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Wednesday 4 June 2025
Federal Jury Convicts Michigan Man on Charges of Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS and Possessing a Destructive DeviceRead the Press Release
Note: A previous version of this press release included an error regarding the nature and number of the charged incidents. The release has been updated to reflect the correct information.
A Michigan man was convicted yesterday by a jury on charges of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, commonly known as ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization, and for being a felon in possession of a destructive device.
Aws Mohammed Naser, 37, formerly of Westland, Michigan, was convicted following a five-week trial. The jury unanimously found that Naser attempted to provide material support to ISIS, in the form of personnel (including himself) and services, knowing that ISIS was a designated terrorist organization, and that ISIS engages in terrorism. In addition, Naser was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a destructive device. The jury deliberated approximately six hours before returning their verdict.
“The trial proved that this defendant spent years trying to support ISIS – first by attempting to join its ranks overseas, then by turning to explosives and extremist networks on American soil,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “His relentless pursuit of terrorism posed a clear threat to our national security and his conviction makes clear that the Justice Department will hold accountable those who seek to advance the violent aims of foreign terrorist organizations.”
“Defendant Aws Mohammed Naser is a bombmaker and self-avowed ‘son of the Islamic State’ — a vicious foreign terrorist organization hell-bent on murdering Americans and destroying our way of life,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. for the Eastern District of Michigan. “Naser tried to travel and fight for ISIS overseas but was turned away. So, Naser turned his fight inward on America, gathered drones, and built a bomb in his basement. But our office is dedicated to finding and applying the full force of the law against any terrorist, like Naser, plotting to harm Americans.”
“Naser sought to join a terrorist organization and attempted to travel to Syria, multiple times, to join ISIS’s violent attacks against the U.S,” said Assistant Director Don M. Holstead of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “Through the FBI’s work with our Joint Terrorism Task Force and our commitment to safeguarding our nation, Naser will face justice for his support of ISIS.”
Evidence presented during the trial showed that Naser became radicalized and frequently posted extreme Salafi-Jihadist ideological content on his YouTube channel. Naser developed a close relationship with Russell Dennison, an aspiring Salafi-Jihadist preacher, and the two jointly traveled to Iraq in early 2012.
In August 2012, Naser returned to Michigan while Dennison traveled to Syria and joined the foreign terrorist organization Al Nusrah Front, an Islamic State of Iraq-affiliate group that was a precursor to ISIS. Once back in the United States, Naser began preparations to join Dennison, and the two continued to communicate and discussed the terror group’s urgent need for money to acquire firearms. Dennison is believed to have been killed in 2019 while with ISIS in Syria. Naser attempted to leave the United States for Syria on two occasions. First, in November 2012, but he was not permitted to board the plan at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Undeterred, Naser purchased another one-way plane ticket departing from Chicago O’Hare Airport bound for Beirut, Lebanon, in January 2013. Hours before his scheduled flight to Lebanon, Naser robbed a gas station. After the robbery, Naser took a bus to Chicago and attempted to board his flight to Lebanon with $2,000 in his possession but was again denied boarding and returned to Michigan. Naser was subsequently charged and convicted of armed robbery and served a three-year prison sentence.
After being released from prison and unable to travel to join ISIS, Naser focused his attention on how to support ISIS in the United States. Naser surreptitiously created social media accounts and joined invitation-only ISIS supporters’ chatrooms, groups, and private rooms where he obtained and viewed official ISIS media reports, publications, and other jihadi propaganda. He solicited and obtained information on explosives and experimented with manufacturing explosives and operating drones. In October 2017, FBI searched Naser’s home and vehicle and recovered a readily assembleable destructive device.
Naser faces up to 20 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization and up to 15 years in prison for possessing a destructive device. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the case.
U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr., Assistant U.S. Attorneys Saima Mohsin and Hank Moon for the Eastern District of Michigan and Trial Attorney Dmitriy Slavin of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.
Federal Agent Charged with Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Timothy Ryan Gregg has been charged via federal complaint with production of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
According to court documents, Timothy Ryan Gregg, 51, of Eagan, Minnesota, attempted, coerced, and enticed a minor victim to take part in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. According to court documents, the father of the minor victim discovered multiple sexually explicit images and videos on the minor victim’s cell phone. These images and videos depicted the minor and an older individual engaged in sexually explicit activity. The individual in the images and videos were later identified as Timothy Gregg, who is a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations and a Task Force Officer with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will always hold defendants in positions of public trust to account, particularly when they commit crimes against vulnerable children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “I am proud of the swift and decisive action of the FBI and the Rochester Police Department, who responded immediately and worked together to take Gregg safely into custody.”
“The allegations in this case represent a gross violation of both the law and the responsibilities entrusted to those who wear a badge,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “There is no place in law enforcement — or in any position of public trust — for those who exploit minors. The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to investigate such acts and ensure that no one is above the law, regardless of their rank or role.”
Gregg made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court today, before Magistrate Judge Dulce J. Foster, and was ordered to remain in custody pending further proceedings.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office thanks the FBI and the Rochester Police Department for their investigation and hard work. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also thanks Homeland Security Investigations for their assistance in safely apprehending the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry M. Jacobs is prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Eight Sentenced in Eastern Panhandle Fentanyl Drug Trafficking OperationRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Eight people have been sentenced for their roles in an Eastern Panhandle drug trafficking organization.
The indictment, returned in January 2024 against Gary Brown, Jr. and eighty-one others, charged that the defendants caused substantial amounts of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine to be distributed in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties.
Those sentenced this week include:
- Eric Garner, also known as “Pops,” age 58, of Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced to 300 months.
- Gary Rodriguez, also known as “Mr. T,” age 34, of Lanham, Maryland, was sentenced to 240 months in prison.
- Benjamin Paul Knotts, age 49, of Charles Town, West Virginia, was sentenced to 235 months in prison.
- Damian Costello, age 28, of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, was sentenced to 180 months in prison.
- Michael Bradley Decker, age 44, of Inwood, West Virginia, was sentenced to 97 months.
- Gary Brown, III, age 20, of Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced to 36 months.
- Wendy Diane Crites, age 58, of Charles Town, West Virginia, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison.
- Michael Regale Luckett, age 47, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was sentenced to 9 months in federal prison.
Of the 82 defendants, 81 have been convicted. Including this week’s eight, 70 defendants have been sentenced. One defendant, Charles Delroy Singletary, age 44, of Baltimore, Maryland, remains a fugitive.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lara Omps-Botteicher and Kyle Kane prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Investigative agencies include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Pittsburgh Field Division and Baltimore Field Division); the Drug Enforcement Administration; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations; the United States Postal Inspection Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the United States Marshals Service; the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; the West Virginia Air National Guard; the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office; the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office; Ranson Police Department; Martinsburg Police Department; Charles Town Police Department; the Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office; Stafford County Sheriff's Office (Virginia); Frederick County Sheriff's Office (Maryland); Frederick County Sheriff's Office (Virginia); Winchester Police Department; and the Clarke County Sheriff's Office (Virginia).
This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Drug Trafficker Unlawfully Residing in Oregon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in Fatal Fentanyl OverdoseRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— A Portland area drug trafficker was sentenced to federal prison today for his role in distributing illicit fentanyl that resulted in the fatal overdose of a young man in Washington County, Oregon.
Efrain Roberto Diaz-Rangel, 35, a Mexican national unlawfully residing in Portland, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison and four years’ supervised release.
According to court documents, in April 2023, the Westside Interagency Narcotics Team (WIN) began investigating a suspected fentanyl overdose of the adult male victim in Washington County. In May 2023, WIN requested investigative assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Interdiction Task Force (HIT), and Portland Police Bureau (PPB).
Investigators determined that several people were involved in a distribution chain responsible for selling counterfeit Oxycodone pills manufactured with illicit fentanyl. Investigators identified Diaz-Rangel as an originating source of fentanyl in Oregon and learned that he trafficked fentanyl and heroin for a Mexico-based drug dispatcher.
On June 27, 2023, as part of a controlled buy, HSI special agents arrested Diaz-Rangel. At the time of his arrest, Diaz-Rangel possessed approximately 1,000 counterfeit pills and a small quantity of heroin. Later that day, investigators executed a search warrant on Diaz-Rangel’s residence and located an additional 30,000 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, four pounds of heroin, and more than $10,000 in cash.
On June 27, 2023, Diaz-Rangel was charged by criminal complaint with possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin.
On March 4, 2025, Diaz-Rangel pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
This case was jointly investigated by WIN and HSI with assistance from the HIDTA HIT and PPB. It was prosecuted by Scott M. Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 80 to 100 times more powerful than morphine and 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin. A 3-milligram dose of fentanyl—a few grains of the substance—is enough to kill an average adult male. The wide availability of illicit fentanyl in Oregon has caused a dramatic increase in overdose deaths throughout the state.
If you are in immediate danger, please call 911.
If you or someone you know suffers from addiction, please call the Lines for Life substance abuse helpline at 1-800-923-4357 or visit www.linesforlife.org. Phone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also text “RecoveryNow” to 839863 between 2pm and 6pm Pacific Time daily.
Dominican National Arrested for his Unlawful Reentry into the United States and for Distributing Fentanyl and One Pound of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Dominican man was arrested in connection with immigration and drug offenses, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
Robely Eladio De Jesus Guerrero, 37, a citizen of the Dominican Republic unlawfully residing in Massachusetts, was charged with unlawful reentry of a deported alien and distribution of controlled substances, specifically methamphetamine and fentanyl. He appeared in federal court today and was detained. His next hearing is scheduled for June 20, 2025.
According to the charging documents, De Jesus Guerrero was deported to the Dominican Republic from the United States in November 2021. He was encountered again by law enforcement in August and September 2024 in New Hampshire.
Between August and September 2024, De Jesus Guerrero allegedly distributed approximately 120 grams of fentanyl and approximately one pound of methamphetamine.
The charges of distribution of a controlled substance and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance carry a sentence of up to 20 years’ incarceration, not less than 3 years of supervised released, and a fine up to $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter is prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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District Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a Firearm Following Traffic Stop in Northwest D.C.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Trevon Timothy Vines, 30, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty on June 3, 2025, to one count of illegal possession of a firearm following his arrest on March 15, 2025, in the District of Columbia.
