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Friday 23 May 2025
Former Bureau of Prisons Correctional Officer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Bribery, Drug SchemeRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, S.C. — Angela Crosland, 51, of Elgin, has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison for bribery, money laundering, distribution of methamphetamine and suboxone, and filing false tax returns. A federal jury previously returned a guilty verdict following two days of trial.
Evidence presented to the jury showed that Crosland worked as a correctional officer at Federal Correctional Institution Williamsburg in Salters. While employed as a correctional officer, Crosland smuggled contraband into FCI Williamsburg in exchange for money. The contraband included suboxone, methamphetamine, K-2-soaked paper, marijuana, food, and other items. Evidence presented to the jury also included Crosland’s Cash App account records which reflected payments to her account totaling $56,791 from family and associates of inmates housed at FCI Williamsburg. In addition, Crosland failed to report this substantial income on her federal tax returns.
"The integrity of our federal correctional system hinges on the ethical conduct of those sworn to uphold it," said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. "When a correctional officer like Crosland chooses to betray that trust by smuggling contraband, it threatens the safety of both inmates and staff. We’ll continue to work with our law enforcement partners to keep our federal prisons safe.”
“Contraband items, like drugs, are often used as a form of currency inside federal prisons, which puts the safety and security of both staff and inmates at risk,” said Eric Fehlman, special agent in charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Southeast Region. “Today’s sentencing shows that correctional officers who smuggle contraband into federal prisons in exchange for bribes will face serious consequences for their corrupt actions.”
“IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to provide financial expertise while investigating individuals who engage in corruption, money laundering, and tax fraud,” said Special Agent in Charge Donald “Trey” Eakins, Charlotte Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. “Our special agents are dedicated to unraveling complex financial transactions and money laundering schemes where individuals attempt to conceal the true source of funds.”
United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III, sentenced Crosland to 136 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Crosland was also ordered to pay $18,649.00 to the Internal Revenue Service for filing false tax returns.
This case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Winston Marosek and Bill Watkins are prosecuting the case.
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Five Individuals Indicted in Insider Trading SchemeRead the Press Release
Five individuals were charged in a 19-count indictment yesterday for their participation in a scheme to trade securities on the basis of material nonpublic information about the merger between two companies that resulted in profits of over $600,000.
According to court documents, between May and June 2023, Rouzbeh “Ross” Haghighat, 61, of West Newbury, Massachusetts, Behrouz “Bruce” Haghighat, 60, of Laguna Niguel, California, Kirstyn Pearl, 35, of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, Seyedfarbod “Fabio” Sabzevari, 31, of North Hollywood, California, and James Roberge, 70, of Westford, Massachusetts, allegedly profited more than $600,000 by unlawfully purchasing the securities of a biopharmaceutical company in Seattle, Washington (Company-1), where Ross Haghighat served as a director. As alleged, the defendants traded securities based on material nonpublic information about another pharmaceutical company’s (Company-2) proposed acquisition of Company-1. The indictment alleges that, in May 2023, Company-2 made a confidential proposal to acquire Company-1 at a price per share above the then current market value. The two companies then negotiated an agreement for the acquisition, which was announced in June 2023, causing the share price to spike.
“The defendants were charged yesterday for allegedly trading on inside information and reaping hundreds of thousands in illicit profits,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Securities fraud and insider trading distort our financial markets and disadvantage Americans who play by the rules. These charges demonstrate that the Criminal Division is committed to maintaining the integrity of markets by holding accountable all those who defraud investors.”
“Our office is committed to protecting the integrity of the market and holding accountable those who attempt to gain unfair advantages through trading on insider information,” said U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey.
“This case makes one thing clear: if you think you can game the system using insider information, think again,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Group. “Ross Haghighat and his associates thought they were above the law and colored outside the lines for financial gain, but yesterday’s indictment proves no one is above the law. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will not hesitate to pursue and bring to justice anyone who tries to corrupt the integrity of our financial markets.”
In his position as a director on the board of Company-1, Ross Haghighat allegedly obtained material nonpublic inside information about its acquisition, including sensitive deal terms. He then purchased securities, and tipped others — including Bruce Haghighat, Pearl, Sabzevari, and Roberge — for personal benefit with the expectation that they would purchase securities, which the defendants allegedly did.
Ross Haghighat was charged with one count of securities fraud, 16 counts of insider trading, and two counts of conspiracy. He was previously charged with one count of conspiracy to commit insider trading.
Bruce Haghighat was charged with one count of securities fraud, one count of insider trading, and one count of conspiracy.
Pearl was charged with one count of securities fraud, one count of insider trading, and one count of conspiracy.
Sabzevari and Roberge were both charged with one count of securities fraud and seven counts of insider trading.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison on the securities fraud charge and 20 years in prison on each of the insider-trading charges. If convicted of conspiracy, Ross Haghighat, Bruce Haghighat, and Pearl face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney John J. Liolos of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mezzanotte for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Federal Jury Convicts Orlando Man in Armed Robbery SpreeRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that a federal jury has found Nijah Jahni Mitchell (23, Orlando) guilty of Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy, four counts of Hobbs Act robbery, four counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Mitchell faces a minimum penalty of 28 years, up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 26, 2025. Mitchell was indicted in April 2024, along with co-defendant Dany Telfort (20, Orlando). Telfort previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison.
According to evidence presented at trial, between March 23 and April 1, 2023, Mitchell and Telfort committed a string of nine armed robberies of convenience stores throughout Central Florida. The robberies occurred over three sprees on three separate evenings: the first spree included four stores, the second spree included three stores, and the third spree included two stores. During each of the robberies, Mitchell or Telfort entered the store, pointed a firearm at the clerks, and demanded money from the cash registers.
After the second spree, a witness obtained a partial license plate for the vehicle used by Mitchell and Telfort. The following evening, during the third spree, law enforcement observed the vehicle after the ninth robbery and gave chase. Mitchell and Telfort bailed from the moving vehicle and fled on foot. Telfort got away but Mitchell was apprehended that night. At the time of his arrest, Mitchell was wearing the same clothing and mask that he had worn during the third robbery spree, as depicted below. Mitchell also had a loaded Glock pistol on him when he was arrested. Telfort left behind a loaded Taurus pistol in the vehicle, which was later found to contain DNA linked to both Telfort and Mitchell.
Surveillance video of Mitchell during the eighth robbery on April 1, 2023
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Orlando Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Clermont Police Department, the Ocoee Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oakland Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Noah P. Dorman, Rachel S. Lyons, and Megan Testerman.
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.
Federal Charge Filed Against Convicted Felon for Illegal Firearm Possession in ShiprockRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A previously convicted felon, already under investigation for multiple crimes, has been federally charged after being found with a stolen firearm in Shiprock.
According to court documents, on the morning of May 15, 2025, the Navajo Nation Police Department received reports of a male firing a gun near a Marathon gas station on U.S. Highway 64 in Shiprock. Responding officers located and detained Jay Kelly, 39, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. Officers discovered a stolen revolver and approximately 100 rounds of ammunition inside Kelly’s backpack.
Witnesses confirmed Kelly fired the handgun multiple times in the air, but did not report anyone being threatened or injured. A background check revealed Kelly to be a convicted felon, making it illegal under federal law for him to possess firearms or ammunition. Kelly was implicated in two other criminal investigations earlier this year, including arson and illegal firearm possession.
Kelly is charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He will remain in custody pending a detention hearing, which will occur next week. If convicted of this charge, Kelly faces up to 10 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.
View the Criminal Complaint (Kelly).pdfA criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
District of Arizona Charges 314 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from May 17, 2025, through May 23, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 314 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 117 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 176 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 20 cases against 21 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Angel Said Ojeda-Figueroa: On May 17, 2025, a Bureau of Land Management Ranger initiated a vehicle stop on Angel Said Ojeda-Figueroa. Ojeda-Figueroa initially failed to stop, but when the vehicle entered a neighborhood, Ojeda-Figueroa pulled over and all four occupants exited and tried to flee. Ojeda-Figueroa and the three passengers were apprehended and determined to be citizens of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Ojeda-Figueroa was charged by complaint with transportation of aliens for profit. [Case Number: MJ-25-5992]
United States v. Tomas Ortiz-Lopez: On May 19, 2025, Tomas Ortiz-Lopez, was charged with Re-entry of a Removed Alien. Tomas Ortiz-Lopez was previously removed from the United States in 2000 after being convicted of a felony drug conviction, in the United States District Court, District of New Mexico. [Case Number: MJ-25-0543]
United States v. Gabriel Jimenez-Diaz: On May 20, 2025, Border Patrol Agents attempted to initiate a vehicle stop on Gabriel Jimenez-Diaz, who failed to yield. Agents deployed a Vehicle Immobilization Device, and four subjects absconded from the vehicle. After a search, agents located and apprehended Jimenez-Diaz and three passengers from the vehicle. Agents determined that all four individuals were citizens of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Jimenez-Diaz was charged by complaint with transportation of aliens for profit. [Case Number: MJ-25-6199]
United States v. Juan Carlos Carmona-Maya: On May 20, 2025, Juan Carlos Carmona-Maya, was charged with Re-entry of a Removed Alien. Juan Carlos Carmona-Maya was previously removed from the United States in 2014 after being convicted of Theft of Means of Transportation, a felony offense, in the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County. [Case Number: MJ-25-05251]
United States v. Luis Fernando Ibarra, Jr.: On May 21, 2025, Border Patrol Agents received a report of two subjects hiding in the backyard of a residence near the border in Nogales, Arizona. Luis Fernando Ibarra Jr. drove to the residence, stopped, and two subjects ran toward his vehicle. Before they reached the vehicle, one subject was apprehended by the Nogales Police Department and the other successfully fled the area. Later in the day, Agents observed the same vehicle return to the area and a subject got into the vehicle. Agents tried to initiate a vehicle stop, but Ibarra Jr. ran a red light and fled at a high rate of speed, maneuvering recklessly and driving on the wrong side of the road. Ibarra Jr. then sped through several parking lots before driving into the Santa Cruz River where his vehicle became stuck in the sand. At that point, officers apprehended Ibarra Jr. and the passenger, who was determined to be a citizen of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Ibarra Jr. was charged by complaint with transportation of aliens for profit. [Case Number: MJ-25-6247]
A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-083_May 23 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Defendant Convicted in Armed Assault Gets 18 Year Prison TermRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Aaron Brown, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in Superior Court to 18 years in prison for assault with intent to kill (while armed) stemming from the killing of 13-year-old Malachi Lukes in March of 2020, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office, ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Field Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Brown also pleaded guilty to the assault with intent to kill charge on December 20, 2024, before Judge Rainey Brandt. Brown’s charge stemmed from his participation in a shooting after Lukes’s homicide. Previously, a jury found three of Brown’s co-defendants, Stephon Nelson, Tyiion Freeman and Koran Jackson—guilty of first-degree murder while armed, several counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, conspiracy to commit various firearms offenses and other firearms-related charges. Freeman received 108 years; Jackson was sentenced to 164 years in prison while Nelson received 108 ½ years of incarceration.
Between February 1, 2020, and May 31, 2020, the defendants, along with one other defendant (whose case was severed pre-trial and will be tried in August 2025), participated in a conspiracy to illegally possess, carry, and transfer firearms for the purpose of using those firearms in the commission of dangerous and violent crimes. Jackson, Freeman, Nelson along with Brown and the severed defendant, are members and associates of neighborhood crews. Between 2019-2020, the defendants’ neighborhood crews were feuding with other crews and the feud escalated when Tahlil Byrd, also known as Slatt Goon, was killed in September 2019.
