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15 July 2025
South Carolina Woman Sentenced for Sending Threats to Kill a Catskill ManRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kristin Keeble, age 54, of Pageland, South Carolina, was sentenced yesterday to 5 months in jail, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release with 6 months of home detention, for transmitting a threat to injure another in interstate commerce.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
As part of her guilty plea, Keeble admitted that on October 26, 2023, she sent four threatening, profanity-laced and racially derogatory audio messages through Facebook Messenger to a man in Catskill, New York. Keeble threatened to kill the victim by hanging him, along with a woman the victim knew, and the woman’s children, from a tree. Keeble purported to be acting with members of the Ku Klux Klan. Keeble knew, from the victim’s Facebook profile photo, that the victim was Black.
U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “No one should ever receive despicable, hateful threats like this. Those who threaten people over the Internet are going to be prosecuted and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli stated: “No individual should live in fear because of someone’s intolerance and hatred. Threats of violence, especially borne from hate, will never be tolerated and the FBI remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners hold the perpetrators accountable for their disturbing actions and bring justice to the victims.”
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping prosecuted the case.
Sixth Member of Salinas-Based “Murder Squad” Sentenced to 38 Years in Federal Prison for 2017 Killing SpreeRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – Andrew Alvarado was sentenced today to 38 years in federal prison for racketeering conspiracy and 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to murder in aid of racketeering, to run concurrently, for his role in multiple murders and attempted murders as part of the self-proclaimed “Murder Squad,” a crew of Salinas-based Norteño criminal street gang members falling under the Monterey County Regiment Enterprise affiliated with the Nuestra Familia prison gang. U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman handed down the sentence.
Alvarado, 34, of Salinas, pleaded guilty on April 15, 2025, to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to murder in aid of racketeering. According to court documents, the “Murder Squad” conducted more than a dozen “hunts,” tracking and shooting dozens of Salinas residents whom they perceived to be members of a rival gang for reasons as vague as they were Hispanic, bald, or wearing blue. The squad would often use military-style tactics, traveling in a convoy of vehicles with a designated shooter vehicle and a designated security/spotter vehicle, all of which were in constant communication via conference call. The security/spotter vehicles would patrol the streets, find a target, and transmit their location to the shooter vehicle. The shooters in the shooter vehicle would drive up, exit, fire at the victims until their magazines were empty, and speed away. The security/spotter vehicles would follow behind, ready to distract or intercept law enforcement and allow the shooter vehicle to escape.
Between 2015 and 2018, 11 people were killed during these hunts. Another 17 people were shot at but survived. Most of the victims were not actually members of a rival gang. Some of the victims were not the intended target at all but were nevertheless hit in the crossfire.
In connection with pleading guilty, Alvarado admitted that he personally participated in six “hunts” between January 2017 and May 2017. He was the shooter in three of those hunts, resulting in the deaths of three victims and the wounding of a fourth. In one instance, the hunt began when members of the “Murder Squad” gathered at a house to remember a family member killed in a car accident; they decided to commemorate the person’s death and lift their spirits by going out to kill another. Separately, Alvarado was in the security/spotter vehicle in three other hunts, resulting in the deaths of three victims, the wounding of four victims, and the near-miss of one victim.
“Gangs and the drugs and violence they bring with them wreak havoc on our communities and the hardworking families that live within them. The ruthless actions of the ‘Murder Squad’ shattered the public’s sense of safety and destroyed the lives of so many in Salinas,” said United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian. “The so-called ‘hunts’ that Alvarado and his crew ran were simply inhumane. This lengthy sentence means that Alvarado, like many of his fellow gang members, will now answer for his brazen crimes.”
“HSI San Francisco has a long and impactful history of investigating transnational gangs that threaten the safety of our communities in Northern California. We are committed to the pursuit of justice for the victims of these criminal enterprises and the violence they perpetuate. Today’s sentencing is the product of countless investigative hours and the significant investigative resources which HSI brings to bear in combatting violent transnational criminal organizations and apprehending dangerous gang members like Alvarado,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Brannigan.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Freeman also sentenced the defendant to a five-year period of supervised release on count one and a three-year period of supervised release on count two, to run concurrently. Alvarado was immediately remanded into custody to begin serving his sentence.
Alvarado is the sixth member of the “Murder Squad” to be sentenced. Five other defendants each pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1962(d) and one count of conspiracy to murder in aid of racketeering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959(a)(5) and were previously sentenced on Sept. 10, 2024.
This prosecution was brought by the Violent Crime Strike Force and is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Assistant U.S. Attorney George Hageman is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Nina Burney, Lakisha Holliman, and Yenni Weinberg. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by HSI, the FBI, the Salinas Police Department, and the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
Shiprock Man Charged with Assault and Kidnapping on Navajo NationRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man has been charged in federal court for allegedly carrying out a series of violent assaults and a kidnapping that resulted in serious injuries to the victim.
According to court documents, on or about June 30, 2025, Darrin Begay, 33, allegedly assaulted the victim at a residence in within the exterior boundaries of Navajo Nation in New Mexico. The assault included punching, kicking, and strangulation, resulting in visible injuries to the victim’s face, neck, and arms.
On or about July 2, 2025, Begay allegedly returned to the victim’s home, threatened to harm the victim’s family members, and forced the victim into a vehicle. Begay then drove the victim away from her residence. He reportedly assaulted the victim again before pushing her out of the vehicle and leaving her on the roadside.
Begay is charged with assault on an intimate partner by strangling, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, assault with a dangerous weapon, and kidnapping. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Begay faces up to life in prison.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meg Tomlinson is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Seventeen Individuals Charged for Smuggling Kilogram Quantities of Cocaine Through the Luis Muñoz Marín International AirportRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned three separate indictments charging 17 individuals with drug trafficking through the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. Two defendants are also charged with money laundering.
First Indictment
On June 26, 2025, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging three individuals with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
As alleged in the indictment, beginning on a date unknown, but not later than in or about 2023, to the date of the indictment,
[1] Kristian Yadiel Falcón-López
[2] Chazz David Carter-Justiniano
[3] Natalia Díaz-García
knowingly and intentionally conspired and agreed with each other and with other individuals to possess with intent to distribute and distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine through the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport.
Falcón-López and Charter-Justiniano are also charged with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments which involved the proceeds of their drug trafficking activities.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan R. McCabe and María Cristina Semanaz-Ojeda from the Transnational Organized Crime Section are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
Second Indictment
The second indictment charges the following individuals with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine through the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport:
[1] Jonathan Ramírez-Colón, a.k.a. “Momia”
[2] Ivelisse García-Osorio
[3] Stephanie L. Suárez-Vélez
[4] Francheska Muriel-Quintana
[5] Estephanie Torres-Bosa, a.k.a. “Fany”
[6] Charitty M. Hernández-Reyes
The alleged period of the conspiracy is from a date unknown, but no later than in or about 2018, to the date of the indictment. Documents filed in the case also allege that Defendant Ramírez-Colón recruited couriers (commonly known as “mules”) and sent them with cocaine-filled suitcases to be checked in at the airport and transported to the continental United States where the cocaine would be delivered to other persons.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonio J. López-Rivera from the Transnational Organized Crime Section is in charge of the prosecution of the case.
Third Indictment
The third indictment unsealed today charges eight individuals with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine through the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. Those defendants are:
[1] Sandy L. Guardiola-Bermúdez, a.k.a. “Guny/Mario”
[2] Carlos Alberto Cruz-Bonilla, a.k.a. “Huesito”
[3] Onix Negrón-Guerrido
[4] Jomar Maldonado-Ríos
[5] Tanyshkaliz Archilla-Rivera, a.k.a. “Tany”
[6] Yarauni Nieves-Rivera
[7] Yairaliz Arzuaga-Díaz
[8] Patricia Ayala-Otero
According to the indictment, the conspiracy began on a date unknown, but not later than in or about 2023 and lasted through the date of the indictment. Documents filed in the case allege that the defendants were part of a drug trafficking organization comprised of a network of recruiters, coordinators, and transporters who traveled from Puerto Rico to the continental United States via commercial flights with cocaine for wholesale distribution, all for significant financial gain.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonio J. López-Rivera from the Transnational Organized Crime Section is in charge of the prosecution of the case.
“These drug trafficking organizations were using the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport to smuggle large quantities of cocaine from Puerto Rico to several destinations throughout the continental United States. Today, federal agencies dismantled these organizations by arresting leaders, organizers and travelers who made their distribution network possible,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow. “The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners in Puerto Rico and the Continental United States to gather the evidence necessary to bring the leaders and other members of these criminal organizations to justice.”
“These investigations demonstrate the DEA’s unwavering commitment to protecting our airports and the communities from the impact of drug trafficking. These criminal organizations believed they could operate with impunity out of Puerto Rico, but today, they are facing the swift hand of justice. I am deeply grateful for the tireless work of our agents, analysts, local and federal partners,” said Michael Miranda, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Agency Caribbean Division.
If convicted on the drug conspiracy charges, the defendants face a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, and a maximum sentence of life in prison. Those defendants charged with money laundering face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is in charge of the investigations with the assistance of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Puerto Rico Police Bureau and their respective Airport Investigations and Tactical Teams (AirTAT). The San Juan Municipal Police, the Carolina Municipal Police and the Puerto Rico Department of Treasury also collaborated during the investigations and arrests.