According to court documents, on March 15, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department conducted a traffic stop in the vicinity of 1820 7th Street NW after observing a traffic infraction. It is alleged that during the course of the stop, officers observed several open containers of alcohol and requested that all occupants exit the vehicle.
Court documents say that Vines was seated in the front passenger seat and holding a cup consistent with the others observed. As officers attempted to place Vines in handcuffs, they felt what they immediately recognized to be a handgun on his person in a front left jacket pocket. Officers eventually recovered the firearm and discovered that it had been reported stolen from a gun dealer in White Plains, Maryland.
An investigation revealed that Vines is a convicted felon with multiple prior convictions. At the time of the incident, Vines was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal and D.C. law. He did not have a license to carry or own a firearm in the District of Columbia.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, ATF Baltimore Field Office, and the Metropolitan Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole.
This case is part of Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful, an executive order surging resources to reduce violent crime in the District of Columbia. This initiative was created to address gun violence in the District, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenders, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.
Cuba Man Sentenced for Murder and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Cuba man was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and firearms offenses.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records, on July 26, 2022, Navajo Nation Police Department officers responded to reports of a shooting at a residence near Ojo Encino. Upon arrival, officers discovered John Doe deceased with a gunshot wound to his chest and right arm. Witnesses identified Jason Lee Martinez, 52, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, as the shooter, who fled the scene immediately after the incident.
On August 26, 2022, FBI agents interviewed Martinez, who admitted to shooting John Doe and subsequently pled guilty to second degree murder and federal firearms offenses.
Upon his release from prison, Martinez will be subject to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Investigation and Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jesse Pecoraro is prosecuting the case.
Coram woman pleads guilty to drug chargesRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS - A Coram woman accused of possessing methamphetamine on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The defendant, Heather Marie Kushmaul, 37, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Kushmaul faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for October 8, 2025, Kushmaul was released on conditions pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement learned that beginning in May 2024, Heather Marie Kushmaul and her co-defendant were coming from their home in Coram, Montana, to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation to deliver large amounts of methamphetamine. In October 2024, law enforcement arranged three controlled purchases of large amounts of methamphetamine from the defendants. During each of these controlled purchases, Kushmaul and her co-defendant traveled from their home in Coram to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and exchanged methamphetamine for money.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley prosecuted the case. The FBI, BIA, DEA, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, and the Glacier County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.
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Coral Springs Man Charged with Operating $158 Million Ponzi Scheme Through His Trucking Company, Sentenced to 23 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Sanjay Singh, 45, of Coral Springs, Florida, has been sentenced to 23 years in a federal prison for a $158 million investment fraud (Ponzi) scheme run through his over-the-road trucking company, Royal Bengal Logistics, Inc. (“RBL”).
In November, a jury convicted Singh on all 8 counts of an indictment that alleged that he violated federal laws criminalizing conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and engaging in transactions in unlawful proceeds.
According to the indictment, Singh, RBL’s founder and president, organized and ran a substantial Ponzi scheme with co-conspirators. The conspiracy began in January 2020 and was ongoing at the time of his arrest. Singh and his co-conspirators held RBL out to potential investors as a thriving and successful trucking business, all while RBL’s actual trucking business lost money. In the process, Singh and his co-conspirators made material misrepresentations and material omissions about the riskiness of investing in RBL, the profitability of RBL’s trucking operations, how RBL would pay its investors, and how RBL would use investor funds. Through these material misrepresentations and omissions, Singh and his co-conspirators raised over $158 million from investors, which Singh and his co-conspirators then used in part to pay existing investors promised returns.
The indictment also alleged that Singh misappropriated millions of dollars of investor funds to renovate his home, make mortgage payments, pay for personal expenses, and trade stocks on margin.
U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Joseph Harris of the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (“DOT-OIG”), Southern Region; and Russell C. Weigel, III, Commissioner, Florida Office of Financial Regulation (“OFR”), made the announcement.
U.S. Attorney O’Byrne commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, DOT-OIG, and OFR in this matter. He thanked the United States Securities and Exchange Commission Miami Regional Office for their assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert F. Moore and Roger Cruz prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon is handling asset forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-60117.
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Cedar Rapids Man Sentenced to Federal Prison After Pleading Guilty to Multiple Felony OffensesRead the Press Release
A Cedar Rapids man who was found in possession of hundreds of fentanyl pills and multiple firearms was sentenced on June 3, 2025, to more than eight years in federal prison.
Deshawn Cooks, age 34, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 30, 2024, guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
In a plea agreement, Cooks admitted he possessed 227 pills containing a detectable amount of fentanyl and 77 ecstasy pills, containing methamphetamine, which he intended to distribute in Cedar Rapids and the surrounding area. Additionally, Cooks admitted that he possessed two Taurus 9mm caliber firearms for the purpose of protecting himself, his narcotics, and the proceeds from the sale of narcotics.
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.
Cooks was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Cooks was sentenced to 102 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach and Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR-74.
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Career Criminal Sentenced to Thirteen Years in Federal Prison for Manufacturing and Selling THC and Psilocybin Products NationwideRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—Jered Hayward, 45, of Salem, Oregon, was sentenced today to 156 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute over 1,000 kilograms of marijuana and conspiracy to launder the proceeds. He also agreed to forfeit assets worth more than $2 million dollars.
According to court documents, Hayward operated a large-scale THC and psilocybin production and distribution facility headquartered in Salem. As part of his operation, Hayward and his employees obtained cereal and candy products and infused or sprayed potent THC oils on them. They then inserted the edibles into packages which mimicked the legitimate consumer food products, and sold them throughout the United States and internationally. While there was no evidence Hayward deliberately targeted minors, the manner in which his organization packaged the edibles posed a risk to children, who are often unable to comprehend the fine print warnings that the packages contained THC products.
Hayward’s organization utilized encrypted communications such as Telegram to market, sell and process orders, and straw businesses to mask money laundering transactions. Hayward had no permits or licenses to produce or sell these products; the entire operation was illegal.
Hayward has an extensive criminal record, including three prior state and federal convictions for marijuana and fentanyl trafficking. Because of these convictions, he is a career criminal under federal law.
Hayward agreed to forfeit substantial assets which he admitted were related to his drug and money laundering enterprise. As part of his guilty plea Hayward agreed to forfeit:
- The Salem production facility;
- More than $1 million in cash;
- $640,000 worth of cryptocurrency and bank account funds;
- More than $400,000 worth of gold and silver;
- Jewelry and a Rolex watch; and
- Twelve vehicles, two UTV’s, and boats.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Portland Police Bureau, United States Postal Inspection, Oregon State Police, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Salem Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Kemp Strickland and Christopher Cardani, Assistant United States Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
Canadian on Homeland Security’s Most Wanted List Convicted and Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A man who led an eight-year drug trafficking conspiracy, which smuggled and distributed hundreds of thousands of pills with methamphetamine, ecstasy, and BZP into the United States was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced today.
Gorgon Jr. was joined in the announcement by Jared Murphey, acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Detroit field office.
“In order to be a nation, we must have secure borders. Americans need to be protected from transnational criminals dumping their dangerous drugs into our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr.
“This sentencing brings Sychantha’s cross border criminal enterprise to a fitting end,” said ICE HSI Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey. “The collective effort by the case agents, the prosecutors and our international partners is astounding, and I commend them all for a job well done. ICE HSI will continue to collaborate with our partners to disrupt and dismantle international drug trafficking operations that seek to poison our communities.”
Following a six-day trial held in Detroit before Chief United States District Judge Sean F. Cox, Khaophone Sychantha, age 43, was convicted of one count of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, ecstasy, and BZP, one count of possession of methamphetamine, ecstasy, and BZP with intent to distribute, and one count of possession of ecstasy and BZP with intent to distribute.
Evidence at trial showed that Sychantha led an organization that directed several couriers to transport hundreds of thousands of pills and tens of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds across the United States-Canada border over an eight-year span. His couriers—many of whom were caught and convicted themselves—traveled to multiple states to deliver the pills. David Sok, Sychantha’s right-hand man, was also extradited from Canada and pleaded guilty earlier in the proceedings.
Prior to Sychantha’s extradition to the United States, HSI Detroit added Sychantha to the Homeland Security Investigations Ten Most Wanted List.
Sentencing was held before Chief United States Judge Sean F. Cox. At sentencing, the Court highlighted Sychantha’s seven Canadian convictions, his leadership role in the conspiracy, and the amount of pills smuggled into the United States under his command.
Sychantha was sentenced to serve 240 months’ imprisonment and must serve a 5-year term of supervised release following his term of incarceration. Because Sychantha is not a United States citizen, he will be deported back to Canada after serving his sentence.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Detroit Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Dorval Norwood and T. Patrick Martin.
Canadian County Man to Serve Decade in Federal Prison following Domestic Violence Incident with Pregnant Woman Involving FirearmsRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – JULIAN PAUL GLAZIER, 26, of Canadian County, has been sentenced to serve 120 months in federal prison for illegal possession of firearms after previous felony convictions, announced U.S Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On February 20, 2024, a federal Grand Jury returned a two-count Indictment against Glazier, charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. According to public record, on December 24, 2023, Yukon Police Department (YPD) officers responded to a home to assist firefighters and paramedics who were reportedly assisting a pregnant woman experiencing a reported medical episode. Officers arrived and learned that the emergency call had been placed to draw them to the residence. Officers discovered that a woman at the residence was a victim of domestic violence, and that Glazier had detained her there at gunpoint in a bedroom for hours. When first responders arrived, Glazier attempted to hide a shotgun and a revolver he possessed during the offense, but officers located and seized them.
On May 2, 2024, Glazier pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the Indictment and admitted that he possessed firearms despite his previous felony convictions.
