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Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
Thursday 22 May 2025
Ada Resident Sentenced for Felony AssaultRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jasmine Rae Valdez, age 26, of Ada, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 33 months in prison for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country, and to 33 months for one count of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country. The sentences were ordered to be served concurrently.
On April 10, 2025, Valdez’s co-defendant, Brendan Kaleb Rains, age 26, of Ada, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 60 months in prison for one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country and 60 months in prison for one count of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country, to be served concurrently. Rains pleaded guilty to the charges on June 11, 2024.
On October 29, 2024, Valdez pleaded guilty to the charges. According to investigators, on August 29, 2023, Valdez and Rains forced entry into a Stonewall, Oklahoma residence. During the ensuing altercation, Valdez participated in Rains’ attack on the occupants, actively assisting and enabling the attack, as well as acting to prevent another from coming to the victim’s aid or defense. The crimes occurred in Pontotoc County, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Honorable Eric F. Melgren, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for Kansas, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing. Valdez 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 Kevin Gross represented the United States.
16 Defendants Federally Charged in Connection with DanaBot Malware Scheme That Infected Computers WorldwideRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury indictment and criminal complaint unsealed today charge 16 defendants who allegedly developed and deployed the DanaBot malware which a Russia-based cybercrime organization controlled and deployed, infecting more than 300,000 victim computers around the world, facilitated fraud and ransomware, and caused at least $50 million in damage.
The defendants include Aleksandr Stepanov, 39, a.k.a. “JimmBee,” and Artem Aleksandrovich Kalinkin, 34, a.k.a. “Onix”, both of Novosibirsk, Russia. Stepanov was charged with conspiracy, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, unauthorized impairment of a protected computer, wiretapping, and use of an intercepted communication.
Kalinkin was charged with conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to a computer to obtain information, to gain unauthorized access to a computer to defraud, and to commit unauthorized impairment of a protected computer. Both defendants are believed to be in Russia and are not in custody.
According to the indictment and complaint, DanaBot malware used a variety of methods to infect victim computers, including spam email messages containing malicious attachments or hyperlinks. Victim computers infected with DanaBot malware became part of a botnet (a network of compromised computers), enabling the operators and users of the botnet to remotely control the infected computers in a coordinated manner. The owners and operators of the victim computers are typically unaware of the infection.
The DanaBot malware allegedly operated on a malware-as-a-service model, with the administrators leasing access to the botnet and support tools to client coconspirators for a fee that was typically several thousand dollars a month. The DanaBot malware was multi-featured and had extensive capabilities to exploit victim computers. It could be used to steal data from victim computers, and to hijack banking sessions, steal device information, user browsing histories, stored account credentials, and virtual currency wallet information.
DanaBot also had the capability to provide full remote access to victim computers, to record keystrokes, and record videos showing the activity of users on victim computers. DanaBot has further been used as an initial means of infection for other forms of malware, including ransomware. The DanaBot malware has infected over 300,000 computers around the world, and caused damage estimated to exceed $50 million.
DanaBot administrators operated a second version of the botnet that was used to target victim computers in military, diplomatic, government, and related entities. This version of the botnet recorded all interactions with the computer and sent stolen data to a different server than the fraud-oriented version of DanaBot. This variant was allegedly used to target diplomats, law enforcement personnel, and members of the military in North America, and Europe.
“Pervasive malware like DanaBot harms hundreds of thousands of victims around the world, including sensitive military, diplomatic, and government entities, and causes many millions of dollars in losses,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “The charges and actions announced today demonstrate our commitment to eradicating the largest threats to global cybersecurity and pursuing the most malicious cyber actors, wherever they are located.”
“The enforcement actions announced today, made possible by enduring law enforcement and industry partnerships across the globe, disrupted a significant cyber threat group, who were profiting from the theft of victim data and the targeting of sensitive networks,” said Special Agent in Charge Kenneth DeChellis of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Cyber Field Office. “The DanaBot malware was a clear threat to the Department of Defense and our partners. DCIS will vigorously defend our infrastructure, personnel, and intellectual property."
"Today's announcement represents a significant step forward in the FBI's ongoing efforts to disrupt and dismantle the cyber-criminal ecosystem that wreaks havoc on global digital security," said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. "We are grateful for the coordinated efforts of our domestic and international law enforcement partners in holding cyber criminals accountable, no matter where they operate."
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Kalinkin would face a statutory maximum sentence of 72 years in federal prison, and Stepanov would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
As part of today’s operation, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) agents effected seizures and takedowns of DanaBot command and control servers, including dozens of virtual servers hosted in the United States. The U.S. government is now working with partners including the Shadowserver Foundation to notify DanaBot victims and help remediate infections.
These law enforcement actions were taken in conjunction with Operation Endgame, an ongoing, coordinated effort among international law enforcement agencies aimed at dismantling and prosecuting cybercriminal organizations around the world.
Amazon, Crowdstrike, ESET, Flashpoint, Google, Intel 471, Lumen, PayPal, Proofpoint, Spycloud, Team CYMRU, and ZScaler provided valuable assistance.
The investigation into DanaBot was led by the FBI’s Anchorage Field Office and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, working closely with Germany’s Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), the Netherlands National Police, and the Australian Federal Police. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney Aaron Frumkin of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section is prosecuting these cases. Assistant United States Attorney James E. Dochterman of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section is handling the forfeiture case.
15 charged in wide-ranging narcotics and weapons conspiracyRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 29-count indictment has been unsealed following the arrests of nine individuals for their roles in a drug trafficking organization. Some are also charged with related gun offenses.
Houston residents James Michael Brewer aka Creeper, 33, Jonathan Alvarado aka Joker, 28, Alexis Delgado aka Chino, 28, Hector Luis Lopez aka Capulito, 23, Kylie Rae Alvarado, 24, Ruby Mata, 31, Victor Norris Ellison, 35, Mexi Dyan Garcia aka Mexi, 31, and Jesus Gomez-Rodriguez aka Jr., 33, made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Yvonne Ho, at which time the indictment was unsealed.
Also charged are Enzo Xavier Dominguez aka Smiley, 32, William Alexander Lazo aka Miclo, 21, and Alfredo Gomez aka Fredo, 26. They are currently in custody and expected to make their initial appearances in the near future.
Three others are considered fugitives and warrants remain outstanding for their arrests – Mexican national Jose Francisco Garcia-Martinez aka Paco, 29, Guatemalan national Marcos Rene Simaj-Guch aka Taco Man, 41, as well as Jose Eduardo Morales aka Primo, 22, Houston.
“The defendants are alleged to have engaged in a multi-drug narcotics distribution ring, and, as often seen in the drug trade, are also alleged to have used illegal firearms to facilitate their enterprise,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “Some of the charges indicate methamphetamine was alleged to have been sourced from Mexico, and thus this investigation highlights why this office’s enforcement efforts on the border are so critical. The Southern District of Texas will do everything it can to prevent narcotics from entering our country and will be relentless in apprehending those that would distribute drugs in our communities.”
“As alleged, this drug trafficking organization imported methamphetamine directly from Mexico and used the U.S. mail, a taco truck, and homes in different Houston neighborhoods to distribute and sell methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Several of the defendants are also alleged to have used firearms in furtherance of their narcotics trafficking and illegally possessed firearms despite having previously been convicted of felonies. The Criminal Division, along with our federal, state, and local partners, will continue to work tirelessly to combat the scourge of drug trafficking in communities.”
“For years, the transnational criminal organization allegedly operated by these gang members has brazenly flooded our local communities with deadly narcotics,” said Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) Houston Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “Working in conjunction with the Houston Police Department (HPD) and our Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) partners, we were able to expose and dismantle their drug trafficking scheme, eliminating a significant contributor to violent crime in the area and saving an untold number of Houstonians from becoming addicted.”
The indictment, returned under seal May 14, alleges all were members of a drug trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine, powder cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, oxycodone, Xanax psylocibin mushrooms and marijuana. They are alleged to have used several drug houses and a food truck to store illegal drugs and conduct drug transactions. In one notable instance in June 2023, authorities seized 29 kilograms of methamphetamine that one defendant was attempting to transport into the United States, according to the charges.
With the exception of Simaj-Guch who faces up to 40 years, the rest could receive up to life, upon conviction. Brewer, Alvarado, Lopez, Gomez and Ellison are further charged with firearms offenses which carry up to another 15 years.
ICE-HSI and the HPD led the investigation with the assistance of the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Texas Board of Criminal Justice-Office of the Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco Rodriguez is prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorneys Ralph Paradiso and Amanda Kotula of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s OCDETF and Project Safe Neighborhood.
This case is also part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Houston. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas have partnered, along with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes gang members and associates have committed through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute the offenders and prevent further violence.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Wednesday 21 May 2025
Watertown Man Sentenced to Nearly 16 Years in Federal Prison for Unlawful Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS—United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Watertown, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on May 19, 2025.
Anthony Thomas Lee Baker, 43, was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Forfeiture of the firearm was also ordered.
Baker was indicted for Felon in Possession of a Firearm by a federal grand jury in May 2024. He pleaded guilty on September 30, 2024.
The charges arose from an incident when Baker, driving a vehicle, was stopped by law enforcement in Watertown, South Dakota. He was found to be in possession of a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol. Baker is prohibited from possessing any firearm based on a prior felony conviction. More specifically, Baker has at least three prior violent felony convictions, including one for possession of another firearm following his conviction for a crime of violence in Ramsey County, Minnesota, in 2017.
This case was investigated by the ATF and the Watertown Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paige Petersen prosecuted the case.
Baker was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
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.
Washington man sentenced to over 5 years in prison for distributing drugs on the Rocky Boy’s Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Washington man who admitted to distributing fentanyl on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation and Big Sandy, Montana was sentenced today to 66 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Terrence Derrell Milton, 35, pleaded guilty in December 2024 to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that beginning on or about May 18, 2023, and continuing through June 19, 2023, law enforcement received information from a witness that Milton and his co-defendant were working together to distribute fentanyl on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. The witness said Milton and his co-defendant would keep their stash of drugs off the reservation in Big Sandy and front a couple hundred pills at a time to individuals on the reservation to sell.
On June 15, 2023, Milton met a witness for a controlled purchase of 20 fentanyl pills for $800 after communicating about the purchase through the co-defendant. The witness was met by Milton who provided the 20 fentanyl pills in exchange for $800.
