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Wednesday 11 June 2025
Erie Resident Indicted on Social Security Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on charges of theft of government property, Social Security fraud, and false statements to retain Supplemental Security Income benefits, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
The four-count Indictment named Simone Renell Carr, 59, as the sole defendant.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 25 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Paul S. Sellers is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Ecuadorian National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Ecuadorian national illegally residing in Yarmouth has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Jose Tomas Lema Pugo, a/k/a Jose Luis Ledezma, 59, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Lema Pugo was arrested by immigration authorities on May 9, 2025.
According to the indictment, Lema Pugo was deported from the United States to Ecuador in November 2013. It is alleged that sometime after his November 2013 removal, Lema Pugo illegally reentered the United States without permission.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien with a prior felony criminal conviction provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Zacks of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Ecuadoran cocaine traffickers plead guilty after being caught at seaRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Three Ecuadoran nationals pled guilty today to possession with intent to distribute cocaine on board a vessel.
According to court documents, on Jan. 31, United States Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Stone identified a target of interest, a go-fast vessel (GFV) in international waters approximately 550 nautical miles south of Mexico. USCG Stone launched a helicopter and a small boat and diverted to intercept the GFV.
After gaining control of the GFV, a USCG boarding team encountered Marco Antonio Garcia-Morales, 50, Luis Geraldo Pico-Bastardo, 26, and Segundo Gonzalo Lucas-Veliz, 44. The boarding team observed packages as well as fuel barrels onboard the GFV, which had no indicia of nationality. The packages on deck contained approximately 1,160 kilograms of cocaine.
Garcia-Morales and Pico-Bastardo are scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 16; Lucas-Veliz is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 29. The defendants face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ibrar A. Mian, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; and Christopher Heck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric M. Hurt and Kevin M. Comstock are 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-cr-12.
Driving School Owner Pleads Guilty to RMV Bribery ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to charges that he bribed a road test examiner to issue driver’s licenses to individuals who did not pass or, in some cases, even take road tests at the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) in Brockton.
Carlos Cardoso, 71, pleaded guilty to one count of honest services mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for Sept. 11, 2025. In May 2024, Cardoso was indicted by a federal grand jury.
Cardoso, the owner of a driving school, paid cash bribes totaling more than $20,000 to a road test examiner at the Brockton RMV service center to misrepresent that certain driver’s license applicants had passed their road test when, in fact, they had not. Some of the applicants did not even show up to take the test. As a result of the fraud, the RMV mailed driver’s licenses to unqualified applicants.
The charge of honest services mail fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Brian C. Gallagher, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Wichers and Adam Deitch of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit are prosecuting the case.
Doctor at L5 Pain Clinic Sentenced to 40 Months in Prison, Ordered to Pay $35,000 Fine and $200,000 in ForfeitureRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A former doctor, who concealed health care fraud and prescribed highly-addictive opioid painkillers to at-risk patients at pain clinics in Central and Southwest Virginia, was sentenced yesterday to 40 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $200,000 in forfeiture and a $35,000 fine.
Duane Dixon, 66, of Bedford, Massachusetts, pled guilty in 2023 to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and other opioids without a legitimate medical purpose and failing to report a pattern of health care fraud at clinics operated by L5 Medical Holdings—an LLC which was doing business as Pain Care Center, a line of pain clinics that formerly operated in Woodlawn, Lynchburg, Madison Heights, Blacksburg, and Christiansburg.
Dixon agreed as part of his plea agreement to surrender his medical licenses and to never practice medicine again.
“Duane Dixon prioritized profit over patient care,” Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee said today. “Our nation is fighting an opioid epidemic on a scale we have never seen and doctors like this, who take advantage of the addictions of others for their own greed, must be held accountable.”
“We will not tolerate anyone who abuses their position and betrays the trust of American citizens by exploiting their vulnerabilities. Dr. Dixon clearly showed a lack of respect for human life, as his reckless and fraudulent practices prioritize profits over the delicate lives of others. Our team is dedicated to the safety and well-being of all individuals across the nation. This commitment includes ensuring that licensed professionals adhere to the law and report any hazardous conduct,” DEA Washington Division Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian said.
"This doctor betrayed his oath, exploited vulnerable Virginians, and pumped dangerous opioids into our neighborhoods, fueling addiction and tearing families apart. His selfish, reckless scheme contributed to the opioid epidemic and left entire communities to deal with the devastating consequences. Virginia’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit will continue to aggressively pursue any healthcare provider who abandons their oath, preys on vulnerable patients, and fuels addiction for profit," said Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
“The defendant’s illegal prescribing practices and violation of public trust endangered patients and took advantage of the addiction of others, all for personal gain,” said Maureen Dixon, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Philadelphia Regional Office. “HHS-OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure individuals involved in schemes that threaten patient safety and target our most vulnerable populations are held accountable.”
According to testimony and court documents, Dixon pre-signed dozens of blank prescriptions over several years at L5. With Dixon’s knowledge, staff filled out the prescriptions for Schedule II opioids, including fentanyl and oxycodone, and distributed them to patients who had not seen a qualified medical provider. Dixon admitted to agents that, shortly after starting work at L5, a local pharmacist said he was a “pill pusher” and L5 was a “pill mill,” and some pharmacies refused to fill his prescriptions.
As part of his guilty pleas, Dixon agreed he facilitated illegal distribution of Suboxone by other medical providers who lacked the authority to prescribe the drug. Dixon did so by sharing his unique identification number, which is necessary to prescribe controlled substances, with those unqualified providers for them to use when relaying prescriptions to pharmacists.
Additionally, to obtain insurance payments, Dixon acknowledged in interviews and court filings he approved and signed patient files for patients he had not actually treated.
The other doctor whose records Dixon falsified—former Dr. Wendell Lewis Randall—was sentenced in March 2024 to 18 months in prison for his role and was known to Dixon and others within L5 to issue medically illegitimate prescriptions. In a recorded interview played at sentencing, Dixon stated Randall’s patient file notes were “lousy,” did not “justify[] why” Randall “was giving the pain medications,” and would have been insufficient even for a medical student.
In addition to Dixon and Randall, five others have pled guilty in connection with drug or fraud crimes at L5 between 2015 and 2020. Charles Wilson Adams, Jr.—falsely held out by L5 as a trained medical professional—was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in 2022. Nurse practitioner Debra Shaffer received jailtime and a fine in 2023.
L5 owner John Gregory Barnes, former COO Jennifer Adams, and L5 itself have also pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing later this year.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General, the Virginia State Police, and the Virginia Attorney General’s Office - Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorneys S. Cagle Juhan, Jason Scheff and Special Assistant United States Attorney and Assistant Attorney General Janine Myatt prosecuted the case for the United States.
District Man Indicted for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Zachary Silas Brandner, 28, of the District of Columbia, was charged by indictment, unsealed today in U.S. District Court, with allegedly distributing multiple videos of child pornography to an undercover police officer. Last week, U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui ordered Brandner held without bond.
The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro of the District of Columbia, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to the affidavit, on April 1, 2025, Brandner interacted with another individual on multiple online messaging platforms. During the course of that conversation, Brandner distributed videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including the abuse of an infant. Law enforcement agents also obtained evidence indicating that Brandner was interacting with at least one other individual about his interest in child sexual abuse material.
This case is being investigated by FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Janani Iyengar.
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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DOJ and drug development researcher settle allegations he violated terms of National Science Foundation grantRead the Press Release
Seattle – The United States Department of Justice and the recipient of a federal research grant have resolved allegations the lead researcher violated the terms of the grant when he performed the research outside the U.S., announced Acting United States Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Protein Engines, LLC (Protein Engines), founded and operated by Joshua Salafsky PhD, was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant in late 2021 for scientific research with pharmaceutical applications. Protein Engines LLC will pay the U.S. $155,000 to resolve the allegations.
“Despite being repeatedly informed that all research under the grant needed to be performed in the U.S., Dr. Salafsky spent little more than a month in the U.S. while he was accepting NSF grant funding for his research,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “These Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants require work in the U.S. so that federal funds go to support innovation here, using labs and equipment that generate business in the U.S. This deception defeated that purpose.”
According to the settlement agreement, on November 26, 2021, Protein Engines LLC was awarded a $256,000 grant. The research was to be performed in the U.S. between December 1, 2021, and November 30, 2022. However, the principal researcher on the grant lived in the U.K. for all but 38 days of the grant funding.
The National Science Foundation suspended the grant funding on September 8, 2023, when it determined the research had not been conducted in the U.S. as required.
The Small Business Innovation Research/Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program is a critically important and highly competitive program created to fund technological advancements within the United States. Funding for this program strengthens the competitive free enterprise system and the U.S. economy. To maximize that impact, SBIR regulations require all research and development to be conducted in the United States. This investigation resulted from the NSF Office of Inspector General’s proactive initiative to protect national security interests by identifying SBIR recipients who improperly operate outside the U.S.
“When companies fail to follow the domestic requirements of the SBIR program, it is not only a misuse of taxpayer dollars but also takes away funding from deserving U.S. businesses. NSF OIG remains committed to pursuing oversight of these programs to ensure taxpayer funds are invested in the United States to benefit U.S. businesses, the U.S. economy, and national security. I commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office for supporting this important proactive effort,” said Megan E. Wallace, NSF’s Acting Inspector General.
Of the $155,000 settlement, $77,500 is restitution and the rest is a penalty for the misconduct. Additionally, $25,000 in grant funds were never paid out to Protein Engines LLC.
Protein Engines LLC says the settlement is not an admission of liability but chooses to resolve the matter instead of the expense and uncertainty of protracted litigation.
The case was investigated by the National Science Foundation Office of Inspector General (NSF-OIG). The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented by Assistant United States Attorney Kayla C. Stahman in this matter.
Couple Indicted and Arrested for Marriage FraudRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment on June 5, 2025, charging Shokir Kurbonovich Khalilov, from Uzbekistan, and Keily Maisonet-Ortiz, San Juan, with marriage fraud.
According to court documents, from February 29, 2024, through on or about April 29, 2025, the defendants entered into a marriage for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws of the United States. Shokir Kurbonovich Khalilov and Keily Maisonet-Ortiz obtained a marriage license and got married on March 13, 2024, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. On October of 2024 Maisonet-Ortiz submitted an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative in favor of defendant Shokir Kurbonovich Khalilov before the Department of Homeland Security and on the same date, Khalilov submitted a I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adult Status pursuant to his marriage to defendant Maisonet-Ortiz.
The defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and marriage fraud. Defendant Maisonet-Ortiz is scheduled for her initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Giselle López Soler of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. Defendant Khalilov will have his initial court appearance next week. If convicted, the defendants face a sentence of up to five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; and Reggie Johnson, Chief Patrol Agent for the Ramey Sector of the US Border Patrol made the announcement.
US Border Patrol is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emelina M. Agrait Barreto is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Corning sex offender sentenced to 35 years in prison on new child pornography chargesRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Ryan M. Newman, 34, of Corning, NY, who was convicted of production of child pornography, was sentenced to serve 420 months in prison and 15 years supervised release by U.S. District Judge Meredith A. Vacca.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who handled the case, stated that Newman was convicted of child pornography crimes by New York State in 2012, sentenced to serve a local jail term and 10 years’ probation, and required to register as a Level 3 Sex Offender, which is someone considered to be at high risk of re-offending and a threat to public safety.
In January 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a report from Snapchat that a user had uploaded a video of child pornography. NCMEC sent the tip to the New York State Police, who executed a search warrant on Newman’s person and residence in 2022. The search determined that Newman uploaded the child pornography video to Snapchat and possessed other child pornography on his electronic devices. Newman remained out of custody following the 2022 search warrant by the State Police. In April 2024, the FBI Corning received a tip that pornography involving a child in the Corning area, was distributed to an undercover agent in Illinois. Subsequent investigation determined that Newman sexually abused the child and produced the child pornography. Newman was taken into custody by the FBI and Corning Police.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Corning Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm, and the Corning Police Department, under the direction of Chief Kenzie Spaulding.
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Convicted Connecticut Child Sex Offender Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Child EnticementRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Chief United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Andrew Thomas Bull (37, Tolland, CT), a/k/a Andrew Thomas Picard, to 30 years in federal prison for attempting to entice an 11-year-old child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing photos of her own sexual abuse. The court also ordered Bull to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and forfeit the electronic device that he used to commit this offense. Bull is a convicted sex offender who was convicted of importation and possession of child pornography in Connecticut in 2013, and was on court-ordered probation when he was arrested on May 25, 2023. Bull was detained and transported to Jacksonville. He pleaded guilty on February 18, 2025.
According to court documents, on November 15, 2022, an FBI agent (UC) in the Jacksonville area was conducting an online undercover operation to identify adults seeking to meet and engage in sexual activity with children. The UC posted a text message in a public chat room on a social media application (app) indicating that the UC had access to an 11-year-old “child.” Later that same day, user “brdr1066,” subsequently identified as Bull, contacted the UC directly using the private online text messaging feature of the app. Bull asked the UC to confirm the age and sexual experience of the “child.” Bull sent the UC explicit photos of himself to show to the “child.” Between November 2022 and May 2023, during text conversations on the app, Bull confirmed his desire to have sex with the “child,” and he sent the UC photos depicting young children being sexually abused. He solicited the UC to take and send to Bull pornographic photos of the “child,” and directed the UC as to how the UC could accomplish this. On May 9, 2023, Bull asked the UC, “do i get live pics tonight? / before she goes to bed hopefully / you ask to see her [genitalia] yet?”
On May 25, 2023, FBI agents arrested Bull and executed a federal search warrant at his residence. A search of Bull’s cellphone revealed that it contained at least 15 videos and 40 photos depicting children being sexually abused, including an infant.
“Protecting kids from predators is among the most important work that we do at the FBI,” said Jason Carley, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “Let this case be a warning - the FBI is relentless in our efforts to identify and stop child predators from abusing our kids.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville and New Haven, Connecticut. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys D. Rodney Brown and Kelly S. Milliron.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify, locate, and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Bridgewater Man Who Robbed Cash Courier at Gunpoint in 2024 Heist Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Bridgewater man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to his role in the armed robbery of a cash courier working for licensed cannabis companies, outside of a bank in Swansea, Mass. last year. The defendant and, allegedly, others zip-tied and pepper sprayed the victim before burning the stolen getaway vehicle.
Steven Madison, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery; one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery; one count of brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence; one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition; and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled by the Court.
In May 2024, Madison was arrested and charged along with Christopher White and Quentin McDonald in connection with the robbery. A fourth individual, Elgun Mikaiylov, a former manager for one of the cannabis dispensaries, was later charged in a superseding indictment for his alleged involvement in providing information about the cash pickups at the dispensary and the couriers, for his involvement in planning the robbery and for receiving some of the proceeds.
In the early morning hours of Feb. 19, 2024, Madison and another man stole a rental van from a U-Haul Moving & Storage location in Abington, Mass. Later in the day, an armed courier who worked for a company that provides secure cash transportation services for licensed cannabis companies arrived at a bank in Swansea carrying approximately $436,200 in cash for deposit. Madison and, allegedly, White drove the U-Haul van behind the courier. It is alleged that White exited the van wearing a camouflaged vest and pointed a firearm at the courier before zip-tying the courier’s hands behind his back. Madison then exited the U-Haul van and quickly loaded the cash into the vehicle. After trying to disarm the courier, the two men allegedly forced the courier into the back seat of his own car, pepper sprayed him and closed the door.
Surveillance footage showed that the courier managed to remove one hand from the zip-tie restraints while inside his vehicle, draw his firearm and fire four rounds in the direction of the U-Haul van as it fled the scene, before calling 911.
After leaving the bank, it is alleged that Madison and White drove the van to a nearby location in Swansea where McDonald was waiting in an SUV. There, the men allegedly transferred the stolen cash into the getaway SUV, burned the U-Haul van and fled.
During a search of Madison’s residence in Bridgewater, a pistol and over 400 grams of cocaine were found. Madison has prior state convictions for masked armed robbery, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon and unlawfully possessing a firearm.
The charge of Hobbs Act robbery and conspiracy provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison, to be served consecutively to any sentence on the underlying offense. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a $1 million fine. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Scott Riordan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble of the Massachusetts State Police; and Swansea Police Chief Mark Foley made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office and the Bridgewater, Brockton, Raynham and Whitman Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Reynolds III of the Major Crimes Unit and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Driscoll are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Billings man sentenced to 63 months in prison for possessing unregistered firearmRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Billings man who possessed an unregistered firearm was sentenced today to 63 months in prison to be followed by 3 of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Derek Joseph Velarde, 37, pleaded guilty in February 2025 to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on or about July 1, 2024, law enforcement officers were called to a residence on Florine Drive in Billings, Montana to a report of a man with a firearm who was involved in a domestic dispute. Law enforcement responded and witnesses identified the man as Velarde. Witnesses reported Velarde had left the scene on foot. A few minutes later, police located Velarde a short distance away and detained him. Velarde was in possession of a Savage Arms .22 caliber rifle and had discarded it in some nearby bushes just prior to police detaining him. Police recovered the rifle, and a witness confirmed Velarde was in possession of that firearm during the domestic dispute. An ATF agent later determined the rifle was a firearm with an overall length of 15 inches and a barrel of 7 inches, that it was not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, and that it was in operating condition.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Hendricks prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the ATF and Billings Police Department.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Baltimore County Man Facing Federal Charges in Connection with Bribing Former Baltimore City Finance OfficialRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland unsealed an indictment charging James Carroll Erny Jr., 54, of Glen Arm, Maryland, with paying more than $10,000 in bribes to Joseph Gillespie, a former Baltimore City Department of Finance, Revenue Collections, employee.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Acting Special Agent in Charge Amanda M. Koldjeski, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office.
As alleged in the indictment, from about August 2021 through September 2023, Erny paid Gillespie at least $10,000 in bribes in exchange for Gillespie extinguishing various financial obligations he owed to Baltimore City. The debt was in connection with various properties Erny owned, including unpaid water bills.
On February 20, 2025, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Gillespie to four years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, in connection with his role in the bribery scheme, along with an unrelated fraud scheme. According to his plea agreement, beginning in 2016, and continuing into 2023, Gillespie engaged in a bribery scheme. Through the scheme, Gillespie abused his position of trust as a public official within the Baltimore City Department of Finance for personal gain.
As an employee of the Department of Finance’s Revenue Collections, Gillespie routinely accepted bribes from various property owners in Baltimore City. These property owners were subject to financial obligations with Baltimore City, and if these debts remained unpaid, the property became subject to a tax sale.
Gillespie accepted these bribes — typically 10-15 percent of the amount owed to the City — in exchange for removing or extinguishing these financial obligations, including for citations, tax, and water obligations, which caused losses for the City. He also accepted bribes in exchange for delaying or postponing due dates — without approval or permission from other City officials — for payments owed to the City. By adjusting payment due dates, this prevented the City from placing liens on these properties.
Once Gillespie received bribe payments, he then extinguished the financial obligation owed by marking it as paid in the City’s online records. After removing the obligation, Gillespie sometimes sent a photograph of a cashier slip reflecting that the City received payment toward the financial obligation when, in fact, no such payment was made.
The bribery scheme continued for years, and Gillespie admitted that he enlisted the help of multiple co-conspirators. According to the plea agreement, Gillespie received more than $250,000 in connection with the bribery scheme and caused losses to the City in excess of $1.25 million.
Erny faces one charge of Bribery in connection with his role in the bribery scheme. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI for its work in the investigation and the Baltimore County Police Department for its valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Evelyn L. Cusson who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Armed Drug Trafficker Convicted by Federal JuryRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal jury convicted an Elizabeth City man Tuesday on one charge of possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Charles Gregory, 36, was stopped for a traffic violation in Elizabeth City on August 7, 2022. An Elizabeth City police officer observed Gregory, the sole occupant of the car, toss an item out the window before coming to a stop. Officers recovered the tossed item from the street and found it to be a bag containing multiple smaller baggies of crack cocaine. Officers placed Gregory under arrest and searched the vehicle, where they found a stolen pistol in the glovebox. Gregory later made statements on recorded jail phone calls about the drugs and gun. Gregory is a convicted felon who has multiple prior felony drug convictions, including possession of cocaine and sell/deliver a Schedule II controlled substance.
Charles Gregory faces a mandatory minimum of five years of imprisonment and a statutory maximum of life imprisonment when sentenced on a later date.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan accepted the verdict. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Elizabeth City Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office and the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phil Aubart and Jermaine Sellers 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. 2:23-CR-14.
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Ardmore Resident Sentenced for Federal Firearm CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Michael Adrian Wrenn, age 36, of Ardmore, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 92 months in prison for one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Ardmore Police Department.