At the sentencing hearing on May 29, 2025, U.S. District Judge Charles B. Goodwin sentenced Glazier to serve 120 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, Judge Goodwin noted the nature of the offense and Glazier’s significant criminal history. Public record shows that he has a criminal history with previous felony convictions that include:
- unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance in Canadian County District Court case number CF-2017-496;
- unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in Oklahoma County District Court case number CF-2017-5508; and
- possession of a firearm after juvenile adjudication in Oklahoma County District Court case number CF-2017-7568.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Yukon Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle M. Connolly prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a Department of Justice program to reduce violent crime. This case is also part of “Operation 922,” the Western District of Oklahoma’s implementation of PSN, which prioritizes prosecution of federal crimes connected to domestic violence. For more information about PSN, please visit https://justice.gov/psn and https://justice.gov/usao-wdok.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Bryan County Resident Pleads Guilty to Failure to Register as A Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Dock Lee Shoemaker, age 60, of Calera, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, punishable by up to ten years in prison.
The Indictment alleged that Shoemaker was convicted of felony Sexual Battery in the State of Oklahoma on February 3, 2016, and was required to register as a sex offender, and that from August 2020 until April 16, 2025, Shoemaker failed to register and update his registration while entering, leaving, or residing in Indian country, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Shoemaker will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Pippin represented the United States.
British Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing Nearly $1.9 Million in Romance Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A British man was sentenced to federal prison today for stealing nearly $1.9 million from a Portland resident in a romance fraud scheme.
Oscar Peters, 65, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison and 3 years’ supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $1,892,439 in restitution to his victim.
According to court documents, Peters met his victim through Millionaire Match Maker, an online dating website, and convinced his victim that he was a billionaire living in Denmark seeking long-term commitment. Defendant engaged in daily romantic emails and phone calls with his victim and ingratiated himself with promises of marriage. Defendant then concocted elaborate lies about why he needed financial assistance – ranging from his soon-to-be ex-wife had frozen his assets or needed money to complete business obligations for their future together. With defendant’s calculated promises to repay the money and move to Portland, over about two years he convinced his victim to send him nearly $1.9 million.
On June 4, 2019, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a seven-count indictment charging Peters with wire fraud. On April 9, 2020, Peters was arrested in the United Kingdom where he remained in custody until he was extradited to the United States on October 23, 2023. On March 26, 2023, Peters pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Meredith Bateman, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Box Elder man sentenced to over 5 years in prison for child sexual abuseRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Box Elder man who sexually abused a child was sentenced today to 68 months in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Brian Lee Bigbow, 48, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to one count of abusive sexual contact by force and of a child.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that in April 2021, a Montana DPHHS centralized intake report came in on an abuse of Jane Doe, who disclosed she was sexually abused by Brian Bigbow. During interviews, Doe provided details of the abuse. Doe said Bigbow hurt her and said the sexual abuse occurred when she was in Bigbow’s bed, and they were watching TV. He turned off the TV and the lights and “raped her” – which she described as sex when you don’t want it. Bigbow took off his pants and clothes and took off her clothes. Doe tried to push him away but could not. His private parts touched her private parts and it, “hurt really bad.” He was laying on her, touching her leg with his hand, and he tried to hold her hand. Bigbow told her not to tell anyone or he would hurt her. Doe did not remember how many times it happened – she just knew it was multiple times.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Chippewa Cree Law Enforcement Services
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
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Big Island Attorneys and Businessman Found Guilty of BriberyRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – After a three-week trial before United States District Judge Jill A. Otake, a federal jury today found Paul Joseph Sulla, Jr., 78, Gary Charles Zamber, 55, and Rajesh P. Budhabhatti, 65, guilty of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and nine counts of honest services wire fraud. Sulla was additionally convicted of money laundering. Sentencing is set for October 7, 2025 for Zamber, October 8, 2025 for Budhabhatti, and October 21, 2025 for Sulla. The defendants were permitted to remain released on bail pending sentencing.
At trial, the evidence showed that Sulla and Zamber, both attorneys living on the island of Hawaii (“Big Island”), and Budhabhatti, a private businessman on the Big Island, paid bribes and kickbacks to Alan Rudo, a Housing Specialist for the Hawaii County Office of Housing and Community Development, in exchange for Rudo using his official position to ensure the County approved three affordable housing agreements (AHAs) benefitting the defendants’ development companies Luna Loa Developments, LLC, West View Developments, LLC and Plumeria at Waikoloa, LLC. Although the defendants promised in the AHAs to build affordable housing for the citizens of Hawaii County, their development companies never built a single unit. Through the AHAs, the defendants fraudulently obtained at least $10,980,000 worth of land and excess affordable housing credits (AHCs). From that amount, the defendants paid or attempted to pay Rudo approximately $1,931,778 in bribes and kickbacks.
The defendants were convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, and nine counts of honest services wire fraud, each of which also carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. Sulla alone was charged with and convicted of money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Alan Rudo, who testified at trial, previously pled guilty in July 2022 to conspiring to commit honest services wire fraud in connection with the bribery and kickback scheme. Rudo is scheduled to be sentenced on August 13, 2025.
“Today’s verdict reiterates our unwavering message to those who bribe and attempt to buy the discretion of Hawaii’s public officials at the expense of the public’s trust and the integrity of our public institutions—you will be federally prosecuted and brought to justice,” said Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson. “Our office will continue to root out and vigorously pursue those who engage in public corruption or who violate their positions of public trust.”
“The defendants in this investigation defrauded their own community for personal financial gain,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “The corruption of government officials corrodes public trust and weakens our communities. The FBI will continue to aggressively pursue these cases to protect and maintain public trust and hold criminals accountable.”
“This verdict marks an important step toward accountability and reinforces the importance of integrity in public service,” said County of Hawaii Mayor Kimo Alameda. “We understand the impact this case has had on our community and remain committed to restoring trust. Since the initial findings, the Office of Housing and Community Development has taken concrete actions to strengthen internal controls, improve oversight, and ensure that public resources are managed responsibly and transparently. These changes reflect our commitment to kuleana— our shared responsibility—to serve with integrity and protect community resources.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mohammad Khatib and Margaret Nammar and Trial Attorney William Gullota, of the Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Public Integrity Section, prosecuted the case.
Baltimore Man Sentenced for Fentanyl ChargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Donald McDuffin Williams, age 50, of Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced today to 104 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, after connecting Williams to a sale of fentanyl that resulted in an overdose, investigators searched his home. Investigators recovered large quantities of cocaine base, fentanyl, drug paraphernalia, and cash. The fentanyl was packaged individually for distribution. Williams has a criminal history that includes assault, battery, firearms violations, robbery, theft, and sex trafficking.
Williams will serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Armed Robber Sentenced for Multiple Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – David Crocker, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 18 years in prison for a series of robberies near Anacostia Park in 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Crocker pleaded guilty on March 31, 2025, in Superior Court to two counts of armed robbery, stemming from two robberies that took place on December 18, 2023. Crocker also pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing a silver and black pistol on November 10, 2023. Following his term of incarceration, Crocker was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release. As part of his sentence, Crocker will be required to register as a gun offender.
According to the government’s evidence, the defendant robbed two individuals at gunpoint on December 18, 2023, in the vicinity of Anacostia Park. In the first offense, the defendant robbed an individual at gunpoint in the 2200 block of Fairlawn Avenue, SE. Crocker brandished a black and silver pistol and took the victim’s phone, keys, and wallet before demanding the PINs to the victim’s Cash App account and credit cards.
Later the same day, the defendant robbed a different individual on the Anacostia Railroad Bridge. Crocker brandished the same silver and black pistol and took the victim’s bicycle, cell phone, keys, and wallet. The defendant again demanded the PINs to the victim’s Cash App account and credit cards. United States Park Police officers stopped and arrested Crocker moments later. They recovered the proceeds of the robbery and the silver and black pistol from the defendant.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the United States Park Police and the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Kraig Ahalt, who prosecuted the case.
Alamogordo Man Sentenced on Federal Firearms Offenses Related to the Murder of Alamogordo Police OfficerRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – An Alamogordo man was sentenced to 8 years in prison for federal firearms offenses connected to the murder of Alamogordo Police Officer Anthony Ferguson. United States District Judge Margaret Strickland ordered the 8-year federal sentence to run consecutive to De La O’s state life sentence following a request by United States Attorney Ryan Ellison.
According to court records, on July 15, 2023, Dominic De La O fatally shot Officer Ferguson following an attempted traffic stop in Alamogordo, New Mexico. De La O used a sawed-off, unregistered shotgun supplied by Jonah Apodaca to kill Officer Ferguson after fleeing from a traffic stop and leading police on a pursuit. Officer Ferguson, a 11-year veteran of the Alamogordo Police Department and Field Training Officer, succumbed to his injuries on July 16, 2023.
United States Attorney Ryan Ellison issued the following statement after the sentencing hearing:
“Alamogordo Police Officer Anthony Ferguson faithfully served the people of Alamogordo for over 11 years—I know because I am one of them. My family still lives in Alamogordo and my mother attended Officer Ferguson’s funeral. An 8-year federal sentence for violations of federal firearms laws running consecutive to De La O’s state life sentence guarantees that he will never again see the outside of a prison cell. Acts of violence against those who serve and protect our communities will not be tolerated and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. It was my great privilege to meet with Officer Ferguson’s family and to personally prosecute this case to ensure that justice was served.”
“Officer Anthony Ferguson’s death was a devastating and senseless act of violence,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Brendan Iber. “Violence against our law enforcement officers and first responders must never be tolerated. Alongside our state, local and federal partners, we will relentlessly pursue justice—just as we did in this case. We continue to offer our heartfelt condolences to Officer Ferguson’s family, friends, the Alamogordo Police Department, and the entire community. His service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
De La O was previously found guilty of first-degree murder and related state charges and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional six and a half years for tampering with evidence, aggravated fleeing, criminal trespass, and resisting or evading an officer.
