-372-8311 and visit the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center at IC3.gov.
Two Men Who Trafficked Pills Containing Meth and Fentanyl, Fentanyl Powder Mixed with Xylazine, Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that two men were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven for offenses related to their distribution of counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine and fentanyl, and fentanyl powder laced with xylazine. MARKEYSE KELLY, also known as “Curry” and “Keyse,” 46, of West Haven, was sentenced to 138 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release, and JAQUAN PRICE, also known as “Sub,” 34, of New Haven, was sentenced to 120 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in October 2023, the FBI New Haven Safe Streets Gang Task Force began investigating a drug trafficking organization led by Kelly. The investigation, which included controlled purchases of narcotics in February and March 2024, revealed that Kelly, Price, and their associate Robert Covington sold various controlled substances, including multi-colored pills pressed to look like ecstasy that actually contained methamphetamine, counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, powder fentanyl laced with xylazine, and PCP.
Kelly, Price, and Covington were arrested on May 14, 2024. On that date, investigators executed multiple search warrants and seized more than a kilogram of methamphetamine pills, and an additional quantity of meth powder, more than 100 grams of fentanyl pills and powder, approximately 50 grams of cocaine, three handguns, two loaded gun magazines, ammunition, and more than $11,000 in cash.
On February 21, 2025, Kelly pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl. On March 21, 2025, Price pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Kelly and Price have been detained since their arrests.
In April 2015, Price was sentenced in Bridgeport federal court to 30 months of imprisonment for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Covington pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.
This matter has been investigated by the FBI New Haven Safe Streets Gang Task Force, the New Haven Police Department, the West Haven Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Task Force includes personnel from the East Haven Police Department, Milford Police Department, Wallingford Police Department, Connecticut State Police, and Connecticut Department of Correction.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and Nathan Guevremont through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Two Anchorage residents charged with conspiring to traffic fentanyl pills and powder to Alaska, laundering the proceedsRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment last week charging an Anchorage man and woman with conspiring to traffic large quantities of fentanyl to and within Alaska and laundering over half a million dollars in drug proceeds.
According to court documents, between August 2024 and February 2025, Corey Clifton, 51, and Elizabeth Cruickshank, 44, conspired together, and with others, to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 4.5 kilograms of fentanyl in Alaska. Specifically, on Aug. 6, 2024, Clifton allegedly shipped a parcel from Washington to Cruickshank in Alaska. The parcel contained over 4.2 kilograms of fentanyl pills packaged in small baggies with stickers inside drink mix containers.
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of AlaskaCourt documents further detail that between Nov. 7, 2024, and Feb. 19, 2025, Cruickshank allegedly attempted to possess fentanyl with intent to distribute on three separate occasions.
On Aug. 8, 2024, Clifton is also accused of possessing two firearms and ammunition as a felon. On the date of incident, Clifton had two prior serious drug felony convictions from 2015 and 2017 in the Alaska Superior Court in Kenai and U.S. District Court in Anchorage, respectively.
The indictment further alleges that between April 2024 to 2025, Clifton and Cruickshank conspired together to launder over $500,000 in drug proceeds.
Clifton is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition and firearms and one count of money laundering conspiracy. Cruickshank is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, three counts of attempted possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of money laundering conspiracy. The defendants made their initial court appearances yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, they face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska, Special Agent in Charge David F. Reames of the Seattle Field Division, Inspector in Charge Anthony Galetti of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Seattle Division and Special Agent in Charge Adam Jobes of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s (IRS CI) Seattle Field Office made the announcement.
The DEA Seattle Field Division and Anchorage District Office, USPIS Anchorage Domicile and IRS CI Seattle Field Office are investigating the case, with assistance from the Alaska State Troopers and Alaska High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Initiative’s Southcentral Area-Wide Narcotics (SCAN) team.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mac Caille Petursson and Cody Tirpak are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of the Alaska Parcel Interdiction Initiative, a statewide partnership between the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Alaska State Troopers and other local law enforcement to disrupt the flow of dangerous narcotics into Alaska through the mail. Together, the agencies work tirelessly to interdict suspicious U.S. Postal Service and other carriers’ parcels, with a goal of seizing narcotics before they enter communities and prosecuting those responsible for trafficking drugs to Alaska.
