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Wednesday 28 May 2025
Columbus woman sentenced to 23 years in prison for sexually exploiting 3-year-old victimRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Becky Gillespie, 29, of Columbus, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 276 months in prison for sexually assaulting a 3-year-old victim, recording the abuse and distributing it to other exploiters.
Specifically, Gillespie was sentenced for sexual exploitation of a minor and distribution of child pornography.
According to court documents, on numerous dates in December 2023, Gillespie sent Snapchat videos or offered to send videos to other users that depicted Gillespie engaged in sex acts or sexually explicit conduct with the 3-year-old victim.
Law enforcement also discovered a photo of a second young victim, who was posed on Gillespie’s nude breasts in an image on her electronic devices.
One user with whom Gillespie communicated was under investigation in Australia for numerous child pornography related offenses. Gillespie and the other Snapchat user traded sexually explicit videos including the content Gillespie created of the 3-year-old.
As a result of information obtained by Australian Federal Police, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Canberra and the South Australian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team, local HSI initiated an investigation into Gillespie.
Gillespie was charged in January 2024 and pleaded guilty in December 2024.
Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Jared Murphey, acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit, announced the sentence imposed on May 27 by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer M. Rausch and Emily Czerniejewski are representing the United States in this case.
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Cocaine distributer sentenced to over 10 years in federal prisonRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 36-year-old man has been sentenced for possession with intent to distribute 28.6 kilograms of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Jesus Cedillo pleaded guilty Feb. 25.
U.S. District Judge David Morales has now ordered Cedillo to serve 126 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.
On Oct. 28, 2024, Cedillo approached the Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint near Falfurrias. Following a K-9 alert, authorities conducted a search of the vehicle and found multiple bundles of cocaine, totaling 28.6 kilograms, hidden in the speaker boxes in his trunk.
Cedillo admitted an ex-co worker recruited him to transport the cocaine to Houston for $6,000.
The Drug Enforcement Administration along with BP conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bird prosecuted the case.
Charleston Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for Weapon ViolationRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Jacob Murrell Wilson, 24, of Charleston, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Evidence presented to the court established that on Nov.10, 2023, Charleston Police Department officers encountered Wilson while patrolling a high-crime apartment complex. The officers recognized Wilson and were aware that he had an active arrest warrant. When they attempted to approach him, Wilson immediately ran from the officers.
During the chase, officers observed Wilson reaching for a loaded pistol equipped with a 24-round extended magazine and an illegal machine gun conversion device – commonly known as a switch. Wilson stopped, pulled out the gun, and pointed it in the direction of the pursuing officers, then threw the firearm over a fence and continued to run.
When officers apprehended Wilson, they found 6.8 grams of crack cocaine, 8.98 grams of cocaine, 36.35 grams of marijuana, and 187 grams of promethazine in Wilson’s possession. Officers recovered the firearm nearby.
Wilson has a prior felony conviction for attempted armed robbery and is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel sentenced Wilson to 106 months imprisonment to be followed by give years of court ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Charleston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Lietzow is prosecuting the case.
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Browning man sentenced to prison for sexually abusing a childRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Browning man who sexually assaulted a minor was sentenced yesterday to 30 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Delbert Dwayne Mowitch, 23, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to one count of sexual abuse of a minor.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that in January 2024, Mowitch met 12-year-old Jane Doe. In April 2024, a witness reported to law enforcement that Mowitch and Doe were in a sexual relationship.
Doe was interviewed and confirmed she and Mowitch had been together, and that she would stay at his house with him. She reported that when they were together they would drink alcohol and smoke dabs. She confirmed that during the time she stayed with Mowitch, they had sex twice. She said the first time it happened Mowitch was drunk, he took off her pants, and she just froze. He started penetrating her vagina with his penis and she described it hurting a great deal. She reported that during a second encounter, she remembered Mowitch asking her for sex and telling him no. She blacked out and when she woke up, she was in pain and had cramps. She saw a used condom she believed had been used on her. She reported Mowitch showed her a video from the night before purporting to show her consenting to the sexual act. Doe provided law enforcement screenshots of messages between her and Mowitch consistent with an ongoing relationship.
A second witness told law enforcement that Mowitch admitted in February 2024 that he had engaged in sexual intercourse with Doe. The witness reported Mowitch knew Doe’s age at the time they started talking.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Bronx Woman Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison for Laundering over $2 Million for African Romance ScammersRead the Press Release
Jay Clayton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that NADINE JAZIMNE WADE was sentenced to 63 months in prison for laundering more than $2 million in fraud proceeds acquired from the victims of romance fraud schemes. WADE’s sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla who also presided over a two-week trial at which WADE was convicted of money laundering and bank fraud charges.
“Nadine Wade used lies and deception to launder over two million dollars for scam artists in Nigeria and South Africa,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Those funds were stolen from our most vulnerable – elderly men and women — as part of a cruel romance scam. Today’s sentence should be a reminder that this Office will pursue all persons who participate in online scams targeting our elderly.”
According to the Indictment, statements made in public court proceedings and filings, and the evidence at trial:
From in or about 2016 through in or about 2021, co-conspirators of WADE based in Nigeria and South Africa committed a series of romance scams against individuals located across the U.S. Those co-conspirators used aliases, including the names “Diego Francisco” and “Richard Francisco” (the “Francisco Alias”), to meet victims on various dating websites. After engaging in romantic conversations with the victims via phone, text, and email, those co-conspirators, posing as the Francisco Alias, asked victims for money. The Francisco Alias then instructed the victims to transfer funds to bank accounts controlled by WADE and others.
WADE received fraud proceeds from victims of the Francisco Alias in personal bank accounts and business bank accounts for her shell company Royal Treasure Chest LLC, a company purportedly involved in, among other things, the sale of women’s clothing and accessories. Once WADE received fraud proceeds, she rapidly depleted her bank accounts of those funds through cash withdrawals, cashier’s checks, and the purchase of vehicles, among other means. After taking her own cut of the money, WADE transferred the bulk of the funds to other members of the scheme.
From in or about 2016 through in or about 2021, WADE controlled more than 18 bank accounts that had deposits totaling over $2 million. Most of those deposits consisted of wire transfers and check or cash deposits from U.S.-based individuals who were victims of the romance fraud scam described above.
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In addition to the prison term, WADE, 30, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,772,618 and forfeit $2,261,791.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the U.S. Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Micah F. Fergenson, Matthew J. King, and Dina McLeod are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Jayda Foote.
Bloods Gang Member Sentenced to Life Sentence Plus 20 Years for Racketeering (RICO) and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Bloods gang member, Desean Solomon, was sentenced to a life sentence plus 20 years after a federal jury trial found him guilty of racketeer influenced corrupt organization (RICO) and two counts of using and carrying a firearm in furtherance of murder, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
“Three years ago—as violent crime raged out of control—the U.S. Attorney’s Office made a decision to use every tool at our disposal to go after the gangs. Together with our federal and state partners, we brought RICO charges against major Minneapolis street gangs. The first of those cases was the Bloods RICO. Defendant Solomon—who committed murder for the benefit of the gang—was the first RICO trial defendant to be sentenced. We hope that today’s sentence—life in prison plus twenty years—sends a message in the strongest possible terms. If you are a Minneapolis gang member, the feds are coming for you. Get out and choose a different path before it is too late.”
“Solomon chose violence as a way of life — trafficking in fear, intimidation, and death to exert power, feed criminal ambition and expand the Blood’s grip on the streets,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “Today’s sentence reflects the gravity of the crimes committed. The FBI, alongside our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our mission to protect our communities from violent crime and will relentlessly pursue those who believe bloodshed is the path to power.”
According to court documents, Desean James Solomon, aka Black, 34, was found guilty of numerous crimes in October 2024 at trial, along with two other individuals. Evidence presented at trial proved that Solomon affiliated and associated with the Minneapolis Bloods street gang since at least 2020. Solomon has been a career criminal throughout his adulthood, committing violent crimes for the benefit of the Bloods gang which included two premeditated murders within a two-year span. Historically, the gang’s territory is located on the south side of Minneapolis, near Chicago Avenue South and 38th Street East.
According to evidence presented at trial, Solomon and other Bloods gang members went to a nightclub in north Minneapolis in June of 2020. They assaulted a rival gang member in the men’s bathroom. Following the assault, a gun battle broke out outside the nightclub. Solomon and another Bloods member fired their weapons multiple times, resulting in the murder of a rival gang member.
According to evidence presented at trial, on April 23, 2022, Solomon and other Bloods gang members went to a bar in the Uptown neighborhood of south Minneapolis and started a large fight between members of the Bloods and members of a rival gang. Within several minutes, the Bloods members, including Solomon, left the bar and shot and killed a rival gang member.
Solomon was sentenced to life plus twenty years todayin U.S. District Court before Judge Susan R. Nelson. In imposing sentence, Judge Nelson explained, “I was searching for a kernel of hope that you could be trusted to not be a danger to society” but that “based on your utter and complete disregard for human life, the brutality of the Bloods gang, your lack of remorse through every stage of this case . . . I am left with the certainty that you will always be a threat to public safety.” Judge Nelson said, “My hope is this sentence sends a strong message to the Bloods gang and other thriving gangs that ruthlessly terrorize this city.”
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Minneapolis Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristian Weir represented the government at the sentencing hearing.
Bloods Gang Leader Convicted of Narcotics Distribution Resulting in Three OverdosesRead the Press Release
A federal jury yesterday in Central Islip convicted Gary Johnson, a Bloods gang leader, on 22 counts of a second superseding indictment charging him with narcotics distribution, including distribution that resulted in three non-fatal overdoses, as well as a firearms-related crime. The verdict followed a four-week trial before United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack. When sentenced, Johnson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and up to life in prison.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Kevin Catalina, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the verdict.
“Johnson peddled his potentially lethal drugs across Long Island while lining his pockets with profits, causing life threatening injuries to several members of our community in the process,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “This Office, along with our law enforcement partners, remains committed to finding, arresting, and prosecuting the drug traffickers and gang members who seek to profit from the ongoing opioid crisis and stopping all of the devastating effects these narcotics have brought with them.”
“For years, Gary Johnson, a Bloods gang leader, carelessly supplied potentially lethal quantities of heroin and fentanyl to turn a profit,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia. “By distributing highly addictive narcotics, Johnson demonstrated a disregard to communal health and endangered countless residents, even causing three individuals to overdose. With the assistance from our law enforcement partners, the FBI will never cease its mission to disrupt all criminal enterprises poisoning our communities with dangerous drugs.”
