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11 June 2025
Jackson Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – A Jackson man was sentenced today to five years in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Felix Peire Brown, 38, was found by United States Probation Officers to be in possession of a firearm while staying in a hotel in Jackson. Brown has prior felony convictions, including a prior federal felony conviction for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He was on supervised release for that prior federal felony conviction at the time of this illegal firearms possession. As a convicted felon he is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Brown was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 11, 2023. He pled guilty on September 26, 2024.
In addition to five years in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, Brown was also sentenced to an additional 10 months in prison for having violated the terms of his supervised release from his previous federal felony conviction.
Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives made the announcement.
The ATF investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Jackson Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of a MachinegunRead the Press Release
JACKSON, MS– A Jackson, MS man pleaded guilty on June 4, 2025, to possession of a machinegun.
According to court documents and statements made in open court, Atrell Galloway, Jr., 21, pleaded guilty after being indicted by a federal grand jury for possession of a machinegun. On June 9, 2024, Officers with the Capitol Police Department performed a traffic stop on a vehicle on Lynch Street in Jackson after observing a traffic violation. After approaching the vehicle and seeing narcotics in plain view, a probable cause search of the vehicle was performed. During the search, Officers discovered a Glock Model 45 handgun with an attached machinegun conversion device or “switch.” Capitol Police seized the firearm and then referred the matter to the ATF for further investigation. After obtaining a search warrant, the ATF discovered photographs of the weapon on Galloway’s cell phone with the serial number displayed. Text messages were also discovered on the Defendant’s phone concerning the compatibility of “switches” with certain Glock handguns. During the change of plea hearing, Galloway admitted to purchasing ten machinegun conversion devices online and installing the conversion device on the recovered handgun himself.
Galloway is scheduled to be sentenced on September 4, 2025. Galloway faces a maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson made the announcement.
The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case with assistance from the Capitol Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel Goff is prosecuting the case.
Illegal alien felon sentenced to 57 months in federal prisonRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 34-year-old Mexican national with a felony criminal history has been sentenced for illegally reentering the United States after three previous removals, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Jose Manuel Cruz-Diaz, who had illegally resided in Houston, pleaded guilty March 28.
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake has now ordered Cruz-Diaz to serve 57 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Cruz-Diaz had been removed four times previously and was a drug dealer.
He has three prior felony convictions for illegal reentry as well as evading arrest with a motor vehicle. He was also convicted of delivery of black tar heroine and methamphetamines and sentenced to 10 years in state prison. He was first removed from the United States in 2011 and most recently in 2016. However, authorities discovered him in Houston in January 2020 upon his arrest for distribution of controlled substances.
Cruz-Diaz has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations and the Houston Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Illegal alien drug dealer sentenced for unlawfully returning to the country for fifth timeRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 36-year-old citizen of Mexico with a felony record has been sentenced for illegal reentry into the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Jose De Jesus Soto-Gonzalez pleaded guilty March 5.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Soto-Gonzalez to serve 21 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is again expected to face removal proceedings following his sentence.
In handing down the sentence, the court noted Soto-Gonzalez had a felony conviction for possession with intent to distribute over 100 kilograms of marijuana and served approximately four years in prison before his removal in 2022. He illegally returned and was removed again in 2023. Authorities had also previously removed him in 2008 and 2014.
On Dec. 20, 2024, authorities encountered Soto-Gonzalez at the Border Patrol checkpoint near Falfurrias. They discovered he was a citizen of Mexico without any permission to be back in the United States. The investigation revealed he had illegally reentered the country in July 2024 near Laredo after his 2023 removal.
Soto-Gonzalez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Martin prosecuted the case.
Illegal Alien in Los Angeles Charged with Spitting on ICE OfficerRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An illegal alien from Mexico who is living in Los Angeles was charged today with a felony count for allegedly spitting on a federal agent executing a warrant for his arrest earlier this week.
Omar Pulido Bastida, 41, of the Historic South Central neighborhood of Los Angeles, is charged with one count of assault of a federal employee, a crime that carries a statutory maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison.
Pulido, who earlier this year separately was charged with being an illegal alien found in the United States following removal, was arrested and made his initial appearance on Tuesday in United States District Court in Santa Ana. A federal magistrate judge order him detained and scheduled his arraignment for July 16 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. He is expected to make his initial appearance in this case in the coming days.
“This defendant found out the hard way: When you spit, we hit – with a felony charge,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Law enforcement officers risk their lives and safety to uphold the law. To treat them with the disrespect, like this defendant did, mocks our great nation and such behavior will be punished accordingly.”
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, on Tuesday morning, a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation officer arrived at Pulido’s residence to execute the arrest warrant on the illegal re-entry charge. After knocking on the door, the officer identified him as law enforcement with a warrant. Pulido, looking down on the officer from a second-story balcony, responded by insulting the officer.
Several minutes later, the officer saw Pulido open the front door, which had an iron security gate separating the two men. When the officer told Pulido there was an arrest warrant for him, Pulido said, “No, get out of here. I know my rights. I’m calling my lawyer” then spat through the iron security gate onto the officer. At the time, the officer was leaning his head against the grated security gate to be able to see Pulido and felt the spit on his face. After spitting on the officer, Pulido retreated back into the residence.
Shortly after, ICE personnel forced entry into the residence and found Pulido hiding in a second-story storage room. Pulido then said, “OK, you got me,” and was arrested.
A criminal complaint contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating this matter.
The Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
Harrison County Man Sentenced for Firearms ViolationRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Jonathon Wade Cochran, 43, of Shinnston, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 63 months in federal prison for the unlawful possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, officers attempted a traffic stop on Cochran, who led officers on a chase. Cochran crashed and was injured. Officers found a 9mm pistol in his waistband. Cochran has prior drug and firearms charges, prohibiting him from having firearms.