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 and drug trafficking. 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 merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Twice Convicted Child Sex Offender Sentenced to 180 Months’ ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
ST. GEORGE, Utah –Twice convicted sex offender, Payden Davis, 30, of Santa Clara, Utah, was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment and a lifetime of supervised release after he intended to meet with an 11-year-old boy to sexually abuse him after communicating via a social media platform.
Davis, a registered sex offender, violated his federal supervised release imposed in a prior case in which he was convicted of possession of child pornography in 2018. His sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen, comes after Davis pleaded guilty on February 6, 2025.
According to court documents and statements made at Davis’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, between November 6, 2023 and November 7, 2023, Davis used a portable gaming console to communicate via social media with an undercover agent posing as the father of an 11-year-old boy. During the communications, Davis repeatedly confirmed to the undercover agent he wanted to sexually abuse the 11-year-old child stating “I think it would be fun, if he is into it” among other sexually explicit communications. Davis and the undercover agent agreed to meet at a pre-determined location. Meanwhile the undercover agent discovered that Davis was a registered sex offender, having been convicted of possession of child pornography in 2018, and that he was currently on federal supervised release. On November 7, 2025, Davis arrived at the pre-arranged location and was taken into custody without incident. At the time of his arrest, Davis’s social media account geolocated to the location of the arrest. Additionally, Davis was in possession of a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 cellphone, an AYANEO handheld gaming computer, and other evidence of his intent to sexually abuse an 11-year-old boy.
Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, St. George Resident Agency.
Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Burton of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah 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.
Tucson Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Sergio Herran, 47, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced on June 17, 2025, by Senior United States District Judge Raner C. Collins to a term of 8 years in prison and a term of 5 years in prison, to be served concurrently. Following a four-day trial in March, a jury convicted Herran of Distribution of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography. Herran will be on lifetime supervision upon release from prison and must register as a sex offender. Herran was also ordered to pay restitution to identified victims.
Herran was previously tried and convicted in 2019 before a jury, but the conviction was reversed on appeal by the Ninth Circuit. On retrial, the evidence presented showed that Herran was responsible for downloading, viewing, and sharing images and videos of child pornography. These videos and images were located on Herran’s computer hard drive, phone SD card, and a tablet, which were found in Herran’s bedroom within an arm’s reach from where he slept. In total, there were over 10,000 images and 1,500 videos of child pornography on Herran’s devices, although only a representative sample was charged in the indictment. Herran was found guilty of distribution of two videos of child pornography, possession of 13 images of child pornography, and possession of eight videos of child pornography.
Homeland Security Investigations’ Tucson Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Sandra M. Hansen and Anshul Krishn, District of Arizona, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-17-01026-TUC-RCC
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-096_Herran# # #
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.Texas Man Charged Federally for Receipt and Transport of Explosives Intended for Use Against Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
A Texas man is facing federal charges after allegedly purchasing powerful explosives in New Mexico and expressing plans to use them to harm law enforcement officers and government officials during riots in California.
According to court documents, on June 12, 2025, Grzegorz Vandenberg, 48, visited a travel center in Lordsburg, New Mexico, to purchase fireworks. During the transaction, Vandenberg requested assistance in selecting fireworks that could be thrown directly at people to cause harm. He told store employees that he was prior special forces military and claimed he could make pipe bombs. Vandenberg further stated that he was traveling to Los Angeles, California, for the riots, with the intent to kill law enforcement officers or government officials.
“This man allegedly intended to use the chaotic riots in Los Angeles as an opportunity to commit deadly violence against law enforcement officers,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Threats like these strike at the heart of law and order — we will not hesitate to bring federal charges against anyone who seeks to harm law enforcement or endanger the safety of our communities.”
“Our message is clear: If you come after law enforcement officers, the FBI will spare no effort to find you and bring you to justice,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This defendant allegedly intended to use explosives to attack police officers currently conducting law enforcement operations in Los Angeles and – with the help of a store cashier who took down his license plate information - we were able to put a stop to that plan. Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to serve the American people and the FBI will always do our part to protect them.”
“Targeting law enforcement with violence is not protest – it’s a crime,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison for the District of New Mexico. “Anyone who attempts to harm officers or undermine public safety will be held accountable. Protecting the safety of our communities and upholding the integrity of lawful demonstrations are priorities, and those who cross the line into violence will be prosecuted swiftly and to the fullest extent of the law.”