On December 31, 2024, Wrenn pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on December 9, 2023, Wrenn stole a semi-automatic handgun from an Ardmore, Oklahoma gun store. Prior to taking the weapon, Wrenn had been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison.
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.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Wrenn will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Amsterdam Man Sentenced to Prison for Possessing over 3 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jose Carrero, age 36, of Amsterdam, New York, was sentenced today to 87 months in prison for possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement.
On November 4, 2024, DEA agents arrested Carrero after observing him place three kilograms of cocaine into the trunk of his car. He had $1,704 in cash on his person, and a search of his home led to the recovery of an additional 296 grams of cocaine and $70,000 in drug proceeds.
United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement partners, Amsterdam will be free of this major drug dealer for years.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III stated: “Today’s sentencing reflects the hard work and commitment the DEA and our law enforcement partners have in targeting those individuals poisoning our communities. We will continue to target those individuals responsible for pushing illicit narcotics into our communities.”
United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also ordered Carrero to serve 4 years of post-imprisonment supervised release. Carrero administratively forfeited the $70,000 in drug money in his apartment as well as the $1,704 found on his person.
The DEA investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner prosecuted.
Adair County Resident Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Zachary Thomas Carson, a/k/a Zach Thomas Carson, age 36, of Adair County, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Felon in Possession of Ammunition, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.
The Indictment charged Carson with knowingly possessed 297 rounds of ammunition on April 21, 2025, after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Adair County Sheriff’s Office.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Carson will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob R. Parker and Emily Wittlinger represented the United States.
Activity in the U.S. Attorney's OfficeRead the Press Release
Drug Trafficking
Ashley Nicole Haberman, 40, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was sentenced to a total of 144 months’ imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl. According to court documents, beginning in September of 2024, detectives with the Cheyenne Police Department Community Action Team began an investigation into the distribution of fentanyl in the Cheyenne area. Through surveillance and interviews, they were able to track Haberman and her boyfriend at the time, Brady Ehlers’, movements to Colorado where they purchased fentanyl and brought it back to Laramie County to distribute. The investigation revealed that Haberman and other coconspirators were redistributing the fentanyl for several months and that one redistributor sold the fentanyl to another person who overdosed. Detectives also issued search warrants, resulting in the seizure of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia from Ehler’s vehicle and their shared hotel room. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Cheyenne Police Department investigated the crime. Assistance U.S. Attorney Mackenzie Morrison prosecuted the case. U.S. District Judge Scott W. Skadahl imposed the sentence in Casper on June 5, 2025. Case No. 25-CR-00033.
Drug Trafficking & Firearms
Donald Cameron Jackson, 33, of Casper, Wyoming, was sentenced to 155 months followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, and for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to court filings, in September 2024, Jackson was identified as a source of supply for fentanyl in Natrona County. In September and October 2024, Special Agents with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) conducted three controlled purchases of fentanyl from Jackson. A subsequent search warrant was executed at his residence, resulting in the seizure of approximately 218 grams of fentanyl, 11.8 grams of cocaine, and a semi-automatic handgun with a high-capacity drum magazine. Jackson admitted that within the last six months he had obtained and redistributed a half ounce of cocaine and 500 fentanyl pills per week. He also stated that he is prohibited from possessing firearms and he received a firearm as collateral, in exchange for $200 worth of cocaine. DCI investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Makenzie Morrison prosecuted the case. A complaint was filed on Dec. 3, 2024, and Jackson waived indictment, pleading guilty to an Information on March 14. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence in Cheyenne on June 3. Case No. 25-00031Tristan Brynn Larsen, 40, of Hudson, Wyoming, was sentenced to 120 months with five years of supervised release to follow for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and fentanyl analogue (Carfentanil) and for possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to court records, in September 2024, while investigating drug distribution activity on the Wind River Indian Reservation, the Rocky Mountain Safe Trails Task Force (RMSTTF) identified Larsen as a local source of supply for drugs. During the investigation, law enforcement purchased fentanyl from Larsen and obtained a search warrant for her vehicle and residence. On Oct. 4, 2024, Larsen was identified and stopped by law enforcement at which time she admitted to having fentanyl on her person. Firearms were also located in her vehicle. Larsen later admitted to purchasing large quantities of fentanyl tablets and fentanyl powder in Denver and redistributing them in Fremont County. The RMSTTF is a joint undertaking of the FBI, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), and local law enforcement agencies. RMSTTF is tasked with identifying and disrupting the distribution of controlled substances in and around the Wind River Indian Reservation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy W. Gist prosecuted the case. A complaint was filed on Nov. 1, 2024, and Larsen waived indictment, pleading guilty to an Information on March 14. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence in Cheyenne on June 2. Case No. 25-00036
Illegal Re-Entry of a Previously Deported Alien
Marco Mejia-Montiel, 36, of Hueyotlipan, Tlaxcala, Mexico, was sentenced to time served and will be deported for illegal reentry into the United States. According to court documents, on Sept. 16, 2024, Mejia-Montiel was arrested by the Jackson Police Department for the violation of a protection order, a probation violation and contempt of court. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was contacted, the defendant’s fingerprints were examined against their database, and a match was found. They determined that Mejia- Montiel had previously been removed from the U.S. and had not applied for permission to reenter after being formally removed in August 2018, September 2021, May 2024, and June 2024. ICE investigated the crime, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence in Cheyenne on June 3. Case No. 25-CR-00069
Public Land Violations
Timothy Steury II, age 31, of Eugene, Oregon, was sentenced to 10 days of incarceration, with credit for 6 days previously served. On June 3, Steury pled guilty to refusing to submit to an official breath test after being stopped by law enforcement and suspected of driving while impaired, contempt of court for refusing to comply with a validly issued warrant for his blood, and speeding. He was also ordered to pay $1,060 in fines and court costs and placed on 2 years of unsupervised probation, terms of which include a ban from Yellowstone National Park during that time. The refusal of a breath test conviction was also reported to the state that issued Mr. Steury’s driver’s license. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick imposed the sentence in Mammoth.
Tuesday 10 June 2025
Wolf Point man pleads guilty to distributing meth to a minorRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS - A Wolf Point man accused of distributing methamphetamine to a minor admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The defendant, Brickie Cole Jackson, 36, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine to a person under 21 years of age. Jackson faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 1 year, a maximum term of 40 years, a $2,000,000 fine, and at least 6 years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for October 30, 2025. Jackson was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that in November 2023, law enforcement responded to Wolf Point High School after a student, Jane Doe, admitted drug use and tested positive. Doe, a 16-year-old female, disclosed she had gone to Jackson’s house, and he provided her with methamphetamine. Doe said she had gone to the house multiple times over multiple days and Jackson provided her with methamphetamine on several occasions in November.
In January 2024, Doe again admitted to hanging out with Jackson at his house over multiple days. He again provided Doe with methamphetamine.
Jackson was interviewed. He admitted providing Doe with methamphetamine but said he believed she was 18 years old. Jackson said Doe stayed with him on two occasions, and he gave her about a gram of meth each time she stayed at his house.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI, Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice, and Wolf Point Police Department conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
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Waco Man Federally Indicted After Allegedly Shooting Police K9 with Machine GunRead the Press Release
WACO, Texas – A federal grand jury in Waco returned an indictment today charging a Waco man with one count of possession of an unregistered firearm.
According to court documents, Darrin King allegedly fled from Waco Police officers, who were dispatched to a civil disturbance involving a firearm on May 28. A police K9 was deployed in pursuit of King, who allegedly produced a firearm and fired multiple shots at the dog, striking the K9 twice in the neck and once in the chest. King was subsequently taken into custody and the firearm was recovered. The firearm was allegedly equipped with a machinegun conversion device (MCD), also known as a “Glock switch,” allowing the firearm to fire as a fully automatic weapon. MCDs are defined as machineguns under the National Firearms Act, even when not installed.
The injured K9 survived his life-threatening injuries but, due to the extent of the injuries, will be medically retired.
King faces up to 10 years in prison, if convicted. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Waco Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Blanton is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Utica Sex Offender Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Distributing, Receiving, and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Dustin Smith, age 31, of Utica, New York, was sentenced last week to 20 years in prison for distributing, receiving, and possessing child pornography. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III, Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office, and Steven G. James, New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent made the announcement.
As part of his prior guilty plea, Smith admitted that he had a 2013 conviction for sexual abuse in the first degree and that in 2022, while under parole supervision for that conviction, he possessed a cell phone which he used to send, receive, and possess thousands of images and videos of child pornography. Specifically, Smith admitted that he used the cell phone to exchange videos of child pornography with at least two identified minor children.
In addition to the 20-year prison sentence, Senior United States District Judge David N. Hurd also imposed a 15-year term of supervised release, to begin after Smith’s prison sentence is complete. Additionally, Smith must pay $102,000 in restitution to the victims of his offenses, forfeit the device he used to commit the crimes, and register as a sex offender upon his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Sarcone stated, “While under parole supervision, Smith distributed child pornography to a minor, demonstrating that he cannot be at liberty without harming children. With this 20-year sentence, our children are safer.”
HSI Special Agent in Charge Keegan said, “Northern New York is undoubtedly a safer place with Dustin Smith behind bars. This sex offender has an admitted history of abhorrent crimes against children. HSI Syracuse stands in lockstep with our law enforcement partners in our shared commitment toward justice on behalf of our communities.”
HSI investigated this case with assistance from the New York State Police Computer Crimes Unit, New York State Parole, and Oneida County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica N. Carbone prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Warns of Scams Targeting SeniorsRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – Acting U.S. Attorney Carol M. Skutnik joins leaders across the country to recognize June as Elder Abuse Awareness Month. The initiative brings attention to the types of abuse that can affect some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, senior citizens.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Northern District of Ohio is committed to combatting fraud in all its forms, and in particular, financial schemes that target older victims for their money.
“Seniors are frequently targets of financial exploitation. These fraudsters will use unsolicited text messages, spam emails, and robocalls, to find ways to take the hard-earned money that victims have saved up over the years,” said Skutnik. “Scammers will even pretend to be government officials and frighten seniors into giving them their money using elaborate stories and tactics. We’ve seen some individuals lose their entire life savings. Together with our state, local and federal law enforcement partners we’ll investigate and prosecute these perpetrators to protect our seniors.”
While the USAO can seek justice for victims, Skutnik recommends being vigilant and informed to prevent these crimes from happening. Here are some of the types of scams that typically target older adults:
- Cryptocurrency scams, where a victim is promised large returns by investing in cryptocurrency.