Jonah Apodaca pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison for providing the weapon used in the fatal shooting.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Brendan Iber, Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement today.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from the Alamogordo Police Department, New Mexico State Police, the Otero County Sheriff’s Office, and the Twelfth Judicial District Attorney’s Office. U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo prosecuted the case.
https://www.odmp.org/officer/26757-police-officer-anthony-fergusonActivity in the U.S. Attorney's OfficeRead the Press Release
Drug Trafficking
Brady Joseph Ehlers, 35, of Evanston, Wyoming, was sentenced to a total of 168 months’ imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl. According to court documents, beginning in September of 2024, detectives with the Cheyenne Police Department Community Action Team began an investigation into the distribution of fentanyl in the Cheyenne area. Through surveillance and interviews, they were able to track Ehlers’ movements to purchase fentanyl from Colorado and distribute it in Laramie County. The investigation revealed that Ehlers sold fentanyl to other redistributors, which resulted in the death of another person who overdosed on fentanyl. Detectives also issued search warrants, resulting in the seizure of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia from Ehler’s vehicle and residence. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Cheyenne Police Department investigated the crime. Assistance U.S. Attorney Mackenzie Morrison prosecuted the case. U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence in Cheyenne on April 15, 2025.
Eli Alan Elbert, 44, of Gillette, Wyoming, was sentenced in two separate criminal cases to 240 months’ imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release. In one criminal case, Elbert was charged with being a felon in possession of ammunition. In the second criminal case, Elbert was charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and use of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. The indictments were filed Nov. 21, 2024. At the change of plea hearing on Feb. 27, Elbert admitted to being a felon and having possession of seven rounds of ammunition on June 29, 2024. He further admitted that from March 1 to May 29, 2024, he knowingly and intentionally conspired with others to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Elbert admitted to trading guns for drugs and selling methamphetamine between March 1, 2024, and May 29, 2024. This crime was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Campbell County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case. Chief U.S. District Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence in Casper on May 29.
John Fowler, 35, with no permanent residency, was sentenced to a total of 151 months’ imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine and for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine. According to court records, on July 31, 2024, Wyoming law enforcement agencies received a tip that Fowler would be traveling to Wyoming from Texas with a large quantity of drugs. The next day, the car was pulled over in Natrona County, where officers found 404 grams of methamphetamine and around 48 grams of cocaine. Law enforcement learned that Fowler had previously obtained additional methamphetamine in June of 2024 as well. The indictment was filed on November 20, 2024, and Fowler pleaded guilty on March 11, 2024. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Natrona County Sheriff’s Department investigated the crime. Assistance U.S. Attorney Mackenzie Morrison prosecuted the case. Chief U.S. District Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence in Casper on May 29, 2025.
Firearm Offenses
Larry Michael Munday, 54, of Rozet, Wyoming, was sentenced to 48 months with three years of supervised release to follow for possession of an unregistered firearm. According to court documents, in late May of 2024, a federal firearm licensee shipped eight silencers to another licensee in Gillette using UPS. UPS discovered that Munday, an overnight cleaner, had stolen the packages as well as more than 150 other packages. The eight silencers were discovered at Munday’s residence and were not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. The Campbell County Sheriff’s Office, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paige Hammer prosecuted the case. Munday was indicted on Sept. 18, 2024, and pleaded guilty on March 7. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence in Cheyenne on May 27. Case No. 24-00147
Lavoy Robert Grandpre, III, 51, of Wheatland, Wyoming, was sentenced to 46 months with three years of supervised release to follow for being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, on July 3, 2024, Mr. Grandpre met with his state probation officer as required by the terms of his supervised release stemming from a state conviction. As part of the meeting, Mr. Grandpre’struck was searched, and multiple types of ammunition were located. Mr. Grandpre’s house was also searched and seven firearms were located. The Wheatland Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paige Hammer prosecuted the case. Munday was indicted on Sept. 18, 2024, and pleaded guilty on March 7. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence in Cheyenne on May 27. Case No. 24-00147
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
132 months for smuggling 3,000 pounds of methamphetamine in truckload of cabbagesRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 36-year-old Mexican citizen has been sentenced for his role in possessing with intent to distribute nearly $3 million in methamphetamine concealed inside cabbages, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Jose Angel Ibarra-Rojas pleaded guilty Nov. 6, 2024.
District Judge Drew B. Tipton has now ordered Ibarra-Rojas to serve 132 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard how the narcotics were packaged in a sophisticated manner. The heads of the cabbages were removed, and balls of methamphetamine were then inserted into the leaves in order to conceal them.
On June 18, 2024, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a tractor trailer in Pharr. Ibarra-Rojas was the passenger. A search of the vehicle revealed 1,154 plastic-wrapped packages containing a crystal-like substance concealed within cabbages in the cargo area.
Authorities determined the substance was methamphetamine and had a total weight of approximately 1,356 kilograms. The drugs had an estimated street value of over $2.8 million.
Ibarra-Rojas admitted he knew the trailer contained narcotics and was aware it had recently entered the United States. He claimed he expected to be paid $1,000 to arrange the transport of the trailer and its narcotics farther north into the United States. Ibarra-Rojas also said he had arranged similar transports several times in the past.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Hidalgo County Constable’s Office.
“The amount of drugs smuggled in this case is staggering, but fortunately authorities were able to seize it before it hit our streets,” said Ganjei. “ICE-HSI, CBP, and the Hidalgo County Constable’s Office should be commended for their excellent work in keeping this meth out of our community.”
Ibarra-Rojas will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexa D. Parcell prosecuted the case.
Tuesday 3 June 2025
Yucca Valley Man Charged with Threatening to Kill President Trump After Last Year’s ElectionRead the Press Release
RIVERSIDE, California – A San Bernardino County man was arraigned today on a three-count federal grand jury indictment charging him with threatening to assassinate then-President-elect Donald Trump after last year’s election.
Thomas Eugene Streavel, 73, of Yucca Valley, is charged with three counts of making threats against the President-elect.
Streavel was arrested Monday and was arraigned today in United States District Court in Riverside. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and a July 28 trial date was scheduled. A federal magistrate judge ordered him released on $10,000 bond.
“This defendant is charged with threatening the life of our President – a man who has already survived two deranged attempts on his life,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice takes these threats with the utmost seriousness and will prosecute this crime to the fullest extent of the law.”
“The type of rhetoric and threats made by this defendant are similar to those that led to an attempt on the President’s life last year,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “There is no place for political violence or threats of violence in the United States. We will not hesitate to arrest and charge others who engage in similar criminal conduct.”
According to the indictment that a federal grand jury returned on May 29 and was unsealed today, Streavel used his Facebook account before the 2024 U.S. presidential election to post multiple messages expressing his desire to harm or have others harm President Trump.
After the 2024 presidential election, Streavel allegedly continued using Facebook to post about assassinating President Trump. For example, on November 6, 2024 – the day after the election – Streavel posted, “[T]rump is a dead man walking for the time being until a patriot like myself blows his [expletive] brains out in the very near future.”
The indictment alleges several instances in which Streavel knowingly and willfully threatened to kill and inflict bodily harm on Donald Trump, who then was the President-elect of the United States.
On November 12, 2024, Streavel posted a message on Facebook that read, in part, that he was “willing to make America great again and blow his [expletive] brains out.”
On November 19, 2024, Streavel posted a Facebook message that read, in part, “Let me put a bullet right between the ears of your president-elect…That’s my purpose for living.”
On November 28, 2024, Streavel wrote on Facebook, “I’m praying for a successful assassination of your president-elect” and “My life’s mission is killing the worthless LOSER [expletive] and my mission starts tonight so watch yourself trump [sic], you are a dead [expletive] and I am your assassin.”
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Streavel would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count.
The United States Secret Service is investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Matt Coe-Odess of the Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
Yakima Man Who Used Snapchat and Instagram to Solicit Minors Sentenced to 22 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Yakima, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that Bryan Christopher Stevenson, 43, of Yakima, Washington, was sentenced after pleading guilty to soliciting minors to send him sexually explicit content. United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke sentenced Stevenson to 22 years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, between October 2020 and August 2022, Stevenson used social media to communicate with at least eight minors, living in three different states, who law enforcement could identify. Stevenson offered to send money to some minors in exchange for pictures and videos of the minors performing sexual acts. In several instances, Stevenson used different personas on Snapchat and Instagram, including by pretending to be a minor female and teenage boy, to communicate with his victims and to encourage them to send him explicit pictures and videos.
In one case, Stevenson contacted a minor, and claimed he had nude videos of the minor. Stevenson threatened to send the videos to the minor’s parents and members of their church unless they provided him with additional videos.
Investigators reviewing Stevenson’s iPad found 172 images and 45 videos of minors, including one victim who was between 4 and 6 years old, engaging in sexually explicit conduct and being sexually abused.
“Mr. Stevenson’s conduct was predatory, calculated, and devastating in its impact on vulnerable children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Rich Barker. “He used the anonymity of social media to deceive, manipulate, and harm young victims across multiple states. His actions underscore the dangers children face online and the lasting trauma these crimes inflict. To those who use technology to target and exploit children, you will face serious consequences. I strongly urge parents, guardians, and community members to remain vigilant in monitoring their children’s social media activities and to engage in open conversations about online safety.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Barker continued, “While Social media companies are posting record profits; far too many families are coping with the devastating impact of online exploitation. Social media companies like Snapchat and Instagram have the responsibility to do more to ensure their products do not endanger the most vulnerable members of our communities.”
“Today’s sentencing is a powerful reminder that those who exploit and terrorize children through threats and manipulation will be held fully accountable,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Seattle Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Murphy. “This subject’s deliberate actions inflicted lasting trauma on vulnerable victims. Today’s outcome reflects HSI’s relentless commitment to protecting children and ensuring that predators are identified, apprehended, and prosecuted – no matter where they operate or how they hide.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Yakima Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Murphy.
1:23-cr-02071-MKD
Webster Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Role in Drug Organization That Trafficked Cocaine from Puerto Rico via MailRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Webster man has been sentenced for his involvement in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed cocaine.
Angel Delgado, 47, was sentenced on May 29, 2025, by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to seven years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. In January 2025, Delgado pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Delgado was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in April 2024.
In the spring of 2023, an investigation began into the shipment of multiple kilogram-weight packages of suspected narcotics from Puerto Rico to Worcester County in Massachusetts. On at least eight occasions, Delgado was observed collecting suspicious packages believed to contain cocaine or other narcotics from addresses not associated with him and then delivering each package to another individual involved in the DTO.