Cochran will serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rhee prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Guatemalan National Sentenced for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in Lynn was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Domingo Valentin Solis-De Leon, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to six months in prison and one year of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. On April 8, 2025, Solis-De Leon pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.
On Jan. 8, 2014, United States Border Patrol arrested Solis-De Leon near Hidalgo, Texas after entering the United States illegally. Solis De-Leon was ordered removed and was sent back to his home country of Guatemala. On Jan. 6, 2024, immigration authorities learned that Solis-De Leon was present in the United States following his arrest in Lynn, Mass. According to court documents, Solis-De Leon was arrested on state charges for assault and battery on a family or household member and the matter is currently pending in Lynn District Court. He was subsequently released from state custody and Solis-De Leon was arrested by immigration authorities on Jan. 28, 2025 in Lynn.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Guatemalan Man Sentenced After Being in the United States IllegallyRead the Press Release
A Guatemalan man who was in the United States illegally after being removed twice was sentenced today to 90 days in prison.
Hector Palencia-Morales, age 55, a citizen of Guatemala, received the prison term after an April 7, 2025, guilty plea to being found in the United States after illegal reentry.
On March 1, 2025, Palencia-Morales was found at a residence in Postville, Iowa, while law enforcement officers were executing a search warrant at the residence. Officers confirmed he was in the country illegally. Officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested him on March 14, 2025. Palencia-Morales had previously been removed from the United States in 2013 following a conviction for illegal entry and again in 2022.
Palencia-Morales was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Palencia-Morales was sentenced to 90 days’ imprisonment. He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 25-CR-1012.
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Green Township man charged with crimes related to 3 pipe bomb incidentsRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury indicted a Green Township man today, charging him with federal crimes related to explosive devices.
Robert Gilb, 50, was arrested yesterday.
“The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested Robert Gilb for possessing an unregistered destructive device and transporting explosive materials,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola. “This alleged activity posed a serious risk to public safety. The FBI worked closely with our law enforcement partners to neutralize this potential danger and protect the community.”
According to charging documents, Gilb allegedly detonated three improvised explosive devices (IED) in Hamilton and Butler counties in March and April.
A complaint affidavit details that on April 12, Hamilton County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Miami Township for a report of a loud explosion. They discovered what appeared to be a blast crater and components of an improvised explosive device (IED).
Further investigation revealed that there were two prior incidents in Morgan Township
that allegedly had similar characteristics to the incident in Miami Township. Butler County sheriff’s deputies had responded to incidents there on March 23 and March 28.
Witnesses allegedly saw Gilb in his white BMW near the site of at least one of the devices when it exploded.
Gilb is charged with three counts of possessing an unregistered destructive device and three counts of transporting explosive materials.
Possessing an unregistered destructive device and transporting explosive materials are federal crimes punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, as well as the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, Butler County Sheriff's Office, Ohio State Fire Marshalls Office, Greater Cincinnati HAZMAT, Green Township Police Department and Green Township Fire Department, announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan is representing the United States in this case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Grand Jury Indicts Two Individuals for Involvement with Online Groups Dedicated to Monkey Torture and MutilationRead the Press Release
A grand jury indictment was unsealed today charging two individuals for their alleged involvement with online groups dedicated to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.
The indictment alleges that Katrina D. Favret, of Tennessee, and Robert M. Craig, of North Carolina, conspired with previously charged defendant Ronald P. Bedra, of Etna, Ohio, to create and distribute so-called “animal crush videos.” Favret is also charged with creating and with distributing animal crush videos.
According to court documents, the defendants conspired with others to create and distribute videos depicting acts of sadistic violence against juvenile and adult monkeys. The conspirators used encrypted chat applications to direct money to individuals in Indonesia willing to commit the requested acts of torture on camera.
The videos alleged to have been created as part of the conspiracy included depictions of monkeys being sodomized with a heated screwdriver and a monkey having its genitals cut with scissors.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), Acting U.S. Attorney Kelly A. Norris for the Southern District of Ohio, Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola of FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office, and Assistant Director Douglas Ault of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Office of Law Enforcement made the announcement.
The FBI and USFWS investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Mark Romley and Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Pakiz for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.
Four Defendants, Including Two Former U.S. Postal Service Employees, Charged in Connection with Scheme to Steal $80 Million in U.S. Treasury ChecksRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Tauheed Tucker, 23, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Cory Scott, 25, of Ardmore, Pa., and Alexander Telewoda, 25, of Clifton Heights, Pa., were arrested and charged by superseding indictment with conspiracy to steal government funds, theft of government funds, and mail theft, arising from a multimillion-dollar scheme to steal U.S. Treasury checks from a local U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”) facility and then resell those checks to purchasers around the country. A fourth defendant, Saahir Irby, 27, of Philadelphia, was also charged with these offenses, in addition to a previously charged count of mail theft.
The superseding indictment alleges that, between June 2023 and September 2024, Irby and Tucker, while working as USPS mail processing clerks, stole thousands of envelopes containing U.S. Treasury checks from mail sorting machines at the USPS Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Center.
According to the indictment, Irby and Tucker removed the checks from the USPS facility and sold them to defendants Scott and Telewoda, who then advertised the stolen checks for resale on the cloud-based instant messaging application Telegram. Upon receiving payment from interested buyers, Scott and Telewoda mailed the stolen Treasury checks to buyers around the country who attempted to cash the checks, without the knowledge or permission of the individuals to whom the checks had originally been issued.
