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Monday 5 May 2025
Gang Member Sentenced for Obstructing JusticeRead the Press Release
JAMES GRAHAM, also known as “Little Cuz,” 25, formerly of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 57 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for an offense stemming from his participation in the 960 gang, a violent Waterbury street gang.
Today’s announcement was made by Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Maureen T. Platt, State’s Attorney for the Waterbury Judicial District; Anish Shukla, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; and Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address drug trafficking and related violence in Waterbury, the FBI, ATF, and Waterbury Police have been investigating multiple Waterbury-based groups, including the 960 gang. On September 14, 2021, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 36-count indictment charging Graham and 15 other 960 gang members with various offenses, including racketeering, narcotics trafficking, firearm possession, murder, attempted murder and assault, and obstruction of justice offenses.
On November 22, 2017, 960 members Zaekwon McDaniel, Tahjay Love, and Malik Bayon shot at Clarence Lewis and Antonio Santos who were in a car at a restaurant in Waterbury. Lewis sped from the scene at a high-rate of speed and crashed into a house at the intersection of Wolcott Street and Dallas Avenue in Waterbury. Lewis, 22, and Santos, 20, were pronounced dead at the scene. On October 19, 2019, Graham and Love, who were incarcerated in state custody, assaulted another inmate who they believed had reported to law enforcement Love’s role in the shooting.
On February 14, 2024, a jury found Graham guilty of obstruction of justice, and Love, McDaniel, Bayon guilty of offenses related to their participation in 960 and the deaths of Lewis and Santos.
Graham is currently serving a 52-year state sentence for murder, robbery, and firearm offenses related to his role in the murder of an 18-year-old victim in Hamden on November 13, 2017. Judge Dooley ordered Graham’s federal sentence to run concurrently with his state sentence.
Love, McDaniel, and Bayon await sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, Waterbury Police Department, ATF, and U.S. Marshals Service, with the assistance of the Southington Police Department, Watertown Police Department, New Milford Police Department, Connecticut State Police, Connecticut Department of Correction, Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory, and the DEA Laboratory. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey M. Stone, John T. Pierpont, Jr. and Natasha M. Freismuth, and Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don E. Therkildesen, Jr. and Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Arroyo, who were cross-designated as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys in this matter.
This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.
PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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Franklin, Kentucky, Pharmacist and Spouse Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – Last week, a Franklin, Kentucky, pharmacist was sentenced to 3 years in federal prison and his wife was sentenced to 2 years in federal prison for engaging in a conspiracy to commit theft of medical products, conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to commit health care fraud, and health care fraud, among other charges.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division, Director Tommy Loving of the Bowling Green/Warren County Drug Task Force, Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. of the Kentucky State Police, Warren County Sheriff Brett Hightower, and Acting Inspector General Tricia Steward of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Office of Inspector General made the announcement.
According to court documents, pharmacist Joseph Huff, 46, was sentenced to 3 years in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for one count of conspiracy to commit theft of medical products, one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances, twelve counts of health care fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of making a false statement. His wife, Jenifer Huff, 46, was sentenced to 2 years in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for one count of conspiracy to commit theft of medical products, one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances, and two counts of health care fraud.
The defendants conspired to divert oxycodone and hydrocodone from the pharmacy from May 2, 2020, to January 17, 2023, with Jenifer Huff selling or trading the controlled substances for cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. They also fraudulently billed Kentucky Medicaid for prescriptions that were not ordered by a physician or nurse practitioner. In addition, Joseph Huff fraudulently billed various insurance companies for brand name Adderall when in fact generic Adderall was issued to patients. Joseph Huff also fraudulently billed an insurance company for medication never dispensed to the patient. Additionally, Joseph Huff falsely reported a pharmacy robbery to the DEA when in fact no drugs had been stolen. Finally, Joseph Huff used another medical professional’s name and National Provider Identifier, a unique 10-digit number used to identify health care providers, to issue prescriptions without the medical professional’s knowledge or consent.
There is no parole in the federal system.
Joseph Huff was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $17,518.19 and Jenifer Huff was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $5,730.43.
This case was investigated by the Bowling Green/Warren County Drug Task Force, the Kentucky State Police, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, and the DEA with the assistance of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Office of Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Ansari prosecuted the case.
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Four-Time Federal Felon Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Illegal Possession of Methamphetamine, Marijuana, and a Loaded ShotgunRead the Press Release
Root, a four-time federal felon, was sentenced May 2, 2025, to 15 years in federal prison after a Sioux City Police traffic stop led to his conviction for methamphetamine, marijuana, and firearms charges.
Caleb Root, age 45, from Concord, Michigan, received the prison term after an October 23, 2024, jury verdict finding him guilty of one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance – marijuana, one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance – methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Evidence in the case revealed at about 3:00 am, on May 23, 2023, a uniformed police officer, of the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department, on routine patrol in a marked police car, saw a pickup truck driving toward him on Hamilton Blvd. As the officer and the truck passed, the truck behaved suspiciously: (1) the motorist changed course (by using a parking lot as a throughfare); (2) drove away from the officer; and (3) drove into a residential neighborhood. After observing the truck’s behavior, the officer positioned himself, to further observe the motorist’s travel. The truck eventually exited the neighborhood and returned to its original line of travel, thereby, confirming the odd behavior was a deliberate attempt to skirt by the officer. The officer initiated a traffic stop (for the earlier observed offense of using a parking lot as a throughfare). The driver refused to roll the window down all the way to talk to the officer, provided an odd story about how he came to be on Hamilton Blvd. or in Sioux City, Iowa, and then lied to the officer claiming he did not have an ID and could not remember his own birth date.
Eventually the driver identified himself as Caleb Root, and admitted lying to the officer, and to being a convicted felon. At this time, law enforcement officers looked into the truck – from the outside – and, in plain view, saw marijuana.
Root was arrested, the truck and trailer searched, and about 4 pounds of marijuana, a loaded shotgun, and more than 12 grams of pure methamphetamine were found inside.
Root was released from state custody the next day, and on July 22, 2023, he was stopped for speeding in Adair County, Iowa. Root was stopped for speeding, 90 in a 70-mph, upon approach, the officer detected the odor of marijuana. Root again provided a false identification to the officer. Further investigation led the officer to locate more than 1 pound of marijuana and 1 gram of methamphetamine.
Root has a length criminal history including state convictions for operating under the influence of a controlled substance, attempting to resist police officers, various drug offenses, breaking and entering, and theft. Root has four pervious federal convictions: a 2017 conviction for possession with intent to distribute – methamphetamine and possessing a firearm as a felon; and a 2010 conviction for uttering counterfeit federal reserve notes, and the interstate transportation of a stolen car.
Root was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 180 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve an 8-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Timothy T. Duax commented, “Root is an example of an individual who has repeatedly made the choice to break the law. When caught, he chose to blame the police, the prosecutor, and even the court for his predicament. His conduct endangers the law-abiding members of our community who work hard, obey the law, and do nothing to harm their fellow citizens. Thanks to the fine work of our law enforcement partners, Root is off the street for a long time, and our community is safer as a result.”
Root is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case is being investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-4041
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Former Postal Employee Sentenced for Stealing U.S. Mail ContentsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – SONIA MILLER (“MILLER’), age 54, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on April 24, 2025, by United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown, after previously pleading guilty to theft of U.S. mail matter by a postal employee, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1709(a).
MILLER was sentenced to three (3) years of probation. Judge Brown also ordered that MILLER pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court documents, on or about March 14, 2023, MILLER unlawfully removed the contents of several parcels of mail entrusted to her as a postal employee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman of the General Crimes Unit.
Former FBI Electronics Technician Sentenced to 20 Years on Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – A former FBI electronics technician was sentenced last week to 20 years in federal prison having previously been found guilty after a jury trial on one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, two counts of receipt of child pornography, and three counts of transferring obscene material on an individual under the age of sixteen, announced Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee.
According to evidence presented at trial, between June 2020 and April 27, 2021, Justin Carroll, who was employed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as an electronics technician, engaged in sexually explicit chats and exchanged sexually explicit images with three fourteen-year-old females over various social media platforms after connecting with the minors on chatting websites. Carroll’s conduct was discovered after one of the victims mailed a Valentine’s Day package to the FBI office. Sexually explicit images of the minor females were found in Carroll’s social media accounts and on his cell phone. Images of Carroll were found in one of the minor’s social media accounts and on another minor’s cell phone. Carroll continued communicating with the fourteen-year-old victim who mailed the package, even after receiving an e-mail from her mother inquiring why her daughter mailed him a package and advising him of her daughter’s age.
“When someone in law enforcement dishonors their responsibilities by committing criminal acts, we will seek the most serious penalties in order to restore the public’s trust,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “Justin Carroll dishonored the men and women of the FBI by his deplorable actions and now, thanks to the prosecution team and our law enforcement partners, he faces the consequences of those actions.”
"Today’s sentencing underscores that no matter who you are, you will be brought to justice if you are found guilty of such criminal behavior," said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. "The FBI will continue to work with our partners to protect children from exploitation and hold accountable those who exploit or endanger them."
“HSI is committed to justice by working with our law enforcement partners to hold anyone accountable for misconduct, reaffirming our dedication to upholding the trust the American people place in us daily,” said Homeland Security Investigations Nashville Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud. “We will pursue these investigations vigorously as it is paramount that we maintain the trust and integrity of those we swore an oath to protect.”
Following his term of incarceration, Carroll will be on supervised release for 10 years.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Nashville Field Office and Providence Field Office, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monica R. Morrison and Juliet Aldridge prosecuted the case.
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Florida Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for Multi-Year $1.1M Retail Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Daniel Cavey, 51, of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for his role in a multi-year wire fraud scheme to defraud a chain of home improvement stores.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Daniel Cavey, along with his conspirators, were involved in an extensive, multi-state scheme to defraud a chain of home improvement stores. Cavey, and others, would gain access to corporate accounts and then create fraudulent forms of identification for authorized users on the corporate account. Once at the home improvement store, Cavey would shop and charge the purchases to the various corporate accounts. Once the merchandise had been fraudulently obtained, Cavey would sell it for a profit.
“Defrauding businesses in this manner not only causes financial harm to the business but also drives up prices for consumers,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan P. Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “This prosecution demonstrates our commitment to holding individuals accountable for complex financial crimes and protecting our business community from such elaborate schemes."
“The success of this investigation is a testament to the strong partnerships between the U.S. Secret Service, local law enforcement and the private sector,” said Ben Stafford, Resident Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Charleston Resident Office. “This sentencing reflects the seriousness of the crimes committed and sends a message that defrauding businesses and individuals in our state will not be tolerated. I appreciate the hard work and commitment of our South Carolina partners, especially the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, and Synchrony Bank’s Special Investigations Team.”
