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21 July 2025
Charges Filed After Alleged Water Damage to ICE’s York County Office SpaceRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Guerdison Printus, age 27, a citizen of Haiti, was indicted by a federal grand jury for destruction of government property.
According to Acting United States Attorney John Gurganus, the indictment alleges that, on or about June 25, 2025, in York County, Printus tampered with a sprinkler, causing water damage in the office space of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The indictment further alleges that the resulting damage exceeded the sum of $1,000.
The case was investigated by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney K. Wesley Mishoe is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty upon conviction for the charged offense is 10 years imprisonment, one year of supervised release following imprisonment, a fine, and the imposition of a special assessment. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by a court after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Cedar Rapids Man Who Conspired to Distribute Thousands of Fentanyl Pills Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who conspired to distribute fentanyl pills was sentenced today to 14 years in federal prison. Jaylon William Throgmartin, age 22, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
In a plea agreement and at the sentencing hearing, evidence showed that Throgmartin distributed thousands of fentanyl pills between December 2023 and October 2024. Throgmartin also facilitated the sale of a firearm in exchange for fentanyl pills. In January 2025, he distributed at least one fentanyl pill to someone who overdosed. The victim recovered after receiving Narcan.
Throgmartin was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Throgmartin was sentenced to 168 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a four-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
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 case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated as part of the Northern Iowa Heroin Initiative and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence‑driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This 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).
Throgmartin is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-5.
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Career Offender Sentenced to Fourteen Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – The leader of a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy who began trafficking kilogram quantities of powder cocaine and various quantities of crack cocaine and fentanyl within three months of completing a term of incarceration in state prison for drug trafficking was sentenced today to fourteen years in federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
William Mendez, 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to a term of incarceration of 168 months to be followed by five years of supervised release. In October 2024, Mendez pled guilty to charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. His conduct included distributing cocaine base, powder cocaine and approximately 769.5 grams of fentanyl to a government agent.
In September 2021, Mendez and more than a dozen other individuals were charged in federal court with having had a role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that he led. Like Mendez, many of the defendants had previously been convicted of violent crime offenses such as firearm, robbery, assault, assault with intent to commit murder, and domestic violence charges.
Court records reflect that prior to his arrest in this matter in September 2021, William Mendez had served a total of twenty-two plus years in prison related to three separate serious felony drug convictions and two separate violent felony assault convictions; when arrested he was serving a term of state probation, having been released from Rhode Island state prison less than three months prior after completing a term of incarceration of nearly seven years.
The FBI Safe Street Task Force, DEA, and Providence Police Narcotics Bureau joint investigation targeted all levels of drug dealing in several communities.
Federal court records reflect the following:
- Ramon Barriera, 53, Providence, pled guilty on October 23, 2024, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and was sentenced on June 18, 2025, to 70 months of incarceration and four years of supervised release.
- Rafael Cruz, 75, of Providence, pled guilty on January 3, 2024, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and was sentenced on May 29, 2024, to time served and three years of supervised release.
- Nelson Hazin, 57, of Providence, pled guilty on October 30, 2024, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and was sentenced on April 14, 2025, to time served and three years of supervised release.
- Ricardo Martinez, Jr., 37, of Providence, pled guilty on October 16, 2024, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and was sentenced on June 6, 2025, to 78 months of incarceration to be followed by five years of supervised release.
- Jonathan Masa-Gonzalez, 24, of Providence, pled guilty on June 5, 2024, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and was sentenced on March 18, 2025, to 60 months of incarceration to be followed by four years of supervised release.
- Juan Betancourt Sosa, 29, of New Bedford, pled guilty on October 16, 2024, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and was sentenced on April 14, 2025, to70 months of incarceration to be followed by four years of supervised release.
- Victor Yandel Aponte-Cirano, 25, of Taunton, pled guilty on September 6, 2023, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and was sentenced on January 22, 2024, to time served and three years of supervised release.
- Keven Restrepo, 33, of Providence pled guilty on December 12, 2022, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and was sentenced on April 27, 2023, to 77 months of incarceration to be followed by four years of supervised release.
- Juan Gonzalez, 47, of Providence, pled guilty on January 25, 2024, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and was sentenced on July 16, 2024, to 72 months of incarceration to be followed by four years of supervised release.
- Charles Sims, 60, of Providence, pled guilty on November 20, 2023, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and was sentenced on September 25, 2024, to time served and three years of supervised release.
- Anthony Lacoste, 33, Woonsocket, pled guilty on October 29, 2024, to a charge conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 22, 2025.
- Karla Rivera-Rosa, 34, of Taunton, pled guilty on October 29, 2024, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and is awaiting sentencing on a date yet to be set by the court.
- Felix Robles, 63, of Providence, is awaiting trial on a charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
Law enforcement agents seized approximately $78,000 in drug proceeds from Mendez at the time of his arrest.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey A. Erickson and Taylor A. Dean, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine D. Lowell and Sandra R. Hebert.
Acting United Sates Attorney Blooms thanks the FBI, DEA, and Providence Police Department for leading this investigation; the United States Postal Inspection Service for their invaluable assistance throughout the investigation; and the United States Marshals Service, Rhode Island State Police, Cranston, Central Falls, Fall River, North Smithfield, Pawtucket, Portsmouth, Warwick, West Warwick, and Woonsocket Police Departments for their assistance with the arrests of the defendants and the execution of search warrants.
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Carbon County Man Sentenced to 188 Months’ Imprisonment for Drug Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jason Mika, age 44, of Lansford, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on July 17, 2025, to 188 months’ imprisonment and four years of supervised release by United States District Judge Karoline Mehalchick for one count of possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine.
According to Acting United States Attorney John Gurganus, Mika previously pled guilty to possessing with the intent to distribute over 50 grams of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine. As part of his guilty plea, Mika also admitted to possessing over 400 grams of methamphetamine, other controlled substances, and a revolver--all of which were found in his Lansford, PA, home during the execution of a search warrant by members of the Nesquehoning Police Department, and other investigators.
The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Office of the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, the Lehighton Borough Police Department, the Nesquehoning Police Department, the Lansford Police Department, the Franklin Township Police Department, and the Carbon County District Attorney’s Office. United States Attorney James Buchanan prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Brooklyn Man Charged with Arson of 10 NYPD VehiclesRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, a complaint was unsealed charging Jakhi McCray with arson for setting 10 New York City Police Department vehicles and a trailer on fire in a locked parking lot. McCray was arrested today and will make his initial appearance this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, New York Division (ATF); Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD); and Robert S. Tucker, Commissioner, New York Fire Department (FDNY) announced the arrest.
“This destructive act of arson was deliberate, dangerous, and deeply disruptive,” said United States Attorney Nocella. “Setting police vehicles ablaze is not a form of protest—it is a federal crime. Our Office will not tolerate violence or destruction that undermines law enforcement efforts to ensure public safety and will prosecute this individual to the fullest extent of the law.”
Mr. Nocella also expressed his thanks to the ATF-NYPD Arson & Explosives Task Force, the FDNY Marshalls, and the United States Marshalls Services NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force for their valuable contribution to the case.
“Intentionally setting fire to police vehicles is a dangerous criminal act and a direct threat to public safety. The ATF Arson and Explosives Task Force — which includes ATF, the NYPD, and FDNY — is fully committed to identifying and bringing to justice anyone responsible for these dangerous and unlawful acts. This arrest demonstrates our shared resolve and unified approach to protecting our communities. We are grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, U.S. Marshals Service NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, the NYPD and the FDNY for their continued partnership in pursuing justice,” stated ATF Special Agent in Charge Miller.
“The arson attack against New York City Police Department vehicles in Bushwick, Brooklyn was as cowardly as it was criminal,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “The defendant in this case may have wanted to send a message – but all he did was mobilize the full force of the NYPD, the ATF, and the FDNY to identify, locate, and arrest him. Now, through the work of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, he will face much-deserved justice. Thank you to all the NYPD detectives, as well as our law enforcement partners, who closed this case.”
“Burning a police vehicle is an intolerable crime that could have killed a police officer,” stated FDNY Commissioner Tucker. “We are grateful to our FDNY Fire Marshals for their role in investigating this crime, and our partners in law enforcement for their assistance in identifying the suspect. Arson is a serious crime that must be punished.”
According to the complaint, at 12:52 a.m. on June 12, 2025, McCray was recorded on surveillance video scaling a fence into a secure private lot for reserve NYPD vehicles assigned to precincts in northern Brooklyn. The lot contained numerous NYPD vehicles and was located on DeKalb Avenue between Wilson Avenue and Central Avenue in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. McCray remained in the lot for approximately 32 minutes, during which he lit 10 NYPD vehicles and one trailer on fire.
At approximately 1:24 a.m., an NYPD officer arrived to inspect the lot. As he approached, the officer saw the fire and observed McCray attempting to escape by scaling a fence, then fleeing through an existing hole in the fence. Subsequently, NYPD personnel recovered at the scene a cigar lighter torch and a pair of sunglasses. They also discovered 22 retail fire starters and 10 BBQ dragon egg fire starters that were placed under three undamaged vehicles. It was later determined that the sunglasses had McCray’s fingerprints on them. The vehicles were ignited two days before protests were scheduled to be held over the June 14-15, 2025 weekend. The NYPD has estimated that the total replacement cost of for the damaged vehicles is over $800,000.
The charge in the complaint is an allegation, and McCray is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, McCray faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a maximum of 20 years in prison.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca M. Urquiola is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
JAKHI MCCRAY
Age: 21
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-MJ-238
Belle Fourche Man Sentenced to Nearly 13 Years in Federal Prison for Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that District Court Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a man from Belle Fourche, South Dakota, for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. The sentencing took place on July 14, 2025.
Turner Heinbaugh, 35, was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Heinbaugh was indicted for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering by a federal grand jury in November 2024. He pleaded guilty on April 22, 2025.
The money that Heinbaugh laundered was generated from a methamphetamine operation in the Black Hills. Heinbaugh worked with others to collect drug proceeds and then sent the proceeds through electronic payments to other co-conspirators in the United States and Mexico. Altogether, investigators believe Heinbaugh was responsible for transferring approximately $98,000 in drug proceeds through financial institutions. He was also involved in selling methamphetamine during his involvement in the conspiracy.
This case was investigated and prosecuted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a federal program established in 1982 to combat transnational organized crime and reduce the availability of illicit narcotics in the nation by using a prosecutor-led, multi-agency approach to drug enforcement. OCDETF leverages the resources and expertise of its partners in concentrated, coordinated, long-term investigations of transnational organized crime, money laundering, and major drug trafficking networks.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), and the Drug Enforcement Administration. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rapid City Police Department, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Hodges and Paige Petersen prosecuted the case.
Heinbaugh was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Activity in the U.S. Attorney's OfficeRead the Press Release
Possession of Child Pornography
George Jared Peck, 36 of Greybull, Wyoming, was sentenced to 125 months’ imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release for possession of child pornography, subsequent offense. The court ordered the defendant to pay $23,000 in restitution to the victims whose images were obtained and shared. According to court documents, on March 5, 2024, the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTip that someone was attempting to upload a Child Exploitation Image online. The tip was sent to the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which was able to track it back to the defendant. Multiple images and videos were uploaded and distributed from the same account. Peck had previous felony convictions, including promoting a sexual performance of a child under 17 years of age, corruption of minors, and sexual abuse of children. The DCI-ICAC Task Force investigated this crime, and Z. Seth Griswold prosecuted the case. The defendant was indicted on Nov. 20, 2024, and pleaded guilty on April 10. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Kelly H. Rankin imposed the sentence on July 14 in Cheyenne.