Over the course of the scheme, the indictment alleges, Irby and Tucker sold Scott and Telewoda thousands of stolen Treasury checks whose face value exceeded $80 million. Scott’s and Telewoda’s customers successfully negotiated approximately $11 million worth of these stolen Treasury checks at financial institutions. Irby is also charged with a separate instance of mail theft involving another batch of Treasury checks that he allegedly stole and sold to an unnamed individual in August 2024.
If convicted, Irby faces a maximum possible sentence of 25 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $1,000,000 fine, and Tucker, Scott, and Telewoda each face a maximum possible sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $750,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, with substantial assistance from the Montgomery County Detectives Bureau, the Lower Merion Township Police Department, and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Rice.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Former NASCAR Team Owner Pleads guilty to Failure to Pay Payroll TaxesRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Former NASCAR team owner Ronald Devine, 68, of Burke, Virginia, appeared in federal court today and pleaded guilty to failure to pay payroll taxes, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina
Donald “Trey” Eakins, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Charlotte Field Office (IRS-CI), James C. Barnacle, Jr., Acting Special Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Rodney Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which oversees Charlotte, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
According to the plea documents and other court records, Devine was the owner and President of BK Racing, LLC (BK Racing), which operated a NASCAR racing team and owned two NASCAR charters. As the owner, Devine exercised control over BK Racing’s financial affairs, including authorizing the filing and payment of its trust fund taxes, commonly referred to as payroll taxes.
Payroll taxes are withheld from employees’ gross pay for income tax and and to fund Social Security and Medicare. Employers are also required to make contributions to trust fund taxes matching the amounts withheld from their employees’ pay, and to file and pay quarterly taxes.
According to court records, beginning in 2012, Devine caused BK Racing to fail to account for and pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in payroll taxes. Court documents show that, between 2012 and 2017, instead of using the funds held in trust to pay for payroll taxes due, Devine transferred more than $2 million to other businesses and entities that he owned and controlled and used some of the funds to pay for BK Racing’s expenses.
Devine was released on bond following his guilty plea. The charge of failure to truthfully account for and pay over trust fund taxes carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date has not been set.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended IRS-CI, the FBI, and USPIS for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caryn Finley and Daniel Ryan of the Office in Charlotte are prosecuting the case.
Former CIA analyst sentenced to over three years in prison for unlawfully transmitting Top Secret National Defense InformationRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former CIA analyst was sentenced today to three years and one month in prison for unlawfully retaining and transmitting Top Secret National Defense Information to people who were not entitled to receive it, information which was publicly posted on social media platforms in October 2024.
According to court documents, Asif William Rahman, 34, of Vienna, was an employee of the CIA since 2016 and had a Top Secret security clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) until his employment was terminated after his arrest.
“Asif Rahman violated his position of trust by illegally accessing, removing, and transmitting Top Secret documents vital to the national security of the United States and its allies,” said Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The urgency with which Mr. Rahman was identified, arrested, charged, and prosecuted is a testament to the commitment and professionalism of the investigators and prosecutors who brought him to justice. This case should serve as a stern warning to those who choose to place their own goals over their allegiance to our nation.”
“For months, this defendant betrayed the American people and the oaths he took upon entering his office by leaking some of our Nation’s most closely held secrets,” said John Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “As this case demonstrates, the Department of Justice will continue to protect our Nation by vigorously investigating and prosecuting leakers who compromise our Nation’s security.”
“By stealing and divulging classified information and then attempting to conceal his crimes, Asif Rahman not only violated the law; he also betrayed his oath as a government employee and his responsibility to the American people,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “Now he will pay the price for putting American lives and U.S. national security at risk. Let this be a warning to all clearance holders: The FBI will exhaust all avenues to find and bring to justice anyone — no matter who they are — who endangers our nation by disclosing sensitive information without authorization."
“Today’s sentencing demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to hold all clearance holders accountable for their oath to support and defend the Constitution,” said Steven J. Jensen, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “The FBI and our Intelligence Community partners are dedicated to protecting our nation’s security and will use every available authority and resource to prevent the disclosure of classified information without authorization.”
On Oct. 17, 2024, Rahman accessed and printed two Top Secret documents containing National Defense Information regarding a U.S. foreign ally and its planned actions against a foreign adversary. Rahman removed the documents, photographed them, and transmitted them to individuals he knew were not entitled to receive them. By Oct. 18, 2024, the documents appeared publicly on multiple social media platforms, complete with the classification markings. After Oct. 17, 2024, Rahman engaged in a deletion campaign of work product on his Top Secret work station.
In 2024, continuing through November, Rahman repeatedly accessed and printed classified National Defense Information, including documents classified up to the Top Secret and further compartmented levels, that he learned in the course of his employment and transmitted to multiple individuals he knew were not entitled to receive it.
Rahman was indicted by a grand jury on Nov. 7, 2024, and was arrested by the FBI as he arrived to work on Nov. 12, 2024. On Jan. 17, Rahman pled guilty to two counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information related to the national defense. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy A. Edwards Jr. for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Christopher Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Rodregous and former National Security Division Trial Attorneys Brett Reynolds and Adam Small helped prosecute the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-CR-249.
Former CIA Analyst Sentenced to over Three Years in Prison for Unlawfully Transmitting Top Secret National Defense InformationRead the Press Release
A former CIA analyst was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for unlawfully retaining and transmitting Top Secret National Defense Information to people who were not entitled to receive it, information which was publicly posted on social media platforms in October 2024.
According to court documents, Asif William Rahman, 34, of Vienna, was an employee of the CIA since 2016 and had a Top Secret security clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) until his employment was terminated after his arrest.
“For months, this defendant betrayed the American people and the oaths he took upon entering his office by leaking some of our Nation’s most closely held secrets,” said John Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “As this case demonstrates, the Department of Justice will continue to protect our nation by vigorously investigating and prosecuting leakers who compromise our nation’s security.”