On June 19, 2023, the Tri-Agency Task Force executed a search warrant on a motel room in Big Sandy being rented by Milton. Under a bed in the motel room, law enforcement located approximately 3,200 fentanyl pills and a 10 mm handgun with a loaded 10 round magazine.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Tri-Agency Task Force.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
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Washington State Man Who Livestreamed Threats is Convicted of Weapons and Other ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Taylor Taranto, 39, of Pasco, Washington, was convicted by a federal judge yesterday of illegally carrying two firearms without a license, unlawfully possessing ammunition, and false information and hoaxes, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Crimes.
U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols found Taranto guilty of all charges and will schedule a sentencing hearing after ruling on the defense’s request to release Taranto pending sentencing.
On June 28, 2023, near National Harbor, Maryland, Taranto broadcast a livestream of himself as he sat behind the wheel of his van. He stated that he had been “working on a detonator” and indicated to his audience that he would drive a car bomb into the National Institute of Standards and Technology. His target was a neutron reactor housed at the NIST campus. He then drove over the Wilson Bridge to Alexandria, Virginia, where he parked his van in the middle of the street and ran away from it, demonstrating to his audience how he would create the appearance of an emergency.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Joint Terrorism Task Force mobilized immediately to find Taranto, alerting regional law enforcement agencies of the potential bomb threat. The following day, the FBI discovered Taranto’s location when he broadcast another livestream that showed him driving around D.C.’s Kalorama neighborhood. Law enforcement officers arrested Taranto at Kalorama and discovered that the bomb threat was a hoax. When law enforcement officers searched his vehicle, they found two firearms, multiple magazines, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlos Valdivia and Samuel White.
Virginia Attorney Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
A Virginia attorney pleaded guilty yesterday to filing a false tax return that concealed a significant portion of his income.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Asim Ghafoor, of Ashburn, was an attorney who operated a law practice in Virginia. His law practice had clients in various states, including Michigan. Ghafoor reported income from his practice on individual income tax returns that he personally prepared and signed. For 2012 through 2016, Ghafoor prepared and filed false tax returns that underreported the income he earned from his business.
In total, Ghafoor caused a tax loss to the IRS of $354,634.
Ghafoor is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 23. He faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for filing a false tax return. 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 made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Richard J. Kelley and Jeffrey A. McLellan of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
Vidor man sentenced to over 15 years in federal prison for child pornography violationsRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Vidor man has been sentenced to over 15 years in federal prison for child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.
David Dwane Parker, 54, pleaded guilty to transportation of child pornography and was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on May 21, 2025.
According to information presented in court, in April 2024, local law enforcement received a CyberTip which had been submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) by a computer search engine. According to the CyberTip, 2,500 files had been uploaded, of which 1,605 files contained apparent child pornography. The information provided came back to Parker with a 409-area code. Further investigation revealed an internet protocol (IP) address, which included a date-of-birth and driver’s license number, leading authorities to a Vidor residence. A search warrant was issued for that residence, where Parker was located. During the search, a preview of Parker’s cellular phone and a computer revealed child pornography images. A forensic analysis discovered over 34,000 images of child pornography.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Vidor Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Grove.
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Utah Felon Indicted After Allegedly Firing Gunshots at Multiple People Outside a Salt Lake City HomeRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a Utah felon with multiple firearm crimes after she allegedly produced a handgun and fired gunshots at victims from a parked pickup truck.
Lisa Ann Corriz, 46, of Gusher, Utah, was charged by complaint on May 13, 2025.
According to court documents, on April 27, 2025, at approximately 11:40 p.m., officers with the Salt Lake City Police Department responded to a call of a possible shooting at a residence in Salt Lake City. The two victims reported that on April 26, 2025, at approximately 10:00 a.m., a red pickup truck parked outside the home of one of the victims. Corriz, who is known by the two victims, began allegedly yelling at them from the back seat of the truck. After a short verbal exchange between Corriz and the victims, Corriz produced a handgun and fired four shots at the victims, who were near the truck. Both victims stated they were nearly struck by gunfire. After law enforcement arrived on scene, a Winchester .380 caliber casing was recovered in the gutter. A hole was also observed in the rear bumper of one of the victim’s vehicles. Damage to the asphalt from likely bullet strikes was also documented. On April 28, 2025, at approximately 8:53 p.m., an officer returned to the scene to collect a second .380 caliber casing that had been located by one of the victims.Corriz is charged with felon in possession of ammunition, felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of a stolen firearm. Her initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for May 22, 2025, at 1:45 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah made the announcement.
An FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department is investigating the case. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Assistant United States Attorney Victoria K. McFarland of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Upper Marlboro Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Visa FraudRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Today, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Douglas Anthony Eze, 55, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, to one year and one day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for visa fraud. Eze was also fined $20,000.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Baltimore, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) – Washington District.
According to the guilty plea, Eze, who owns Largo Financial Services, illegally entered Canada in 1991 using a fraudulent passport. After Canada issued a deportation order in 1995, Eze fled. Then in 1997, he resurfaced in the United States, using the name and other identifying information of a Canadian citizen.
Eze, who knew the victim, also took the citizen’s Canadian birth certificate to apply for a green card within the United States. He eventually became a U.S. citizen under the stolen Canadian identity and then changed his last name to Eze.
As a citizen under fraudulent pretenses, Eze adopted and sponsored two children for permanent residence in the United States, falsely declaring the stolen Canadian identity as his own in immigration documents for the children. Eze continued using the victim’s identity to apply for a U.S. passport, driver’s license, and membership in the Global Entry Trusted Traveler Network. The victim never gave Eze permission to use his identifying information.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes commended HSI and USCIS for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colleen E. McGuinn and Reema Sood who prosecuted the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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United States Files Civil Enforcement Action and Obtains Temporary Restraining Order to Stop Queens-Based Logistics Company and Others from Shipping Packages from China with Counterfeit Postage LabelsRead the Press Release
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Edward Gallashaw, Acting Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) announced today that the United States has obtained a temporary restraining order barring two logistics companies, one based in Queens, New York, and the other in Los Angeles, California, and their owner from using the United States Postal Service (USPS) to ship packages containing counterfeit postage.
On May 15, 2025, the United States filed a civil complaint in federal court in Brooklyn against the two shipping logistics companies and the companies’ owner (collectively Defendants), alleging that Defendants have committed mail fraud and conspired to commit mail fraud for years by shipping thousands of parcels through USPS using counterfeit USPS postage labels. Defendants, YDH Express, Inc., YDH Int’l Inc., and their owner/operator Yizhao Hou, also known as Harvey Hou, receive these parcels from their customers, which are companies located in China. The complaint seeks injunctive relief under the Anti-Fraud Injunction Act, as well as additional relief to remedy financial losses incurred by USPS. The United States also sought a temporary restraining order immediately barring Defendants from using USPS to mail parcels pending further order of the Court. On May 16, 2025, United States District Judge Natasha C. Merle entered a temporary restraining order against Defendants.
“The Postal Service provides essential services to Americans, and we will not tolerate attempts by unscrupulous overseas businesses using fake postage to unlawfully deprive USPS of revenue it is entitled to,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “My Office is working diligently with our partners at the United States Postal Inspection Service to stop this ongoing fraud against the Postal Service.”
Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the United States Postal Inspection Service and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) for their work on the case.
“Hou allegedly cared only about making a profit at the expense of the USPS. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, along with Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, have a shared commitment in identifying individuals like Yizhou Hou who allegedly facilitate and perpetuate the use of fraudulent or counterfeit postage,” stated USPIS Acting Inspector in Charge of the New York Division Gallashaw. “Postal Inspectors will use all of our resources to put an end to the use of counterfeit postage and hold accountable all who seek to defraud the USPS. We will fulfill our mission to strengthen the American public’s trust in the U.S. Mail.”
As alleged in the complaint, Defendants have conspired to ship thousands of parcels bearing counterfeit USPS labels, which they receive in bulk from their customers, sellers of goods located in China. Defendants have allegedly deprived USPS of substantial revenue through their use of counterfeit postage labels. The complaint alleges that Defendants have committed mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud, and violated the False Claims Act (FCA), as a result of their misconduct. The FCA allows the government to seek treble damages and penalties against those who defraud the United States, including by knowingly failing to pay obligations to the government. The complaint seeks injunctive relief, damages, and penalties.
As set forth in the May 16, 2025 temporary restraining order (TRO), the Court found that there is “probable cause to believe that defendants are still engaged in the ongoing commission of mail fraud, and are still engaged in the ongoing conspiracy to commit mail fraud,” and that USPS would suffer “irreparable harm” absent a TRO because it “would continue to be defrauded by defendants’ use of counterfeit or invalid postage labels, or both.”
You can report mail theft, identity theft, fraud, or other crimes involving the U.S. mail by calling the Postal Inspection Service’s national toll-free number: 877-876-2455 or at http://uspis.gov/report.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Division. Assistant United States Attorneys David A. Cooper and Logan J. Gowdicott are in charge of the case, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Loan Nguyen.
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CV-2719 (NCM)
U.S. Attorney’s Office recovers approximately $450,000 for victims of Missoula fraudsterRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — The U.S. Attorney’s Office recently recovered approximately $450,000 from a Missoula man who defrauded his victims out of almost $1 million by fraudulently inducing them to invest in his transportation and logistics companies, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said today.
The defendant, Jason L. Matheny, was convicted of wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1343 on November 22, 2019. The court sentenced him to five years of probation, subject to several conditions, and ordered him to pay $994,521.16 in restitution to his victims. In late 2024, Matheny sold a commercial property in Missoula and, because of its restitution lien, the government secured $448,965.36 to be paid to his victims.
“The collection of restitution for victims of fraud is an essential part of the criminal justice system and a priority for the Department of Justice. Collection from convicted felons can be exceedingly difficult because money is often spent, invested, and moved around. Through the dedication and hard work of the Financial Litigation Program, the U.S. Attorney’s Office was able to execute against Mr. Matheny’s business property. This allowed the proceeds of that sale to be routed to Mr. Matheny’s victims rather than to him.” U.S. Attorney Alme said.
In September 2024, U.S. Probation requested a summons for revocation of Matheny’s term of probation, alleging he had violated the terms of his sentence by failing to provide requested financial information. Matheny admitted the violation in November 2024 and the Court extended his probation for an additional year.
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U.S. Attorney Charges Eastchester Man with Sexual Exploitation of A Child and Receipt and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the arrest of THOMAS JAMES PUCCINI, 28. PUCCINI is charged with the sexual exploitation of three minors and with receiving and distributing child pornography. PUCCINI was arrested today and presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy in White Plains federal court and detained.
“Thomas James Puccini’s alleged crimes are every parent’s nightmare,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Puccini, a football coach, held himself out as a trusted member of his school community, yet he was preying on our most innocent and vulnerable. The women and men of the Southern District will use every tool available to bring to justice those who exploit our children.”