On March 1, 2020, Brown along with his co-defendants (Jackson, Freeman and the severed co-defendant) participated in two shootings in two separate neighborhoods over the span of 10 minutes. At 2:08 p.m., the defendants, who were traveling in a stolen Kia Soul, followed 13-year-old Malachi Lukes, along with his three friends, into the Ninth Street area of the 600 block of S Street, N.W., where two defendants exited the Kia Soul and opened fire on them. Malachi Lukes was shot in the back as he fled. The bullet traveled through his heart and lung causing him to collapse to his death. Brown remained in the car while the shooting took place. The defendants then traveled to another neighborhood where members of the rival crew were known to gather and at 2:18 p.m., opened fire on individuals in that block. No injuries were reported in that shooting spree. Brown was one of the shooters.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Jensen, ATF Special Agent in Charge Spotswood and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the MPD and ATF along with the Arlington County Police Department. They also thanked the Arlington County Sheriff Department; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Capitol Police; D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences; DOJ Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section; Montgomery County Police Department; D.C. Department of Corrections; and the Internal Revenue Service—Atlanta Branch.
They also commended the efforts of those who provided assistance with the case including Lead Paralegal Sharon Newman, Supervisory Paralegal Tasha Harris, Paralegals April Urbanowski and Alyssa Schroeder, former Superior Court Operations Manager Linda McDonald, and Victim Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen. They acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Jackson, Tamara Rubb, and Nebiyu Feleke, who prosecuted the case.
Corporate Insider and Two Associates Plead Guilty to Million-Dollar Insider Trading SchemeRead the Press Release
Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that JONATHAN WHITESIDES, DANIEL MCCORMICK, and BRENT CRANMER pled guilty to committing securities fraud in connection with a scheme to trade in securities of Kaman, Corporation (“Kaman”) using inside information. WHITESIDES and MCCORMICK pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett. CRANMER pled guilty before Judge Garnett on May 12, 2025.
“The three defendants engaged in a classic insider trading scheme—buying call options on the stock of a company where insiders know the trading price is about to increase substantially, but the market does not know yet. Investors expect, and our law requires, that insiders will not misuse confidential information for personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “This Office is committed to prosecuting securities fraud and maintaining a level playing field for all investors. We will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to detect, investigate, and bring to justice those who act to undermine the integrity of our financial markets.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said: “The defendants admitted to using material nonpublic information for their benefit—more than one million dollars in illicit gains. Insider trading is insidious, damaging the integrity of our financial institutions. The FBI will hold accountable those who attempt to illegally profit from securities fraud schemes in the criminal justice system.”
According to the allegations contained in the Information and Superseding Information and statements made in public filings and in public court proceedings:
WHITESIDES, MCCORMICK, and CRANMER engaged in a scheme to reap illegal profits by misappropriating and trading on material nonpublic information concerning the planned acquisition of Kaman, a publicly-traded company, in violation of duties of trust and confidence owed to the company and its shareholders.
Beginning December 18, 2023, CRANMER, who was an executive at a Kaman subsidiary, learned that Kaman was negotiating an all-cash acquisition at a premium price. CRANMER promptly shared this confidential information with his friend, WHITESIDES, intending for it to be used to purchase Kaman securities before the public announcement of the acquisition. Acting on this information, WHITESIDES acquired Kaman call options in both his own account and in an account in the name of a family member. WHITESIDES subsequently shared the confidential information with his friend, MCCORMICK, who then purchased Kaman stock and call options. Both WHITESIDES and MCCORMICK knew they were trading on confidential information obtained through a breach of a duty owed to Kaman.
Dissatisfied with his anticipated compensation from the acquisition, CRANMER expressed interest in purchasing Kaman securities through an intermediary before the public announcement of the acquisition, acknowledging he was restricted from trading directly. WHITESIDES attempted to arrange a nominee trader for CRANMER, asking MCCORMICK if he would be “comfortable trading on behalf of others” and “using others[’] money.” CRANMER provided WHITESIDES with $10,000 to fund purchases of Kaman options through MCCORMICK. However, no trades were executed on CRANMER’s behalf before the acquisition announcement.
When Kaman publicly announced on January 19, 2024, that it had agreed to be acquired by a private equity firm in a premium, all-cash transaction, Kaman’s share price rose considerably. WHITESIDES and MCCORMICK sold their Kaman securities that same day, collectively generating more than $1 million in illegal profits. Afterwards, WHITESIDES attempted to conceal evidence by deleting incriminating text messages.
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JONATHAN WHITESIDES, 46, of Mission Viejo, California, DANIEL MCCORMICK, 61, of Coto de Caza, California, and BRENT CRANMER, 52, of Mission Viejo, California, were each charged with securities fraud, in violation of 15 U.S.C. §§ 78j(b) and 78ff, 17 C.F.R. §§ 240.10b-5, and 18 U.S.C. § 2, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. WHITESIDES is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Garnett on October 3, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. MCCORMICK is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Garnett on September 26, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. CRANMER is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Garnett on November 10, 2025.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Clayton also thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The case is being overseen by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam S. Hobson and Justin V. Rodriguez are in charge of the prosecution.
court_ex._2_executed_whitesides_plea_agreement.pdf court_ex._2_executed_cranmer_plea_agreement.pdf court_ex._2_executed_mccormick_plea_agreement.pdfConvicted Sex Offender Indicted for Child Pornography DistributionRead the Press Release
Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on May 13, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Randy Smith (age: 46) of Kenosha, Wisconsin, on two counts of distribution of child pornography in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(2)(A).
The indictment alleges that on November 13, 2023, and again between approximately August 1, 2024, and August 5, 2024, Smith knowingly distributed child pornography using a means and facility of interstate and foreign commerce, that had been mailed, shipped, and transported in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce, and which contained material that have been shipped and transported by a means and facility of interstate and foreign commerce, including by computer. Court records indicate that at the time of his offenses, Smith was a previously convicted sex offender.
If convicted of either of the distribution charges, Smith faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment and a maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment on each count. He also faces up to a $250,000 fine on each of the counts.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Kenosha Police Department, the Racine Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Milwaukee. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan J. Paulson.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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414-297-1700
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Colombian National Pleads Guilty to $66 Million Ponzi Scheme, Funded Chateau Wedding and Lavish Vacations with InvestmentsRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Efrain Betancourt, Jr., 36, a dual citizen of Colombia and the United States, pleaded guilty on May 21 to operating a $66 million Ponzi scheme through his payday loan company, Sky Group USA, LLC (Sky Group).
According to the facts admitted at the change of plea hearing, Betancourt was the Chief Executive Officer and sole owner of Sky Group. Betancourt managed Sky Group and sold promissory notes to investors to raise funds. Betancourt and his co-conspirators claimed that Sky Group was in the business of funding small-dollar, short-term loans to consumer borrowers. To purportedly generate these short-term loans, Betancourt and his co-conspirators raised approximately $66 million from over 600 investors from January 2016 to March 2020.
Betancourt made materially false statements to investors regarding the use of their funds, including that investor funds would be used for the sole purpose of making consumer loans and associated business costs. In truth, Betancourt operated a Ponzi scheme, generating revenue primarily through new investor money and using the newly raised money to make scheduled payments to previous investors. Sky Group only made about $12.2 million off consumer loans, and Betancourt and his co-conspirators used millions of dollars to pay undisclosed sales agent commissions. Betancourt misappropriated over $6.5 million for his own personal use, including a luxurious wedding at a chateau in France and other lavish group vacations with friends and family.
Betancourt’s sentencing hearing is set for August 14 before U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles. Betancourt faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; acting Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI Miami; and Russell C. Weigel, III, Commissioner, Florida Office of Financial Regulation (OFR) made the announcement.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had a parallel proceeding against Betancourt, relating to the same investment fraud scheme alleged in the indictment. The SEC’s proceeding was resolved in July 2022.
FBI Miami, the FBI’s South Florida Fraud Task Force, and OFR investigated the case. SEC’s Miami Regional Office provided assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Cruz is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabrielle Raemy Charest-Turken is handling asset forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20399.
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Claremore Man Convicted of Sexually Abusing a Minor and Abusive Sexual Contact of Two MinorsRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A federal jury yesterday convicted Ryan Duke Haight, 45, of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country and two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
At trial, the jury heard the testimony of the two minor victims, who were 14 and 15 years old at the time of the offenses, as well as other individuals. According to evidence presented at trial, Haight began making sexual comments to the 14-year-old victim in the summer of 2023. Haight also began touching the minor victim on the buttocks, claiming it was an accident, and played with the seam of her panties. He even told the victim that he preferred “butts” over “boobs,” which was why he liked the victim. In the spring of 2024, Haight’s physical contact escalated. On multiple occasions, while driving the victim home, Haight rested his hand on the victim's leg and touched her underneath her clothing. Then in July 2024, Haight told the victim he wanted to give her a massage as his “prize” for winning a bet. While massaging the victim, Haight sexually abused her.
Also in July 2024, Haight sought out the second victim at a Fourth of July party at his home. The second victim was 15 years old. During the party, Haight reached under the victim's clothing to touch her bra strap and purposefully touched the minor’s buttocks. He later called her a "vagina" for being scared of a spider. When Haight testified, he admitted that he called the second victim a “gina,” and claimed that the term was a “buzz word the teens were saying,” that meant vagina, and he was trying to fit in with the teenagers. Haight also told the second victim that she “owed him” because he removed the spider for her.
While awaiting trial, Haight was allowed to remain on bond. After the guilty verdict was returned, Haight was taken into custody, where he will await sentencing, which will be scheduled for a later date.
The FBI and the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Scaife and Kate Brandon prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Update: In a post-trial order on June 2, 2025, the court acquitted Haight of one count of Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country.
Cedar Rapids Man Sentenced to Federal Prison After Pleading Guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a FelonRead the Press Release
Robert Shawn Griffin, age 26, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was sentenced on May 22, 2025, in federal court in Cedar Rapids after previously pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon.
In a plea agreement, Griffin admitted that he was previously convicted of multiple felony offenses. Information at the sentencing hearing showed that Griffin committed several firearm-related offenses in 2024. In February 2024, in Cedar Rapids, Griffin fired a firearm at a residential house. In March 2024, at a storage facility in Cedar Rapids, Griffin pointed a firearm at another individual and pulled the trigger though the firearm did not discharge. In April 2024, in rural Center Point, Iowa, Griffin possessed a firearm while trying to steal an ATV.
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.
Griffin was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Griffin was sentenced to 64 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Griffin is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach and was investigated by the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR-56.
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Brockton Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Fentanyl; Multiple Machineguns and Kilograms of Fentanyl Recovered During SearchesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man pleaded guilty yesterday to selling fentanyl to a cooperating witness during multiple controlled purchases. At the time of the controlled purchases, the defendant was on probation for a 2019 fentanyl conviction and on pretrial release for a separate March 2024 drug arrest.
Joshua Tavares, 29, pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and fentanyl analogue. U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy scheduled sentencing for Sept. 9, 2025. In December 2024, Tavares was indicted by a federal grand jury.
During today’s hearing, Tavares admitted to conducting six sales of fentanyl and fentanyl analogue to a cooperating witness from September to November of 2024. Over the course of the six transactions, Tavares sold approximately 549 grams of fentanyl analogue to a cooperating witness. All of the transactions were captured on video recording.
After the controlled purchases, an arrest warrant and search warrants were executed on Dec. 3, 2024 at multiple residences and stash houses in Brockton. During the searches, approximately four kilograms of suspected fentanyl, cocaine, packaging materials for distribution of controlled substances and over $89,000 in cash were recovered. A .40 caliber Glock firearm and a 9mm Glock firearm with a machinegun conversion device were also located in the residence where Tavares was located.
A 9mm Glock firearm with a machinegun conversion device and a tactical laser sight was recovered from a stash location along with numerous rounds of ammunition and multiple loaded magazines, including a 50 round “drum” style magazine. Machinegun conversion devices, commonly referred to as “switches,” are designed to convert firearms into fully automatic weapons.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams and more of fentanyl analogue provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Brockton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
Boston Woman Charged with Sex Trafficking a MinorRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A 29-year-old Boston woman has been charged with allegedly trafficking a 15-year-old minor who had previously been reported missing.