Store staff reported that Vandenberg asked for the largest explosives available and invited an employee to join him and his platoon in California. He also claimed to have mortar explosives in his possession and reiterated his plan to use them at the riots to kill officers. Vandenberg purchased six mortars, each containing 60 grams of gunpowder, and 36 large fireworks before leaving the store in a vehicle with Montana license plates, heading west on Interstate 10.
Vandenberg is charged with transporting explosives in interstate commerce with the knowledge and intent that they would be used to kill, injure, or intimidate individuals. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Vandenberg faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Tucson Resident Agency of the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office, Tucson Police Department, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joni Stahl and Grant Gardner for the District of New Mexico are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Patrick Cashman of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Three Baton Rouge Men Face Federal Charges in Connection with Armed Robbery and Shooting of Federal AgentRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Ellison C. Travis announced that federal criminal complaints and arrest warrants were issued charging three Baton Rouge men with multiple offenses stemming from an undercover firearm-trafficking operation that turned violent on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. Torion Bobbs, age 20, and Cordell Simms, age 19, are each charged with assault on a federal officer and robbery, and Caylup Anderson, age 18, is charged with robbery and aiding and abetting.
The criminal complaints and supporting affidavits allege that on June 17, 2025, agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Task Force arranged two separate purchases of a firearm equipped with a machine-gun conversion device (sometimes called a “Glock switch”) outside the Triple S Food Mart on North Foster Drive. When agents moved to detain the suspects, an exchange of gunfire followed, injuring one ATF agent and Sims. All three suspects fled before Sims was arrested nearby, with Anderson and Bobb being apprehended thereafter.
“Our office has zero tolerance for assaults on law enforcement officers,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Travis. “When criminals raise a gun at those who protect our communities, we will answer with the full force of federal law. Yesterday’s swift federal charges reflect the seamless teamwork of the FBI, ATF, Baton Rouge Police Department, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Louisiana State Police. Their rapid, coordinated response ensured these defendants were taken off the streets within hours of the crime.”
“ATF’s primary focus is to support public safety and address violent crime with our federal, state, and local partners. This is particularly true when it comes to crimes perpetuated through illegal possession and use of firearms,” said ATF New Orleans SAC Joshua Jackson. “These swift charges represent another example of ATF working with our law enforcement partners to hold those accountable who choose to use firearms to engage in violent crime within our communities.”
“The rapid response of the FBI and our law enforcement partners to the events on North Foster Street proves that we will not tolerate any assault on law enforcement officers nor will we tolerate violent criminals who put the community in danger,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. “With the continued assistance of the public, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to get violent criminals off our streets.”
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli Abad.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Tallahassee Brothers Both Receive 10-Years in Prison in Large-Scale Conspiracy to Distribute MarijuanaRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – United States Attorney John P. Heekin announces the last of four co-defendants was sentenced today in a large-scale conspiracy that distributed over 1000 kilograms of marijuana in Tallahassee. Tyquan Watson, 28, of Tallahassee, Florida, received 10 years in prison. His half-brother, Cleveland Blackshear, 26, of Tallahassee also received 10 years in prison. Dezaneil Cosby, 28, of Tallahassee received 5 years in prison. Shambresha Turner, 26, of Tallahassee received time-served and supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I applaud the substantial efforts of our state and federal law enforcement partners to investigate, arrest, and help bring these drug traffickers to justice. These offenses are not victimless crimes; the victims are the members of our community who experience the addiction and violence that too often follows from drug traffickers flooding our streets with this poison. My office will continue to aggressively pursue these cases to keep our communities healthy and safe.”
Trial testimony and evidence demonstrated that Watson was purchasing hundred-pound quantities of marijuana per week from farms and brokers in California and reselling the marijuana in Tallahassee and surrounding areas. Evidence demonstrated that Watson had purchased at least 3169 pounds of marijuana between September 24, 2023, and January 10, 2024, with proceeds of at least $2.4 million during that period.
“With dispensaries and smoke shops becoming more commonplace, people may falsely assume that marijuana is no big deal,” said Deanne L. Reuter, Special Agent in Charge of Drug Enforcement Administration’s Miami Field Division. “I assure you, DEA considers it a big deal. It’s stronger than ever and can pose a serious health risk, especially to children. We will continue to pursue marijuana peddlers with the same verve as any other illicit substance.”