Drug Trafficking
Mary Renee Weymouth, 63, of Lander, Wyoming, was sentenced to 70 months’ imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana. According to court documents, the defendant was under investigation for drug distribution in Fremont County. Agents had information that her source of supply was in Las Vegas and the investigation indicated Weymouth was possibly in Las Vegas. Investigators intercepted Weymouth and her codefendant, Cathy Kay Gordon, on their return trip from Las Vegas back to Shoshoni, where a search yielded approximately six pounds of methamphetamine and 29 pounds of marijuana. The FBI and Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy W. Gist prosecuted the crime. The defendant was indicted on Nov. 11, 2024, and pleaded guilty on April 24. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on July 14 in Cheyenne. Case No. 25-CR-00022
Cathy Kay Gordon, 54, of Shoshoni, Wyoming, was sentenced to 120 months for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. According to court documents, the defendant conspired with Mary Renee Weymouth to distribute drugs in Fremont County. Agents had information that Weymouth’s source of supply was in Las Vegas and the investigation indicated Weymouth was possibly in Las Vegas. Investigators intercepted Weymouth and her codefendant, Cathy Kay Gordon, on their return trip from Las Vegas back to Shoshoni, where a search yielded approximately six pounds of methamphetamine and 29 pounds of marijuana. The FBI and Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy W. Gist prosecuted he crime. The defendant was indicted on Jan. 15 and pleaded guilty on March 31. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on July 14 in Cheyenne. Case No. 25-CR-00022
Illegal Re-Entry of a Previously Deported Alien
Angel Anibel Felipe-Perez, 32, of Tabasco, Mexico, was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release and will be deported for aggravated illegal reentry into the United States following his imprisonment. According to court documents, on Feb. 8, the defendant was arrested by the Uinta County Sheriff’s Department for interference with a peace officer and duty to stop when vehicle accident involves death or injury. ICE was contacted. They determined that Felipe-Perez had previously been removed from the U.S. and had not applied for permission to reenter after being formally removed in November 2019. 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 July 15. Case No. 25-CR-00041Manuel Ruiz-Ruiz, 42, of Zacatecas, Mexico, was sentenced to time served and will be deported for illegal reentry into the United States. According to court documents, on April 23, Ruiz-Ruiz was arrested by the Cheyenne Police Department for driving under a cancelled, suspended, or revoked license and giving a false identity. The defendant used at least seven different aliases and three birthdates. The Laramie County jail contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The defendant’s fingerprints were examined against ICE’s database, and a match was found. ICE determined that Ruiz-Ruiz had previously been removed from the U.S. and had not applied for permission to reenter after being formally removed in July 2019. 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 July 17. Case No. 25-CR-00092.
David Leon-Campos, 33, of Guanajuato, Mexico, was sentenced to 7 months’ imprisonment and will be deported for illegal reentry into the United States and employment document fraud. According to court documents, on July 14, 2024, Leon-Campos was arrested in Sweetwater County for DWUI, interference, failure to report an accident, suspended license, and no insurance. ICE was contacted, and they determined that Leon-Campos had previously been removed from the U.S. and had not applied for permission to reenter after being formally removed in November 2020. Investigators with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) learned that Leon-Campos used a fake Social Security card and a fake green card to obtain employment. ICE and HSI investigated the crimes, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case. U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence in Casper on July 16. Case No. 25-CR-00137
Public Lands Violation
Stephanie K. McGee, age 45 of Boonesboro, Maryland, was sentenced to 30 days of incarceration after admitting to violating the terms of her unsupervised probation in previous driving under the influence (DUI) cases in Yellowstone National Park. On September 3, 2024, McGee was convicted of two separate DUI charges and other substance-related offenses and sentenced to seven days of incarceration and a term of unsupervised probation that required her, among other terms, not to use or possess alcohol or controlled substances. On May 14, U.S. Park Rangers in Acadia National Park found McGee in her vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and in possession of a half-full 750 ml bottle of vodka. McGee admitted that her actions in May 2025 constituted a violation of her probation terms. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick imposed the sentence on July 15 in Mammoth.
About the United States Attorney’s Office
The United States Attorney’s Office is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the District of Wyoming, including all criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits brought by or against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. The Office is involved in several programs designed to make our communities safer. They include: Project Safe Childhood
Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a DOJ initiative that combats the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. The threat of sexual predators soliciting children for sexual contact is well-known and serious.
Operation Take Back America
Operation Take Back America is 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. It also streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Victim Witness Program
The Victim Witness Coordinator for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming is dedicated to ensuring victims of federal crimes and their family members are treated with compassion, fairness, and respect.To report a federal crime, go to: https://www.justice.gov/actioncenter/report-crime
22 Sentenced to Federal Prison for Meth and Cocaine Trafficking Operation from Southwest Border to IndianapolisRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- The following 22 individuals have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in an extensive methamphetamine and money laundering conspiracy responsible for trafficking hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine. The 23rd defendant, Edeer Avila, remains a fugitive.
DefendantCharge(s)SentenceEdeer Avila, 34
Mexico
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine
Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments
FUGITIVEMartin Felix-Garcia, 36 Phoenix, AZConspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine
Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments
25 years’ imprisonment
5 years of supervised release
Isaias Gonzalez-Torres, 34 Indianapolis, INConspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine
Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments
24 years, 4 months’ imprisonment
5 years of supervised release
Erlin Lucero-Asencio, 33 Indianapolis, INConspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine
Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments
Possession with intent to distribute controlled substances
Illegal Alien Found in the United States
27 years’ imprisonment
5 years of supervised release
Abel Ayala-Garcia, 34
Columbus, IN
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine
Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments
24.5 years’ imprisonment
5 years of supervised release
Juliann Magallanez, 36
Terre Haute, IN
Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine
Unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime
15 years’ imprisonment
5 years of supervised release
John Whiffing, 50
Terre Haute, IN
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine14 years’ imprisonment
5 years of supervised release
Victor Vazquez-Hernandez, 42
Seymour, IN
Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine10 years, 7 months’ imprisonment
5 years of supervised release
Eduardo Rodriguez, 29
Indianapolis, IN
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine
Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments
14 years, 8 months’ imprisonment
5 years of supervised release
Andrew Calix-Maldonado, 30 Indianapolis, INConspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine
Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments
11 years, 3 months’ imprisonment
3 years of supervised release
Julio Vicente-Guox, 36
Indianapolis, IN
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine11 years, 3 months’ imprisonment
2 years of supervised release
Luis Daniel Hernandez, 27 Indianapolis, INConspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine
Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments
9 years’ imprisonment
3 years of supervised release
Jendry Medina, 23
Indianapolis, IN
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine
Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments
9 years, 2 months of imprisonment
3 years of supervised release
Abner Rodas-Abelardez, 39
Indianapolis, IN
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine5 years, 10 months’ imprisonment
5 years of supervised release
Kenia Acosta, 41
Indianapolis, IN
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine9 years’ imprisonment
3 years of supervised release
Jeami Waleska Sevilla Luna, 30
Indianapolis, IN
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine8 years, 10 months’ imprisonment
3 years of supervised release
Dillon Smith, 34
Terre Haute, IN
Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine17 years, 6 months’ imprisonment
5 years of supervised release
Allison Perdue, 27
Seymour, IN
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine
Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine
9 years’ imprisonment
3 years of supervised release
Eulalia Murillo-Resura, 34
Indianapolis, IN
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine7 years, 3 months’ imprisonment
3 years of supervised release
Nathan Lee, 31
Columbus, IN
Distribution of methamphetamine10 years’ imprisonment
5 years of supervised release
Emilio Landa-Lagunes, 27
Seymour, IN
Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine6 years’ imprisonment
3 years of supervised release
Claudio Garcia-Morales, 38
Columbus, IN
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine3 years, 10 months’ imprisonment
2 years of supervised release
Candy Medina-Corcoles, 27
California
Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments4 years, 8 months’ imprisonment
2 years of supervised release
According to court documents, Isaias Gonzalez-Torres was the primary Indianapolis ringleader of a drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl into Indianapolis and surrounding areas, including Seymour, Columbus, and Terre Haute. The investigation resulted in the seizure of 82 pounds of methamphetamine, 1,750 fentanyl pills, a kilogram of cocaine, and nine firearms. The conspiracy would operate as follows:
Isaias Gonzalez-Torres and Erlin Lucero-Asencio worked in unison to coordinate large shipments of methamphetamine and other illegal narcotics from Edeer Avila in Mexico, Martin Felix-Garcia in Arizona, and others. The Indianapolis-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) utilized an elaborate system of drug couriers and clandestine mail parcels to transport the methamphetamine and other drugs across the country for redistribution in rural communities throughout the Southern District of Indiana. Once the shipments of methamphetamine arrived in Indianapolis, the DTO utilized multiple stash houses to break down and store the drugs for further distribution.
The DTO employed multiple drug couriers, including Luis Daniel Hernandez, Andrew Calix-Maldonado, Julio Vicente-Guox, and Eduardo Rodriguez, to deliver the methamphetamine to local distributors in Seymour, Columbus, and Terre Haute. These local distributors then broke down the narcotics for further redistribution in their respective communities.
Additionally, between October 2021 and March 2022 the defendants and other conspirators engaged in money laundering by depositing approximately $3,586,092 in United States currency into Candy Medina-Corcoles’ Bank of America account. Deposits occurred in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. From there, a conspirator would remove the funds from the account and transfer those drug proceeds to bank accounts based in Mexico.
Between January 2020 and April 2022, the defendants also engaged in money laundering by sending at least 324 wire transfers totaling $291,116.08 from Indiana to Phoenix, Arizona and Mexico utilizing nominees to conceal their involvement in the wire transfers.
“This case exemplifies the mission of Operation Take Back America- to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the devastating effects of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cartel-driven crime,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Thanks to the dedication of our law enforcement partners and AUSA, we have severed a key pipeline of deadly drugs and illicit funds flowing into Indiana.”
“This case was a success thanks to the partnership between the Department of Justice, the DEA, and local law enforcement Task Force Officers,” said Greg O’Brien, Chief of the Seymour Police Department. “Without these TFOs, small rural towns wouldn’t have the resources to carry out operations like this. We value and appreciate our ongoing collaboration with the Department of Justice.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Seymour Police Department, and Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET) investigated this case. The sentences were imposed by Chief U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Gibson, who prosecuted this case.
This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Indiana Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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18 July 2025
Weekly Immigration Caseload Dips Below 200 in Western District of TexasRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 178 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from July 11 through July 17.
Among the new cases, Edgar Josue Montelongo-Loera was charged in a criminal complaint in Del Rio for trafficking in firearms. On June 12, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents, assisting in a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigation, allegedly observed Montelongo-Loera transfer a plastic bag containing seven 9mm pistols to a non-immigrant alien co-conspirator at a parking lot in Eagle Pass. The criminal complaint states that HSI agents followed the co-conspirator to the Eagle Pass Port of Entry, where Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers allegedly located eight firearms concealed inside the vehicle during an inspection. Further investigation by ATF revealed that Montelongo-Loera allegedly purchased one of the pistols at a retail location in San Antonio.
Also in the Del Rio sector, Mexican national Jose Elias Gavina-Vasquez was arrested on July 14 and charged with illegal re-entry. Gavina-Vasquez has seven prior deportations, and he was most recently deported to Mexico on Feb. 23, 2023. He has a prior felony conviction from June 2022 and a separate conviction for driving while intoxicated from March 2022.
Mexican national and convicted felon Juan Antonio Torres-Moreno was also arrested and charged with illegal re-entry in Del Rio. Torres-Moreno has three prior removals and a voluntary departure, the last being a deportation in 2019. The 2019 deportation resulted from his second illegal-re-entry conviction. He was sentenced to nine months confinement in that case.
Sergio Villeda-Hernandez, also a Mexican national, was arrested in Eagle Pass on July 13 and charged with illegal re-entry after he was recently removed from the U.S. on March 18. Villeda-Hernandez is a convicted felon, having been sentenced to just over a year in prison in 2007 for a felony battery, possession of cocaine, and selling cocaine in DeSoto County, Florida.
In El Paso, Mexican national Mario Humberto Sanchez-Hernandez was found less than a mile and a half west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry without immigration documents allowing him to be or remain in the U.S. Sanchez-Hernandez was just removed from the U.S. to Mexico for the third time on June 21 through San Diego and was convicted in October 2024 for driving under the influence in Newark, New Jersey.
Two brothers were arrested in El Paso, each charged with one count of alien smuggling. U.S. Border Patrol agents conducted an undercover operation that led them to meet Marcos Dominguez, who allegedly believed the agents were transporting two illegal aliens and were in need of a stash house. A criminal complaint affidavit alleges that Marcos exited his vehicle to assist with transferring one of the illegal aliens from the agents’ vehicle to his own. Marcos was then detained for further investigation and agreed to guide the agents to his residence. At the residence, the agents encountered Marcos’s brother, Andres Dominguez, who allegedly admitted that illegal aliens were present inside. Agents located four subjects determined to be illegal aliens. The illegal aliens were arrested and transported to the Ysleta Border Patrol Station. The investigation revealed that Marcos allegedly housed more than 40 illegal aliens at his residence, was paid $200 per day for his smuggling actions, and would split the earnings with his brother Andres, whom he said helped him house and transport the illegal aliens.