HSI New York Acting Special Agent in Charge James Manning said: “As alleged, the defendant violated parents’ and students’ trust through his vile acts against children. A wolf in sheep’s clothing, he worked closely with kids and teenagers nearly every day, all allegedly while hiding his shameful dark side of exploitation, and committing crimes against the same minors placed under his care. The abhorrent crimes of which he is accused have no place in our society, and I commend HSI New York’s Hudson Valley investigators, alongside our law enforcement partners, for placing the safety of vulnerable New Yorkers above all else.”
Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace said: “For months, our criminal investigators worked hard to build the strongest possible case against the defendant, and today’s federal charges are the product of these efforts. I extend my thanks to U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton for his collaboration and partnership on this case. Our office will continue to assist S.D.N.Y. throughout all phases of Mr. Puccini’s prosecution.”
As alleged in the Complaint filed on May 20, 2025 in White Plains federal court and statements made in court[1]:
THOMAS JAMES PUCCINI worked as a football coach for a high school (“School-1”) in Westchester County. In July of 2024, PUCCINI became the interim athletic director for the school district in which the high school was located.
Victim-1: In November 2021, Victim-1, who was 17 years old and a student at School-1, was contacted by a Snapchat account with the name “alex_fundi2.” Victim-1 received a nude image of a female from “alex_fundi2” and believed that he was communicating with a female. “She” told him that she knew him and went to School-1. Victim-1 sent “her” nude photos of himself, including photos showing his penis. After sending images for approximately a week or two, Victim-1 blocked the “alex_fundi2” account. Then, Victim-1 received messages from a CashApp account (“CashTag-1”) directing Victim-1 to add “alex_fundi2” back. The messages stated, among other things, “I have your pics and vids,” and told Victim-1 to “add me or I send your pics.” Victim-1 unblocked “alex_fundi2” and sent “alex_fundi2” sexually explicit images of Victim-1.
Victim-1 continued to send sexually explicit images to “alex_fundi2” until in or about 2023, when Victim-1 was a freshman in college.
The user of CashTag-1 provided CashApp with the name "Thomas Puccini," PUCCINI’s date of birth, and PUCCINI’s address in Westchester. Records from Snapchat relating to the “alex_fundi2” account show that an IP address that returned to PUCCINI’s residence in Westchester County was used over 13,000 times to access the "alex_fundi2" account. Further, the “alex_fundi2” account is associated with an email that begins with “puccini01” and ends in “.edu.”
Victim-2: Victim-2 and other middle-schoolers used School-1’s weight room to prepare for Junior Varsity football. PUCCINI supervised them in the weight room. Beginning when Victim-2 was 13 years old and in eighth grade, PUCCINI communicated with Victim-2 through Snapchat, using a Snapchat account with the user name, “tommytutts66,” and requested that Victim-2 take and send PUCCINI photos and videos of Victim-2’s penis. PUCCINI also sent Victim-2 photos of his penis. PUCCINI specified exactly what he wanted Victim-2 to show him, and, based on his instructions, Victim-2, on numerous occasions, took and sent PUCCINI photos and videos showing various angles of Victim-2’s penis, showing Victim-2 masturbating, showing Victim-2 “finishing” (i.e., ejaculating) with the audio on, and showing Victim-2 laying with his semen on his chest. On numerous occasions, at PUCCINI’s request, PUCCINI and Victim-2 would “race” to see who could masturbate to ejaculation first. The winner would have to send a video or photo capturing the “finish.”
A search warrant executed at PUCCINI’s residence on November 1, 2024 resulted in the seizure of, among other things, PUCCINI’s desktop computer. The computer contained an iCloud backup with approximately 8000 messages to or from Victim-2 between January 2017 and December 2020. In hundreds of these messages, PUCCINI referred to masturbating, to Victim-2’s penis, and/or requested that Victim-2 take and send him photos of his penis.
Victim-3: Victim-3, who was 16 years old, and “alex_fundi2” communicated via Snapchat in 2023. Victim-3 took and transmitted sexually explicit images to “alex_fundi2” in exchange for the promise of expensive gifts. On January 10, 2023, at approximately 11:24 p.m., “alex_fundi2” told Victim-3, “If I send you for the jacket, I’m going to need you to send those 2 vids and then…. As many vids as I want and of anything that I want until Monday.” At 11:25 p.m., Victim-3 responded, “monday” and “jesus” and “and as long as it doesn’t involve ass stuff.” Thereafter, Victim-3 transmitted numerous files to “alex_fundi2” containing sexually explicit images of Victim-3.
Victim-4: Victim-4 and “alex_fundi2” communicated via Snapchat in 2023. Victim-4 told “alex_fundi2” that he was 18 years old and “alex_fundi2” told Victim-4 that he was similarly aged. “Alex_fundi2” asked Victim-4 for sexually explicit images of Victim-4 when he was 15 or 16. On June 11, 2023, at approximately 1:50 p.m., Victim-4 transmitted a sexually explicit photo and a sexually explicit video of Victim-4 to “alex_fundi2.” In both the photo and video, Victim-4 was 15.
In November 2024, PUCCINI was charged in Westchester County, New York with Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree.
On an occasion in February 2022, the “alex_fundi2” account engaged in a conversation with a user (“User-1”) on Snapchat and asked, “Can I give you a snapchat to add and you try to get pics/vids from the account?” User-1 told “alex_fundi2,” “Sure” and “I don’t mind being yo undercover bud.” Thereafter, “alex_fundi2” transmitted a Snapchat user name to User-1. The Snapchat user name belonged to a student who had attended School-1 from 2015 to 2019. PUCCINI’s desk top computer contained thousands of messages with that student from in or about August 2015 to September 2020. Many of the messages contained requests for sexually explicit images from the student.
PUCCINI changed the display name of the “alex_fundi2” account on multiple occasions and the various display names he used included, Young & Horny,” “Young NY Vers Bottom Horny,” “Zach,” “Alexandra Fundi,” “Alex Fundi,” “Horny Twink,” and “zach _parker0.”
There may be more victims of this alleged conduct. If you have information to report or you had contact with the Snapchat accounts, “alex_fundi2,” “tommytuts66,” or any of the display names described above contact Homeland Security Investigations through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing-impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.
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PUCCINI, 28, of Eastchester, New York is charged in Counts One, Two and Three with sexual exploitation of a minor. Counts One, Two and Three each carry a maximum sentence of thirty years’ imprisonment and a mandatory minimum of fifteen years’ imprisonment. Count Four carries a maximum of twenty years’ imprisonment and a mandatory minimum of five years. The statutory maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, the Westchester County Police Department, the Eastchester Police Department, the Rockland Police Department, the Lake Forest Police Department, and the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorney Marcia S. Cohen is in charge of the prosecution.
complaint.pdf[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Two Convicted in St. Louis of Laundering Drug Proceeds for Sinaloa CartelRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men were convicted Wednesday of all charges related to their laundering of money in the St. Louis area for the Sinaloa drug cartel.
Carl Von Garrett, 54, of St. Charles, Missouri and Tobiyyah Israel, 38, of Ohio, were each found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of money laundering. Von Garrett was also found guilty of one additional count of money laundering. The trial began on May 12.
Two others have already pleaded guilty and been sentenced in the case. Luis Miguel Hernandez, 38, of Phoenix, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of money laundering and Antonio Jones, 51, of Florissant, Missouri, pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering. Hernandez was sentenced in January to 87 months in prison and Jones was sentenced to 37 months in prison.
As part of his plea agreement, Hernandez admitted being driven by Von Garrett to a meeting with an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration task force officer in St. Louis on March 1, 2021, to deliver $100,095 in drug proceeds. Hernandez then arranged a series of meetings between Jones and the task force officer. On March 8, 2021, Jones handed over $100,000. Jones delivered $150,030 on March 17 and $100,000 on March 31. On April 8, Jones delivered $109,740 and $100,100 on May 18. On May 25, 2021, Jones delivered $100,100.
During closing arguments Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Delworth told jurors that Von Garrett was the “focal point” of the conspiracy and Israel was a courier, like Jones. On April 14, Israel picked up $221, 020 from Von Garrett. Von Garrett was stopped by investigators, who found six phones and a ledger that contained dates and amounts of money roughly corresponding to cash drops, Delworth said. Israel told investigators that he’d been promised $1,000 to pick up the cash, and that he’d done so once before.
The money drops continued. On May 18, Jones delivered $110,100 and $100,100 one week later.
Both men are scheduled to be sentenced on August 21.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the FBI, the St. Louis County Police, the Bridgeton Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and the St. Charles County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jim Delworth and Ricardo Dixon are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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.
Two Altoona Residents Plead Guilty to Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Two residents of Altoona, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court—one to narcotics trafficking and the other to narcotics and firearms offenses—related to a six-month Title III wiretap investigation into drug trafficking in and around Blair, Cambria, Centre, and Clearfield counties, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Lesley Wilt, 38, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine, and Jason Lynn, 39, pleaded guilty before Judge Haines to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute and distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and a quantity of heroin, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
In connection with the guilty pleas, the Court was advised that Lynn was the leader of a drug trafficking organization based in Altoona that distributed large quantities of methamphetamine and smaller quantities of heroin and fentanyl to various individuals throughout the Western District of Pennsylvania. Investigators executed search warrants on Lynn’s residence and two storage lockers, and seized nearly two kilograms of pure methamphetamine and multiple firearms. In total, Lynn was responsible for obtaining over 4.5 kilograms of pure methamphetamine and over 65 grams of heroin from his New York-based supplier that Lynn and his associates, including Wilt, then redistributed to others. Lynn had multiple prior felony convictions, including for strangulation, unlawful restraint, and drug possession. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
Judge Haines scheduled sentencing for both defendants for September 22, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of up to 20 years of prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both for Wilt, and not less than 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both for Lynn. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense(s) and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The Court ordered that both Wilt and Lynn remain detained pending sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan D. Lusty is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the United States Postal Service–Office of Inspector General, United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and Pennsylvania State Police.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Three time convicted federal felon sentenced for wire fraudRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Steven D. Blumhagen, 74, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of wire fraud, was sentenced to serve five years in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Bonanno, who handled the case, stated that between April 2016, and January 2020, Blumhagen defrauded three investors out of $400,000, by soliciting the victims to purchase interests in entities he claimed to own, manage, or control. Blumhagen told victims that their investments would enable those entities to finance legal marijuana operations, real estate developments, and an investment technology, and that they could expect significant returns on their investments. Instead of using the money as promised, Blumhagen used some or all of the money for personal expenses. He also used the investment of one victim to pay back previous victims. Part of the scheme involved a limited liability company allegedly owned by Blumhagen’s children, which they knew nothing about.