During the investigation, two kilograms of cocaine were seized from a package that was addressed to Delgado. On April 30, 2024, Delgado’s car was stopped after he was observed driving an individual who collected a package believed to contain cocaine. Once stopped, the package was opened and found to contain two kilograms of cocaine wrapped inside the box.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Southbridge Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.
Wawa Assault in January 2022 Leads to Prison TermRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Charles Edwards, 49, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to eight years in prison yesterday for assaulting and pointing a gun at two individuals in a Wawa convenience store in Northwest, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Edwards was found guilty by a jury on January 2, 2024, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm, and other related offenses. The Honorable Errol Arthur sentenced the defendant on June 2, 2025, to the prison term. Following his term of imprisonment, the defendant will serve a period of three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, in the early morning hours on January 22, 2022, Edwards got into an argument with another man near the Wawa. That man ran into the store to escape Edwards, but Edwards followed him and again confronted him. A Special Police Officer (SPO) working at Wawa escorted Edwards out of the store. Minutes later, Edwards went back to the store and again chased the man around the store, and then pulled out a loaded handgun and pointed it at both that man and the Wawa’s cashier who was standing in front of him. Edwards eventually left the store, and threatened the SPO, who was on the phone with 911.
Edwards was arrested on a warrant on August 17, 2022, and has been in custody since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Toogun and Benjamin Helfand, who prosecuted the case.
Wareham Man Indicted for Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Wareham man has been indicted for allegedly possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Brandon Bendall, 49, was indicted on one count of possession of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography. He was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on May 2, 2028.
According to court documents, Bendall was allegedly a member of an online chat group in which members viewed and posted CSAM. During a search of Bendall’s residence and cell phone, approximately 9,400 images and videos of CSAM, including images of children as young as infants being sexually assaulted, were allegedly located.
The charges of receipt and possession of child pornography each provide for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Wareham, Marion and East Bridgewater Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Files False Claims Act Complaint Alleging Genetic Testing Medicare FraudRead the Press Release
MIAMI – The United States has filed a complaint under the False Claims Act against AIMA Business and Medical Support, LLC (AIMA), a company that provides medical billing and compliance services, for allegedly submitting or causing the submission of false claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary genetic laboratory tests.
AIMA is registered as a Florida limited liability company and offers medical billing and compliance services in the United States. AIMA’s CEO, Aaron Liston, was based in the United Kingdom, AIMA’s employees were based in India, and AIMA provided services to customers in the United States, including billing the Medicare Program on behalf of healthcare providers and suppliers. The United States’ claims arise from AIMA’s alleged conduct in offering Medicare billing advice and submitting bills to Medicare on behalf of a Miami-based diagnostic laboratory called Excellent Laboratories Inc., which did business as Selecta Laboratory (Selecta).
The United States contends that from August 2018 through August 2019, AIMA billed Medicare Part B approximately $ 15,178,946.00 for genetic tests on behalf of Selecta, even though AIMA knew or should have known that the tests were not medically necessary and were not ordered by the beneficiary’s treating physician. Medicare does not cover the costs of genetic tests that are not reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of illness. To be covered by Medicare, a diagnostic laboratory test, including a genetic test, must be ordered by the physician who is treating the beneficiary for a specific medical problem and who uses the results in the management of that problem. As a result of AIMA’s conduct, Selecta received Medicare funds to which it was not entitled and, correspondingly, paid AIMA for its services.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jesus Barranco of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clarissa Pinheiro is handling the matter, with the HHS-OIG conducting the investigation.
The investigation and prosecution of this matter illustrate the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the HHS at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The claims asserted in the government’s complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cv-22507.
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United States Attorney Sayler A. Fleming Departs from PostRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – United States Attorney Sayler A. Fleming announced Tuesday that she has resigned as the head prosecutor for the Eastern District of Missouri.
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to lead the United States Attorney’s Office for the last four and a half years,” Ms. Fleming said. “As a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Missouri, I have had the great fortune of working with some of the most dedicated law enforcement professionals in the country, and I am extremely grateful for the sacrifices they make every day for our safety. They are truly heroes, and it has been an honor to have worked alongside them. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in St. Louis has for years had an excellent reputation within the Department of Justice, which is a testament to the integrity of the committed and hard-working staff. I think they are the best in the country. I would also like to thank our partners in the business community and among religious and community organizations, who were invaluable in our efforts, including the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative,” Ms. Fleming said. “I will dearly miss this job and the people with whom I have worked.”
Ms. Fleming was appointed by then-Attorney General William P. Barr on December 11, 2020, during the first administration of President Donald J. Trump. She assumed office on December 31, 2020.
The Eastern District of Missouri leads the nation in gun prosecutions, including cases involving carjackings, armed robberies and murders. Under Ms. Fleming’s leadership, St. Louis became one of a handful of cities in the Justice Department’s Violent Crime Initiative, which marshals resources to target the ‘worst of the worst’ violent offenders. After former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner resigned in May of 2023, Ms. Fleming signed an agreement that allowed assistant U.S. attorneys to prosecute murder cases in St. Louis and assist that office while they made hires to replace a depleted staff. The U.S. Attorney’s Office had long been handling many violent crimes that occurred in St. Louis.
Ms. Fleming’s prosecutors also trained local and state law enforcement in the investigation of fatal drug overdoses and the possession and sale of machine gun conversion devices. Prosecutors also trained other U.S. Attorney’s offices on how to prosecute juveniles who commit murders during carjackings or robberies.
Ms. Fleming, who co-chaired the Attorney General’s Child Exploitation Working Group, increased the number of prosecutors handling the child exploitation cases to help keep our children safer.
“United States Attorney Sayler Fleming has been a tremendous law enforcement partner. Under her leadership over the years, our offices have been in lockstep in our efforts to protect our community,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “The FBI cannot effectively accomplish our mission without the support of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The people of Eastern Missouri are safer thanks to her proactive and aggressive approach to prioritizing fighting violent crime.”
“U.S. Attorney Fleming made a definitive impact, for the betterment of our communities, in the Eastern District of Missouri,” Drug Enforcement Administration St. Louis Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said. “We’re grateful for her partnership over these past 15 years as we worked together to remove violent drug traffickers from our region. On behalf of the DEA St. Louis Division, I want to thank U.S. Attorney Fleming for her dedicated service and wish her continued success in the future.”“We extend our sincere gratitude to U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming for her steadfast leadership and unwavering commitment to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Bernard Hansen of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “Her dedication to combating violent crime and fostering strong partnerships with federal agencies like the ATF has made a lasting impact on public safety throughout the Eastern District of Missouri and beyond. Her service exemplifies integrity, diligence, and the highest standards of public duty.”
“Sayler Fleming was instrumental in facilitating cooperation between law enforcement agencies and helping to fight crime,” said Mark A. Mossotti, Chief of the Bridgeton Police Department and Chairman of the St. Louis Area Police Chiefs Association. “We have many police departments in the St. Louis area and she was just phenomenal in working with every single one of them.”
"U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming has been a dedicated partner to the St. Louis region and the law enforcement community," said St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Tracy. "She has played a key role in SLMPD's mission to reduce violent crime through her office and leadership."
"On behalf of the St. Louis County Police Department, I extend my deepest thanks to U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming for her unwavering commitment to justice. Your leadership has left a lasting mark, and we wish you all the best," said St. Louis County Police Chief Kenneth Gregory.
Ms. Fleming joined the office in August of 2010 from the Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner law firm. She had extensive experience prosecuting and supervising violent crime cases and was the office’s Appellate Chief before becoming U.S. Attorney.
Ms. Fleming grew up in Charleston, Missouri. She received her Bachelor of Accountancy from Mississippi State University and her law degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law.
Ms. Fleming concluded her service at midnight on Friday to make way for the next U.S. Attorney. Former First Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Drake will now assume the role of Acting U.S. Attorney. U.S. Attorney Drake joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2002 in the National Security Unit. He earned his Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Missouri.
The Eastern District of Missouri includes 49 counties and is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation, firearms and narcotics. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.
United Kingdom National Charged with Unlawful EntryRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Danny Gabriel Rooney, 19, of the United Kingdom, has been charged by criminal complaint with entering the United States at a time or place other than designated for entering the country by immigration authorities.
On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, Rooney appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, who ordered that Rooney be detained during the pendency of this matter. According to court documents, U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended Rooney after he was observed walking southbound in an area of Highgate, Vermont, that is frequently travelled by persons attempting to enter the United States illegally from Canada. Law enforcement’s records review revealed that Rooney has no legal status in the United States.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that Rooney is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Rooney faces up to six months’ incarceration if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Arra. Rooney is represented by Stephanie M. Greenlees , Esq.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi Appoints Kyle G. Bumgarner as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of KentuckyRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi has appointed Kyle G. Bumgarner as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546. Bumgarner was formally sworn into the position yesterday by U.S. District Court Chief District Judge Greg N. Stivers.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to lead the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, said U.S. Attorney Bumgarner. “I would like to thank President Trump and Attorney General Bondi for entrusting me with this great responsibility, particularly at such an important time for our Nation. Through the talented prosecutors in this Office, we stand committed to fighting the drug epidemic and violence that has ravaged our communities, combating the fraud that has been perpetrated against our institutions, and protecting vulnerable victims that are preyed upon by ruthless criminals. Our goals cannot be achieved without selfless and heroic work from our federal, state, and local law enforcement officers—particularly those on the front lines—who will receive unwavering support from our Office. I accept this role with great enthusiasm and a commitment to making the Western District of Kentucky a safer place for each of us to raise our families and earn a living.”
Before his appointment as U.S. Attorney, Bumgarner practiced law in Bowling Green, Kentucky, at Kerrick Bachert, PSC, and served as law clerk to Judge David Bunning of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
U.S. Attorney Bumgarner is a graduate of Centre College and Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law.