“While nothing can take away the suffering of those who experienced life-threatening impacts caused by Johnson’s greed, let this sentence bring some solace that his crimes will not go unpunished,” stated SCPD Commissioner Catalina. “We will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to ensure narcotics trafficking is ceased.”
As proven at trial and set forth in court filings, between June 2013 and November 2020, Johnson, a leader in the G-Shine set of the Bloods based in Suffolk County, sold fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin throughout Long Island. The drugs the defendant sold resulted in multiple victims experiencing overdoses, including three overdoses in March and May 2020. The jury returned a verdict convicting Johnson of multiple counts of distributing heroin, cocaine, and/or fentanyl. In connection with the overdoses, Johnson was convicted of three counts of narcotics distribution resulting in serious bodily injury.
Johnson was also convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm. This charge arose from evidence recovered from Johnson’s residence when law enforcement executed a search warrant and recovered a semi-automatic firearm.
The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Long Island Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Meredith A. Arfa, Stephen Petraeus and Mark E. Misorek are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Dejah Turla, Rebecca Roth, and Adam Bernard, as well as Victim Witness Specialist Stephanie Marroquin.
The Defendant:
GARY JOHNSON
Age: 41
Bellport, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-518 (S-2) (JMA)
Atoka Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Tax ChargeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Hanna Jera Davidson, age 41, of Atoka, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to a one-count Information charging her with Failure to Collect or Pay Over Tax, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.00.
The Information alleged Davidson, who exercised control over the financial affairs of Fomby & Sons Towing and Recovery, willfully failed to collect, truthfully account for, and pay over trust fund taxes of $13,273.57 due and owing to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on behalf of the employees of Fomby & Sons Towing and Recovery for the second quarter of the year ending in 2020.
In addition, as part of the plea agreement and during the plea hearing, Davidson admitted that between March 2015 and December 2020, Davidson willfully chose not to pay over to the IRS $158,527.00 in taxes collected from employees and that Davidson willfully chose not to pay over to the IRS $72,665.82, which represented Fomby & Sons Towing and Recovery’s portion of the employment taxes owed.
The charge arose from an investigation by IRS-Criminal Investigations.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Davidson was released on bond pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kara Traster represented the United States.
Ardmore Resident Sentenced for Felony AssaultRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Richard Alan Chastain, age 53, of Ardmore, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 57 months in prison for one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to Do Bodily Harm in Indian Country.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Ardmore Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On December 16, 2024, Chastain pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on July 17, 2024, Chastain attacked an individual at his encampment in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Chastain chased the victim beyond the boundaries of the encampment, striking the victim multiple times with a machete. The victim fled but sustained serious injuries, including severe cuts to his limbs and a severed thumb. Law enforcement responding to an emergency call found the victim unconscious near the railroad tracks and a trail of blood leading back to the encampment. The crime occurred in Carter County, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Eric F. Melgren, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing. Chastain will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Ardmore Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Nezjoneil Nikkolo Marris, age 28, of Ardmore, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Use, Carry, Brandish, and Discharge of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence, punishable by 10 years to life in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.
The Indictment alleged that on March 26, 2022, Marris knowingly used, carried, brandished, and discharged a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The crime occurred in Carter County, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Ardmore Police Department.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Marris will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory Dean Burris, T. Cameron McEwen, and Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Amtrak Employees Admit Participating in $11 Million Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Five Amtrak employees recently admitted participating in a health care fraud scheme to defraud Amtrak, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Kevin Frink, 53, of Willingboro, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court to an Indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Michael Toal, 35, of Hazlet, New Jersey, David McBrien, 37, of Levittown, Pennsylvania, Damany Walker, 41, of Irvington, New Jersey, and David Lonergan, 65, of Rockaway Park, New York, in recent weeks also pleaded guilty before Judge Arleo in Newark federal court to the Indictment charging conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
The Indictment also charges four other co-conspirators in connection with the scheme: Quinton Johnson, 53, of Irvington, New Jersey; Gregory Richardson, 35, of Roosevelt, New York; Timothy Bogen, 59, of Hamden, Connecticut; and Dion Jacob, 50, of Brooklyn, New York. Defendant Rodolfo Rivera, 41, of Clayton, Delaware, previously pleaded guilty to the Indictment, and co-conspirator Anthony Saloka, 44, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty to an Information.
“The defendants admitted to colluding with corrupt health care providers in a scheme to defraud Amtrak’s health care plan for personal financial gain. My office is committed to holding accountable those who profit from health care scams, like this one, that harm the public and the health care system.”
- U.S. Attorney Alina Habba
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From January 2019 through June 2022, Frink, Toal, McBrien, Walker, Lonergan, and their co-conspirators—who were also Amtrak employees—engaged in a scheme to obtain cash kickbacks from health care providers in return for their agreement to allow their health insurance plan to be billed for services that were never provided and were not medically necessary. In total, as a result of the conspiracy, the Amtrak health care plan paid over $11 million in fraudulent claims associated with providers connected to the scheme.
Each defendant received thousands of dollars in cash kickbacks from health care providers in return for their participation in the scheme, including from Punson Figueroa, an acupuncturist. Defendants Frink, McBrien, Walker, and Lonergan also received cash kickbacks from Michael DeNicola, a podiatrist. Figueroa previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and was sentenced on September 24, 2024 to 34 months in prison. DeNicola previously pleaded guilty on June 29, 2022 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, among other offenses. His sentencing remains pending.
The health care fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Walker’s and McBrien’s sentencings are scheduled for July 24, 2025. Lonergan’s sentencing is scheduled for August 20, 2025. Toal’s sentencing is scheduled for October 23, 2025. Frink’s sentencing is scheduled for October 9, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Amtrak Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Waters, the Amtrak Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Sam Dotson, and special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III in New York, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica R. Ecker and Katherine M. Romano of the Health Care Fraud and Opioid Abuse Prevention Unit, and Senior Trial Counsel Barbara Ward of the Bank Integrity, Recovery, and Money Laundering Unit, in Newark.
The charge and allegations contained in the Indictment against Johnson, Richardson, Bogen, and Jacob are merely accusations, and they are each presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel: Sarah Sulkowski, Esq. (for Kevin Frink)
Michael Chazen, Esq. (for Michael Toal)
Michael V. Calabro, Esq. (for David McBrien)
Michael Rosas, Esq. (for Damany Walker)
Bruce S. Rosen, Esq. and Sarah Fehm Stewart, Esq. (for David Lonergan)
Albanian National and American Wife Charged with Making False Statements and Marriage FraudRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – An Albanian national was charged with marriage fraud, and he and his wife, an American citizen, were both charged with making false statements on forms submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Elvis Harizaj, 25, of Cherry Hill, and Natasha Flores, 27, of Newark, were both charged with making false statements to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”).
According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in Court:
Harizaj is a citizen of Albania and entered into a sham marriage with Flores for the purpose of obtaining permanent residence in the United States. On forms submitted to USCIS, Harizaj falsely stated that he lived with Flores and Flores falsely stated that she had never been married before. Flores, in fact, had previously been married to a Brazilian national who obtained U.S. citizenship based on his marriage to Flores. In addition, Harizaj was charged with marriage fraud.
The counts of false statements and marriage fraud both have a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph McFarlane in Camden.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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harizaj.complaint.pdf flores.complaint.pdf18 Charged with Violent, Gun, or Immigration Crimes as Part of Operation Take Back AmericaRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson announced today that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has filed separate criminal charges against 18 defendants as part of Operation Take Back America, for violations that include straw purchasing of firearms, bank robbery, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, illegal reentry, and failure to notify a change of address.
The 18 defendants charged last week and the alleged offenses include:
Walter Adonai Rivera Chinchilla, 24, of Charlotte, and Fausto Odalis Reyes Guevara, 27, of Honduras, are charged via a superseding indictment of conspiracy to provide a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. Guevara is also charged with possession of a firearm by a person unlawfully in the United States. According to the superseding indictment, on October 12, 2024, Guevara messaged Chinchilla that Guevara needed a “17” and a white Beretta for a good price. Two days later, Chinchilla allegedly purchased a Beretta 92FS pistol from Guns Too, a licensed firearms dealer located in Caldwell County. When he purchased the firearm from Guns Too, Chinchilla allegedly lied on the forms, falsely attesting that he was the actual buyer of the firearm when he was in fact buying it for Guevara. The indictment further alleges that on the same day Chinchilla purchased a second firearm, a Glock 45 pistol, from Foothills Jewelry & Loan, a licensed firearms dealer in Catawba County. It is further alleged that Chinchilla lied again on the forms falsely attesting that he was the actual buyer of the firearm when he knew he was buying it for Guevara. Chinchilla is also facing additional charges including trafficking in firearms, making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, and dealing in firearms without a license.
Jose Francisco Meraz-Villatoro, 31, of Mexico, is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien and illegal reentry by an alien. It is alleged that Meraz-Villatoro unlawfully possessed two firearms: a Glock 43 9mm handgun and a Girsan Regard MC 9mm handgun. Meraz-Villatoro was previously deported from the United States three times: in September 2013, in July 2014, and again in November 2022.
Carlos Sarmiento-Ochoa, 20, of Honduras, is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien and illegal reentry by an alien. It is alleged in the indictment that Sarmiento-Ochoa unlawfully possessed a Glock 23, 40 caliber handgun, and that he was previously deported from the United States in May 2018 and again in October 2019.
Gial Obed Rodas-Hernandez, 20, of Honduras, is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien and illegal reentry by an alien. The indictment alleges that Rodas-Hernandez unlawfully possessed a Taurus PT709 handgun, 9mm, and that he was previously deported from the United States in February 2021.
Jose Alberto Velazquez-Trejo, 41, of Mexico, is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien and illegal reentry by an alien. The indictment alleges that Velazquez-Trejo unlawfully possessed a Sig Sauer P226 handgun. Velazquez-Trejo was also previously deported from the United States in May 2008.
Norman Enrique Lopez-Santamaria, 42, of Honduras, is charged with illegally reentering into the United States and failure to notify of a change of address. Lopez-Santamaria was previously deported from the United States four times: in October 2002, in July 2009, in August 2010, and again in May 2014.
Rogelio Hernandez-Flores, 50, of Mexico, is charged with illegally reentering the United States and failure to notify of a change of address. Hernandez-Flores was previously deported from the United States three times: in August 1997, July 2003, and again in November 2007.