United States District David C. Norton sentenced Cavey to 108 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. The sentence was broken down as follows: 84-months for counts 1 and 2 and 24 months for count 8, which charged Cavey with aggravated identity theft. There is no parole in the federal system. Cavey was also ordered to pay $1,126,686.29 in restitution.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the City of Charleston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Bower is prosecuting the case.
Florida Couple Sentenced for Conspiracy to Commit Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that Jaiveer Tyee, 53, and Xanthe Tabbs, 56, both of Coral Gables, Florida, were sentenced on May 2, 2025 in federal court in for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Tyee to 9 months’ imprisonment and Tabbs to 3 years’ probation. Tyee and Tabbs were also ordered to pay $138,926.71 in restitution. There is no parole in the federal system. After Tyee’s release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
From April 25, 2018, to July 19, 2018, Tyee and Tabbs conspired to participate in a scheme to defraud a company located in the District of Nebraska. The victim company specialized in subscription-based services for the analysis and delivery of real-time weather, agricultural, energy, and commodity market information.
Using a spoofed email account, an unknown person posed as a vendor of the victim company and requested a change payment related to an invoice the victim company was in the process of paying. The fraudulent email purporting to be from the vendor contained wiring instructions and third-party bank account information, that in fact was not associated with the vendor. The victim company’s employee, thinking the wire transfer request was legitimate, complied with the wire transfer request.
On May 23, 2018, the victim company was induced into making an unauthorized wire transfer totaling $280,646 from its financial institution to a third-party bank account that was jointly accessed and controlled by Tyee and Tabbs. After the unauthorized wire transfer was deposited, Tyee and Tabbs immediately conducted numerous financial transactions, which included obtaining cashier’s checks and making wire transfers to other bank accounts controlled and accessed by Tyee and Tabbs. After detection of the fraudulently induced transfer, the victim company was able to recover a portion of the proceeds resulting a loss of $138,926.71.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Firearms trafficker sentenced to 100 months’ imprisonmentRead the Press Release
BENTON, Ill. – A district judge sentenced a Marion man to more than 8 years in federal prison after he admitted to trafficking firearms in southern Illinois.
Lonnie J. Petty, 20, pleaded guilty to one count of illegal possession of a machine gun and one count of illegal transfer of a machine gun. Law enforcement recovered two privately made firearms or “ghost guns”, one firearm with an obliterated serial number, five additional firearms, three machine gun conversion devices or “switches,” multiple extended and drum magazines, and a large amount ammunition.
“Lonnie Petty recklessly engaged in a high-speed chase with police after trafficking firearms and selling drugs in the presence of children. These actions pose an obvious threat to the safety of our community, and the case demanded decisive action," said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “Our office will hold such offenders accountable and ensure the safety of southern Illinois.”
According to court documents, Petty admitted to possessing a machine gun in Williamson County in June 2023. In addition, he transferred machine guns in Williamson and Franklin counties from September through November 2023.
"The increasing use of machine gun conversion devices by criminals has fueled violence in our communities, endangering both members of the public and law enforcement officers,” said ATF Chicago Field Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon. “ATF, in partnership with local law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney's Office, will continue its mission to investigate and hold those accountable who illegally traffic these dangerous devices into our communities."
Machine gun conversion devices include traditional “drop in auto sears,” which are designed for use on AR-type firearms, and more recently developed “switches,” which are designed for use on certain semiautomatic pistols. MCDs are easily integrated with semiautomatic firearms to illegally convert them to fire automatically.
MCDs are defined as machine guns under the National Firearms Act, even when not installed.
ATF led the investigation with support from the Marion Police Department and the Carbondale Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Trippi and J. David Sanders prosecuted the case.
Federal Jury Finds Atlanta Woman Guilty of Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal jury convicted Vannesa Violante-Lujano of attempting to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in June 2022, federal authorities at the U.S.-Mexico border seized approximately 220 pounds of Cartel-sourced methamphetamine destined for Minnesota. Special agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) then conducted an undercover operation in Lakeville, Minnesota. During the undercover operation, Violante-Lujano and a co-conspirator met an undercover officer at a Lakeville truck stop and attempted to pick up the 220-pound shipment of methamphetamine. The attempted drug deal was captured on video, and Violante-Lujano and her co-conspirator were apprehended by the Minnesota State Patrol (MSP) shortly thereafter.
“Minnesota has become a hub for Cartel-sourced methamphetamine,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “In 2022, the Cartel was flooding the border with their poison. In this case, the Cartel sent 220 pounds of deadly methamphetamine—worth $6 million—across the border, bound for Minnesota. I am grateful to the excellent work of law enforcement, who not only seized these drugs, but also utilized an undercover operation to catch the state-side drug dealers.”
After a four-day trial before Judge Susan Richard Nelson in U.S. District Court, Violante-Lujano was convicted by a jury on one count of attempting to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Following the verdict, Violante-Lujano was taken into custody pending sentencing.
This case is the result of an investigation by the DEA and MSP.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Garrett S. Fields and David P. Steinkamp tried the case.
Duncan Man Pleads Guilty after Fatal Shooting in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – JESSE WAYNE JAMES KEENAN, 18, of Duncan, has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to public record, on July 19, 2024, officers with the Duncan Police Department (“DPD”) responded to a Duncan apartment complex on a reported shooting. At the apartment, DPD located a male victim who had been shot and attempted to provide medical care, but the victim died on scene. Witnesses at the complex identified Keenan as the person who shot the weapon. He was located and arrested a short time later. After speaking with Keenan, FBI agents learned Keenan went to the apartment complex after an argument between Keenan and his girlfriend. After Keenan arrived, a fist fight ensued between Keenan and the victim. During the altercation, Keenan shot the victim with a pistol and fled from the scene. The pistol was later recovered by the FBI.
On April 7, 2025, Keenan was charged by Superseding Information with voluntary manslaughter and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
On May 1, 2025, Keenan pleaded guilty to the Superseding Information, and admitted that during a quarrel, he intentionally and unlawfully shot the victim, while intending to cause serious bodily injury, which resulted in the victim’s death. At sentencing, he faces no less than 10 years and up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $500,000.
This case is in federal court because Keenan is a member of the Choctaw Nation, and the crime occurred within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office and the Duncan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany Edgmon and Bow Bottomly are prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Dominican National Arrested for Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national has been arrested and charged with transportation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Jorge Junior Alvarez Rodriguez, 21, was charged with one count of transportation of child pornography. Alvarez will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston later today.
According to the charging documents, On May 3, 2025, upon arrival at t Boston’s Logan Airport from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Alvarez was flagged for secondary screening. It is alleged that during a review of Alvarez’s cell phone, files depicting CSAM were found. It is further alleged that law enforcement identified multiple files depicting children as young as four to seven years old.
The charge of transportation of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Customs and Border Protection, Boston Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Maynard of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
District Felon Sentenced for Distributing ‘Boot,’ Illegal Possession of a PistolRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – John Parker, 23, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 27-months in prison in connection with distributing the designer synthetic stimulant called “boot” near a school and for being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, Chief Jessica M. E. Taylor of the United States Park Police, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Parker pleaded guilty on March 5, 2025, to one count of unlawful possession with intent to distribute N, N-Dimethylpentylone near schools and to one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the 27-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Jia M. Cobb ordered Parker to serve 72 months of supervised release.
According to court documents, on Aug. 24, 2023, about 8:30 p.m., USPP officers saw an unidentified male approach Parker near 7th and H Streets, about 400 feet from a school, and hand Parker an unknown amount of cash. Parker then handed the male an unknown quantity of white powder. Officers followed Parker into a nearby drug store, stopped him, and arrested him.
During a search, officers recovered a loaded Ruger LCP semi-automatic pistol that Parker had tucked in his pants. Parker previously was convicted in D.C. Superior Court of carrying a pistol without a license.
In addition, police recovered a clear-knotted plastic bag which contained a white rock-like substance weighing 54.6 grams. a plastic bag that contained 75 clear capsules filled with a white rock-like substance, six purple capsules each containing a white rock-like substance, and $211 in cash. The rock-like substance was sent to a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) lab for analysis. The bag containing the 54.6 grams of a white rock-like substance tested positive for N, N-Dimethylpentylone, a Schedule I controlled substance.
This case was investigated by U.S. Park Police and the Metropolitan Police Department with assistance from the FBI. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory Cole.
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Detroit Man Sentenced to Prison for Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Devontay Brian Johnson, 29, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to four years and nine months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 3, 2022, Johnson sold approximately 20 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant while in a vehicle parked along Wilson Place in Huntington. During the transaction, Johnson held what appeared to be a semiautomatic rifle.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-24.
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Dallas man sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for East Texas methamphetamine traffickingRead the Press Release
TEXARKANA, Texas – A Dallas man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.
Emmanuel Robles, 39, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder III on May 5, 2025.
According to information presented in court, between 2019 and 2021, Robles conspired with others to bring methamphetamine to East Texas for distribution. During this time, Robles distributed more than 1.5 kilograms of actual methamphetamine. Robles admitted to providing controlled substances to another co-conspirator in July 2019; August 2019; September 2019; October 2019; December 2019; January 2020; February 2020; March 2020; and April 2020. Robles also agreed to a forfeiture of a money judgment in the amount of $20,000.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Texas Department of Public Safety – Criminal Investigation Division, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Jackson.
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Credit Suisse Services AG Admits to Conspiring with U.S. Taxpayers to Hide Assets and Income in Offshore Accounts and Admits that Credit Suisse Breached Its Prior Plea AgreementRead the Press Release
Credit Suisse Services AG pleaded guilty and was sentenced today to conspiring to hide more than $4 billion from the IRS in at least 475 offshore accounts. The guilty plea by the Swiss corporation is the result of a years-long investigation by U.S. law enforcement to uncover financial fraud and abuse.
In addition to the plea, Credit Suisse Services AG entered into a non-prosecution agreement (NPA) with the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in connection with U.S. Accounts booked at Credit Suisse AG Singapore. Under the NPA, Credit Suisse Services AG agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department in ongoing investigations and to pay significant monetary penalties for maintaining accounts in Singapore on behalf of U.S. taxpayers who were using offshore accounts to evade U.S. taxes and reporting requirements.
According to the Plea Agreement, NPA, and documents filed in court today: from Jan. 1, 2010, and continuing until about July 2021, Credit Suisse AG, which had ultra-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individual clients around the globe, conspired with employees, U.S. customers, and others to willfully aid U.S. customers in concealing their ownership and control of assets and funds held at the bank. This enabled those U.S. customers to evade their U.S. tax obligations in several ways, including by opening and maintaining undeclared offshore accounts for U.S. taxpayers at Credit Suisse AG, and providing a variety of offshore private banking services that assisted U.S. taxpayers in the concealment of their assets and income from the IRS and allowed for their continued failure to file FBARs. Among other fraudulent acts, bankers at Credit Suisse falsified records, processed fictitious donation paperwork, and serviced more than $1 billion in accounts without documentation of tax compliance. In doing so, Credit Suisse AG committed new crimes and breached its May 2014 plea agreement with the United States.