AirTAT identifies, locates, disrupts, dismantles, and prosecutes transnational crime organizations using the airports in Puerto Rico to smuggle narcotics, weapons, human cargo, counterfeit documents, illegal proceeds, and other contraband.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Serial Bank Robber Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Robbing a Manchester Credit Union while on Federal Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Manchester man was sentenced yesterday in federal court for bank robbery, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
Jesse Hippolite, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul J. Barbadoro to 60 months in federal prison. On April 22, 2025, Hippolite pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery.
“The defendant is a prolific bank robber with a long history of victimizing bank employees to line his own pockets,” said Acting U.S. Attorney McCormack. “His choices have made him a danger to the public, and thanks to the efforts of law enforcement, he will spend the next five years in federal prison.”
“Jesse Hippolite was a crime spree unto himself, robbing a dozen banks before this one” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “This sentence nips his burgeoning bank robbery career in the bud and holds him accountable for menacing innocent people who are just trying to make an honest living. This case is just one example of how the FBI continues to support our partners in pulverizing violent crime to improve public safety.”
According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, Hippolite has multiple state and federal convictions for robbery in New York. In 2011, he went on a bank robbery spree in New York City and was involved in multiple separate robberies. Each time, he was unarmed but passed a note threatening to kill people if his demands for money were not met. He was released from federal prison, in connection with those convictions, in February 2023. He then moved to New Hampshire, where he remained on federal supervised release.
In February 2025, Hippolite robbed a credit union in Manchester. He wore a disguise and was unarmed. Hippolite passed a note to three tellers reading:
$100,000
ALL $100 Bills
*No Dye Packs
Give Back Note
Hippolite stole $3,139 before fleeing. He was subsequently identified on nearby surveillance cameras.
The FBI and Manchester Police Department led the investigation. The U.S. Probation Office provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen prosecuted the case.
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San Antonio Man to Spend 65 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Exploiting 3 ChildrenRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced to 65 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting three young children.
According to court documents, Charles Alexander Lopez, 30, stated in a group chat on the instant messaging app Wickr that he was engaged in the sexual abuse and exploitation of minor children in October 2023. He posted two images and a video to the group on Oct. 24, 2023, along with a message stating, “My conquest for the day.” The two images depicted a male toddler whom Lopez had just sexually assaulted, while the video depicted a portion of the sexual assault itself.
An FBI Online Covert Employee (OCE) interacted with Lopez through a private chat, through which Lopez disclosed details of another sexual assault victimizing a female toddler a few days prior and that he has sexually exploited a non-verbal autistic male child as well. On Oct. 26, 2023, FBI San Antonio executed a federal search warrant for the home and person of Lopez, seizing electronic devices used to produce, distribute and possess child pornography.
Lopez admitted to sexually exploiting a male toddler, using his smartphone to produce and share Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). He also provided the names of other children he sexually assaulted and exploited, stating that he had sexually assaulted 15 minors since he was 10 years old and produced CSAM of approximately five different children.
Lopez was arrested on Oct. 27, 2023, and on Nov. 15, 2023, a federal grand jury indicted him for three counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possession of child pornography. He pleaded guilty on Feb. 10, 2025, to the three sexual exploitation charges. On July 14, Senior U.S. District Judge David Ezra sentenced Lopez to 65 years in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release. Ezra also ordered Lopez to pay $150,000 in restitution to three minor victims.
“Individuals like this, who take every opportunity to prey on helpless children simply cannot remain free in our society,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “This defendant has spent two-thirds of his life as a child predator, sexually assaulting, exploiting and forever altering the lives of vulnerable and defenseless children to fulfill his selfish and vile choices.”
“There is no place in our society for those who prey on the most vulnerable among us,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp for FBI San Antonio.” The FBI San Antonio Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, together with the United States Attorney’s Office, will relentlessly pursue every lead to investigate violent crimes against children and bring their perpetrators to justice.”
FBI San Antonio investigated the case, assisted by a referral from FBI Albany.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Rochester man going to prison for five years for arsonRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Jermaine Fields, 38, of Rochester, NY, who pleaded guilty to arson, was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles E. Moynihan, who handled the case, stated that on April 17, 2024, the Rochester Fire Department received an alarm call from the Abundance Co-Op Market on South Avenue in Rochester, for a fire in the men’s bathroom. When firefighters arrived, they entered the bathroom and smelled an odor of burning rubber, but there were no flames visible. Firefighters did observe burned debris with burn patterns on the floor and on the wall behind the toilet. Law enforcement reviewed security camera footage from the store, which depicted a person later identified as Fields, walking throughout the store and entering the men’s bathroom and then exiting. The store fire alarm activated seconds later. Fields was arrested several days later and charged with arson. Fields has also admitted to starting papers on fire in one of the stairwells at the Hall of Justice on Exchange Boulevard in Rochester on April 5, 2024.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Fire Department, under the direction of Chief Stefano Napolitano, the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division.
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Richmond recidivist sentenced to seven years in prison for latest drug offenseRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to seven years in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl.
According to court documents, On Aug. 18, 2024, Richmond police observed Ernest Winfred Mealey, 30, with what appeared to be a firearm. Mealey and another individual began walking away from the officers. The officers approached Mealy and asked if he had a firearm, which he denied. When asked if he had a concealed weapons permit, Mealey did not respond, then attempted to flee.
The officers pursued and tackled Mealey, at which point a firearm fell from Mealey’s shirt. Mealey also had a bag, from which officers recovered $1,696, a digital scale, 48.14 grams of fentanyl, and 28.17 grams of cocaine.
Mealey has seven prior felony convictions, including for drug and firearms offenses.
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; Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police; and Colette Wallace McEachin, Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Richmond, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Groover, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-7.
Postal employee pleads guilty to causing over $42,000 in damage to U.S. propertyRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Falls Church woman pled guilty today to causing damage to property of the United States.
According to court documents, on Jan. 16, mail carrier Lolita Brickhouse, 31, had concluded her work shift and began looking for her cellphone. Brickhouse began accusing other USPS employees and supervisors of stealing her cell phone. Brickhouse proceeded to violently knock over and throw objects around the postal facility. She personally insulted her supervisors and coworkers and taunted them to call the police.
Without authorization, Brickhouse took a set of vehicle keys, walked to the parking lot, and entered a USPS vehicle. Shen then deliberately rammed the vehicle into another USPS vehicle with such force that the second vehicle collided with and damaged a third USPS vehicle. Brickhouse exited the USPS vehicle and used her metal water bottle to break and shatter a driver-side window. As a result of the violent crash, Brickhouse totaled the second USPS vehicle.
Brickhouse is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 16 and faces up to 10 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff accepted the plea.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake Drucker is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-152.
Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Two Armed CarjackingsRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Isiah Surzano-Glover, 22, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 168 months in prison and five years of supervised release by United States District Judge Karen S. Marston for two gunpoint carjackings.
In March 2024, the defendant was charged by indictment, and he pleaded guilty in November to two counts of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, on January 2, 2024, at 7:30 p.m., he and accomplices lured victim P.M. to the 5400 block of Walker Street in Philadelphia by posing as a female named “Mercedes” on a dating app. When P.M. arrived, Surzano-Glover and the others, all masked, approached the victim, brandished guns, and threatened to shoot P.M. if he moved. The carjackers took P.M.’s keys, wallet, and phone, and drove away in his 2011 Ford Crown Victoria.
On January 3, 2024, at approximately 8:30 p.m., the defendant and several others, again using an app and the “Mercedes” ruse, lured R.E. to the 1700 block of Brill Street in Philadelphia. Upon R.E.’s arrival, the masked carjackers pointed handguns at him, pistol-whipped R.E. in the head with a gun, and took his keys and phone. They ordered him to run, then drove away in his 2006 Toyota Tacoma.
Approximately 30 minutes after R.E. was carjacked, Philadelphia police officers located R.E.’s Tacoma parked unattended at 5000 Valley Street, approximately half a mile from the scene of the crime. Other officers then observed what proved to be P.M.’s Crown Victoria, parked in an alley near the intersection of Pratt and Hawthorne streets, about a quarter of a mile from 5000 Valley Street, and placed the car under surveillance.
Around 10:15 p.m., P.M.’s Crown Victoria drove off and officers followed. The vehicle made its way to 5000 Valley Street, where a police car was alongside R.E.’s Tacoma, and then sped off, initiating a police pursuit. Multiple individuals eventually bailed from P.M.’s vehicle at the intersection of Worth Street and Margaret Street, and the defendant was arrested, following a foot pursuit.
In addition to the above crimes with which he was charged, Surzano-Glover admitted to participating in four other Philadelphia carjackings.
The case was investigated by the ATF and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Miller and Kwambina Coker.
Perry County Man Found Guilty on Twelve Counts of Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—A Houston, Arkansas, man was convicted by a federal jury on 12 counts of production of child sexual abuse material. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the guilty verdict which was handed down today.
James Johnson, 75, was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 7, 2023, and charged with 12 counts of production of child sexual abuse material. The jury trial began on July 14, 2025, before United States District Judge Brian S. Miller. After two days of testimony, the jury deliberated approximately 90 minutes before returning a guilty verdict on all 12 counts for which Johnson had been indicted.
The evidence at trial revealed that on September 28, 2022, special agents from the Arkansas State Police met with an employee of the Perryville Elementary School regarding a letter that a minor child victim, who was approximately 8-9 years old, wrote to her mother while she was at school containing concerning allegations about Johnson.