- Lottery scams, where a caller convinces a senior that they have won money, but they must first pay a fee or tax before claiming the prize.
- Grandparent scams, where a scammer convinces a senior that their grandchildren have been arrested and need money for bail.
- Romance or friendship scams, where the victim is convinced by their new acquaintance that they need money for any number of reasons.
- Government agent schemes, where victims are told they owe back taxes by fake IRS agents or are contacted by someone posing as a Social Security employee and told to provide money to fix a problem with their account.
- Money Mule scams, where a scammer recruits seniors to send or receive money or packages.
- Tech support scams, where victims will click on a pop up message on their computer claiming that there is malware or a virus on a device and can offer assistance in exchange for money.
There are countless ways that fraudsters use to trick people into giving them money. Other fraud cases in Northern Ohio that have affected older victims include sports betting, investing in gold, wine or whiskey.
- Sports betting scam
- Gold bar investing scam
- Wine and whiskey scam
- Theft from a caretaker
To report elder financial abuse, visit tips.fbi.gov/home or justice.gov/elderjustice/financial-exploitation.
U.S. Attorney's Office Co-Hosts 3rd Annual “Walk for Awareness ” Ahead of World Elder Abuse Awareness DayRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In advance of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is joining Age-Friendly Mecklenburg and AARP-Charlotte to co-host the 3rd Annual Walk for Awareness on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at Freedom Park in Charlotte. Registration for the walk opens at 8:00 a.m. at Shelter #5 (adjacent to bandshell). The walk will begin at 9:00 a.m.
“Elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation affects too many older adults in our communities. Sadly, crimes against the elderly often go unreported. That’s why it’s important to raise awareness about what financial, physical, or emotional abuse looks like and how to seek help. By participating in events like this walk, we can all take an important step toward protecting our elders to ensure that they can live their advanced years with safety and dignity,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson.
First recognized on June 15, 2006, by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) seeks to promote a better understanding of the abuse and neglect suffered by millions of older adults, and bring attention to the cultural, social, economic, and demographic factors that contribute to elder abuse.
Financial exploitation is one of the fastest-growing crimes against older adults. According to the FBI’s Internet Crimes Report, a record number of financial losses were reported in 2024, totaling a staggering $16.6 billion. As a group, those over the age of 60 suffered the most financial losses ($4.8 billion) and submitted the most complaints (147,127). North Carolina ranked #9 in the number of complaints submitted to IC3 and #12 in reported financial losses. The report further indicates that investment fraud, tech support scams, extortion schemes and non-payment/non-delivery scams continue to impact older adults disproportionately, and government impersonation, romance scams, and phishing schemes continue to cost millions in losses for the 60+ population.
“It is not that older adults are more gullible,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson, “it’s that they have built up the assets that make them targets for criminals.”
Through prosecutions, the U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to combat elder fraud involving domestic and transnational perpetrators. Major strides have already been made to that end:
- In May, a California man was indicted for allegedly orchestrating a $4 million investment scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable victims.
- In March, a Nigerian national pleaded guilty to laundering millions in criminal proceeds linked to criminal activity, including romance scams that targeted older adults.
- In March, a foreign national was extradited from Spain to face charges in Western North Carolina for an alleged international “tech support” scheme that targeted victims across the United States, including victims who were 55 and older.
In addition to prosecuting elder fraud cases, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, through its Elder Justice Initiative, partners with law enforcement agencies, local governments, and community organizations to ensure that older adults, caretakers, and those who come in frequent contact with the elderly are educated on how to detect, prevent, and report elder fraud, neglect, and abuse.
In May, the U.S. Attorney’s Office participated in Age Friendly Mecklenburg’s annual Scam Jam to help educate older Americans on how to spot the tell-tale signs of potential scams and where to seek help if fraud is suspected.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office continues its efforts to educate the public by distributing the latest trends in schemes targeting older adults and sharing tips on how to be protected from scammers.
Additional financial schemes targeting older Americans are:
- Tech Support Scams – Convince victims to pay for non-existent problems with their computers.
- Non-Payment/Non-Delivery Scams – Induce victims to pay for goods or services online, but never receive them. A variation of this scheme is victims receiving emails or texts messages that appear to be from legitimate shipping companies (e.g., UPS, FedEx) with fake non-delivery notifications, claiming that payment or additional personal information is required to complete a package delivery.
- Romance Scams – Lull victims into believing they are in an online romantic relationship and their paramour needs money to pay for a visit to the U.S. or for some other purpose.
- Grandparent Scams – Dupe victims into thinking that their grandchildren or other relatives are in trouble and need money right away for bail or another emergency.
- Charity Scams – Solicit donations for fake charities, or by altering or “spoofing” caller IDs to show the name of a real charity on the phone.
- Lottery Scams – Scammers use phone calls, letters, or emails to convince victims that a large fee or taxes must be paid before they can receive lottery winnings.
- Debt Collection Scams – Victims are threatened with arrest and jail time if payment for a fake debt is not made immediately.
- Money Mule/Money Laundering Scams – Convince victims to use their existing or new bank accounts to quickly move funds in and out of those accounts. Generally, the transferred funds are proceeds of other criminal schemes (such as romance schemes) and victims are unwittingly being used to launder the ill-gotten funds.
- Timeshare Scams – Fraudsters target timeshare owners with false promises of resale and exit from their timeshares for a fee.
- Sham Business Opportunities – Convince victims to invest in lucrative business opportunities or fake investments.
Here are some tips on how to avoid falling victim to a financial scam:
- Don’t share personal or financial information with anyone you don’t know.
- If the person asking the information claims to be a relative, a friend, someone you know, or a representative of a financial institution or government agency, do not respond right away. Instead, contact the person/entity independently or ask a trusted family member or friend for help.
- Don’t pay a fee for a prize or lottery winning.
- Don’t click on pop-up ads, messages, or virus warnings.
- Delete phishing emails, do not respond to texts from unknown numbers, and ignore harassing phone calls.
- Don’t send gift cards, checks, money orders, wire money, or give your bank account information to a stranger or someone who claims to be a relative without verifying the person’s identity.
- Don’t fall for a high-pressure sales pitch or lucrative business deals.
- If you suspect fraud, take the time to talk to a trusted friend or family member.
- It’s not rude to say, “NO.”
- Keep in mind that if you send money once, you’ll be a target for life.
- A good rule of thumb is, if it’s too good to be true, it’s likely a scam.
- And remember, there is no shame in falling victim to an online scammer. These are professional criminals that use tried-and-true tactics to perpetrate fraud.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office urges the public to report suspected elder fraud by calling the Justice Department’s Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311) or visiting the Elder Justice Initiative at Justice.gov/elderjustice for additional information and resources.
U.S. Attorney Announces Extradition of Pakistani National Who Targeted Jewish Center in Brooklyn for Terrorist AttackRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton; the Attorney General for the United States, Pamela Bondi; the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Christopher G. Raia; and the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), Jessica S. Tisch, announced today that Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a/k/a “Shahzeb Jadoon,” has been extradited from Canada to the United States to face charges for attempting to enter the United States and carry out a mass shooting with automatic weapons at a prominent Jewish center in New York. The case is pending before U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe. KHAN will make his initial appearance in court tomorrow, June 11, 2025, before Chief Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn.
“As alleged, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan attempted to enter the United States to carry out a deadly terrorist attack on a Jewish center in New York City,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “He planned to use automatic weapons to kill as many members of our Jewish community as possible, all in support of ISIS. Khan’s deadly, antisemitic plan was thwarted by the diligent work of our law enforcement partners and the career prosecutors in this Office who are committed to rooting out antisemitism and stopping terror. Thanks to their efforts, Khan will now face justice in New York.”
“The foreign terrorist organization ISIS remains a clear and present danger to the American people, and our Jewish citizens are especially targeted by evil groups like these,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice is proud to help secure this extradition, and we will prosecute this man to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Muhammad Shahzeb Khan has been brought to the United States to face justice for his barbaric plot to conduct a mass shooting in New York City,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia. “Due to the dedication and commitment of the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force and our partners here and internationally, we were able to disrupt Khan’s evil plans before he could carry them out. The FBI will do whatever it takes to defend our nation from those wishing to carry out acts of terrorism, wherever in the world they may be located.”
“Muhammad Shahzeb Khan—a supporter of ISIS and fueled by antisemitism—allegedly plotted a terrorist attack that could have slaughtered Jewish New Yorkers simply because of their faith,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “Thanks to the proactive work of the NYPD, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, that plot was stopped before it could become a tragedy. This case is a powerful reminder of the ongoing efforts by the NYPD and our law enforcement partners to prevent acts of hate and protect our communities, because bigotry and antisemitism have no place in our city. And we will never hesitate to hold accountable anyone who threatens the safety of New Yorkers.”
As alleged in the charging instruments and other public filings:[1]
In or about November 2023, KHAN, a Pakistani national residing in Canada, began posting on social media and communicating with others on an encrypted messaging application about his support for ISIS, including by distributing ISIS propaganda videos and literature. KHAN then began communicating with two undercover law enforcement officers (collectively, the “UCs”) about his desire and plan to carry out terrorist attacks in the United States in support of ISIS. During those conversations, KHAN confirmed that he and a U.S.-based associate (“Associate-1”) had been planning to carry out a terrorist attack in a particular U.S. city (“City-1”) using AR-style assault rifles to “target[] Israeli Jewish chabads . . . scattered all around [City-1].”[2] During subsequent conversations, KHAN repeatedly instructed the UCs to obtain AR-style assault rifles, ammunition, and other materials to carry out the attacks, and identified locations in City-1 where the attacks would take place. Khan also told the UCs that he had identified a human smuggler who would help him cross the border from Canada into the United States for the attack.
In or about August 2024, KHAN changed his target to New York City. Specifically, KHAN told the UCs that the target location would now be a prominent Jewish religious center in Brooklyn, New York (“Location-1”). KHAN conveyed that he hoped to carry out this attack on or around October 7, 2024—which KHAN recognized as the one-year anniversary of the brutal and deadly terrorist attacks in Israel carried out by the foreign terrorist organization Hamas. KHAN told the UCs that “New york is perfect to target jews” because it has the “largest Jewish population in america,” and, as such, “even if we dont attack a[n] Event[,] we could rack up easily a lot of jews.” KHAN then told the UCs that he intended to kill as many Jewish civilians as possible, proclaiming that “we are going to nyc to slaughter them,” and later sent a photograph to the UCs of the specific enclosed area inside of Location-1 where KHAN planned to carry out his attack. In the days that followed, KHAN continued to urge the UCs to acquire AR-style rifles, hunting knives to “slit their throats,” and other equipment for the attack, and reiterated his desire to carry out this attack in support of ISIS. During one such communication, KHAN noted that “if we succeed with our plan this would be the largest Attack on US soil since 9/11.”