Between 2014 and June 2023, Credit Suisse AG Singapore held undeclared accounts for U.S. persons, which Credit Suisse AG Singapore knew or should have known were U.S., with total assets valued at over $2 billion. Credit Suisse AG Singapore failed to adequately identify the true beneficial owners of accounts and failed to conduct adequate inquiry about U.S. indicia in the accounts. In 2023, during the post-merger of UBS AG Singapore and Credit Suisse AG Singapore, UBS became aware of accounts held at Credit Suisse AG Singapore that appeared to be undeclared U.S. accounts. UBS froze some of the accounts, voluntarily disclosed information about those identified accounts to the Justice Department and cooperated by undertaking an investigation into the identified accounts.
Under today’s resolutions, Credit Suisse Services AG and, by extension, UBS AG, is required to cooperate fully with ongoing investigations and affirmatively disclose any information it may later uncover regarding U.S.-related accounts. The agreements provide no protections for any individuals. Pursuant to the guilty plea and the NPA, Credit Suisse Services AG will pay a total of $510,608,909 in penalties, restitution, forfeiture, and fines.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Chief Guy Ficco of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) made the announcement.
Special Agents from IRS-CI’s International Tax & Financial Crimes specialty group, a team based out of Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to uncovering international tax crimes, is investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance in obtaining important evidence.
Senior Litigation Counsels Nanette L. Davis and Mark F. Daly as well as Trial Attorney Marissa R. Brodney of the Tax Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly M. Shartar for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
Credit Suisse Services AG - NPA - Statement of Facts.pdf Credit Suisse Services AG - NPA.pdf US v. Credit Suisse Service AG - Statement of Facts.pdf US v Credit Suisse Services AG - Information.pdf US v. Credit Suisse Service AG - Plea Agreement.pdfCovington Man Sentenced for Being a Felon in Possession of Firearms, Silencers and MachinegunsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that JOE LYNN BEATTIE (“BEATTIE”), age 53, of Covington, Louisiana, was sentenced on April 29, 2025 by United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey to 63 months imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release and payment of a $300 mandatory special assessment fee. BEATTIE previously pleaded guilty on January 27, 2025, to a three (3) count indictment. Count One charged him with being a Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). Count Two charged him with possession of silencers, that were not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 5841. Count Three charged him with possession of machineguns, in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 922(o).
According to court records, federal agents received information that BEATTIE had received unlawfully imported firearm parts from China. Thereafter, Special Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as well as St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s deputies, executed a search warrant at his residence. The search yielded five (5) firearms, ammunition, sixteen (16) silencers, and five (5) machinegun conversion devices that turn firearms into fully automatic weapons.
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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Maestri of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
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Convicted Felon Sentenced to More Than 15 Years for Selling Drugs and GunsRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Virginia Covington has sentenced Noe Alegria (30, Ruskin) to 15 years and 1 month in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Alegria pled guilty on December 3, 2024.
According to court documents, on July 13, 2023, Alegria sold cocaine to an undercover officer outside of Alegria’s residence. During the sale of cocaine, Alegria had a Glock firearm in his pants pocket. After completing the sale, the undercover asked about purchasing a firearm. Alegria and the undercover then went inside Alegria’s residence, where Alegria sold him a separate firearm. Alegria also sold the undercover firearms on future occasions. In total, law enforcement purchased or recovered 14 firearms from Alegria over the course of the investigation.
Alegria was previously convicted for possessing controlled substances in 2020. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael R. Kenneth.
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.
Charlotte Clinic Owner Agrees to Settle Allegations of Medicaid FraudRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Steven Osbey, of Kernersville, N.C., has agreed to entry of a consent judgment against him in the amount of $4,711,159.00 in favor of the United States and State of North Carolina (the Governments), subject to a separate agreement regarding his participation in the Governments’ ability to pay process. The judgment represents repayment to the government for allegations that Reign & Inspirations, LLC (R&I), a clinic co-owned by Osbey and Aljihad Shabazz, charged Medicaid for physician home visits that never occurred.
More specifically, the Governments alleged Osbey and Shabazz conspired to carry out an extensive health care fraud scheme wherein they submitted or caused to be submitted claims to NC Medicaid for in-home physician visits with patients that simply never occurred—in all, billing more than 30,000 hours of these purported physician visits and sometimes billing as if the physician provided over 100 in-home visits in a single day, purportedly lasting an hour each (an obvious physical impossibility).
This investigation was conducted in parallel between the civil and criminal divisions of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Shabazz pleaded guilty to criminal healthcare fraud conspiracy and money laundering charges and was sentenced to 52 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release.
The civil settlement obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Department of Justice and the FBI field offices in Charlotte, with assistance from the Medicaid Investigations Division of the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office, and the Office of Inspector General of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. AUSAs Caroline McLean and Seth Johnson were responsible for the civil investigation.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
Central Coast Woman Pleads Guilty to Misusing Doctors’ Credentials to Create Bogus Medical Documents for Immigration ApplicantsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A San Luis Obispo County woman who operated a medical clinic pleaded guilty today to misusing physicians’ medical identities to create hundreds of fraudulent immigration documents to help immigrants obtain lawful status in the United States and for using a deceased doctor’s credentials to acquire and distribute controlled substances.
Chantelle Lavergne Woods, 54, of Nipomo, pleaded guilty to one count of presentation of false immigration document or application and one count of possession with intent to distribute phendimetrazine. Woods is free on $10,000 bond.
According to her plea agreement, Woods formerly operated and managed a clinic in Arroyo Grande that at times was known as “Medical Weight Loss and Immigration Services.” Beginning in February 2021, Woods knowingly misused the identities of three physicians to create hundreds of fraudulent documents pertaining to medical examinations of individuals seeking to register for a lawful permanent resident (LPR) card – commonly known as a “green card” – or otherwise adjust their immigration status.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requires the submission of a medical examination and vaccination record that assess several physical and mental health factors to determine if an applicant is inadmissible to the United States on health-related grounds.
Federal law requires licensed physicians to perform these examinations and then sign a form attesting, in part, that the physician performed the medical examination and truly and accurately completed the form based on the examination and the information provided by the applicant. Woods completed at least 328 such forms on which she falsely included the signature of medical doctors, thereby representing that the individual had been medically examined by a doctor, when in fact they had not.
At times, there were no physicians present at the clinic, Woods acted without physician authorization, and the clinic did not provide legitimate medical services.
Woods further admitted that – from February 2021 to June 2022 – she used the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration number of a deceased physician to order more than 150,000 tablets of controlled substances, including testosterone, codeine, alprazolam (sold under the brand name Xanax), diethylpropion (an appetite suppressant), and phentermine (weight-loss medicine).
In July 2022, at the clinic, Woods knowingly and intentionally possessed with intent to distribute phendimetrazine – a weight-loss drug – as well as a loaded firearm.
United States District Judge Fernando M. Olguin scheduled a July 31 sentencing hearing, at which time Woods will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each count.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Ventura Resident Office Tactical Diversion Squad and USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy K. Beecher of the Transnational Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.
Career Criminal Sentenced to 17 Years After Federal Adoption from Second Judicial District Attorney's OfficeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque man with nine prior felony convictions was sentenced to 204 months in federal prison after robbing a local Whataburger at gunpoint and firing a shot inside the restaurant to effectuate the robbery.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records, on June 10, 2023, Jonas Brandon Sanchez, 40, entered the Whataburger in the South Valley, brandished a 9mm “ghost gun” equipped with a high-capacity magazine, and stole approximately $60. During the robbery, Sanchez fired a round into a wall when an employee walked away, endangering everyone present. The incident was captured on multiple high-resolution surveillance cameras.
Sanchez firing gun inside restaurant Sanchez removing cash from drawer Sanchez pointing gun at employeeOn July 7, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Sanchez’s residence, recovering the firearm used in the robbery and the clothing he wore during the crime. Ballistics analysis from the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) matched the shell casing found at the scene to Sanchez’s pistol. At the time of the offense, Sanchez was a nine-time convicted felon.
Upon his release from prison, Sanchez will be subject to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman made the announcement today.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Haynes is prosecuting this case as part of an agreement with the Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Through the agreement, Assistant District Attorneys are designated Special Assistant United States Attorneys (SAUSAs) in the United States Attorney’s Office. The SAUSA from the Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office screens felony criminal complaints filed in Bernalillo County for federal criminal offenses, prioritizing federal charges against those who drive violence in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. Since 2020, the United States Attorney’s Office has reviewed almost 3,000 cases and has charged more than 300 criminal cases pursuant to this program.
The United States Attorney’s Office has similar agreements with the New Mexico Department of Justice and the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office and plans to expand the program throughout the state.
California Man Sentenced in Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that Trevor Sands, 51, of Culver City, California, was sentenced on May 1, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. United States District Judge Susan Bazis sentenced Sands to 57 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Sands’ release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
Investigators with the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force learned that Sands was helping mail packages of methamphetamine to at least two people in Nebraska. Investigators intercepted a package that was delivered to the Post Office in Ulysses, Nebraska on May 13, 2022. A cooperating witness told investigators the package contained methamphetamine that had been shipped by Sands in California. Investigators opened the package and found a half pound of methamphetamine. Investigators found a fingerprint on the package belonging to a California man working with Sands to ship packages of methamphetamine from California to Nebraska.
Between May and September 2022, investigators intercepted three additional packages of meth mailed from California. Post office surveillance video captured Sands mailing at least one of the packages. The Nebraska State Patrol Crime Lab confirmed the presence of methamphetamine in each of the packages, which weighed between one-quarter pound to one pound.
On February 8, 2023, investigators executed a search warrant at Sands’ residence in Culver City, California. Investigators located methamphetamine in the residence. Sands admitted to distributing methamphetamine, and working with others to mail packages of methamphetamine to Nebraska.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Los Angeles Police Department.
Boston City Councilor Pleads Guilty to Federal Public Corruption ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to public corruption charges after receiving a $7,000 kickback from a staff member’s city funded bonus.
Tania Fernandes Anderson, 46, of Boston, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for July 29, 2025. Fernandes Anderson was indicted in December 2024. Per the plea agreement, the government is recommending a sentence of one year and one day in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and restitution in the amount of $13,000.
“Councilor Fernandes Anderson abused her position of trust for personal gain and turned a public checkbook into her own private slush fund. Her constituents deserve better than this. They deserve a city representative who respects the role of public service and does not use the power and position to line her own pockets,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Her guilty plea today says what she refuses to admit in her media interviews: she broke the law, lied to the public, and used her office for her own personal gain. Ms. Fernandes Anderson leaves a legacy not of a selfless trailblazer, but one of fraud, greed, and deceit. The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring elected officials are held accountable for this kind of corruption and dishonesty.”