The minor child victim and her younger sibling lived next to Johnson’s home and were in his care during the abuse. The older minor child victim was interviewed and stated that Johnson watched pornography with the two victims present. The older minor victim stated both her and the younger minor victim sat on Johnson’s lap and he would put his hand down the back of their pants and touch their private areas.
On September 28, 2022, a search warrant was executed on Johnson’s residence. Law enforcement officers located and seized multiple digital items of evidence, specifically Johnson’s Samsung Galaxy cell phone. A review of Johnson’s phone revealed 12 images of the younger minor victim engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Johnson faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and not more than 30 years for each count. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation was conducted by the Arkansas State Police, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Bryant and Lauren Eldridge.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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@USAO_EDAR
Pennsylvania Man Arrested for Making Death Threats Against Chief Executive Officer of Tampa General HospitalRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the arrest and unsealing of a complaint charging Lawrence Brunn (63, Oakmont, PA) with cyber harassment. If convicted, Brunn faces up to five years in federal prison.
According to the complaint, Brunn began harassing J.C., the CEO of Tampa General Hospital, at least as far back as 2023. Brunn’s online harassment increased in frequency and intensity over the last two years. Brunn’s threats included calling for the execution of J.C. and frequently referring to J.C.’s beheading utilizing a guillotine. In one post from April 9, 2025, Brunn states that J.C. “should have his head chopped off” and further states that J.C. “should be scared…of we the people.” In addition to online postings, Brunn also sent mail to J.C.’s private residence, as well as J.C.’s neighbors’ residences, and members of the Board of Trustees for Tampa General Hospital.
A complaint is merely an arrest warrant alleging that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Candace Garcia Rich.
Pakistani Leader of International Alien Smuggling Organization Extradited from MexicoRead the Press Release
Note: See indictment here.
A Pakistani man made his initial appearance in court in Tucson, Arizona, today after being extradited from Mexico to face charges relating to his role in leading an international alien smuggling organization.
In May 2024, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned an indictment against Abbas Ali Haider, 48, of Sialkot, Pakistan, for conspiring to smuggle Pakistani nationals into the United States.
Haider allegedly operated two sham film production companies, Diamond TV World Productions and Multimedia Advertising Ltd., which were fronts for his alien smuggling organization. According to court documents, Haider used those Pakistan-based companies to contract with film companies in Ecuador, Cuba, and Colombia. He then had those companies sponsor visas for Pakistani nationals purporting to work for Haider’s companies under the guise that they were working on a joint filming project in Latin America. Haider provided the Pakistani nationals with phony paperwork indicating that they worked for his companies, which they used at ports of entry in Panama, Brazil, and Colombia. Haider coached the aliens to say they worked in the film industry to deceive and thwart customs and border officials. Haider’s network of smugglers then assisted the Pakistani nationals in traveling to the U.S.-Mexico border, where they illegally crossed into California, Texas, and Arizona. Haider charged the aliens up to $40,000 for the trip.
Haider travelled from Pakistan to Mexico in late 2024 and was arrested in Mexico in January 2025 at the request of the U.S. government. Extensive coordination and cooperation between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement authorities resulted in Haider’s timely extradition.
Haider is charged with one count of conspiracy to bring illegal aliens to the United States and four counts of bringing in illegal aliens for profit. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine for the District of Arizona, and Special Agent in Charge Shawn Gibson of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Diego, made the announcement.
HSI Calexico led U.S. investigative efforts, working in concert with HSI’s Brasilia, Quito, Tijuana, and Caribbean attaché offices and the HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, U.S. Border Patrol; the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Miami, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations office in Detroit provided substantial assistance. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Haider.
Trial Attorney Chelsea Schinnour of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Kreamer Hope and Evan Wesley for the District of Arizona are prosecuting the case.
The indictment and extradition are the result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) and the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) Program. JTFA, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been elevated and expanded with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Colombia. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the border. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by HRSP and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Office of Enforcement Operations, and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 390 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 350 U.S. convictions; more than 300 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.
The ECT program is a partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI and focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence, and prosecutorial resources. ECT also coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribe to Smuggle Contraband to Prison InmateRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – James P. Jackson, age 39, of Niles, Ohio, has pleaded guilty to using his role as an employee at a state prison to smuggle illicit substances and other prohibited items to an inmate at the facility.
According to court documents, Jackson was employed by the Trumbull Correctional Institution (TCI) in Leavittsburg, from 2022 through 2024. He served as a corrections officer and later, as a general maintenance worker, where he regularly came into contact with inmates. His work duties and responsibilities allowed him full access to non-public areas including prison cells.
Allegations in court documents show that Jackson was in communication with the wife of a TCI inmate. After some time spent exchanging text messages and keeping in touch by phone, the two agreed to meet. On Feb. 1, 2024, they met and she handed him two large, wrapped packages for him to deliver to her husband who was serving a sentence inside the facility. In return, Jackson accepted an initial bribe of $1,000 from her and was promised an additional $1,000 after the contraband was successfully delivered to the intended recipient. The next day, Jackson attempted to take the packages into TCI but was intercepted by law enforcement before entering.
The investigation revealed that the packages Jackson received−and attempted to smuggle into the prison−contained 97.67 grams of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, 207.63 grams of synthetic cannabinoid, 32.85 grams of phencyclidine (aka PCP or angel dust), various other drugs, a cellphone, and SIM cards.
On July 15, 2025, Jackson pleaded guilty after being charged by information for Hobbs Act extortion under color of official right for accepting money to smuggle two packages into TCI using his capacity as an employee of the facility. He faces a maximum of up to 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is yet to be scheduled.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Trumbull Correctional Institutions-Office of Investigations, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol-Office of Criminal Investigations Prison Drug Unit and Investigative Services for the Warren District.
Assistant United States Attorneys Chelsea S. Rice and Rebecca C. Lutzko prosecuted the case for the Northern District of Ohio.
New York Man Admits Health Care Fraud Scheme for Submitting Falsified Prescriptions to Medicare and MedicaidRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A New York man admitted his role in a scheme to defraud Medicare and Medicaid by submitting falsified prescriptions, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced today.
Thomas Conzo, 49, of Staten Island, New York, pleaded guilty today, before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of health care fraud.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
Defendant Thomas Conzo owned and operated Elite Pharmacy, a specialty pharmacy located in Linden, New Jersey. From August 2022 through March 2023, Conzo submitted hundreds of thousands of dollars of fraudulent claims for prescriptions to health care benefit programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, on behalf of Elite Pharmacy. Conzo used the credentials of pharmacists who did not work at Elite Pharmacy or otherwise review, sign, or authorize those prescriptions.
The charge of health care fraud is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross profit or loss caused by the offense, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for December 4, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division; special agents of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan in Newark; and special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney George Brandley of the Health Care Fraud and Opioids Enforcement Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Maria Noto, Esq.
conzo.information.pdfNew Jersey Man Who Stole Mail from USPS Collection Boxes is SentencedRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that IXAVIER HOLMAN, JR., 34, of Secaucus, New Jersey, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to three years of probation, the first six months of which Holman must serve in home detention, for stealing mail from U.S. Postal Service collection boxes in New Haven and West Haven. Judge Nagala also ordered Holman to perform 150 hours of community service.
According to court documents and statements made in court, at least eight times between December 2022 and June 2023, Holman used stolen mail collection box keys to steal mail from blue collection boxes at post offices located at 95 Fountain Street in New Haven, 589 Campbell Avenue in West Haven, and 844 Jones Hill Road in West Haven.
Holman was arrested on June 12, 2023, after he returned to the Fountain Street post office in West Haven and accessed the collection box in an attempt to steal mail. At the time of his arrest, Holman possessed two mail collection box keys. A search of his residence on that date revealed more than 3,000 pieces of stolen mail, USPS mail collection bins, and a credit card reader and embosser. The stolen mail included thousands of checks and money orders, separated and organized by bank, with a face value of more than $1.5 million.
On November 20, 2024, Holman pleaded guilty to theft of mail.
This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the West Haven and New Haven Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel E. Cummings.
Individuals who believe they are a victim of mail theft may file a complaint by calling 877-876-2455 or by visiting https://www.uspis.gov/report.
Missouri Man Sentenced for Child Pornography and Sexual Contact with TeenRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a man who possessed child sexual abuse material and engaged in sexual contact with a teen he’d met online to 168 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
Judge Schelp also ordered James Donald Goings, 36, of Overland, to pay $12,000 to the victims who have been identified in the child sexual abuse material that he possessed.
Goings pleaded guilty in March to one felony count of receipt of child pornography. He admitted possessing 2,500 images containing child sexual abuse material on a computer and 190 images in his Google account. He also admitted travelling to Illinois to engage in sexual contact with a 15-year-old that he met via Grindr, his plea agreement says. Goings was also in contact with another teen that he’d also met on Grindr. The second victim told investigators that during multiple video calls, Goings directed him to perform specific sexual acts, the plea says.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the Edwardsville (Illinois) Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan Chapman and Erin Granger prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Middletown man who pretended to be teenage boy online pleads guilty to coercing, exploiting minor girlsRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A Middletown man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to 11 counts of federal child exploitation crimes. The plea agreement includes a recommended sentence of 26 years in prison.
William Scott Elam, 53, connected with girls between the ages of 10 and 16 on various online chatting apps. He pretended to be a 14-year-old male and coerced or attempted to coerce the minor victims into creating nude images and videos that involved sexual conduct.