On or about September 4, 2024, KHAN attempted to reach the U.S-Canada border using a human smuggler to enter the United States and carry out his attack. KHAN traveled from the vicinity of Toronto, Canada toward the United States, before he was stopped in or around Ormstown, Canada, approximately 12 miles from the U.S.-Canada border.
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KHAN, 20, a Pakistani citizen who was residing in Canada, is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The potential maximum sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding efforts of the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force of the FBI, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the New York City Police Department, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies, and thanked the FBI’s Los Angeles and Chicago Field Offices, the New York State Police, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, and the Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division for their assistance. Mr. Clayton also thanked our law enforcement partners in Canada, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Department of Justice Canada’s International Assistance Group, for their assistance.
This case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaylan E. Lasky and David J. Robles are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Kevin Nunnally of the Counterterrorism Section.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the charging instruments and other public filings to date constitute only allegations, and every fact described herein should be treated as an allegation.
[2] “Chabad” is a branch of Hasidic Judaism, as well as a movement that operates Jewish religious and educational institutions around the world.
Two Dallas Men Charged with Assaulting a Federal Agent with a Deadly Weapon and Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
Andres Saucedo, Jr., of Dallas, was charged and arrested on June 4, 2025, for shooting at an undercover FBI Task Force Officer who was surveilling Saucedo to interrupt and stop a robbery of methamphetamine from another individual in the Dallas, Texas area, announced Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson.
According to a criminal complaint filed June 3, 2025, Saucedo and another individual, Angel Flores, were involved in importing and trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine and heroin obtained from a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization. Court documents reveal that Flores sold undercover agents a kilogram of heroin for $7,200 in the Dallas area late last year. Flores, Saucedo, and others working with them continued selling kilogram quantities of methamphetamine to numerous other individuals from that time until Flores was arrested on May 21, 2025. The two even orchestrated the sale of two kilograms of methamphetamine on May 20, 2025, the day before Flores was apprehended by FBI SWAT.
During the investigation, according to court documents, agents discovered that Flores, Saucedo, and others plotted to rob another drug trafficker of thirty to forty kilograms of methamphetamine on May 19, 2025. While surveilling Flores and Saucedo to prevent this robbery, Flores and Saucedo realized they were being followed and attempted to lure two federal agents to a place where other coconspirators in their group would ambush and shoot them. Before reaching the planned ambush location, Saucedo fired a gun at an undercover FBI Task Force Officer in one of the vehicles. The undercover officer was an FBI Task Force Officer with the Dallas Police Department who was working with the OCDETF North Texas Strike Force. The Task Force Officer was not struck by the gun fire but had to abandon surveillance at that time for safety.
The complaint charges Saucedo with his role in conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, as well as assaulting, resisting, or impeding a federal agent by using a dangerous and deadly weapon. Flores was also charged by complaint with similar crimes in May 2025.
Saucedo was previously convicted in Federal District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division in December 2011, for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced to serve 144 months in federal prison by United States District Judge Terry Means in 2012. Court documents reflect that in that case, Saucedo also conspired with a group of individuals who not only distributed cocaine, but also robbed other drug traffickers as well.
At his initial appearance on Friday, June 6, 2025, in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian McKay, Saucedo was detained in federal custody. Flores previously appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rebecca Rutherford on Friday, May 23, 2025, and was also detained in federal custody. If convicted, Saucedo and Flores face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
“We are fighting drug trafficking on multiple dangerous fronts, as demonstrated by this case,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson. “Beyond the tragic effects of the illegal drugs that cross our country’s border and flood our communities, drug traffickers unleash significant violence on each other, in our neighborhoods, and against the brave law enforcement officers attempting to stop them. The full prosecution of those in the drug trade and the violence they bring is a top priority for the safety of our law enforcement partners and our citizens.”
“This incident serves as a stark reminder of the danger agents and task force officers face every day,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “The FBI stands by our colleagues as they carry out their duties to keep our communities safe and pledge to investigate those who use violence against law enforcement.”
“Assaulting a Federal Agent can never be tolerated and undermines the very fabric of our ability to conduct drug investigations safely and effectively,” said Eduardo A. Chávez, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Dallas Field Division. “We do our jobs to make our community safer, and we will use every tool available to investigate and prosecute those who feel violent acts against our agents are held accountable.”
“The Dallas Police Department could not be more proud of the work that was done by the women and men of not only our department, but our Federal partners as well,” said Chief of Police Daniel Comeaux of the Dallas Police Department. “These joint task force and collaborations are essential in keeping our community and its members safe.”
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
This operation was conducted by the OCDETF North Texas Strike force with Special Agents and Task Force Officers from DEA, FBI, HSI, the Dallas Police Department, Grand Prairie Police Department and Coppell Police Department all participating.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Coker is prosecuting the case.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 OCDETFs and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Two Charged with Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two men have been charged for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Ramon Garcia-Parra, 37, a Mexican national, and Abraham Acevedo-Hernandez, 32, of Kansas City, Mo., were charged in a criminal complaint in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, June 5, 2025.
The complaint alleges that Ramon Garcia-Parra and Abraham Acevedo-Hernandez conspired to distribute methamphetamine. As part of the conspiracy, the defendants delivered approximately 10 kilograms of methamphetamine during a controlled purchase on June 2, 2025.
Trinidad Garcia-Parra, 40, a Mexican national and relative of Ramon Garcia-Parra, has also been charged in a separate criminal complaint in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, June 5, 2025, with illegal re-entry. Trinidad Garcia-Parra had previously been removed from the United States on two prior occasions.
The charges contained in these complaints 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. Attorney Robert Smith. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department, and the Internal Revenue Service.
KC Metro Strike Force
This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
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).
Texas Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Brandon Lee Smith, age 30, of Wichita Falls, Texas, entered a guilty plea to one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm, punishable by up to fifteen years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.
The Indictment charged Smith with knowingly possessing a semi-automatic pistol on January 18, 2025, after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Ardmore Police Department.
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Smith will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Tate County Man Sentenced to 71 Months for Possession of a Machine GunRead the Press Release
Oxford, MS – A Tate County man was sentenced today to 71 months in prison for the illegal possession of a machine gun.
According to court documents, Mohammad Hussam Amro, also known as Mohammad HG Amro, 34, of Sarah, Mississippi, previously pled guilty to possession of a machine gun. U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock sentenced Amro to 71 months in prison to be followed by a term of three years of supervised release. Amro was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals following sentencing.
The evidence before the court at sentencing was that the Tate County Sheriff’s Department responded to a domestic violence call at the defendant’s residence and that upon their arrival, they located numerous firearms and weapons, including the machine gun.
U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner of the Northern District of Mississippi said, “The illegal possession of a machine gun is an offense that must be pursued by law enforcement, especially when it is found during a domestic violence incident. Protecting lives from domestic violence and gun violence is a high priority with the Department.”
“The illegal possession of a machinegun is a significant threat to public safety,” said ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. “This defendant possessed this dangerous firearm during a domestic violence incident causing harm. The sentence imposed today sends a message to anyone who chooses to unlawfully possess or use a machinegun, they will be held accountable as we work with our partners to keep our neighborhoods safe.”
This case was investigated by the Tate County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by AUSA John Herzog Jr.
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.
Tennessee Woman Pleads Guilty to Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Ellison C. Travis announced that Trisha Milstead, age 53, of Newport, Tennessee, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson to wire fraud.
According to admissions made as part of her guilty plea, beginning in May 2024 and continuing through July 2024, Milstead engaged in a scheme to defraud two credit unions and three small businesses - a business in Tennessee that sells recreational vehicles (RVs) and travel trailers, a used car dealership in North Carolina, and a new and used car dealership in Gonzales, Louisiana.
Milstead opened new accounts online at a financial institution based in California and attempted to fund the accounts by initiating wire transfers from an account that she purportedly held at another financial institution based in Mississippi, knowing that she did not have any account at the Mississippi institution and that the transfers were fraudulent. Before the financial institutions realized that Milstead’s transfers should be reversed, however, she accessed the first institution’s online “bill payment” system and issued several large checks drawn on her accounts.
Milstead used one of the fraudulent checks in the amount of $38,000, to obtain a Ford F-150 Raptor truck from a dealership in North Carolina, another fraudulent check in the amount of $49,044.42 to obtain a 2020 Cadillac XT5 luxury sport utility vehicle from a dealership in Gonzales, Louisiana, and other fraudulent check in the amount of $35,350 to attempt to purchase a recreational vehicle from the business in Tennessee.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations and the Gonzales Police Department with valuable assistance from Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Department and Rutherford County (North Carolina) Sheriff’s Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alan A. Stevens, who also serves as Senior Litigation Counsel.
Suburban Chicago Physician Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago physician has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for billing Medicaid and private insurers for nonexistent and unnecessary services.
MONA GHOSH owned and operated Progressive Women’s Healthcare, S.C., a medical office in Hoffman Estates, Ill., specializing in obstetrics and gynecology services. From 2018 to 2022, Ghosh submitted and caused her employees to submit fraudulent claims to Medicaid, TRICARE, and numerous other insurers for procedures and services that were not medically necessary, including endometrial ablations and biopsies, ultrasounds, vaccinations, laboratory blood tests, and tests for sexually transmitted diseases. Some of the procedures were performed without patient consent. Ghosh also fraudulently overstated the length and complexity of in-office and telemedicine visits and submitted claims using billing codes for which the visits did not qualify in order to seek higher reimbursement rates. Ghosh prepared false patient medical records to support the fraudulent reimbursement claims.
Ghosh, 52, of Inverness, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to two counts of health care fraud. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Franklin U. Valderrama imposed the ten-year prison sentence and ordered Ghosh to pay approximately $1.5 million in restitution.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Mario Pinto, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; Jason Sargenski, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Southeast Field Office; and Kwame Raoul, Illinois Attorney General. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kavitha Babu and Hayley Altabef.
“When physicians submit fraudulent claims to federal health care programs, they divert taxpayer-funded resources away from those who truly need them,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “Dr. Ghosh’s fraud scheme was particularly egregious because she endangered the health of her patients by performing unnecessary medical procedures, including procedures that severely limited some patients' ability to have children in the future. We applaud the victims’ strength to come forward and confront this defendant. Our Office will fight tirelessly for victims and work diligently with our law enforcement partners to safeguard taxpayer funds and hold accountable those who steal from the American public.”