“Tania Fernandes Anderson used the city of Boston. She wielded her official powers for her own financial gain, and grossly betrayed the trust of the residents she was elected to serve,” said James Crowley, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Insidious corruption like this undermines people’s faith in, and expectations of, their government. Today’s conviction should reinforce, to both Boston’s politicos and the public, that the FBI remains committed to bringing to justice any elected official who deprives constituents of the honest services to which they are entitled.”
“The guilty plea of Tania Fernandes Anderson demonstrates IRS-CI’s commitment to identifying, investigating, and prosecuting all instances of public corruption, both in the Commonwealth and across New England,” said Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “Elected officials are held to a higher standard when they take an oath to serve their constituents, but Fernandes Anderson forsook this oath when she conspired to orchestrate a kickback scheme to enrich herself at the cost of the American taxpayers.”
Fernandes Anderson currently serves as City Councilor for Boston’s District 7, which includes Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway and part of the South End. She was first elected to a two-year term in November 2021 and won re-election in November 2023.
In or about 2022, Fernandes Anderson hired two members of her immediate family as salaried employees of her City Councilor Staff. Because City Councilors are prohibited by law from hiring immediate family members to their paid staff, Fernandes Anderson was required to terminate their salaried employment in or about August 2022. Additionally, in May 2023, the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission notified Fernandes Anderson that it would be seeking a $5,000 civil penalty payment from her as a result of the violation.
In or about November 2022, Fernandes Anderson emailed a City of Boston employee regarding her hiring of Staff Member A – a relative of Fernandes Anderson who was not an immediate family member – as a salaried employee. In her email to the City of Boston employee, Fernandes Anderson falsely represented that she and Staff Member A were not related:
From in or about early to mid-2023, Fernandes Anderson was facing personal financial difficulty, which included the outstanding $5,000 civil penalty payment to the Ethics Commission. In or about early May 2023, Fernandes Anderson told Staff Member A that she would give them extra pay in the form of a large bonus, but that Staff Member A would have to give a portion of the bonus back to Fernandes Anderson. Staff Member A agreed to the arrangement with Fernandes Anderson.
On May 3, 2023, Fernandes Anderson emailed a City of Boston employee instructing them to process a $13,000 bonus for Staff Member A – more than twice the total bonuses given to her other staff – without disclosing the repayment arrangement. Staff Member A deposited the check on May 26, 2023 and, following Fernandes Anderson’s instructions, made three separate cash withdrawals over the following weeks in the amounts of $3,000; $3,000; and $4,000. Following the last withdrawal on June 9, 2023, the two met in a bathroom at Boston City Hall, where Staff Member A handed Fernandes Anderson $7,000 in cash.
According to the signed plea agreement, in 2022 and 2023, Fernandes Anderson used funds from her campaign account for her own personal enrichment, and not for campaign-related expenses. Additionally, for tax years 2021, 2022 and 2023, Fernandes Anderson filed fraudulent federal income tax returns with the IRS. Specifically, Fernandes Anderson omitted approximately $11,000 in income that she earned from a Massachusetts-based corporation from her 2021 tax return; willfully omitted campaign funds that she used for her own personal enrichment from her 2022 and 2023 tax returns; and willfully omitted the $7,000 kickback that she received from Staff Member A from her 2023 tax return.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
U.S. Attorney Foley, FBI Acting SAC Crowley and IRS Acting SAC Demeo made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Mulcahy and Dustin Chao of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit are prosecuting the case.
Anderson County Man Sentenced for Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Lawrenceburg, Ky., man, Zachary Gage King, 24, was sentenced on Monday by U.S. District Judge Gregory VanTatenhove to 151 months in prison for receiving a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
According to his plea agreement, law enforcement received information that King was attempting to access child pornography materials, and a search warrant was obtained for King’s residence. King admitted to law enforcement that he had utilized numerous online platforms to receive and distribute child sexual abuse material and that he had received child sexual abuse material as recently as the day before the search warrant. A forensic examination of King’s electronic devices found over 7,400 images and videos that included minors engaged in sexually explicit activity.
Under federal law, King must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 40 years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Sheriff Mike Coyle, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by HSI, KSP, and Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. 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.
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Friday 2 May 2025
Westerville man sentenced to 20 years in prison for aiding & abetting aggravated postal robberies, firearms crimeRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Cameron D. Newton, 21, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 240 months and one day in prison for his roles in four armed robberies against postal carriers.
According to court documents, between December 2022 and May 2023, Newton aided and abetted the aggravated robberies of mail and the use of a firearm during the crimes of violence.
Newton, who was on probation and consequently wearing a GPS ankle monitor at the time, recruited two juveniles to assist with an armed robbery in German Village on Dec. 22, 2022. Newton also arranged for the use of the handgun that his co-conspirator used during the crime.
On Jan. 23, 2023, Newton provided surveillance for an armed postal robbery on East Columbus Street. Newton was in his vehicle nearby, using the cover of making DoorDash deliveries to evade his home confinement.
Later that same day, Newton provided surveillance again for a third postal robbery and worked to arrange buyers for the stolen postal keys.
Newton also obtained a firearm for a co-conspirator to use in the May 11, 2023, robbery of an elderly female postal worker. He picked up accomplices near Goodale Park following the robbery. Newton then paid the robbers several hundred dollars via CashApp.
On May 18, 2023, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Newton’s residence and discovered $22,000 in cash, hundreds of washed and altered checks and money orders totaling more than $590,000, two Postal keys and hundreds of pieces of stolen mail.
A total of six defendants have been charged in connection with six separate armed robberies of postal carriers in central Ohio.
“Newton and his accomplices terrorized postal workers in an effort to steal their keys and loot mailboxes,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola. “Through the hard work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, local police, and the FBI, we were able to arrest those responsible for these violent crimes and ensure they are held accountable.”
Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; Westerville Police Chief Charles Chandler and Whitehall Police Chief Mike Crispen announced the sentence imposed this afternoon by U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Litton is representing the United States in these cases.
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Wareham Man Charged with Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Wareham man was arrested and charged today for allegedly possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Brandon Bendall, 49, was charged with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography. Bendall made his initial appearance in federal court today and is being held in custody pending a detention hearing to be held at a later date.
According to court documents, Bendall allegedly was a member of an on-line chat group in which members viewed and posted CSAM. During a search of Bendall’s residence and cell phone, approximately 9,400 images and videos of CSAM, including images of children as young as infants being sexually assaulted, were allegedly located.
The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography carries sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and James Crowley, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Wareham, Marion and East Bridgewater Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 124 Border-Related Cases This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 124 border-related cases this week, including charges of assault on a federal officer, bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).
In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.
A sample of border-related arrests this week:
- On April 28, Jose Maria Murillo Estrada, a Mexican national, was arrested and charged with Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Federal Officers and reentry after deportation. According to a complaint, the assault happened after Murillo attempted to make entry into the United States from Mexico through the San Ysidro Port of Entry by running through vehicle primary lanes and was intercepted by officers.
- On April 27, Emma Alejandra Medina, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with Attempted Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain. According to a complaint, Medina was captain of a boat that was transporting eight undocumented immigrants on San Diego Bay.
- On April 26, Jorge Alexandro Tellez, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Tellez was taken into custody by Customs and Border Protection officers after he attempted to cross the border in his vehicle in the San Ysidro Port of Entry’s SENTRI lane with 286 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in all four doors, the seats, the spare tire, the tailgate, and in multiple tool bags located inside the vehicle.
Also this week, a number of defendants with criminal records were convicted by a jury or sentenced for border-related crimes such as illegally re-entering the U.S. after previous deportation. Here are a few of those cases:
- On May 1, Juan Morales-Lopez, a Mexican national who was last deported in November 2024 and immediately returned on December 10th, was sentenced in federal court to 18 months in custody consecutive to 12 months custody for violating the terms of his supervised released for his earlier illegal entry conviction, for a total of 30 months in custody. Morales-Lopez has 10 illegal entry felony convictions in total and has been removed from the United States a total of 35 times.
- On May 1, Jose Ramon Ochoa-Monteverde, a Mexican national living in the United States on a Visa, was sentenced in federal court to 84 months in custody for his role as a coordinator and courier for a drug trafficking organization based in Mexico, Imperial Valley, and the Central District of California. In one instance, Ochoa-Monteverde loaded a tractor trailer with duffel bags containing 106.38 kilograms of methamphetamine at a truck stop in Brawley, CA.
- On April 28, Alejandro Gutierrez-Aguilar, who was previously convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute in 2014, was sentenced in federal court to 30 months in custody for again entering the U.S illegally.
Pursuant to the Department’s Operation Take Back America priorities, federal law enforcement has focused immigration prosecutions on undocumented aliens who are engaged in criminal activity in the U.S., including those who commit drug and firearms crimes, who have serious criminal records, or who have active warrants for their arrest. Federal authorities have also been prioritizing investigations and prosecutions against drug, firearm, and human smugglers and those who endanger and threaten the safety of our communities and the law enforcement officers who protect the community.
The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Concludes Investigation into an Armed Individual Fatally Shot by PoliceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced today that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or District of Columbia charges against officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). On Feb. 18, 2025, a 29-year-old District resident, S.Z., died after being shot by the police. The officers encountered S.Z., who brandished a knife as he attempted to carjack a woman, and they fatally shot him.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the MPD Internal Affairs Division conducted a comprehensive review of the incident, which included a review of law enforcement and civilian accounts, security camera footage, Metro Bus footage, BWC footage, physical evidence, recorded radio communications, autopsy results, and reports from MPD.
According to the evidence, at about 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 18, 2025, S.Z. intentionally drove his vehicle into a MPD cruiser as it was waiting at a red light at an intersection on Georgia Avenue. S.Z. exited his vehicle, brandished a knife, and menaced the officer driving the cruiser. The officer fired a single shot that resulted in a minor injury to S.Z.’s shoulder. S.Z. ran down Georgia Avenue as other officers responded to the scene. S.Z. ignored the officers’ commands to drop the knife and get on the ground. S.Z. eventually charged at a woman sitting in a parked vehicle and attempted to carjack her. S.Z. attempted to stab the woman with the knife after S.Z. opened the driver’s door. An MPD officer discharged his firearm at S.Z. and he fell to the ground. Despite life saving efforts, S.Z. died on the scene.
After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers willfully violated S.Z.’s rights.
Investigations generally
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reviews all police-involved fatalities to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to conclude that any officers violated either federal criminal civil rights laws or District of Columbia law.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to investigating allegations of excessive force by law enforcement officers and will continue to devote the resources necessary to ensure that all allegations of serious civil rights violations are investigated fully and completely. The Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division investigates all police-involved fatalities in the District of Columbia.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes ReportRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies.
In the one-week period ending May 2, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:
- 79 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
- 11 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
- 12 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
- 130 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325) and 50 U.S.C. 797, violation of a military security regulation, arising from the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico.
Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions for alien smuggling, felon in possession, criminal sexual contact, and DUI.
Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border security. During this time period, two plainclothes Border Patrol agents near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, attempted to stop a suspicious Jeep Liberty believed to be involved in human smuggling. After stopping the vehicle, the agents questioned the driver, Roberto Jaciel Vazquez-Sanchez, and asked to see his phone, where they observed evidence suggesting involvement in smuggling activity. When confronted, Sanchez attempted to lock his phone and physically resisted the agents, pushing, kicking, and striking one agent in the face during the struggle. The agents subdued Sanchez, placed him in handcuffs, and transported him to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station.
From the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025 through the end of February 2025, 40 El Paso Sector Border Patrol Agents have been assaulted, following 103 assaults in Fiscal Year 2024. U.S. Border Patrol is collaborating closely with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office to ensure that those who assault federal officers are brought to justice. This interagency cooperation is crucial in protecting the men and women who serve on the frontlines of our nation's border security efforts and in deterring future attacks on law enforcement personnel.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the District of New Mexico. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The District of New Mexico consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses.
Two Foreign Nationals Indicted for Selling Drugs and Unlawful Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – Two foreign nationals unlawfully residing in the United States made their initial court appearances Wednesday to face a 12-count indictment in connection to an alleged drug trafficking conspiracy to distribute heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, and unlawful possession of firearms, including a privately made firearm, in furtherance of the drug trafficking crimes.
According to allegations contained in court documents, from September 2024 to March 27, 2025, Jose Luis Castillo-Alvarez, also known as “Celso Ramses Ibarra-Angulo” and “Oscar,” and Kevin Omar Cruz-Lima, also known as “Kevin Omar Lima-Cruz” and “Cesar,” conspired with each other to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin; 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; 10 grams or more of fentanyl; and cocaine. Furthermore, on March 27, 2025, Castillo-Alvarez and Cruz-Lima allegedly possessed an AM15 5.56x45mm semiautomatic rifle and a privately made 9x19mm semiautomatic pistol in furtherance of the drug trafficking crimes. Castillo-Alvarez and Cruz-Lima were unlawfully in the United States at the time of the alleged crimes. Castillo-Alvarez had been previously deported from the United States.
Heroin is a Schedule I controlled substance; and methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine are Schedule II controlled substances.
Castillo-Alvarez and Cruz-Lima are each charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; two counts of distribution of heroin; one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm; and two counts of possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
Additionally, Castillo-Alvarez is charged with one count of deported alien found in the United States. Castillo-Alvarez was previously deported and removed from the United States on April 20, 2020, and reentered the country illegally. Cruz-Lima is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin; one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
United States Magistrate Judge Youchah scheduled a jury trial before United States District Judge Richard F. Boulware II to begin on June 30, 2025.
If convicted, both Castillo-Alvarez and Cruz-Lima face the total maximum statutory penalty of confinement for life.
United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada, Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Cicolani for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Salt Lake City Field Office Director Michael Bernacke made the announcement.
This case was investigated by ATF, the ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Dan Cowhig and Special Assistant United States Attorney Clay Plummer are 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, 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 Neighborhoods.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Transnational Narcotics Trafficker Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Saipan, MP – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that Ye Fang, aka “BATU”, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), was sentenced by Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona in District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands to 25 years imprisonment, after being convicted of Conspiracy to Possess over 500 Grams of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1). The court also ordered 5 years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment fee. He was also ordered to report to immigration officials for deportation proceedings upon release from prison.
Ye Fang arrived in the CNMI from China in 2016 under a tourist visa waiver program. After his waiver term elapsed, he remained on Saipan where he ran a birth tourism business for three years. Ye Fang hosted at least 200 women and their families from China so that pregnant women could give birth on island. He later began trafficking methamphetamine.
In November 2022, CNMI police executed a search warrant at Ye Fang’s home. They seized more than one kilogram of methamphetamine. A CNMI arrest warrant was issued, but Ye Fang remained a fugitive, escaping from Saipan by boat and traveling to Guam in the summer of 2023. From Guam, Ye Fang continued to organize methamphetamine trafficking in the CNMI. In September 2023, he arranged the shipment of methamphetamine hidden inside lava lamps, which were sent to Saipan from California. The packages were intercepted by CNMI Customs, who coordinated with the DEA to conduct a controlled delivery. That resulted in the arrest of co-conspirator Liang Yang, another out of status PRC national. A total of eight pounds of liquid methamphetamine was seized.
Ye Fang eventually fled Guam in November 2023 via commercial airline using the identification of another person. He then traveled to Palau, where he organized the murder of another PRC citizen. In January 2024, Ye Fang and three others were arrested in Palau for that crime. Ye Fang pled guilty to manslaughter in March 2024 and was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment. In May 2024, he was extradited to the CNMI where he pled guilty to the lava lamp drug scheme.
“Law enforcement has brought Ye Fang’s Indo-Pacific crime spree to an end,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “He will now serve many years in a United States prison with other high-risk offenders. Every day of his sentence is a day made safer for the people of the CNMI. We will continue to use our resources to combat transnational criminals and protect our communities from perpetrators of violent crime.”
“Methamphetamine is potent and highly addictive. This synthetic stimulant has contributed to the overdose crisis facing America. DEA, along with federal and international partners, are in lockstep in our commitment to combat drug networks,” said Anthony Chrysanthis, Deputy Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Los Angeles Field Division, which oversees Saipan. “We will vehemently pursue all criminals who flood our communities with this poison.”
“Today’s sentencing is the direct result of sustained commitment and collaboration between the FBI and our law enforcement partners,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “Mr. Fang led a violent, transnational narcotics trafficking organization; his crimes significantly contributed to the ongoing drug epidemic facing America and plaguing our island communities. The FBI—standing in resolve with our local, state, and federal partners—is prepared to confront and disrupt these dangerous criminal organizations, wherever they may operate.”
“The conviction of Mr. Fang is a testament to HSI’s enduring commitment to keep harmful substances out of Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Island,” said Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Lucy Cabral-DeArmas. “Understanding the damage that illegal narcotics do to our communities, we will stop at nothing to hold those accountable for their contributions to drug trafficking within our islands.”
“As the law enforcement and security arm of the U.S. Postal Service, the safety of postal employees and the public is our top priority,” said Inspector in Charge Stephen Sherwood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “Anyone who misuses the U.S. Postal Service will be held accountable for their actions. I would like to thank our federal and local law enforcement partners, including our task force partners from the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency, Guam Police Department, and Army National Guard Counterdrug Program.”
This investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration with the support from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Marshal Service for extradition, CNMI Customs, CNMI Department of Public Safety, Republic of Palau Bureau of Public Safety, and in collaboration with the CNMI Attorney General’s Office, the Department of Justice Office of International Affairs, and the Republic of Palau.
Assistant United States Attorney Albert S. Flores, Jr., and former Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Kost prosecuted this case in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands.
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).
Three Individuals Charged in Scheme to Defraud Department of Veterans Affairs of over $9.1MRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Three men were charged with participating in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of over $9.1 million in education benefits, including funds from the Post 9/11 GI Bill education benefit program. One of the men has pleaded guilty for his role in the scheme.
According to court documents, Brian Matsudo, 58, of Honolulu, Hawaii, Marshall Scott, 39, of Kapolei, Hawaii, and Raheem Wells, 37, of Indianapolis, Indiana, conspired to defraud the VA. Matsudo was the owner of a massage therapy training school in Honolulu, Hawaii. From approximately November 2016 to November 2022, Matsudo conspired with Scott and others to obtain tuition assistance payments from the VA by intentionally failing to disclose that Matsudo’s massage training school was not in compliance with applicable VA rules and regulations.
As alleged in the indictment, Scott began working for the massage training school owned by Matsudo in or about November 2016. As part of the conspiracy, Scott submitted enrollment certification forms to the VA on behalf of at least 40 military veterans supposedly enrolled at the massage training school. Scott knew that these forms contained false enrollment information and falsely certified that the school had complied with applicable rules and regulations. Wells was a student at the massage training school in 2020 and 2021. From about May 2020 to November 2022, Wells and Scott recruited “students” who allowed the school to lie to the VA by falsely representing that they were actually enrolled in courses.
Both Scott and Wells allegedly profited from the scheme. Matsudo paid Scott for each person that he and Wells had recruited with the proceeds of the tuition payments made by the VA. Wells received monthly payments from the individuals
he recruited to participate in the scheme.
In April 2025, Matsudo pleaded guilty an Information charging to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In April 2025, Scott and Wells were both charged in an Indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count. Wells was also charged with obstruction of justice for instructing a witness to lie to federal law enforcement agents. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson for the District of Hawaii; Special Agent in Charge Dimitriana Nikolov of the VA Office of Inspector General (VA OIG); and Special Agent in Charge David Porter of the FBI Honolulu Field Office made the announcement.
The VA OIG and FBI are investigating the cases.
Trial Attorney Ariel Glasner of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case against Matsudo, with substantial assistance from Trial Attorney Jennifer Bilinkas of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. Trial Attorney Glasner and Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Nolan for the District of Hawaii are prosecuting the case against Scott and Wells.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Three Individuals Charged in Scheme to Defraud Department of Veterans Affairs of over $9.1MRead the Press Release
Three men were charged with participating in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of over $9.1 million in education benefits, including funds from the Post 9/11 GI Bill education benefit program. One of the men has pleaded guilty for his role in the scheme.
According to court documents, Brian Matsudo, 58, of Honolulu, Hawaii, Marshall Scott, 39, of Kapolei, Hawaii, and Raheem Wells, 37, of Indianapolis, Indiana, conspired to defraud the VA. Matsudo was the owner of a massage therapy training school in Honolulu, Hawaii. From approximately November 2016 to November 2022, Matsudo conspired with Scott and others to obtain tuition assistance payments from the VA by intentionally failing to disclose that Matsudo’s massage training school was not in compliance with applicable VA rules and regulations.
As alleged in the indictment, Scott began working for the massage training school owned by Matsudo in or about November 2016. As part of the conspiracy, Scott submitted enrollment certification forms to the VA on behalf of at least 40 military veterans supposedly enrolled at the massage training school. Scott knew that these forms contained false enrollment information and falsely certified that the school had complied with applicable rules and regulations. Wells was a student at the massage training school in 2020 and 2021. From about May 2020 to November 2022, Wells and Scott recruited “students” who allowed the school to lie to the VA by falsely representing that they were actually enrolled in courses.
Both Scott and Wells allegedly profited from the scheme. Matsudo paid Scott for each person that he and Wells had recruited with the proceeds of the tuition payments made by the VA. Wells received monthly payments from the individuals he recruited to participate in the scheme.