For approximately four years, Elam began online relationships with numerous minor females in at least seven states. Law enforcement officers have identified at least 10 victims to date. He admitted to coercing victims into masturbating on live video calls with him.
He manipulated at least one victim into complying by threatening to harm himself if she did not do as he asked. He instructed another victim to self-harm via cutting on live video after learning the victim had a history of self-harm.
Elam coerced victims into sending him live sexual material by threatening to leak naked images he obtained of them.
The defendant was arrested in October 2023. He pleaded guilty today to 10 counts of coercion and enticement and one count of sexual exploitation of children.
Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea entered on July 14 before U.S. District Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey is representing the United States in this case.
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Mexican National Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting Border Patrol AgentRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Elias Lunes-Gomez, 19, of Mexico, was sentenced on July 8, by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to 12 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Lunes-Gomez pleaded guilty on March 3, 2025 to Assault on a Federal Officer.
On October 26, 2024, a Border Patrol Agent encountered Lunes-Gomez wearing camouflage clothing and hiding in a tree near Menagers Dam. When the agent confronted Lunes-Gomez, a struggle ensued as Lunes-Gomez attempted to flee. During the struggle, Lunes-Gomez elbowed the agent in the ribs, causing both men to fall off a three-foot drop. Lunes-Gomez then placed his knee on the agent’s back and struck the agent several times in the back of the head. Eventually the agent was able to handcuff Lunes-Gomez, but because of the assault, the agent suffered a sprained ankle, knee pain, an elbow contusion, and lacerations to his face and hands.
United States Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie A. Sottosanti, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 24-08208-TUC-JCH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-118_Lunes-Gomez# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Member of Violent Gang Sentenced to Decade in Prison for Racketeering and Drug and Firearms TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in Cameron Street, a violent Boston gang.
Felisberto Lopes, also known as “Chee-B,” 40, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In November 2024, Lopes pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise, possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and multiple counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 6, 2025. In May 2023, Lopes was one of 22 individuals named in a multi-count superseding indictment charging him and others with racketeering conspiracy, drug and firearms trafficking and other offenses.
Lopes was identified as a member of Cameron Street, a violent gang based largely in Dorchester that uses violence to preserve, protect and expand its territory, promote fear and enhance its reputation. According to the charging documents, members use social media applications to promote Cameron Street, celebrate murders and other violent crimes committed by the gang, as well as denigrate rival gangs. Cameron Street members allegedly possess, carry and use firearms to murder and assault gang rivals as well as protect narcotics and drug proceeds. Cameron Street members also allegedly distribute controlled substances and firearms, commit armed robberies and engage in human trafficking in part to generate income for the Cameron Street enterprise.
During the investigation Lopes distributed several firearms as well as cocaine to a cooperating witness. On Feb. 26, 2022, law enforcement responded to a shooting that took place at Lopes’ residence in Dorchester. During a search of his residence, a half kilogram of cocaine, over $25,000, two plastic bags containing crack cocaine, two scales with cocaine residue, a bag of oxycodone pills and over 400 rounds of various calibers of ammunition were seized. Lopes was taken into custody nearby.
Lopes had previously been convicted in Suffolk Superior Court of aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and served a four-year state prison sentence.This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Scott Riordan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Feld Division; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office; Suffolk, Plymouth, Norfolk and Bristol County District Attorney’s Offices; and the Canton, Quincy, Randolph, Somerville, Brockton, Malden, Stoughton, Rehoboth and Pawtucket (R.I.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl and Charles Dell’Anno of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
McAllen man sentenced to 10 years for sending kilograms of cocaine in the mailRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 26-year-old McAllen resident has been sentenced for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Narciso Dominguez III pleaded guilty March 27.
U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has now ordered Dominguez to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court noted the significant amount of cocaine Dominguez trafficked and heard evidence linking him to a broader drug trafficking organization.
On May 23, 2024, Dominguez packaged 19 kilograms of cocaine for distribution, concealing the dangerous narcotics using simple shipping materials such as boxes and bubble wrap. Authorities later observed him purchasing the materials and surveilled stash houses in McAllen. He admitted he knew the packages contained narcotics.
Less than a week later, authorities pulled him over and discovered 43.35 kilograms of cocaine. A subsequent search of a McAllen residence led to the seizure of 229 additional kilograms. Dominguez later admitted to mailing about 100 kilograms a day of cocaine across the United States.
Dominguez will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose A. Garcia prosecuted the case.
Massachusetts Woman Charged with Leaking Grand Jury InformationRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dracut, Mass. woman has been charged with allegedly disclosing information presented to a federal grand jury to unauthorized individuals.
Jessica M. Leslie, 34, was charged on Friday, July 11, 2025 with one count of criminal contempt. The defendant has agreed to plead guilty and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court.
According to the charging document, on various dates between Aug. 11, 2022 and March 4, 2024, the defendant disclosed sealed information to unauthorized individuals, including the names of various witnesses appearing before a federal grand jury, the substance of witness testimony and other evidence presented to the grand jury, in violation of the Federal Rules and court order.
The charge of criminal contempt provides for a sentence of any term of years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Chief of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Maryland Man Sentenced to 90 Months in Prison for Attempting to Defraud Twenty-Eight Federal Bankruptcy Courts Out of More Than $1.8 Million in Unclaimed FundsRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On July 14, 2025, a Maryland man was sentenced to 90 months (seven years and six months) in prison for mail and wire fraud, falsification of bankruptcy records, and aggravated identity theft, in connection with his scheme to defraud twenty-eight federal bankruptcy courts, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
Defendant Osakwe Ismael Osagbue was indicted on April 3, 2024, and plead guilty on February 19, 2025.
According to court documents, from 2022 through April 2024 Osagbue devised a scheme to obtain money under the custody of various United States Bankruptcy Courts by submitting false documents impersonating unsuspecting individuals and requesting the withdrawal of unclaimed funds. Osagbue used the Federal Judiciary’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records system (PACER) to search for and identify bankruptcy cases with unclaimed funds. Osagbue would then mail the corresponding bankruptcy court a fraudulent application for payment of unclaimed funds. These fraudulent applications contained the means of identification of real people, including names and social security numbers, and signatures. The fraudulent applications sought payment to bank accounts controlled by Osagbue in the names of the individual victims. On occasion, Osagbue followed-up by sending e-mail communications to court personnel using fraudulent e-mail accounts in the names of the unsuspecting individual victims. Upon receipt of payment, Osagbue would withdraw funds from automatic teller machines (ATMs) and deposit cash into his own personal bank account in his true name.
As part of his scheme, Osagbue submitted applications for more than $1.8 million in unclaimed funds. The twenty-eight United States Bankruptcy Courts involved are as follows:
1. The District of Puerto Rico;
2. The Northern District of Alabama;
3. The District of Arizona;
4. The District of Colorado;
5. The District of Connecticut;
6. The District of Delaware;
7. The Middle District of Florida;
8. The District of Hawaii;
9. The Northern District of Illinois;
10. The Southern District of Indiana;
11. The Eastern District of Kentucky;
12. The Western District of Louisiana;
13. The Eastern District of Michigan;
14. The Southern District of Mississippi;
15. The Eastern District of Missouri;
16. The District of Montana;
17. The District of Nevada;
18. The District of New Jersey;
19. The Eastern District of New York;
20. The Eastern District of North Carolina;
21. The Northern District of Ohio;
22. The Southern District of Ohio.
23. The Western District of Pennsylvania;
24. The District of Rhode Island;
25. The District of Utah;
26. The Eastern District of Washington;
27. The District of Washington D.C., and
28. The Eastern District of Wisconsin
The United States Secret Service investigated this case in furtherance of its mission to combat cutting edge and complex financial crimes that pose a threat to the federal government and the nation’s economic security. The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Puerto Rico (BCPR) reported the fraudulent scheme to federal authorities.
“This sentencing reflects the US Attorney’s Office ongoing commitment to prosecuting sophisticated fraudsters who abuse the system,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “Thanks to the relentless efforts of our multiagency partners, we will continue to aggressively pursue accountability for perpetrators whose actions impact the integrity of the United States courts and the integrity of the United States bankruptcy system.
“Filing fraudulent unclaimed funds requests strike at the integrity of the bankruptcy system. This sentence will go a long way in protecting it,” said Monsita Lecaroz-Arribas, Assistant U.S. Trustee for the District of Puerto Rico. “We are grateful to U.S. Attorney Muldrow and our law enforcement partners, such as the United States Secret Service, for their commitment to protect the interests of the bankruptcy process in Puerto Rico and nationwide. Together with them, we will continue to pursue fraud and abuse in bankruptcy cases here and across the country.”
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney José Capó-Iriarte and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney José Carlos Díaz-Vega from the United States Department of Justice, Office of the United States Trustee, San Juan field office, prosecuted the case. The United States Trustee Program, through its Office of Criminal Enforcement provided assistance as part of their responsibilities of coordinating criminal enforcement activities in the investigation and prosecution of bankruptcy related crimes throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, with the mission to protect the nation’s bankruptcy system and to promote the integrity and efficiency of the bankruptcy system for the benefit of debtors, creditors, and the public.