A long-term investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). On August 16, 2022, Shambresha Turner was stopped at the Panama City airport with 40 pounds of marijuana in her suitcases. Turner told officers that she was being paid to transport the suitcases. On October 13, 2022, FDLE conducted a controlled purchase of 28 pounds of marijuana from Cleveland Blackshear. During the surveillance, FDLE agents observed Blackshear obtaining the marijuana from Cosby’s residence immediately prior to the controlled purchase. Both Blackshear and Watson’s fingerprints were identified on packaging material associated with the purchased marijuana. Surveillance of Cosby’s residence between October 12, 2022, and October 28, 2022, revealed multiple people dropping off and picking up suitcases (at least 32 suitcases and 16 garbage bags). On October 28, 2022, DEA executed a federal search warrant at Cosby’s residence and seized 238 pounds of marijuana and a firearm. Watson and Cosby were arrested together on federal arrest warrants on March 11, 2024, at another residence in Tallahassee. During that arrest, law enforcement seized another 183 pounds of marijuana and a firearm.
“This investigation sends a clear message: if you bring drug trafficking and violence into our communities, we’re coming for you,” said FDLE Tallahassee Special Agent in Charge Keith Wilmer. “Our special agents, working side-by-side with the DEA, spent countless hours on covert operations to take down this criminal network. I’m proud of their relentless work to protect Florida’s capital city and hold these offenders accountable.”
Watson and Cosby were convicted at a jury trial on February 14, 2025. Blackshear and Turner had previously pled guilty. As part of his sentence, Watson was also ordered to forfeit $2,424,217 in drug proceeds.
“This case is a clear example of how drug trafficking, even with substances like marijuana, is often linked to greater dangers in our community, including illegal firearms and violent crime,” said Chief Lawrence Revell of the Tallahassee Police Department. “We remain committed to working alongside our federal and state partners to disrupt these criminal networks and protect the safety of our neighborhoods.”
These sentences were the result of a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Tallahassee Police Department, and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys James A. McCain and Harley Ferguson prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
St. Tammany Parish Man Charged with Bribery and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that, on June 13, 2025, KENTRELL MAHONEY SCOTT (“SCOTT”), age 39, a resident of St. Tammany Parish, was charged, via bill of information, with one count of bribery of a public official, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 201, and two counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.
According to the charging document, SCOTT was a public official who, directly or indirectly, accepted something of value in return for being induced to do an act, and omit to do an act in violation of his official duty, and in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 201(b)(2). Specifically, in exchange for a $300 payment that he directly and corruptly sought and accepted from a supervisee under his charge, SCOTT agreed to assist a supervisee in violating the terms of supervision by obscuring the detection of the supervisee’s GPS monitoring.
Additionally, SCOTT was also charged with wire fraud, for advertising and selling unlawful brake tags and temp tags. SCOTT, who was not licensed or approved by the City of New Orleans or the State of Louisiana, advertised the sale of brake tags and temp tags on Facebook and encouraged interested parties to message him. Thereafter, SCOTT met the purchasers in person to complete the transaction.
Finally, SCOTT was charged with a second act of wire fraud, for making false and fraudulent submissions to the Louisiana Workforce Commission for the CARES Act Funded Unemployment Insurance Program. Specifically, in order to both remain eligible for unemployment insurance and to maximize the unemployment insurance benefits he received, SCOTT underreported his wages and later, falsely certified that he was unemployed.
If convicted of the bribery charge, SCOTT faces up to 15 years in prison, up to 3 years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. As to each of the wire fraud counts, SCOTT faces up to 20 years in prison, up to 3 years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that a 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 U.S. Attorney Andre J. Lagarde of the Public Integrity Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 210 Months for Drug Trafficking and Illegally Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A St. Louis, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court yesterday for illegally possessing firearms, and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine.
Melvin Navarro Morgan, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven R. Bough to 210 months in federal prison without parole, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
On Dec. 19, 2024, following a one-day bench trial on Oct. 28, 2024, Morgan was found guilty of one count each of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of firearms.
When Springfield, Mo., Police Department (SPD) officers contacted Morgan on Jan. 5, 2023, he fled on foot. During the foot chase, Morgan threw two baggies containing a total of 24.35 grams of fentanyl. When officers searched Morgan, they found methamphetamine, cocaine, and over $2,000 in cash.