“Asif Rahman violated his position of trust by illegally accessing, removing, and transmitting Top Secret documents vital to the national security of the United States and its allies,” said Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The urgency with which Mr. Rahman was identified, arrested, charged, and prosecuted is a testament to the commitment and professionalism of the investigators and prosecutors who brought him to justice. This case should serve as a stern warning to those who choose to place their own goals over their allegiance to our nation.”
“By stealing and divulging classified information and then attempting to conceal his crimes, Asif Rahman not only violated the law; he also betrayed his oath as a government employee and his responsibility to the American people,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “Now he will pay the price for putting American lives and U.S. national security at risk. Let this be a warning to all clearance holders: The FBI will exhaust all avenues to find and bring to justice anyone — no matter who they are — who endangers our nation by disclosing sensitive information without authorization."
On Oct. 17, 2024, Rahman accessed and printed two Top Secret documents containing National Defense Information regarding a U.S. foreign ally and its planned actions against a foreign adversary. Rahman removed the documents, photographed them, and transmitted them to individuals he knew were not entitled to receive them. By Oct. 18, 2024, the documents appeared publicly on multiple social media platforms, complete with the classification markings. After Oct. 17, 2024, Rahman engaged in a deletion campaign of work product on his Top Secret work station.
In 2024, continuing through November, Rahman repeatedly accessed and printed classified National Defense Information, including documents classified up to the Top Secret and further compartmented levels, that he learned in the course of his employment and transmitted to multiple individuals he knew were not entitled to receive it.
Rahman was indicted by a grand jury on Nov. 7, 2024, and was arrested by the FBI as he arrived to work on Nov. 12, 2024. On Jan. 17, Rahman pleaded guilty to two counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information related to the national defense. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy A. Edwards Jr. for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Christopher Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.
Former Business Owner and Town of Cortlandt Employee Sentenced to Prison for $2.4 Million Environmental Crime SchemeRead the Press Release
Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that GLENN GRIFFIN, the owner and president of Griffin’s Landscaping Corporation, was sentenced to two years in prison for a scheme in which GRIFFIN bribed a Town of Cortlandt employee to gain unauthorized access to a Town facility to dump loads of unauthorized materials. GRIFFIN was also sentenced for a separate bid-rigging scheme. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Vincent L. Briccetti.
On May 20, 2025, ROBERT DYCKMAN, the former Assistant General Foreman for the Town of Cortlandt, was sentenced by Judge Briccetti to a year and a day in prison for his participation in the bribery and dumping scheme. As part of their sentences, GRIFFIN and DYCKMAN were each ordered to pay $2.4 million in restitution to their victims.
“Glenn Griffin and Robert Dyckman’s corruption not only damaged public land and fragile wetlands but also undermined the public’s faith in our government and institutions” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Griffin, a successful business owner and president, bribed Dyckman so that he could save money and, in the process, illegally dump harmful, unauthorized materials on public property generating $2.4 million in damages. Moreover, Griffin then took government money to remove and haul away the very materials that he had illegally dumped. Together with our law enforcement partners, we are committed to rooting out such brazen and wasteful corruption.”
According to statements made in public filings and court proceedings:
Illegal Dumping Scheme
From 2018 until February 2020, GRIFFIN and DYCKMAN engaged in an unauthorized dumping scheme. DYCKMAN gave GRIFFIN and his employees unauthorized access to Arlo Lane, a Cortlandt facility, to dump hundreds of large truckloads of unauthorized materials such as thick concrete, cement with rebar, tiles, bricks, large rocks, and soil. After the illegal dumping, GRIFFIN billed and received payments from the Town of Cortlandt for removing and hauling away the very materials that GRIFFIN had illegally dumped at Arlo Lane with DYCKMAN’s assistance.
DYCKMAN generally allowed GRIFFIN and his employees to access Arlo Lane on Saturdays or after working hours. To carry out the scheme, DYCKMAN would attempt to clear senior Town of Cortlandt management away from Arlo Lane around the time of the unauthorized dumping. When DYCKMAN arranged for a subordinate Town of Cortlandt worker to work overtime when GRIFFIN was dumping unauthorized loads, DYCKMAN would falsely record the worker’s overtime as having occurred during the week in order to conceal the scheme.
In exchange for access to Arlo Lane, GRIFFIN paid DYCKMAN cash bribes.
GRIFFIN and DYCKMAN were ordered to pay the Town of Cortlandt and the Westchester Land Trust, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization which owns damaged wetlands abutting the Town of Cortlandt’s Arlo Lane property, a total of $2.4 million to remediate and restore their property following GRIFFIN’s and DYCKMAN’s criminal conduct.
Bid-Rigging Scheme
Between 2015 and 2018, Griffin also engaged in a bid-rigging scheme. GRIFFIN defrauded the village of Croton-on-Hudson for work on its schools, and the hamlet of Verplanck for work at its fire department. GRIFFIN made sham, non-competitive, and inflated bids on behalf of entities that GRIFFIN did not work for or have authorization to submit bids on behalf of, so that GRIFFIN would be the low bidder in a pool of purportedly competitive bids and receive public money for work on the projects. Based on these sham, non-competitive, and inflated bids, GRIFFIN was awarded contracts with a combined value exceeding $133,000.