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Martin City man pleads guilty to child pornography chargesRead the Press Release
MISSOULA - A Martin City man accused of producing child pornography admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The defendant, Raymond Owen Bonner, Jr., 40, pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. Bonner faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 to 30 years, a $250,000 fine, and not less than 5 years to a lifetime of supervised release for production of child pornography, and a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 5 to 20 years, a $250,000 fine, and not less than 5 years to a lifetime of supervised release for distribution of child pornography.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. U.S. District Court Judge Dana L. Christensen will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing has been set for November 19, 2025. Bonner was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that in August 2024, an FBI undercover agent was operating in applications known for trafficking in child sexual abuse material. The agent found that a user had posted messages to a chat room in one such application in June 2024 and July 2024 stating that user had access to a six-year-old girl (Jane Doe) and was sexually abusing that child. The user, later identified as Bonner, posted images and videos of his abuse that verified his hands-on access to Doe. Bonner told other users in the chat room he was Doe’s babysitter.
Investigators responded to Bonner’s address in Martin City on September 5, 2024. Bonner fled his residence prior to law enforcement’s arrival. In a home near Bonner’s residence, FBI agents located Jane Doe. Doe and others verified that Bonner was her babysitter and later identified Bonner as the person abusing her in the images and videos he had distributed. The FBI also seized several devices from Bonner’s home, including a cell phone.
The FBI searched the phone and found images and videos of Doe that were the same as the images and videos of Doe posted by Bonner to the chat room. Bonner was located by law enforcement and arrested on September 19, 2024.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney prosecuted the case. The FBI and Flathead County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
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Man Sentenced to 300 Months in Prison for Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On July 7, 2025, United States District Court Judge Aida Delgado-Colón sentenced Ángel Alexis Vázquez-Sánchez to 300 months (25 years) in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for child exploitation. Vázquez-Sánchez, 27, from Jayuya, PR, was indicted on March 5, 2024, and plead guilty on January 29, 2025.
According to court documents, from December 2021 throughout May 2023, Ángel Alexis Vázquez Sánchez sexually exploited four different minor females, between the ages of 12 and 16, with the intent that the minors engage in sexual activity, and to obtain sexually explicit images of the minors.
Ángel Alexis Vázquez Sánchez plead guilty to four counts of sexual exploitation of children. From December 2021 through May 2023, the defendant used his cellular device, social media, and communication platforms to communicate in a sexually explicit manner via text, still images, video and voice notes, with four female minors ranging from 12 to 16 years of age to employ, use, persuade, induce, entice and coerce the female minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct. The defendant solicited and received such images via his cellular device and requested that the female minors engage in sexual acts or sexual contact and produced the images and videos of the sexually explicit conduct of the minors.
The FBI investigated the case, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG) provided significant assistance during the ongoing investigation.
Assistant US Attorney Jenifer Y. Hernández-Vega, Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit Chief, prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Marianna Man Receives 10 Years in Prison for Dealing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Today, United States Attorney John Heekin announced that Lorenzo Heatrice, 70, of Marianna, Florida, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after having been found guilty by a federal jury of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute 5 and 50 grams of methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I commend our state and federal law enforcement partners for their diligent work in investigating Mr. Heatrice’s drug trafficking and helping to bring him to justice. Methamphetamine is a scourge that my office, in close coordination with our law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively pursue to help keep the residents of our community healthy and safe.”
Trial testimony established that, beginning in June 2023 through early 2024, Lorenzo Heatrice, along with others, sold multiple ounce quantities of methamphetamine throughout Jackson County. Evidence demonstrated that Heatrice was personally responsible for distributing at least 850 grams of methamphetamine to other dealers who then resold the drugs.
“This sentencing reflects the hard work of DEA and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in this joint investigation,” said DEA Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter. “This partnership resulted in one less meth distributor poisoning our communities.”
“Each day we suffer the harsh consequences drug traffickers plague our community with by their selfish actions. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office stands committed to relentlessly pursuing these individuals and will work cohesively with our law enforcement partners to protect those that choose Jackson County as their home,” said Sheriff Edenfield, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
The conviction and sentence were the result of a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica Etherton and Eric Welch prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Longtime VA Contracting Officer Sentenced to over Five Years in Prison for Defrauding the Agency of More Than $500,000Read the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Ahmed Hassan, 71, of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Judge John F. Murphy to 64 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release for defrauding his employer, the Department of Veterans Affairs (“the VA”), of over $500,000. The defendant was also ordered to pay $565,058.70 in restitution, with $150,000 of that restitution due in 30 days, and a $2,200 special assessment.
Hassan was charged by indictment in April 2021. After a one-week trial in October of 2024, a federal jury convicted the defendant of 22 counts of wire fraud for misusing his VA position to steal from the agency.
As proven at trial, Hassan was a trusted supervisory engineer at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (“VA Medical Center”) in Philadelphia. In that position, Hassan was responsible for all mechanical and large HVAC systems at the Medical Center and was further charged with overseeing and implementing contracts in his area of responsibility.
From approximately 2013 through October 2017, Hassan schemed to defraud the VA by drafting and submitting for payment, false invoices of a shell company called HT Mechanical. But unbeknownst to Medical Center management, and in violation of Hassan’s duties to the VA, HT Mechanical was a fraudulent entity that Hassan had secretly set up with his then-paramour, Lynn Hanrahan[1] — a social worker with no knowledge of, or expertise in, HVAC or mechanical systems — in order to defraud the VA.
For years, the defendant made up fake work, drafted false invoices on HT Mechanical letterhead, submitted them for payment to the VA under the VA purchase card program, and lied to the VA, claiming that the work had been done, when the so-called jobs did not exist, and no work was performed. After the VA made payment to HT Mechanical based on the defendant’s lies, his paramour returned the payments to the defendant, either by check or by giving the defendant envelopes of cash.
“Fraud against the government hurts us all,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “It heightens the cost of public services and threatens their availability to deserving citizens. In this case, out of sheer greed, Ahmed Hassan thoroughly betrayed the veterans the VA exists to serve and stole from American taxpayers. Today’s sentence shows that criminals who cheat the U.S. government will pay for it, in the end.”
“This sentencing demonstrates that those involved in defrauding VA, particularly VA employees in positions of public trust, will be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Algieri with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office. “The VA OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure the integrity of VA’s programs and services.”
The case was investigated by Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Megan Curran and Assistant United States Attorney Mary E. Crawley.
[1] Hanrahan was charged in a related scheme, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced on January 8, 2025.
Lead defendant in multi-state car theft ring pleads guiltyRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – The lead defendant in a $1.5 million chop shop conspiracy pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court.
Kahrese Tracey Scott Lee, 28, of Cincinnati, pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport stolen vehicles in interstate commerce and to knowingly operating a chop shop. He faces up to 15 years in prison.
According to court documents, between at least October 2023 and October 2024, Lee, who is also known as “Reese Lee” and “Bennett Jones,” knowingly worked with others to orchestrate an interstate stolen car ring. The defendant operated a garage in Dayton and received dozens of stolen vehicles. For example, during May 2024 alone, Lee’s Dayton chop shop housed within it more than half a million dollars in stolen cars and vehicle parts.
Lee often disassembled stolen vehicles and removed their parts for resale or for placement in another vehicle. He both received and traded or sold vehicles out of state.
On occasion, Lee also stole vehicles himself or worked with others to do so. During one planned theft incident, Lee and others traveled from Ohio to Indiana, where they stole three vehicles valued at more than $200,000 total from an auto lot.
Law enforcement ultimately discovered Lee and others in possession of the stolen vehicles in Alabama, where Lee planned to establish a new garage. Officers confiscated the cars and returned them to the Indiana dealership that owned them.
Lee and his accomplices had placed a tracking device on one of the stolen cars and tracked it back to Indiana. Lee traveled back to the Indiana dealership and attempted to steal the vehicle again; however, law enforcement apprehended him as he attempted to do so.
Lee and six others were charged by a federal indictment in November 2024.
Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal announced the guilty plea entered on July 11 before Senior U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice. Deputy Criminal Chief Brent G. Tabacchi and Assistant United States Attorney Rob Painter are representing the United States in this case.
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Lead Man Sentenced to 3½ Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Machinegun Conversion DevicesRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Lead, South Dakota, man convicted of Unlawful Possession of a Machinegun. The sentencing took place on July 11, 2025.
Ray Steele, 63, was sentenced to three years and five months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Steele was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Unlawful Possession of a Machinegun by a federal grand jury in May 2024. He pleaded guilty on April 21, 2025.
Between late 2020 and May 2024, Steele, a felon prohibited from possessing firearms, had another person purchase firearms for him and was then building various caliber rifles. At the same time, Steele was also illegally manufacturing machinegun conversion devices to convert semi-automatic rifles into fully automatic machineguns. Once manufactured and inserted into a rifle, Steele and others would shoot the fully automatic machineguns. During a search warrant of his residence, law enforcement located six machinegun conversion devices, including one Steele was preparing to ship to an individual in California. Law enforcement also seized numerous firearms belonging to Steele.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Lead Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Steele was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Law Enforcement Recovers over $6 Million in Forfeited Assets from Miami Couple Sentenced to 9- and 3-Year Prison Terms for Health Care Fraud and Money Laundering ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On July 10, 2025, Magaly Travieso, 54, of Miami, Fla., was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit health care fraud, and Yudorki Ramirez, 53, of Miami, Fla., was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Travieso was an advanced practitioner registered nurse and the owner of ProMed Healthcare, L.L.C., a medical clinic that purportedly provided back and shoulder braces, physical therapy, psychosocial rehabilitation, and other mental health therapy services to beneficiaries with commercial insurance, Medicare, and Medicare Advantage Plans, and to Medicaid recipients. From approximately March 2019 through at least January 2023, Travieso conspired with others to submit over $20 million in fraudulent claims for reimbursement, of which ProMed received over $10 million.