Luis Zamora-Cruz, 47, of Mexico, is charged with illegally reentering the United States and failure to notify of a change of address. Zamora-Cruz was previously deported from the United States in July 2010 and again in May 2017.
Christian Emanuel Valladares-Sierra, 25, of Honduras, is charged with illegally reentering the United States and failure to notify of a change of address. Valladares-Sierra was previously deported from the United States in September 2018.
Josue Oveniel Martinez-Avalo, 31, of Honduras, is charged with illegally reentering into the United States and failure to notify of a change of address. Martinez-Avalo was previously deported from the United States in June 2014.
Luis Alfredo Navarrete Pastrana, 32, of Mexico, is charged with illegal reentry into the United States. Pastrana was previously deported from the United States in October 2021.
Bryan Flowers, 53, of Hickory, N.C., is charged with bank robbery. According to the indictment, on April 17, 2025, Flowers allegedly robbed the Peoples Bank located in Lincolnton, N.C., by force, violence, and intimidation.
Dwayne Furlow Chaney, 40, of Charlotte, is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. Chaney allegedly illegally possessed a Smith & Wesson M&P, .40 caliber pistol, and did so knowing he was prohibited from possessing a firearm following a prior criminal conviction.
Marshall Demetrius Rice, 45, of Charlotte, is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. The indictment alleges that Rice illegally possessed a Smith & Wesson, model SD9VE, 9mm pistol, and did so knowing he was prohibited from possessing a firearm following a prior criminal conviction.
Damiyus Diamonte Fowler, 28, of Charlotte, is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. Fowler allegedly illegally possessed a Glock 19, Gen 5 9mm caliber pistol, and did so knowing he was prohibited from possessing a firearm following a prior criminal conviction.
Aaron Deondre Conway, 41, of Charlotte, is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. The indictment alleges that Conway illegally possessed a Walther, Model PPK/S .380 caliber pistol, and did so knowing he was prohibited from possessing a firearm following a prior criminal conviction.
Jamil Omire Ali, 31, of Charlotte, is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. Ali allegedly illegally possessed a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield, .40 caliber pistol, and did so knowing he was prohibited from possessing a firearm following a prior criminal conviction.
Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from 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 charges in the indictments are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson credited Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Removal Operations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for their investigations that led to the charges. U.S. Attorney Ferguson also commended the local law enforcement agencies that assisted in the investigation and apprehension of the defendants.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys with the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are prosecuting the cases.
14 Arrested on Complaints Alleging More Than $25 Million in COVID-19 Relief and Small Business Loans Were Fraudulently ObtainedRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Fourteen defendants – including San Fernando Valley and Glendale residents – were arrested on two federal criminal complaints alleging they fraudulently obtained more than $25 million in taxpayer-funded COVID-19 relief funds and federally-guaranteed small business loans.
The 18 total defendants named in the complaints – four defendants are believed to be in Armenia – are charged with conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to claims; false, fictitious, or fraudulent claims; wire fraud and attempted wire fraud; bank fraud and attempted bank fraud; money laundering conspiracy; laundering of monetary instruments; engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity; and/or structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements.
The defendants arrested today include:
- Vahe Margaryan, a.k.a. “William McGrayan,” 42, of Tujunga, who allegedly orchestrated a scheme to defraud numerous banks and the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Preferred Lender Program, a program designed to help small businesses that otherwise might not obtain financing. McGrayan allegedly directed owners of sham corporations to open bank accounts, make false statements, and concoct documents, including phony resumes and financial statements, to support loan applications to buy other sham corporations. McGrayan allegedly paid for phony tax returns that falsely reported millions in revenue and tens of thousands in tax due and owing. McGrayan, whose alleged criminal activity lasted from 2018 until January 2025, then directed the laundering of millions in fraud proceeds through various bank accounts.
- Sarkis Gareginovich Sarkisyan, 37, a.k.a. “Samuel Shaw,” of Glendale, who allegedly, among other offenses, submitted a false application and bogus documents to obtain a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which provided low-interest, forgivable loans to help small businesses retain their workforce and cover expenses. Sarkisyan allegedly applied in April 2021 on behalf of a fake business that received more than $700,000 in PPP funds.
- Mery Babayan, 32, a.k.a. “Mery Diamondz,” of Van Nuys, together with co-defendants Margaryan and Hovannes Hovannisyan, 48, a.k.a. “John Harvard,” of Panorama City, in May 2021 allegedly defrauded a bank by representing the nonexistent sale of a sham business to another sham company to obtain an approximately $3 million federally guaranteed loan through the SBA’s Preferred Lending Program.
- Felix Parker, 77, of North Hollywood, who in January 2023 allegedly made false statements and submitted fraudulent documents, including fake tax returns that falsely reported that his shell company, Canmar Promo, earned millions of dollars annually and owed tens of thousands in federal income taxes. Parker allegedly obtained more than $2 million in government-guaranteed funds earmarked to help small businesses.
- Axsel Markaryan, 47, a.k.a. “Axel Mark,” of Pacoima, who in June 2023 allegedly fraudulently obtained more than $5 million in SBA loans via the submission of false statements and the submission of fake documents, including bogus tax returns. After the loans were obtained, Markaryan and his co-schemers in November 2023 laundered the money, including sending at least $100,000 to a co-schemer in Armenia.
As a result of today’s takedown, law enforcement seized approximately $20,000 in cash, two money-counting machines, paper cash bands or currency straps in denominations of $2,000 and $10,000, multiple cell phones, multiple laptops, two loaded semi-automatic 9mm handguns, and boxes of 9mm ammunition.
“Today’s enforcement action is intended to send a message to all criminals who take advantage of government programs designed to help those who need them most,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “If you took COVID-19 or SBA money you weren’t entitled to, your door could be the next one we visit. Together with our law enforcement partners, my office will aggressively prosecute individuals who cheat the system meant to protect and support law-abiding citizens.”
“Scheming to fraudulently obtain federal funds that were meant to provide assistance to the nation’s small businesses is unacceptable,” said the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG) Western Region Acting Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Huang. “OIG will continue to ardently investigate fraudulently obtained SBA program funds, including COVID-19 pandemic-related loans, to protect taxpayers from fraud, waste, and abuse. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and pursuit of justice.”
“This transnational criminal network sought to defraud the government of millions of dollars and almost succeeded,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles Acting Special Agent in Charge John Pasciucco. “Through the diligent work of the El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force and our federal partners, HSI is continuing to identify these criminal groups looking to profit from the pandemic and will use all available resources to criminally prosecute or remove them from the country.”
“Today, 14 individuals were arrested in connection with a fraudulent loan scheme in which they allegedly obtained in excess of $25 million through the SBA Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs, and other federal funding programs,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher, Los Angeles Field Office. “These programs were established to assist individuals and businesses in need of financial assistance and instead were pilfered by the named defendants. IRS-CI is dedicated to identifying and dismantling criminal organizations that prey on assistance programs set up for the benefit of our law-abiding citizens.”
A criminal complaint contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, each defendant would face a statutory maximum sentence of decades in federal prison.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolster efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Central and Eastern Districts of California to jointly head one of the three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. The Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors, as well as those who committed instances of pandemic relief fraud. The Strike Force uses prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. Additional information regarding the Strike Force may be found at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-covid-19-fraud-strike-force-teams.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
SBA-OIG, IRS Criminal Investigation, and HSI are investigating these matters.
The cases announced today were investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force, a multi-agency task force that includes federal and state investigators who are focused on financial crimes in Southern California.
Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Aveis and Gregg Marmaro of the Major Frauds Section and Maxwell Coll of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section are prosecuting these cases.
Tuesday 27 May 2025
Waterbury Man Sentenced to More Than 5 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Drug Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TOMMY FIGUEROA, also known as “Coco,” 31, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 66 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his participation in a Waterbury drug trafficking ring.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI’s Waterbury Safe Streets Gang Task Force and other law enforcement agencies investigated two drug trafficking organizations based in the city of Waterbury. One organization operated in the area of William Street and the other operated in the area of Maple Avenue. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps on multiple phones, video surveillance, GPS tracking of vehicles, and numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that the two organizations distributed cocaine, crack, and fentanyl through a network of sellers. The organizations shared sources of supply and worked together to further their operations.
Figueroa worked as a shift-boss for the Maple Street organization, ensuring that street-level distributors were selling narcotics, primarily crack cocaine, around the clock. During the investigation, investigators made several controlled purchases of narcotics from Figueroa. Investigators also determined that Figueroa had acquired two firearms for protection.
Figueroa was arrested on related state charges on September 25, 2023, and the two firearms were seized. While detained in state custody, he continued his involvement in narcotics trafficking through his then girlfriend, Neysa Vazquez-Ferrer.
Seventeen individuals were charged with federal offenses as a result of the investigation.
On January 28, 2025, Figueroa pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Vazquez-Ferrer pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking offense and, on May 22, 2025, was sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment.
The FBI’s Waterbury Safe Streets Gang Task includes members from the FBI, the Waterbury Police Department, the Naugatuck Police Department, and the Connecticut Department of Correction. The DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Connecticut State Police, Wolcott Police Department, and Meriden Police Department have assisted the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Freismuth and Shan Patel through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked the Waterbury State Attorney’s Office for its cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this case.
Virginia Woman Pleads Guilty to Committing Murder at a National ParkRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – An Alexandria, Virginia woman has pleaded guilty to driving more than 300 miles across state lines after she arranged to meet a victim, whom she shot and killed at a national park in Northeast Ohio.
According to court documents, Chelsea Perkins, 35, traveled to Ohio to meet the victim, Matthew Dunmire, whom she knew previously. On March 6, 2021, they visited the Terra Vista Natural Study Area, a hiking trail located in Valley View, Ohio, within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. While hiking off-trail into a wooded area of the park, Perkins used a loaded firearm she brought with her to shoot the victim in the back of the head, killing him.
Criminal investigators found evidence linking Perkins to the shooting through GPS data, DNA, social media and phone records, and ballistics analysis. During a federal search warrant execution at her Virginia residence, federal agents found three 9mm pistols, including one recovered from a woman’s purse that also contained Perkins’ identification.
On May 27, 2025, Chelsea Perkins pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree and using or carrying and discharging a firearm during, and in relation to, a crime of violence on federal property. If the Court accepts the plea agreement at sentencing, Perkins faces between 20 and 25 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine her sentence after considering the plea agreement, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other statutory factors.
Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 9, 2025.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, National Park Service Investigative Branch, Valley View Police Department, and Cuyahoga Valley National Park Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Scott Zarzycki, Margaret A. Kane, and Adam J. Joines.
Two Salinas Acosta Plaza Norteño Gang Members Plead Guilty to Racketeering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – Gil Vasquez, aka “Rhino,” and Jose Mexicano, aka “Armani,” two members of the Salinas Acosta Plaza (SAP) Norteño criminal street gang based in Salinas, Calif., pleaded guilty in federal court today to racketeering conspiracy.
Vasquez, 37, and Mexicano, 26, both of Salinas, were indicted by a federal grand jury on April 18, 2024, along with multiple other defendants, on one count of racketeering conspiracy. According to court documents, the SAP Norteños is a street gang that originated in a Salinas apartment complex by the same name. The group is now recognized as a clique within the larger collection of Norteño criminal street gangs. As described in the indictment, members of the street gang “meet and work together” to carry out crimes for the benefit of the street gang, its members, the larger Norteño organization, and the Nuestra Familia prison gang. Gang members perpetrate crimes to protect and uphold the gang’s power, territory, and profits, and gang members are expected to engage in shootings, robberies, drug sales, and other criminal conduct to gain entry into, and improve a member’s status in, the gang.
In his plea agreement, Vasquez pleaded guilty to the sole count and admitted his personal involvement in the armed robbery of a bystander in July 2014, the attempted murder of a suspected rival gang member in February 2016, drug trafficking of fentanyl in 2023, and firearms trafficking in 2023. Vasquez also admitted to holding a leadership role within the gang.
In his plea agreement, Mexicano pleaded guilty to the sole count and admitted his personal involvement in drug trafficking of fentanyl and cocaine from 2021 to 2023, firearms trafficking from 2022 to 2023, and three violent assaults in 2024 and 2025. Mexicano also admitted to conducting two of those assaults while he was on federal pretrial release.
United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King made the announcement.
The indictment also charged nine other SAP Norteño gang members with racketeering conspiracy. Those cases remain pending. An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and those nine defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Both Vasquez and Mexicano are currently in federal custody. The sentencing hearings for Vasquez and Mexicano are scheduled for Aug. 26, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Beth L. Freeman. Each defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence will be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Hageman, Leif Dautch, Amani Floyd, and Jared Buszin of the Violent Crime Strike Force are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Lakisha Holliman and Tina Rosenbaum. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by HSI and the Salinas Police Department, with assistance from the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
Texas man pleads guilty to employment tax fraudRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - A Harris County resident has admitted to failing to report and pay employment taxes, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Joseth “Joe” Limon owned and operated Platinum Employment Group Inc. which supplied laborers to businesses in the Houston area. From 2013 through 2018, Platinum failed to file employment tax returns and, according to its payroll records, more than $8.8 million in taxes.
After closing Platinum, he set up another labor-staffing company, Rockwell Staffing LLC, in the name of his then 18-year-old daughter. When he discovered the IRS was attempting to collect Rockwell’s employment taxes, he caused his daughter to submit an affidavit that falsely claimed Rockwell had been a victim of identity theft and had no employment-tax liability.
U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal will impose sentencing Aug. 6. At that time, Limon faces up to five years in prison and a possible fine of at least $250,000.
Limon was permitted to remain on bond pending sentencing.
IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shirin Hakimzadeh and Trial Attorney Curtis Weidler of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Employment Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
A Texas man pleaded guilty today before Magistrate Judge Richard W. Bennett for the Southern District of Texas to not reporting and paying over employment taxes that his company withheld from its employees’ paychecks. The plea must be accepted by a U.S. district court judge.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Joseth “Joe” Limon, of Harris County, owned and operated Platinum Employment Group Inc., a company that supplied laborers to businesses in the Houston area. From 2013 through 2018, Platinum did not file employment-tax returns, and, according to its payroll records, did not pay more than $8.8 million in employment taxes. The timely payment of these taxes is critical to the functioning of the U.S. government, because, for example, they are the primary source of funding for Social Security and Medicare. The federal income taxes that are withheld from employees’ wages also account for a significant portion of all federal income taxes collected each year.
After closing Platinum, he set up another labor-staffing company, Rockwell Staffing LLC, in the name of his then 18-year-old daughter. When he later found out that the IRS was attempting to collect Rockwell’s unpaid employment taxes, he caused his daughter to submit an affidavit to the IRS that falsely claimed that Rockwell had been a victim of identity theft and had no employment tax liability.
Limon is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 6. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison as well as a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Curtis Weidler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shirin Hakimzadeh for the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
Tampa Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Receipt and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida - U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has sentenced Almando Sapp, Jr. (39, Tampa) to eight years in federal prison for receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Sapp will also have to register as a sex offender and forfeit a cellphone used in the commission of the offense. Sapp pleaded guilty on January 9, 2025. A restitution hearing is scheduled for July 8, 2025.
According to court documents, through digital payment systems, Sapp purchased CSAM over a social media application. Law enforcement recovered online communications between Sapp and individuals over the app where Sapp admitted to spending hundreds of dollars to purchase CSAM and stated his desire for “real cp” and images or videos containing “intercourse.” Through a search of Sapp’s cellphone, agents recovered hundreds of images and videos of CSAM.
“This is another clear message that those who traffic in child sexual abuse material will be held accountable,” said Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kristopher Pagitt. “Homeland Security Investigations remains committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community by ensuring justice is served.”
This case was 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to 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.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.
St. Louis Tax Preparer Sentenced for Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis tax preparer to five years of probation and ordered her to pay restitution of $230,000 for preparing fraudulent tax returns.
Shasherese M. Reed prepared at least 41 false tax returns for 13 different taxpayers, costing the IRS at least $312,192. Reed “made up businesses out of thin air and claimed tens of thousands of dollars in false business expenses, false medical and dental expenses, mortgage interest, state and local taxes, and deductible employee expenses, all for the purpose of inflating the refunds her clients would receive from the IRS, often by thousands of dollars per return,” a sentencing memorandum filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow says.
Reed falsely identified her daughter as the paid tax preparer on the returns and filed the returns under her daughter’s tax preparation business, Majac Money. She did so because the IRS had revoked the Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) assigned to Reed and her business, Sha-Sha Taxes, in 2015 after the IRS determined Reed had submitted false tax returns.
“(R)ather than be deterred by the previous IRS investigation, Defendant doubled down on her illegal acts,” the sentencing memo says.
During the investigation, Reed prepared a fraudulent tax return for an undercover agent with IRS Criminal Investigation. Without ever asking if the agent had a business, Reed prepared a return that included a false Schedule C showing $26,242 in business expenses, Reed’s plea agreement says.
Reed charged clients hundreds of dollars for preparing returns, making about $378,026 in fees for the 2017-2021 tax years.
Reed, 53, pleaded guilty in February to two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false and fraudulent tax returns.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow prosecuted the case.
St. Louis Nonprofit Executive Admits $2.3 Million Dollar Student Meal FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The owner of a nonprofit on Tuesday admitted fraudulently obtaining more than $2 million in funds intended to feed low-income Missouri children, both before and during the coronavirus pandemic.
Cymone McClellan, 32, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She admitted that she and Terra Davis, 43, submitted $2.3 million worth of false and fraudulent meal reimbursement claims to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services from about January 2019 to June 2022, on behalf of their nonprofit, Sister of Lavender Rose (S.O.L.R.). Davis was McClellan’s second-in-command at S.O.L.R.
McClellan and Davis submitted false reimbursement claims for a total of 860,876 meals that they purportedly supplied to Missouri children. But McClellan actually only purchased enough food and milk to serve fewer than a quarter of those meals, her plea agreement says.
McClellan provided bogus sign-in sheets to DHSS falsely claiming to have taken the attendance of meal recipients at certain food distribution locations. S.O.L.R. submitted management plans to DHSS falsely asserting that state meal reimbursement dollars were spent only in connection with the provision of meals to low-income children, and that the nonprofit did not use meal money to make purchases over $5,000. McClellan’s management plans also falsely claimed that all checks were signed by her finance director, who was not a signor on S.O.L.R.’s account.
McClellan admitted spending $60,000 of the money that was to be used for feeding children for the down payment on a house in Collinsville, Illinois. She spent another $86,172 on a house in Florissant, Missouri, and almost $135,000 more to buy five vehicles: a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse, a 2012 Chevrolet Express G3500 van, a 2020 Mercedes-Benz Metris van, a 2012 Ford E350 box truck and a 2018 Lexus RX SUV.
As part of her plea, McClellan has agreed to forfeit the vehicles and houses. At her sentencing, now set for August 26, she will be ordered to repay the rest of the money.
Davis pleaded guilty in December to the same wire fraud conspiracy charge. She is scheduled to be sentenced on June 5.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information about pandemic fraud should call the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or report via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Springfield Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing firearms.
Aaron Wayne Williams, 34, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool, to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Under federal law it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Williams has previous felony convictions for domestic assault in the third degree, attempted burglary in the first degree, property damage motivated by discrimination in the second degree, possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful use of a weapon.
Williams admitted to possessing several firearms which were seized by Springfield, Mo., Police Department officers on Jan. 8, 2025, after an officer observed Williams sleeping in his running vehicle in the parking lot of the Kum & Go located at 2963 East Division Street. Officers observed a Ruger, Mini 14, semiautomatic rifle beside Williams as he slept. Officers found three additional firearms on Williams and in the vehicle: a Taurus, G2S, 9mm pistol; an HS Produkt, XD, .40 caliber pistol; and a Star, 9mm pistol.
Under federal statutes, Williams is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Slidell Doctor Convicted of Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that ROBERT TASSIN, M.D. (“TASSIN”), age 64, of Slidell, Louisiana, pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1347 and 1349, in connection with a scheme to bill Medicare for medically unnecessary cancer genetic (“CGx”) tests.
According to court documents, TASSIN worked for several purported telemedicine companies. From approximately February through September of 2019, TASSIN, through the purported telemedicine companies, signed doctors’ orders for CGx tests for Medicare beneficiaries he never saw, spoke to, or otherwise treated. As a result, TASSIN’s orders resulted in over $6.6 million in false and fraudulent claims submitted to Medicare, of which Medicare reimbursed over $2 million. To conceal and perpetuate the fraud, TASSIN made several false and fraudulent statements in support of the orders he submitted, including falsely certifying in medical records that the CGx tests were medically necessary for the patients’ treatment. In exchange for electronically reviewing patient charts and ordering CGx tests, TASSIN was paid a set fee per doctor’s order, typically $30. Under the terms of his plea agreement, TASSIN agreed to forfeit the $106,757 that he received and to pay restitution of over $2 million to Medicare.