The U.S. Attorney is the chief federal law enforcement official in their district, representing the United States in all criminal and civil litigation.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky, headquartered in Louisville with staffed offices in Bowling Green and Paducah, and an unstaffed branch in Owensboro, serves 53 Kentucky counties and two military facilities: Fort Knox and Fort Campbell.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky has a mission to fairly and justly prosecute violations of federal criminal law and to represent the United States and its agencies in civil litigation; to educate and inform the public, including victims of crime, about the functions of the justice system and the rights of all citizens; to assume a leadership role in crime prevention through speaking engagements and community involvement; and to conduct federal and local law enforcement training and facilitate cooperation and collaboration among law enforcement agencies.
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Two West Covina Women Arrested on Indictment Alleging $4.8 Million Hospice Services Scheme to Defraud MedicareRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – The owner and operator of two West Covina hospices was arrested today on a 14-count federal grand jury indictment alleging she filed more than $4.8 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare – which paid more than $3.8 million on those claims – for medically unnecessary services for people not terminally ill and for paying kickbacks to marketers to procure patients.
Normita Sierra, 71, a.k.a. “Normie,” of West Covina, is charged with nine counts of health care fraud, one count of conspiracy, and four counts of illegal remuneration for health care referrals.
Also arrested today was Rowena Elegado, 55, a.k.a. “Weng,” also of West Covina, who is charged with one count of conspiracy, and four counts of illegal remuneration for health care referrals.
Both defendants are expected to make their initial appearances and be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
According to the indictment, Sierra owned and operated Golden Meadows Hospice Inc., and D’Alexandria Hospice Inc., which billed Medicare for hospice services for patients who were not terminally ill during a scheme that lasted from September 2018 to October 2022.
Sierra and Elegado allegedly worked together to pay marketers to recruit patients to the hospices, knowing that most of those patients had not been referred by their primary care physicians for such services. Those kickbacks, often referred to internally using the code words “girl scout cookies,” amounted to as much as $1,300 per patient, per month that the patient stayed on hospice service.
Others involved in the scheme included Carl Bernardo, 53, of Chino, who pleaded guilty in September 2024 to one count of receiving kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 23. Relyndo Salcedo, 60, of Fontana, a nurse practitioner involved in the scheme, pleaded guilty on May 22 to one count of health care fraud and is scheduled for sentencing on November 20.
Salcedo, a nurse practitioner, conducted initial assessments for the hospice and found many of the patients ineligible for hospice. But, under pressure from Sierra, who made the ultimate enrollment decisions even though she wasn’t a medical professional, and marketers such as Bernardo, Salcedo exaggerated and falsified the patients’ conditions to make them seem terminally ill. Hospice physicians then relied on Salcedo’s records to certify the patients as hospice appropriate.
Once enrolled, those patients – who were not in fact terminally ill – rarely died, and instead were often discharged at around six months at Sierra’s direction, sometimes to her home health company or the other hospice company.
During the scheme, Golden Meadows submitted at least approximately $3,870,642 in fraudulent claims, on which Medicare paid approximately $2,912,187. D’Alexandria submitted approximately $945,647 in fraudulent claims, on which Medicare paid approximately $894,199.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted of the charges, Sierra would face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each health care fraud count. Sierra and Elegado would face up to five years in federal prison for the conspiracy count and up to 10 years in federal prison for each illegal kickback count.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General and the FBI investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Kristen A. Williams of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.
Twice convicted drug trafficker sent to prison for illegal possession of firearmsRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 46-year-old Pharr resident has been sentenced for unlawful possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Rogelio Rodriguez Jr. pleaded guilty July 10, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has now handed Rodriguez an enhanced sentence of 96 months after determining he possessed numerous firearms in connection with another felony offense of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His sentence will be immediately followed by a two-year-term of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard Rodriguez had a pattern of illegally possessing firearms in connection with drug trafficking.
On Jan. 12, 2024, authorities responded to a call regarding an aggravated assault at Rodriguez’s residence. Law enforcement had information that Rodriguez had refused to leave the property and brandished a firearm after being confronted about carrying firearms.
They conducted a search and discovered three firearms in the residence including a Glock .40 caliber pistol, a Smith & Wesson .38 special revolver and a North American Arms .22 caliber revolver.
The investigation revealed Rodriguez had two prior felony convictions for drug trafficking. As such, he is prohibited from possessing firearms per federal law.
Rodriguez will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with the assistance of the McAllen Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devin V. Walker 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.
Twice Convicted Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty to Trafficking CocaineRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Rhode Island man who was previously convicted twice and incarcerated for drug trafficking admitted to a federal judge today that, after completing his second term of incarceration and while on federal supervised release, he arranged multiple times to have packages containing cocaine shipped to Rhode Island from Columbia, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Levys Tovar, 43, a former United Parcel Service (UPS) employee, used his position at UPS to attempt to locate and intercept one of the packages prior to it being sent out for a delivery to a non-existent address in Central Falls. Prior to attempting to intercept the package, Tovar tracked the package from his residence approximately 41 times. Unbeknownst to Tovar, the package had been intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol after it was found to contain slightly over 200 grams of cocaine secreted inside a piece of machinery.
Further investigation determined that Tovar had other packages sent to various addresses in Rhode Island from Columbia, including one that was intercepted in Columbia that was found to contain approximately 850 grams of cocaine, and another that contained just over 300 grams of cocaine stashed inside an old television set.
According to information presented to the court, Tovar arranged for others to ship to him more than two kilograms of cocaine.
Tovar pleaded guilty today, as charged by indictment in February 2023, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 2, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to court records, Tovar was convicted in federal court in 2004 of possession with intent to distribute one kilogram of heroin, and again in 2011on a charge of attempt to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin.
The current case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey A. Erickson, with the assistance of Christine D. Lowell.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations’ Northeast Corridor Border Enforcement Team; Custom and Border Protection; and the Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence, and Warwick Police Departments.
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Three Chilean Nationals Charged with Immigration OffensesRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Jose Quezada-Villena, 30, and Kevin Bernal-Fuentes, 25, both of Chile, have been charged by criminal complaint with transporting Jeanne Marie Medel-Garay, 46, also from Chile, who had just entered the United States illegally by crossing into the country from Canada without passing through a port of entry, and who has been charged with illegal entry into the United States.
According to court documents, during the evening of May 27, 2025, the United States Border Patrol received a report that a landowner near the U.S./Canada border had observed a single female crossing into the United States from Canada at a location other than a Port of Entry in Derby Line, Vermont. The female had been picked up by a silver Nissan Rogue. Based on this information a United States Border Patrol agent established surveillance a few miles south of the border where he observed the Nissan driving erratically before conducting a traffic stop. During the stop, law enforcement encountered two males in the front of the car, later identified as Quezada-Villena and Bernal-Fuentes, and a single female passenger in the back, later identified as Medel-Garay. A subsequent review of immigration records revealed that all three individuals lacked permission to be in the United States. During a post-arrest interview, Bernal-Fuentes admitted to traveling to Vermont from Long Island, New York, with Quezada-Villena for the purpose of picking up and transporting an individual within the United States.
On May 29, 2025, United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle ordered Medel-Garay detained during the pendency of her prosecution. On May 30 and June 2, Judge Doyle ordered that Quezada-Villena and Bernal-Fuentes, respectively, be released on conditions pending trial.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Quezada-Villena and Bernal-Fuentes face up to five years’ incarceration if convicted. Their actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors. Medel-Garay faces up to six months’ incarceration if convicted.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Arra. Quezada-Villena is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender. Bernal-Fuentes is represented by Allan Sullivan, Esq. Medel-Garay is represented by Robert Behrens, Esq.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Texas Man Sentenced to 26 Months in Prison for Making Threats of Violence Against Employees of Sikh Nonprofit OrganizationRead the Press Release
A Dallas County, Texas man was sentenced to 26 months in prison for a federal hate crime and for making violent interstate threats against various individuals based on their religion, including the employees of a Sikh nonprofit organization located in New Jersey, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey announced today.
Bhushan Athale, 49, of Dallas, Texas had previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel in Camden federal court to interfering with federally protected activities through the threatened use of a dangerous weapon and one count of transmitting an interstate threat to injure another person.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, on Sept. 17, 2022, Athale called the main number of an organization that advocates for the civil rights of Sikh individuals within the United States, leaving numerous messages over several hours threatening to injure or kill these individuals with a razor and other very specific acts of violence.
On March 21, 2024, Athale again called the same Sikh organization and left two more voicemails. In these voicemails, Athale again used violent, sexual imagery to express his hatred toward Sikhs as well as Muslims.
“The Department of Justice has no tolerance for hate-fueled threats of violence in our country, and we appreciate the strong efforts of U.S. Attorney Alina Habba and her team in working with us to bring this perpetrator to justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Kiel sentenced Athale to three years of supervised release and warned Athale not to contact any of the victims of his offenses.
U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey credited the special agents of the FBI Philadelphia Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara A. Aliabadi and Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden, New Jersey, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
Summerville Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Weapon ViolationRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Mark Lee Frasier, 33, of Summerville, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a in possession of a firearm and ammunition after a felony conviction.
Evidence presented in court showed that on Feb. 7, 2023, Charleston Police officers encountered Frasier while patrolling a high-crime area. He was parked in front of an abandoned building, and officers saw what appeared to be a bag of cocaine inside the vehicle. When Frasier noticed police, he fled in the car until he reached a dead-end street. Frasier ran but was quickly apprehended.
A search of the vehicle uncovered 9.31 grams of cocaine in the center console, 3.62 grams of crack cocaine on the driver’s floorboard, 15 methamphetamine pills, and a marijuana blunt. Officers also recovered a stolen .40 caliber pistol from the driver’s seat where Frasier had been sitting. Because of prior felony convictions, Frasier is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition. He was also eligible for a sentencing enhancement due to prior convictions for violent felonies or serious drug offenses.
At the time of this arrest, Frasier was out on bond for state charges including murder, attempted murder, domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature, possession of a firearm during a violent crime, and unlawful carrying of a pistol.
United States District Judge Bruce H. Hendricks sentenced Frasier to 20 years imprisonment as part of a negotiated agreement between the parties to be followed by five years of court ordered supervision. 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.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Charleston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Lietzow is prosecuting the case.