In April 2025, Matsudo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Scott and Wells were both charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count. Wells was also charged with obstruction of justice for instructing a witness to lie to federal law enforcement agents. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson for the District of Hawaii; Special Agent in Charge Dimitriana Nikolov of the VA Office of Inspector General (VA OIG); and Special Agent in Charge David Porter of the FBI Honolulu Field Office made the announcement.
The VA OIG and FBI are investigating the cases.
Trial Attorney Ariel Glasner of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case against Matsudo, with substantial assistance from Trial Attorney Jennifer Bilinkas of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. Trial Attorney Glasner and Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Nolan for the District of Hawaii are prosecuting the case against Scott and Wells.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Snapchat User Charged in Interstate Scheme to Lure Minors into Producing Sexually Explicit MaterialRead 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 today the unsealing of a Complaint charging BRIAN LIAM FULLERTON with three counts of sexual exploitation of a child. FULLERTON was arrested this morning and presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy in White Plains federal court.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said: “As alleged, Brian Fullerton used Snapchat and other social media applications to manipulate and exploit numerous minor victims. We will deploy every resource at our disposal to protect the most vulnerable among us, and we will prosecute those who prey on our children to the fullest extent of the law.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said: “Brian Fullerton allegedly directed several female minors to record and perform sexual acts, while requiring secrecy upon learning the victims’ underage status. The defendant allegedly engaged in unlawful sexual communications and induced the repeated production of explicit content, violating the victims’ privacy and preying upon their innocence. The FBI remains determined to apprehend any individual who sexually exploits minors to fulfill their perverted gratification.”
As alleged in the Complaint:[1]
From as early as September 2022, FULLERTON used social messaging applications, including Snapchat, to prey on victims as young as 14 years old. FULLERTON got these victims to send him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves. Among those FULLERTON targeted was a 14-year-old minor (“Victim-3”), from whom FULLERTON obtained several sexually explicit videos and to whom FULLERTON sent sexually explicit text messages, writing, among other things, “I wish you lived in New York, so I can f*** you for real … You want to be bred by a man three times your age you dirty little girl … I scrolled to make sure my face wasn’t in any pics don’t need them seeing how old I am ;).”
Photos depicting FULLERTON are below:
Any individuals with information concerning FULLERTON and any individuals who may have encountered someone using the Snapchat username “lomax518,” the Instagram username “BRADSMITH4187,” the Kik username “lomax518,” or the TikTok username “bradsddysza,” please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or https://tips.fbi.gov.
* * *
FULLERTON, 46, of Mahopac, New York, is charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a child, each of which carries a 15-year mandatory minimum and a 30-year maximum sentence.
The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI and the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.
This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmi Schickler is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
u.s._v._fullerton_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.
Six, including Twins and their Grandma, Sentenced for Trafficking Hundreds of Kilos of Meth in the UpstateRead the Press Release
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Six individuals, including a set of twins and their grandmother, from the Upstate were sentenced to a total of 813 months in federal prison after they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Biggerstaff additionally pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
- Mikayluh Walker, 26, of Gaffney
- Mikenzi Walker, 26, of Gaffney
- Christopher Biggerstaff, 42, of Chesnee
- Brenda Mincey, 34, of Gaffney
- Aa’lyah Maulana Tukes, 29, of Simpsonville
- Sondra Walker, 67, of Gaffney
Evidence presented to the court showed that since at least 2022, Mikayluh and Mikenzi Walker (the Walker twins) were distributing drugs in the Upstate of South Carolina. In at least 2023, the Walker twins were making trips to obtain methamphetamine from Atlanta, Georgia, a source city for drugs. The Walker twins utilized two stash houses during the conspiracy, one where they lived with their grandmother and co-defendant, Sondra Walker, and the other rented by Mikayluh’s girlfriend, Aa’lyah Tukes. In addition to letting the twins use the residence as a storage and distribution point for methamphetamine, Sondra Walker also distributed methamphetamine herself. During the conspiracy, Mikayluh Walker was responsible for distributing 250 kilograms of methamphetamine and over 600 grams of fentanyl and possessing multiple firearms in the course of the drug trafficking conspiracy. Mikenzi Walker was responsible for distributing 86 pounds of methamphetamine and 10 grams of fentanyl.
Evidence demonstrated that in July of 2023, officers arrested Brenda Mincey with methamphetamine and over 100 blue pills containing fentanyl. Investigative efforts determined that the drugs were sourced through the Walker twins and another defendant Jonathan Adam Sarratt.
On Jan. 10, 2024, law enforcement conducted surveillance on one of the Walker twins’ stash houses and observed Biggerstaff appear to pick up drugs from the location. Local law enforcement stopped Biggerstaff’s car and searched him, locating 421 grams of methamphetamine and two .45 caliber pistols. During the investigation, law enforcement determined that Biggerstaff distributed over 26 kilograms of drugs that were supplied by the Walker twins and that he additionally carried a 9mm pistol during the conspiracy. Biggerstaff had a lengthy criminal history at the time of his offense.
On April 12, 2024, a search warrant was conducted on Sondra Walker’s residence, where Mikayluh Walker was living and using as a stash house. Law enforcement recovered approximately 26 kilograms of methamphetamine, 5,000 fentanyl pills, and a 12-gauge pistol grip shotgun. The same day, law enforcement conducted surveillance on and searched the car of Aa’lyah Tukes, Mikayluh’s girlfriend, and found Tukes with over $129,000 of drug proceeds. A search warrant was conducted on Tukes’ apartment, and law enforcement located an additional $21,000 of drug proceeds.
United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins sentenced Mikayluh Walker to 276 months to be followed by a five-year term of court ordered supervision; Mikenzi Walker to 180 months imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervision, Christopher Biggerstaff to 192 months, followed by five years of supervision; Brenda Mincey to 85 months, to be followed by three years of supervision, Aa’lyah Tukes to 32 months, followed by three years of supervision, and Sondra Walker to 48 months of home incarceration, followed by two years of supervision. Sarratt is awaiting sentencing.
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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations– Border Enforcement Security Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, and the Greenville County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Schoen is prosecuting the case.
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San Antonio Man Sentenced to over 11 Years in Federal Prison for Smuggling Meth and Fentanyl from MexicoRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man who had resided in Coahuila, Mexico was sentenced in a federal court Thursday to 135 months in prison for smuggling more than 10 kgs of fentanyl and nearly 35 kgs of methamphetamine into the United States.
According to court documents, Ruben Martinez Martinez, 22, was stopped by a Guadalupe County Sheriff’s deputy on Sept. 15, 2023 for traffic violations on Interstate 10. A return on the vehicle’s license plate indicated that the vehicle had crossed into Mexico on Aug. 11, 2023 and returned into the U.S. the morning of Sept. 15. When questioned by the deputy, Martinez provided responses that were inconsistent and became visibly nervous.
A K9 search of the vehicle revealed a container of methamphetamine hidden in the fold of a collapsed center seat in the front of the vehicle. A search of the vehicle’s camper shell led to the discovery of a compartment inside the roof. After the vehicle was relocated for further inspection, an X-ray revealed the outlines of bundles inside the roof that contained a white substance and other white and blue pills.
Approximately 39 packages were removed from the roof, and subsequent laboratory testing confirmed the white substance to be 34.9 kgs of methamphetamine and that there were 95,417 pills containing fentanyl. Martinez stated that he had followed directions to pick up the camper shell near Piedras Negras, Mexico the day prior to the traffic stop. He said he was transporting the narcotics to a location in Houston, where arrangements would be made for him to transfer the camper shell to someone else.
"Fentanyl and methamphetamine have been poisoning our communities and even causing the deaths of friends, neighbors, and loved ones throughout this district and across the nation,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “Working with our law enforcement partners to stop the illicit trafficking of these incredibly dangerous drugs is a top priority."
“DEA, along with its local partner, the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office, successfully halted Ruben Martinez Martinez from funneling over 95,000 fentanyl pills into our communities, which could have resulted in a tragic number of deaths,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge William Kimbell for the Drug Enforcement Administration Houston Division. “These deadly doses could have shattered the lives of many families in the San Antonio area, but fortunately lives were saved, and it’s all due to our collaborations with our state, local, and federal partners that have always shown to be a true force multiplier.”
The DEA investigated the case with valuable assistance from the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office and Guadalupe County Narcotics Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Fedock prosecuted the case.
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SDTX continues efforts to protect the border with 259 more charged in immigration-related crimesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A total of 256 cases have been filed from April 25-May 1 in matters aimed at securing the southern border, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
As part of the cases, 83 face allegations of illegally reentering the country. The majority have prior felony convictions for narcotics, firearms, sexual or violent offenses, prior immigration crimes and more. A total of 160 people face charges of illegally entering the country, while 13 cases allege various instances of human smuggling with the remainder involving other immigration-related crimes.
Those charged by criminal complaint include three Mexican nationals found in the McAllen area who are alleged to be here illegally. The charges allege Luciano Ojeda had been sentenced to two years for robbery before his removal, while Sergio Salazar-Gonzalez and Maria Del Carmen Gutierrez-Perez have convictions for driving while intoxicated (3rd offense) and injury to child/elderly/disabled persons with intent of causing bodily injury, respectively, before they were removed from the United States.
In addition to the new cases filed, two adult Guatemalan citizens were indicted for making false statements about their age in their juvenile immigration cases. Tadeo Pedro Torres and Marvin Ixcoy-Ajqui claimed they were unaccompanied minors after they entered the United States illegally. As a result, they were allegedly transferred to juvenile shelters contracted to provide care for children in the United States for whom there is no parent or legal guardian with the ability to provide custody. However, the charges allege they were adults and had provided a false date of birth and age.
A Houston federal jury also convicted a conspirator involved in transporting aliens shot en route. Mailon Almendares-Martinez recruited conspirators who picked up the aliens near the border. On the way to Houston, individuals believed to be a part of a rival alien smuggling organization had shot at them, resulting in gunshot wounds to the arm and leg. After the shooting, Almendares-Martinez told the co-conspirators to return to Houston and not seek medical attention for the two wounded aliens. He now faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
“This case demonstrates—like so many cases before it—that human smuggling is an inhumane, dangerous, and sometimes fatal business,” said Ganjei. “Those that smuggle human beings for profit deserve prosecution, and those that would willingly place themselves in a situation to be smuggled need to think twice. Stay home, stay safe.”
In Corpus Christi, Louis Dante Anthony received a 30-month sentence for smuggling three dozen illegal aliens in an 8 by 4.25-foot false compartment. The illegal aliens had no access to air, could not be heard from the outside and were unable to get themselves out of the compartment. All were from the countries of Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico.