The Honorable Barry W. Ashe set sentencing for August 28, 2025. At sentencing, TASSIN faces up to ten years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain to TASSIN or the gross loss to Medicare, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. Trial Attorney Kelly Walters of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Moses, Healthcare Fraud Coordinator for the Eastern District of Louisiana, are prosecuting the case.
Roanoke Man, Who Posed as Baseball Prospect, Pleads Guilty to Failure to Register, False Statement ChargesRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke, Virginia man, who used burner phones to pose as officials from both Major and Minor League baseball teams, pled guilty today in federal court to failing to register as a convicted sex offender and making false statements.
Janike Dunbar Holt, 29, a.k.a. “Nike,” a.k.a. “Janike Tagovailoa” a.k.a. “Keanu Tagovailoa,” a.k.a. “Trey Tagovailoa,” pled guilty today to one count of failure to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act and one count of making a false statement to law enforcement.
According to court documents, in August 2018, Holt was convicted of four counts of taking indecent liberties with a child in North Carolina after he had sexual relations with a fifteen-year-old. Holt was released from custody in October of 2018 and, after initially complying with his required sex offender registration requirements, Holt failed to report an address change in June 2022.
In March 2022, Holt began dating a woman (Individual 1) who had a minor child (Minor A). Holt was not the father of Minor A, but he told others that he was. In addition, Holt was asking several other women for money that he claimed was to support Minor A, to visit Minor A, or to help obtain custody of Minor A. However, Holt did not actually use the money for these stated purposes or otherwise provide this money to Individual A or Minor A.
Around October 2022, Holt began dating Individual 2. Holt falsely told Individual 2 that he had a child (Minor A) and got Individual 2 to give him $65 for diapers for the child and for gas to go visit her. Individual 2 gave Holt access to her bank accounts, and Holt stole $5,000 from her. Individual 2 was able recover this money from her bank.
At other times in 2022, Holt also dated Individual 3 and Individual 5. While living with Individual 3, Holt stole at least three checks from her, which he subsequently made out to himself. Holt filled out one of these checks and asked Individual 5 to cash it for him. Holt made out another of these stolen checks for $225,000, with the memo line reading “Lawsuit Refund.” The check was never cashed. Holt later made out another of these stolen checks for $75,000, with the memo line reading “Law-suit settlement.” He asked Individuals 7 and 8 to cash this check for him, but they refused.
On February 6, 2023, Holt asked a friend to drive him from North Carolina to Virginia, where he was planning to move. Holt lived with his brother in Roanoke for a few days before moving in with a new girlfriend, Individual 6. Holt continued living with his new girlfriend until March 14, 2023. While living in Roanoke, Holt never registered as a sex offender in Virginia, despite being required to under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
Despite living with Individual 6, Holt also spent a significant amount of time at a house where the mother of two of his brother’s children (Individual 7) lived with her mother (Individual 8). Holt falsely told his brother, Individual 7, and Individual 8 that he had been recruited to play for a Major League Baseball team. Holt used burner phones to send text messages to his brother, Individual 7, and Individual 8 while pretending to be actual individuals affiliated with a Major League Baseball team and a Minor League Baseball team. Holt used the names of these individuals without their knowledge.
Holt told his brother, Individual 6, Individual 7, and Individual 8 that they would all be moving as a result of his purported Major League Baseball career. In preparation, and at Holt’s urging, Individual 7 and Individual 8 sold some of their vehicles and gave Holt the proceeds. Holt also attempted to sell Individual 6’s vehicle without her knowledge.
On March 14, 2023, Holt was arrested on a warrant out of North Carolina. While being interviewed by a deputy marshal, Holt made several false statements, including that he had a child (Minor A), that he had not been living in Roanoke, Virginia but had been driving back and forth between Roanoke and North Carolina every other day, and that his probation officer was aware that he was habitually traveling between Roanoke and North Carolina.
The United States Marshals Service is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Scheff is prosecuting the case.
Raleigh County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Joshua Mason Trotter, 44, of Crab Orchard, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 1, 2024, Trotter possessed a Glock model 21 .45-caliber pistol and a CBC model 817 .17-caliber rifle. Trotter admitted to possessing the firearms and further admitted to possessing a 26-round high-capacity magazine for .45-caliber ammunition, approximately 10.51 grams of methamphetamine, and a total of 25.95 grams of para-fluorofentanyl, a synthetic opioid, in several packages.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Trotter knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for conspiracy to commit possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine in Kanawha County Circuit Court on November 29, 2017.
Trotter is scheduled to be sentenced on September 26, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-cr-22.
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Passaic County Correctional Officer Admits Civil Rights Violation and Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice in Connection with an Assault of a Pretrial DetaineeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Passaic County Correctional Officer admitted his role in assaulting a pretrial detainee and conspiring to obstruct justice, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Sergeant Donald Vinales, 39, pleaded guilty on May 21, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark federal court to a two-count indictment charging him with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On January 22, 2021, a pretrial detainee at the Passaic County Jail (“PCJ”) squirted a mixture containing urine onto a correctional officer. The following day, on January 23, 2021, Sergeant Vinales admitted that he, along with Sergeant Jose Gonzalez, and Correctional Officer Lorenzo Bowden, who were also charged in this case, transported the detainee through an area of the PCJ that does not have a video surveillance camera, which Correctional Officers and inmates at the PCJ have referred to as a “blind spot.” While in that “blind spot,” Sergeant Vinales admitted that he and Sgt. Gonzalez assaulted the detainee, while he was handcuffed, when they knocked him to the ground and struck him multiple times. One day after the assault, the detainee was taken to a local hospital, which documented injuries from the assault.
The defendants were required to submit documentation regarding their use of force. None of them submitted any such reports.
In April 2022, after receiving federal grand jury subpoenas in connection with this investigation, Sergeant Gonzalez, Sergeant Vinales, Officer Bowden, among others, met to discuss the federal investigation. During that meeting, the group agreed not to cooperate with the federal investigation and also agreed to say that nothing had happened to the detainee (referring to the assault). Thereafter, during an interview with federal investigators in October 2022, Bowden falsely stated that the detainee had not been assaulted and that there had not been any meeting or communication among those who participated in or witnessed the assault.
Officer Bowden pleaded guilty on April 18, 2024, before Judge Farbiarz to an information charging him with conspiracy to obstruct justice and is awaiting sentencing.
The charge of deprivation of rights under color of law carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and the charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Both charges carry a fine of up to $250,000. Vinales’s sentencing is scheduled for September 30, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark; and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office Division of Internal Affairs, under the direction of Sheriff Thomas Adamo.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin, Chief of the Narcotics/OCDETF Unit in Newark, and R. Joseph Gribko, Senior Trial Counsel in Trenton.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment against Sergeant Gonzalez are still pending, are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense Counsel:
Eric V. Kleiner, Esq., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
vinales.indictment.pdfOrange County felon sentenced to federal prison for firearms violationRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas –An Orange, Texas man has been sentenced for illegally possessing a firearm in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.
John Marion LeBlanc, 45, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 162 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on May 27, 2025.
According to information presented in court, on October 29, 2023, law enforcement responded to the Orange Boat Ramp on Pier Road in Orange in reference to a large disturbance with shots fired. Upon arrival, officers could see a large crowd with numerous vehicles in the boat ramp parking lot. As officers approached the scene, they heard several gunshots and observed muzzle flashes. One person had been shot in the arm. Video surveillance footage shows LeBlanc arrive at the boat ramp parking lot and fire a pistol in the crowd. Other individuals also fired shots, and as police arrived on scene, video footage shows LeBlanc throwing a firearm in the grass where it was later recovered.
Further investigation revealed LeBlanc has previously been convicted of eight felony convictions, including two prior federal drug trafficking convictions. Federal law prohibits convicted felons from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This case was investigated by the Orange Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Quinn.
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Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax Returns for Failing to Report Business EarningsRead the Press Release
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio − Sidney L. Glover, Jr., 36, of Warren, Ohio, has pleaded guilty to failing to report three years’ worth of business earnings to the IRS.
According to court documents, Glover was the sole owner of Teaching Excellence, LLC, a business dedicated to providing home healthcare services for individuals with disabilities. Because it specialized in serving clients with special needs, most of the company’s income was generated from the Ohio Department of Disabilities, which receives its funding through Ohio Medicaid.
IRS records analysis confirmed that the defendant did not file income tax returns for calendar years 2015 and 2016, but he eventually prepared and filed those documents two years later in April 2018. At that time, he also submitted the filing for the 2017 tax year. During the investigation, authorities learned that Glover’s Teaching Excellence business, had in fact, generated more than $1 million in gross receipts for 2015, 2016, and 2017 combined, and that he did not report those earnings in his tax filings for those years. Investigators also found that Glover had spent some of the unreported business earnings on various personal expenses.
In total, the defendant’s failure to report business income resulted in a loss of approximately $155,000 in unpaid taxes owed to the United States Treasury.
On May 21, 2025, Glover pleaded guilty to making and subscribing false tax returns for which he faces a maximum of up to three years in prison. 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.
The investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI). IRS-CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a 90% federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 14 attaché posts abroad.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian M. McDonough and Brenna L. Fasko prosecuted the case for the Northern District of Ohio.
Newark Man Admits Role in Armed Robbery of a U.S. Postal Service Employee and Firearms and Drug Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Newark, New Jersey man admitted his role in an armed robbery of a U.S. Postal Service employee as well as firearms and drug trafficking offenses, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Troy D. Corbett, Jr., 29, of Newark, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to one count of conspiring to interfere with commerce by robbery, one count of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Sentencing is scheduled for October 8, 2025.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In November 2023, four individuals – including Corbett – conspired to rob a U.S. Postal Service employee at gunpoint in Newark, New Jersey. The assailants stole the victim’s cell phone, keys, and wallet – including a credit card and debit card. The robbery impeded the victim from delivering mail, which interfered with interstate commerce. Following the robbery, Corbett attempted to use the employee’s stolen property to make purchases.