In Austin, the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Fugitive Operations Team (FOT) encountered Honduran national Jimmy Reinel Espinal-Mejia on July 16. Espinal-Mejia was convicted for illegal re-entry in May 2024 after being previously removed in January 2024. For that conviction, he was sentenced to 63 days confinement and removed in July 2024. Six years earlier, in 2018, Espinal-Mejia was convicted for aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
In Waco, a Mexican national was charged with illegal re-entry on July 17 when Temple Police responded to a vehicle collision in Temple and identified Eloy Hernandez-Ponce as one of the vehicle occupants. ICE identified Hernandez-Ponce as a previously removed alien who was last deported in March 2010 following a felony conviction for intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle in Houston.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 84 Border-Related Cases This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 84 border-related cases this week, including charges of assault on a federal officer, bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).
In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.
A sample of border-related arrests this week:
- On July 11, Nicolas Duarte-Moreno, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain. According to a complaint, Duarte-Moreno was arrested by Customs and Border Protection officers after he attempted to enter the U.S. in a Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder through a Sentri lane at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry with an undocumented immigrant hiding in the vehicle. Officers found the immigrant from Guatemala concealed in the cargo area where the convertible top retracts. While CBP officials dismantled the cargo area by removing bolts and speakers to find and extricate the immigrant, he complained that he could not breathe. He was immediately taken to a hospital.
- On July 15, Luis Angel Galvez Alvarez, Julio Cesar Oros Castro and Francisco Javier Castro Acosta, all Mexican citizens, were arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, the trio attempted to enter the U.S. about the same time, each driving a Freightliner tractor through the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped each vehicle; they found about 29 pounds of cocaine concealed in the walls behind the beds of each tractor. The complaint said all three drivers admitted they were employed by the same trucking company.
- On July 16, Jorge Ismael Valencia-Julian, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Deported Alien Found in the United States. According to a complaint, Valencia-Julian was arrested by a Border Patrol agent who tracked his footprints for five hours as the defendant tried to escape in rough terrain. Valencia-Julian was previously deported in March 2024 at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
Also recently, a number of defendants with criminal records were convicted by a jury or sentenced for border-related crimes such as illegally re-entering the U.S. after previous deportation. Here are a few of those cases:
- On July 11, 2025, Ricardo Velez-Torres, a Mexican National who was previously convicted of Burglary in the First Degree in 2006 and Illegal Reentry in 2002, was sentenced in federal court to 21 months in custody for again entering the U.S. illegally.
- On July 18, Julio Leyva-Solis, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of the felony facilitation of human smuggling, felony theft of property on three occasions, and felony possession of methamphetamine, was sentenced in federal court to 12 months plus one day in custody for again entering the U.S illegally.
Pursuant to the Department’s Operation Take Back America priorities, federal law enforcement has focused immigration prosecutions on undocumented aliens who are engaged in criminal activity in the U.S., including those who commit drug and firearms crimes, who have serious criminal records, or who have active warrants for their arrest. Federal authorities have also been prioritizing investigations and prosecutions against drug, firearm, and human smugglers and those who endanger and threaten the safety of our communities and the law enforcement officers who protect the community.
The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes ReportRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies.
In the one-week period ending June 18, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:
- 42 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
- 4 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
- 31 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
- 31 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325), violation of a military security regulation (50 U.S.C. 797) and Entering Military, Naval, or Coast Guard Property (18 U.S.C. 1382), arising from the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico.
Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions for assault, drug trafficking, and illegal reentry.
In one significant case, James Casady Cangro, a key figure in a Sinaloa Cartel-linked drug and firearms trafficking ring tied to white supremacist gangs, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his role in distributing fentanyl, methamphetamine, and illegal firearms in Albuquerque.
In another case Kervin Castellanos-Buroz was charged by criminal complaint with escape from custody. On July 11, Customs and Border Protection agents apprehended Castellanos-Buroz for illegal reentry near Mount Cristo Rey and placed him in the back of a CBP vehicle. A short time later, when an agent opened the vehicle door, Castellanos-Buroz jumped out and ran toward the river in an attempt to return to Mexico. Agents pursued him into the water, where an altercation ensued before they were able to detain him.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the District of New Mexico. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The District of New Mexico consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses.
Two Denver Gang Members Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl and CocaineRead the Press Release
DENVER—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Carlos Sanford-Valdez, a.k.a. “Charlie Vuitton,” age 30, was sentenced to 240 months and five years of supervised release for his role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. Co-defendant Kataina Jackson-Keeling, a.k.a. “Tana Ten Birdz,” age 37, was sentenced to 120 months for his role in the conspiracy.
According to the defendants’ plea agreements, from May 2022 to April 2023, Mr. Sanford-Valdez and Mr. Jackson-Keeling—Crip gang members who were also part of a criminal network that called themselves the “Bird Gang”—and others sold large amounts of fentanyl and cocaine in the Denver Metro area. The defendants separately traveled to Arizona to obtain fentanyl pills, which they then transported or attempted to transport back to Colorado for distribution. They operated out of multiple locations across the Denver Metro area, where they stored and distributed the narcotics as part of their drug trafficking operation.
According to Sanford-Valdez’s plea agreement, Sanford-Valdez flew to Arizona on July 30, 2022, to obtain fentanyl pills, which he provided to an associate for transport back to Colorado. The associate was stopped by law enforcement en route to Colorado, and authorities seized approximately 60,000 fentanyl pills. The associate was later indicted along with Sanford-Valdez.
On August 19, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant on a vehicle driven by Sanford-Valdez and another associate who was later indicted with Sanford-Valdez. During the search, officers recovered a 9mm handgun, 15 rounds of ammunition, $2,494 in cash, and more than 10,000 fentanyl pills. Further, on October 11, 2022, Sanford-Valdez was stopped in Arizona for erratic driving but fled the scene. Following a brief pursuit, law enforcement searched the vehicle he was driving and recovered three cell phones, $37,670 in cash, a firearm, and marijuana.
According to Jackson-Keeling’s plea agreement, on November 14, 2022, Jackson-Keeling mailed a package from Arizona to Colorado. The package was intercepted and searched by law enforcement. Inside, officers found several children’s toys and ten individually wrapped bundles containing a total of 10,102 fentanyl pills.
Investigators also identified an automotive shop in Denver as a distribution location for the criminal network. On November 17, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the shop and recovered approximately 706 grams of fentanyl pills and 60 grams of fentanyl powder. That same day, law enforcement officers also search a location frequented by Sanford-Valdez and found 50 grams of cocaine.
According to court documents, Sanford-Valdez has several prior felony convictions which involved drugs and firearms. Jackson-Keeling was previously sentenced to 10 years in prison for an aggravated robbery in which he threatened a victim at gun point. Jackson-Keeling had a semi-automatic handgun in his possession when he was arrested in Texas on the indictment in this case.
“This case is a perfect example of how organized criminal networks, like the so-called ‘Bird Gang,’ are fueling the fentanyl crisis in our communities,” said United States Attorney Peter McNeilly. “These defendants trafficked tens of thousands of fentanyl pills into the Denver Metro area. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement, we were able to disrupt their operation, prevent deadly substances from reaching our streets, and prosecute the people who were most responsible.”
“This investigation demonstrates the resolve of DEA and our partners, by stopping the Bird Gang and its members from spreading poisonous fentanyl and committing acts of violence in our communities,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Rocky Mountain Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen. “We’ll continue to investigate, prosecute, and destroy these criminal networks with all we have.”
“The Denver Police Department greatly appreciates our partnership with local and federal law enforcement agencies where together, we work to ensure those trying to distribute dangerous narcotics are held accountable,” said Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas. “This investigation, arrest, conviction and sentencing demonstrate our collective commitment to stopping the distribution of deadly drugs in our community and should serve as a warning to anyone who is or considering bringing illegal drugs into our city.”
United States District Judge Charlotte Sweeney presided over the sentencing. Agents and task force officers assigned to a Drug Enforcement Administration task force which includes the Denver Police Department and the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Duncan handled the prosecution.
Case Number: 1:23-cr-00092-CNS and 1:23-cr-00092-CNS-2
Tri-Cities Registered Sex Offender Facing Federal Charges for Assaulting ICE AgentsRead the Press Release
Richland, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Stephanie Van Marter announced that Victor Martin Lara-Lopez, age 41, has been charged by complaint with two counts of Assault on a Federal Officer. Lara-Lopez made his initial appearance in federal court on July 17, 2025.
According to court documents and information presented in court, on the morning of June 13, 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deportation Officers attempted to detain Lara-Lopez on an Administrative Warrant for Arrest of an Alien. The officers spotted Lara-Lopez driving his F-350 truck in Pasco, Washington.
The officers, driving two separate vehicles, activated the emergency lights on their vehicles, parked in front of and behind Lara-Lopez, then approached the driver side window. Both officers were wearing ICE-issued ballistic vests with “POLICE” patches on the front and back.
The officers instructed Lara Lopez to roll down the window. Lara-Lopez only rolled the window halfway down and refused a request to turn off the vehicle or give his name or identification to the officers.
Lara-Lopez then attempted to roll up the window. One of officers stepped on the vehicle’s running board and attempted to keep the window down. Lara-Lopez took the vehicle out of park and started to back up. Both officers struggled with Lara-Lopez through the half-closed window in an attempt to gain control of Lara-Lopez and the vehicle.
After reversing a short distance, Lara-Lopez put the vehicle in drive and began to drive forward. Both ICE agents jumped backward to avoid being crushed between the F-350 and the agent’s parked vehicle. Lara-Lopez drove up on the sidewalk, struck the agent’s vehicle, then sped off. Both agents remained at the scene and did not pursue Lara-Lopez.
One of the ICE agents had bruises on their arm from the altercation. The other agent experienced pain and loss of mobility in their left shoulder.
Later that day, a federal complaint and arrest warrant were obtained for Lara-Lopez. Federal law enforcement authorities sought, but were unable to locate, Lara-Lopez for approximately one month. During this time, a Washington State Department of Corrections warrant was also issued for Lara-Lopez after he failed to report to his Community Corrections Officer. Lara-Lopez was under supervision by the Washington State DOC due to a conviction from 2022 for Child Molestation in the Second Degree with the Aggravating Circumstance of Position of Trust for which Lara-Lopez was sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment to be followed by 36 months of supervision. Lara-Lopez was also sentenced to a number of conditions, to include a prohibition on contact with minors.
On July 15, 2025, Law enforcement identified the same F-350 driven by Lara-Lopez on June 13th, driving on Highway 12 between Walla Walla and Pasco, Washington. Officers stopped the truck and the driver, a female, and a juvenile exited the vehicle. Lara-Lopez was also in the vehicle, but refused to exit until he was advised that K9 unit had been called to respond to the scene. Lara-Lopez then exited from the passenger door of the truck and was arrested by law enforcement.
“Every day, law enforcement officers in this district go to work to protect our community. Often, they must contact individuals with serious criminal histories who do not want to be apprehended and present a danger to our community. It is not uncommon for law enforcement to be assaulted in the course of doing the job, which is not lawful and should never be acceptable,” stated Acting United States Attorney Stephanie Van Marter. “My office will continue to hold those accountable who use violence in attempt to avoid arrest.”
This case was investigated by the FBI. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laurel J. Holland.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
4:25-mj-07126-ACE
Tokio, ND Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Involuntary Manslaughter and Child NeglectRead the Press Release
Fargo – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl announced today that Tierra Lynn Scott, age 31 from Tokio, ND, was sentenced before Chief Judge Peter D. Welte, United States District Court for the District of North Dakota, to 168 months in federal prison – the statutory maximum of 96 months for Involuntary Manslaughter and 24 months consecutive on each of the three Child Neglect counts in Indian country. Judge Welte also sentenced Scott to serve three years of supervised release following her incarceration and to pay restitution for funeral-related expenses.