Specifically, Travieso and her co-conspirators paid patients illegal kickbacks and fabricated medical records to substantiate thousands of insurance claims for medically unnecessary goods and services—and services that ProMed never even provided. For example, Travieso and other ProMed mental health counselors completed progress notes for “psychosocial rehabilitation” (“PSR”) with fabricated stock quotes of PSR patients that they copied throughout records of dozens of different elderly patients. ProMed’s medical records even copied the typos in those fabricated quotes. Travieso and others’ PSR progress notes not only copied participant responses, the notes also fabricated observations, results, and other medical notations.
Once ProMed’s health care fraud proceeds were deposited into ProMed’s bank accounts, Travieso and her former spouse, Ramirez, used the fraud proceeds for their personal use and benefit. For example, Travieso spent approximately $75,000 in proceeds on the purchase of a 2021 Land Rover Range Rover in the name of ProMed and approximately $750,000 in proceeds on the purchase of her residence in Miami, Florida. Similarly, Ramirez spent approximately $141,923.02 of proceeds on the purchase of his residence in Miami. Ramirez also laundered approximately $2,068,904.55 of health care fraud proceeds into his investment accounts. In June 2024, pursuant to seizure warrants, law enforcement seized Travieso’s Range Rover and over $4 million in health care fraud proceeds from bank accounts belonging to Travieso and Ramirez. Since then, law enforcement has recovered over $2 million in additional forfeited assets, and the Court ordered Travieso and Ramirez to pay millions more to the Government and the victims.
Hayden P. O’Byrne, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Miami Field Office, Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan Lynch of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier for the Florida Office of the Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI Miami Field Office, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Florida Office of the Attorney General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Egozi prosecuted the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster handled asset forfeiture.
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.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
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-CR-20074-KMM.
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Kansas man Indicted on Drug Trafficking and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN.– A federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, returned an indictment charging a Kansas man on drug trafficking and illegal firearms offenses.
According to court documents, Marquis V. Bridgeman, 26, of Kansas City, Kansas, is charged with two counts of felon in possession of a firearm, one count of possession of a machinegun, one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Kansas Highway Patrol are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
OTHER INDICTMENTS
Jaylen Stallworth, 24, of Wylie, Texas, was indicted on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Kansas City Man Indicted for Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Jacob Davis, 53, was indicted by a federal grand jury for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and fentanyl.
Today’s indictment alleges that on March 12, 2025, Davis possessed cocaine and cocaine base with intent to distribute, and on July 8, 2025, Davis possessed over 400 grams of fentanyl with intent to distribute. All three charges stem from search warrants conducted on Davis’s residence in Kansas City, Missouri. On July 8, 2025, law enforcement served an arrest warrant for the March offenses. While arresting Davis, they observed additional indications of drug trafficking and obtained a subsequent search warrant. Investigators located approximately 3 kilograms of powder fentanyl along with two pill presses, scales, and a money counter.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Siegele. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from Kansas City Missouri Police Department, Independence Police Department, and Belton Police Department.
Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force
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 United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Kansas City Man Indicted for Possession with Intent to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Ramon Arambula, 44, was indicted by a federal grand jury for possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
Today’s indictment alleges that on July 9, 2025, Arambula possessed cocaine with the intent to distribute. This charge stems from a vehicle stop conducted on a vehicle being operated by Arambula on July 9. After a drug detection K-9 gave a positive alert on the vehicle, officers recovered 5 brick-shaped packages that contained cocaine. The total amount of cocaine seized was approximately 5,892 grams.
The charge contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan A. Baker. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Kansas City Missouri Police Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Jackson County Drug Task Force and Cass County Sheriff’s Office.
KC Metro Strike Force
This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
KC Man Indicted for Illegally Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man illegally possessed ammunition has been indicted by a federal grand jury.
Brian H. Brown, 49, was charged today in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Brown on July 7, 2025.
The federal indictment charges Brown with being a felon in possession of ammunition on July 3, 2025.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original complaint, Kansas City, Mo. Police Department officers were dispatched to 97th Terrace and Holmes Avenue at approximately 6:30 p.m. for an accident involving a disturbance with an armed party. An officer contacted the suspect, who was identified as Brown. Brown began to tell the officer about the accident and the officer believed Brown was driving while intoxicated. The officer ordered Brown to place his hands behind his back and Brown refused the officer’s commands. A struggle ensued between Brown and the officer, and the officer observed a handgun in Brown’s shorts pocket. Brown was eventually arrested, and the handgun was removed from his pocket.
The firearm was identified as a Polymer 80, “P-80”, camouflage in color. It was loaded with eleven rounds of ammunition. The firearm did not have a visible serial number.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Brown has felony convictions for trafficking in drugs, distribution of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Jennings. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.
Operation Take Back America
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
KC Man Indicted for Illegal Firearm in IndependenceRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who stole a firearm from a vehicle earlier this month has been indicted by a federal grand jury.
Irvin M. Swim, 35, was charged today in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Swim on July 7, 2025.
The federal indictment charges Swim with being a felon in possession of a firearm on July 5, 2025.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original complaint, a male citizen reported that a male entered the citizen’s vehicle, which was located on the east side of 400 West Southside Boulevard of South Spring Street and stole a 9mm handgun. A female citizen traveling with the male who reported the stealing stated that she observed the suspect in the vehicle and the suspect pointed a gun at her.
Independence, Mo. Police Department officers later observed Swim, who matched the description of the suspect, opening the rear driver door of a vehicle in a gas station parking lot. Officers attempted to contact Swim and Swim fled the officers on foot. Officers pursued Swim and observed him holding a firearm in his right hand. Officers eventually arrested Swim.
Officers recovered a Taurus, Model PT111 Millenium G2, 9mm pistol that Swim threw in a grassy area near 1114 South Fuller Street. The firearm contained 12 rounds of 9mm ammunition in the magazine and one round in the chamber.
The male citizen identified the Taurus as belonging to him.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Swim has four prior felony convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm, two prior felony convictions for theft of property, and prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance and burglary.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Jennings. It was investigated by the Independence, Missouri Police Department.
Operation Take Back America
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
KC Man Indicted for Illegal Firearm after Detective Witnessed ShootingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who shot a firearm at another man earlier this month has been indicted by a federal grand jury.
Clifford E. Porter, 39, was charged today in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Porter on July 2, 2025.
The federal indictment charges Porter with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing methamphetamine on July 1, 2025.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original complaint, a detective observed a male riding a bicycle in the roadway on Spruce Avenue in Kansas City, Mo. The detective observed the male arguing with a group of approximately five people. Porter was included in the group of people arguing with the male. The male rode away on his bicycle. The detective observed Porter run after the male, remove a firearm from his waistband, and fire a single round in the direction of the male on the bicycle.
The detective immediately notified uniformed officers of the Kansas City, Mo. Police Department, who contacted Porter within seconds of the shooting. Porter refused verbal commands by the officers to raise his hands in the air and lie on the ground. Officers eventually arrested Porter and searched him incident to arrest.
Porter had a small bag containing approximately 2.73 grams of methamphetamine in his pocket. Officers located a Hi-Point, Model C9, 9mm semi-automatic pistol on the sidewalk, just to the south of where Porter was arrested. The firearm was loaded with a live round of ammunition in the chamber and additional live ammunition in the magazine.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Porter has two prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance and prior felony convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm, burglary in the first degree, and robbery in the second degree.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Jennings. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.
Operation Take Back America
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Justice Department Reaches New Settlement to Protect U.S. WorkersRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has secured a settlement agreement with H2A Complete II Inc., a Mississippi company, to address evidence that the company violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) when it unfairly tipped the scales to hire H-2A visa holders over U.S. workers for agricultural employment opportunities.
This settlement is the second since the Department re-launched its Protecting U.S. Workers Initiative. Originally launched during the first Trump Administration, the Protecting U.S. Workers Initiative targets, investigates, and brings enforcement actions against employers that intentionally discriminate against U.S. workers due to a preference for temporary visa workers.
Under the settlement, the company will pay $25,000 in civil penalties to the United States, undergo training, revise its employment policies, and not include excessive experience requirements in job postings that are unlawfully aimed at excluding U.S. workers from employment opportunities.
“American workers seeking jobs in their own country deserve priority,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice will continue to protect our country’s workers from unlawful discrimination in favor of foreign nationals.”
“DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is protecting American workers from unlawful discrimination by employers that prefer to hire foreign visa workers instead of U.S. workers,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Protecting job opportunities for the American workforce is one of our top priorities.”
The public can call the Immigrant and Employee Rights free hotline at 1-800-255-7688 for workers or at 1-800-255-8155 for employers (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired) for informal assistance; sign up for a live webinar or watch an on-demand presentation; email [email protected]; or visit www.justice.gov/ier.
Justice Department Highlights DEA Drug Seizures for First Half of 2025, Successful Operations over the Last Several WeeksRead the Press Release
Today, Attorney General Pamela Bondi highlighted the great work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to get illegal drugs off our streets and protect innocent Americans from addiction, overdose, and drug-related crime and violence. Since January 20, 2025, DEA has seized approximately 44 million fentanyl pills, 4,500 pounds of fentanyl powder, nearly 65,000 pounds of methamphetamine, more than 201,500 pounds of cocaine, and made over 2,105 fentanyl-related arrests.