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St. Paul Man Sentenced in Twin Cities Stuffed Animal Fentanyl Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Paul man was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment followed by 5 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to his part in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
According to court documents, between August 2022 through December 2023, Quijuan Hosea Bankhead, 31, and others conspired to distribute fentanyl in the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota. To accomplish their scheme, several of the co-defendants traveled to Phoenix to obtain fentanyl pills from suppliers, hid the pills inside stuffed animals, and then mailed them to addresses in and around the Twin Cities. Law enforcement in Dakota, Ramsey, and Washington counties became aware of the trafficking and initiated a joint investigation, which resulted in the seizure of six packages containing over 30,000 grams of fentanyl pills.
Bankhead was sentenced on May 29, 2025, in U.S District Court before Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan.
“Bankhead and his network smuggled deadly fentanyl into Minnesota and had the gall to hide this poison inside of children’s toys—stuffed animals,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “Bankhead will now serve a well-deserved decade in federal prison.”
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Dakota County Drug Task Force, the Washington County Drug Task Force, and the Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner prosecuted the case.
Romanian National Sentenced for Defrauding Banks and Leaving Hundreds of Banking Customers as Victims in His WakeRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Romanian national illegally present in the United States who is described in court documents as being an “undeterred serial scammer” who left hundreds of victims in his wake after stealing and using their personal banking information has been sentenced to nearly three years in federal prison and will face deportation proceedings, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Mario Demarco, a/k/a Marius Lupu a/k/a David Adamec, 30, pleaded guilty in January to a charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 33 months in federal prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. Additionally, Demarco was ordered to pay restitution totaling $16,567.06.
An immigration detainer has been lodged by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Court documents reflect that for more than two years, beginning in October 2022, Demarco traveled up and down the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic installing skimming devices on ATMs. These devices intercepted hundreds of customers’ debit card and banking information, which Demarco used to create fraudulent debit cards. The bogus cards were then used to make unauthorized cash withdrawals, attempted withdrawals, and purchases.
Throughout the course of the conspiracy, Demarco installed skimming devices on at least ten ATMs and compromised at least 952 cards. Demarco owes restitution to fifteen different banks.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Taylor A. Dean and Ly T. Chin.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Warwick, RI, Police Department, Cranston, RI, Police Department, East Greenwich, RI, Police Department, North Kingstown, RI, Police Department, East Providence, RI, Police Department, Boston, MA, Police Department, New York City Police Department, and the Stratford, CT, Police Department.
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Rock Hill Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Fentanyl OffenseRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Justin Lee Payne, 31, of Rock Hill, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Payne was arrested by York County sheriff’s deputies for trafficking fentanyl. During the arrest, investigators executed a search warrant on Payne’s home and located more than 280 grams of fentanyl and 4 grams of methamphetamine.
United States District Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Payne to 180 months imprisonment, to be followed by a four-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the York County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Winston D. Holliday is prosecuting the case.
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Richmond felon sentenced to five years in prison for illegally possessing a firearmRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to five years in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, on July 21, 2023, a Richmond Police officer was patrolling the Gilpin Court neighborhood in Richmond when he observed a vehicle that had been reported stolen. The officer followed the vehicle until it stopped, then approached the vehicle and directed the driver, Timothy Garnett Covington, 39, to turn off the vehicle. Covington refused, and when the officer attempted to remove Covington from the vehicle, Covington reached under his shirt and retrieved a handgun from his waistband. The officer returned to his vehicle and Covington drove away.
Covington drove down an alley before abandoning the vehicle and fleeing on foot. Officers located Covington inside a residence and detained him. Officers later located two firearms and .5 grams of methamphetamine inside the residence.
As a previously convicted felon, Covington 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; Jason S. Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia; and Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Gilliland, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, 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. 3:23-cr-136.
Registered sex offender sentenced to 70 years for sexually exploiting minorsRead the Press Release
GALVESTON, Texas - A 44-year-old Manvel resident has been ordered to federal prison after his multiple convictions involving child sexual abuse material (CSAM), coercion and enticement of minors and being a registered sex offender while committing the crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Brian Jones pleaded guilty March 12 to two counts each of sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement of a minor and penalties for registered sex offenders as well as one count of possession of CSAM.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown has now sentenced him to 600 months on each of the sexual exploitation charges and the coercion and enticement counts and 240 months for possessing child pornography to run concurrently. He also received 120 months for each of the penalties for registered sex offenders which will be served consecutively to each other and as to the other counts for a total of 840 months.
At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence regarding two victims whom he began talking to when they were just 11 and six years of age. Their guardian prepared a victim impact statement which described how the children were seeing a therapist on a weekly basis for the trauma they endured and how they had to leave the only school and friends they had ever known. The statement also references a comment from the therapist who noted that when she thinks of these children, she just wants to cry.
Jones was further ordered to pay restitution to the victims and will serve the rest of his life on supervised release following the completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to the internet. He will also again be required to register as a sex offender.
“Mr. Jones’ criminal history, which includes a prior sexual offense involving a minor, demonstrates that he is beyond any hope of rehabilitation, and thus only a life sentence or the equivalent, like the one he received today, can adequately safeguard the community from his future predatory behavior,” said Ganjei. “Although we may not ever fully heal the scars that the defendant inflicted on the victims in this case, we can ensure that Mr. Jones can never harm another child again.”
“Another great investigation through our partnership with Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force,” said Chief Johnny Spires of Pearland Police Department (PPD). “Our detective has been investigating these horrible crimes for more than 17 years and is considered an expert in his field. We are very proud of his work here at the PPD and his continued assistance working with other agencies throughout our area. We ask the public to please help protect our children, if you see something say something.”
“With today’s sentencing we have removed a dangerous predator from the community who preyed on children as young as six years old and has shown absolutely no remorse for his heinous actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz of Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) Houston. “The success of this investigation is a direct result of the unwavering support we continue to receive from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the tireless efforts of our partners at PPD, who worked closely with our special agents to ensure this individual is no longer free to victimize innocent children.”
A total of 24 cybertips from the NCMEC prompted the investigation in 2023. An individual, later identified as Jones, had uploaded over 1,000 CSAM files from April 5 - May 8, 2023. The investigation revealed he was a registered sex offender.
Authorities conducted a residential search warrant and seized his electronic devices. A forensic examination revealed he had over 11,000 images and over 850 videos which depicted children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including anal and vaginal penetration, masturbation, sadistic and masochistic conduct and the lewd and lascivious exhibition of genitals.
Law enforcement also found images and screenshots of an adult female filming two naked children for Jones during several live chats. In some of the images, Jones’ face or genitals are included as he recorded himself watching them. Some images also included the adult female touching the minor victims.
Jones had initially talked to the adult female who had a connection to the children. He first requested naked pictures of her and then of the minors.
Text messages between Jones and the minor victims also revealed he had asked them to send him images of their vaginas. The abuse lasted for over three years.
The investigation also identified the adult female who had also pleaded guilty to two counts of the sexual exploitation of children and is serving a 50-year federal prison sentence.
This was also not the first time Jones had requested children to take pornographic pictures of themselves for him. He was sentenced in 2016 for indecency with a child by exposure in which he had requested his then girlfriend’s minor daughter to send him naked pictures of herself.
PPD, ICE-HSI Galveston and the Houston Metro ICAC task force conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Kimberly Ann Leo and former AUSA Brian Hrach prosecuted the case which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to over 21 Years in Federal Prison for Multiple Child Exploitation and Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier sentenced a Rapid City, SD, man convicted of Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet, Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography, and Attempted Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor. The sentencing took place on May 30, 2025.
William Henry Riese, 34, was sentenced to 21 years and eight months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Riese was ordered to pay $400 in special assessments to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and to forfeit the cell phone he used to commit his crimes.
A federal grand jury indicted Riese in August 2022. He was found guilty at the conclusion of a jury trial in Rapid City in February 2025.
Riese was arrested following an undercover sex trafficking operation during the Sturgis Bike Rally that targeted predators on the Internet. After multiple days of sending sexually explicit messages, videos, and photos with a person Riese believed to be a 14-year-old girl, Riese negotiated a time and place he would meet the minor to engage in unlawful sex acts. When Riese went to the pre-determined location to meet the minor, he was met by law enforcement agents rather than the child he intended to meet. Riese was immediately arrested and has remained in custody since his arrest.
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 Homeland Security Investigations, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case.
Riese was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Public Servants Sentenced for COVID-19 Relief FraudRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Angelo Stephen, 33, a former Federal Bureau of Prisons Correctional Officer, and George Arestuche, 47, a former Miami-Dade County Aviation Department employee, were sentenced in separate cases after pleading guilty to defrauding COVID-19 relief programs.
Angelo Stephen
On May 22, Stephen was sentenced to four months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $75,513 in restitution by Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga. Chief Judge Altonaga also entered a forfeiture money judgment against Stephen in the additional amount of $71,166. The sentence follows Stephen’s conviction for wire fraud in connection with his fraudulent applications for two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and one Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), as well as his participation in two bank account takeover schemes.
During his change of plea hearing, Stephen admitted that on August 4, 2020, he submitted a false and fraudulent EIDL application in his own name to the Small Business Administration (SBA), claiming to be an independent contractor and the sole owner of a business that provided event planning and entertainment services with 10 employees. The EIDL application falsely certified that for the applicable 12-month period, the business had approximately $62,018 in gross revenue and a cost of goods sold of $0. Based on his false and fraudulent application, Stephen received $20,000 in EIDL proceeds from the SBA.
Stephen additionally admitted to fraudulently obtaining two PPP loans. On April 24, 2021, Stephen submitted a first-draw PPP loan application, claiming to be the sole proprietor of a non-existent business with $106,554 in gross income in 2020. In support of the application, Stephen submitted a fraudulent IRS Form 1040 Schedule C. Based on his false and fraudulent application, Stephen received $20,833 in PPP loan proceeds from an SBA-approved lender. On May 11, 2021, Stephen submitted a second-draw PPP loan application, making the same false claims about his nonexistent business that was supported by submission of the identical false Schedule C. Based on his false and fraudulent application, Stephen obtained $20,833 in PPP loan proceeds from a different SBA-approved lender.