As a result of the scheme, at least one victim experienced a substantial financial hardship, withdrawing funds from a retirement account, resulting in substantial penalties.
Blumhagen has two prior federal convictions in the Western District of New York. In 2006, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud for bilking investors out of more than $10,000,000 related to his sale of shares in the golf course project Tee-to-Green, and was sentenced to serve 57 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $10,000,000 in restitution. In 2018, Blumhagen pleaded guilty to bank theft for his involvement in a bond scheme, which raised more than $1,400,000 from potential investors. Blumhagen was sentenced to time served and ordered to pay more than $1,200,000 in restitution. Blumhagen was on pre-trial release for the bank theft charge when he committed the wire fraud.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.
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Three Colombian Nationals Plead Guilty in St. Louis, Admit Cocaine SmugglingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Three Colombian nationals have admitted involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the United States.
Jesus Jhormen Mosquera-Quinto, 41, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine having reason to believe it would be unlawfully imported into the United States and one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine aboard a vessel.
Mosquera-Quinto admitted being part of a drug trafficking organization in the Turbo region of northwestern Colombia that manufactured cocaine and used unregistered go-fast vessels (GFVs) to transport thousands of kilograms of cocaine into Central America that were ultimately destined for the United States.
Carlos Mario Agresott Salas, 41, and Joan Sebastian Supulveda Mona, 34, each pleaded guilty in December of 2024 to the same charges.
Supulveda Mona coordinated the shipments while Mosquera-Quinto and Agresott Salas handled day-to-day logistics and were present at the departure of GFVs.
At least three shipments were tied to the men. A GFV was intercepted on June 17, 2021, by the Colombian Navy with about 1,256 kilograms of cocaine and four Colombian nationals on board. Agresott Salas and Supulveda Mona then discussed in phone calls the best way to pay the lawyers and the judge so that the captured smugglers would receive house arrest at sentencing.
On Nov. 8, 2021, another GFV was intercepted and seized by the Colombian Navy and Colombian Coast Guard, this time with 195 kilograms of cocaine on board. On March 17, 2022, a third GFV was intercepted by the Colombian Navy and Colombian Coast Guard with 1,606 kilograms of cocaine on board.
Agresott Salas and Supulveda Mona were indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in 2021. Mosquera-Quinto was added in a superseding indictment in 2022. Sepulveda Mona was extradited from Colombia on June 19, 2024. Mosquera Quinto and Agresott Salas were extradited from Colombia on August 14, 2024.
Agresott Salas and Supulveda Mona were each sentenced in March to 66 months in prison.
The case is being prosecuted in St. Louis because maritime drug smuggling cases can be brought in any federal court district within the United States.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Colombian Navy, the Colombian Coast Guard, Colombian law enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions of all three defendants. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jim Delworth, Samantha Reitz and Erin Granger are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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 U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division Dismisses Biden-Era Police Investigations and Proposed Police Consent Decrees in Louisville and MinneapolisRead the Press Release
Today, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division is beginning the process of dismissing lawsuits against the Louisville, Kentucky and Minneapolis, Minnesota police departments.
These lawsuits, which were filed at the last minute by the Biden administration after President Donald Trump’s reelection, accused Louisville and Minneapolis of widespread patterns of unconstitutional policing practices by wrongly equating statistical disparities with intentional discrimination and heavily relying on flawed methodologies and incomplete data. They also sought to subject the Louisville and Minneapolis police departments to sweeping consent decrees that went far beyond the Biden administration’s accusations of unconstitutional conduct; the decrees would have governed many aspects of those police departments, including their management, supervision, training, performance evaluations, discipline, staffing, recruitment, and hiring. In short, these sweeping consent decrees would have imposed years of micromanagement of local police departments by federal courts and expensive independent monitors, and potentially hundreds of millions of dollars of compliance costs, without a legally or factually adequate basis for doing so.
“Overbroad police consent decrees divest local control of policing from communities where it belongs, turning that power over to unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats, often with an anti-police agenda,” added Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “Today, we are ending the Biden Civil Rights Division’s failed experiment of handcuffing local leaders and police departments with factually unjustified consent decrees.”
The Civil Rights Division will be taking all necessary steps to dismiss the Louisville and Minneapolis lawsuits with prejudice, to close the underlying investigations into the Louisville and Minneapolis police departments, and to retract the Biden administration’s findings of constitutional violations.
The Civil Rights Division will also be closing its investigations into, and retracting the Biden administration’s findings of constitutional violations on the part of, the following additional local police departments:
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Trenton, New Jersey
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Mount Vernon, New York
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Louisiana State Police
The Department of Justice will continue to offer its full support to police departments across the country, including through grants and technical assistance. The Department is confident that the vast majority of police officers across the Nation will continue to vigorously enforce the law and protect the public in full compliance with the Constitution and all applicable federal laws. When bad actors in uniform fail to do so, the Department stands ready to take all necessary action to address any resulting constitutional or civil-rights violations, including via criminal prosecution.
Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud in Connection with Theft of Vehicle from Local DealershipRead the Press Release
Jackson, Mississippi – A Texas man pleaded guilty today to wire fraud in connection with the fraudulent purchase of a 2023 Ford Shelby F-150 valued at $130,850 from a local automobile dealership.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in May 2023, Mario Martinez Smiley, 56, of Fort Worth, Texas, fraudulently obtained an expensive truck from a Jackson dealership by representing himself to be another individual and using someone else’s credit card number to make a $5,000 down payment on the truck. Smiley was recruited by an individual in Texas to pick up vehicles in exchange for $1,000 each. Smiley induced a salesperson from the dealership to meet him in Ruston, Louisiana, where he took possession of the truck after posing for a photograph with it.
Smiley was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 4, 2025. Smiley pleaded guilty to wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 27, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis, and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch made the announcement.
The United States Secret Service and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office are investigating the case through their partnership in the Cyber Fraud Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie is prosecuting the case.
Texas Doctor Who Falsely Diagnosed Patients Sentenced to 10 Years’ Imprisonment in Connection with $118M in Fraudulent Health Care ClaimsRead the Press Release
A Texas rheumatologist was sentenced to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release for perpetrating a health care fraud scheme involving over $118 million in false claims and the payment of over $28 million by insurers as a result of him falsely diagnosing patients with chronic illnesses to bill for tests and treatments that the patients did not need. Jorge Zamora-Quezada, M.D., 68, of Mission, also falsified patient records to support the false diagnoses after receiving a federal grand jury subpoena. Following a 25-day trial, Zamora-Quezada was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, seven counts of health care fraud, and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. In addition to his prison term, Zamora-Quezada was ordered to forfeit $28,245,454, including 13 real estate properties, a jet, and a Maserati GranTurismo.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Zamora-Quezada falsely diagnosed his patients with rheumatoid arthritis and administered toxic medications in order to defraud Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. The fraudulent diagnoses made the defendant’s patients believe that they had a life-long, incurable condition that required regular treatment at his offices. After falsely diagnosing his patients, Zamora-Quezada administered unnecessary treatments and ordered unnecessary testing on them, including a variety of injections, infusions, x-rays, MRIs, and other procedures—all with potentially harmful and even deadly side effects. To receive payment for these expensive services, Zamora-Quezada fabricated medical records and lied about the patients’ condition to insurers.
“Dr. Zamora-Quezada funded his luxurious lifestyle for two decades by traumatizing his patients, abusing his employees, lying to insurers, and stealing taxpayer money,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His depraved conduct represents a profound betrayal of trust toward vulnerable patients who depend on care and integrity from their doctors. Today’s sentence is not just a punishment—it’s a warning. Medical professionals who harm Americans for personal enrichment will be aggressively pursued and held accountable to protect our citizens and the public fisc.”
“Through the false diagnoses and excessive false billing, Dr. Zamora-Quezada abused both patient trust and public resources,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “It is imperative to investigate and address this form of fraud — not only to protect vulnerable individuals from harm but to uphold the integrity of the federal health care system and safeguard the use of public funds.”
“The FBI is dedicated to working with all of our partners to address health care fraud,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the FBI's San Antonio Field Office. “This case was not only a concern to us because of the financial loss — the physical and emotional harm suffered by the patients and their families was alarming and profound. We hope this significant sentence will help bring closure to the many victims in this case.”
Evidence at trial established that Dr. Zamora-Quezada falsely diagnosed patients in order to defraud insurers and enrich himself. Other rheumatologists in the Rio Grande Valley testified at trial that they saw hundreds of patients previously diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis by Zamora-Quezada who did not have the condition, prompting one physician to explain that for “most” it was “obvious that the patient did not have rheumatoid arthritis.” Zamora-Quezada’s false diagnoses and powerful medications caused debilitating side effects on his patients, including strokes, necrosis of the jawbone, hair loss, liver damage, and pain so severe that basic tasks of everyday life, such as bathing, cooking, and driving, became difficult. As one patient testified, “Constantly being in bed and being unable to get up from bed alone, and being pumped with medication, I didn’t feel like my life had any meaning.” One mother described how she felt that her child served as a “lab rat,” and others described abandoning plans for college or feeling like they were “living a life in the body of an elderly person.”
Former employees detailed how Zamora-Quezada imposed strict quotas for procedures, leading to a climate of fear. Zamora-Quezada referred to himself as the “eminencia” — or eminence, threw a paperweight at an employee who failed to generate enough unnecessary procedures, hired employees he could manipulate because they were on J-1 visas and their immigration status could be jeopardized if they lost their jobs, and fired those who challenged him. Testimony also revealed Zamora-Quezada’s obstruction of insurer audits by fabricating missing patient files, including by taking ultrasounds of employees and using those images as documentation in the patient records. Testimony at trial established that Zamora-Quezada told employees to “aparecer” the missing records — “to make them appear.” Former employees also recounted being sent to a dilapidated barn to attempt to retrieve records. There, files were saturated with feces and urine, rodents, and termites that infested not only the records but also the structure.
Zamora-Quezada’s patient file storage facilityZamora-Quezada used proceeds from his crimes to fund a lavish lifestyle, replete with real estate properties across the country and in Mexico, a jet, and a Maserati.
One of Zamora-Quezada’s luxury properties Zamora-Quezada’s jetFBI, HHS-OIG, Texas HHS-OIG, and the Texas Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case, with assistance from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.