Shakera Pina, a/k/a “Stacks,” 29, is charged in a criminal complaint with one count of sex trafficking of a minor. She is currently in state custody on related charges and will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to court filings, on April 7, 2025, law enforcement encountered online postings advertising commercial sex with a 15-year-old minor female who had previously been reported as missing. On April 9, 2025, as part of a sting operation, law enforcement responded to the online advertisement in an undercover capacity posing as a purported sex buyer in an attempt to recover the minor. In subsequent correspondence, the responding individual who posted the advertisements agreed to meet the purported sex buyer at a hotel later that night for a commercial sex date with the minor victim.
There, law enforcement recovered a different 15-year-old victim. It is alleged that text messages on that minor victim’s phone showed Pina instructing the minor victim on how to interact with sex buyers and what to do with the proceeds from the commercial sex. Pina was allegedly located in the parking lot where the sting operation was occurring, waiting inside her vehicle.
It is alleged that when officers approached Pina with flashing emergency lights, Pina immediately put her car into drive and attempted to flee. Officers then approached the car on foot, identified themselves as law enforcement officers and demanded Pina open the door. It is alleged that Pina refused, and was observed manipulating her cell phone, allegedly in an apparent attempt to delete evidence. Officers then broke the driver’s side window of Pina’s vehicle and, as she was being placed on the ground, Pina allegedly threw the two cell phones that were in her possession. At the time of the alleged offense, Pina was on probation for stabbing a female victim multiple times in the abdomen and right thigh in December 2022.
Government filings allege that the minor victim originally depicted in the advertisement was subsequently recovered and disclosed that that Pina also trafficked her during the same time period, requiring her to engage in commercial sex and provide Pina with the proceeds.
If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking or child exploitation, please contact [email protected].
The charge of sex trafficking of a minor provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Riley, Chief of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit, is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.Armed Robber Sentenced to 84 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a man who robbed a St. Louis County, Missouri store at gunpoint to 84 months in prison.
Daniel D. Martin entered a dollar store on Midland Boulevard on Aug. 29, 2021, and threw a package of Skittles on the counter. As the cashier rang up the candy, Martin displayed a handgun and demanded money. He fled the store with $267.34.
Martin, 22, of Ferguson, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in February to one count of robbery and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker prosecuted the case.
Arkansas Drug Ring and Their California Suppliers Sentenced to a Combined 132 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
EL DORADO – Fifteen members and associates of a South Arkansas drug trafficking organization, including two Los Angeles-area narcotics suppliers, have been sentenced to serve a combined 1,591 months in the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearings, which took place between August 7, 2024, and May 21, 2025, in the United States District Court at El Dorado, Arkansas. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records, between August 2021 and August 2022, Christopher Walters, age 45, of Magnolia, operated a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing kilograms of methamphetamine in and around Columbia County, Arkansas. Walters sourced bulk methamphetamine from Michael Cummings, a 46-year-old Southern California business owner who doubled as an interstate narcotics supplier. Cummings employed Robert Leonne Morris, age 47, of Los Angeles, to deliver methamphetamine and other drugs to Walters in Arkansas, at times by rail. Walters then engaged numerous South Arkansas DTO members and associates in storing, transporting and distributing that methamphetamine, and attempting to do so, before sharing the substantial profits with Cummings.
On August 10, 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and its state and local partners executed search warrants at multiple Columbia County properties owned or controlled by DTO members and associates, including Walters. In so doing, investigators found and seized methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, more than 15 firearms, including tactical rifles, and thousands of dollars in cash.
Between September 2022 and March 2023, a federal grand jury sitting in the Western District of Arkansas returned indictments charging 15 members and associates of Walters’ DTO, including Cummings and Morris, with a total of fifty (50) felony counts. All 15 defendants pleaded guilty to one or more felony violations of the Controlled Substances Act, and have been sentenced as follows:
Defendant
Prison Term
Sentence Date
Christopher Walters, 45, of Magnolia, Arkansas222 months
December 6, 2024
Michael Cummings, 46, of Los Angeles, California162 months
March 21, 2025
Jvance Radford, 47, of Magnolia, Arkansas144 months
August 22, 2024
Joseph Lowe, 38, of Magnolia, Arkansas140 months
August 12, 2024
Robert Leonne Morris, 47, of Los Angeles, California121 months
May 21, 2025
Lacadran D. Thomas, 37, of Magnolia, Arkansas120 months
August 22, 2024
Marcus S. Jordan, 42, of Waldo, Arkansas110 months
December 4, 2024
Hendrick Johnson, 27, of Magnolia, Arkansas108 months
September 11, 2024
Dawnisha D. Jordan, 40, of Magnolia, Arkansas98 months
August 7, 2024
John L. Grissom, 40, of Magnolia, Arkansas97 months
August 7, 2024
Jarrod D. Wilson, 38, of Magnolia, Arkansas78 months
March 20, 2025
Nyterious L. Sharp, 32, of Waldo, Arkansas60 months
August 23, 2024
Antonio J. Johnson, 41, of Magnolia, Arkansas54 months
August 22, 2024
Malaysia D. Benjamin, 36, of Los Angeles, California41 months
December 5, 2024
Mario L. Meadows, 36, of Magnolia, Arkansas36 months
May 21, 2025
In addition to his 162-month prison sentence, a $100,000 money judgment was also entered against Cummings, representing his profits from the year-long conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in South Arkansas. That judgment is executable against Cummings’ assets in California and elsewhere.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Magnolia Police Department, the 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force, the Union County, Arkansas, Sheriff’s Office, the El Dorado Police Department, the Arkansas State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case for the United States.
The case was investigated and prosecuted under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov.
Alburgh, Vermont Man Sentenced to 12 Years Imprisonment for Producing and Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Rutland, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on May 21, 2025, Brian Bluto, 60, formerly of Alburgh, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier to a term of 144 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 15-year term of supervised release. Bluto previously pleaded guilty to distribution of child sexual abuse material on October 21, 2024, and has been detained since his guilty plea.
According to court records, Bluto produced child sexual abuse material by hiding a camera to covertly record a child with whom he was living. Bluto began recording the minor victim when she was approximately 13 years old, and continued to do so until she was 16 years old. Bluto distributed still images and a video of the minor victim to a person on the internet, who unbeknownst to Bluto, was an Australian law enforcement officer. The Australian officer alerted Homeland Security Investigations, who obtained a search warrant for Bluto’s residence in Alburgh. The search warrant resulted in the seizures of numerous electronic devices, one of which was located in a backpack that was pointing toward the bathroom in the residence. The backpack had a homemade cut in the fabric where the lens of the camera on the electronic device could stick out without detection. A search of Bluto’s electronic devices revealed hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse material, including a depiction of a toddler being sexually abused by an adult.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the Queensland, Australia, Police Service and the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ophardt. Bluto was represented by Assistant Federal Defenders Emily Kenyon and Steven Barth.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
60 More Illegal Aliens Plead Guilty to National Defense Area Violations in El Paso, 133 New NDA Cases Added to the DocketRead the Press Release
EL PASO, Texas – Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced that from May 20 through May 22, 60 illegal aliens pleaded guilty to charges that they had illegally entered the National Defense Area (NDA) that had been established along the U.S.-Mexico border from area bordering New Mexico, through El Paso County, to an area near Fort Hancock.
This three-day increase in guilty pleas adds to the 60 that the Acting U.S. Attorney announced earlier in the week, bringing the month’s total NDA violation convictions to 120 heading into Memorial Day weekend.
The Acting U.S. Attorney also announced that federal prosecutors in the district’s El Paso Division filed 133 new cases involving NDA violations this week. Among the defendants charged are Mexican nationals Gustavo Ramos-Solorzano and Enrique Arenas-Garcia.
Ramos-Solorzano was arrested May 14, two miles west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry. He had just been removed from the U.S. through El Paso on May 10, following an illegal re-entry felony conviction. Ramos Solorzano was also convicted in February for an improper entry by an alien misdemeanor. His removal on May 10 was his fourth deportation.
Arenas-Garcia was arrested May 15 two miles west of the Ysleta Port of Entry. The defendant’s arrest comes just over one week after his most recent removal from the U.S. on May 7 through San Ysidro, California. Arenas-Garcia has been removed from the U.S. a total of three times in addition to two voluntary departures.
Title 50 United States Code (USC) 797 and Title 18 USC 1382 are among the federal statutes that establish criminal penalties for unlawful intrusions into areas designated as National Defense Areas. Title 50 USC 797 refers to the willful violation of defense property security regulation, which, pursuant to lawful authority, was approved by the Secretary of Defense—or a military commander designated by the Secretary of Defense—for the protection or security of Department of Defense property. Title 18 USC 1382 subjects anyone to criminal penalties who, within the jurisdiction of the U.S., entered upon a military post, fort, or yard—in these cases, the Texas National Defense Area—for a purpose prohibit by law or lawful regulation, that is illegal entry into the U.S.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Thursday 22 May 2025
‘Machine Gun-Trafficking’ Drug Dealer Sentenced to More Than Fifteen Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – Jose Marrero, 36, of Woonsocket, describe in court documents as a “violent, machine gun-trafficking, kilogram-level drug dealer” was sentenced today to more than fifteen years in federal prison, having pleaded guilty to charges of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, announced acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Court documents illustrate that Jose Marrero, 36, previously convicted twice in Rhode Island state court on drug trafficking charges, freely displayed photographs and videos on social media of himself in possession of drugs and firearms, notably semi-automatic pistols, AR-15 style rifles, and semi-automatic pistols that have been modified with machinegun conversion devices. Marrero displayed himself and others in possession of the weapons in his apartment, while watching TV, playing video games, drinking alcohol, and driving around the streets of Rhode Island. He also made social media posts demonstrating himself and others actively firing the modified fully automatic weapons.
Additionally, court documents reveal videos of the defendant in possession of multiple kilos of cocaine and of numerous messages between Marrero and others that “not only convey his leadership but just how active, eager, and dangerous of a drug trafficker he is.” Text messages illustrate conversations between Marrero and a drug supplier, and how he, Marrero, organized people to move two kilograms of drugs per week. In some of his messages, Marrero discusses having drug runners, complaining about their behavior and demanding higher productivity from them, directing them to locations to provide certain quantities of drugs to customers, and discussing debts owed to him.
Marrero made it well known, to his drug trafficking counterparts and otherwise, that he possessed numerous firearms. He prominently displayed himself and others with an array of firearms on his social media account. Excerpts from Marrero’s text messages demonstrate that he enlisted his girlfriend and other acquaintances to purchase firearms for him, as he was unable to do so himself due to his past felony convictions; that he accepted firearms as payment for drug sales; and that he solicited an associate to obtain guns for him, notably “any glocks” that he could get his hands on.
Marrero was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. to 181 months of incarceration to be followed by 5 years of federal supervised release.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christine D. Lowell, Stacey A. Erickson, and Sandra R. Hebert.
The matter was investigated by ATF, with the assistance of Massachusetts State Police, Woonsocket Police Department, Central Falls Police Department, and West Warwick Police Department.
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).
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sentencing_memo.pdfWoman Indicted in Federal Court After Shooting Man with a Handgun on Navajo NationRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Navajo Nation woman has been indicted in federal court after allegedly shooting a man with a handgun during an incident that left the victim with serious injuries.
According to court documents, on November 17, 2024, Beverleta Tayah, 53, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, assaulted John Doe with a handgun and that assault resulted in serious bodily injury to Doe.
Tayah stands charged with three felony crimes—assault resulting in serious bodily injury, assault with a dangerous weapon, and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and discharging said firearm. She will remain in custody pending a detention hearing, which will occur next week. If convicted of the current charges, Tayah faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.
View the Indictment (Tayah)_0.pdfAn indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Woman Caught Dealing Drugs While on Supervised Release Sentenced to 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Yakima, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that Gabriela Abundiz, age 45, was sentenced after pleading guilty to distributing methamphetamine. Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian imposed a sentence of 180 months to be followed by 10 years of supervised release.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, in 2017 Abundiz was convicted of selling drugs in Montana and sentenced to 70 months in prison. Following her sentence, and during the period of her supervised release in that case, Abundiz was found to be selling drugs in the Eastern District of Washington. A warrant was issued for her arrest.