On April 17, 2023, officers with SPD executed a search warrant at Morgan’s residence. Officers seized approximately 117.35 grams of fentanyl, 50.75 grams of cocaine, and 416.87 grams of methamphetamine. During the search, officers found six guns, including an AR-pistol with no serial number or markings (also known as a “ghost gun”), and a pistol with an extended magazine. Officers also seized over $8,200 in cash. At trial, an FBI Special Agent testified that the approximate value of the seized drugs was $43,662.
Morgan fled from officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD), when they attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Oct. 9, 2023. When SLMPD apprehended Morgan, he was in possession of 98 pills containing heroin and fentanyl; powders containing cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and tramadol; and off-white chunks containing cocaine base.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah Lucas. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
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.
St. Louis County Man Admits Shooting at PoliceRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man on Wednesday admitted shooting at multiple St. Louis County police officers in 2024.
Dylan Farmer, 21, of Breckenridge Hills, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to four counts of assaulting a law enforcement officer and two counts of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Farmer admitted that on Feb. 13, 2024, officers of the St. Louis County Police Department Special Response Unit (SRU) were trying to find someone who was wanted in connection with a double homicide. A vehicle associated with that wanted person was parked in the 4500 block of Virginia Avenue in St. Louis. When Farmer unlocked the vehicle and got in, officers converged to detain him. All wore vests marked “Police,” and three of the vehicles were equipped with blue flashing emergency lights. The officers were also designated as task force officers with the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI.
As three task force officers pulled up in their SUV, Farmer immediately opened fire with a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun equipped with a 50-round drum magazine, damaging the SUV. Officers returned fire. Farmer then ran across the street and between some buildings, where he fired one shot at an officer. He then ran down an alley and fired multiple times at a different officer, who ducked behind a dumpster.
Farmer then hid on the front porch of a house in the 4500 block of Alaska Avenue. When officers drove down the street and spotted Farmer, he opened fire again, damaging their vehicle, and officers again returned fire. Farmer eventually surrendered after suffering multiple gunshot wounds. Officers treated his wounds and summoned an ambulance to take him to the hospital.
One officer’ was injured when a bullet ricocheted off a vehicle’s window, causing glass to fly into his eye. Another’s ankle was injured when he jumped out of his car and sought cover.
Farmer admitted firing first at police.
As part of the plea agreement, both sides have agreed to recommend 22 years in prison at Farmer’s sentencing, which is set for September 23. The firearm charges each carry mandatory minimum 10-year sentences.
The St. Louis County Police Department, the FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa is prosecuting the case.
Southern Ute Tribal Member Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Abusive Sexual Contact with ChildrenRead the Press Release
DURANGO – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced that Kalin Burton Goodtracks, age 36, of Ignacio, Colorado, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a Justice of Victims of Trafficking Act (JVTA) assessment of $10,000, after pleading guilty to two charges of Abusive Sexual Contact of a Child in Indian Country.
According to the plea agreement, on separate incidents in 2019, Goodtracks sexually abused two minors under the age of 12 who were under his supervision. He committed the offenses at his home on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. Both children were related to Goodtracks.
“Mr. Goodtracks deserves to spend a long time in federal prison because he preyed upon children he was supposed to protect,” said United States Attorney Peter McNeilly. “Pursuing justice for the most vulnerable in Colorado—and especially our children—remains one of our top priorities.”
“This case is a clear reminder that those who exploit children — including those on tribal lands—will find no safe haven from justice, no matter where they are,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek. “These predators pose a serious threat to the safety of our communities and the FBI will aggressively pursue anyone who targets children.”
United States District Court Judge Gordon P. Gallagher sentenced the defendant on June 16, 2025.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Southern Ute Investigations Division within the Southern Ute Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffrey K. Graves and Lisa Franceware handled the prosecution of the case.
Case Number: 1:23-cr-00491-GPG-JMC
Shiprock Woman Sentence for DUI CrashRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock woman was sentenced to 33 months in prison for driving under the influence and causing a multi-passenger collision in 2023.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on April 10, 2023, Jazmyne Deschinny, 22, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, drove a vehicle with eight occupants, including five children, while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. While passing through the intersection of U.S. Highway 491 and U.S. Highway 64 in Shiprock, within the Navajo Nation, Deschinny ran a red light and collided with a flatbed trailer being towed by a truck.