In Laredo federal court, an illegal alien pleaded guilty to assault of an officer, admitting he struck the agent’s body and face repeatedly while attempting to flee. A Border Patrol (BP) agent had transported Marco Cupil-Hernandez to a local hospital for emergency care after he had waded across the Rio Grande River. Once cleared, the agent attempted to assist him into the vehicle. Cupil-Hernandez then forcefully pushed him away and attempted to flee, resulting in a struggle on the concrete during which Cupil-Hernandez elbowed the agent’s face. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
Also announced this week was the sentencing of two felons in McAllen for illegally reentering the United States. Porfirio Martinez-Santos, Mexico, was ordered to serve 42 months, while Juan Esteban Zelaya-Hernandez, Honduras, received 21 months. The investigation revealed Zelaya-Hernandez had been ordered removed in August 2024 after serving a federal prison sentence for possession of a firearm by a felon and illegal reentry. Martinez-Santos was removed in 2023 and had previously served a 37-month sentence for illegal reentry.
Another Mexican citizen with a felony criminal history was sentenced for illegally reentering the United States after eight previous removals. Julio Cesar Corona-Corona will now serve 37 months in federal prison. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that despite prior court warnings not to do so, Corona-Corona was determined to unlawfully reenter the United States, as evidenced by his repeated encounters with immigration authorities. He was first removed from the United States in January 2014 and returned illegally eight times between 2014 and April 2020. In fact, authorities had removed him six times alone between 2017-2018.
In Brownsville, a 42-year-old man from Aldamas, Tamaulipas, Mexico, was also sentenced for illegal reentry into the United States. Alfredo Balderas-Rivera was first removed in 2016 with a subsequent removal in 2018 and 2023. However, authorities found Balderas-Rivera in Cameron County March 30, 2024. He had been in custody for allegedly committing fraud and assault and bodily injury. He received a 50-month sentence in Brownsville federal court.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, BP, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations 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.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX). Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The SDTX remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Ringleader of Payment Protection Program Fraud Scheme Sentenced to Five Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Raisha Kelly, 44, of Loxahatchee, FL was sentenced to sixty months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $443,895 in restitution by United States District Court Judge Federico A. Moreno. The sentence follows Kelly’s conviction for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.
Kelly recruited and conspired with multiple individuals to submit Payment Protection Program (PPP) loan applications that falsely and fraudulently misrepresented that the applicants had sole proprietorship businesses, and the amount of annual revenue received by these purported sole proprietorship businesses. In support of these applications on behalf of each individual, Kelly submitted falsified tax returns. Kelly orchestrated this scheme in return for a 25 percent kickback from the loan applicants. Kelly concealed her involvement in the scheme by creating a series of “dummy” email accounts for herself and each of the applicants—all to entirely disguise her own involvement in the false and fraudulent application. Kelly also applied for her own PPP loans in which she also falsely and fraudulently mispresented the amount of income her own business received. At trial, it was proven that the defendant made approximately $106,649 as a result of orchestrating this conspiracy involving thirteen individuals.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; Jonathan Ulrich, Special Agent in Charge, USPS Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), Eastern Region; and Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Southeast Region, made the announcement.
USPS-OIG, SBA-OIG, and DOL-OIG investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel Bernstein, Eduardo Gardea Jr., and Gabrielle Charest-Turken prosecuted it.
In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred. EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-20079.
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Revere Man Pleads Guilty to Role in International Money Laundering OrganizationRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Revere man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds for drug suppliers based in Central and/or South America and possessing over 17 kilograms of various controlled substances.
Jason Hunter, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, 500 grams or more of cocaine and other controlled substances; and one count of money laundering conspiracy. U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for July 22, 2025.
According to court documents, law enforcement received information from a confidential source about large-scale international money laundering organizations that used money brokers in Colombia as liaisons between drug suppliers based in Central and/or South America and their drug customers in the United States. The money brokers arrange contracts with U.S.-based money launderers to conduct pickups of drug proceeds on behalf of the drug suppliers in Latin America. As part of the investigation, law enforcement agents – posing as money launderers – conducted controlled pickups in connection with contracts offered by the money brokers in cities throughout the United States, including Boston.
Over the course of the investigation, Hunter delivered drug proceeds to undercover investigators on multiple occasions, including on Feb. 28, 2024, when he delivered $140,000 of bulk cash drug proceeds. On April 3, 2024 Hunter was arrested on his way to a money pickup that had been arranged by a broker. At the time of his arrest $100,000 in drug proceeds was seized from Hunter’s possession. A subsequent search of his residence and vehicle resulted in the seizure of over 16 kilograms of counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine, thousands of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, additional pills containing oxycodone, as well as over a kilogram of cocaine and multiple kilograms of marijuana.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of substance containing methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of substance containing methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the amount of laundered funds, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Ferguson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alathea Porter of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Registered Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of MinorsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Harrison James Miller, 32, of Hagerstown, Maryland, has pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and the commissioning of a felony crime involving a minor by a registered sex offender.
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; Gina M. Cirincion, State’s Attorney for Washington County; and Chief Paul Kifer, Hagerstown Police Department.
According to court documents and the guilty plea, Miller was ordered to register as a sex offender after a conviction in Pennsylvania involving an 8-year-old child. In August 2022, upon release from prison, Miller moved to Hagerstown, Maryland, but did not register as a sex offender as required by law.
He then gained access to two children, ages 4 and 5, and sexually abused them over a period of several months. Additionally, Miller took images of the minors which he stored in a password protected folder on his cell phone. Miller was arrested and charged after one of the minors disclosed the abuse to his mother. Through a search of Miller’s phone, law enforcement uncovered the hidden images and other evidence.
Miller faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years and a maximum of 80 years in federal prison followed by up to lifetime of supervised release for these offenses. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson scheduled sentencing for July 25, 2025, at 2 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, Washington County State’s Attorney’s Office, and Hagerstown Police Department for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn who is prosecuting 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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Raleigh Man Convicted of Possessing More Than 300 Images of Child Sexual Abuse Material on his Work LaptopRead the Press Release
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Raleigh man Tuesday for possession of child sexual abuse material. Joseph Matthew Dobbs, 45, now faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison when sentenced in July.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Dobbs was working from home as an IT support engineer for a multinational technology company when, in early November 2022, a supervisor remotely observed Dobbs watching content on his work-issued laptop that appeared to be child sexual abuse material. The company terminated Dobbs’s employment and forwarded screenshots taken by the supervisor to law enforcement for investigation. The Raleigh Police Department executed a search at Dobbs’s apartment and seized the company laptop. A review of the laptop and the company’s back-up servers revealed that Dobbs’s laptop contained over 300 image files of child sexual abuse material, including the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers and depictions of bondage. On a special verdict form, the jury found Dobbs guilty as charged and found that the images included visual depictions of prepubescent minors.
In 2006, Dobbs was also convicted of having carnal knowledge of a child, using a computer to solicit a minor (three counts), possession of child sexual abuse material (ten counts), and manufacturing sexually explicit material in Virginia. He spent seven years in prison and was still on probation for those offenses at the time of this incident.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle accepted the verdict. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Raleigh Police Department investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lori Warlick and Logan Liles prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.5:24-CR-182.
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Queens Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Kilograms of Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, and HeroinRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A resident of Queens Village, New York admitted to distributing and possessing with intent to distribute a significant amount methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Donovan Elliot, 61, pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In connection with an investigation into Elliot’s drug trafficking activities, law enforcement agents with U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) observed Elliot conduct narcotics sales involving significant amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and fentanyl-laced heroin. Law enforcement subsequently executed a search warrant at Elliot’s home and recovered a considerable quantity of methamphetamine, as well as a firearm and ammunition. In total, Elliot’s offense involved over three kilograms of methamphetamine, nearly 500 grams of fentanyl-laced heroin, and over 260 grams of fentanyl.
The charge in the Information to which Elliot pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Sentencing is scheduled for September 16, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Stern of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel: David Holman, Esq.
elliot.information.pdfPost Falls Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Pointing Laser at HelicopterRead the Press Release
COEUR D'ALENE – Aspen August Schaffer, 31, of Post Falls, was sentenced to 35 months in federal prison for aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft, Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott announced today. Schaffer will serve an additional 3 years on supervised release after he is released from prison.
According to court records, Schaffer was indicted in September 2024 by a grand jury and charged with aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft in violation of federal law. On August 16, 2024, Schaffer was out with friends and pointed a bright green laser at the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office helicopter as it flew overhead. The laser struck the helicopter multiple times and impaired the vision of the pilot, the sergeant and the deputy who were on board. The helicopter lost altitude, but the pilot regained control and brought the helicopter back up to altitude. Law enforcement tracked the car Schaffer was in and arrested him. Schaffer had a blood alcohol level of .11 when he was booked into jail. Schaffer was known to law enforcement and has prior felony convictions.
Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott commended the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office, and the City of Coeur d’Alene Police Department which led to the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Traci J. Whelan prosecuted the case.
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Peruvian National Extradited for Overseeing Call Center That Threatened and Defrauded Spanish-Speaking U.S. ConsumersRead the Press Release
A resident of Lima, Peru, accused of operating a large fraud and extortion scheme, was extradited to the United States and made her initial appearance in Miami federal court, the Department of Justice and U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced today.
Carla Magaly Alcedo Mendoza (Alcedo), 43, of Lima, Peru, will face federal charges of conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, and extortion. Alcedo was arrested on March 27, 2023, by Peruvian authorities pursuant to a U.S. extradition request.
According to the indictment, the defendant managed and operated Peruvian call centers from January 2013 through December 2018. The defendant and her co-conspirators in Peru allegedly used Internet-based telephone calls to contact Spanish-speaking individuals in the United States. These call centers falsely told victims they worked on behalf of universities, Hispanic help centers, and government entities and that the victims had been selected to receive financial assistance for English language programs. Many consumers expressed interest in receiving the products. In later calls, Alcedo and her co-conspirators falsely claimed the victims were required to pay storage and other fees related to the materials. When victims refused to pay, Alcedo and her co-conspirators pressured and extorted these victims, including by claiming they would be taken to court or even arrested if they failed to make payments.
“The Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch will pursue and prosecute transnational criminals responsible for defrauding U.S. consumers, wherever they are located,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov Roth of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “I thank the Republic of Peru, including the Peruvian National Police, for assisting in extraditing this individual to face charges here in the United States. The Justice Department and U.S. law enforcement will continue to work closely with law enforcement partners across the globe to bring to justice criminals who attempt to defraud U.S. victims from outside the United States.”
"The reach of American justice is boundless in pursuing fraudsters who target the elderly and other vulnerable groups,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida. "Transnational criminals who use scams, fear, and intimidation to steal from victims will be held accountable.”
“Today marks the fourteenth arrest and tenth extradition in this investigation, which was made possible by the outstanding collaboration between federal and international partners. We have proven that when we work together, no criminal is beyond our reach,” said Acting Inspector in Charge Steven L. Hodges, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division.
Alcedo is charged in an 18-count federal indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. If convicted, Alcedo faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison per count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Senior Trial Attorney and Transnational Criminal Litigation Coordinator Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorney Speare Hodges are prosecuting the case. USPIS investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Florida, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Peruvian National Police, and the Peruvian Attorney General’s Office provided critical assistance in securing the arrest and extradition.