On January 18, 2024, in Newark, New Jersey, Corbett – who was convicted of a felony offense in 2018 – possessed a Polymer80, Inc. Model PF940V2 9mm caliber privately made pistol, bearing no identifiable serial number, loaded with 16 rounds of 9mm Luger ammunition that was manufactured outside of New Jersey. Corbett possessed at the same time approximately 162 pills of methamphetamine, which he intended to distribute.
The count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The count of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. The count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years in prison, which term must run consecutive to any other term of imprisonment that Corbett is ordered to serve, and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited postal inspectors with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Philadelphia Division, under the direction of Christopher A. Nielsen, with the investigation. She also thanked special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark, deputies of the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of United States Marshal Juan Mattos Jr., police officers and detectives of the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda, officers of the New Jersey State Parole Board, under the direction of Chairman Samuel J. Plumeri, Jr., and special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli Jacobs of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel: John J. McMahon, West Orange, New Jersey
Naugatuck Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking NarcoticsRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that HUSANI FOOTE, 30, of Naugatuck, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking narcotics.
According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation determined that Foote was trafficking narcotics in and around Waterbury. Foote was arrested on related state charges on April 13, 2023. On that date, a court-authorized search of his Aetna Street residence and his vehicle parked in front of the residence revealed more than 34,000 baggies containing a mixture of fentanyl, heroin, and xylazine; approximately 160 grams of crack cocaine and six grams of powder cocaine; items used to process and package narcotics; a loaded 9mm handgun; and more than $122,000 in cash.
Foote has been detained since his federal arrest on June 12, 2023. On May 13, 2024, he pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
This investigation was conducted by the DEA New Haven Task Force, the Waterbury Police Department, the Naugatuck Police Department, and the Connecticut State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha M. Freismuth.
Minnesota Man Indicted for Attempted Arson of Memorial U.S. Army Tank with A Molotov CocktailRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Trang Johnny Nha Phan (25, Minnesota) with attempted arson of federal property, possessing a Molotov cocktail as a convicted felon, and using a Molotov cocktail in furtherance of a crime of violence. If convicted on all counts, Phan faces a minimum penalty of 35 years, up to 65, in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Phan that the United States intends to forfeit assets that are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.
According to the indictment, on February 14, 2025, Phan attempted to set fire using a Molotov cocktail to a M-60 A-3 tank owned by the U.S. Army. At the time, Phan had been convicted for threats of violence and possessing three grams or more of heroin.
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).
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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Sarasota Police Department, and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam W. McCall.
Mexican national sentenced to federal prison for firearms violationRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas –A Mexican national has been sentenced for illegally possessing a firearm in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.
Maria Magdalena Chavez, 41, illegally residing in Port Arthur, pleaded guilty to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on May 27, 2025.
According to information presented in court, on September 11, 2024, Chavez was in a vehicle stopped for a traffic violation in Nederland. During the stop, it was determined that Chavez had a firearm concealed in her bra. Further investigation revealed Chavez was a Mexican national who had been previously removed from the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, the Nederland Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tommy L. Coleman.
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Mexican National with Two Prior Deportations and Three Prior Felony Convictions Charged for Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Mexican national made his initial court appearance today to face charges of illegally reentering the United States after previously being removed from the country.
Jesus Carreno-Serrano, 40, is charged with one count of deported alien found in the United States. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 10, 2025, before United States Magistrate Judge Maximiliano D. Couvillier, III.
According to allegations contained in the criminal complaint and statements made during court proceedings, Carreno-Serrano is a citizen and national of Mexico who was previously deported and removed from the United States on July 23, 2018, and May 21, 2020, and reentered the United States illegally.
On May 11, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) learned that Carreno-Serrano had been arrested by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police for Driving Under the Influence. On May 11, 2025, Carreno-Serrano was remanded to ICE custody from the Clark County Detention Center, based on an immigration detainer. Carreno-Serrano has three prior felony convictions: one for Aggravated Driving Under the Influence, a second for Drug Paraphernalia Possess/Use, and a third for Illegal Reentry After Deportation.
If convicted, Carreno-Serrano faces the maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, a one-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Field Office Director Michael Bernacke made the announcement.
The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated the case; and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada is prosecuting the case.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
A complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Mexican National Sentenced to Federal Prison for Firearms TraffickingRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Edson Aregullin has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for unlawfully purchasing firearms for transport from Georgia to Mexico.
“Illegal firearms trafficking wreaks havoc in communities within and outside our district,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “We are proud to stand alongside our federal law enforcement partners in helping to stem the unlawful flow of firearms to criminals.”
“Every illegal firearm that crosses our border becomes a weapon of destruction in the wrong hands,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka. “ATF is committed to shutting down these criminal pipelines with precision and force. Our communities – here and abroad – deserve nothing less.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Edson Aregullin conspired with several individuals in Mexico to purchase more than 150 firearms from various firearms dealers in the Northern District of Georgia. Those firearms included 9mm pistols and AR-style rifles. Aregullin’s contacts in Mexico sent him detailed instructions concerning the makes and models of the firearms to buy. Aregullin bought the firearms with funds received from the actual buyer in Mexico and then facilitated transportation of the weapons to Mexico.
The guns Areguillin purchased illegally were used to commit violent crimes. For example, on April 21, 2022, Aregullin bought a .223 caliber rifle that law enforcement officers in Guanajuato, Mexico recovered just a few months later after a deadly encounter between municipal police and armed combatants. During the ensuing melee, eight people were killed, and four were injured.
On May 22, 2025, United States District Judge Steven D. Grimberg sentenced Edson Aregullin, 47, a Mexican national previously residing in Atlanta, Georgia, to 71 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. On November 19, 2024, Aregullin pled guilty to Conspiracy to Traffic in Firearms, three counts of Trafficking in Firearms, and three counts of False Statements to a Federal Firearms Licensee.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Gabay-Smith prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Medical Equipment Business Owner Sentenced to Federal Prison and Ordered to Pay over $6 Million in Restitution for a Conspiracy to Commit Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A former Kentucky resident was sentenced last week to 2 years and 9 months in federal prison for engaging in a conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with durable medical equipment businesses.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge Kelly J. Blackmon of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), made the announcement.
According to court documents, Pedro Reyes, 54, formerly of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, was sentenced to 2 years and 9 months in prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, for one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Reyes, through multiple Kentucky companies, executed a scheme in which he fraudulently billed Medicare for durable medical equipment (orthopedic equipment, to including back, knee, and shoulder braces) that was medically unnecessary, unwanted by patients, and not prescribed by the patients’ medical providers.
“I commend the tenacious work of the HHS-OIG and the prosecution team in this matter,” said U.S. Attorney Bennett. “Let this case serve as notice to those who plan to cheat the system. You will be identified, aggressively prosecuted, spend time in federal prison, and, in the end, pay back your ill-gotten gains.”
“The defendant’s exploitation of the Medicare program and its enrollees for unlawful financial gain constitutes a serious breach of trust and a misappropriation of resources for the public,” said Special Agent in Charge Blackmon. “HHS-OIG is unwavering in our commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the Medicare and other federal healthcare programs.”
There is no parole in the federal system.
Reyes was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $6,004,916.
This case was investigated by HHS-OIG.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Tieke prosecuted the case, with assistance from healthcare fraud investigator Bob Masterson.
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McKees Rocks Resident Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Coerce Minor for Sex and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and possession of child sexual abuse material, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Ryan Peters, 35, pleaded guilty to two counts before Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on August 6, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant for Peters’ residence based on tips reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children regarding online activity involving child sexual abuse material. During the search, investigators located and seized numerous electronic devices, including a cell phone found in a cat litterbox in the hallway as well as Peters’ laptop. A forensic review of these devices revealed child sexual abuse material, including five videos and 11 images that involved the use of minors, including prepubescent minors and minors who had not attained 12 years of age, engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
A few weeks later, Peters used a social networking and dating application to contact and attempt to persuade and entice an individual he believed was a 12-year-old girl from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to engage in sexual activity. The purported minor was in fact an undercover FBI agent. During their online conversations over the following weeks, Peters discussed sex with the purported child and solicited the minor to send him sexually explicit images of herself. Peters then suggested they meet in person and, following a failed attempt to do so in late-August, again arranged to meet the purported minor on September 13, 2021. Peters was arrested upon his arrival at the predetermined meeting place.
Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing for November 12, 2025. The law provides for a total maximum sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the Court ordered that Peters remain detained.
Assistant United States Attorney Carl J. Spindler is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Allegheny County Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Peters.
Mayville man convicted of sex trafficking a minor going to prison for lifeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that William A. Quinones, 51, of Mayville, NY, who was convicted by a federal jury of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and sex trafficking of a minor, was sentenced to serve life in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron J. Mango and Franz M. Wright, who handled the prosecution of the case, stated that in July 2021, the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office received a complaint that Quinones had been sexually abusing two children over the past eight years. A subsequent investigation identified a total of four minor victims. During interviews with investigators, the victims stated that Quinones raped or attempted to rape and sexually abused them. Quinones threatened them with violence or threatened to hurt their families if they disclosed what he was doing. Quinones had regular sexual contact with one minor victim, referred to in the indictment, beginning when she was eight years old, as often as three to four times each week. The minor victim told investigators that Quinones started paying her in exchange for sexual contact, beginning when she was 13 years old until age 16 years old. On one occasion, Quinones took her to Erie, PA, to pick up drugs. Prior to returning home, Quinones stopped at a motel to engage in sexual intercourse. During the course of the sexual abuse, Quinones repeatedly raped and physically abused her.
The sentencing is a result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone.
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Manatee County Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Receiving Child Sexual Abuse Images and VideosRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced Capers Scott Hammond (35, Bradenton) to 5 years in federal prison for receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Hammond was also ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution, a $30,000 fine, and will be required to register as a sex offender. The court also ordered Hammond to forfeit an iPad, three thumb drives, a MacBook, a custom PC tower, and an iPhone, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense. Hammond entered a guilty plea on February 13, 2025.
According to court documents, Hammond used a file-sharing network to distribute and receive CSAM. Pursuant to a search warrant, law enforcement searched Hammond’s apartment, seized various electronics, and determined he had received and possessed seven images and four videos of CSAM.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abigail K. King.
This case was 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 (CEOS), 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.
Lynchburg Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms and Conspiracy ChargesRead the Press Release
LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Lynchburg, Virginia man, implicated in a series of incidents involving the illegal possession of a firearm and conspiring to access protected computer systems, pled guilty today to firearm and conspiracy charges.