“Our DEA agents are doing historic work to keep our communities safe from deadly drugs like fentanyl and dismantle the cartels selling them,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I want to remind all Americans to exercise extreme caution: a pill can kill.”
“DEA is hitting the cartels where it hurts—with arrests, with seizures, and with relentless pressure. From meth labs in California to fentanyl pills disguised as pharmaceuticals seized at our border, these operations are saving American lives every single day,” said DEA Acting Administrator Robert Murphy. “We are not slowing down. We are dismantling these networks piece by piece—and we won't stop until the last brick of their empire falls.”
Over the last several weeks, DEA has conducted a number of successful operations across the United States including:
- In Lexington County, South Carolina, DEA, in coordination with its state and local partners, seized over 156 pounds of fentanyl and 44 pounds of methamphetamine, a firearm and arrested one trafficker.
- In Gainesville, Georgia, DEA, and its state and local partners intercepted over 705 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a truckload of cucumbers and arrested two traffickers.
- In Minneapolis, Minnesota, DEA and its federal and local partners seized 889 pounds of methamphetamine, one handgun and arrested three traffickers.
- In Kern County, California, DEA and its local partners shut down a major methamphetamine conversion lab, seizing over 240 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, 151 gallons of liquid methamphetamine, and arrested five traffickers.
- In Fresno, California, DEA and its federal, state and local partners seized 24 pounds of carfentanil disguised as real prescription pills— the largest single seizure to date of carfentanil in Northern California.
- In Galveston, Texas, DEA, in close coordination with its federal partners at CBP, helped uncover over 1,700 pounds of methamphetamine—worth more than $15 million dollars—hidden inside a vehicle.
- In Austin, Texas, DEA, in coordination with its FBI, state and local partners, seized 783 pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside a refrigerated truck carrying blueberries.
- In a single coordinated takedown spanning Indiana, Kentucky, and Arizona, DEA, working alongside its federal, state and local partners, DEA seized 59 illegal firearms, possessed by serious violent felons—along with 74 pounds of methamphetamine, 11 pounds of fentanyl, 11 pounds of cocaine, cash, and conducted 23 arrests.
- In Miami, Florida, DEA in coordination with its FBI partners, seized over $10 million dollars in cryptocurrency, directly linked to the Sinaloa cartel.
- In El Paso, Texas, DEA, with the assistance of its federal partners at HSI and U.S. Border Patrol, seized 115 pounds of methamphetamine from a drug-laden vehicle outfitted with a GPS tracker.
- In Omaha, Nebraska, DEA and its local partners seized machinegun conversion devices, AR-style pistols and fentanyl pills in a raid that dismantled a multi-state poly-drug operation.
Justice Department Files Complaint Against Former Members of the Corporation for Public BroadcastingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Today, the Justice Department filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court of Washington, D.C. against three former members of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for refusing to vacate their offices after being removed by President Donald J. Trump.
The subjects of this complaint have continued to operate in office despite their removal and subsequent failure to obtain legal relief protecting their old positions. This litigation reflects the Department’s ongoing commitment to protecting the President’s core Article II powers, which include the authority to make personnel decisions regarding those occupying federal offices.
The complaint asks the court to declare that the former members have not lawfully served on the board since their removals, to enjoin the former members from serving on the board, and to order the former members to refund any compensation during their unlawful terms of service.
Read the full complaint here.
Jury Convicts Miami-Dade Detective of Perjury During Hearing in Southern District of Florida United States District CourtRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that a federal jury in Miami has found Keenan Johnson (36, Tamarac) guilty of three counts of perjury for false testimony he gave under oath during an evidentiary hearing in a criminal case before Chief Judge Cecilia Altonaga of the United States District Court in Miami on April 4, 2022. Johnson faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison on each count. His sentencing hearing is set for October 3, 2025, in Miami. Johnson was indicted on July 31, 2024.
According to testimony and evidence presented during the five-day trial, Johnson, who was a homicide detective with the Miami-Dade Police Department, lied under oath on several occasions during a hearing on a motion to suppress evidence. When confronted by a witness regarding a telephone number he had given to the witness, Johnson denied the number was his, denied that he had spoken to the witness over the telephone, denied he had received text messages from the witness, and denied he had used the number on police flyers.
At the conclusion of the suppression hearing, the judge asked the prosecutor to get to the bottom of the discrepancies regarding the use of the telephone number. Records obtained by investigators after the hearing ultimately showed that Johnson had the phone number for more than four years, had contact with the suppression hearing witness, had used the phone number the night before the suppression hearing for a more than 10-minute call, and had deleted the number after the suppression hearing.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Miami and the Miami-Dade County Office of the Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney E. Jackson Boggs Jr. of the Middle District of Florida. Boggs was appointed as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida for this case.
Illegal Alien from Mexico and Straw Purchaser from Fort Worth Charged with Unlawfully Acquiring Two Gas-Operated RiflesRead the Press Release
An illegal alien from Mexico and a Fort Worth man were indicted for falsely acquiring two firearms from licensed firearms dealers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, announced Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson.
Illegal alien Oscar Guadalupe Cruz Gonzalez, 28, and U.S. citizen Jose Juan Flores, 45, of Fort Worth, were charged by indictment on March 18, 2025, with Conspiracy to Make False Statements to a Licensed Firearms Dealer, and two counts of Acquiring a Firearm from Licensed Firearms Dealers by False or Fictitious Statement. Cruz Gonzalez was also charged with Possession of a Firearm by an Illegal Alien. The defendants made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judges on July 3 and July 7, respectively.
According to the indictment, in January 2023 and March 2023, Cruz Gonzalez paid Flores a combined total of approximately $2,500 to acquire two semi-automatic gas-operated rifles from two separate licensed firearms dealers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Each rifle had the ability to be belt-fed ammunition. Cruz Gonzalez supplied Flores with the funds to purchase both guns, more than $10,000 for the first rifle and over $15,000 for the second. Flores allegedly purchased the two firearms knowing he was going to transfer them to Cruz Gonzalez. To conceal this intended transfer when purchasing each rifle, Flores made false statements on the required ATF Form, stating that he was the actual transferee/buyer of the firearms. After purchasing the first rifle, Flores gave the rifle to Cruz Gonzalez, who was an illegal alien. In the United States, it is a federal offense for an illegal alien to knowingly possess a firearm.
“A straw purchase means that someone bought a firearm for a person who they knew could not legally purchase one,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson. “Here, as we allege in the indictment, Flores used a significant amount of money to purchase two firearms for an illegal alien from Mexico. This type of crime flouts our gun laws, which are designed to ensure safe, lawful purchases of firearms by U.S. citizens. This will not be tolerated in the Northern District of Texas.”
“Straw purchasing is a federal crime that undermines the integrity of our nation’s firearm laws and enables dangerous individuals to obtain weapons they are prohibited from possessing,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “This case highlights the importance of our partnerships with federal, state, and local agencies to identify and stop illegal firearm trafficking before it results in violence.”
An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Like all defendants, Cruz Gonzalez and Flores are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If convicted, each defendant faces up to 40 years in federal prison.The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation with assistance from the Homeland Security Investigations and the Fort Worth Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Eggers is prosecuting the case.
Human smuggling sexual assault felon sentenced to 20 years for possessing child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 44-year-old Lyford man has been ordered to prison for possessing images of sexual assaults of prepubescent children, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The jury deliberated for approximately 15 minutes before finding Jose Rodriguez Jr. guilty after a one-day trial April 15.
U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton upwardly departed from the U.S. sentencing guidelines and imposed a 240-month sentence. At the hearing, the court heard additional information detailing Rodriguez’s prior conviction of aggravated sexual assault of a child. In handing down the prison term, the court noted Rodriguez’s conduct in that case, which involved tying up his nine-year-old victim before attempting to sexually assault her and tying up an eight-year-old witness, was a consideration for an upward departure. The court also heard Rodriguez downloaded child pornography files on 20 separate occasions, beginning only six months after he was released from his 13-year sentence for the aggravated sexual assault of a child conviction. The court noted the need to protect the public from Rodriguez’s crimes and highlighted that Rodriguez had a complete lack of remorse for his actions.
Rodriguez was further ordered to pay restitution to known 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 children and the internet. Rodriguez will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
“Those who sexually assault children, possess child sexual abuse material, or smuggle human beings like some sort of commodity, are all imbued with a common trait: total disdain for the inherent value and dignity of a human being. The defendant here had a history of doing all three,” said Ganjei. “Fortunately, SDTX prosecutors were successful in advocating for the maximum possible sentence in this case, that of 20 years, so Mr. Rodriguez will now have two decades to reflect on his conduct. I thank the jury for their time and attention in this important case.”
Law enforcement originally arrested Rodriguez Aug. 12, 2024, in connection with an alien transportation event. At that time, they seized his phone and discovered over 150 images and videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
During the trial, the jury heard testimony and evidence regarding the multiple images and videos of CSAM downloaded and stored on Rodriguez’s phone over multiple months. The evidence included numerous files depicting the sexual assaults of prepubescent children.
The defense attempted to convince the jury that a virus downloaded the CSAM onto his phone. However, evidence showed that Rodriguez had over 100 user accounts on the phone linked to him and that the CSAM was downloaded on 20 separate occasions from April through August of 2024.
The jury also heard from a computer forensic expert who rendered an opinion that the pattern of activity indicated intentional downloading.
Rodriguez was charged in a separate case for the human smuggling event and later pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison and two years of supervised release in that case.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol conducted the investigation with assistance from Raymondville Police Department and Willacy County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Devin Walker and Jose Garcia 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.