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In addition to the prison term, GRIFFIN, 56, of Cortlandt, New York was sentenced to three years of supervised release and a $50,000 fine. He was also ordered to forfeit $220,000 and pay $2.4 million in restitution, with $1.2 million due to the Town of Cortlandt and $1.2 million due to the Westchester Land Trust. On August 26, 2024, GRIFFIN pled guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Victoria Reznik to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
In addition to the prison term, DYCKMAN, 53, of Verplanck, New York, was sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered to pay $2.4 million in restitution, with $1.2 million due to the Town of Cortlandt and $1.2 million due to the Westchester Land Trust. On August 26, 2024, DYCKMAN pled guilty before Magistrate Judge Reznik to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Westchester County Police Department in this investigation. Mr. Clayton also thanked the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and the New York City Department of Investigation for their assistance in the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David R. Felton and James McMahon are in charge of the prosecution.
Florida Fuel Supplier Charged in Multimillion-Dollar Scheme to Defraud U.S. Department of Defense, other Federal AgenciesRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Miami returned an indictment today charging a Florida business owner with multiple counts of wire fraud, money laundering, and forgery for orchestrating a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal agencies by submitting altered and fake invoices to U.S. Navy ships and other vessels through the SEA Card Program, which allows U.S. vessels to purchase critical fuel from suppliers at ports around the world.
According to court documents filed in the Southern District of Florida, between August 2022 and January 2024, Jasen Butler, 37, of Jupiter, Florida, the owner of Independent Marine Oil Services LLC, submitted dozens of falsified documents to multiple U.S. warships — including the USS Patriot — demanding and receiving over $5 million dollars in payments for phony expenses that Butler had not incurred. These ships were attempting to purchase fuel in international ports such as Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Croatia, among others. Butler also concealed his identity from government officials by using a false name and feigning employment by a fictitious fuel division of a different company. As alleged in the indictment, Butler used the millions in fraud proceeds to personally enrich himself and purchase multiple properties, including in Florida and Colorado.
“This indictment sends a clear, public message: the Antitrust Division and its Procurement Collusion Strike Force under President Trump will not rest until all who defraud the brave men and women of the U.S. military and the American taxpayers receive swift justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail A. Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.
“Our office is steadfast in its commitment to prosecute individuals that seek to unjustly profit at the expense of the U.S. military,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida. “Such fraud undermines military readiness and jeopardizes the dedicated service members who selflessly defend our country.”
“Investigating complex fraud schemes which impact U.S. Coast Guard operations is a priority for CGIS,” said Special Agent in Charge Josh Packer of the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) Southeast Field Office. “CGIS remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate any fraud which undermines the integrity of the Coast Guard’s supply chain.”
“Mr. Butler’s alleged involvement in unlawfully submitting fraudulent invoices related to U.S. naval ships receiving fuel during port visits is an affront to the warfighter and taxpayer,” said Special Agent in Charge Greg Gross of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Economic Crimes Field Office. “NCIS remains committed to thoroughly investigating those who commit fraud impacting the Department of Navy.”
“Those who exploit the Department of Defense for personal gain — by inflating costs, falsifying bids, or manipulating the contracting process — will be relentlessly pursued and held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason Sargenski of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “DCIS and our law enforcement partners remain unwavering in our mission to protect taxpayer dollars and preserve the integrity of DoD contracts that directly support our nation’s warfighters.”
If convicted, Butler faces maximum penalties of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud, up to 10 years for each count of forgery, and up to 10 years for each count of money laundering. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
Assistant Chief Sara Clingan and Trial Attorney Jonathan Pomeranz of the Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information about this investigation or other procurement fraud schemes should notify the PCSF at www.justice.gov/atr/webform/pcsf-citizen-complaint. The Justice Department created the PCSF in November 2019. It is a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government — federal, state and local. For more information, visit www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Federal grand jury indicts Rochester and Jamestown man for role in narcotics conspiracyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.–U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Johnny B. Mays aka Blaze, 40, of Rochester and Jamestown, NY, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, one kilogram or more heroin, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and five kilograms or more of cocaine, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua A. Violanti and Louis A. Testani, who are handling the case, stated that according to the indictment, between 2018, and May 26, 2022, Mays conspired with Joseph S. Zaso, co-defendant Quentin L. Yancey, and others, to sell heroin and fentanyl in the Rochester area. Joseph Zaso was previously charged and convicted and is awaiting sentencing. Charges remain pending against Quentin Yancey.
Mays was arraigned before U.S. District Judge Michael J. Roemer and detained.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson, the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division, and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Federal Complaints Charge SoCal Residents with Assault, Throwing Molotov Cocktails at Officers During Recent Civil UnrestRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Two Los Angeles County men -- one of them an illegal alien -- have been charged via federal criminal complaints with possessing Molotov cocktails during the recent civil unrest in downtown Los Angeles and Paramount stemming from protests against federal immigration enforcement operations, the Justice Department announced today.
The following defendants have been charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison:
- Emiliano Garduno Galvez, 23, of Paramount, who is an illegal immigrant from Mexico; and
- Wrackkie Quiogue, 27, of Long Beach.
Both defendants are in custody. Quiogue was ordered detained at his initial court appearance on Tuesday. Galvez is expected to make their initial appearance in United States District Court in the coming days.
“When protesting crosses the line into violence, the penalties will be severe,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Possessing a Molotov cocktail or another destructive device is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison. The vile attacks such as the ones alleged in these complaints could have resulted in life-altering or life-ending injuries to police officers, sheriff’s deputies, and innocent bystanders. We will not relent in dispensing swift justice to criminals who take advantage of our country’s freedoms to engage in lawlessness.”
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint charging Galvez, on the evening of June 7 in Paramount, Galvez lit and threw a Molotov cocktail over a wall where Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) deputies were engaging in crowd control activities then ran away. A violent crowd had assembled in that location earlier in the day near a staging area for federal agents who were preparing for immigration enforcement operations.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint charging Quiogue, on June 8, Quiogue possessed a Molotov cocktail while holding a lighter during civil unrest near federal buildings in downtown Los Angeles’s Civic Center. Los Angeles Police Department officers saw Quiogue with the device and quickly arrested him. As Quiogue attempted to flee arrest, he threw the Molotov.