Principal Assistant Chief Jacob Foster and Assistant Chiefs Rebecca Yuan and Emily Gurskis of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Garcia for the Southern District of Texas prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristine Rollinson handled asset forfeiture. Fraud Section Assistant Chief Kevin Lowell initially handled the prosecution. The prosecution team thanks the Fraud Section’s Data Analytics Team, whose work initiated the investigation, Victim Witness Specialist Olga De La Rosa of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, and the Texas Department of Insurance.
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 nine 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 HHS-OIG, 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.
Tennessee man sentenced for smuggling a truckload of illegal aliensRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 38-year-old resident of Chattanooga, Tennessee, has been ordered to federal prison after unlawfully transporting illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Josef Alquan Rutley pleaded guilty Feb. 18.
U.S. District Judge David Morales has now ordered Rutley to serve 18 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that described the dangerous way the 22 illegal aliens were locked into the trailer with no way to escape. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the large number of illegal aliens and their inability to escape in an emergency.
On Dec. 19, 2024, Rutley approached the Falfurrias Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint driving a tractor trailer. He claimed he was traveling to Laredo. He denied having any passengers and said he was looking for a load.
Authorities noted he appeared nervous and avoided eye contact which prompted a referral to secondary inspection. An x-ray scan revealed 22 illegal aliens locked inside the trailer with no means of escape.
All were from the countries of Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
“Human smuggling can often turn deadly, particularly in crowded conditions like a tractor trailer,” said Ganjei. “The Southern District of Texas is doing everything it can to deter people from being smuggled and to punish those who make their money by trafficking other human beings.”
Rutley will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and BP conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley A. Pruitt prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations 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 and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Taunton Man Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Prison for $1 Million Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Taunton man, formerly of Brockton, was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for orchestrating a scheme to defraud various health insurance companies of over $1 million in false reimbursement claims for bogus medical expenses purportedly incurred during international travel.
Henry Ezeonyido, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 27 months in prison, to be followed by three of supervised release. Ezeonyido was also ordered to pay $655,313 in restitution and to forfeit $396,998 in criminal proceeds. In February 2025, Ezeonyido pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and six counts of health care fraud.
Ezeonyido was arrested and charged in July 2024 along with co-conspirators Brendon Ashe, Aqiyla Atherton, Darline Cobbler and Ariel Lambert. Ezeonyido was later indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024. All four of Ezeonyido’s co-defendants pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme and were subsequently sentenced to probation.
From approximately October 2019 to February 2022, Ezeonyido submitted fraudulent health insurance claims – on his own behalf and on behalf of at least seven other individuals, including Ashe, Atherton, Cobbler and Lambert – to five different health insurance companies for expensive medical treatment that they purportedly received and paid for out-of-pocket while traveling overseas. Many of the claims included fake traumatic injuries such as stabbings, gunshot wounds and hit and run car accidents that the defendants and others purportedly suffered requiring their hospitalization abroad. In nearly all instances, the individuals were actually in the United States at the time of the purported international medical events. Some of the individuals on whose behalf Ezeonyido submitted claims were knowing and willful participants in the scheme, while others either had no knowledge of the claims submitted on their behalf or were manipulated into providing their health insurance information, which Ezeonyido then used to submit fraudulent claims, later demanding a cut of the proceeds.
Ezeonyido submitted fabricated documents to the victim health insurance companies in support of the fraudulent claims, including fabricated medical records purporting to show the medical care received, fabricated bank records purporting to show payment to the international treatment facilities and, where the claim related to a fake traumatic injury, fabricated police reports describing the circumstances of the alleged event. In many instances, the details of the claims – including the purported dates of service, country where the alleged medical event occurred, and nature and circumstances of the alleged injuries – and the fabricated records submitted in support of the claims were nearly identical to one another.
As a result of these fraudulent claims, the victim health insurance companies were billed over $1 million for services that were never provided, resulting in payments totaling approximately $655,313. Upon receiving these payments from their health insurance companies, Ashe, Cobbler, Lambert and others, paid a portion of the proceeds to Ezeonyido and other co-conspirators, including Atherton, who acted as an intermediary, bringing others into the scheme in exchange for a cut of their paid claims. In total, Ezeonyido retained approximately $396,998 in fraud proceeds.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division; and Anthony DiPaolo, Insurance Fraud Bureau Executive Director made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie A. Wright of the Health Care Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
Suburban Chicago Businessman Charged with Swindling Investors out of $3.6 MillionRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago businessman has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly swindling investors in his purported refining business out of at least $3.6 million.
An indictment returned Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges AWAD ODEH, 41, of Palos Hills, Ill., with four counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Arraignment in federal court has not yet been scheduled.
According to the indictment, Odeh operated North American Refinery (NAR) in Bridgeview, Ill. The company was purportedly in the business of precious metals refining. From 2017 to 2020, Odeh fraudulently obtained funds from multiple investors by falsely representing that they would receive guaranteed annualized returns on their investments of ten to 50%. Odeh also falsely told victims that in the event NAR defaulted in making payments to investors, he would personally repay the full amount of their investments and their returns, the indictment states. In support of his fraudulent representations, Odeh allegedly provided investors with false documents that made it appear NAR was financially sound and able to meet its financial commitments.
In reality, the indictment states that investor funds were not used for NAR’s purported precious metals business. Odeh instead fraudulently used the funds for personal use and other non-NAR-related purposes, including funding an unrelated car company that Odeh owned and operated in Burr Ridge, Ill., the indictment states.
The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago, and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Prashant Kolluri.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
odeh_indictment.pdfStudent Pilot in Highway 76 Emergency Plane Landing Sentenced to 30 Months for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Troy Othneil Smith, a student pilot whose drug trafficking activity was discovered when his plane was forced to make an emergency landing on State Route 76 in Oceanside last fall, was sentenced in federal court today to 30 months in prison.
Smith pleaded guilty in January to two counts of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute – one count in connection with the emergency landing that occurred around 1:39 a.m. on September 26, 2024 and his attempt to hide a package of cocaine from responding officers; and the other in connection with Smith’s mailing of cocaine through the United States Postal Service in 2023.
In his plea agreement, Smith also admitted to relevant conduct discovered during the course of the investigation of at least two other occasions wherein Smith mailed cocaine through the U.S. Postal Service.
“Aviation privileges come with immense responsibility,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “When those privileges are abused to facilitate drug trafficking, it undermines public safety and the trust placed in those who operate in our skies. We remain committed to working with our partners to detect, disrupt, and prosecute this kind of criminal activity wherever it occurs.”
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lyndzie M. Carter and Joseph Orabona.
DEFENDANT Case Number 24-MJ-03788
Troy Othneil Smith Age: 36 Oceanside, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Possession of Cocaine with the Intent to Distribute– Title 21, U.S.C., Section 841(a)(1)
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $1 million fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Drug Enforcement Administration
United States Postal Inspectors
San Diego Field Division Narcotics Task Force Team 6
North County Narcotics Task Force
Oceanside Police Department
Stilwell Residents Enter Guilty Pleas to Child Exploitation and Neglect ChargesRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Samuel Shane Allgood, age 36, and Shannon Rae Scraper, age 44, both of Stilwell, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to charges relating to the exploitation and neglect of a minor in Indian country.
Allgood entered a guilty plea to one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Child/Use of a Child to Produce a Visual Depiction, punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.00.
Scraper entered a guilty plea to one count of Child Neglect in Indian Country, punishable by a maximum of life in prison, and a fine of $5,000.00.
The Indictment alleged that beginning in December 2016 and continuing until March 2024, Allgood employed, used, persuaded, enticed or coerced the victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct and acted with the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct.
The Indictment further alleged that beginning in December 2016 and continuing until March 2024, while responsible for the health, safety, and welfare of a child under the age of 18, Scraper willfully and maliciously failed to provide the child with adequate nurturance, affection, and supervision, and failed to protect the child from sexual acts and materials that were not age appropriate.
The crimes occurred in Adair County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Adair County Sheriff’s Office.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted Allgood’s plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted Scraper’s plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentences to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The defendants will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Bove represented the United States.
St. Petersburg Man Deported from the Philippines to the United States Sentenced to Three Years for Threatening to Kill A Political RivalRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung today sentenced William Robert Braddock, III (41, St. Petersburg) to three years in federal prison for interstate transmission of threat to injure. Braddock pled guilty on February 3, 2025.
According to court documents and evidence discussed in open court, in 2021 Braddock and Victim-1 were candidates in the primary election to represent the 13th Congressional District of Florida in the United States House of Representatives. Braddock viewed Victim-1, the Republican party frontrunner, as his only obstacle to winning that race. For months, Braddock disparaged Victim-1 with her peers and attempted to inject himself into her life. During a June 2021 telephone call with Victim-2, a private citizen and acquaintance of Victim-1, Braddock threatened to have Victim-1 murdered if she continued to poll well in the race for the 13th District. Specifically, Braddock threatened, in part, to “call up my Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” and make Victim-1 “disappear.” Braddock further stated, “I will be the next congressman for this District. Period. End of discussion. And anybody going up against me is f---ing [expletive] ignorant for doing so. [Victim-1]’s ignorant so I don’t have a problem taking her out, but I’m not going to do that dirty work myself obviously.”
In November 2021, Braddock flew to Thailand on a one-way ticket, and ultimately settled in the area of Santa Rosa, Laguna, Philippines. He remained in the Philippines until self-surrendering to authorities in Manila in June 2023. Braddock remained in foreign custody until being transported to the United States in September 2024.
This investigation was led by the FBI Tampa Division and the St. Petersburg Police Department. The United States Marshals Service provided substantial assistance. The investigation also benefited from foreign law enforcement cooperation provided by the Philippine Department of Justice, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration, and the Manila Office of the Legal Attaché. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons and Trial Attorney Alexandre Dempsey of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.
St. Louis County Man Admits Stealing Dead Relative’s Government BenefitsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted stealing a dead relative’s government benefits.
Alphonso Dixon, 57, of St. Louis County, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government money.
Dixon’s relative died on Dec. 31, 2008, but her death was not reported to the Social Security Administration and her Social Security benefits continued to be deposited into her bank account. She also received at least one COVID-related stimulus payment, on April 7, 2021, as well as pension benefits from the City of St. Louis Employees Retirement System. Dixon accessed her bank account and used that money for his own benefit.
In all, Dixon took $115,392 in Social Security benefits, the $1,400 stimulus payment and $36,000 in pension money.
Dixon is scheduled to be sentenced on August 21. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.
The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.
St. Augustine Felon Sentenced to More Than Four Years for Illegally Possessing and Selling FirearmsRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Harvey Schlesinger has sentenced Alton Wayne Cope, III (64, St. Augustine) to four years and three months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and conspiring to deal firearms without a license. Cope entered a guilty plea in October 2024.