On April 2, 2024, officers and detectives with the Omak Police Department (OPD) saw Abundiz go into an apartment. OPD obtained a warrant to enter the apartment and arrest Abundiz. Inside the apartment OPD located two backpacks that contained methamphetamine, 2,649 fentanyl pills, fentanyl powder, marijuana, a digital scale, and a pipe used for smoking drugs. Abundiz had two cellphones when she was arrested. One of the phones contained pictures of large sums of cash, fentanyl pills, and text conversations regarding illegal drugs.
“Ms. Abundiz returned to drug trafficking even while under federal supervision for a prior conviction,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard R. Barker. “Her continued criminal conduct, especially involving fentanyl, posed a serious threat to the safety and health of Eastern Washington communities. Her sentence reflects the consequences of violating the Court’s trust and our office’s continuing commitment to combating drug trafficking in communities and neighborhoods throughout Eastern Washington.”
“DEA’s core mission is to protect Americans from drug traffickers like Ms. Abundiz and we will go to any legal length to ensure traffickers like her are accountable for their crimes,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “Despite serving a lengthy prison term, Ms. Abundiz would not stop selling poison to her community and ultimately paid a heavy price for continuing her wicked ways.”
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Omak Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Murphy.
2:24-cr-00071-SAB
Wolf Point man pleads guilty to sexual abuse chargesRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS - A Wolf Point man accused of sexually abusing two victims admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The defendant, Jason Wise Spirit, 44, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse. Wise Spirit faces a maximum term of imprisonment of life, a $250,000 fine, and five years to a lifetime of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for October 2, 2025. Wise Spirit was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that on November 15, 2023, a victim referred to here as Jane Doe 1 started crying in class. She alleged Wise Spirit had sexually abused her older sister, referred to as Jane Doe 2. The FBI opened an investigation and both Jane Does 1 and 2 were interviewed on November 20, 2023. Jane Doe 1 said Wise Spirit sexually assaulted her more than 20 times on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation when she was between the ages of 6 and 9. She disclosed vaginal, anal, and oral sex while her mom was at work. Jane Doe 1 disclosed that Jane Doe 2 had also been abused.
Jane Doe 2 corroborated some of the information from Jane Doe 1’s interview but denied any abuse.
Jane Doe 2 was interviewed again on April 10, 2024, and disclosed she was afraid of Wise Spirit because he said he would kill her if she told anyone about the abuse. Jane Doe 2 described being forced to have anal and oral sex with Wise Spirit at their residence and in a car in a Walmart parking lot in Williston while their mom was at work.
Wise Spirit was interviewed and made partial admissions. He said both Jane Does 1 and 2 touched his penis at different times.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.
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Wilburton Resident Sentenced for Federal Firearm CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Charles Henry Lawrence, aka Charles Henry Lawrence, Jr., age 57, of Wilburton, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 24 months in prison for one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Latimer County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On November 25, 2024, Lawrence pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on November 11, 2022, law enforcement officers serving a search warrant on Lawrence’s Wilburton, Oklahoma residence seized one rifle and one revolver. At the time of the search, Lawrence had been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The Honorable 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. Lawrence 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.
Watertown Man Found Guilty of Aggravated Sexual Abuse and Sexual Abuse of a Minor within the Lake Traverse ReservationRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Gokoh Frank Brown, age 29, from Watertown, South Dakota, of one count of Aggravated Sexual Abuse by Force and one count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor following a two-day jury trial in federal district court in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on May 21, 2025.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, and up to a lifetime term of supervised release.
Brown was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2024.
From January 2023 to August 2023, Brown sexually assaulted a 12–13-year-old girl while living in Red Iron Housing on the Lake Traverse Reservation. Brown was 26-27 years old at the time.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Law Enforcement, and the DCI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case.
A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date has been set for August 18, 2025. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Waterbury Man Sentenced to Nearly 8 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Violent CarjackingRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHAEL McCANN-ORTIZ, also known as “Bando,” 24, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 95 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his participation in a violent carjacking.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in the early morning hours of June 18, 2023, two all-terrain vehicles (“ATVs”) were stolen from a Waterbury residence. After the theft, McCann-Ortiz and others mistakenly identified an individual (“Victim 1”) who they incorrectly believed was involved in the theft. Later that night, Victim 1’s friend, (“Victim 2”), picked up Victim 1 from work and drove him home. As they arrived at Victim 1’s residence, three vehicles followed them and surrounded the victims. McCann-Ortiz and his associates, one of whom carried an assault-style rifle, exited the vehicles and approached the victims. McCann-Ortiz and his associates demanded the return of the stolen ATVs, threatened to harm both victims, and physically assaulted them.
Specifically, McCann-Ortiz repeatedly threatened to kill the victims, and punched and kicked one victim, causing serious bodily injury.
McCann-Ortiz and his associates then stole Victim 2’s vehicle, which was owned by Victim 2’s relative, and other items and cash belonging to the victims. McCann-Ortiz and his associates continued to harass the victims in the following days.
McCann-Ortiz has been detained since his arrest on unrelated state charges on July 10, 2023. On February 27, 2025, he pleaded guilty in federal court to carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury.
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Waterbury Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan J. Guevremont and David T. Huang.
Washington man arraigned on drug chargesRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS - A Seattle man accused of distributing drugs on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation appeared yesterday for arraignment, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The defendant, Jesse James Cochran, 31, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances. If convicted of the most serious crime charged in the indictment, Cochran faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 5 years, a maximum term of 40 years, a $5,000,000 fine, and at least four years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge John Johnston presided. Cochran was released pending further proceedings.
Count one of the indictment alleges that on or about October 2022, and June 2024, in and near the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, the Cochran knowingly and unlawfully conspired with his co-defendant to possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of methamphetamine. Count two alleges that on or about October 2022, and June 2024, in and near Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, Cochran knowingly and unlawfully possessed with the intent to distribute 40 grams or ore of fentanyl and aided and abetted the same.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Myers is prosecuting the case. The Tri-Agency Task Force conducted the investigation.
The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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.
PACER case reference. 24-92.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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Veteran Affairs Employee and Nine Others Indicted for Defrauding the United States in Disability Benefits Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On May 21, 2025, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned a 49-count indictment charging 10 individuals with defrauding the government to obtain Veterans Affairs (VA) disability benefits. This criminal investigation was co-led by the United States Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to court documents, from 2020 to 2025, defendant Ángel Carrer-Rivera used his position as an employee of the VA to access the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS) and assign particular claims to VA employees that he supervised. At the same time, Ángel Carrer-Rivera communicated with a facilitator, defendant Richard Rivera-Maitin, regarding what false medical conditions should be claimed by specific veterans to fraudulently obtain disability benefits.
Together, Ángel Carrer-Rivera, Richard Rivera-Maitin and various veterans caused fraudulent claims for lifetime VA disability benefits to be submitted and approved based on false medical conditions, all in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 371 (conspiracy), 1349 (wire and mail fraud conspiracy); 1341 (mail fraud); and 1343 (wire fraud). In doing so, defendants financially enriched themselves and caused a substantial financial loss to the United States.
Ángel Carrer-Rivera and Richard Rivera-Maitin charged and received payments for facilitating the approval of VA disability applications based on false information. The veterans participating in the scheme fraudulently received VA disability benefit payments.
“The defendants created and executed a scheme to defraud the United States Veteran’s Benefits Administration, which administers vital programs that provide disability benefits, pension and survivor benefits, education assistance, among other benefits. These defendants exploited a program intended to assist veterans who are truly in need,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “I commend the outstanding work of the FBI and VA OIG agents and law enforcement partners who uncovered and investigated this conspiracy.”
“This case is part of a nationwide initiative led by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to combat fraud and other unlawful conduct committed by predatory claims companies or individuals against veterans and VA,” said David Spilker, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the US Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Southeast Field Office, Criminal Investigations Division (CID). “Entities involved in these schemes often are unaccredited and make false or fraudulent promises to obtain or increase a veteran’s VA benefits while demanding direct payment or a portion of the veteran’s benefits in exchange. These indictments and arrests highlight the VA OIG’s dedication to root out those who prey on veterans for financial gain, along with anyone who exaggerates or concocts a disability to receive or increase VA compensation benefits.”
“This investigation revealed a disgraceful scheme to defraud a system meant to serve our most vulnerable veterans. This is shameful and the FBI and our partners will not tolerate this kind of betrayal,” said Devin J. Kowalski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “I want to thank our partners at the VA Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Police of Puerto Rico, the San Juan Municipal Police, and the dedicated FBI case team for their outstanding work. The FBI remains committed to identifying and dismantling fraud that steals from the American people and dishonors those who served.”
The defendants and their roles in the conspiracy are:
[1] Ángel Carrer-Rivera, is a resident of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, who started working at the VA in January 2009. In February 2020, he was promoted to VA Coach where he supervised eighteen Rating Veteran Service Representatives (RVSA) who adjudicated (granted, denied, confirmed, and continuing) veteran disability claims.
[2] Richard Rivera-Maitin, is a resident of Morovis, Puerto Rico, the owner of an auto repair business, and a veteran but not employed by the VA. He identified veterans who did not have a 100% disability rating and offered to help them obtain a 100% rating for an upfront cash fee plus a percentage of any backpay the veteran received. Rivera-Maitin instructed veterans exactly what false information to provide when attending medical evaluations and completing their disability application paperwork. Rivera-Maitin assisted, among others, veterans charged in the indictment to fraudulently obtain significant disability ratings:
[3] Victor García-Soto – a veteran who fraudulently obtained a 100% disability rating.
[4] Brenda García acted as a facilitator between co-conspirators and was the wife of [3] Victor García-Soto, mother of [5] Gabriel García, and sister of [6] Randolph Báez.
[5] Gabriel García – a veteran and police officer who fraudulently obtained a 100% disability rating.
[6] Randolph Báez – a veteran and commercial flight attendant who fraudulently obtained a 60% disability rating.
[7] José Torres-Rosado – a veteran who fraudulently obtained a 90% disability rating.
[8] Eladio Pagán -- a veteran and commercial airline pilot who fraudulently obtained a 70% disability rating.
[9] Ignacio Ramos-Class – a veteran and Department of Homeland Security officer who fraudulently obtained a 100% disability rating.
[10] Félix Arroyo-Rivera – a veteran who fraudulently obtained a 90% disability rating.
If convicted, the defendants could face the following penalties: up to five years of imprisonment for conspiracy to defraud the United States and up to 20 years of imprisonment for the substantive and conspiracy mail and wire fraud counts. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs OIG are in charge of the investigation of the case, with the collaboration of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau, the San Juan Municipal Police, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Anderson from the Financial Fraud & Public Corruption Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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U.S. Attorney announces immigration case updates for the Eastern District of VirginiaRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, announced significant case updates on nine immigration cases in the district.
On Jan. 20 the President signed executive orders addressing the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws. Protecting the American People Against Invasion recognized that enforcing our Nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States, and that it is the policy of the United States to faithfully execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens, particularly those aliens who threaten the safety or security of the American people. The order tasked the Department of Justice with prioritizing the prosecution of criminal offenses related to the unauthorized entry or continued unauthorized presence of aliens in the United States. Securing Our Borders prioritizes the pursuit of criminal charges against illegal aliens who violate immigration laws and against those who facilitate their unlawful presence in the United States.