“Dr. Ghosh spent years traumatizing patients, lying to insurers, and stealing taxpayer money to feed her greed,” said FBI SAC DePodesta. “The depraved conduct uncovered in this case represents an extreme betrayal of trust toward patients who were simply seeking care and integrity from their doctor. The FBI will continue to aggressively pursue and hold accountable any medical professional who seeks to harm patients for their personal enrichment.”
“Physicians and other medical professionals who place profits ahead of patient care do so at the expense of the very people they swore an oath to protect,” said HHS-OIG SAC Pinto. “The sentence imposed in this case reflects the severity of the defendant’s crimes and the harm inflicted on numerous patients. This investigation underscores our agency’s commitment to aggressively pursuing those who fraudulently submit claims to federal health care programs and put patients at risk.”
“It is imperative that our service members have full confidence that the medical care they receive is both legitimate and delivered by healthcare providers who are unwaveringly committed to their well-being,” said DCIS SAC Sargenski. “Today’s outcome should reassure the public that DCIS, alongside our investigative partners, remains steadfast in our pursuit of those who harm the health, safety, and readiness of our men and women in uniform.”
St. Paul Woman Charged with Assaulting Law Enforcement Officers During Lake Street Narcotics Search Warrants, Punching an FBI Agent Upon her ArrestRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Isabel Lopez, 27, of St. Paul, Minnesota, has been charged by federal complaint and indictment with assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
According to court documents, on June 3, 2025, law enforcement officers from multiple federal agencies were executing federal search warrants at eight Twin Cities locations. These search warrants were related to a long-term investigation into narcotics trafficking, money laundering, human trafficking, and related offenses. The investigation began with the seizure of 900 pounds of methamphetamine, with a street value of between $22 million and $25 million.
One of the search warrant locations was the Cuatro Milpas restaurant on Lake Street in Minneapolis. Shortly after the search warrant execution began, a crowd began to gather. The crowd appeared to be under the mistaken belief that law enforcement was present to arrest individuals illegally present in the country for immigration offenses. This was incorrect. In fact, agents were there to collect evidence pursuant to a federal search warrant signed by a federal judge. Indeed, no one was arrested that day. Recognizing the apparent misunderstanding, law enforcement explained the nature of the search warrant to crowd members.
Some people in the crowd engaged in legal protest activity. Lopez, as detailed below, obstructed, impeded, and assaulted federal agents and officers, in violation of federal law. Lopez physically assaulted several agents and officers. She punched, kicked, and shoved agents and officers. Crowd members moved to restrain Lopez. Even as they were doing so, Lopez kicked an FBI agent. Lopez continued to assault federal agents and officers. As law enforcement attempted to depart the scene, Lopez threw a softball at the back of a deputy from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
On June 9, 2025, Lopez was charged by complaint with Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding Officers, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(a)(1). When federal agents attempted to arrest Lopez, she punched an FBI agent in the head.
Today, June 10, 2025, a federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment against defendant Lopez. The grand jury charged Lopez with three counts of Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding Officers, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(a)(1)—two counts related to the assaults Lopez committed during the June 3rd search warrant execution and one count related to Lopez punching an FBI agent at the time of her arrest. The grand jury also charged Lopez with one count of Obstruction of Law Enforcement During Civil Disorder, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 231(a)(3).
“As laid out in the complaint, federal agents were executing federal search warrants signed by a federal judge,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “The search warrants were part of a long-term drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking investigation involving a transnational criminal organization. The defendant physically attacked law enforcement agents in the course of their duties, even as the crowd tried to hold her back. When the defendant was arrested, she doubled-down, punching an FBI agent in the head. Let me make clear: it is against the law to assault or obstruct federal law enforcement agents. We do not punch cops.”
“Assaulting a law enforcement officer engaged in their lawful duties, or damaging government property during a protest, is not protected under the First Amendment — it is a criminal offense,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, will use every available resource to investigate these acts, identify those responsible, and ensure they are held accountable under the law.”
“Our agents were lawfully performing their duties when they were surrounded and obstructed by individuals attempting to interfere with a federal operation. Let me be clear – interfering with federal law enforcement is a crime, and those responsible will be identified and held accountable,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Jamie Holt. “HSI and its partners operate with professionalism, purpose, and the full backing of the law. I fully support the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way every day to uphold public safety. No one should face threats, intimidation, or violence while carrying out the duties entrusted to them by the American people. The safety of our agents and officers will never be compromised.”
“Respect for the rule of law is the foundation of our justice system,” said Special Agent in Charge of ATF Travis Riddle. “When federal law enforcement officers are executing a lawful search warrant, which is part of ensuring due process, interference, especially violent interference, will not be tolerated. Anyone who chooses to escalate these situations and assault officers should expect to be held accountable. Actions have consequences.”
Assaulting a federal agent is not only a criminal act–it is an attack on an individual, a member of our community, and the integrity of the justice system itself,” said Ramsey E. Covington, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “Acts of violence against federal agents will not be tolerated and will be met with swift and appropriate action. This arrest underscores our commitment to upholding the rule of law without compromise and ensuring offenders who attempt to obstruct justice are held fully accountable.”
Lopez made her initial appearance in U.S. District Court today, before Magistrate Judge John F. Docherty. She will remain detained pending a detention hearing.
This case is a result of a criminal investigation conducted by the FBI, HSI, DEA, IRS-CI, ATF, USMS, and Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
South Korean Woman Indicted for Unlawful Procurement of Citizenship by Lying on ApplicationRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Michael M. Simpson announced today that YEON SOOK HWANG, a/k/a “Jackie” (“HWANG”), age 50, was indicted on June 5, 2025 for unlawful procurement of naturalization, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1425(b).
According to the indictment, HWANG made false statements on an Application for Naturalization in 2015 in the Eastern District of Louisiana. She falsely claimed she had not committed any crimes, when, in fact, she had. If convicted, HWANG faces up to ten years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr. of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
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).
Slidell Man Guilty of Possessing Files Depicting Sexual Exploitation of ChildrenRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that BROCK TAYLOR GUILLOT (“GUILLOT”), age 27, from Slidell, Louisiana, pled guilty June 5, 2025, before United States District Judge Barry W. Ashe, to possession of images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children under the age of twelve years old, in violation of 18 U.S.C. ' 2252(a)(4)(B).
According to the court documents, in or around January 2020, Special Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) investigated the sharing of files depicting the sexual exploitation of children (i.e., Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)) via an instant messaging mobile application. During the investigation, an individual, subsequently determined to be GUILLOT, transmitted a series of files depicting the sexual exploitation of prepubescent children via the mobile application. Law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at GUILLOT’s residence in February 2021 and seized several electronic items that belonged to GUILLOT. A review of the GUILLOT’s cellular phone identified at least 1 image and 518 videos depicting the sexual victimization of children. Some of the child victims were less than approximately three (3) years old at the time the CSAM was created. GUILLOT possessed his collection of images and videos depicting the sexual victimization of children on his cellular phone, and in multiple accounts GUILLOT maintained on a social media instant messaging mobile application.
GUILLOT faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty (20) years. GUILLOT also faces at least five (5) years, and up to a lifetime of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. GUILLOT may also be required to register as a sex offender. Sentencing before Judge Ashe has been scheduled for September 25, 2025.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, is in charge of the prosecution.
Sixth Person Convicted in Connection with Fatal Kidnapping in Wilmington, DelawareRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – Dylan J. Steinberg, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced today that, on June 5, 2025, a federal jury convicted a Philadelphia man for participating in the kidnapping and murder of a Wilmington resident in July 2021.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Dwayne Alexander, 41, was a high-ranking member of the Shotgun Crips street gang. In the summer of 2021, a lower-ranking Shotgun Crip named Kimon Burton-Roberson became embroiled in a dispute with a Wilmington man. A group of Shotgun Crips then invaded the man’s home, beat him with multiple blunt objects, bound his hands behind his back with zip ties, and drove him to Alexander’s home in Philadelphia. After picking up Alexander, the gang then drove the victim to an industrial park in Yeadon, Pennsylvania, where they executed the victim by shooting him in the head. Alexander supplied the murder weapon and approved the killing.
Alexander is the sixth person convicted in connection with the fatal kidnapping. Other persons convicted federally include:
- Kimon Burton-Roberson – pending sentencing
- Stephanie Bultes-Ramirez – pending sentencing
- Rodney Chambers – pending sentencing
- Jamil Salahuddin – pending sentencing
A sixth person, Josiah Rivera, who was a minor at the time of the crime, has been convicted in the Superior Court for the State of Delaware.
Acting U.S. Attorney Steinberg stated, “This conviction marks yet another step forward on the path toward securing full justice for the victim of a brutal and senseless crime. We thank our law enforcement partners for their tireless work on the case. Together, we have sent a message that we hope reaches every corner of Delaware: violent gang activity in this State will be detected, investigated vigorously, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
"We appreciate the continued commitment of the U.S. Attorney's Office to hold each party responsible for their role in this kidnapping and murder," said Wilmington Police Chief Wilfredo Campos. "It is our hope that this latest conviction will continue to offer some degree of comfort to the family of the victim, that the law enforcement community will leave no stone unturned in delivering justice in this case."
“Dwayne Alexander committed a horrific and ruthless murder with his fellow gang members. This guilty verdict is the result of years of painstaking investigation and constant collaboration between our dedicated law enforcement partners and the FBI’s Delaware Violent Crime and Safe Streets Task Force,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Amanda M. Koldjeski of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “Together we will relentlessly pursue justice and ensure that dangerous criminals who target our communities are held accountable.”
The FBI, the Wilmington Police Department, the Yeadon Borough Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and Delaware Probation and Parole investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle L. Morgan and Benjamin L. Wallace are prosecuting the case.
Seminole Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Byron Keith Spencer, age 53, of Seminole, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to a one-count Felony Information of Possession of Stolen Firearm, punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.
The Felony Information alleged that on May 9, 2023, Spencer knowingly possessed one handgun which he knew or had reasonable cause to believe was stolen.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Wewoka Police Department, the District 22 Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Spencer will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan E. Soverly, Joshua Satter, Edith Singer, and T. Cameron McEwen represented the United States.