According to court documents, agents began investigating Cope and a co-conspirator when agents learned that Cope may have been illegally selling firearms. During the summer of 2024, agents conducted multiple controlled purchase operations during which they purchased 11 firearms from Cope and a co-conspirator. Throughout the investigation, agents learned that Braden Hobbs was the original purchaser of multiple firearms purchased from Cope and a co-conspirator. Cellphone records later showed that the co-conspirator regularly purchased firearms from Hobbs. Additionally, at least two of the firearms sold by Cope and a co-conspirator had previously been reported stolen. In August 2024, agents executed a federal search warrant at Cope’s residence. During the search, agents found an additional firearm in his bedroom.
Although he engaged in the business of dealing firearms, Cope is not a federally licensed firearms dealer, as required by federal law. Additionally, Cope was previously convicted of multiple felonies, including two counts of possession of cocaine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
In related court proceedings, co-conspirator Braden Hobbs has been charged by indictment and is scheduled for trial later this year. If convicted, Hobbs faces a minimum sentence of 5 years, up to 95 years, in federal prison. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, the United States Secret Service, the North Florida HIDTA Tri-County Narcotics Task Force with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.
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.
Sioux Falls Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Assaulting a Child and for Failing to Appear in CourtRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, woman convicted of Child Abuse and Failure to Appear. The sentencing took place on May 19, 2025.
Angela Young, age 32, was sentenced to one year and four months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Young was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2024. She pleaded guilty on February 26, 2025.
The conviction for Child Abuse stemmed from an incident that occurred in April 2024 within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation when at a residence near Mission, South Dakota, Young assaulted a nine-year-old child by repeatedly punching the child with her fists.
Following her indictment, Young was released on bond. On September 30, 2024, Young did not attend a mandatory court hearing, and she was subsequently indicted for Failure to Appear.
These matters were prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
These cases were investigated by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement and the United States Marshals Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the cases.
Young was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Silver Spring Man Pleads Guilty to “Sextortion” of More Than 100 Minors Located Throughout the United States and AbroadRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Chase William Mulligan, 28, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pled guilty to two counts of producing child sexual abuse material in federal court. The charges are in connection with a scheme in which he met young girls through social media and internet chat rooms and eventually “sextorted” them.
Specifically, through the scheme, Mulligan coerced at least 108 girls — ranging from ages 5-17 — to send him sexually explicit photographs and videos of themselves. When the girls told him they no longer wanted to send him sexually graphic images, Mulligan threatened to post the images online or come to their house.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office.
“Mulligan used manipulation, fear, and intimidation to exploit over 100 young victims. Now we must ensure that we send a clear message to Mulligan, and others, that those who abuse the most vulnerable members of our communities will pay a steep price,” Hayes said. “We’re committed to working with our law-enforcement partners to relentlessly pursue, prosecute, and bring to justice those who engage in these deplorable acts.”
“Chase Mulligan is a depraved and dangerous predator. He used social media to target, viciously threaten, and horribly abuse more than 100 minor victims – one as young as five years old,” DelBagno said. “His abhorrent behavior is not diminished by the fact he was thousands of miles away and never met his victims, rather, it’s the opposite. Despite his distance, he presents a serious threat to any child he can access through the internet. The FBI works diligently every day to find and arrest predators like Mulligan so they can no longer prey on innocent children.”
As detailed in the plea agreement, between at least 2019 and December 2023, Mulligan used numerous Snapchat, Discord, Roblox, Skype, Omegle, and Instagram accounts to target young girls. He convinced minors living in the United States, Canada, Denmark, Spain, Philippines, Australia, and United Kingdom to produce and send him sexually explicit images.
Mulligan also directed minors to expose their genital areas and engage in sexual conduct. Additionally, Mulligan coerced multiple girls to urinate on camera, insert objects into their genitalia, and participate in sexual acts with dogs.
After some victims informed Mulligan that they no longer wished to send him sexually explicit images, he threatened to publicly post the images or come to their homes. Mulligan wanted the victims to send more images depicting increasingly graphic sexual conduct.
As part of his plea agreement, Mulligan must register as a sex offender in places where he resides, is an employee, and is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
Mulligan is facing a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a statutory maximum of 60 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Theodore C. Chuang scheduled sentencing for Wednesday, August 27, at 2:30 p.m.
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 Attorney’s 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc. Click the “Resources” tab on the left side of the page to learn about Internet safety education.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan S. McKoy and Elizabeth Wright who are prosecuting the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Shooter Gets Prison Sentence for Firing at a Couple Out Celebrating Their AnniversaryRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Adrian Lee, 49, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 13 years in prison, for the shooting of two victims in April 2023 on Gresham Place, NW, in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
A jury found Lee guilty, on September 24, 2024, of aggravated assault while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, assault with a dangerous weapon and assault with significant bodily injury while armed and unlawful possession of a firearm (prior conviction). In addition to the prison term, Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt also ordered five years supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 3:15 p.m. on April 18, 2023, the victims were driving home after celebrating their anniversary at a DC restaurant when the defendant’s wife sideswiped their car. Lee walked to the accident scene and provided an expired insurance card to the victim. While the victim was on the phone with the insurance company, the defendant became agitated that the process was taking too long and directed his wife to drive away from the scene of the accident. He too left the scene, running off on foot. When the victims followed the defendant to obtain valid insurance or vehicle information from him, the vehicle’s exterior video cameras captured the defendant running from the victims’ car. The victims flagged down a police officer, and, per the officer’s instructions, they returned to the site of the accident to make a police report. The victims then turned down Gresham Place, NW, to get back to the scene of the accident, and encountered Lee, who lived on that street. Lee retrieved a gun from his house and ran towards the victims. He pointed the gun at the female victim and then turned and shot the male victim one time in the torso. Lee and his wife then fled to Florida.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and acknowledged the work of Assistant United States Attorneys Rashmika Nedungadi and Sara Matar, who prosecuted the case.
Rockford Woman Pleads Guilty to Preparing and Filing False Income Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A Rockford woman pleaded guilty on Tuesday in federal court to preparing and filing false income tax returns for others.
GRETCHEN ALVAREZ, 49, operated a tax preparation business called Sick Credit Repair Tax and Legal Services. Alvarez represented herself as an income tax preparer and held herself out to clients as a person trained in and knowledgeable about the preparation and filing of federal income tax returns. Alvarez did not have an IRS-issued Preparer Tax Identification Number to prepare federal income tax returns.
Alvarez admitted in a plea agreement that in 2019 and 2020 she misrepresented taxpayers’ eligibility for education tax credits and deducted fictitious business expenses from their taxable income. Alvarez fraudulently reduced the taxpayers’ tax liabilities and improperly qualified taxpayers for refunds that were greater than those to which the taxpayers were entitled. The total tax loss was $356,881.00.
Alvarez faces a maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment. This offense also carries a maximum fine of $100,000. U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston set sentencing for Sept. 17, 2025, at 1:30 p.m.
The guilty plea was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of IRS Criminal Investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Kim.
Richmond felon sentenced to five years in prison for latest firearms convictionRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to five years in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, on March 16, 2023, Richmond Police detectives performed a traffic stop on a vehicle with no front license plate. James Marvin Smith, 43, was driving the vehicle. While speaking with Smith and a passenger, the detectives observed a crumpled lottery ticket near the cupholders and noticed that the passenger had white powder on his nose. The detectives asked Smith and the passenger to get out of the car.
While searching the vehicle for drug evidence, a detective found a firearm and a detached extended magazine. The firearm had one round of ammunition in the chamber and the magazine was loaded with 21 rounds of ammunition.
Prior to his arrest, Smith had been convicted of, among other crimes, possession of heroin, obstruction of justice, resisting arrest with force, possession of cocaine, breaking and entering, using a firearm in the commission of a felony, robbery, unlawful wounding, illegal possession of a firearm, assault and battery, possession of a firearm by a convicted violent felon, and grand larceny. As a previously convicted felon, Smith cannot legally possess a firearm or ammunition.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police; and Colette Wallace McEachin, Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Richmond, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Groover, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-23.
Republic of Indonesia National Guilty of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, that REZA HETA PRATAMA (“PRATAMA”), age 28, a foreign national of the Republic of Indonesia, pleaded guilty to Possession of Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(4)(B) and (b)(2). PRATAMA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty (20) years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, a period of supervised release of up to life, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
The U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion will sentence PRATAMA on September 9, 2025.
According to court documents, PRATAMA was previously employed by Carnival Cruise Lines and was arrested in July 2024 by U.S. Department of Homeland Security -Homeland Security Investigations agents, after being found in possession of child pornography at the Erato Street Cruise Terminal in New Orleans.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Reed of the Violent Crimes Unit.
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Registered Sex Offender from Minnesota Charged with Production of Child Pornography, Coercion and Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Robert James Levi, 22, a registered sex offender from Minneapolis, Minnesota, has been charged by indictment with production and attempted production of child pornography, coercion and enticement of a minor, and offense by a registered sex offender announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents and court hearings, for a three-year period—from February 2022 through February 2025, defendant Robert Levi coerced and enticed a 12-year-old girl in another state into producing child sexual abuse material and sending it to him over the internet. Levi “catfished” the victim, posing as a 16-year-old boy, exchanging tens of thousands of messages with the victim, and convincing the victim she was in a “relationship” with Levi. In fact, Levi was an adult man and, later, a convicted sex offender. In February 2024, Levi was convicted of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Second Degree in Stearns County, Minnesota, and was required to register as a sex offender. The conviction did not stop Levi—he continued to exploit the victim during the pendency of that case and after he was placed on probation. If convicted in this case, Levi faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
“Our country is enduring a sextortion epidemic,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “My heart goes out to the many victims—vulnerable children—who are sexually exploited by online predators. The Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office is full of federal prosecutors who have zero tolerance for Levi and other repeat sexual offenders who will only stop when they are stopped. Levi faces decades in federal prison. We will prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.”
"This case is a stark reminder of the depravity that exists online and the relentless threat posed by predators who target children,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “The fact that a registered sex offender manipulated and coerced minors into producing explicit material is both horrific and intolerable. The FBI and our partners will use every available resource to find and stop those who exploit children, and we will not rest until they are held fully accountable.”