In May 1997, Guatemalan national Enrique Montesflores España, 49, was apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for entering the United States without inspection, and in February 1998, an Immigration Judge ordered him removed. Montesflores España failed to surrender, however, and became an immigration fugitive for over ten years. In July 2008, after an arrest in Arlington County for peeping or spying into a dwelling or enclosure, Montesflores España was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and removed pursuant to the final order of removal. In November 2008, Montesflores España illegally reentered the United States, and on Dec. 5, 2008, pursuant to the prior order of removal, Montesflores España was removed from the United States again. Following his second removal, Montesflores España again illegally reentered the United States. On Jan. 30, ICE agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement learned that Montesflores España had been detained at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Facility on charges of solicitation by electronic means of a child of at least 15 years of age and attempted engagement in consensual sexual acts with a child of at least 15 years of age. On April 30, Montesflores España pled guilty to illegally reentering the United States following a previous removal and remains subject to the prior order of removal. Case No. 1:25-CR-111. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Fisher prosecuted this case.
On May 5, 2017, pursuant to a final order of removal, Honduran national Esteban Amado Diaz Alvarez, 29, was removed from the United States after he was convicted of carnal knowledge of a child aged 14 (2016, City of Alexandria). On an unknown date after his prior removal, Diaz Alvarez illegally reentered the United States. On Feb. 9, 2025, ICE agents learned that Diaz Alvarez was illegally present in the United States after he was stopped by Fairfax County Police. On May 1, 2025, Diaz Alvarez pled guilty to failing to register as a sex offender and illegally reentering the United States following a previous removal subsequent to a conviction for an aggravated felony. He remains subject to the prior order of removal. Case No. 1:25-CR-87. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Lowry prosecuted this case.
On Aug. 30, 2019, pursuant to a final order of removal, Salvadoran national Jose Edenilson Campos-Guzman, 25, was removed from the United States after being convicted of possession of marijuana, disorderly conduct, and being drunk in public (2018, Fairfax County). On Aug. 5, 2022, ICE agents learned that Campos-Guzman was illegally present in the United States. Campos-Guzman was convicted of being drunk in public and disorderly conduct (2022, Arlington County), and, again, being drunk in public (2023, Arlington County), and possession of Schedule III drugs (2023, Arlington County). On March 18, Campos-Guzman pled guilty to illegally reentering the United States following a previous removal and remains subject to the prior order of removal. Case No. 1:25-CR-49. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Galarza prosecuted this case.
On Nov. 16, 2012, pursuant to a final order of removal, Guatemalan national Juan Antonio Garcia-Julian, 38, was removed from the United States. On Nov. 25, 2021, ICE agents learned that Garcia-Julian had been detained in Prince William County, and on April 10 ICE officers arrested him. On May 20, Garcia-Julian pled guilty to illegally reentering the United States following a previous removal and remains subject to the prior order of removal. Case No. 1:25-CR-130. Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob Mercer and Alex Amico prosecuted this case.
On August 25, 2005, pursuant to a final order of removal, Salvadoran national Manuel Angel Henriquez-Escalante, 46, was removed from the United States. On July 23, 2021, pursuant to the prior order of removal, Henriquez-Escalante was removed from the United States again. Following his second removal, Henriquez-Escalante again illegally reentered the United States. On April 18, 2024, ICE agents learned that Henriquez-Escalante had been arrested in Fairfax. On May 14, Henriquez-Escalante pled guilty to illegally reentering the United States following a removal subsequent to a felony conviction. Case No. 1:25-CR-64. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Madison Albrecht prosecuted this case.
ICE agents first encountered Colombian national Mario Yunior Valencia-Asprilla, 40, in Harris County, Texas, after his arrest for armed robbery. On April 24, 2017, pursuant to a final order of removal, Valencia-Asprilla was removed from the United States. On March 29, 2021, ICE discovered that Valencia-Asprilla was illegally present in the United States after he was arrested in Fairfax County and later convicted of burglary and attempting to enter a house to commit assault and battery. Upon release from state custody, ICE arrested Valencia-Asprilla on Dec. 23, 2024. On Feb. 13, Valencia-Asprilla pled guilty to illegally reentering the United States following a previous removal and he remains subject to the prior order of removal. Case No. 1:25-CR-7. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Bolzman prosecuted this case.
On May 5, 2002, pursuant to a final order of removal, Guatemalan national Claudio Abel Oliva Mendez, 40, was removed from the United States. Oliva Mendez illegally reentered the United States and in May 2005 was convicted of driving while intoxicated (DWI). He was convicted of DWI again in September 2006. In June 2007, he was convicted of false identification. In June 2008, Oliva Mendez was convicted again for DWI. In July 2008, the defendant was convicted of assault and battery of a family member. Pursuant to the prior order of removal, Oliva Mendez was removed from the United States on Sept. 23, 2008, and again on Nov. 28, 2008. Oliva Mendez again illegally reentered the United States and was convicted of DWI in April 2011. In January 2012, Oliva Mendez was convicted of illegally reentering the United States following a previous removal, and he was removed again on Oct. 2, 2012. Oliva Mendez illegally reentered the United States again and, in April 2014, was convicted of one count of identity theft and three felony counts of forging public records in Arlington County. On Dec. 23, 2014, pursuant to the prior order of removal, Oliva Mendez again was removed from the United States. ICE agents learned that Oliva Mendez had been convicted of felony probation violations in Arlington County in April 2024. On March 27, Oliva Mendez pled guilty to illegally reentering the United States following a previous removal and remains subject to the prior order of removal. Case No. 1:25-CR-61. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Max Willner-Giwerc prosecuted this case.
Following convictions for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, drinking while driving, and possession of marijuana, on Jan. 27, 2020, pursuant to a final order of removal, Salvadoran national Ulices Martinez Melendez, 29, was removed from the United States. On April 3, 2022. ICE agents learned that Martinez Melendez had returned to the United States when he was arrested for being drunk in public and then fingerprinted at the Fairfax County Detention Center. On May 20, Martinez Melendez pled guilty to illegally reentering the United States following a previous removal and remains subject to the prior order of removal. Case No. 1:25-CR-135. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Lowry prosecuted this case.
Following a conviction in Michigan in 2012 for felony identity theft, pursuant to a final order of removal, Honduran national Walter Lagos-Duron, 38, was removed from the United States on May 24, 2013. On July 13, 2024, ICE agents learned that Lagos-Duron had returned to the United States when they encountered him in Fauquier County. On May 12, Lagos-Duron pled guilty to illegally reentering the United States following a previous removal and he remains subject to the prior order of removal. Case No. 1:25-CR-93. Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zakeria Haidary and Meredith Clement and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Morgan prosecuted this case.
Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for the case number provided above.
Two out-of-state residents charged with stealing Alaskan identities to target local financial institutionsRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment yesterday charging two out-of-state residents with conspiring to commit bank fraud by stealing identities and creating false identification documents.
According to court documents, on April 14, 2025, the Anchorage Police Department (APD) received a report that a female entered three local bank branches in Eagle River, Wasilla and Anchorage, respectively. The female presented potentially fraudulent military ID and passport cards and requested to withdraw $9,500 from accounts at each branch. The documents had the female’s picture but the name and date of birth of the account holders. The female successfully withdrew $9,500 from the Eagle River and Wasilla branches for a total of $19,000.
On April 15, 2025, Soldotna Police Department (SPD) received a report similar to the report APD received the day prior, detailing that a female entered a local credit union and presented a potentially fraudulent military ID and passport card to try and withdraw cash. Staff suspected the identification was fraudulent and attempted to contact their fraud department. While on the phone, the female left the credit union.
Later the same day, the Kenai Police Department (KPD) received the same report of a female presenting a potentially fraudulent military ID and passport card at a local bank to try and withdraw cash. Bank staff recognized the female from a recent internal fraud alert.
Staff at the Kenai bank attempted to call the police after the female suspect presented the alleged false documents, but she fled the bank in a vehicle. SPD officers located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. Law enforcement identified the driver as Karey McLeish, 25, of Texas and the female suspect, who was a passenger in the vehicle, as Rebekah Walker, 45, of Connecticut. Officers searched the defendants and located over $700 in cash and a plane ticket from Texas to Anchorage dated April 13, 2025. Officers also searched the vehicle and discovered over $1,600 in cash, three cell phones and key cards for a local hotel.
Court documents further explain that law enforcement searched the hotel room McLeish and Walker were staying at in Soldotna and located a bag containing men’s clothing and hygiene products, as well as 11 military ID’s and 11 U.S. passport cards. The identification documents contained different names and dates of birth for Alaska residents, but all had Walker’s picture.
McLeish and Walker were originally charged by complaints on May 16, 2025, and were arrested in Kenai on May 21, 2025.
McLeish and Walker are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, five counts of aggravated identity theft, five counts of forgery or false use of a passport and one count of fraud in connection with identification documents. The defendants are scheduled to make their initial court appearance on May 23, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, they face a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison for each aggravated identity theft count, and up to 30 years in prison for the other seven counts. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska and Special Agent in Charge William Chang of the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), San Francisco Field Office made the announcement.
The DSS San Francisco Field Office, with assistance from APD, KPD and SPD, is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Miller is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Two St. Louis Area Doctors Admit Health CrimesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two doctors from the St. Louis, Missouri area have pleaded guilty to federal crimes.
Dr. Asim Muhammad Ali, 54, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of conspiracy to illegally distribute controlled substances and to maintain a drug-involved premises. Dr. Mohd Azfar Malik, 71, pleaded guilty in April to two counts of making false statements related to health care matters. Malik, a psychiatrist, also agreed to surrender his Drug Enforcement Administration registrations authorizing him to administer controlled substances.
As part of his plea agreement Thursday, Dr. Ali admitted agreeing to perform health care services for Medicare patients of a company Dr. Malik owned, Psych Care Consultants LLC, but bill using Dr. Malik’s name and Medicare billing number. The doctors billed Medicare for “annual wellness visits,” a yearly appointment in which the health care provider develops, creates, or updates a personalized prevention plan and performs tasks including a cognitive function assessment. Dr. Ali did not see them in person but called asked a series of questions. Dr. Ali admitted that Medicare paid $3,902 for the fraudulent claims.
Dr. Malik admitted submitting claims for payment to Medicare, Medicaid and private health insurers in which he falsely claimed to have performed in-person services when he was out of Missouri or out of the country. In one example in the plea agreement, Dr. Malik admitted submitting a claim to Missouri Medicaid for an initial inpatient hospital visit on Dec. 3, 2023. Dr. Malik was in Hawaii at the time. He also admitted billing a private insurance company for the intravenous infusion of ketamine when he was out of town. The infusion was conducted by Dr. Ali. Dr. Malik knew Dr. Ali was under indictment and lacked a DEA registration authorizing him to administer controlled substances, including ketamine. Dr. Malik admitted causing a total loss of $19,442 to Medicare, Medicaid, and the private health care insurers,
Dr. Ali also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to illegally distribute controlled substances, one count of illegally prescribing controlled substances, one count of paying illegal kickbacks for referrals and one count of a submitting false claims last year in a separate 2020 case. He admitted involvement in a conspiracy to pay kickbacks for urine specimens referred for testing to one of his companies, Central Diagnostic Laboratory. Dr. Ali also pre-signed prescriptions for controlled substances to be given to patients on their next visit to one of his other businesses, the Institute for Pain Management LLC. Dr. Ali did not see the patients on the dates they received the prescriptions and rarely looked at patient charts or determined a legitimate medical need for the controlled substances that they were prescribing. Dr. Ali also signed prescriptions for patients who appeared to be selling or giving away their controlled substances.
Dr. Ali is scheduled to sentenced on August 25 for both cases. Dr. Malik is scheduled to be sentenced on August 11.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Sestric is prosecuting Thursday’s case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Sestric, Derek Wiseman and Jonathan Clow are prosecuting the 2020 case.
Two Money Couriers for Colombian-Based Drug Money Laundering Organization SentencedRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Two Jamaican nationals were sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for their involvement in a sophisticated international money laundering organization that laundered more than $6 million in drug trafficking proceeds from Colombian cartels through the United States, Caribbean and European banking systems.