Charged separately via criminal complaints are the following defendants, who are charged with assault on a federal officer, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in federal prison, stemming from violence at recent rallies in Santa Ana:
- Christian Andres Garcia, 32, of Anaheim; and
- Rene Luna, 43, of Orange.
Both defendants are expected to make their initial appearances in United States District Court in Santa Ana in the coming days.
According to court documents, on June 9, Garcia threw objects at law enforcement personnel stationed outside a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office in Santa Ana. Luna allegedly threw water bottles and beer cans at officers during the same protest. Both defendants were arrested.
A criminal complaint contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating Quiogue and Galvez with the assistance of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. HSI is investigating Garcia and Luna. The FBI is assisting with the Galvez investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney David C. Lachman of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section is prosecuting Quiogue. Assistant United States Attorney Jenna W. Long, also of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, is prosecuting Galvez. Assistant United States Attorney Brian Yang of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section is prosecuting Garcia and Luna.
Erie Resident Indicted on Social Security Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on charges of theft of government property, Social Security fraud, and false statements to retain Supplemental Security Income benefits, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
The four-count Indictment named Simone Renell Carr, 59, as the sole defendant.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 25 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Paul S. Sellers is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Ecuadorian National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Ecuadorian national illegally residing in Yarmouth has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Jose Tomas Lema Pugo, a/k/a Jose Luis Ledezma, 59, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Lema Pugo was arrested by immigration authorities on May 9, 2025.
According to the indictment, Lema Pugo was deported from the United States to Ecuador in November 2013. It is alleged that sometime after his November 2013 removal, Lema Pugo illegally reentered the United States without permission.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien with a prior felony criminal conviction provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. 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 Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Zacks of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Ecuadoran cocaine traffickers plead guilty after being caught at seaRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Three Ecuadoran nationals pled guilty today to possession with intent to distribute cocaine on board a vessel.
According to court documents, on Jan. 31, United States Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Stone identified a target of interest, a go-fast vessel (GFV) in international waters approximately 550 nautical miles south of Mexico. USCG Stone launched a helicopter and a small boat and diverted to intercept the GFV.
After gaining control of the GFV, a USCG boarding team encountered Marco Antonio Garcia-Morales, 50, Luis Geraldo Pico-Bastardo, 26, and Segundo Gonzalo Lucas-Veliz, 44. The boarding team observed packages as well as fuel barrels onboard the GFV, which had no indicia of nationality. The packages on deck contained approximately 1,160 kilograms of cocaine.
Garcia-Morales and Pico-Bastardo are scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 16; Lucas-Veliz is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 29. The defendants face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ibrar A. Mian, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; and Christopher Heck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric M. Hurt and Kevin M. Comstock 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-cr-12.
Driving School Owner Pleads Guilty to RMV Bribery ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to charges that he bribed a road test examiner to issue driver’s licenses to individuals who did not pass or, in some cases, even take road tests at the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) in Brockton.
Carlos Cardoso, 71, pleaded guilty to one count of honest services mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for Sept. 11, 2025. In May 2024, Cardoso was indicted by a federal grand jury.
Cardoso, the owner of a driving school, paid cash bribes totaling more than $20,000 to a road test examiner at the Brockton RMV service center to misrepresent that certain driver’s license applicants had passed their road test when, in fact, they had not. Some of the applicants did not even show up to take the test. As a result of the fraud, the RMV mailed driver’s licenses to unqualified applicants.
The charge of honest services mail fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $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; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Brian C. Gallagher, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Wichers and Adam Deitch of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit are prosecuting the case.
Doctor at L5 Pain Clinic Sentenced to 40 Months in Prison, Ordered to Pay $35,000 Fine and $200,000 in ForfeitureRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A former doctor, who concealed health care fraud and prescribed highly-addictive opioid painkillers to at-risk patients at pain clinics in Central and Southwest Virginia, was sentenced yesterday to 40 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $200,000 in forfeiture and a $35,000 fine.
Duane Dixon, 66, of Bedford, Massachusetts, pled guilty in 2023 to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and other opioids without a legitimate medical purpose and failing to report a pattern of health care fraud at clinics operated by L5 Medical Holdings—an LLC which was doing business as Pain Care Center, a line of pain clinics that formerly operated in Woodlawn, Lynchburg, Madison Heights, Blacksburg, and Christiansburg.
Dixon agreed as part of his plea agreement to surrender his medical licenses and to never practice medicine again.
“Duane Dixon prioritized profit over patient care,” Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee said today. “Our nation is fighting an opioid epidemic on a scale we have never seen and doctors like this, who take advantage of the addictions of others for their own greed, must be held accountable.”
“We will not tolerate anyone who abuses their position and betrays the trust of American citizens by exploiting their vulnerabilities. Dr. Dixon clearly showed a lack of respect for human life, as his reckless and fraudulent practices prioritize profits over the delicate lives of others. Our team is dedicated to the safety and well-being of all individuals across the nation. This commitment includes ensuring that licensed professionals adhere to the law and report any hazardous conduct,” DEA Washington Division Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian said.
"This doctor betrayed his oath, exploited vulnerable Virginians, and pumped dangerous opioids into our neighborhoods, fueling addiction and tearing families apart. His selfish, reckless scheme contributed to the opioid epidemic and left entire communities to deal with the devastating consequences. Virginia’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit will continue to aggressively pursue any healthcare provider who abandons their oath, preys on vulnerable patients, and fuels addiction for profit," said Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
“The defendant’s illegal prescribing practices and violation of public trust endangered patients and took advantage of the addiction of others, all for personal gain,” said Maureen Dixon, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Philadelphia Regional Office. “HHS-OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure individuals involved in schemes that threaten patient safety and target our most vulnerable populations are held accountable.”