On August 17, 2024, law enforcement responded to a residence in Fort Totten, North Dakota, where an adult male was later pronounced dead. The investigation revealed the man had been struck and run over by a motor vehicle driven by Scott. Scott had no driver’s license and was under the influence of intoxicating liquor and in possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia and Scott was backing and otherwise driving recklessly, and without due care for the rights and safety of others. The investigation further revealed Scott had three minor children in the vehicle with her at the time.
“In August 2024, a man lost his life due to the negligence of Tierra Scott,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. “She also placed three minor children at risk, driving with them while under the influence of alcohol and in possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia. The FBI will work together with our law enforcement partners to ensure our community is safe for all, especially for children.”
“This was an entirely preventable death which was tragically witnessed by others, including children who were in and outside the defendant’s vehicle, all who have no doubt been traumatized,” said Acting US Attorney Jennifer Puhl. “Sadly, in recent years law enforcement has responded to increased incidents of alcohol-impaired driving deaths on the Spirit Lake Reservation. I hope this sentence serves as a reminder of the severe legal consequences for individuals who choose to drive under the influence and will deter that behavior.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lori H. Conroy.
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Tennessee man sentenced to prison for operating investment schemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Tennessee man was sentenced to 71 months in prison after being convicted of running a $1.9 million Ponzi scheme.
According to court documents, Alcides Roman, 66, of Lebanon, Tennessee, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Roman defrauded victims in Kansas, New York, Texas, and in Canada by soliciting their participation in purportedly high-yield investment programs. In truth, these investment opportunities were fraudulent. Roman did not invest the funds and failed to redeem the investments upon the victims’ requests. Rather, he left the funds in bank accounts he controlled and used the money for his own and others’ benefit. Roman induced victims to make additional or larger investments by making payments to them, ostensibly as returns on investment. Those payments, however, were from the same victim’s prior principal investments or another victim’s investments.Roman used funds from the scheme to pay for his personal living expenses, to buy vehicles and land, and to send money to numerous foreign and domestic companies. The total known loss to victims was $1,977,857.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan J. Huschka prosecuted the case.
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Taunton Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Drug Distribution, Access Device Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Taunton man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for participating in drug distribution and a drug conspiracy involving wholesale quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, fentanyl analogue and methamphetamine. He was also sentenced for using an unknowing individual’s identity and an unauthorized access device to fraudulently rent locations he used for the purposes of drug trafficking.
Terrence Pyrtle, a/k/a “Big T,” a/k/a “T,” a/k/a “big_t558,” 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to 15 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In April 2025, Pyrtle pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine, 400 grams and more of fentanyl, 100 grams and more of fentanyl analogue and methamphetamine; one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine, 400 grams and more of fentanyl, 100 grams and more of fentanyl analogue and methamphetamine; one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams and more of fentanyl and 100 grams and more of fentanyl analogue; one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft; one count of access device fraud; and one count of aggravated identity theft. Pyrtle was charged in April 2023, along with co-conspirator Ashley Roostaie.
Pyrtle and Roostaie utilized the personal identification information (including name, date of birth and Social Security number) of an unknowing individual to fraudulently enter into lease agreements for two apartments in Braintree and Somerville, which Pyrtle then used to participate in a drug conspiracy involving distribution quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, fentanyl analogue and methamphetamine. The drug conspiracy in which Pyrtle participated also extended to other locations across the state.
Pyrtle and Roostaie also created an email account and obtained a counterfeit driver’s license using the individual’s identification information. Pyrtle and Roostaie also used the individual’s identification information to obtain a Green Dot debit card account, which they used to make payments associated with the apartments. By placing the apartment leases under another individual’s personal identification information, Roostaie and Pyrtle were able to conceal their connection to and use of the apartments which were used by Pyrtle in furtherance of his drug distribution and drug conspiracy.
In May 2025, Roostaie was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to two years of probation and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine as well as restitution of $1,000.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston, Brockton, East Bridgewater and Bridgewater Police Departments and Plymouth County, Suffolk County and Bristol County Sheriff’s Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaitlin R. O’Donnell and David Cutshall of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Swedish Man Who Licensed Rights to Late Colombian Drug Lord Pablo Escobar Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Money Laundering ChargesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Swedish national who licensed the rights of the late Colombian narco-terrorist Pablo Escobar pleaded guilty today to six federal criminal charges for defrauding investors by marketing and selling products – including flamethrowers and cellphones – that he never delivered.
Olof Kyros Gustafsson, 32, a.k.a. “El Silencio,” pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, one count of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one count of concealment money laundering, and one count of international concealment money laundering.
Gustafsson has been in federal custody since March 28, when he was extradited to the United States from Spain, where he was arrested in December 2023.
According to his plea agreement, Gustafsson was the CEO of Escobar Inc., a corporation registered in Puerto Rico that held successor-in-interest rights to the persona and legacy of Pablo Escobar, the deceased Colombian narco-terrorist and late head of the Medellín Cartel. Escobar Inc. used Pablo Escobar’s likeness and persona to market and sell purported consumer products to the public.
From July 2019 to November 2023, Gustafsson identified existing products in the marketplace that were being manufactured and sold to the public. He then used the Escobar persona to market and advertise similar and competing products purportedly being sold by Escobar Inc., advertising them at a price substantially lower than existing counterparts being sold by other companies.
Gustafsson then purportedly sold the products – including an Escobar Flamethrower, an Escobar Fold Phone, an Escobar Gold 11 Pro Phone, and Escobar Cash (marketed as a “physical cryptocurrency”) – to customers, receiving payments via PayPal, Stripe, Coinbase, among other payment processors, as well as bank and wire transfers.
Despite receiving customer payments, Gustafsson did not deliver the Escobar Inc. products to paying customers because the products did not exist.
In furtherance of the scheme, Gustafsson sent crudely made samples of the purported Escobar Inc. products to online technology reviewers and social media influencers to attempt to increase the public’s demand for them. For example, Gustafsson sent Samsung Galaxy Fold Phones wrapped in gold foil and disguised as Escobar Inc. phones to online technology reviewers to attempt to induce victims who watched the online reviews into buying the products that never would be delivered.
Also, rather than sending paying customers the actual products, Gustafsson mailed them a “Certificate of Ownership,” a book, or other Escobar Inc. promotional materials so there was a record of mailing from the company to the customer. When a paying customer attempted to obtain a refund when the product was never delivered, Gustafsson fraudulently referred the payment processor to the proof of mailing for the Certificate of Ownership or other material as proof that the product itself was shipped and that the customer had received it so the refund requests would be denied.
Gustafsson also caused bank accounts to be opened under his name and entities he controlled to be used as funnel accounts – bank accounts into which he deposited and withdrew proceeds derived from his criminal activities. The purpose was to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds. The bank accounts were located in the United States, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates.
United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha scheduled a December 5 sentencing hearing, at which time Gustafsson will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each fraud-related count and up to 10 years in federal prison for each money laundering-related count.
As part of his plea agreement, Gustafsson agreed to pay up to $1.3 million in restitution to victims, as well as to forfeiture to funds that were proceeds of the fraud schemes, including money currently held in a bank account in Sweden.
IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General are investigating this matter, with assistance from the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the United States Marshals Service, Eurojust, Spanish authorities, and French judicial authorities.
Assistant United States Attorney Joshua O. Mausner of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.
Stanislaus County Mother-Son Duo Sentenced to Prison for Inmate Unemployment Insurance Claims ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Jaime Ornelas, 27, formerly of Modesto, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins to three years and one month in prison and ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution for conspiracy to commit mail fraud arising from fraudulently submitted unemployment insurance benefits, Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez announced.
On June 6, 2025, Jaime Ornelas’s mother and co-defendant Misty Ornelas, 48, of Turlock, was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
According to court documents, beginning in June 2020, Jaime Ornelas and Misty Ornelas operated a scheme to submit fraudulent unemployment insurance benefit claims to the California Employment Development Department (EDD). Jaime Ornelas, who was then-incarcerated at the High Desert State Prison in Lassen County, provided Misty Ornelas personally identifiable information of fellow inmates. Misty Ornelas then used that information to submit fraudulent unemployment insurance benefit applications to EDD. The submitted applications misrepresented the eligibility of the inmates, including that they had last worked within the prior few months and had become unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fraudulent claims were worth more than $150,000.
This case was the product of an investigation by Federal Bureau of Investigation and EDD. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chan Hee Chu and Denise N. Yasinow prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force, which is one of the interagency COVID-19 fraud strike forces established by the United States Department of Justice. The California Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources in the Eastern and Central Districts of California, and focuses on large-scale, multistate, and egregious pandemic relief fraud. The strike force uses prosecutor-led, and data analyst-driven, teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief money.
St. Petersburg Felon Sentenced to over 17 Years for Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Wayne Lamar Davis (55, St. Petersburg) to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison for possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. Davis was found guilty following a bench trial in March 2025.
According to statements made in court, Davis committed a traffic infraction while driving two young children to school on the morning of March 8, 2024. When the St. Petersburg Police Department officer who conducted a traffic stop attempted to detain Davis, Davis violently resisted, slipped out of his shirt and shorts, and fled on foot in his underwear. The officer apprehended Davis after a brief foot chase, locating a loaded firearm in a bag that Davis had retrieved from his vehicle. Davis received an enhanced sentence pursuant to the Armed Career Criminal Act based on prior state convictions for robbery, aggravated assault, and resisting an officer with violence and a prior federal conviction for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David P. Sullivan.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced for Hosting DogfightsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Friday sentenced a man who hosted dogfights and trained dogs to fight to 18 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.
Terrell Williams, 52, has also agreed to give up the dogs and training equipment seized by law enforcement during the investigation.
Williams hosted dog fights in the basement of his home in Riverview, Missouri, on two occasions in July and August of 2021. Williams also bred and owned multiple bull terriers or terrier mixes between Sept. 5, 2020, and May 1, 2022, that were used for fights. On June 22, 2022, FBI agents conducted a court-approved search of Williams’ home and seized eight bull terrier mixes and three Yorkshire terriers, as well as equipment used to train and condition dogs. Multiple dogs appeared to be aggressive towards humans and other dogs, anxious or fearful. Dogs also bore scars consistent with dog bites or dog fighting, Williams’ plea agreement says.
Williams pleaded guilty in March to a felony charge of dogfighting, which is punishable by up to five years in prison.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield, Illinois, man Jessie Bates, 38, was sentenced on July 17, 2025, to 17 years in prison, to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release for distribution of methamphetamine.
At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Bates sold over 50 grams of methamphetamine to an individual and undercover agent. When law enforcement attempted to arrest Bates, he fled at a high rate of speed proceeding the wrong way down a busy on-way road. He then fled to the state of Georgia where he was ultimately arrested. The government also presented evidence that Bates committed the offense while out on bond for a Sangamon County case involving aggravated discharge of a firearm.
Also at the hearing, U.S. District Judge Colleen R. Lawless found that the Bates was a career offender and eligible for an obstruction of justice enhancement for recklessly creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to another person in the course of fleeing from law enforcement.
Bates pleaded guilty in March 2025. He remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service, where he has been since his arrest in January 2024.
The statutory penalties for distribution of methamphetamine are at least 10 years and up to a life term of imprisonment, , at least five years and up to a life term of supervised release, and up to a $10,000,000 fine.
“The only thing to be gained from a career as a drug dealer is a prison sentence,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Seberger. “I appreciate the work of the ATF agents who came to central Illinois and went into the field to ensure this was a successful operation. Their work has made our community safer.”
“This case was a direct result of our Violent Crime Initiative and our strong partnership with the Springfield Police Department,” said ATF Chicago Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon. “Through our targeted and collaborative enforcement efforts, and with the unwavering support of retired Chief of Police Ken Scarlette, a violent drug trafficker is now off the streets and behind bars.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case with assistance from the Springfield Police Department, Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Marshals Service. The Illinois State Police provided assistance at sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Seberger represented the government in the prosecution.
Spree of Violent Robberies Nets Previously Convicted Killer an Additional 42 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Glenn Dolford, 32, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 42 months in federal prison for his role in a spree of Hobbs Act offenses that included the violent robberies in June 2020 of a Maryland pharmacy and a Maryland phone store, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Dolford pleaded guilty on February 28, 2025, before U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson to two counts of interference with interstate commerce by threat or violence. In addition to the prison term, Judge Berman Jackson ordered three years of supervised release.