St. Devon Anthony Cover, 61, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 42 months in prison. In January 2025 Cover was convicted of one count of money laundering conspiracy and seven counts of laundering of monetary instruments. Dennis Raymond Rowe, 60, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 52 months in prison. In January 2025 Rowe was convicted of one count of money laundering conspiracy, one count of money laundering and two counts of laundering of monetary instruments. Both defendants are subject to deportation upon completion of their imposed sentences.
The defendants were among 20 individuals from Colombia, Jamaica and Florida who were indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2022 in connection with the money laundering conspiracy.
Over the course of the investigation, $1 million was seized from corporate bank accounts and other investigative activity. Nearly 3,000 kilograms of cocaine – with a street value of over $90 million – was traced back to the money laundering organization. This includes approximately 1,193 kilograms of cocaine seized at sea 60 miles south of Jamaica in July 2019, as well as 1,555 kilograms of cocaine seized in nine scrap metal shipping containers at the Port of Buenaventura, Colombia in March 2019.
In or about October 2016, law enforcement began an investigation into a sophisticated money laundering organization located primarily in Barranquilla, Colombia. During an extensive five-year investigation, the organization laundered over $6 million in drug proceeds through intermediary banks in the United States, including banks in Massachusetts, as well as additional proceeds through banks in the Caribbean and Europe by use of the Colombian Black Market Peso Exchange (BMPE). By using the BMPE, the defendants and their co-conspirators sought to conceal drug trafficking activity and proceeds from law enforcement as well as evade currency exchange requirements in the United States and Colombia through the illegal currency exchange process. As part of the conspiracy, members of the organization held roles and responsibilities relative to the needs and opportunities of the scheme, such as drug suppliers, peso brokers, money couriers and business owners/dollar purchasers.
Through the BMPE, Colombian drug trafficking organizations with drug proceeds generated in the United States use third parties – generally referred to as “peso brokers” that are also based in Colombia – who agree to exchange Colombian pesos they control for the drug supplier’s dollar proceeds. Peso brokers then use money couriers in the United States and elsewhere to physically secure the drug proceeds, often in suitcases or bags on the street, and transfer the proceeds into the United States banking system. To avoid detection, peso brokers deposit the drug proceeds into bank accounts in company or individual names intended to appear as legitimate business activity, or through multiple small deposits into different bank accounts which are then consolidated into larger accounts. As a result, Colombian peso brokers control a pool of drug-derived proceeds in United States bank accounts. These dollar proceeds are then purchased by individuals or companies in Colombia seeking to exchange pesos for United States dollars at a favorable exchange rate and in a manner that avoids currency exchange and income reporting requirements. The dollar drug proceeds are transferred at the direction of the purchaser, and often end up in bank accounts of individuals or companies who appear to have no direct involvement in drug trafficking crimes.
During the course of the conspiracy, Cover laundered approximately $268,000 and Rowe laundered over $600,000 by delivering bulk cash drug proceeds to undercover law enforcement.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Aura Liliana Trujillo Rojas, Delegate for Criminal Finance for the Colombian Attorney General’s Office; Ricardo Sánchez Silvestre, Brigadier General of the Colombian National Police Anti-Narcotics Directorate; Jervis Moore, Chief of the Narcotics Division for the Jamaica Constabulary Force; and Colonel Geoffrey Noble of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions of Cover, Rowe, and other co-defendants from Colombia and Jamaica. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared C. Dolan and Alathea E. Porter of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Two Florida Men Plead Guilty for Their Roles in Years-Long Off-the-Books Payroll SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Two Florida men pleaded guilty today before Magistrate Judge Leslie Hoffman Price for the Middle District of Florida for their roles in a years-long off-the-books payroll scheme. The pleas must be accepted by a U.S. district court judge.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Michael Mayorga and Francisco Alvarez conspired with others to operate an illegal, off-the-books cash payroll system for construction workers to avoid paying employment taxes to the IRS and to defraud workers’ compensation insurance companies. Through the scheme, Mayorga and Alvarez facilitated the employment of undocumented aliens working illegally in the United States.
From 2015 to 2022, Alvarez and Mayorga and their co-conspirators created a series of shell companies to run an unlicensed check cashing and cash courier service business that cashed approximately $89 million in checks from subcontractors in the construction industry. The subcontractors used the cash to pay their workers. Mayorga provided bookkeeping and tax preparation services for some of the shell companies, and Alvarez and others facilitated the distribution of millions in cash to subcontractors. Mayorga also prepared false returns for the shell companies and members of the conspiracy that Alvarez, and others, filed. Specifically, Alvarez caused the filing of false tax returns and tax documents on behalf of one of the shell companies.
In total Mayorga caused a tax loss to the IRS of $8,647,824.
In total Alvarez caused a tax loss to the IRS of $2,331,731.
In addition to the tax crimes, Alvarez filed a false worker’s compensation insurance application. This allowed the shell companies to pay small insurance premiums. After fraudulently getting the insurance, Alvarez “rented” it to subcontractors so that the subcontractors could falsely provide proof of insurance when placing bids with contractors. Mayorga also provided false documents to insurance companies auditing them.
Alvarez and Mayorga will be sentenced at a later date. They each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison, 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 Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating.
Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty and Trial Attorneys Kavitha Bondada and Rebecca A. Caruso of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Daniels for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
Two Florida Men Plead Guilty for Their Roles in Years-Long Off-the-Books Payroll SchemeRead the Press Release
Two Florida men pleaded guilty today before Magistrate Judge Leslie Hoffman Price for the Middle District of Florida for their roles in a years-long off-the-books payroll scheme. The pleas must be accepted by a U.S. district court judge.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Michael Mayorga and Francisco Alvarez conspired with others to operate an illegal, off-the-books cash payroll system for construction workers to avoid paying employment taxes to the IRS and to defraud workers’ compensation insurance companies. Through the scheme, Mayorga and Alvarez facilitated the employment of undocumented aliens working illegally in the United States.
From 2015 to 2022, Alvarez and Mayorga and their co-conspirators created a series of shell companies to run an unlicensed check cashing and cash courier service business that cashed approximately $89 million in checks from subcontractors in the construction industry. The subcontractors used the cash to pay their workers. Mayorga provided bookkeeping and tax preparation services for some of the shell companies, and Alvarez and others facilitated the distribution of millions in cash to subcontractors. Mayorga also prepared false returns for the shell companies and members of the conspiracy that Alvarez, and others, filed. Specifically, Alvarez caused the filing of false tax returns and tax documents on behalf of one of the shell companies.
In total Mayorga caused a tax loss to the IRS of $8,647,824.
In total Alvarez caused a tax loss to the IRS of $2,331,731.
In addition to the tax crimes, Alvarez filed a false worker’s compensation insurance application. This allowed the shell companies to pay small insurance premiums. After fraudulently getting the insurance, Alvarez “rented” it to subcontractors so that the subcontractors could falsely provide proof of insurance when placing bids with contractors. Mayorga also provided false documents to insurance companies auditing them.
Alvarez and Mayorga will be sentenced at a later date. They each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison, 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 Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating.
Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty and Trial Attorneys Kavitha Bondada and Rebecca A. Caruso of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Daniels for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
Two Charged in $227M Medicare Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
An Illinois man and a foreign national were arrested yesterday on criminal charges related to their alleged submission of more than $227 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.
According to court documents, Syed Murtuza Kablazada, 34, of Arlington Heights, and Syed Mehdi Hussain, 32, of Carol Stream, owned and operated purported medical laboratories that submitted fraudulent claims to Medicare for the reimbursement of over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits allegedly provided to Medicare beneficiaries. The defendants allegedly installed foreign nationals to act as nominee owners at the laboratories to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare for the provision of over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits, with the understanding the nominee owners would flee the United States when they learned that their laboratory was under investigation.
“As alleged, the defendants used straw owners at multiple laboratories to cause the submission of more than $200 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for COVID-19 test kits,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Health care fraud harms Americans by squandering taxpayer money and diverting limited resources from those who need them most. The Criminal Division will continue to aggressively prosecute these crimes to hold fraudsters accountable, protect victims, and recover financial losses.”
"The overwhelming fraud uncovered in this investigation details a blatant disregard for America's critical health care program, Medicare, and puts all patients at risk," said Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office. "The FBI and our partners will not tolerate anyone who abuses the health care system for personal gain and will aggressively pursue justice on behalf of both patients and taxpayers."
“The submission of fraudulent claims to Medicare for products or services not dispensed or not medically necessary undermines the integrity of this valuable program, intended to protect the most vulnerable in our community,” said Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Today’s arrests demonstrate our unwavering commitment, working in conjunction with our law enforcement partners, to identify, investigate and bring to justice those who seek to defraud our nation’s federal healthcare programs.”
As alleged in the indictment, the defendants rarely provided Covid-19 test kits to Medicare beneficiaries but instead submitted reimbursement claims on behalf of beneficiaries who had not requested COVID-19 test kits, including individuals who were deceased. Further, the defendants allegedly paid a marketing company to provide the names of hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries that the defendants used to submit fraudulent claims. In total, between September 2022 and June 2023, the defendants’ labs billed Medicare approximately $227 million in fraudulent claims, of which Medicare paid approximately $136 million in reimbursements.
Kablazada and Hussain are both charged by indictment with four counts of health care fraud. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each of the four counts.
The FBI Chicago Field Office and HHS-OIG are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Andres Q. Almendarez of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Jasmina Vajzovic for the Northern District of Illinois.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of 9 strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Tiawana Brown and Two Co-Conspirators Indicted for Alleged Scheme to Obtain More Than $124,000 in COVID Pandemic Relief FundsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal grand jury in Charlotte has returned a criminal indictment charging Tiawana Brown, 53, and her daughters, Tijema Brown, 30, and Antionette Rouse, 33, all of Charlotte, with wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud in connection with fraudulent applications filed to falsely obtain COVID pandemic relief funds, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
James C. Barnacle, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
According to allegations in the indictment, between April 2020 and September 2021, the defendants conspired to execute a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and its Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and obtain COVID pandemic relief funds for their purported businesses, through the submission of loan applications that contained false information or false documentation. It is alleged that the false documentation generally included fake and fraudulent tax forms, among other misrepresentations. It is further alleged that the defendants submitted false statements to obtain forgiveness of the PPP loans. In total, the defendants allegedly submitted at least 15 applications for EIDL or PPP funds and falsely obtained at least $124,165 in connection with their scheme to defraud.
The indictment also alleges that the EIDL and PPP funds were deposited into bank accounts controlled by the defendants. Instead of using the pandemic relief funds to pay for qualifying expenses as purported in the loan applications, the defendants allegedly used the proceeds on personal expenses, including allegedly approximately $15,000 on a personal birthday party for Tiawana Brown.
The defendants are charged with wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud. If convicted, they face maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each offense charged in the indictment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The charges in the indictment 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 commended the FBI in Charlotte for their work on the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Warren with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.
Since the inception of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has prosecuted 35 defendants. The Office’s enforcement efforts in regard to COVID fraud also include actions to impose monetary judgments and collect assets to recoup some of what was wrongfully taken from taxpayer funds. These actions include criminal and civil forfeiture, criminal restitution, and civil False Claims Act cases. To-date, in dozens of COVID fraud cases, the Western District has already obtained almost $18 million in judgments or settlements and collected over $5.5 million in assets.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it to the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Three Mexican Nationals Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three Mexican nationals were charged with illegal reentry this week. The first alien, Arturo Cantu-Santiago, waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty on May 13, 2025, to illegal reentry by a previously removed alien. Cantu-Santiago was arrested on March 28, 2025, by Kansas City, Missouri Police Department officers. He had been removed from the United States twice previously – on July 1, 2011, and on Dec. 22, 2011.
The second alien, Florencio Aburto-Feliciano, was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 20, 2025, with illegal reentry by a previously removed alien. Aburto-Feliciano was arrested on May 8, 2025, by Greenwood, Missouri police officers. He had been removed from the United States at least once previously, on May 28, 2021.