Deschinny's vehicle following the crashLaw enforcement and medical personnel responded quickly to the chaotic scene, providing life-saving care and transporting the injured to local hospitals. The impact caused severe injuries to multiple passengers, including children. One child suffered critical head trauma requiring emergency surgery and extended hospitalization.
The subsequent investigation revealed that most occupants, including children, were not properly restrained in the vehicle. At the hospital, Deschinny’s blood alcohol content was measured at .264 — over three times the legal limit — and she also tested positive for cannabinoids and opiates.
Deschinny admitted to consuming alcohol prior to driving and pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Upon her release from prison, Deschinny will be subject to two years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.
Sixteen Indictments Returned for Previously Deported Illegal Aliens Identified in Recent Immigration Enforcement ActionsRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE & PENSACOLA – United States Attorney John P. Heekin announced today that 16 previously deported aliens have been indicted separately by a federal grand jury for illegal reentry into the United States.
Jose Victor Aguilar-Zelaya, 40, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Fort Walton Beach in March 2025, after previously being deported in 2010.
Oscar Alva-Cabrera, 23, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Gulf Breeze in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2024.
Ofelia Andrea Caal-Chub, 22, of Guatemala, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located Madison County in June 2025, after previously being deported in 2021.
Bernardo Chavez-Chavez, 46, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 1997.
Joel Coto-Mendoza, 48, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Pensacola in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2023.
Luis Armando Funez-Gomez, 48, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2008.
Roberto Gonzales-Coto, 46, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Pensacola in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2004.
Candido Hurtado-Solano, 39, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2012.
Juan Hurtado-Solano, 43, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2012.
Omar Jimenez-Salinas, 29, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Pensacola in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2014.
Jose Luis Morales-Huerta, 40, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Santa Rosa County in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2018.
Cevero Enrique Ordonez, 29, of Guatemala, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Pensacola in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2014.
Juan Gomez Perez, 22, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2022.
Elpidio Abelardo Perez-Perez, 33, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Pensacola in February 2025, after previously being deported in 2010, 2012, and 2013.
Maximo Solis-Xec, 25, of Guatemala, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Santa Rosa County in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2018.
Juan Carlos Hernandez Vallejos, 42, of Nicaragua, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2014 and 2015.
The penalty for illegally reentering the United States after deportation is a maximum of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The cases are being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshal’s Service, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica Etherton, Harley Ferguson, Alicia Forbes, Justin Keen, Walter Narramore, and Eric Welch are prosecuting the cases.
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 in a court of law.
The cases are 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.
Ruther Glen man pleads guilty to federal hate crime and firearms violationRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Ruther Glen man pled guilty today to two federal hate crimes involving attempts to kill and to discharging a firearm during a federal crime of violence.
According to court documents, on the evening of Feb. 28, 2024, Douglas Wayne Cornett, 58, followed a box truck driven by a victim with the initials O.G., an adult Latino male, into the Sheetz gas station along Interstate 95 in Spotsylvania County. Cornett then asked a victim with the initials J.M., also an adult Latino male and a friend of O.G., how long O.G. had been present in the United States. Upon learning that O.G. had arrived within the last two years, Cornett drew a handgun and fired six rounds, striking O.G. three times and J.M. once.
“Crimes like Douglas Cornett’s, acts of hate motivated violence, victimize not just the individual, but harm families, communities, and groups by robbing them of their sense of security,” said Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Every person has a right to live free of the fear of violence and the menace of hate, and my office is committed to eliminating both.”
“Hate crimes driven by bias against national origin or any other protected characteristic are a direct assault on the principles of equality and justice that define our nation,” said Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division is committed to vigorously prosecuting such acts of violence to secure a just outcome.”
“Hate crimes not only harm individuals but undermine the fabric of our communities,” said Stephen Farina, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office. “FBI Richmond is steadfast in its dedication to investigating these violations thoroughly and swiftly to ensure justice for the victims and to protect the American people.”
Cornett later confessed to a Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Deputy to shooting the victims because of his perception of the victims’ national origin.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Garnett and Trial Attorney Kyle Boynton of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
The Richmond Field Office of the FBI investigated the case, with substantial assistance from the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-CR-91.
This release was edited on June 18, 2025, to correct the defendant's city of residence.