Levi was charged via indictment in U.S. District Court. He had his detention hearing on May 5, 2025, before Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright and was ordered to remain in custody pending further proceedings.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristian C. Weir is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Port Orange Man Charged with Threatening to Murder A Federal OfficialRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida –United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces an indictment charging Tranard Dell (21, Port Orange) with influencing, impeding, and interfering with a federal official by threat to murder. If convicted, Dell faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, on April 24, 2025, Dell threatened to murder federal law enforcement officer J.E. with intent to impede, intimidate, and interfere with J.E. while engaged in the performance of official duties.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, with valuable assistance provided by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and the Port Orange Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Risha Asokan.
Oregon Man Convicted of Transmitting Interstate Threat to KillRead the Press Release
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Richard Colvin called a church in Mobile, AL, and threatened to kill the pastor.
The jury heard evidence that Colvin called the church repeatedly, berated the pastor and the church, and ultimately threatened the pastor’s life.
The victim testified about receiving the calls and the threat. He and other witnesses testified about precautions taken after Colvin transmitted the threat and the fear his actions caused. The FBI case agent testified concerning the ongoing threat to life investigation and evidence obtained from phone records.
Colvin faces up to 5 years in prison and will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terry F. Moorer on August 21, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill and Tandice H. Blackwood prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Omro Man Indicted for Distributing and Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on May 20, 2025, a three-count federal indictment was returned alleging that Jason A. Reeves (age: 44) of Omro, Wisconsin, distributed child pornography in October of 2024, and received child pornography on two occasions in April 2025, all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(2)(A).
According to court records, a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (“NCMEC”) was sent to the Wisconsin Department of Justice. That tip was then forwarded to the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office based on the IP address associated with the CyberTip. The tip alleged the distribution of child pornography on October 16, 2024. Law enforcement continued its investigation and on April 29, 2025, they executed a search warrant at Reeves’ residence. When asked if he knew anything about child pornography at his residence, Reeves replied “probably.” Court documents list Reeves’ sole source of employment as an Alderman in the City of Omro.
If convicted of any of the three charges, Reeves faces a mandatory 5 years’ imprisonment and up to 20 years of incarceration. He could also be fined up to $250,000 per count and would be required to register as a sexual offender under state and federal law.
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 Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office and the Green Bay Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble.
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 his guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Oklahoma City Doctor Surrenders Dispensing Authority and Pays $130,000 to Settle Civil Penalty Claims Stemming from Allegations of Recordkeeping ViolationsRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Richard Swenson, M.D. (“Dr. Swenson”), paid $130,000 to settle civil penalty claims stemming from allegations that he violated the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 (“Act”) and its regulations, announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester. Dr. Swenson also agreed to permanently cease dispensing and administering controlled substances as of April 3, 2025.
Recordkeeping is a vital part of managing controlled substances. A registrant who purchases controlled substances must comply with the purchase record requirements contained in the regulations implementing the Act. Maintaining complete and accurate records help avoid diversions and losses of controlled drugs. Failure to do so subjects the registrant to civil monetary penalties.
During the relevant time, Dr. Swenson practiced medicine at Accident Care and Treatment Center, Inc. in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The United States alleges that from April 2022, through April 2024, Dr. Swenson failed to maintain DEA Forms 222 for certain purchases of Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen, which is an opioid and a Schedule II controlled substance. During this time period, the United States further alleges that Dr. Swenson also failed to maintain records for certain purchases of Schedule III and Schedule IV controlled substances. To resolve these allegations, Dr. Swenson agreed to pay $130,000 to the United States and to permanently refrain from dispensing and administering controlled substances. Dr. Swenson is still permitted to prescribe controlled substances consistent with his DEA Registration.
In reaching this settlement, Dr. Swenson did not admit liability, and the government did not make any concessions about the legitimacy of the claims. The agreement allows the parties to avoid the delay, expense, inconvenience, and uncertainty involved in litigating the case.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Diversion Control. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda R. Johnson and Ronald R. Gallegos prosecuted the case.
Ohio Man Sentenced to Prison for Paycheck Protection Program Loan Fraud Totaling More Than $2MRead the Press Release
TOLEDO, Ohio – An Ohio man has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for submitting false information to be eligible to receive Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. Daniel R. Hitlan, 34, of Huron, Ohio, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of money laundering in February. U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey J. Helmick imposed the sentence May 20. Hitlan was also ordered to pay $2,744,013.33 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment.
Court documents show that in April and May of 2020, the defendant obtained three fraudulent PPP loans for small businesses that he owned. The PPP was meant to assist small businesses and was launched with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act in 2020. The program provided eligible companies with much-needed financial support as businesses faced unprecedented challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hitlan admitted to creating fictitious payroll documents and forms to submit with PPP loan applications. Federal investigators further found that the information he submitted was not supported or found to be valid when crosschecked with IRS, state, and other records. The IRS showed no records of payroll, withholdings, or return filings for the entities he included in the loan applications.
According to the indictment, Hitlan used the fraudulently obtained loan proceeds to purchase multiple items for himself and others. Among his purchases were Rolex watches, a Cadillac Escalade, a vintage Chevrolet Corvette, and real estate.
This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigations (CI) and the FBI Cleveland Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gene Crawford for the Northern District of Ohio.
IRS-CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a 90% federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 14 attaché posts abroad.
Anyone with information about allegations of CARES Act fraud may submit a report with the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or online at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Nicaraguan National Charged with Assaulting Deportation Officer at ICE Facility in San JoseRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – Francisco De-Jesus Morales has been charged with one count of forcibly assaulting a deportation officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to a criminal complaint and court documents filed today, Morales, 25, a national of Nicaragua, assaulted the deportation officer at an ICE facility in San Jose on May 2, 2025, when the deportation officer and two other officers attempted to take Morales into custody pursuant to a warrant for Morales’s removal and deportation from the United States. Morales allegedly physically resisted arrest and attempted to flee from the deportation officers, resulting in a struggle and injuries to Morales and the officers. All three deportation officers and Morales received medical treatment for injuries sustained during the physical altercation. The deportation officers’ injuries include bruising, scrapes, an ankle stress fracture/strain, a chest contusion, and a groin injury. Morales is charged with forcibly assaulting one of the deportation officers, causing significant groin bruising.
Morales is currently in ICE custody pending removal pursuant to his deportation order.
Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King made the announcement.
A criminal complaint merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the count of assault on a federal officer inflicting bodily injury in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 111(a)(1) and (b). 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.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor Lord and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Nedrow are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Susan Kreider. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by HSI.
New Orleans Man Guilty of Drug Trafficking and Possessing AR-15 Pistol Inside HospitalRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –ERIC FALKINS (“FALKINS”), age 19, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on May 8, 2025, before Chief U.S. District Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown, to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with the intent to distribute, marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(D), and 846; possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(D); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).
According to court documents, FALKINS had been selling marijuana in New Orleans since at least 2023, and conspiring with others to help him sell drugs. On January 24, 2024, FALKINS went to Touro Infirmary hospital in New Orleans to visit a patient. FALKINS brought a backpack inside the hospital that smelled like marijuana. Inside the backpack, were two plastic bags containing distributable quantities of marijuana; 17 sealed, pre-packaged bags of marijuana; a sealed bag of marijuana edibles; two digital scales; and a Radical Firearms Model RF-15, multi-caliber semi-automatic pistol, loaded with 29 rounds of ammunition.
As to each of his drug trafficking convictions, FALKINS faces up to 5 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and a minimum of two years of supervised release. As to his conviction for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to life in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence, and up to five years of supervised release. Each count also carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
NY Man Charged with Using Sham Blockchain Venture to Defraud InvestorsRead the Press Release
Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Christopher G. Raia, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging JEREMY JORDAN-JONES, the self-styled “founder” of a purported technology company, with wire fraud, securities fraud, making false statements to a bank, and aggravated identity theft. JORDAN-JONES was arrested today and is expected to be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian.
“As alleged, Jordan-Jones, capitalizing on the publicity around blockchain technology, perpetrated a brazen scheme to defraud investors,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “He touted his company as a groundbreaking blockchain startup, backed by high-profile partnerships. In reality, Jordan-Jones’s company was a sham, and investors’ funds were siphoned off to bankroll his lavish lifestyle. This should be an example to would be financial fraudsters that the women and men of the Southern District and the FBI are watching and to the investing public that fraudsters often use the promise of new technology to cloak their schemes.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said: “Jeremy Jordan-Jones allegedly defrauded investors of more than one million dollars through misrepresentations of his purported company's capabilities, partnerships, and investment intentions. Jordan-Jones's alleged blatant lies funded his personal lifestyle at the expense of unknowing victims. The FBI is committed to apprehending any individual who employs deceitful tactics and illusionary business models to steal from trusted investors.”
As alleged in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:[1]
From at least in or about January 2021 through at least in or about November 2022, JORDAN-JONES engaged in a scheme to defraud investors in Amalgam Capital Ventures (“Amalgam”), a technology startup that purported to offer point-of-sale systems and blockchain-based payment and security solutions. JORDAN-JONES misrepresented that Amalgam had developed functioning software products, falsely claimed that it had lucrative high-profile partnerships with major-league sports teams and prominent payment-processing platforms, and made misleading statements about Amalgam’s financial condition. In perpetrating his fraudulent scheme, JORDAN-JONES submitted falsified financial documents to a bank. He also falsely represented to investors that their money would be used for listing a proprietary cryptocurrency coin on global cryptocurrency exchanges, as well as for hardware, software, and other expenses associated with the Amalgam’s operations.
All the while, JORDAN-JONES well knew that Amalgam had no operable products, few—if any—customers, and zero legitimate business partnerships. Based on his materially false and fraudulent representations, JORDAN-JONES obtained over $1 million from investors and lenders, much of which he used for his personal benefit. Ultimately, Amalgam ceased operations, and investors and lenders suffered significant financial losses.
* * *
JORDAN-JONES is charged with one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of securities fraud, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of false statements to a financial institution, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Clayton also thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which has filed a parallel civil action.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marguerite B. Colson is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
us_v._jordan-jones_25_cr_232.pdf[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact descried therein should be treated as an allegation.
Modern Arms & Optics Co-Owners and Federal Firearms Licensees Sentenced to Federal Prison for Straw Purchases and Other Firearms Law ViolationsRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Campbell Slayden, 26, co-owner of Modern Arms & Optics LLC, was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison, following a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm. Anthony Gallegos, 26, the other co-owner of Modern Arms & Optics, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison on March 11, 2025, following a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
According to Slayden’s and Gallegos’s plea agreements, Modern Arms & Optics, a federal firearms licensee and dealer, engaged in business at a residence on Raleigh St. in Denver, and also at numerous gun shows in Colorado. While conducting the business, Slayden and Gallegos engaged in deceptive acts to hide information, mislead, and avert further inquiry into their business from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) by concealing their unlawful firearms manufacturing practices in federally required records. Furthermore, they transferred firearms to people not legally allowed to own firearms through a practice often referred to as “straw purchasing.”