Brendon Cole Webber, 28, was arrested in May 2024 for being a convicted felon illegally in possession of a firearm. Webber pled guilty today to one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon and two counts of conspiracy against the United States.
According to court documents, beginning in 2022, Webber was being supervised by the Lynchburg Community Corrections & Pretrial Services Department (LCCPS). In 2023, Jennifer Leigh Peters assumed the role of Acting Director of the LCCPS. Starting in approximately August 2023, Webber and Peters began a romantic relationship. Peters directly or indirectly supervised Webber’s probation throughout his LCCPS supervision. Peters, because of her role with LCCPS, had access to certain non-public, law enforcement materials, including the Lynchburg Police Department’s Records Management System (RMS). The RMS was a protected computer system that housed confidential non-public, law enforcement material.
Between November 11, 2023 and January 9, 2024, Webber and Peters conspired to have Webber access RMS information without authorization. Specifically, Peters provided Webber with access to non-public confidential material on RMS, and Webber disseminated that non-public information to others.
On November 30, 2023, Webber was charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm in violation of Virginia law and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Webber and Peters knew there was an active warrant for Webber’s arrest and knew there was an active U.S. Marshal’s fugitive manhunt for Webber’s apprehension.
Around December 19, 2023, at Webber’s instruction, Peters drove Webber from Lynchburg, Virginia to Hughestown, Pennsylvania with the purpose of obstructing the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive mission. Weber further directed Peters to book a hotel room during the drive. Webber was arrested in Hughestown, Pennsylvania on January 9, 2024.
Webber previously pled guilty to state charges of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice, as well as to unlawfully possessing a firearm.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers were flagged down by a citizen on Fifth Street in Lynchburg after the citizen reported seeing a man fall out of a moving vehicle then shoot a firearm in the direction of the same departing vehicle. The citizen told police the man who shot at the vehicle- ultimately identified as Webber- then ran toward the Family Dollar on Federal Street in downtown Lynchburg.
Two other individuals driving past the incident witnessed Webber fall out of the vehicle. Webber asked the witnesses for a ride and attempted to enter their vehicle as law enforcement arrived on scene. Police officers searched the vehicle and found a loaded 9 mm handgun, a white bag containing suspected methamphetamine, and a wallet belonging to an unidentified individual in the back seat where Webber had been sitting.
Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the City of Lynchburg Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Vito Iaia is prosecuting the case.
Loxahatchee Man Convicted at Trial of Conspiring to Traffic CocaineRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that a federal jury has found Wilmer Sanchez Aquino (36, Loxahatchee) guilty of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and attempting to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute it. Sanchez Aquino faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 27, 2025.
On May 1, 2025, co-defendant Luis Garcia-Serrano (36) pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering offenses. He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. A third co-defendant, Antonio Gonzalez Prado (49), pleaded guilty on May 13, 2025, to cocaine trafficking. He faces a minimum of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison.
According to evidence presented at trial, in September 2021, Sanchez Aquino received a package containing two kilograms of cocaine on behalf of Garcia-Serrano. In November 2021, investigators intercepted a kilogram of cocaine intended for an address in the Middle District of Florida and replaced the cocaine with a block of wood. Garcia-Serrano and Sanchez Aquino discussed the block of wood inside the package and how Sanchez Aquino already had a buyer lined up to buy the kilogram. Financial records from Sanchez Aquino’s checking account showed cash deposits going into the account during the conspiracy. Sanchez Aquino testified in his defense at trial and claimed that he was not the person in certain phone calls despite his phone number being used in those calls and being referred to in one call as “Wilmer.”
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza. The forfeiture is being handled by AUSA Suzanne Nebesky.
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.
Local Rapper Sentenced for Illegal Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that Keynon Frazier, a/k/a “Green Eyez,” 29, of Shreveport, has been sentenced by United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. to 78 months followed by 3 years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine.
Frazier a/k/a “Green Eyez” was found guilty by a jury on January 15, 2025, for Felon in Possession of Firearm. On April 15, 2024, officers with the Shreveport Police Department attempted to stop a vehicle being driven by Frazier in the downtown Shreveport area, which ended with his vehicle crashing into a telephone pole and another vehicle. Officers approached the crashed vehicle and found Frazier, who was the sole occupant and driver of the vehicle. Also, inside the vehicle on the front passenger floorboard, officers found two firearms, a Glock 17 firearm, and a Glock 45 firearm, along with an expended shell casing stuck within the chamber of the Glock 45. In addition, there was a bullet-size hole found in the front driver’s side windshield of the vehicle.
Officers determined that Frazier had prior felony convictions for aggravated battery and second degree robbery, and he was arrested at the scene and taken into custody. As a convicted felon, Frazier was prohibited from possessing any firearm or ammunition.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Shreveport Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Aaron Crawford and Cheyenne Wilson.
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Knife-Wielding Passenger Charged in Random Stabbing on Metro BusRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ankintola Olowofoyeku, 43, of Hyattsville, Maryland, was indicted for threatening to kill two strangers and stabbing one of them on a metro bus in July 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Michael Anzallo, of the Metro Transit Police Department.
View copy of indictment here.
A Superior Court grand jury indicted Olowofoyeku on May 21, 2025, on two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, one count of assault with significant bodily injury while armed, and two counts of felony threats.
According to the government’s evidence, on July 21, 2024, Olowofoyeku was aboard a 70 route bus, in the vicinity of Georgia Avenue NW and Jefferson Street NW, when he began screaming at two strangers and demanding that they exit the bus. Olowofoyeku threatened to kill the two victims while holding a knife behind his back and forcing the victims to retreat into a corner of the bus. Olowofoyeku struck one of the victims and a struggle ensued. During the struggle, Olowofoyeku stabbed one of the victims in his leg, arm, and hand. Eventually, Olowofoyeku was forced off the bus, where he continued to brandish the knife and threaten to kill. Subsequently, Olowofoyeku fled the area and was arrested on February 7, 2025.
Trial is scheduled for June 16, 2025, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before the Honorable Andrea Hertzfeld.
This case is being investigated by the Metro Transit Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Dal Lago.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Kanawha County Man Sentenced for Withholding Information in Bankruptcy CaseRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – James Eugene Wells, 73, of Marmet, was sentenced today to one year of federal probation for withholding records relating to the property or financial affairs of a debtor in bankruptcy from an officer of the court or a United States Trustee entitled to its possession.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in October 2022, a Charleston business solely owned by Wells’ wife filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Wells helped with the business’ day-to-day management, including by overseeing many of its financial affairs, but was never an employee of the business or a registered owner or manager. As part of his guilty plea, Wells admitted that he applied for and obtained five loans in the business’ name from February 2023 through February 2024, knowing that the business had filed for bankruptcy protection. Wells further admitted that he did not disclose the existence of the loans to the United States Trustee, who oversees the administration of bankruptcy cases in the Southern District of West Virginia.
On January 31, 2024, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court held a hearing on the U.S. Trustee’s motion to dismiss the business’ bankruptcy case. That day, the bankruptcy lawyer for the business informed the U.S. Trustee of the existence of one of the four loans that Wells had obtained by that time in the business’ name. When the bankruptcy court confronted Wells about the loan, Wells lied under oath about the circumstances surrounding its origins. As part of his guilty plea, Wells admitted that he did not disclose the existence of the other three active loans while the bankruptcy judge questioned him under oath. Wells further admitted that the fifth loan, obtained on February 8, 2024, was not approved by the bankruptcy court or disclosed to the U.S. Trustee. On February 21, 2024, the bankruptcy court dismissed the business’ bankruptcy case.
A total of $68,000 was obtained in proceeds from the five loans and used for the business’ operations or to pay down debt. The lender charged the business $9,750 in fees. Wells’ agreement with the lender gave the lender priority status over other creditors, including by granting the undisclosed lender direct access to the business’ bank account. This arrangement allowed the lender to withdraw funds directly from the business’ account without court oversight.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The United States Trustee’s Charleston field office, which serves West Virginia, made the criminal referral of this case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The United States Trustee Program is a component of the Department of Justice whose mission is to promote the integrity and efficiency of the bankruptcy system for the benefit of all stakeholders — debtors, creditors and the public.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-7.
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Justice Department Files Help America Vote Act Lawsuit Against North Carolina for Inaccurate Voter ListRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the State of North Carolina and the North Carolina State Board of Elections for failure to maintain an accurate voter list in violation of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
The lawsuit alleges that the State of North Carolina, in violation of HAVA’s mandate and clear Congressional intent, used a State voter registration form that did not require a voter to provide identifying information such as a driver’s license or last four digits of a social security number. Voters were then added to the State’s voter registration roll without the required information, and many of these voters remain on the registration rolls without it.
On March 25, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14248 entitled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections” to ensure that elections are being held in compliance with federal laws that guard against illegal voting, unlawful discrimination, and other forms of fraud, error, or suspicion. The election integrity issues raised in this action are a core component of the Federal election laws that Congress has statutorily charged the Attorney General of the United States, through the Civil Rights Division, to enforce.
“Accurate voter registration rolls are critical to ensure that elections in North Carolina are conducted fairly, accurately, and without fraud,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will not hesitate to file suit against jurisdictions that maintain inaccurate voter registration rolls in violation of federal voting laws.”
The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the integrity of the vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
More information about voting and elections is available on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/voting. Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division’s website at civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931.
Juniata County Woman Sentenced to Six Months’ Home Confinement for Social Security and Housing Choice Voucher Program FraudRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Doris Santana, age 54, of Thompsontown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on May 22, 2025, to six months’ home confinement by United States District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for social security fraud and theft of public money related to her theft of social security and federal housing funds.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, between February 2008 and December 2021, Santana was a participant in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP), which provided rental assistance to eligible recipients. Between May 2018 and September 2024, Santana also received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) from the Social Security Administration (SSA). In April 2011, Santana married Individual 1. However, Santana concealed the marriage from the SSA and HUD. Santana’s marriage to, cohabitation with, and receipt of income from Individual 1 rendered Santana ineligible to receive SSI and Housing Choice Voucher Program funds.
Judge Wilson also ordered Santana to pay $141,055.10 in restitution.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General and Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney David C. Williams prosecuted the case.