Joining in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office.
Dolford was previously convicted in 2023 of second-degree murder while armed, aggravated assault while armed, and assault with a deadly weapon for killing one man and shooting two others on Super Bowl Sunday in February 2020. For those crimes he was arrested in June 2020 and sentenced in June 2023 to more than 22 years in prison.
According to court documents, on June 8, 2020, Dolford and three co-conspirators traveled from the District to a CVS Pharmacy in Nottingham, Maryland. As one subject stayed in their car, Dolford and two others entered the store. As a store employee was attempting to run away from the subjects, Dolford threw him to the floor, punched him in the head, and held him down with his foot on the employee’s back.
Dolford’s two co-conspirators demanded narcotics and ordered another employee to empty the safe and hand over his phone and wallet. Dolford and the co-conspirators fled in a silver VW Jetta with $1,000 worth of hydrocodone and the one employee’s personal items.
On June 9, 2020, Dolford and two co-conspirators traveled from the District to a T-Mobile store in College Park. Dolford forced the store employees to the back of the store as another conspirator said “give me all the phones or I’ll kill you.” Dolford and his co-conspirators fled the store in a silver VW Jetta with phones valued at about $20,000.
Investigators determined Dolford rented the silver Jetta on May 28, 2020, from Enterprise Rent-a-Car. In June 2023, Dolford was indicted in U.S. District Court on Conspiracy and Hobbs Act robbery charges for his involvement in the June 8 and 9 robberies.
Co-defendant Floyd Neal, 32, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on July 17, 2024, to more than 157 months in prison for his role in a rash of 2021 gunpoint robberies of pharmacies in Maryland and Virginia.
Co-defendant Ashawntea Henderson, 32, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on Feb. 18, 2025, to 52 months in federal prison for participating in an early morning robbery of a drug store at the Jersey Shore. During the May 2020 robbery, he and his co-conspirators jumped the counter, overpowered the night pharmacist, stole thousands of prescription narcotics, and then – as they attempted to flee to the District – crashed into a responding police cruiser.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crimes Task Force, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Prince George’s County Police Department. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cameron Tepfer, Kyle McWaters, Sarah Martin, and Josh Gold.
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Smithfield man sentenced to over two years in prison for illegally possessing a firearmRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Smithfield man was sentenced yesterday to two years and four months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on May 25, 2024, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on Ahmod Keshawn Finney, 24, and placed him in custody pursuant to outstanding state arrest warrants. While Finney was being detained, officers observed and recovered a loaded handgun from the vehicle. The handgun was stolen and was equipped with an extended magazine and a machinegun conversion device.
As a previously convicted felon, Finney cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Col. Matthew D. Hanley, Superintendent of Virginia State Police; and Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Jamar K. Walker.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter G. Osyf prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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. 4:24-cr-86.
Smithfield man pleads guilty to possessing over 150 improvised explosive devices and an unregistered short barrel rifleRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Smithfield man pled guilty today to possession of an unregistered short barrel rifle and possession of an unregistered destructive device.
According to court documents, on July 31, 2021, Brad Kenneth Spafford, 36, was admitted to an emergency room with a completely amputated right thumb, partially amputated right middle and index fingers, hearing loss, and scalp lacerations. Spafford falsely told the hospital his injuries were caused by fireworks. An investigation later revealed that Spafford’s injuries resulted from his misfire of a launcher at a family member’s rural property where Spafford routinely detonated explosives he made.
On Dec. 17, 2024, law enforcement arrested Spafford for possession of an unregistered short barrel rifle. Immediately following Spafford’s arrest, law enforcement searched his Smithfield property and vehicles. Agents recovered an unregistered short barrel rifle and ammunition compatible with the rifle. Agents also found approximately 155 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that appeared to be homemade pipe bombs. Some of the IEDs had handwritten identification on them, including “lethal” and “concussion.”
Among the IEDs analyzed were propellant capabilities consistent with use in a launcher and IEDs capable of causing property damage, personal injury, or death. Investigators also recovered bomb-making equipment, along with riot gear, Tannerite, two empty grenade canisters, an improvised mine, precursor chemicals for explosive materials, and numerous rounds of homemade ammunition.
Spafford is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 18 and faces up to 10 years in prison for each charge. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Dominique Evans, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask accepted the plea.
The Suffolk Police Department, Norfolk Bomb Squad, Virginia State Police, Isle of Wight County Fire Rescue, and Isle of Wight Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation, with continued support from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Norfolk.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca Gantt and Luke Bresnahan are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-3.
Seagoville Man who Possessed Firearm while Consuming Hallucinogenic Mushrooms Sent to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who shot his roommate while under the influence of hallucinogenic mushrooms has been sent to federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson.
Russell Alan Ragsdale, 25, has been in federal custody since his arrest on November 22, 2024. On April 29, 2025, Ragsdale pled guilty to possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance. On July 17, 2025, Senior United States District Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn sentenced Ragsdale to 66 months in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Ragsdale was arrested on Feb. 3, 2022, in Seagoville for the felony murder of his roommate. At the time, Ragsdale told Seagoville law enforcement that his roommate attacked him, and he claimed he “shot him many times” in self-defense. Officers recovered three firearms, including a 10mm Glock and an AR-15 rifle, and almost two grams of hallucinogenic mushrooms from the residence. An analysis of Mr. Ragsdale’s phone showed a history of drug use dating back to November 2021, as well as evidence of purchasing and using hallucinogenic mushrooms on Feb. 2, 2022. As part of his guilty plea, Ragsdale admitted that he was legally intoxicated from consuming hallucinogenic mushrooms when he possessed the 10mm Glock.
During sentencing, Judge Lynn found that the defendant did not present sufficient evidence to support his self-defense claim. The Court also noted that the unfortunate death of the victim was the defendant’s own making. Ragsdale remains in custody pending transfer to the Bureau of Prisons to serve his sentence.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and the Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division, the Seagoville Police Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety, which participated in the murder investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jongwoo Chung prosecuted the case.
Rochester Man Sentenced to 146 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Solomon Newcomb, 30 years old, of Rochester, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.
Newcomb was sentenced to 146 months in prison followed by 4 years of supervised release.According to documents in the case, on September 22, 2024, officers pulled over a car in which Newcomb was a passenger. Newcomb ran, but officers caught up to him and arrested him. In the car, officers found Newcomb’s backpack, which contained controlled substances, including about 150 grams of methamphetamine. Officers also recovered an AR-style rifle and more than 300 rounds of ammunition from Newcomb’s bags in the car.
“Newcomb possessed and intended to distribute methamphetamine while heavily armed—a dangerous mix,” said Proctor. “Thanks to the work of Fulton County officers and our team of investigators and prosecutors, Newcomb has been held accountable for trying to dispense this exceedingly harmful drug in our District.”
This case was investigated by the Office Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and the Indiana State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph P. Falvey.
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.
Robbers who vandalized ATMs so they could steal cash when repair technicians opened the machines, arrested in MississippiRead the Press Release
Seattle – Two Texas men made initial appearances Thursday July 17, 2025, in U.S. District Court in Seattle charged with conspiracy to commit robbery for their scheme to steal from banks by assaulting and threatening ATM technicians, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Ahmon Hogg, 22, of Humble Texas and Seth Coles-Body, 23, of Houston, were identified as part of a robbery ring operating across the country. The men would allegedly disable ATM machines with a glue-like substance and when the technician showed up to fix the machine, they would threaten the technician to give them the cash containers, called cassettes, from the ATM.
In December 2024, the pair allegedly were part of a gang that disabled ATMs on December 23 and 24, when the machines would be loaded with cash for the Christmas holiday. The coconspirators disabled a Bank of America ATM in Renton with a glue-like substance that caused the card reader to stop functioning. After the technician arrived and began repairing the machine, he was forcibly confronted by two men who brandished a screwdriver and demanded he open the machine and provide them with the cash cassettes. The technician did not open the machine and after a scuffle the technician was able to escape. Bank surveillance video did capture images of the robber’s vehicle and clothing. The men were wearing masks.
The next day in Vancouver, Washington a technician was sent to repair a Bank of America ATM on SE Mill Plain Boulevard. Again, a glue-like substance had been used to disable the card reader. The technician noticed the cash dispenser was also jammed. As she started repairs, two men ran up and shoved her out of the way and grabbed five cash cassettes filled with currency. The men fled in a car that matched one seen the previous day in connection with the attempted robbery in Renton. Some of the clothing worn by the suspects was also a match for the Renton attempted robbery.
Authorities also learned that a Bank of America ATM was disabled that same day in Battleground Washington, not far from Vancouver.
While the investigations were ongoing in Washington, Hogg and Coles-Body were identified in connection to ATM tampering cases on January 3, 2025, in the Phoenix, Arizona area. ATMs for Bank of America and Wells Fargo had been tampered with – a card covered in glue had been inserted into the machines. The FBI set up surveillance on the ATMs and ultimately spotted a car that bank images connected to the tampering. The car and its occupants appeared to be waiting for a technician to arrive at the ATM. Law enforcement stopped the car and was able to identify Hogg and Coles-Body. They were released from custody.
On March 7, 2025, a technician at a Bank of America in Redmond, Washington, reported he had been robbed. He was working on a machine where once again the card reader was disabled by a glue-like substance. Once the machine was open, two robbers ran up and stole cash canisters filled with money from the machine. Five of the canisters were later recovered, damaged, on the shoulder of highway 520. A few days later, Coles-Body was stopped by U.S. Border Patrol attempting to travel into Mexico by Greyhound bus with approximately $209,000 in cash. The cash was seized, and Coles-Body was released.
A criminal complaint and warrant for arrest were sworn on July 2, 2025. The men were arrested in a traffic stop in Mississippi, with stolen firearms found in their car. They made an initial appearance in Jackson Mississippi federal court on July 3, 2025, and the Magistrate Judge ordered the Marshal Service to transport them to Seattle.
Conspiracy to commit robbery is punishable by up to five years in prison.
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Columbia River Organized Crime Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda McDowell.
Repeat offender sentenced to 20 years in prison for trafficking narcotics and laundering the proceedsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Connecticut man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, conspiracy to import GBL with intent to manufacture GHB, and concealment money laundering.
In May 2024, investigators learned that Hatem S. Salem, 56, was importing quantities of GBL, a precursor for the “date-rape” drug GHB, into Virginia from China. From August 2024 through January 2025, law enforcement conducted five controlled purchases of various controlled substances, including cocaine, ketamine, MDMA, and over 100 grams of meth from Salem.
On Jan. 30, investigators searched Salem’s residence in Shelton, Connecticut. Agents recovered 151 grams of meth, 626 grams of cocaine, various quantities of Ketamine, MDMA, and LSD, bottles containing GBL and GHB, and 157 boxes containing nearly 1,200 liters of suspected GBL in Salem’s basement. As part of his guilty plea, Salem admitted that over 2,000 liters of GBL was involved in the importation conspiracy. Investigators also discovered a clandestine lab in Salem’s shed that contained substances and equipment for manufacturing GHB. A financial investigation revealed that Salem used various methods, such as convoluted transactions between business and personal bank accounts, to conceal or disguise the proceeds from his drug conspiracy. Investigators seized assets constituting proceeds of Salem’s drug trafficking conspiracy and property involved in money laundering, including approximately $370,000 in cash and $171,500 in cryptocurrency.
Salem has several prior federal narcotics-related convictions. In 1999, Salem was convicted for conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids, distribution of anabolic steroids, and making false statements. In 2005, Salem was convicted for distribution of GBL and GHB while he was on probation for his 1999 conviction. In 2015, Salem was convicted for unlawful importation of GBL with intent to manufacture GHB.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Christopher Heck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C.; and Kevin Davis, Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Hahn and Assistant U.S. Attorney Annie Zanobini prosecuted 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-105.
Portland Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland man was sentenced to federal prison Thursday for illegally possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Rocky Allan Rainwater, 25, was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release.
According to court documents, in January 2024, investigators with the FBI and Clackamas County Interagency Task Force (CCITF) learned that an individual, later identified as Rainwater, used Telegram, an encrypted messaging service, to advertise the sale of various illegal narcotics including cocaine, psilocybin mushrooms, MDMA, ketamine, LSD, Xanax, Adderall, and marijuana.