The third alien, Juan Ramirez-Valencia, was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 20, 2025, with illegal reentry by a previously removed alien. Ramirez-Valencia was arrested on March 27, 2025, by the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office. He had been removed from the United States at least once previously, on Aug. 22, 2020.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
Under federal statutes, Cantu-Santiago, Aburto-Feliciano, and Ramirez-Valencia are subject to a sentence of up to two 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.
These cases were investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Operation Take Back America
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Three Individuals Sentenced in Conspiracy Involving Bribery of Government Contracting OfficerRead the Press Release
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Three men have been sentenced for their respective roles in a conspiracy to bribe a public official, announced United States Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
U.S. District Court Judge Liles C. Burke sentenced Coogan Preston, 56, of Columbia, South Carolina, to 64 months in prison, Francisco Guerra, 56, of Lexington, Alabama, to 60 months in prison, and Jason Ingram, 48, of Rogersville, Alabama, to 24 months in prison. In December 2024, Guerra, Preston, and Ingram pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe a public official.
According to the plea agreements, the scheme began in 2016 and continued until 2021. As part of the scheme, Guerra agreed to provide money and other items of value to Preston, a government contracting official working at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. In exchange for these bribes, Preston identified subcontracting opportunities for companies owned and operated by Guerra and convinced the prime contractor to use one of Guerra’s companies as a subcontractor.
“The government officials and contractors working on Redstone Arsenal play a critical role in supporting the United States military,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “The individuals sentenced today chose personal gain over their professional duty. These sentences were the result of that choice and should serve as a warning to others.”
“Mr. Preston’s actions represent a serious betrayal of the public trust that is essential to defense operations,” said Special Agent in Charge Keith Kelly, Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Fraud Field Office. “Army CID remains committed to combating corruption and protecting the integrity of the Army’s contracting process.”
“As a government contracting official, Preston traded the public’s trust given to him for greed,” said Demetrius Hardeman, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “Using their investigative and forensic accounting skills, IRS Criminal Investigation special agents were able to follow the money—bringing Preston and his conspirators to justice.”
“In collaboration with its investigative partners, the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) vigorously pursues fraud and corruption that threaten the integrity of the DoD, particularly when such crimes impact the well-being of our Nation’s Warfighters,” said Jason Sargenski, Special Agent-in-Charge of DCIS’s Southeast Field Office. “DCIS remains steadfast in working with our law enforcement partners to ensure those who commit fraud against the U.S. Government are held accountable.”
The Department of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case with assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, and the United States Department of Defense Office of Inspector General – Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lloyd Peeples prosecuted the cases.
Tama Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jacob Samuel Yang, age 36, from Tama, Iowa, pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids to distributing child pornography and possessing child pornography.
In a plea agreement, Yang admitted that in March 2024, he sent child pornography to other people. He stored child pornography on his cellular phone and computer. The child pornography included a depiction of an infant or toddler.
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.”
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Yang remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Yang faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, $62,200 in special assessments, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Tama County Sheriff’s Office, the Tama Police Department, and the Marshalltown Police Department.
Court file information is at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-24.
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St. Louis Felon Admits Being Caught Three Times with GunsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis felon on Thursday admitted being caught by police three times with a gun.
Damon L. Foster, 41, pleaded guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that on Jan. 1, 2024, a license plate reader alerted Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers to a stolen Ford F-250 truck. Officers then located the vehicle. After a high-speed chase, Foster crashed into the wall of a skating rink in a park. He ran away, discarding a 9mm pistol with a 33-round capacity. He also had pouch clipped to his chest that contained fentanyl and methamphetamine.
On May 15, 2024, Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers spotted Foster on an unregistered motorcycle. He resisted officers but was arrested and police found a 9mm pistol in his pocket.
On Sept. 7, 2024, police responding to a call about squatters spotted Foster with a silver .22-caliber revolver.
Foster is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing a firearm.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 22. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Foster’s lawyer have agreed to recommend 70 months in prison.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Hoag is prosecuting 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.
Southern Utah Man Arrested and Charged after Allegedly Damaging an ICE Transit VanRead the Press Release
ST. GEORGE, Utah – A Southern Utah man accused of damaging government property, specifically a Department of Homeland Security Transit Van, appeared in court today. The indictment charging Ryan Michael Gaines, 32, of Santa Clara, Utah, was unsealed on Tuesday.
According to court documents, in the morning of April 21, 2025, it was discovered that an ICE Transit Van had been damaged over the weekend at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO) office in St. George. The St. George Police Department was called and responding officers located surveillance footage that showed a light-colored Jeep pull into camera view in the ICE office parking lot. Shortly thereafter, an adult male wearing a black balaclava and ski goggles activated a motion sensor and was caught on surveillance camera. The suspect then approached the ICE Transit Van and ripped pieces from the passenger side mirror. The same type of damage was made on the driver’s side mirror. City-wide surveillance captured a matching Jeep – owned by and registered to Gaines at a Santa Clara address – in the area just a few minutes before and then after the incident.
As alleged in court documents, the same day as the discovery of the damage, officers contacted Gaines near his place of employment and arrested him for the incident. Officers found Gaines’ Jeep at his residence and were able to match it with the Jeep seen in the surveillance footage. Also at Gaines’ residence, officers located a pair of ski goggles and a balaclava that matched the ones worn by the individual that committed the damage to the ICE Transit Van. The estimated cost to fix the damage is over $2,900.
Gaines’ initial appearance on the indictment took place before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the courthouse located at 206 West Tabernacle Street, St. George, Utah 84470.
The case is being investigated jointly by the St. George Police Department and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, St. George Resident Agency.
Assistant United States Attorney Brady Wilson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
South Texan man admits to cocaine possessionRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 48-year-old Edcouch resident has pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
On Dec. 13, 2024, authorities conducted a traffic stop on a Ford F-150 near Mercedes. Fernando Aguilera-Chavez was driving.
A search of the vehicle revealed 30 packages wrapped in clear plastic and duct tape. The bundles weighed approximately 30.4 kilograms and tested positive for cocaine. Aguilera-Chavez admitted he knew he was in possession of the narcotics and intended to distribute them.
U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton will impose sentencing Sept. 9. At that time, Aguilera-Chavez faces up to life in federal prison and a possible $10 million maximum fine.
He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Hidalgo County Constables Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose A. Garcia prosecuted the case.
Sonoma Real Estate Developer Arrested on Charges of Defrauding Hundreds of InvestorsRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Kenneth W. Mattson, 63, of Sonoma, was arrested today pursuant to an indictment returned by a federal grand jury charging him with wire fraud, money laundering, and obstruction of justice.
According to the nine-count indictment filed May 13, 2025, and unsealed today, Mattson was the President of LeFever Mattson, a corporation based in Citrus Heights, Calif., that controlled several limited partnerships that owned and managed commercial and residential properties. For more than a decade, Mattson allegedly solicited and obtained millions of dollars in investments from hundreds of investors—many of whom were nearing or in retirement—in what he represented were legitimate and safe interests of limited partnerships that owned real estate. Those representations were false: although many of the partnerships were real entities, Mattson’s victims, referred to in the indictment as “off-books investors,” never had interests in those partnerships.
“This indictment alleges that Kenneth Mattson defrauded hundreds of victims, many of whom entrusted him with retirement savings they could not afford to lose. He allegedly raised tens of millions of dollars by falsely claiming that investors would have legitimate stakes in real estate projects. Instead of delivering the investment returns he promised, Mr. Mattson is charged with cheating these investors out of their hard-earned money and, in many cases, out of their life savings,” said Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins. “Mr. Mattson will now be held to account on charges of perpetrating a scheme that he kept afloat only by using new investors’ money to pay obligations to earlier investors—a classic Ponzi scheme.”
“As alleged, Mattson orchestrated a fraudulent real estate investment scheme over several years, stealing millions of dollars from hundreds of victims, many of them retirees or nearing retirement. This case underscores the serious impact financial fraud can have on a community, particularly on those least able to recover,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani. “The investigation in this case is ongoing. We encourage anyone who believes they may be a victim to come forward. The FBI and our partners remain steadfast in our commitment to uncovering the truth and seeking justice for those affected.”
“The allegations against Mr. Mattson describe a long-standing scheme with hundreds of victims duped out of millions of dollars,” said IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Oakland Field Office Special Agent in Charge Linda Nguyen. “Simply put, white-collar crime is not victimless, and our special agents and professional staff are the experts at tracing money trails and building cases that lead to justice while simultaneously deterring future criminal activity.”
“Postal inspectors will not allow the mail to be used to defraud people. The American people trust us to end fraud schemes and bring fraud perpetrators to justice—we are proud to work with our federal law enforcement partners in investigations like this one,” said U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), San Francisco Division Inspector in Charge Stephen M. Sherwood.
The indictment describes that, from at least 2009 and continuing through 2024, Mattson solicited investments from off-books investors into Divi Divi Tree, LP (Divi Divi), a LeFever Mattson-controlled partnership that owned an apartment complex in Riverside County, Calif. The vast majority of these investors used their retirement funds to invest in Divi Divi. Mattson never told the LeFever Mattson company about these investors, and the investors were not listed as partners in the company’s official books and records. Contrary to Mattson’s representations to these victims, these “off-books” investors never became true owners in the partnership. Although some investors received distribution payments from their “off-books” investments, that money did not come from the rents of the partnership’s underlying property, as Mattson promised; instead, it came from loans, Mattson’s comingling of other assets, and from new investors, in the manner of a Ponzi scheme.
Mattson’s scheme reached beyond Divi Divi to other LeFever Mattson limited partnerships, including Heacock Park Apartments, LP, an entity that was formed to purchase another apartment complex. Among other conduct, the indictment describes Mattson’s concealment from the “off-books” investors of the 2021 sale of the Heacock Park Apartments, the asset underlying Heacock Park, which resulted in net proceeds of over $8 million. Notwithstanding Mattson’s prior representations to “off-books” investors that they would be notified upon sale and be entitled to share in profits proportionate to their ownership stake, Mattson concealed the sale from existing “off-books” investors and omitted that the primary asset of the entity had, in fact, been sold when recruiting new investors for Heacock Park.
The indictment also alleges that Mattson engaged in similar fraudulent conduct through another real estate holding entity over which he exercised sole business control, KS Mattson Partners, LP.
Between 2019 and 2024, Mattson obtained at least $28 million from investors for “off-books” investments in Divi Divi and Heacock Park alone.
The indictment further alleges that Mattson learned of an investigation into his conduct by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in April 2024. After the SEC instructed Mattson to preserve and retain relevant evidence and served him with a subpoena for documents, Mattson deleted thousands of files that were relevant to the SEC’s investigation.
The indictment charges Mattson with seven counts of wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343, one count of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity (money laundering) in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957, and one count of destruction of records in a federal investigation (obstruction of justice) in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1519.
Mattson is scheduled to make his initial federal court appearance at 10:30 a.m. on May 23, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse in San Francisco.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Mattson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison as to each count of wire fraud and the obstruction of justice count and 10 years in prison as to the money laundering count. Any sentence following conviction would 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.
Individuals who believe that they are “off-books” investors with Mattson are urged to fill out the following form: https://forms.fbi.gov/victims/lfminvestors and send copies of any relevant documents to [email protected].
The SEC today filed a civil enforcement action against Mattson and KS Mattson Partners LP in the Northern District of California.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christoffer Lee and Nikhil Bhagat are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Mimi Lam. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, IRS-CI, and USPIS. The U.S. Attorney’s Office thanks the San Francisco Regional Office of the SEC for its assistance in the investigation.
Mattson Indictment
Sierra Pacific Industries to Pay for Damages Caused by Forest Fire in El Dorado CountyRead the Press Release
Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) has agreed to pay $204,284.42 to resolve the United States’ claim for damages resulting from a 2021 wildfire that burned about 29 acres, including National Forest System lands on the Eldorado National Forest, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced today.
The wildfire, known as the “Cold Fire,” ignited on Jan. 19, 2021, on SPI land in El Dorado County. U.S. Forest Service fire investigators determined that the fire originated from one of SPI’s timber slash piles that escaped containment during a wind event.