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Judgment Entered Against Bakersfield and Van Nuys Men for Sexual Harassment Against Bakersfield TenantRead the Press Release
The United States has obtained a default judgment against Bakersfield residents Juvenal Salazar and Javier Salazar Sr. and Van Nuys resident Ricardo Covarrubias, a maintenance worker, manager, and owner, respectively, of rental properties in Bakersfield, in a case brought by the United States alleging sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of the Fair Housing Act, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
The lawsuit alleged that from December 2018 through March 2019, Juvenal Salazar sexually harassed a female tenant by repeatedly asking her to engage in sexual acts with him, describing the sexual acts he wished to engage in with her, and persistently commenting on her appearance. According to the complaint, on two occasions, Juvenal Salazar touched the tenant’s body without her consent, and he surreptitiously took photographs of framed pictures of her and her daughter. The tenant reported the man’s conduct to Salazar Sr., who is both the property manager and Juvenal Salazar’s father. After the tenant reported the harassment and threatened to contact a lawyer or the police if it continued, the Salazars refused to fix a leaking gas line in her dwelling, causing her to go without heat for one month and consequently forcing her to move out. The complaint also alleged that Covarrubias, the property owner, was liable for the Salazars’ conduct because they were his agents when they engaged in sexual harassment and retaliation.
After the defendants failed to respond to the complaint or oppose the motion for default judgment, U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston entered judgment for the United States and ordered the Salazars and Covarrubias to pay the tenant $45,000 in damages, to attend a training on the requirements of the Fair Housing Act, and to adopt a written policy against sexual harassment. The order also prohibits Juvenal Salazar from working in property management or maintenance for a period of 10 years.
“For four months, this tenant refused the repeated sexual advances by the maintenance worker at her home, and when she reported the sexual harassment, she faced retaliation,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Beckwith. “The wrongful actions of the Salazars and Covarrubias caused her significant harm and distress. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to use its available resources to investigate landlords who enable or engage in sexual harassment or retaliation in violation of the Fair Housing Act.”
If you believe you are a victim of sexual harassment by a landlord, or if you have suffered other forms of housing discrimination, call the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, email the Justice Department at [email protected], or submit a report online. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.
You may also make a report by contacting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.
The Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. The initiative seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers, and other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative in October 2017, the department has filed 47 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered nearly $17 million for victims of such harassment.
This case was a joint effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California and the Civil Rights Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Fuentes handled this case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Jasper County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Sexual ExploitationRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Carthage, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to charges related to the sexual exploitation of a child.
Uriah Behl, 40, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool, to one count of sexual exploitation of children. By pleading guilty today, Behl admitted to secretly recording a naked juvenile in the shower.
The investigation began when the Jasper County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) received a call reporting that a camera had been found in a community shower room in Carthage, Mo. Witnesses found a cell phone in the cabinet under the bathroom sink, recording through a crack in the open cabinet door. Several videos were found on the phone, containing multiple victims, including a juvenile.
In a post-Miranda interview, Behl admitted to JCSO officers that he had set the phone up to record the whole room, including the shower, when motion was detected. Behl claimed that he did not intend to record the juvenile victim; however, clips from the videos focused on portions of the video depicting the juvenile victim naked, with their genitals exposed.
Behl gave JCSO officers consent to search the phone he was using to record and the cell phone he used for calls and texting. A forensic search of the phones found over an hour of videos from the shower room, several clips from those videos containing the naked juvenile victim, multiple searches for child pornography, as well as 161 images depicting child pornography downloaded from the internet.
Under federal statutes, Behl is subject to a sentence of at least 15 and up to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
Behl will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Jasper County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was 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.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Iranian Man Pleaded Guilty to Role in Robbinhood RansomwareRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – An Iranian national pleaded guilty today to participating in an international ransomware and extortion scheme involving the Robbinhood ransomware.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Sina Gholinejad, 37, and his co-conspirators compromised the computer networks of cities, corporations, health care organizations, and other entities around the United States, and encrypted files on these victim networks with the Robbinhood ransomware variant to extort ransom payments. These cyber-attacks caused significant disruptions and tens of millions in losses, including to the City of Greenville, North Carolina, and the City of Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore lost more than $19 million from the damage caused to their computer networks and the resulting disruption to several essential city services, including online services for processing property taxes, water bills, parking citations, and other revenue-generating functions, which lasted many months. The conspirators used the damage they caused these cities to threaten subsequent victims.
“Gholinejad and his co-conspirators — all of whom were overseas — caused tens of millions of dollars in losses and disrupted essential public services by deploying the Robbinhood ransomware against U.S. cities, health care organizations, and businesses,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The ransomware attack against the City of Baltimore forced the city to take hundreds of computers offline and prevented the city from performing basic functions for months. Gholinejad’s conviction reflects the Criminal Division’s commitment to bringing cybercriminals who target our cities, healthcare system, and businesses to justice no matter where they are located. There will be no impunity for these destructive attacks.”
“Cybercrime is not a victimless offense—it is a direct attack on our communities, as seen in this case. Gholinejad and his co-conspirators orchestrated a ransomware scheme that disrupted lives, businesses, and local governments, and resulted in losses of tens of millions of dollars from unsuspecting victims and institutions,” said acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar. “The announcement today marks a significant step towards justice for the countless victims impacted by the defendant’s malicious scheme. Cases like these act as a reminder that cybercriminals who seek to exploit our digital infrastructure for personal gain will be identified, prosecuted, and held accountable.”
“These ransomware actors leveraged sophisticated tools and tradecraft to harm innocent victims in the United States, all while believing they could conduct their illegal activities safely from overseas,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. of the FBI. “This case demonstrates the capability and resolve of the FBI and our partners to find and impose consequences on cybercriminals no matter where they attempt to hide.”
Beginning in January 2019, Gholinejad and others gained and maintained unauthorized access to victim computer networks and then copied information from the infected victim networks to virtual private servers controlled by the conspirators. The conspirators also deployed Robbinhood ransomware to encrypt the victims’ files and extort Bitcoin from victims in exchange for the private key required to decrypt the victims’ computer files.
Gholinejad and his co-conspirators attempted to launder the ransom payments through cryptocurrency mixing services and by moving assets between different types of cryptocurrencies, a practice known as chain-hopping. They also hid their identities and activities through a number of technical methods, including the use of virtual private networks and servers that they operated. The indictment identifies multiple additional victims of Robbinhood ransomware, including, but not limited to, the City of Gresham, Oregon and the City of Yonkers, New York.
Gholinejad pleaded guilty to one count of computer fraud and abuse and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when sentenced later this year.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II accepted the plea. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad DeVoe, Senior Counsels Aarash Haghighat and Ryan R.J. Dickey of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the case with valuable assistance from Trial Attorney Alexandra Cooper-Ponte of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Deputy Chief Matthew Anzaldi of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided substantial assistance in the collection of evidence. Additional details on protecting networks against ransomware are available at StopRansomware.gov.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-CR-16.
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Iranian Man Pleaded Guilty to Role in Robbinhood RansomwareRead the Press Release
Note: see indictment here.
An Iranian national pleaded guilty today to participating in an international ransomware and extortion scheme involving the Robbinhood ransomware.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Sina Gholinejad, 37, and his co-conspirators compromised the computer networks of cities, corporations, health care organizations, and other entities around the United States, and encrypted files on these victim networks with the Robbinhood ransomware variant to extort ransom payments. These cyber attacks caused significant disruptions and tens of millions in losses, including to the City of Greenville, North Carolina, and the City of Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore lost more than $19 million from the damage caused to their computer networks and the resulting disruption to several essential city services, including online services for processing property taxes, water bills, parking citations, and other revenue-generating functions, which lasted many months. The conspirators used the damage they caused these cities to threaten subsequent victims.
“Gholinejad and his co-conspirators — all of whom were overseas — caused tens of millions of dollars in losses and disrupted essential public services by deploying the Robbinhood ransomware against U. S. cities, health care organizations, and businesses,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The ransomware attack against the City of Baltimore forced the city to take hundreds of computers offline and prevented the city from performing basic functions for months. Gholinejad’s conviction reflects the Criminal Division’s commitment to bringing cybercriminals who target our cities, healthcare system, and businesses to justice no matter where they are located. There will be no impunity for these destructive attacks.”
“Cybercrime is not a victimless offense — it is a direct attack on our communities, as seen in this case. Gholinejad and his co-conspirators orchestrated a ransomware scheme that disrupted lives, businesses, and local governments, and resulted in losses of tens of millions of dollars from unsuspecting victims and institutions,” said acting U. S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar for the Eastern District of North Carolina. “The announcement today marks a significant step towards justice for the countless victims impacted by the defendant’s malicious scheme. Cases like these act as a reminder that cybercriminals who seek to exploit our digital infrastructure for personal gain will be identified, prosecuted, and held accountable.”
“These ransomware actors leveraged sophisticated tools and tradecraft to harm innocent victims in the United States, all while believing they could conduct their illegal activities safely from overseas,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. of the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office. “This case demonstrates the capability and resolve of the FBI and our partners to find and impose consequences on cybercriminals no matter where they attempt to hide.”
Beginning in January 2019, Gholinejad and others gained and maintained unauthorized access to victim computer networks and then copied information from the infected victim networks to virtual private servers controlled by the conspirators. The conspirators also deployed Robbinhood ransomware to encrypt the victims’ files and extort Bitcoin from victims in exchange for the private key required to decrypt the victims’ computer files.
Gholinejad and his co-conspirators attempted to launder the ransom payments through cryptocurrency mixing services and by moving assets between different types of cryptocurrencies, a practice known as chain-hopping. They also hid their identities and activities through a number of technical methods, including the use of virtual private networks and servers that they operated. The indictment identifies multiple additional victims of Robbinhood ransomware, including, but not limited to, the City of Gresham, Oregon and the City of Yonkers, New York.
Gholinejad pleaded guilty to one count of computer fraud and abuse and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced in August. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Charlotte Field Office investigated the case, with substantial assistance from the FBI Baltimore Field Office. The Justice Department extends its thanks to international judicial and law enforcement partners in Bulgaria for providing valuable assistance with the collection of evidence.
Senior Counsels Aarash A. Haghighat and Ryan K. J. Dickey of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U. S. Attorney Bradford DeVoe for the Eastern District of North Carolina are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from Trial Attorney Alexandra Cooper-Ponte of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Deputy Chief Matthew Anzaldi of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided substantial assistance in the collection of evidence.
Additional details on protecting networks against ransomware are available at StopRansomware. gov.