During the investigation, investigators learned that Rainwater sold drugs to several minors in the Portland area and determined that he was advertising and selling drugs to both adults and minors. In addition to delivering drugs locally, Rainwater, using the Telegram username “smokeyinpdx,” also advertised that he would sell and ship drugs to out-of-state customers.
On March 22, 2024, investigators arranged a controlled buy of cocaine from Rainwater. When Rainwater arrived, investigators arrested him and seized a loaded .22 caliber pistol, 73 grams of cocaine, 465 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, dextroamphetamine, and a scale. The same day, investigators executed a search warrant on Rainwater’s residence and found cocaine, LSD, methamphetamine, an electronic scale, .22 caliber ammunition, $1,490 in cash, and a money ledger.
On March 23, 2024, Rainwater was charged by criminal complaint with distributing and possessing with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
On February 7, 2025, Rainwater pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
This case was investigated by the FBI and Clackamas County Interagency Task Force (CCITF). It was prosecuted by Scott M. Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
CCITF is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program.
The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.
If you or someone you know suffers from addiction, please call the Lines for Life substance abuse helpline at 1-800-923-4357 or visit www.linesforlife.org. Phone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also text “RecoveryNow” to 839863 between 2pm and 6pm Pacific Time daily.
Phone Scammers Falsely Claiming to be from U.S. Attorney’s OfficeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri is alerting the public of imposter scams involving individuals claiming to represent the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Previously, scammers have provided false badge numbers and claimed to have found your phone number in the contacts lists of a rescued human trafficking victim. The scammers are known to request funds through a mobile payment app.
Scammers use many tactics to sound and appear credible. They sometimes provide information like actual names of federal prosecutors and federal office addresses. They also spoof their phone numbers to appear on caller IDs as if they are calling from a government agency such as the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Remember that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will never ask you to purchase a gift card or give out a credit card number.
If you are a victim of one of these scam calls, please report the incident via https://www.ic3.gov/.
Philadelphia Man Admits to Gunpoint Robberies of Three City Stores in Three DaysRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Tyree Hatch, aka “Jamal Morris” and “Omar Reed,” 48, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty before United States District Judge Gail A. Weilheimer this week on three counts of robbery which interferes with interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery), three counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
In January of this year, the defendant was charged by indictment with those offenses, arising from three armed robberies of Northeast Philadelphia businesses in November 2024.
As detailed in court documents and admitted to by the defendant, on November 23, 2024, at approximately 1:12 p.m., he entered a convenience store located on the 6700 block of Castor Avenue, made conversation with an employee (Victim 1), then brandished his firearm. The defendant placed the gun into Victim 1’s back and walked him to the cash register. Hatch then grabbed money, Victim 1’s iPhone, and boxes of Newport cigarettes and fled the scene. Video recovered after the robbery showed the defendant entering a black Ford Explorer with PA tags.
On November 24, 2024, at approximately 9 p.m., the defendant entered a smoke shop located on the 2000 block of Cottman Avenue, confronted an employee (Victim 2) and demanded money from the register. During the interaction, Hatch pulled out a firearm, and, believing the gun was fake, Victim 2 tried to disarm him. The gun went off during the struggle and Victim 2 suffered a gunshot wound to the shin. Hatch then fled the store with cash from the register. Video recovered after the robbery showed the defendant driving the same black Ford Explorer as the day prior.
On November 25, 2024, at approximately 3:45 p.m., officers with the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) were dispatched to a smoke and vape shop located on the 7100 block of Castor Avenue, in response to a robbery in progress. Upon their arrival, an employee (Victim 3) informed them that the armed robber had taken cash, an iPhone, a carton of Newport cigarettes, and boxes of cigars.
Aware of the previous two robberies, PPD officers surveyed the area for the black Ford Explorer and found it parked outside the defendant’s residence. Hatch was then seen entering the home, and a barricade was declared. The defendant soon exited the residence and was placed under arrest.
Hatch is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3 and faces a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment and a mandatory minimum sentence of 24 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the FBI Philadelphia Violent Crimes Task Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kwambina Coker and Linwood C. Wright Jr.
Orleans Parish Resident Charged with Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney, Michael M. Simpson, announced that KAREN DUCKWORTH, age 66, of New Orleans, was charged on July 14, 2025 with theft of government funds.
According to court documents, on or before January 2009 and continuing through August 2024, KAREN DUCKWORTH, allegedly stole social security benefits improperly paid to her deceased mother’s bank account.
The maximum penalty for the offense is ten years imprisonment and/or up to a fine of $250,000, followed by up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of one hundred dollars.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that the bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Richard R. Pickens, II of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
New Orleans Woman Sentenced to 15 Years for 2022 Robberies of New Orleans BarRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that on July 17, 2025, DEBORAH COOPER (“COOPER”), age 54, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo as well as, (5) five years of supervised release upon release from imprisonment, payment of a $700.00 fine and restitution.
In February, a jury found COOPER guilty of all seven counts against her. Count 1 charged COOPER with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a). Counts 2 and 4 charged COOPER with interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery), in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§1951(a) and 2. Counts 3 and 5 charged COOPER with using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c)(1)(A)(ii) and 2. Count 6 charged COOPER with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). Count 7 charged COOPER with tampering with proceedings, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(1).
According to court documents, COOPER, and an unknown person, robbed Igor’s Lounge, located on St. Charles Avenue, in New Orleans in February and March of 2022. During the February robbery, COOPER, and the unknown person, held an Igor’s bartender at gunpoint and demanded she open the register and poker drawer. They then forced the bartender to the rear of the bar, and ordered her, at gunpoint, to lie on the floor while the robbers fled. Over twelve hundred dollars ($1,200.00) in U.S. currency was stolen. Similarly, during the March robbery, COOPER and the unknown person, retuned to Igor’s and robbed another bartender at gunpoint. Over seven thousand dollars ($7,000.00) in U.S. currency was stolen. The New Orleans Police Department investigated the robberies and obtained surveillance footage showing the robbers parking COOPER’s Dodge Ram pickup truck near Igor’s on the day of the February robbery. NOPD then obtained a search warrant for COOPER’s residence and located various items of clothing worn by COOPER during the robberies, twelve hundred dollars ($1,200.00) in U.S. currency, and a Smith and Wesson firearm, that COOPER attempted to hide, during this search. The NOPD also located blue latex gloves, similar to blue latex gloves worn by the robbers during the March robbery, in COOPER’s Dodge Ram truck.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brittany Reed and Sarah Dawkins of the Violent Crime/Strike Force Unit.
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.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Possession of Stolen Mail and a U.S. Postal Service KeyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that WAYNE C. WALKER (“WALKER”), age 28, of New Orleans, was sentenced on July 10, 2025, after previously pleading guilty to Unlawful Possession and Use of a United States Postal Service “arrow” key used by Postal Service employees to access authorized mail receptacles, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1704, and Unlawful Possession of approximately 80 pieces of stolen United States Mail that had been deposited into authorized mail receptacles, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1708.
According to court documents, on January 26, 2022, WALKER was arrested while in possession of the United States Postal Service “arrow” key and the stolen mail. U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan sentenced WALKER to 3 years of probation, 100 hours of community service and a $200 mandatory special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Postal Inspection Service, Office of the Inspector General and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Maestri of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Federal Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that JOSHUA HOGAN, (“HOGAN”), age 36, was sentenced on, July 8, 2025, by United States District Judge Brandon S. Long, after previously pleading guilty to a six-count Superseding Bill of Information. Counts One and Two charged HOGAN with distribution of Fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C). Counts Three and Four charged HOGAN with distribution of Fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B). Count Five charged HOGAN with possession with intent to distribute Fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C). Count Six charged HOGAN with felon in possession of a firearm/ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
HOGAN was sentenced to 66 months imprisonment as to all six counts of his Superseding Bill of Information, such terms to be served concurrently. Judge Long also ordered that HOGAN be placed on supervised release for a total of four years. This term of supervised release consists of three years as to Counts One, Two, Five, and Six, and four years, as to Counts Three and Four. All such terms to be served concurrently. Also, HOGAN is ordered to pay a $600 mandatory special assessment fee.
In August 2023, as part of Operation Big Easy, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) became aware of the identity of HOGAN, a narcotics trafficker. According to court records, on August 3, 2023, ATF arranged for contact with HOGAN on a phone number HOGAN had provided previously and arranged for the purchase of a half ounce of fentanyl. HOGAN met with two individuals who he believed to be legitimate buyers in the 1300 block of Tonti Street and purchased 13.89 grams of a substance that later tested positive for heroin and fentanyl for $600.
On August 7, 2023, ATF again arranged for contact with HOGAN to arrange the purchase of an ounce of fentanyl for $1450. Again, two individuals who he believed to be legitimate buyers, met with HOGAN at a residence on Lapeyrouse Street and purchased 28.11 grams of a substance that later tested positive for heroin and fentanyl for $1450.
On August 10, 2023, an individual who he believed to be legitimate buyer, contacted HOGAN to arrange for the purchase of two ounces of fentanyl for $2500. The individuals met HOGAN at the Lapeyrouse Street residence and purchased 56.05 grams of a substance that later tested positive for heroin and fentanyl for $2500.
On August 21, 2023, HOGAN was contacted by an individual who he believed to be legitimate buyer, to arrange for the purchase of two ounces of fentanyl for $2500. The individuals met HOGAN at the Lapeyrouse Street residence and purchased 55.40 grams of a substance that later tested positive for heroin and fentanyl for $2500.
On October 18, 2023, ATF prepared to execute an arrest warrant for HOGAN. ATF simultaneously executed a previously obtained search warrant for HOGAN’s residence on Lapeyrouse Street. Inside the residence, agents recovered an additional 4.3 grams of fentanyl and a Polymer 80, nine-millimeter caliber pistol, bearing no serial number and equipped with an extended magazine, as well as ammunition, on the dresser in HOGAN’s bedroom
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.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Dawkins of the Violent Crime Unit.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced today that CLEMENT LEACH (“LEACH”), age 54, of New Orleans, was sentenced on July 2, 2025 after previously pleading guilty to Bank Robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a).
United States District Judge Sarah S. Vance sentenced LEACH to 80 months of imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release following his release from prison, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100. LEACH was also ordered to pay $920 in restitution for robbing Chase Bank on March 2, 2020.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crime Task Force, and officers of New Orleans Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon M. Maestri of the General Crimes Unit is handling the prosecution.
New Orleans Man Guilty of Carjacking and Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that on July 8, 2025, MERVIN AMACKER, JR. (AMACKER), age 43, pled guilty to Count 1 and Count 2 of a Superseding Bill of Information that charged him with carjacking, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §2119(1) and felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). As to each of Counts 1 and 2, AMACKER faces up to 15 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100. AMACKER’s sentencing is set for October 14, 2025.
On March 8, 2023, AMACKER boarded an New Orleans Regional Transit Authority bus at Hayne Boulevard and Lacombe Street in New Orleans East. The bus proceeded on its normal route until near the intersection of Curran Boulevard and Vincent Road, at which time AMACKER produced a firearm and demanded to be driven to the hospital. At various points, he threatened to shoot or kill the driver. The driver began to drive at a high rate of speed, disregarding traffic signals.
When the bus arrived at the hospital, AMACKER demanded that the driver proceed up the ramp to the emergency room entrance. AMACKER then exited the bus, walked into the emergency room, and was admitted. He reported that he was suffering from a gunshot wound. He was found to be in possession of a loaded Ruger Model 9E, nine-millimeter pistol. The firearm was secured by hospital security and surrendered to NOPD.
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 case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Dawkins of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
New Jersey Doctor Charged with Distributing Opioids in Exchange for Sexual Favors and Defrauding New Jersey MedicaidRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey doctor was charged with distributing opioids without a legitimate medical purpose, soliciting sexual favors from patients in exchange for opioid prescriptions, and defrauding New Jersey Medicaid by billing for visits that never happened, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Ritesh Kalra, 51, of Secaucus, New Jersey, was charged in a 5-count Complaint with 3 counts of distributing opioids outside the usual course of professional practice, not for a legitimate medical purpose, and in exchange for sexual favors, and 2 counts of healthcare fraud. Kalra made his initial appearance yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa in Newark federal court and was released on home incarceration and an unsecured $100,000 bond. He also is prohibited from practicing medicine and prescribing medication and will be required to shut down his medical practice while the case is pending.