The Justice Department continues to investigate and bring charges in other similar matters. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.
More information about the department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Consumer complaints may be filed with the FTC at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Justice Department provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at https://www.ovc.gov.
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its fraud enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
Passaic County Man Admits Embezzling More Than $3 MillionRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Passaic County, New Jersey man admitted his role in embezzling approximately $3.2 million from a New Jersey couple, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Charles Gallo, 34, of Hawthorne, New Jersey pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Julien X. Neals in Newark federal court to an Information charging him with wire fraud.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In 2018, Gallo began working as the part-time personal assistant for the victims. Gallo’s duties included managing the victims’ monthly bills and assisting them with banking, email, and other computer/technology-related issues. From March 2022 through March 2023, Gallo, abused this position of trust by engaging in a fraudulent scheme to misappropriate approximately $3,200,000 from the victims’ accounts. Gallo accomplished this fraud by routinely using the victims’ ATM card to withdraw large amounts of money, opening a line of credit, and cashing checks made payable to himself drawn on the victims’ bank accounts. He also used the victims’ credit cards to purchase for his personal use computer equipment, gaming systems, collectible items from online retailers, and other unauthorized transactions.
The wire fraud charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for September 10, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, under the direction of Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division, and special agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas Mahoney, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. She also thanked the Ridgewood Police Department, under the direction of Chief Forest R. Lyons, and the Hawthorne Police Department under the direction of Chief James Knepper, for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shontae D. Gray of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Dennis S. Clearly, Esq., West Orange, New Jersey.
gallo.information.pdfParkersburg Man Sentenced for Straw Purchase CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Laikin Williams, 25, of Parkersburg, was sentenced on Thursday, May 1, 2025, to three years of federal probation for making a false statement in acquisition of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 5, 2022, Williams purchased a Taurus model PT111 G2A 9mm pistol at a Parkersburg business. Williams admitted that he bought the firearm for another individual, and falsely certified on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Federal Firearms Transaction Records Form 4473 that he was the purchaser of the firearm when he knew he was buying it for the other individual.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the assistance provided by the Parkersburg Violent Crime and Narcotics Task Force.
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy D. Boggess and D. Keith Randolph and former Assistant United States Attorney Troy D. Adams prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-133.
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Owner of Unlicensed D.C. Row House Sentenced in the Deaths of Two People in Fatal Kennedy Street FireRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – James G. Walker, 67, of the District, was sentenced today to more than 35 years in prison for the Aug. 2019 row house fire that caused the deaths of Fitsum Kebede and Yafet Solomen. This case was jointly tried by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Attorney General for the District of Columbia, Brian L. Schwalb, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division Anthony Spotswood, Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly Sr.
Walker was found guilty of second-degree murder and multiple criminal building code violations on Feb. 20, 2025. In addition to the prison term, Superior Court Judge Todd Edelmen sentenced Walker to five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, Walker owned commercial property located at 708 Kennedy St., NW. Walker did not have a certificate of occupancy for the building and the structure was in violation of several fire safety codes. Walker operated the building as an illegal “rooming house.” Some of the building’s rooms were too small to be considered habitable space, some had no windows, and the defendant failed to install or maintain functional smoke alarms throughout the building, including the basement. The most egregious violation, however, was the failure to provide an unobstructed means to escape the property, which included erecting multiple security gates that required keys from both sides, the worst offense being a double-keyed security gate installed within the property that blocked access from the kitchen to the front door. Importantly, the defendant had received specific warnings on March 21, 2019, from the Metropolitan Police Department, that the building was in violation of several building codes specifically related to fire safety and hazardous conditions. He was instructed to correct the conditions and have the building inspected for residential use but did nothing.
On the morning of Aug. 18, 2019, a fire erupted in the basement of 708 Kennedy St. Three tenants were present at the time of the fire. Fitsum Kebede, 40, and Yafet Solomen, 10, were in the basement and were unable to exit the premises. They subsequently died from thermal burns and smoke inhalation. The government’s evidence was that the defendant’s knowledge of the danger posed by the conditions of the property and his conscious disregard of the extreme risk that death or serious bodily injury could occur were the but-for cause of the deaths of the decedents.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Martin, D.C. Attorney General Schwalb, ATF Special Agent in Charge Spotswood, MPD Chief Smith, and Fire and EMS Chief Donnelly, commended the work of the ATF Arson and Explosives Task Force that investigated the case, including MPD, ATF, and Fire and EMS. They also credited the work of Homicide Section Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nebiyu Feleke, Investigative Analyst Zach McMenamin, Victim/Witness Program Specialist Yvonne Bryant, Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, Supervisory IT Specialists Leif Hickling and Charlie Bruce, IT Project Manager Deon Williams, Supervisory IT Specialist Giovanni Harrison, Support Services Supervisor Alvon Brown, and Legal Assistant Patricia Wills Gonzalez. In addition, they congratulated and thanked DC Fire Department Battalion Chief Stephen Faulkner; Habtom Tekle and Jimmie Drummond of Drummond Projects.
Additionally, they thanked the Office of the Attorney General team of Elizabeth Wieser, Peter Saba, Jose Marrero, and John Roberts for their support in this joint trial. Finally, they acknowledged the work of Assistant United States Attorney Vinet Bryant, Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Cargill and Assistant Attorney General Keith Ingram who prosecuted the case.
Ohio Woman Formally Indicted on Charges of Sexually Exploiting ToddlersRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A federal grand jury has returned a four-count indictment charging Molly Elisabeth Duncan, 25, of Beachwood, Ohio, with sexual exploitation of children, distribution of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and possession of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), which is also known as child pornography.
According to the indictment, from November 2023 to March 2024, Duncan allegedly engaged in the sexual exploitation of minor victim #1 for the purpose of producing a visual depiction to distribute to others. From April 2024 to July 2024, she engaged in the sexual exploitation of minor victim #2 for the purpose of producing a visual depiction to distribute to others. Duncan is also alleged to have used a mobile application to send numerous CSAM digital files to others that contained the visual depictions of the minor victims.
In the original criminal complaint and underlying affidavit filed April 4, 2025, Duncan was a nanny to two toddler-aged victims and was alleged to have produced sexual abuse materials of each in their homes located in the Northern District of Ohio. During a forensic examination of a cellphone found in her possession, investigators discovered multiple CSAM images and videos on the device.
If convicted of sexual exploitation of children, Duncan faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years. If convicted of distributing visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, she faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years.
This case is being investigated by the Cleveland Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations and the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, with assistance from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret A. Kane and Michelle M. Baeppler for the Northern District of Ohio.
Anyone with knowledge and information about this matter, please call the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force at 216-698-3151.
An indictment is merely a charge. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative. Launched in May 2006, this nationwide initiative combats the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOs, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Ohio County Reptile Dealer Admits to Wildlife TraffickingRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Michael Kandis, age 64, of Wheeling, West Virginia, has admitted to wildlife trafficking in violation of the Lacey Act.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Kandis is reptile dealer and operates a reptile house in Wheeling. During a covert investigation of reptile shows in the Midwest, Kandis illegally purchased snakes, dozens of which were bullsnakes. Bullsnakes are native to Indiana, where their sale is illegal under state law. Kandis then transported the snakes to West Virginia and sold them.
The Lacey Act prohibits the importation, exportation, transportation, sale, receipt, acquisition, or purchase of any fish or wildlife or plant taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of any law, treaty, or regulation of the United States.
Kandis faces up to one year in prison and a fine of $100,000 or twice the gain or loss of the crime. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maximillian Nogay and Trial Attorney Lauren D. Steele, Environmental Crimes Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice, are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
Nurse Practitioner from Opelousas Convicted of Medicare Fraud by Federal JuryRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – A federal jury in Lafayette has convicted Shanone Chatman-Ashley, 45, of Opelousas, a Nurse Practitioner, for her role in an over $2 million health care fraud scheme, announced Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook. United States District Judge David C. Joseph presided over the four-day trial.
Chatman-Ashley was indicted in December 2023 and charged with five counts of health care fraud related to her involvement in the scheme to defraud the Medicare Program. Testimony and court documents introduced at trial this week established that Chatman-Ashley was enrolled as a nurse practitioner provider with Medicare. She worked as an independent contractor for companies that purportedly provided telehealth services to Medicare beneficiaries. Chatman-Ashley routinely ordered knee braces, suspension sleeves, and other types of durable medical equipment for beneficiaries who she had not examined and who had not been examined by another medical provider. For example, evidence produced at trial showed that Chatman-Ashley ordered a left knee brace for a beneficiary whose left leg had been amputated. The defendant concealed the scheme by signing documentation falsely certifying that she had consulted with the beneficiaries and personally conducted assessments of them.
From 2017 to 2019, Chatman-Ashley signed more than 1,000 orders for unnecessary medical equipment, causing over $2 million in fraudulent Medicare claims and over $1 million in reimbursements. In exchange for the orders, Chatman-Ashley received kickbacks and bribes from the companies she contracted with.
“This defendant not only defrauded the Medicare Program but went against everything the medical profession stands for which is a promise to provide ethical and responsible patient care,” said U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook. “She took advantage of beneficiaries who were elderly and handicapped to order items for them that were not medically necessary. This office is committed to continuing to work with our federal partners to stop this type of fraud in the Western District of Louisiana.”
“Illegal kickback payments undermine and corrupt the medical decision-making process,” said Jason E. Meadows, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Both the payer and recipient of kickbacks benefit from these schemes, but it’s ultimately the taxpayers who foot the bill. HHS-OIG will continue collaborating with law enforcement and prosecutors to protect the Medicare trust fund that millions of Americans depend on.”
Chatman-Ashley faces a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison on each health care fraud count. Her sentencing hearing has been set for July 31, 2025, at 10 a.m.
The case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Danny Siefker of the Western District of Louisiana and Trial Attorney Kelly Z. Walters of the Department of Justice’s Fraud Section of the Criminal Division.
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North Bergen Woman Charged with Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A North Bergen woman was charged with distribution of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor child, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Natasha Rivas, 23, was charged by complaint and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
After an individual (the “Individual”) was arrested in January 2025 for possession of child pornography, law enforcement discovered that the Individual exchanged messages with Rivas wherein Rivas distributed images containing child sexual abuse material (“CSAM”) to the Individual and discussed sexually assaulting children for Rivas’s and the Individual’s mutual sexual gratification. The images Rivas distributed involved a prepubescent minor child whom she was with at a hotel in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey in July 2024.
The charge in the complaint carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment and a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment as well as a fine of up to $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit with the investigation leading to the charges. She also thanked the FBI Newark’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly for their assistance.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Stern of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel: Timothy Donahue, Esq.
rivas.complaint.pdf