“Our office will continue to hold individuals and corporations responsible for damages caused by wildfires,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Beckwith. “Every fire impacting federal lands, no matter the size, is a priority.”
“These settlements are essential in restoring our landscapes after wildfires,” said U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Acting Regional Forester Jason Kuiken.
The investigation was conducted with the U.S. Forest Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara Amin handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Sheboygan Man Indicted for Child Pornography Production and PossessionRead the Press Release
Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on May 13, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Nolan M. Pitsch (age: 31) of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on five counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2251(a) & (e) & 2252A (a)(5)(B) &)(b)(2).
The indictment alleges that between approximately March 1, 2024, and continuing until at least September 30, 2024, Pitsch knowingly employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced multiple minor children to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct, knowing and having reason to know that such visual depiction was and would be produced and transmitted using materials that have been mailed, shipped, and transported in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce by any means, including by computer.
The indictment also alleges that on September 26, 2024, Pitsch knowingly possessed images of child pornography, including images of minors who were under the age of twelve years old.
If convicted of any of the production charges, Pitsch faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment and a maximum of 30 years’ imprisonment.
If convicted of the possession charge, Pitsch faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment. He also faces up to a $250,000 fine on all of the counts.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by multiply offices of the DHS’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) offices in Albany, NY, and HSI Milwaukee, HSI Chicago and Indianapolis offices, as well as the Sheboygan Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan J. Paulson and Trial Attorney William Clayman from the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Shakopee Felon Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime and Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Yancy Hall of Shakopee, Minnesota, has been sentenced to 144 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime and felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents, in October 2023, a search warrant was executed at Hall’s two apartments and vehicle. The execution of the search warrant resulted in the seizure of three guns, over $75,000 in cash, and a large amount of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
In August 2024, Hall, while dealing drugs near a mosque, got into an argument with a mosque congregant who had just left prayer services. Hall escalated the argument by shooting the congregant multiple times, as well as at another mosque congregant. Though Hall fled the scene, he was quickly apprehended by law enforcement.
“Everyone in Minnesota deserves the ability to practice their religion, free from violence and threats of violence,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “The attack by Hall on two congregants was vicious, violent, and unacceptable. I appreciate the hard work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Minneapolis Police Department in bringing Hall to justice.”
On January 2, 2025, Hall pleaded guilty to one count of discharging a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime and one count of felon in possession. He was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge David S. Doty.
This case is a result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Minneapolis Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead prosecuted the case.
Several convicted for roles in deadly transnational human smuggling operationRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A sixth and final person has admitted her role in a human smuggling conspiracy that resulted in death, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Mexican national Cynthia Gabriela Muniz Carreon, 30, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport an undocumented alien causing serious bodily injury and resulting in death.
Those previously convicted include Mexican nationals Martha Angelica Limon Parra and David Alejandro Gomez Flores, both 29; Guatemalan national Edy Ronaldo Lima Flores, 37; and Dagoberto Flores, 24, and Angel Elias, 22 both of Laredo.
All six were part of a transnational human smuggling organization responsible for moving illegal aliens across the southern border of Texas. Their actions led to the death of a Guatemalan man and several other dangerous events, including a rollover crash.
“For those that may have relatives, friends, or other loved ones that are considering hiring a smuggler, urge them to think twice. If you are thinking about coming to this country illegally, also think twice.” said Ganjei. “Human smuggling is a dangerous, and often deadly, business, and those that are transporting you have little or no regard for your safety or well-being. Do not put your life in the hands of these criminals.”
Authorities identified Carreon and Parra as Mexico-based coordinators for the organization. Cellphone data revealed both women were part of a WhatsApp group chat titled “La Oficina,” which the organization used to coordinate human smuggling activity. The group maintained detailed ledgers and color-coded spreadsheets documenting the aliens’ biographical information, arrival dates, assigned stash houses, guides and payment status.
Although many of the aliens were from Guatemala, the smuggling group instructed them to falsely claim Mexican nationality. This tactic exploited U.S. immigration procedure by ensuring the aliens would be removed to Mexico instead of their home country which made it faster and easier for the organization to smuggle them back into the United States.
Ledgers shared in “La Oficina” chat revealed the organization generated approximately $79,000 in smuggling proceeds between April 12 and 17, 2024, alone.
Authorities identified Lima Flores as the organization’s Laredo-based transportation coordinator, who hired Dagoberto Flores. Authorities also identified Gomez Flores as the stash house coordinator responsible for receiving aliens from Mexico and illegally harboring them in Laredo. Cellphone evidence revealed Gomez Flores had been involved with the organization since at least 2003 and had received more than $300,000 for helping conceal and transport aliens illegally.
Elias worked with Lima Flores and acted as both a transporter and scout for the organization.
The investigation revealed additional smuggling incidents dating back to April 2024, including one in which an alien became so weak and delirious that he could no longer walk through the brush. Authorities also linked the same organization to a smuggling event April 19, 2024, that resulted in a rollover crash near Laredo. A Guatemalan alien involved in the crash suffered serious back injuries and required hospitalization.
On July 2, 2024, Dagoberto Flores was driving a Ford F-150 transporting aliens. He fled when authorities attempted a traffic stop. The aliens scattered into the brush, including a Guatemalan national who became separated from the group. The investigation revealed he had repeatedly contacted Lima Flores and Carreon asking for help and sharing his location. Carreon told him to stay well hidden and be patient. Authorities later found him deceased. His cause of death was determined to be from heat exhaustion, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees that day.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will set sentencing at a later date. At that time, each faces up to life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.
All six have been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, Laredo Police Department Gang Unit, Border Patrol, Texas Department of Public Safety, Encinal Police Department Customs and Border Protections (CBP) and CBP Air and Marine Operations conducted the investigation.
The case is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation and coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA).
OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
JTFA, a partnership with Department of Homeland Security, has been elevated and expanded with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, Districts of Arizona and New Mexico and Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Office of Enforcement Operations and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, DEA and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 365 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers and significant facilitators of alien smuggling, more than 334 U.S. convictions, more than 281 significant jail sentences imposed and forfeitures of substantial assets.
This case is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s OCDETF and Project Safe Neighborhood.
JTFA detailee Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Day is prosecuting the case.
Seven-Time Convicted Felon Sentenced to More Than Two Years for Attempting to Illegally Purchase A FirearmRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Stephen K. Gainous (38, Jacksonville) to 30 months in federal prison for making a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer during the attempted purchase of a firearm. Gainous pled guilty on February 14, 2025.
According to court documents, Gainous completed an ATF Form 4473 during the attempted purchase of a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer. Gainous indicated on the required paperwork that he was not a felon. This was a false statement, in that Gainous was previously convicted of seven felonies, including battery on a child, making a false statement during the acquisition of a firearm, possession of cocaine, criminal use of personal identification, and fraudulent use of a credit card.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brenna Falzetta.
This is another case uncovered through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). All NICS denials are reported to federal law enforcement and are reviewed daily for potential criminal prosecution. Federal law makes it a felony offense to make a false statement to a firearms dealer when trying to buy a gun.
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.
Selma Felon Sentenced to Eight Years for Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Selma man was sentenced today to 96 months in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
According to court documents, Marquavius Benjamin, 25, was sentenced today for possession of a Glock handgun. On October 4, 2024, a Selma Police Department officer responded to a call at Creekside Apartments, Selma, Alabama in reference to a stolen vehicle. While speaking with the victim, the officer heard a commotion around the corner and walked towards his marked police vehicle to observe. As the officer approached his vehicle several shots were fired close by, he observed a black male fire multiple shots with a handgun and the officer immediately called for backup. The officer’s body camera shows Benjamin approaching him unprompted as the officer calls for backup. Benjamin walked up and the officer attempted to take him into custody. Benjamin handed over a Glock, semi-automatic pistol to the officer but resisted efforts to be taken into custody and stated, “you’d better call for backup” and walked off. After Benjamin made an aggressive move, the officer immediately deployed his Taser and Benjamin was taken into custody. The officer ran Benjamin’s information and learned that he was a convicted felon, and that the Glock in his possession, a Glock, Model 43, 9mm semi-automatic pistol, had been reported stolen through the Selma Police Department.
A Special Agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives examined the pistol and determined that it was manufactured outside the state of Alabama and that it had been reported as stolen. The agent further determined that Benjamin had prior felony convictions in Dallas county of Robbery in the First Degree in 2018, Felony Murder and Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle in 2024, and Escape in the Third Degree in 2024.
“Together with our partners in law enforcement in Selma and Dallas County, we will continue our mission to bring to justice those who illegally possess guns,” said Sean P. Costello, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. “Our communities are safer today thanks to the dedicated men and women in law enforcement helping to remove criminals from our streets.”
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), Selma Police Department, and ATF investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew D. Arrington prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Saratoga County Man Arrested and Charged with Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Eric Mosier, age 37, of Galway, New York, made an initial appearance yesterday on a criminal complaint charging him with the sexual exploitation of a child. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Buffalo Field Office, made the announcement.
According to the complaint, between on or about March 1, 2025 and May 17, 2025, Mosier used a 4-year-old child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of creating child sexual abuse material. The charge in the complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated, “We are thankful for the quick response of the New York State Police and HSI, which led to the defendant’s arrest. As U.S. Attorney I will continue to do everything I can to keep our children safe from sexual predators and pedophiles.”
HSI Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan stated: “Through his alleged crimes, the defendant subjected this four-year-old victim to unimaginable exploitation and trauma. Our children deserve the right to be children, free from the awareness of the darkness that exists in our society. HSI Albany commits to working with our state and federal partners in our pursuit for justice on behalf of this victim.”
Mosier initially appeared yesterday afternoon before United States Magistrate Daniel J. Stewart and was ordered detained pending trial. If convicted, he faces at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a supervised release term of at least 5 years and up to life. Mosier may also be ordered to pay restitution to the victim of his offense and forfeit the device used in the offense. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. If convicted, Mosier would also have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
HSI is investigating this case with assistance from the New York State Police and its Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph Hartunian and Allen J. Vickey are prosecuting this case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Salvadoran National Currently Serving State Prison Sentence for Child Rape Sentenced for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Salvadoran national living in Methuen, Mass. was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Agustin Landaverde-Romero, 57, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 21 months in prison to be served concurrently with Landaverde-Romero’s unrelated state prison sentence. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In February 2025, Landaverde-Romero pleaded guilty to unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Landaverde-Romero was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024.
On July 6, 1999, Landaverde-Romero entered the United States without inspection near Brownsville, Texas. He was identified by authorities in July 1999 and ordered to be removed to El Salvador on Sept. 23, 1999. On Oct. 7, 1999, he was removed from the United States.
Sometime thereafter, Landaverde-Romero illegally reentered the United States. In July 2020, he was arrested and charged with rape of child and rape of child by force in Essex County Superior Court. He was subsequently convicted of the charges and, in May 2023, was sentenced to 20-25 years in state prison. On June 23, 2023, while serving his sentence, Landaverde-Romero was encountered by immigration authorities during a screening of inmates and determined to have unlawfully reentered the United States.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Methuen Police Chief Scott J. McNamara made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Sacramento Man Indicted Twice in Four Months for Firearms and Controlled Substance OffensesRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Gabriel Erasmo Cabrera, 22, of Sacramento, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
According to court documents, Cabrera was originally indicted on Feb. 6, 2025, for two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The second indictment now charges that on March 28, 2025, Cabrera was in possession of fentanyl, a semiautomatic Sig Sauer handgun, and .45‑caliber ammunition. Cabrera is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to multiple felony convictions for sale of a controlled substance, infliction of corporal injury on a spouse, and willfully discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Douglas Harman and Justin Lee are prosecuting the case.
If convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm or ammunition, Cabrera faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $$250,000 fine for each count. If convicted of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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 U.S. Department of Justice 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.