A straw purchase occurs when the transferee or buyer who undergoes the background check and completes the necessary federal forms is not the true transferee or buyer. In this manner, persons prohibited from possessing firearms or wishing to hide their acquisitions of firearms can obtain firearms without undergoing background checks. Slayden and Gallegos would send out electronic links that allowed federal background check forms to be filled out, privately and out of view, by anyone with access to the link. This allowed the straw purchasers, or in some cases the prohibited firearm buyers themselves, to easily supply false and fraudulent misrepresentations regarding the true purchasers of the firearm. When suspicious of an in-person straw purchase, Slayden and Gallegos would fail to conduct reasonable inquiries into the true purchaser and would transfer the firearm to the transferee or buyer whom he knew or had reasonable cause to believe was not the actual buyer.
ATF’s investigation also led to federal convictions against others who committed their own firearms crimes facilitated by Modern Arms & Optics:
Aurianna Aguilar, 24-cr-0085-PAB
Leonel Castillo, 23-cr-00326-NYW
Jacob Cohen, 23-cr-00465-RMR
Glory Goodrich-Devere, 24-cr-00175-RMR
Dario Sanchez, 23-cr-00394-REB
“Gun shop owners and dealers have a crucial role in ensuring that firearms do not fall into the hands of criminals. That role is to follow federal firearms laws.” said Acting United States Attorney J. Bishop Grewell. “If they do not, we will prosecute them.”
“This case underscores the devastation of violent crime,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Brent Beavers. “ATF remains committed to targeting violent criminals and using all available resources to protect our communities."
Judge Gordon P. Gallagher presided over both sentencings. The cases were investigated by ATF. Assistant United States Attorney Albert Buchman handled the prosecutions.
Case Numbers: 24-cr-00034-GPG (Slayden) and 24-cr-00224-GPG (Gallegos)
Missouri Man Sentenced to over Nine Years in Prison for Church ArsonRead the Press Release
A Missouri man was sentenced yesterday to 111 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp for the Eastern District of Missouri for burning down a Cape Girardeau, Missouri house of worship in 2021. He was also ordered to pay $6,968,223.36 in restitution for damages incurred by the church.
Christopher Scott Pritchard, 49, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in Cape Girardeau, on Dec. 19, 2024, to one count of arson and one count of violating the Church Arson Prevention Act. Pritchard admitted setting fire to the house of worship owned and used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, during the evening of April 28, 2021. Pritchard was spotted watching the fire and was arrested about 1.5 miles away by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office. Pritchard smelled like smoke and had a backpack containing a laptop computer, a projector, speakers and 21 apples that he’d stolen from the church. Pritchard told deputies that he’d gotten into a verbal altercation with the Bishop of the church a few days before the fire and had threatened to assault the Bishop and burn the church down.
The fire destroyed the building and prevented the congregants in the free exercise of their religious beliefs. No one was injured.
“There is no place in America for criminal acts against houses of worship,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division thanks its law enforcement partners for prosecuting this matter.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon and U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri made the announcement.
The FBI St. Louis Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn for the Eastern District of Missouri prosecuted the case, with assistance from the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
Mission Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Larceny and Failure to AppearRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Mission, South Dakota woman convicted of Larceny and Failure to Appear. The sentencing took place on May 19, 2025.
Kylie Leader Charge, age 19, was sentenced to eight months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Leader Charge was further ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and $1,000 in restitution.
Leader Charge was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024. She pleaded guilty on February 20, 2025.
The conviction for Larceny stemmed from an incident that occurred in November of 2023, within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation, when Leader Charge and a co-defendant stole a vehicle near Mission, drove it in a reckless manner, and caused damage to the vehicle.
Following her Indictment, Leader Charge was released on bond. On March 21, 2024, Leader Charge failed to appear for a bail review hearing as required by her bond conditions. She was subsequently indicted for Failure to Appear.
These matters were prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
These cases were investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the cases.
Leader Charge was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Military contractor pays United States more than half million dollars to settle False Claims Act allegationsRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – A company that contracted with the United States Air Force to produce a pod for military aircraft paid the United States $512,000 to settle False Claims Act and related allegations.
The KeyW Corporation (KeyW) was awarded a contract in August 2020 to produce a prototype of an AgilePod variant for the Air Force, the AgilePod-26. The AgilePod-26 was designed to be a multi-mission pod capable of carrying intelligence, surveillance and communications equipment on military aircraft.
The settlement resolves allegations that KeyW made false representations or omitted material information regarding the adequacy of the adhesive curing procedures that its subcontractor used for the prototype’s endcones, and the anticipated effectiveness of proposed testing procedures that the company used to investigate or address concerns regarding the prototype’s endcones.
“The manufacturing of defective products, including ones intended for use in military aircraft, creates a significant risk to America’s warfighters,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Silvestro of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Northeast Field Office. “DCIS remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners and the Justice Department to hold accountable those who commit fraudulent activity that impacts the Department of Defense.”
“This investigation shows our commitment to work with our partner agencies and the Department of Justice to safeguard Air Force systems. OSI will continue to protect warfighter readiness by pursuing individuals and corporations who jeopardize the safety and effectiveness of those critical systems and equipment" stated William Rouse, Special Agent in Charge, Procurement Fraud Det 4, Wright Patterson AFB.
Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J. Horwitz represented the United States in this matter. Air Force Material Command Law Office, Procurement Fraud Law Division attorneys Sarah Schild and Kate Rottmayer also helped pursue this matter.
The settlement agreement is neither an admission of liability by KeyW nor a concession by the United States this its claims are not well founded.
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Mid-State Man Sentenced to 51 Months in Federal Prison for Million Dollar Investment SchemeRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Gregory Michael Vogel a/k/a Gregory Michael Schneider, 52, formerly of Hendersonville, Tenn. and Gallatin, Tenn., was sentenced yesterday to 51 months in federal prison after having previously pleaded guilty to eight counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering for carrying out an investment scheme that defrauded investors of over one million dollars, announced Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee.
“Our office will continue to vigorously pursue fraud and prosecute fraudsters like Vogel in order to vindicate the victims of their schemes,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “Prison sentences like this one send a clear message to fraudsters: we will not tolerate those who pray on victims to steal their money. We will find you, we will stop you, and we will hold you accountable.”
“We are committed to unraveling intricate financial transactions and money laundering schemes where individuals attempt to conceal the original source of their money,” said Special Agent in Charge Donald “Trey” Eakins, Charlotte Field Office, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. “Our special agents will continue to use their financial expertise to find and investigate allegations of investor fraud schemes alongside our law enforcement partners.”
According to court documents, between April 2015 and May 2019, Vogel devised a scheme to defraud victims whom he had solicited to invest money with his company in foreign currency exchange websites and software (“forex websites”). Vogel claimed that these forex websites would generate substantial revenue, providing investors with thousands of dollars in monthly profits, and that they would eventually being sold to a third party, so that Vogel and the investors both could realize an even greater return on the investment.
Vogel induced victims to make investments in the forex websites by making false representations about the investments, his management of the forex websites, and the actual ownership structure of the forex websites. Vogel also concealed material information from victims, including information about his background and investment history and his breaches of promises and contractual provisions to investors.
Some of the concealed material information included that Vogel, under his prior name of Gregory Michael Schneider, had been sued by prior investors for a different investment offering and was found liable for committing fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and conversion, among other acts. As a result of that lawsuit, Vogel was permanently enjoined from soliciting or providing any business investments or investment advice in the future. Vogel had also been sued by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and entered into a consent order in which he was permanently enjoined from trading or participating in certain transactions supervised by the CFTC.
Following his term of incarceration, Vogel will be on supervised release for 3 years. Vogel is also subject to a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $1,177,540 for Counts One through Eight, and a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $120,000 for Count Nine.
This case was investigated by the IRS-Criminal Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Suedekum prosecuted the case.
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Mexican National Unlawfully Residing in California Faces Federal Charges for Trafficking Fentanyl in OregonRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— A suspected drug trafficker faces federal charges after he was caught transporting more than 60 pounds of powdered fentanyl on Interstate 5 near Albany, Oregon.
Jose Ivan Iribe Camorlinga, 46, a Mexican national unlawfully residing in Oakland, California, has been charged by criminal complaint with possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
According to court documents, on May 20, 2025, Oregon State Police conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Iribe Camorlinga and registered to him in California. A trooper searched the vehicle and found two large bags containing 25 vacuum-sealed packages of fentanyl in the trunk. In total, law enforcement seized more than 60 pounds of fentanyl powder. Iribe Camorlinga was arrested and transferred into the custody of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Iribe Camorlinga made his first appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. He was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.
The case is being investigated by the DEA and is being prosecuted by Paul T. Maloney, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 80 to 100 times more powerful than morphine and 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin. A 3-milligram dose of fentanyl—a few grains of the substance—is enough to kill an average adult male. The wide availability of illicit fentanyl in Oregon has caused a dramatic increase in overdose deaths throughout the state.
If you are in immediate danger, please call 911.
If you or someone you know suffers from addiction, please call the Lines for Life substance abuse helpline at 1-800-923-4357 or visit www.linesforlife.org. Phone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also text “RecoveryNow” to 839863 between 2pm and 6pm Pacific Time daily.
The Oregon State Police-Domestic Highway Enforcement (OSP-DHE) Initiative is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.
Mexican National Sentenced for Illegally Reentering the United States and Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican National illegally residing in Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced in federal court today for Illegal Re-entry by an Alien Previously Removed and the Illegal Possession of Firearm.
Jehu Jaziel Carranza-Rangel, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to four years and six months in federal prison without parole followed by three years of supervised release.
On November 22, 2024, Carranza-Rangel pleaded guilty to illegally re-entering the United States after previously being removed, and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. Carranza-Rangel admitted he knew he did not have permission to enter or remain in the United States lawfully and that, as an illegal alien, he knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Under federal law it is illegal for an alien to knowingly re-enter the United States without permission after being removed. Carranza-Rangel had previously been removed from the country on four separate occasions in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2020. He unlawfully returned sometime after his 2020 removal and was found in the Western District of Missouri after being arrested in July of 2024. At the time of his arrest, Carranza-Rangel was in possession of live ammunition. Under federal law it is illegal for an alien to possess a firearm or ammunition. Carranza-Rangel also has a previous conviction for possessing a firearm in Kansas in 2020.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Hanson. It was investigated by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Operation Take Back America
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).