Second Arrest Made Following Montgomery Dry Cleaner Business RobberyRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Ala. – Today, Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced the arrest of a second man in connection with the March 10, 2025, robbery of a Montgomery, Alabama dry-cleaning business. On May 22, 2025, a criminal complaint was filed in the United States District Court in Montgomery charging 57-year-old Spencer Thomas, a resident of Prattville, Alabama, with armed robbery and carjacking. Law enforcement arrested Thomas on May 27, 2025, after locating him in Las Vegas, Nevada. Thomas’s charging documents were unsealed late last week.
Thomas is the second individual charged in the case. Previously, 58-year-old Zedekiah Sykes was also indicted on charges of armed robbery and carjacking.
The arrests follow a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Montgomery Police Department, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), and the Metro Area Crime Suppression (MACS) Unit, with assistance from the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office. Thomas is scheduled to be arraigned in Montgomery on June 17, 2025. Zedekiah Sykes’ trial is currently set for August 11, 2025.
A criminal complaint and indictment are merely accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted on all charges, Thomas and Sykes each face up to 25 years in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys T. Paul Markovits and Brandon W. Bates.
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).
Salvadoran National Arrested for Allegedly Selling Firearms Without a LicenseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Salvadoran national unlawfully residing in Chelsea was charged with allegedly making multiple illegal firearms sales.
Melbi Ovidio Ortez, 40, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license. Ortez was arrested this morning. Following an initial appearance this afternoon, he was ordered detained pending probable cause and detention hearings scheduled for July 18, 2025.
According to charging documents, Ortez was identified as an 18th Street Gang associate who supplied firearms and controlled substances to gang members. On four different occasions between April 3, 2025 and May 2, 2025, Ortez allegedly sold firearms and ammunition behind his Chelsea residence. It is alleged that Ortez sold a Glock 9mm caliber pistol; a Sturm and Ruger .22 caliber revolver; a Glock .40 caliber pistol; a Colt .380 caliber pistol; magazines; and over one hundred rounds of ammunition. It is further alleged that the serial numbers on both the Glock 9mm pistol and the Colt .380 pistol had been defaced, and that the Glock 9mm pistol had been purchased only 20 days earlier from a licensed firearms dealer in New Hampshire. Ortez also allegedly sold suspected cocaine on two times during that same period.
The charge of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, Boston Division; and Scott Riordan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Falmouth, Lynn, Medford, Nantucket and Revere Police Departments; Massachusetts State Police; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Fraud Detection and National Security Unit; Massachusetts Department of Correction; and the Suffolk County and Middlesex County District Attorney’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak, III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Pittsburg County Resident Sentenced for Felony AssaultRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Larry Keith Mickle, age 50, of Bache, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 57 months in prison for one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to Do Bodily Harm in Indian Country.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office.
On May 28, 2025, Mickle pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on June 18, 2024, Mickle fired a .22 caliber round at the victim. The victim fought off the attack and sustained a laceration to the top of the skull. The crime occurred in Pittsburg County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Mickle will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Robinson represented the United States.
Pennsylvania Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in Fraud and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
An accountant and adjunct business instructor who laundered over $800,000 of the proceeds of a multi-state business email compromise scheme was sentenced today in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Margo Ann Williams, age 63, from Scranton, Pennsylvania, received the prison term after a September 12, 2024, jury verdict finding her guilty of one count of bank fraud, three counts of money laundering, three counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity, and one count of money laundering conspiracy.
The evidence at trial showed that, between December 2022 and July 2023, five victims—a Cedar Rapids church, two businesses, a non-profit, and an individual—had their electronic payments misdirected due to hacked email accounts. The email accounts were hacked while the victims were in the process of making large wire and automatic clearinghouse (“ACH”) transactions to others. The victims received “spoofed” emails that falsely appeared to come from legitimate and trusted sources. The fraudulent emails contained instructions to change the routing information for the wire and ACH transactions. Unbeknownst to the victims, those accounts listed in the new instructions belonged to Williams. After receiving “spoofed” emails, the victims instructed their banks to wire the funds according to the new payment instructions. Williams received the funds into bank accounts she controlled, and then she rapidly transferred the stolen money to other bank accounts that she controlled. Williams eventually transferred stolen funds to two national cryptocurrency exchanges and an individual in Florida.
For example, in June 2023, a Cedar Rapids church was engaged in a $7 million renovation of its campus. The hackers compromised the email account of the project’s architect and caused the church to receive “spoofed” emails in which the email domain of the project’s general contractor was slightly changed. As a result, the church representatives thought they were engaged in email correspondence with the project’s general contractor when, in truth, unknown individuals were impersonating the general contractor’s employees. As a result, the church unwittingly wired over $466,000 to Williams’s shell corporation, “MBCI & Evercorp, LLC.” Other victims in the business email compromise scheme included a hotel manager in Colorado, a large non-profit in Washington state, a self-employed homebuilder in Montana, and a general commercial contractor in Pennsylvania.
During the scheme, Williams repeatedly opened bank accounts at major national banks, including one in the name of her shell corporation. As the banks discovered the fraud and closed the accounts, Williams continued to open new accounts at other banks in an effort to continue to perpetrate the fraud. Williams claimed at trial that she was doing so at the direction of a famous British actor with whom she had formed a romantic relationship. Williams earned approximately $25,000 from the scheme. Williams made many personal purchases with the stolen money, including an Apple Watch and a Louis Vuitton handbag.
Williams was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Williams was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment. She was ordered to make $594,037.41 in restitution to her victims. She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy L. Vavricek and Kyndra A. Lundquist and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Williams was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-CR-64.
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Pakistani National Extradited to Face Charges in Connection with Plot to Carry Out ISIS-Inspired Mass Shooting at Jewish Center in New York CityRead the Press Release
A Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, was extradited to the United States on June 10, in connection with an indictment filed in the Southern District of New York. Khan was charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO), the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries. Khan is scheduled to make an initial appearance in court on June 11.
“The foreign terrorist organization ISIS remains a clear and present danger to the American people, and our Jewish citizens are especially targeted by evil groups like these,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice is proud to help secure this extradition, and we will prosecute this man to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Khan allegedly tried to enter the United States to commit an attack on the Jewish community in New York City, planning an ISIS-inspired mass shooting around the one-year anniversary of the attack on Gaza by Hamas,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Thankfully, the great work of the FBI and our partners shut that down, and Khan has now been extradited to New York to face American justice. I want to thank our teams and partners for their diligent work in this case and executing the mission.”
“As alleged, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan attempted to enter the United States to carry out a deadly terrorist attack on a Jewish center in New York City,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. “He planned to use automatic weapons to kill as many members of our Jewish community as possible, all in support of ISIS. Khan’s deadly, antisemitic plan was thwarted by the diligent work of our law enforcement partners and the career prosecutors in this Office who are committed to rooting out antisemitism and stopping terror. Thanks to their efforts, Khan will now face justice in New York.”
Khan was provisionally arrested in Canada on Sept. 4, 2024 based on a complaint filed in the Southern District of New York. As alleged in the complaint, Khan, who resided in Canada, attempted to travel from Canada to New York City, where he intended to use automatic and semi-automatic weapons to carry out a mass shooting in support of ISIS at a Jewish center in Brooklyn, New York. Khan began posting on social media and communicating with others on an encrypted messaging application about his support for ISIS in or about November 2023, when, among other things, Khan distributed ISIS propaganda videos and literature. Subsequently, Khan began communicating with two undercover law enforcement officers (collectively, the UCs).
During those conversations, Khan confirmed that he and a U.S.-based ISIS supporter (Associate-1) had been planning to carry out an attack in a particular U.S. city (City-1). Among other things, Khan said that he had been actively attempting to create “a real offline cell” of ISIS supporters to carry out a “coordinated assault” in City-1 using AR-style rifles to “target[] Israeli Jewish chabads . . . scattered all around [City-1].” During subsequent conversations, Khan repeatedly instructed the UCs to obtain AR-style assault rifles, ammunition, and other materials to carry out the attacks, and identified the specific locations in City-1 where the attacks would take place. Khan also provided details about how he would cross the border from Canada into the United States to conduct the attacks. During these conversations with the UCs, Khan emphasized that “Oct 7th and oct 11th are the best days for targeting the jews” because “oct 7 they will surely have some protests and oct 11 is yom.kippur.”
On or about Aug. 20, Khan changed his target location from City-1 to New York City. After initially suggesting certain neighborhoods in New York City to the UCs, Khan decided to target Location-1, a Jewish center located in Brooklyn, New York. Khan told the UCs that he planned to carry out this attack on or around Oct. 7, 2024 — which Khan recognized as the one-year anniversary of the brutal terrorist attacks in Israel by Hamas, a designated FTO, which, on Oct. 7, 2023, launched a wave of violent, large-scale terrorist attacks in Israel. In support of his choice of New York City as his target location, Khan boasted that “New york is perfect to target jews” because it has the “largest Jewish population In america” and therefore, “even if we dont attack a[n] Event[,] we could rack up easily a lot of jews.” Khan proclaimed that “we are going to nyc to slaughter them,” and sent a photograph of the specific area inside of Location-1 where he planned to carry out the attack.
Thereafter, Khan continued to urge the UCs to acquire AR-style rifles, ammunition, and other equipment for his attack, including “some good hunting [knives] so we can slit their throats.” Khan repeatedly reiterated his desire to carry out the attack in support of ISIS, and discussed planning for the attack, including by identifying rental properties close to Location-1 and paying for a human smuggler to help him reach and cross the border from Canada into the United States. During one communication, Khan noted that “if we succeed with our plan this would be the largest Attack on US soil since 9/11.”
On or about Sept. 4, as Khan said he planned to do in connection with his attack, Khan attempted to reach the U.S-Canada border. To do so, Khan used three separate cars to travel across Canada towards the United States, before he was stopped by Canadian authorities in or around Ormstown, Canada, approximately 12 miles from the U.S.-Canada border.
Khan is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization and one count of attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI’s New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles Field Offices are investigating the case. The Justice Department is grateful to Canadian law enforcement for their actions in this matter. The Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division accomplished the extradition of Khan from Canada.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaylan E. Lasky and David J. Robles for the Southern District of New York and Trial Attorney Kevin C. Nunnally of the Justice Department’s National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
A complaint or an indictment merely contain allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Ormond Beach Man Indicted for Making Online Threats Against the PresidentRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Sheldon James Biddle (25, Ormond Beach) with threatening to kill the President of the United States. If convicted, Biddle faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, on April 2, 2025, Biddle made a threat to take the life of the President of the United States in a series of postings from an online account belonging to him. Specifically, Biddle indicated that the President was going to get assassinated for engaging in treason, a true threat of violence.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by United States Secret Service, the Ormond Beach Police Department, and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Lasry.