“Physicians hold a position of profound responsibility—but as alleged, Dr. Kalra used that position to fuel addiction, exploit vulnerable patients for sex, and defraud New Jersey’s public healthcare program. By allegedly exchanging prescriptions for sexual favors and billing Medicaid for ghost appointments, he not only violated the law but endangered lives. Our Office will continue to pursue those who turn their medical licenses into tools for personal gain and sexual gratification.”
- U.S. Attorney Alina Habba
"When we seek medical advice and treatment from doctors, we have to assume they have our best interests in mind. This investigation, conducted by the FBI and our partners, illustrates that Dr. Kalra had little regard for actually taking care of his patients. As alleged, he instead used them for his sexual gratification and, in the process, defrauded the state of New Jersey. A patient's relationship and trust in a physician, while at their most vulnerable, is not something to be exploited for personal gain. We are asking anyone who may be a victim or knows someone who was treated by Dr. Kalra to get in touch with our office at 1-800-CALL-FBI," stated Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy.
“In the fight against the opioid crisis, we often witness the painful struggles of those battling addiction. Rather than offering help, Dr. Kalra exploited his victims at their most vulnerable—using opioids as leverage in exchange for sexual favors—further deepening their addiction and worsening the crisis” stated DEA New Jersey Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz. “The DEA will continue to work with our partners in making sure those who abuse their professional oath are held accountable.”
“Physicians who recklessly and illegitimately distribute controlled substances undermine critical efforts to battle the opioid crisis and betray their professional responsibility to serve the health and well-being of the public. As alleged, Dr. Kalra took advantage of individuals struggling with addiction all for his own personal gratification,” said Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to address such abuse to protect patients, communities, and taxpayers from such dangerous conduct.”
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
Dr. Kalra, an internist in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, allegedly operated a pill mill out of his medical office, where he routinely prescribed high-dose opioids—including oxycodone—and promethazine with codeine to patients without a legitimate medical purpose. Between January 2019 and February 2025, Kalra issued more than 31,000 prescriptions for oxycodone, including days when he wrote upwards of 50 prescriptions. Several of Kalra’s former employees reported that female patients complained that Kalra touched them sexually and demanded sexual favors of them, including oral sex, in order to obtain their prescriptions. One patient described being sexually assaulted by Kalra on multiple occasions, including forced anal sex during clinical appointments. Another patient continued to receive opioid prescriptions from Kalra when the patient was incarcerated at Essex County Correctional Facility and had no contact with Dr. Kalra.
Kalra also allegedly billed for in-person visits and counseling sessions that never occurred. As part of the health care fraud scheme, Kalra’s electronic medical records allegedly contained false progress notes listing fabricated dates of service, and included examination notes that were generally identical from visit to visit and did not record vital signs.
Each count of distributing controlled substances carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Each count of health care fraud is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross profit or loss caused by the offense, whichever is greatest.
Individuals who believe they may be victims of Dr. Kalra or have information about this case may contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or by email at [email protected].
U.S. Attorney Habba credited the following law enforcement organizations with the investigation leading to yesterday’s charges: the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz; the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan; the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Amy Connelly; the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General Division of Criminal Justice; and the Fair Lawn Police Department.
The Government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine M. Romano and Jessica R. Ecker and of the Health Care Fraud and Opioids Enforcement Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
25-225 ###
Defense counsel: Michael Baldassare, Esq.
kalra.complaint.pdfNashville Hotel Agrees to Settle Allegations It Violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by Discriminating Against a Guest with a Service AnimalRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – The United States has reached an agreement with Knights Inn Nashville, located at 99 Spring Street, Nashville, Tennessee, to resolve allegations that Knights Inn Nashville violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), announced Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee. Knights Inn Nashville is alleged to have refused to allow a family with a service animal stay in the hotel because it was against hotel policy.
“Service animals are vital to the health and welfare of people in our community who need them,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “This settlement shows that we will vigorously enforce the law to make sure that Tennesseans have equal access to facilities and not be barred because of challenges they may face.”
According to the settlement agreement, the Complainant is an individual with a disability who reserved a room at the Knights Inn Nashville for the night of August 15, 2024, and noted in the reservation that they would be bringing a service animal. When the Complainant’s husband attempted to check in to the hotel, hotel staff argued with him for about 10 minutes, telling him that his family could not stay in the hotel with a service animal because it was against hotel policy. Complainant explained to the hotel staff that it is against federal and state law to deny them a room because of their service animal. Only after this public dispute and having Complainant print her service animal’s registration (which is not required under the ADA), did the hotel staff allow Complainant and her family to stay in the hotel.
The ADA prohibits public accommodations from discriminating against an individual on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of its goods, services, privileges, advantages, or accommodations, and requires public accommodations to take those steps and make reasonable modifications that may be necessary to ensure that no individual with a disability is excluded, denied services, segregated or otherwise treated differently than other individuals because they have a service animal.
As part of the settlement, Knights Inn Nashville has agreed to post a large sign in a conspicuous area of the hotel accessible by the public that reads, “Service Animals Welcome.” The owner of the hotel also will establish and implement a written policy specifically addressing the provision of services to individuals with disabilities who require a service animal for all hotels that he owns, including the Knights Inn Nashville, and to provide ADA training to all hotel staff who will make guest reservations or have contact with guests.
Knights Inn Nashville will pay the Complainant $4,000 as part of the settlement and will pay a civil penalty to the United States in the amount of $2,000 to vindicate the public interest.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kimberly Veirs and Ellen Bowden McIntyre in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee investigated the complaint and negotiated the Settlement Agreement.
The civil claims settled by this resolution are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the ADA, which was passed on July 26, 1990. The Act reaffirmed our nation’s commitment to ensuring that people with disabilities have the right to live, work, and fully participate in the community alongside their fellow citizens.
More information about the ADA is available at the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA Information line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383 (TTY) and via the ADA website at http://www.ada.gov or through contacting the U.S. Attorney’s civil rights hotline at 313-226-9151. ADA complaints may be filed by email to [email protected].
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Narcotics Trafficker Who Brought Fentanyl from California to the DMV Sentenced to 108 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ronte Ricardo Greene, 29, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 108 months in federal prison for his role in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy which distributed hundreds of thousands of lethal fentanyl-laced pills from Southern California to destinations throughout the United States, including Washington D.C. Greene was one of 24 co-defendants arrested over the course of 2023 in D.C., Virginia, Maryland, San Diego, and Los Angeles and charged in the conspiracy. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Greene, aka “Cardiddy,” pleaded guilty on Feb. 27, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams of fentanyl. In addition to the 108-month prison term, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Greene to serve five years of supervised release.
Joining in the announcement of Greene’s sentencing today were Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division, Inspector in Charge Damon Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to court documents, Greene entered into the conspiracy in 2022 after he was introduced to a Los Angeles-based drug trafficker who was a wholesale distributor of the counterfeit pills. Greene’s role was to travel to Southern California, purchase the fentanyl-laced pills, and return with them to the DMV where he would sell the pills to others.
Greene regularly boasted of the money generated from his drug trafficking, and posted photos of himself on social media holding stacks of cash.
When Greene was arrested on Nov. 15, 2023, he was in possession of about 100 fentanyl-laced pills.
This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The prosecutions followed a joint investigation by the DEA Washington Division and the USPIS Washington Division in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The investigation had valuable support from the DEA Los Angeles, San Diego, and Riverside Field Offices, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office, and the Charles County, Maryland Sheriff’s Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Central and Southern Districts of California, the Eastern District of Virginia, and the District of Maryland.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Kinskey, Solomon Eppel, and Iris McCranie of the Violent Crimes and Narcotics Trafficking Division.
DEFENDANT
AGE
LOCATION
CHARGES/SENTENCE
Hector David Valdez,
aka “Curl”
27
Santa Fe Springs, CaliforniaConspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl;
conspiracy to commit international money laundering.
Craig Eastman
21
Washington, D.C.Sentenced Feb. 6, 2025, to 165 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl.Charles Jeffrey Taylor21
Washington, D.C.Pleaded guilty Feb. 28, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.Raymond Nava, Jr.21
Bell Gardens,
California
Sentenced Sept. 17, 2024, to 14 years for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.Ulises Aldaz28
Bell Gardens,
California
Sentenced June 28, 2024, to 95 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.Max Alexander Carias Torres27
Bell Gardens,
California
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; conspiracy to commit international money laundering.Teron Deandre McNeil, aka “Wild Boy”35
Washington, D.C.Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; Conspiracy to commit wire fraud.Marvin Anthony Bussie,
aka “Money Marr”
22
Washington, D.C.Sentenced June 28, 2024, to 120 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.Marcus Orlando Brown29
Washington, D.C.Sentenced Oct. 3, 2024, to 108 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.Columbian Thomas, aka "Cruddy Murda”27
Washington, D.C.Sentenced Oct. 22, 2024, to 160 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.Wayne Rodell Carr-Maiden35
Washington, D.C.Sentenced April 29, 2024, to 45 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.Andre Malik Edmond,
aka “Draco”
24
Temple Hills, MarylandSentenced July 22, 2024, to 130 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.Treyveon James Johnson,
aka “Treyski”
21
Alexandria, VirginiaSentenced Sept. 5, 2024, to 108 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.Karon Olufemi Blalock,
aka “Fat Bags”
30
Alexandria, VirginiaConspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; conspiracy to commit money laundering.Ronte Ricardo Greene,
aka “Cardiddy”
29
Washington, D.C.Sentenced July 18, 2025, to 108 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.Melvin Edward Allen, Jr., aka “21”39
Washington, D.C.Sentenced June 20, 2025, to 75 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.Darius Quincy Hodges,
aka “Brick”
34
Glen Allen, VirginiaConspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.Lamin Sesay,
aka “Rock Star”
28
Alexandria, VirginiaSentenced May 30, 2025, to 110 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.Paul Alejandro Felix26
Glendale,
California
Sentenced Nov. 12, 2024, to 164 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.Omar Arana,
aka “Frogs”
27
Cudahy,
California
Sentenced May 2, 2025, to 93 months, for conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.Edgar Balderas, Jr., aka “Nano”27
San Diego,
California
Sentenced May 8, 2025, to 148 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.Raul Pacheco Ramirez31
Long Beach,
California
Sentenced Nov. 26, 2024, to 95 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.Giovani Alejandro Briones31
Victorville, CaliforniaSentenced Feb. 20, 2025, to 90 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.Alfredo Rodriguez Gonzalez27
Rosarito, MexicoConspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl;
conspiracy to commit international money laundering.
23cr73
Mexican National with Ties to the Jalisco Cartel Sentenced to 19 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking in Hundreds of Pounds of Fentanyl, Heroin, Methamphetamine, and Cocaine in Eastern Washington and MontanaRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Stephanie Van Marter announced that Luis Esquivel-Bolanos (a/k/a “Colorado”), age 45, of Guerrero, Mexico was sentenced on multiple drug trafficking and firearms charges. Esquivel-Bolanos was found guilty on April 16, 2025, following a jury trial. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Esquivel-Bolanos to 19 years in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
Based on court documents and evidence presented at trial and sentencing, in January 2023, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) identified Esquivel-Bolanos as a member of a drug trafficking organization, which had flooded the Eastern District of Washington, including the Oroville area and the Colville Indian Reservation, with methamphetamine and fentanyl. The organization spread as far as central Montana, where many of the illegal drugs were being sold on Tribal land, including on the Crow, Northern Cheyenne, Rocky Boy’s, Fort Belknap, and Flathead Reservations. Within Eastern Washington, the organization was run by Esquivel-Bolanos and his co-defendant, Erubey Arciga Medrano. Esquivel-Bolanos was directly below Medrano, who previously pled guilty to his role in the drug trafficking conspiracy.
The organization used threatening tactics to maintain control over their drug-distribution activities. In one instance, the organization threatened that the Jalisco Cartel, who supplied drugs to Esquivel-Bolanos and his associates, would kill a confidential informant, who was strip searched when the informant was accused of being a “snitch.” On a separate occasion – not long before police were able to intervene and shut down the organization – Esquivel-Bolanos and others arranged for members of the organization to go to the home of a person suspected of stealing more than thirty pounds of methamphetamine from the organization and to threaten to kill that the suspected thief.