Stephen also admitted to taking part in two bank account takeover schemes. On March 30, 2023, Stephen received a $20,000 wire transfer from the account of an unsuspecting victim in Virginia. Stephen quickly withdrew all illegally obtained money through a series of cash withdrawals and Zelle transfers to others. In the second takeover scheme, Stephen and his accomplices obtained new checks from the credit union account of a different unsuspecting victim. Stephen subsequently used one of those checks to obtain $8,500 in cash that he was not entitled to.
George Arestuche
On May 28, Arestuche was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck to five years of probation to include 210 days in home detention and ordered to pay $114,679 in restitution, plus community service. The sentence follows Arestuche’s conviction for conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with his fraudulent application for an EIDL.
According to the facts admitted at the change of plea hearing, Arestuche and a co-conspirator devised a scheme to defraud the SBA by submitting a false and fraudulent application for Arestuche to obtain an EIDL and EIDL advance. As part of the conspiracy, Arestuche agreed to pay the co-conspirator a large fee.
On July 9, 2020, Arestuche’s co-conspirator submitted a false and fraudulent EIDL application to the SBA on behalf of Arestuche, claiming that Arestuche was an independent contractor and the sole owner of an automotive repair business with 10 employees. The EIDL application falsely certified that for the applicable 12-month period, the business had $600,000 in gross revenue and a cost of goods sold of $184,000. In reality, Arestuche was not an independent contractor and did not own any type of business. The EIDL application was supported by a fraudulent IRS Form 1040 Schedule C. As a result of this false and fraudulent EIDL application, Arestuche obtained $149,900 in EIDL proceeds and a $10,000 EIDL advance from the SBA. Arestuche subsequently paid his co-conspirator $17,275 for helping him fraudulently obtain the money from the SBA. Since pleading guilty, Arestuche has paid $50,000 in advance restitution payments.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; acting Special Agent in Charge Amber Howell of the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General’s Fraud Detection Office (DOJ-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG), Eastern Region; acting Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of FBI Miami; and Inspector General Felix Jimenez of the Miami-Dade County Office of Inspector General (MDC-OIG) made the announcement.
DOJ-OIG and SBA-OIG investigated the Stephen case. SBA-OIG and the FBI’s Miami Area Corruption Task Force, which includes task force officers from the MDC-OIG, investigated the Arestuche case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm prosecuted both cases.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda is handling forfeiture matters in the Stephen case.
In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide EIDLs to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred. EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case numbers 25-cr-20014 (Stephen) and 25-cr-20001 (Arestuche).
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Pinedale Man Admits Guilt in Violent Knife AttackRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Pinedale man pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon after slashing a man’s throat during a confrontation.
According to court records, on February 17, 2025, Laberto Curley, 25, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, used a knife to slash John Doe’s throat during a physical altercation, resulting is serious bodily injury.
At sentencing, Curley faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. Upon his release from prison, Curley will be subject to up to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jesse Pecoraro is prosecuting the case.
View the Plea Agreement (Curley)_7.pdfPassaic County Man Admits to Conspiring to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
Newark, N.J. – A Passaic County man admitted to distributing approximately 500 pills of fentanyl, United States Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Angelo Restituyo-Garcia, 34, of Paterson, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden to one count of conspiring to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846, and one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B).
According to the statements made in court and the documents filed in this case:
From in or about March of 2020 through May of 2020, Restituyo-Garcia conspired with others to distribute fentanyl. On May 1, 2020, Restituyo-Garcia delivered nearly 500 pills of compressed fentanyl totaling more than 50 grams for which he accepted $2,750 in payment.
The conspiracy charge and the possession with intent to distribute charge are both punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 40 years in prison and a maximum $5,000,000 fine. Each charge carries with it a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for October 1, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz in Newark, New Jersey as well as investigators with the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Prosecutor Camelia Valdes.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the Untied States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. McCarren of the Office’s Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Adalgiza Nunez, Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark
restituyogarcia.information.pdfPassaic County Correctional Officer Admits Civil Rights Violation and Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice in Connection with an Assault of a Pretrial DetaineeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Passaic County Correctional Officer admitted his role in assaulting a pretrial detainee and conspiring to obstruct justice, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Sergeant Jose Gonzalez, 46, pleaded guilty on May 28, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark federal court to a two-count indictment charging him with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On January 22, 2021, a pretrial detainee at the Passaic County Jail (“PCJ”) squirted a mixture containing urine onto a correctional officer. The following day, on January 23, 2021, Sergeant Gonzalez admitted that he, along with Sergeant Donald Vinales, and Correctional Officer Lorenzo Bowden, who were also charged in this case, transported the detainee through an area of the PCJ that does not have a video surveillance camera, which Correctional Officers and inmates at the PCJ have referred to as a “blind spot.” While in that “blind spot,” Sergeant Gonzalez admitted that he and Sergeant Vinales assaulted the detainee, while he was handcuffed, when they knocked him to the ground and struck him multiple times. One day after the assault, the detainee was taken to a local hospital, which documented injuries from the assault.
The defendants were required to submit documentation regarding their use of force. None of them submitted any such reports.
In March 2022, Sergeant Gonzalez admitted that he made false statements to federal law enforcement officers during an interview in connection with this investigation. Additionally, in April 2022, after receiving federal grand jury subpoenas in connection with this investigation, Sergeant Gonzalez, Sergeant Vinales, Officer Bowden, among others, met to discuss the federal investigation. During that meeting, the group agreed not to cooperate with the federal investigation and also agreed to say that nothing had happened to the detainee (referring to the assault). Thereafter, during an interview with federal investigators in October 2022, Bowden falsely stated that the detainee had not been assaulted and that there had not been any meeting or communication among those who participated in or witnessed the assault.
Officer Bowden pleaded guilty on April 18, 2024, before Judge Farbiarz to an information charging him with conspiracy to obstruct justice and is awaiting sentencing.
Sergeant Vinales pleaded guilty on May 21, 2025, before Judge Farbiarz to a two-count indictment charging him with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. He is also awaiting sentencing.
The charge of deprivation of rights under color of law carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and the charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Both charges carry a fine of up to $250,000. Gonzalez’s sentencing is scheduled for October 22, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark; and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office Division of Internal Affairs, under the direction of Sheriff Thomas Adamo.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin, Chief of the Narcotics/OCDETF Unit in Newark, and R. Joseph Gribko, Senior Trial Counsel in Trenton.
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Defense Counsel:
Valerie Palma DeLuisi, Esq., Clifton, New Jersey
gonzalez.indictment.pdfOwner of Santee Trucking Company Charged in $2 Million Credit Card SchemeRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Hasan Korkmaz, the owner and operator of San Diego Logistics Group Inc., a Santee trucking company, was arraigned in federal court today on an 18-count indictment charging him with bank fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft.
According to the indictment, in 2022 and 2023, Korkmaz executed a credit card “bust-out” scheme - where fraudsters establish seemingly legitimate credit card accounts and then “bust out” by maxing out the credit line with no intention of paying the balance.
The indictment alleges that Korkmaz obtained names, dates of birth, social security numbers and other personally identifiable information corresponding with real individuals. Korkmaz then applied for numerous credit card accounts with that information. After opening the fraudulent credit cards accounts, Korkmaz allegedly used the credit cards to incur charges at various businesses, including Korkmaz’s San Diego Logitistics Group Inc. The charges were in the thousands of dollars each, including some charges as high as $18,500 in a single transaction.
To perpetuate the scheme, Korkmaz also made fraudulent payments, with checks drawn on accounts with insufficient funds or drawn on non-existent accounts, to the credit card accounts, thereby temporarily restoring the available credit limits, the indictment said. Korkmaz would then incur additional charges on the credit card accounts at or near the maximum credit limits for the accounts.
As alleged in the indictment, Korkmaz laundered the bank fraud proceeds, including by transferring proceeds from the fraud scheme to a Turkish bank account controlled by Korkmaz. In total, Korkmaz caused over $2,103,000 in losses to two banks.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Mokhtari and Christopher Alexander.
DEFENDANT Case Number 25-cr-1405-JES
Hasan Korkmaz Age: 44 Las Vegas, NV
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Counts 1-12 - Bank Fraud - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1344(2)
Maximum penalty: Thirty years in prison; a maximum $1 million fine
Counts 13-14 - Money Laundering – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1957
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison; a maximum $500,000 fine or twice the amount of monetary instruments involved in the offense, whichever is greatest
Counts 15-18 - Aggravated Identity Theft – Title 18, U.S.C. Section 1028A
Maximum penalty: Mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison, to run consecutively to the specified felony
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Oregon Woman Pleads Guilty for Role in Sex Trafficking of MinorRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that CORA BEUVING (“BEUVING”), age 26, of Oregon, pled guilty before United States District Judge Eldon E. Fallon on May 29, 2025, to misprision of a felony, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 4.
According to court documents, in May 2024, two adult men brought a fifteen-year-old girl (Minor Victim) from Houston, Texas to New Orleans, Louisiana, for the purpose of having her engage in commercial sex. BEUVING posted advertisements for commercial sex with Minor Victim on online classified ad service websites.
In pleading guilty, BEUVING, faces a maximum penalty of three (3) years imprisonment, followed by up to one (1) year of supervised release. BEUVING also faces a fine of up to $250,000, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of Homeland Security Investigations and the Kenner Police Department in investigating this case. Assistant United States Attorney Maria M. Carboni of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Oregon Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Controlled Substances to High School StudentsRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—Jack E. Wagner, 22, pleaded guilty today to the unlawfully distributing controlled substances to two local high school students, announced the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
According to court documents, Wagner, a Milwaukie, Oregon resident, knowingly distributed psilocybin, a Schedule I controlled substance, to two West Linn High School students in West Linn, Oregon. Wagner later admitted to also possessing a firearm in connection with the offense.
Wagner faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, a $2 million fine and 8 years of supervised release. He will be sentenced on August 26, 2025, before a U.S. District Judge.
This case was investigated by the West Linn Police Department with assistance from the FBI and Clackamas County Interagency Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Scott M. Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
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.