Oklahoma City Resident Sentenced for Making A False Statement During the Acquisition of A FirearmRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Tamarion Dejhun Adamson, age 31, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 15 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for making a false statement during the acquisition of a firearm.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On November 18, 2024, Adamson pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on July 22, 2024, Adamson attempted to purchase a firearm from Sulphur Pawn in Sulphur, Oklahoma. During that visit, Adamson intentionally made a false written statement on the ATF Firearms Transaction Record Form 4473 asserting he was not currently charged with a felony information or indictment. In reality, Adamson faced pending felonies in Oklahoma County at the time of the visit.
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.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Adamson will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Dean Burris represented the United States.
Okemah Resident Sentenced for Two Counts of Felony AssaultRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Victor Wayne Andrew Artussee, age 33, of Okemah, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 41 months in prison for one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to Do Bodily Harm in Indian Country, and 41 months for one count of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Harm in Indian Country. The terms are set to be served concurrently.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Okemah Police Department, and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Tribal Lighthorse Police Department.
On January 8, 2025, Artussee pleaded guilty to the charges. According to investigators, on May 11, 2024, Artussee kicked in the front door of an Okemah residence and assaulted the occupant with a baseball bat. The victim sustained multiple injuries, including multiple bone fractures and blunt force trauma to the skull. The crimes occurred in Okfuskee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Artussee will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick M. Flanigan represented the United States.
Nigerian Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Money Laundering Conspiracy, Wire Fraud Related to the Sexual Extortion and Death of a Local Young ManRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Samuel Olasunkanmi Abiodun, 25, of Nigeria, was sentenced today to five years in prison by United States District Judge Joel H. Slomsky for money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud related to the sexual extortion and death of a young man in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Abiodun pleaded guilty to those offenses in December.
He and co-defendant Imoleayo Samuel Aina, aka “Alice Dave,” 27, were arrested on a complaint and warrant in Nigeria, taken into custody by the FBI on July 31, 2024, and extradited to the United States to face charges in this case. They and another Nigerian co-defendant, Afeez Olatunji Adewale, 25, were then charged by indictment in August 2024.
Aina pleaded guilty last month to cyberstalking, interstate threat to injure reputation, receiving proceeds of extortion, money laundering conspiracy, and wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 11 and faces a statutory maximum of lifetime imprisonment.
Adewale has been charged with money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud. He remains in Nigeria, pending extradition to the U.S.
“As the financial middleman, Abiodun played a key role in this sextortion scheme, which thoroughly traumatized the victim and then devastated his family,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “These scammers’ sole aim is to get money from scared and vulnerable young people, with absolutely no regard for their feelings or the potential fallout. In prosecuting this case, we are bringing to justice the men whose actions resulted in truly indelible harm. We also want to send a message to others like them that the Department of Justice’s reach is long, and if they keep extorting innocent Americans, they could find themselves in an American prison.”
“This sentencing delivers a powerful message: those who exploit others through sextortion will be held accountable, no matter where they try to hide,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “The FBI, alongside our domestic and international law enforcement partners, is unwavering in our commitment to safeguard our communities — especially our youth — from predatory criminals.”
“The capabilities of local police departments to expand an investigation beyond the borders of the U.S. is extremely limited. We must rely on the expertise of the FBI and other federal law enforcement partners, which is exactly what occurred in this case,” said Chief Patrick Molloy of the Abington Township Police Department. “We are grateful for the federal agents and prosecutors who worked so hard to bring those responsible for this heinous crime to justice. It should send a clear message to those who choose to prey upon the most vulnerable in our community that we will proactively pursue justice beyond our borders, especially when aggravating circumstances exist. This could have been anyone’s child, and while this arrest and prosecution may provide some measure of relief, the pain and suffering for this family will never go away.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Abington Township Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Brown.
Aina and Abiodun were extradited to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania with assistance of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI Legal Attaché in Abuja, and the FBI. The support and assistance of Nigerian security authorities was essential to this effort, notably that of Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Justice’s International Criminal Justice Cooperation Department, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
New Orleans Man Indicted for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor and Attempted Transmission of Obscene Matter to a MinorRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that MARK BROOKS (a/k/a “Baby Nu”) (“BROOKS”) age 35, a resident of New Orleans, was indicted on June 5, 2025 for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. ' 2422(b) (Count 1), and attempted transmission of obscene matter to a minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. ' 1470 (Count 2).
According to the indictment, beginning on or about May 1, 2025, and continuing until on or about May 13, 2025, BROOKS attempted to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce an individual he believed to be a fifteen-year-old female to engage in unspecified sexual activity for which a person can be criminally charged. Additionally, beginning on May 1, 2025, and continuing until on or about May 4, 2025, BROOKS attempted to transfer, by means of interstate commerce, obscene matter to an individual who had not attained the age of sixteen years.
BROOKS faces a mandatory minimum of ten (10) years in prison and a maximum term of life in prison as to Count One. He faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years as to Count Two. BROOKS also faces a lifetime of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and can be required to register as a sex offender. He also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count.
Acting U. S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys= Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, is in charge of the prosecution.
Muskogee County Resident Pleads Guilty to Stealing Firearms from A Federally Licensed DealerRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jorden James Thierry, age 21, of Boynton, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Stealing a Firearm from a Federal Licensed Dealer, punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.
The Indictment alleged that on April 17, 2025, Thierry knowingly stole two semi-automatic pistols from Checotah Gun and Pawn, a federal firearms licensed dealer.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Checotah Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Thierry will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Morrison Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Federal Prison for PPP Loan FraudRead the Press Release
DENVER – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Richard Nieto, age 39, of Morrison, Colorado, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $962,438.85 in restitution for engaging in wire fraud and money laundering in connection with obtaining two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the plea agreement, the defendant submitted three fraudulent PPP loan applications to a lender seeking $1,117,903.56 and was successful in obtaining two PPP loans totaling $913,551.88.
In the first successful application for $175,384.83, the defendant inflated the number of employees and average monthly payroll for his business, Denver Pro Painting & Contracting, that had operated before the pandemic and fabricated Forms 941 that did not match the tax returns filed with the IRS. He then submitted a second successful PPP application for $738,167.05 to the same lender for another business, DenPro, that had no payroll or employees and was not operating at all. In this second application, the defendant made up $1,771,601.04 in annual payroll while fabricating fourth quarter tax returns to support the lies on the application.
Before making a single payment on either loan, the defendant submitted fraudulent applications for loan forgiveness. In support of the forgiveness applications, the defendant created a total of 87 fake payroll checks and paystubs that falsely indicated that each check related to a specific pay period and employee and that the defendant’s companies had withheld taxes so that they would qualify for loan forgiveness. One of the defendant’s PPP loans was fully forgiven.
Despite telling the lender that he would use the PPP loan money on business expenses, the defendant transferred PPP loan money through multiple intermediate accounts before using it on personal expenditures and investments. Among other transactions, the defendant used loan money to pay a home mortgage, purchase bitcoin, contribute to an investment account, buy gold and silver coins, and invest in a friend’s startup business.
“This is another case of someone using for personal gain a program meant to help people suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Acting United States Attorney J. Bishop Grewell. “I want the public to know that we are aggressively prosecuting people who stole from this relief program.”
“Mr. Nieto went to great lengths to abuse a program meant for hardworking small business owners, seeking only to enrich himself.” said Amanda Prestegard, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-CI Denver Field Office. “We are proud to partner with the U.S Attorney’s Office to aggressively pursue those who defrauded this and other CARES Act programs and hold criminals like Mr. Nieto accountable.”
United States District Judge William J. Martinez presided over the sentencing.
The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Craig Fansler and Martha Paluch handled the prosecution of the case.
Case Number: 22-cr-00262-WJM
Mexican Man and Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Being Found in the United States IllegallyRead the Press Release
A Mexican man who was illegally in the United States pled guilty June 9, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.
Gerardo Morales-Ramirez, a citizen of Mexico, was convicted of being a felon found in the United States after illegal reentry.
On February 28, 2025, Morales-Ramirez was arrested in Sioux City, Iowa, after an encounter with officers from the Department of Homeland Security. Officers were able to determine Morales-Ramirez is a citizen of Mexico, that he did not have permission to lawfully be present in the United States, and that he was previously removed from the United States on three occasions. Prior to his last removal in 2021, Morales-Ramirez had been convicted of felony operating while intoxicated – third or subsequent offense.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Morales-Ramirez remains in custody of the United States Marshals and will remain in custody pending sentencing. He faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-4014. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Mexican Man Pleads Guilty to Being an Aggravated Felon Found in the United States IllegallyRead the Press Release
A Mexican man who was illegally in the United States pled guilty June 9, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa. Jose De Jesus Mejia-Fraijo, a citizen of Mexico, was convicted of being an aggravated felon found in the United States after illegal reentry.
On March 1, 2025, officers from the Iowa State Patrol encountered Mejia-Fraijo in Sioux City, Iowa, when they arrested him for driving without a valid driver’s license and interference with official acts after a brief attempt to flee from officers on foot. Officers with the Department of Homeland Security were able to determine Mejia-Fraijo is a citizen of Mexico, that he did not have permission to lawfully be present in the United States, and that he was previously removed from the United States on two occasions. Prior to his last removal in 2022, Mejia-Fraijo had been convicted of an aggravated felony offense, namely conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Mejia-Fraijo remains in custody of the United States Marshals and will remain in custody pending sentencing. He faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 25-4015. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Manhattan Man Sentenced to 60 Months for Mailing a Letter Containing a Threat to Kill Two JudgesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Christopher McCarty, age 33, of Manhattan, New York, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, for mailing a letter that contained a threat to kill two New York State judges.
United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
As part of his prior guilty plea, McCarty admitted that between May and June 2023, he was incarcerated at the Auburn Correctional Facility in Auburn, New York. McCarty further admitted that on or about May 31, 2023, he mailed a letter to New York State Governor Kathy Hochul. In the letter, McCarty wrote that when he was released from prison, he was going to kill two New York State judges who had presided over his case leading to his incarceration at Auburn Correctional Facility.
U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “When someone threatens a judge, they threaten our system of justice. Those who threaten judges for doing their jobs are going to be prosecuted and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli stated: “The FBI will not tolerate threats of violence to any member of our community, but especially those who work hard to safeguard our democratic process. No judge should have to fear their rulings might provoke such a violent response. Mr. McCarty’s actions were dangerous and unacceptable, and today’s sentence ensures he will remain behind bars.”
FBI Albany’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss prosecuted the case.