On April 19, 2023, BIA, DEA, the North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force, and other Federal, State, Local, and Tribal law enforcement, executed a series of federal search warrants at a number of homes in rural Okanogan County, near Oroville, Washington. In total, investigators seized approximately 161,000 fentanyl-laced pills (to include Mexi-blues and rainbow-colored pills), approximately 80 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 6 pounds of heroin, and more than 2 pounds of cocaine. The BIA, DEA, and their partners also seized approximately 12 firearms. Many of these drugs were obtained inside a trailer, where Esquivel-Bolanos was living at the time.
“This case involved one of the largest drug seizures ever in rural Washington. Mr. Esquivel-Bolanos’s organization was major source of illegal narcotics across Washington and Montana. These drugs caused serious harm across our region and especially in our tribal communities.” stated Acting United States Attorney Stephanie Van Marter. “Thanks to countless hours of work and coordination between prosecutors in my office and federal, state, and tribal law enforcement, this drug network was dismantled and Mr. Esquivel-Bolanos was held accountable for his actions.”
“The Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement takes great pride in the relationships it has built with tribal, federal, state, and local agencies across the nation,” said BIA-DDE Deputy Associate Director Tom Atkinson. “Together, we remain committed to safeguarding communities and upholding tribal sovereignty through coordinated enforcement efforts. The sentence handed down in this case reflects the gravity of the individual’s actions. This organization has impacted countless lives across reservations and surrounding communities—both within and beyond Indian Country.”
“Mr. Esquivel-Bolanos pedaled poisonous fentanyl, meth, and cocaine on behalf of a now-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization threatening violence and death to control his turf,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “He richly deserves the lengthy sentence he received in this case and I am proud that DEA and our partners at BIA and the North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force could deliver justice on behalf of our community.”
This case was prosecuted under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The OCDETF program provides supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved in the investigation of transnational drug trafficking and related offenses. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement to specifically identify the criminals responsible for these drug related offenses in the Eastern District of Washington and pursue criminal prosecution.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force. The investigation team was assisted by the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Okanogan County Sheriff, Colville Tribal Police Department, and the Kalispel Tribal Police Department. The Eastern Washington cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nowles H. Heinrich, former Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker, and Contractor Echo D. Fatsis. Twenty-seven defendants were charged and convicted through a parallel prosecution handled by AUSAs and support staff in the District of Montana.
2:23-cr-00047-TOR
Mexican National Sentenced for Illegal Reentry after DeportationRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Mexican man convicted of Illegal Reentry after Deportation. The sentencing took place on July 15, 2025.
Amador Cruz-Martinez, 31, was sentenced to time served. He will be deported once released from the custody of the U.S. Marshals.
Cruz-Martinez was indicted for Illegal Reentry after Deportation by a federal grand jury in April 2025. He pleaded guilty on May 21, 2025.
Cruz-Martinez is a non-citizen of the United States and a Mexican national. Cruz-Martinez was deported from the United States to Mexico in 2015. Cruz-Martinez was found back in the United States in March of 2025. Reentering the United States after deportation is a felony.
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).
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.
Mexican National Sentenced for Illegal Reentry after DeportationRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Mexican man convicted of Illegal Reentry after Deportation. The sentencing took place on July 14, 2025.
Javier Cruz-Martinez, 29, was sentenced to time served and ordered to be removed from the United States.
Cruz-Martinez was indicted for Illegal Reentry after Deportation by a federal grand jury in April 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 30, 2025.
Cruz-Martinez is a non-citizen of the United States and a Mexican national. Cruz-Martinez was deported from the United States to Mexico in 2017. Cruz-Martinez was found back in the United States in March 2025. Reentering the United States after deportation is a felony.
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).
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.
Cruz-Martinez was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Mexican National Guilty of Illegal Re-EntryRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – JORGE LUIS RUELAS-GUERRA, age 47, a native of Mexico, pled guilty on July 10, 2025, to illegal re-entry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson. His sentencing is set for October 23, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe.
According to court documents, JORGE LUIS RUELAS-GUERRA, (“RUELAS-GUERRA”) reentered the United States after being previously deported on September 29, 2011. RUELAS-GUERRA, a Mexican national, was initially encountered by the Houma Police Department (HPD) on May 17, 2024, in Houma, Louisiana via a traffic stop after failing to stop at a stop sign. During the traffic stop, RUELAS-GUERRA presented a Mexican passport and stated he had no driver’s license. Body cam footage from the HPD officer identified RUELAS-GUERRA as the driver of the vehicle. Information provided during the traffic stop matched that of the Department of Homeland Security systems from his prior removals as well as his booking photos from prior arrests. Further, RUELAS-GUERRA had no record of immigration petitions or applications with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
RUELAS-GUERRA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years, a maximum fine of up to $250,000, a maximum term of supervised release of one year, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Houma Police Department in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr. of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
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Mexican Illegal Alien Who Killed Two California Teenagers in DUI Car Crash Arraigned on Federal Criminal Immigration ChargeRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A Mexican national and twice-deported illegal alien, whose criminal history includes nine arrests and a vehicular manslaughter conviction for killing two teenagers in Orange County, was arraigned today on a felony federal charge.
Oscar Eduardo Ortega, 43, pleaded not guilty to one count of being an illegal alien found in the United States following removal.
United States Magistrate Judge John D. Early ordered Ortega detained and scheduled a September 8 trial date in this matter.
“After being deported to Mexico twice, he returned to our country, where he killed two young people in a DUI accident and where he served only 3½ years out of a 10-year sentence in California state prison,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Governor Newsom let down the victims’ families by allowing this criminal to be released from prison after barely serving a third of his sentence. The state of the criminal justice system in California is dire, the prisons are being emptied at lighting speed. Thankfully, the federal government is able to step in and help deliver justice for the victims and their families in this case.”
“Ortega never should have been in our country, and he should never have been given an early release after killing Anya Varfolomeev and Nikolay Osokin,” U.S. Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar said in a statement. “Today, a small amount of justice has been done. The grief will never go away, but we continue to pray for Anya and Nikolay’s families as well as all Americans harmed by illegal immigration.”
According to the single-count indictment, Ortega previously was removed from the United States in December 2016 and June 2018. In November 2021, Ortega – while under the influence of alcohol and drugs and driving at speeds of 100 mph on the 405 freeway in Seal Beach – crashed into another car, killing the two 19-year-old victims inside.
In 2022, Ortega was convicted in Orange County Superior Court of two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and was sentenced to 10 years in California state prison. He was released from state prison after serving approximately 3½ years of his sentence.
On Thursday, he was taken into custody by U.S. immigration officials and is now in federal custody.
Ortega’s criminal history also includes felony convictions in October 2005 in Los Angeles Superior Court for grand theft of personal property and unlawful taking of a vehicle. In February 2014, Ortega was convicted in Orange County Superior Court of a felony charge of false imprisonment by violence and deceit.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted, Ortega would face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement is investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Lawrence E. Kole of the Orange County Office is prosecuting this case.
Martin Man Sentenced to Nearly Five Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Martin, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on July 14, 2025.
Aloysius Mousseau, 23, was sentenced to four years and eight months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Mousseau was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in January 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 22, 2025.
In November 2024, officers with the Rapid City Police Department found Mousseau with a pistol. Mousseau gave a false name and age to law enforcement. Mousseau had been convicted for crimes punishable beyond a year in prison. Possessing any firearm after such conviction is a felony offense.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.
Mousseau was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Mankato Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Abusive Sexual ContactRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Mankato, Minnesota, man convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact. The sentencing took place on June 30, 2025.
Ethan Schnitker, 41, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Schnitker was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2023. He pleaded guilty on March 13, 2025.
The conviction stems from an incident that occurred on October 3, 2021, in Gregory County, South Dakota, on property located within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. Schnitker had sexual contact with a minor victim without her permission while they were visiting the area. Schnitker was responsible for the minor’s care at the time.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.
Schnitker was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Madison Man Sentenced to 2 Years for Straw Purchase of Firearms and for Illegally Receiving Firearm While Under IndictmentRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Deovion Baker, 20, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to two years in federal prison for directing another individual to straw purchase two firearms and for receiving a firearm while under indictment. Baker pleaded guilty to these charges on November 21, 2024, and May 1, 2025. The prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release.
“Straw purchasing” is when a gun buyer lies to a firearms dealer to purchase a gun for someone else. Most often straw purchases occur either because the straw buyer can pass the required background check and the actual buyer cannot, or because the actual buyer wants to avoid having their name associated with the gun transaction. Straw purchasing is a serious threat to public safety because it undermines background check laws and contributes to the illegal gun market.
On September 1, 2023, codefendant Candice Patterson straw purchased two Glock handguns for Baker. One Glock was later recovered in Madison on January 6, 2024, in the possession of a convicted felon. The handgun was equipped with a machinegun conversion device. The other Glock was recovered on January 10, 2024, in Springfield, Illinois, also in the possession of a convicted felon.
While Baker was already under federal indictment for the straw purchase, he received a Glock 23 .40 caliber handgun. It is a violation of federal law to receive a firearm while under indictment. A law enforcement officer recovered the firearm from Baker during a traffic stop in Madison on November 17, 2024.
As part of Baker’s sentencing, Judge Peterson also considered Baker’s importation of machinegun conversion devices. In July and August of 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized suspicious packages addressed to Baker. The packages were sent from addresses in China and contained four machinegun conversion devices. An analysis of prior packages showed that Baker had received 19 similar packages from China.
A machinegun conversion device is an illegal after-market device that converts a semi-automatic handgun into a fully functioning machinegun. A handgun with a machinegun conversion device is extremely dangerous, even for experienced firearms users, because it is difficult to control and is capable of firing 50 rounds in four seconds with a single pull of the trigger.
“Straw purchases undermine our efforts to keep firearms out of the hands of those legally prohibited from possessing them,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Elgersma. “Weapons in the hands of those prohibited from possessing them are a direct threat to the public. This is particularly true when those weapons are converted into machineguns. I commend our law enforcement partners in this case for bringing defendant’s conduct to light.”
At sentencing, despite Baker’s young age, Judge Peterson rejected Baker’s request for probation because of the serious nature of the criminal conduct. Judge Peterson also found that Baker’s decision to receive another firearm after signing a plea agreement in the straw purchase case was an aggravating factor. Judge Peterson found that it was likely Baker would continue to commit crimes.
On September 27, 2024, codefendant Candice Patterson pleaded guilty to making a false statement on a federal firearms form when she straw purchased the two Glock handguns for Baker. Judge Peterson sentenced Patterson on January 17, 2025, to three years of probation.
The charges against Baker and Patterson were the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force is comprised of federal agents from ATF and task force officers from local and state agencies in the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted this case.
This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.
Little Eagle Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Killing Hunka Brother within the Standing Rock ReservationRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Little Eagle, South Dakota, man convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter. The sentencing took place on July 15, 2025.
Evan John Bobtail Bear, age 35, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Bobtail Bear was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2025. He pleaded guilty on February 12, 2025.
On May 14, 2024, Bobtail Bear argued with his brother at a gathering outside a home in Little Eagle, South Dakota, which lies within the Standing Rock Reservation. Bobtail Bear punched his brother in the head. Bobtail Bear’s brother, unconscious, keeled over and struck his head on a concrete driveway. When Bobtail Bear saw his brother was seriously injured, he pleaded with him to wake up. He never did, succumbing to his injuries on June 8, 2024, in a hospital in Bismarck, North Dakota.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.
Bobtail Bear was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Lenexa tax preparer sentenced to prisonRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas tax preparer was sentenced to 36 months in prison for filing false income tax returns for his clients leading to a tax loss of more than $1.5 million to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
According to court documents, Hophine Bwosinde, 61, of Lenexa, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and assisting in fraud and false statements.
From 2018 through 2022, Bwosinde used his tax preparation business to file fraudulent tax returns on behalf of his clients. He either inflated legitimate business expenses or claimed losses related to fake businesses. Bwosinde also falsely reported negative income on clients’ returns. As a result, their incomes were significantly underreported to the IRS, which either reduced the amount of taxes clients owed or led them to receive refunds to which they were not entitled.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Former Trial Attorney Erika V. Suhr of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Huschka for the District of Kansas prosecuted the case.
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