According to testimony and court documents, Dixon pre-signed dozens of blank prescriptions over several years at L5. With Dixon’s knowledge, staff filled out the prescriptions for Schedule II opioids, including fentanyl and oxycodone, and distributed them to patients who had not seen a qualified medical provider. Dixon admitted to agents that, shortly after starting work at L5, a local pharmacist said he was a “pill pusher” and L5 was a “pill mill,” and some pharmacies refused to fill his prescriptions.
As part of his guilty pleas, Dixon agreed he facilitated illegal distribution of Suboxone by other medical providers who lacked the authority to prescribe the drug. Dixon did so by sharing his unique identification number, which is necessary to prescribe controlled substances, with those unqualified providers for them to use when relaying prescriptions to pharmacists.
Additionally, to obtain insurance payments, Dixon acknowledged in interviews and court filings he approved and signed patient files for patients he had not actually treated.
The other doctor whose records Dixon falsified—former Dr. Wendell Lewis Randall—was sentenced in March 2024 to 18 months in prison for his role and was known to Dixon and others within L5 to issue medically illegitimate prescriptions. In a recorded interview played at sentencing, Dixon stated Randall’s patient file notes were “lousy,” did not “justify[] why” Randall “was giving the pain medications,” and would have been insufficient even for a medical student.
In addition to Dixon and Randall, five others have pled guilty in connection with drug or fraud crimes at L5 between 2015 and 2020. Charles Wilson Adams, Jr.—falsely held out by L5 as a trained medical professional—was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in 2022. Nurse practitioner Debra Shaffer received jailtime and a fine in 2023.
L5 owner John Gregory Barnes, former COO Jennifer Adams, and L5 itself have also pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing later this year.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General, the Virginia State Police, and the Virginia Attorney General’s Office - Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorneys S. Cagle Juhan, Jason Scheff and Special Assistant United States Attorney and Assistant Attorney General Janine Myatt prosecuted the case for the United States.
District Man Indicted for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Zachary Silas Brandner, 28, of the District of Columbia, was charged by indictment, unsealed today in U.S. District Court, with allegedly distributing multiple videos of child pornography to an undercover police officer. Last week, U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui ordered Brandner held without bond.
The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro of the District of Columbia, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to the affidavit, on April 1, 2025, Brandner interacted with another individual on multiple online messaging platforms. During the course of that conversation, Brandner distributed videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including the abuse of an infant. Law enforcement agents also obtained evidence indicating that Brandner was interacting with at least one other individual about his interest in child sexual abuse material.
This case is being investigated by FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Janani Iyengar.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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DOJ and drug development researcher settle allegations he violated terms of National Science Foundation grantRead the Press Release
Seattle – The United States Department of Justice and the recipient of a federal research grant have resolved allegations the lead researcher violated the terms of the grant when he performed the research outside the U.S., announced Acting United States Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Protein Engines, LLC (Protein Engines), founded and operated by Joshua Salafsky PhD, was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant in late 2021 for scientific research with pharmaceutical applications. Protein Engines LLC will pay the U.S. $155,000 to resolve the allegations.
“Despite being repeatedly informed that all research under the grant needed to be performed in the U.S., Dr. Salafsky spent little more than a month in the U.S. while he was accepting NSF grant funding for his research,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “These Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants require work in the U.S. so that federal funds go to support innovation here, using labs and equipment that generate business in the U.S. This deception defeated that purpose.”
According to the settlement agreement, on November 26, 2021, Protein Engines LLC was awarded a $256,000 grant. The research was to be performed in the U.S. between December 1, 2021, and November 30, 2022. However, the principal researcher on the grant lived in the U.K. for all but 38 days of the grant funding.
The National Science Foundation suspended the grant funding on September 8, 2023, when it determined the research had not been conducted in the U.S. as required.
The Small Business Innovation Research/Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program is a critically important and highly competitive program created to fund technological advancements within the United States. Funding for this program strengthens the competitive free enterprise system and the U.S. economy. To maximize that impact, SBIR regulations require all research and development to be conducted in the United States. This investigation resulted from the NSF Office of Inspector General’s proactive initiative to protect national security interests by identifying SBIR recipients who improperly operate outside the U.S.
“When companies fail to follow the domestic requirements of the SBIR program, it is not only a misuse of taxpayer dollars but also takes away funding from deserving U.S. businesses. NSF OIG remains committed to pursuing oversight of these programs to ensure taxpayer funds are invested in the United States to benefit U.S. businesses, the U.S. economy, and national security. I commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office for supporting this important proactive effort,” said Megan E. Wallace, NSF’s Acting Inspector General.
Of the $155,000 settlement, $77,500 is restitution and the rest is a penalty for the misconduct. Additionally, $25,000 in grant funds were never paid out to Protein Engines LLC.
Protein Engines LLC says the settlement is not an admission of liability but chooses to resolve the matter instead of the expense and uncertainty of protracted litigation.
The case was investigated by the National Science Foundation Office of Inspector General (NSF-OIG). The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented by Assistant United States Attorney Kayla C. Stahman in this matter.
Couple Indicted and Arrested for Marriage FraudRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment on June 5, 2025, charging Shokir Kurbonovich Khalilov, from Uzbekistan, and Keily Maisonet-Ortiz, San Juan, with marriage fraud.