Healthcare Worker Pleads Guilty to Double Billing District of Columbia Medicaid ProgramsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Amstrong Chapajong, 38, of Cheverly, Maryland, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to one count of health care fraud after billing the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program for services never provided.
The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Maureen R. Dixon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas of the D.C. Office of the Inspector General (DC-OIG).
According to court documents, from March 2020 to January 2022, Chapajong worked as a personal care aide (PCA) and a community support worker (CSW) within the District of Columbia. PCA services are intended to assist Medicaid beneficiaries in performing activities of daily living, and CSW services include support for mental-health consumers’ recovery and wellness in community settings. Chapajong admitted to repeatedly submitting false timesheets to his employers, claiming to have provided in-person care as a PCA and telephonic behavioral health services as a CSW to multiple District beneficiaries simultaneously while at different locations. Through this scheme, he caused the District’s Medicaid Program to pay $113,243 for duplicative services he did not render.
The Honorable Randolph D. Moss accepted the plea, and scheduled sentencing for Jan. 7, 2026. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Chapajong faces a possible sentence of up to one year in prison and a maximum fine of $40,000. As part of his plea agreement, Chapajong agreed to pay $113,243 in restitution and is subject to forfeiture of his assets.
This case was jointly investigated by the FBI, the HHS-OIG, and the DC-OIG’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The District Department of Health Care Finance’s Division of Program Integrity initially referred this matter and provided assistance during the investigation. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Facci, who is on detail from the D.C. Office of the Inspector General.
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Hamburg man charged with threatening a member of CongressRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Gerald T. Przybylski, 78, of Hamburg, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with transmitting in interstate and foreign commerce, specifically using the internet, communications that contained threats to injure a member of Congress, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on June 13, 2025, Przybylski sent a threatening email to the office email account of a member of the United States House of Representatives (Victim). Among other things, the email stated, “You are obviously unaware of the movement to execute Trump and all his Republican sycophants, not assassination but legal execution under the Constitution of the United States, which you, Donald Trump, and all your Republican colleagues have refused to honor, you have betrayed your oath of office and are a TRAITOR!!!” The email also “You should be afraid for your life!!!” When interviewed by law enforcement, Przybylski stated, “I was probably trying to scare him.”
Przybylski made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was released on conditions.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia, the United States Secret Service, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Charles Perras, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm, and the United States Capitol Police, under the direction of Chief Michael Sullivan.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Honduran National Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Ellison C. Travis announced that Olvin Rodriguez-Inestroza, age 22, a Honduran national who is present in the United States without authorization, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick to distribution of child pornography.
According to admissions made during his plea, Rodriguez-Inestroza used internet-based accounts and a social media mobile application to distribute child pornography. In addition to the distributed files, Rodriguez-Inestroza also possessed at least 205 total videos and approximately 325 images of child pornography on his smartphone. Some of the videos included child pornography involving toddlers.
Rodriguez-Inestroza’s conviction is punishable by a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to a lifetime period of supervised release. The conviction also includes sex offender registration requirements. He is also subject to removal or deportation from the United States upon completing his sentence.
This matter was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Baton Rouge Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward H. Warner, who also serves as Deputy Criminal Chief.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case is also 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).
Galva Woman to Prison After Distributing over 100,000 Fentanyl PillsRead the Press Release
A woman who conspired to distribute fentanyl was sentenced on July 10, 2025, to more than 11 years in federal prison. Braleigh Schossow, age 25, from Galva, Iowa, received the prison term after a February 11, 2025, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
At the sentencing hearing, Schossow admitted that between December 2020 and February 2024, she distributed at least 100,000 pills containing fentanyl. Evidence further showed that Schossow would acquire counterfeit pills stamped with “M30” which contained fentanyl from her sources in Minnesota. Schossow then distributed tens of thousands of these pills across Iowa and Nebraska. As part of that distribution, in 2022, after she acquired fentanyl pills from her source in Minnesota, some of those pills were knowingly distributed to another who died from an overdose. In 2023, during a search warrant execution at her residence in Fort Dodge, law enforcement found over 7,000 fentanyl pills, cocaine, $72,000 in cash, and a loaded handgun belonging to Schossow.
Schossow was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 141 months’ imprisonment. She must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Schossow is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR-03026.
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Fugitive Washington State Sex Offender Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Relationship with Child and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse ImagesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Chief U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Andrew Allen Blakney (35, Seattle, WA) to 15 years in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse images. Blakney pleaded guilty on March 4, 2025.
According to court documents, in October 2024, Blakney, a registered sex offender from Washington, absconded from community control causing an escape warrant to be issued. Blakney traveled by bus to Jacksonville to meet a child he had met online. While in Florida, Blakney engaged in sexual activity with the child. The Florida Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force’s Jacksonville Office located Blakney and arrested him on his outstanding warrants.
Following his arrest, when the child was located with Blakney, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began an investigation into Blakney. A search warrant was obtained for Blakney’s phone revealing that it contained child sexual abuse materials.
This case was investigated by the Florida Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force Jacksonville Office, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the United States Marshals Service, and Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Fourteen Polk County Residents Indicted for Narcotics Trafficking and Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging fourteen Polk County residents with narcotics trafficking and firearms-related charges. If convicted, Curtis Charles Tinsley (47, Lakeland), Tyler Anthony Devaney (32, Winter Haven), Alvin Antonio Barnes III (47, Lakeland), Tonyo Cortez Evans (39, Lakeland), Lamar Anthony Hamilton (43, Lakeland), Albert Lewis III (48, Lakeland), Tyrese Leon Pratt (39, Lakeland), Antonio Groover (32, Dundee), Kenji Antwana Miller (38, Lakeland), Melvin Sharon Murray (48, Lakeland), Robert James Johnson IV (32, Lakeland), Steven Wayne Gay (55, Lakeland), Tiffany Elaine Creach (43, Lakeland), and Sabrina Marie Taylor (40, Dover) each face a maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
According to the indictment, the charged individuals conspired to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, cocaine, and ecstasy. Devaney, Barnes, Hamilton, Pratt, and Groover are also charged for possessing firearms or ammunition as convicted felons. Devaney, Pratt, and Hamilton are each charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense. The indictment also alleges that Tinsley, Devaney, Barnes, Evans, Hamilton, Groover, Miller, Murray, and Gay committed the alleged offenses after convictions for either serious drug or violent felonies.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Lakeland Police Department, and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David J. Pardo.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case is also 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 Neighborhoods (PSN).
Fort Myers Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Possessing and Accessing with Intent to View Child Sexual Abuse ImagesRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell today sentenced Andrew Roger Torres (47, Fort Myers) to 5 years in federal prison for possessing and accessing with intent to view images depicting the sexual abuse of children. Torres pleaded guilty on August 20, 2024.
According to court documents, from February 3 through August 24, 2023, Torres possessed and accessed with intent to view images of child sexual abuse that he had searched for using social media applications and the internet.
In December 2022 and February 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received two cybertips from electronic service providers reporting that Torres had uploaded videos that depicted child sexual abuse material from his cellphone.
When law enforcement executed a search warrant at Torres’s home, they seized two cellphones. Torres agreed to speak with officers and advised that he had used a social media account to collect child sex abuse material. Torres said that he primarily downloaded the files online to his cellphone, viewed the files, and then deleted them. The subsequent forensic examination of Torres’s cellphones revealed images of child sexual abuse material.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former U.S. Soldier Pleads Guilty to Hacking and Extortion Scheme involving Telecommunications CompaniesRead the Press Release
Seattle –A former Army soldier, who was most recently stationed in Texas, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to hack into telecommunications companies’ databases, access sensitive records, and extort the telecommunications companies by threatening to release the stolen data unless ransoms were paid.
According to court documents, between April 2023 and Dec. 18, 2024, Cameron John Wagenius, 21, used online accounts associated with the nickname “kiberphant0m” and conspired with others to defraud at least ten victim organizations by obtaining login credentials for the organizations’ protected computer networks. The conspirators obtained these credentials using a hacking tool that they called SSH Brute, among other means. They used Telegram group chats to transfer stolen credentials and discuss gaining unauthorized access to victim companies’ networks. This activity happened while Wagenius was on active duty with the U.S. Army.
After data was stolen, the conspirators extorted the victim organizations both privately and in public forums. The extortion attempts included threats to post the stolen data on cybercrime forums such as BreachForums and XSS.is. The conspirators offered to sell stolen data for thousands of dollars via posts on these forums. They successfully sold at least some of this stolen data and also used stolen data to perpetuate other frauds, including SIM-swapping. In total, Wagenius and his co-conspirators attempted to extort at least $1 million from victim data owners.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller for the Western District of Washington, Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington of the FBI Seattle Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Kenneth DeChellis of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Cyber Field Office made the announcement.
Wagenius pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, extortion in relation to computer fraud, and aggravated identity theft. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 6, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a maximum of five years in prison for extortion in relation to computer fraud, and a mandatory two-year sentence consecutive to any other prison time for aggravated identity theft. Wagenius previously pleaded guilty in a separate case to two counts of unlawful transfer of confidential phone records information in connection with this conspiracy. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service are investigating the case. The U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigative Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, and the National Security Cyber Section provided valuable assistance. Flashpoint and Unit 221B also provided assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sok Tea Jiang of the Western District of Washington and Senior Counsel Louisa Becker and Trial Attorney George Brown of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the case.