According to court documents, from February 29, 2024, through on or about April 29, 2025, the defendants entered into a marriage for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws of the United States. Shokir Kurbonovich Khalilov and Keily Maisonet-Ortiz obtained a marriage license and got married on March 13, 2024, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. On October of 2024 Maisonet-Ortiz submitted an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative in favor of defendant Shokir Kurbonovich Khalilov before the Department of Homeland Security and on the same date, Khalilov submitted a I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adult Status pursuant to his marriage to defendant Maisonet-Ortiz.
The defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and marriage fraud. Defendant Maisonet-Ortiz is scheduled for her initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Giselle López Soler of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. Defendant Khalilov will have his initial court appearance next week. If convicted, the defendants face a sentence of up to five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; and Reggie Johnson, Chief Patrol Agent for the Ramey Sector of the US Border Patrol made the announcement.
US Border Patrol is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emelina M. Agrait Barreto is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Corning sex offender sentenced to 35 years in prison on new child pornography chargesRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Ryan M. Newman, 34, of Corning, NY, who was convicted of production of child pornography, was sentenced to serve 420 months in prison and 15 years supervised release by U.S. District Judge Meredith A. Vacca.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who handled the case, stated that Newman was convicted of child pornography crimes by New York State in 2012, sentenced to serve a local jail term and 10 years’ probation, and required to register as a Level 3 Sex Offender, which is someone considered to be at high risk of re-offending and a threat to public safety.
In January 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a report from Snapchat that a user had uploaded a video of child pornography. NCMEC sent the tip to the New York State Police, who executed a search warrant on Newman’s person and residence in 2022. The search determined that Newman uploaded the child pornography video to Snapchat and possessed other child pornography on his electronic devices. Newman remained out of custody following the 2022 search warrant by the State Police. In April 2024, the FBI Corning received a tip that pornography involving a child in the Corning area, was distributed to an undercover agent in Illinois. Subsequent investigation determined that Newman sexually abused the child and produced the child pornography. Newman was taken into custody by the FBI and Corning Police.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Corning Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm, and the Corning Police Department, under the direction of Chief Kenzie Spaulding.
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Convicted Connecticut Child Sex Offender Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Child EnticementRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Chief United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Andrew Thomas Bull (37, Tolland, CT), a/k/a Andrew Thomas Picard, to 30 years in federal prison for attempting to entice an 11-year-old child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing photos of her own sexual abuse. The court also ordered Bull to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and forfeit the electronic device that he used to commit this offense. Bull is a convicted sex offender who was convicted of importation and possession of child pornography in Connecticut in 2013, and was on court-ordered probation when he was arrested on May 25, 2023. Bull was detained and transported to Jacksonville. He pleaded guilty on February 18, 2025.
According to court documents, on November 15, 2022, an FBI agent (UC) in the Jacksonville area was conducting an online undercover operation to identify adults seeking to meet and engage in sexual activity with children. The UC posted a text message in a public chat room on a social media application (app) indicating that the UC had access to an 11-year-old “child.” Later that same day, user “brdr1066,” subsequently identified as Bull, contacted the UC directly using the private online text messaging feature of the app. Bull asked the UC to confirm the age and sexual experience of the “child.” Bull sent the UC explicit photos of himself to show to the “child.” Between November 2022 and May 2023, during text conversations on the app, Bull confirmed his desire to have sex with the “child,” and he sent the UC photos depicting young children being sexually abused. He solicited the UC to take and send to Bull pornographic photos of the “child,” and directed the UC as to how the UC could accomplish this. On May 9, 2023, Bull asked the UC, “do i get live pics tonight? / before she goes to bed hopefully / you ask to see her [genitalia] yet?”
On May 25, 2023, FBI agents arrested Bull and executed a federal search warrant at his residence. A search of Bull’s cellphone revealed that it contained at least 15 videos and 40 photos depicting children being sexually abused, including an infant.
“Protecting kids from predators is among the most important work that we do at the FBI,” said Jason Carley, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “Let this case be a warning - the FBI is relentless in our efforts to identify and stop child predators from abusing our kids.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville and New Haven, Connecticut. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys D. Rodney Brown and Kelly S. Milliron.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify, locate, and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Bridgewater Man Who Robbed Cash Courier at Gunpoint in 2024 Heist Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Bridgewater man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to his role in the armed robbery of a cash courier working for licensed cannabis companies, outside of a bank in Swansea, Mass. last year. The defendant and, allegedly, others zip-tied and pepper sprayed the victim before burning the stolen getaway vehicle.
Steven Madison, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery; one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery; one count of brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence; one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition; and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled by the Court.
In May 2024, Madison was arrested and charged along with Christopher White and Quentin McDonald in connection with the robbery. A fourth individual, Elgun Mikaiylov, a former manager for one of the cannabis dispensaries, was later charged in a superseding indictment for his alleged involvement in providing information about the cash pickups at the dispensary and the couriers, for his involvement in planning the robbery and for receiving some of the proceeds.
In the early morning hours of Feb. 19, 2024, Madison and another man stole a rental van from a U-Haul Moving & Storage location in Abington, Mass. Later in the day, an armed courier who worked for a company that provides secure cash transportation services for licensed cannabis companies arrived at a bank in Swansea carrying approximately $436,200 in cash for deposit. Madison and, allegedly, White drove the U-Haul van behind the courier. It is alleged that White exited the van wearing a camouflaged vest and pointed a firearm at the courier before zip-tying the courier’s hands behind his back. Madison then exited the U-Haul van and quickly loaded the cash into the vehicle. After trying to disarm the courier, the two men allegedly forced the courier into the back seat of his own car, pepper sprayed him and closed the door.
Surveillance footage showed that the courier managed to remove one hand from the zip-tie restraints while inside his vehicle, draw his firearm and fire four rounds in the direction of the U-Haul van as it fled the scene, before calling 911.
After leaving the bank, it is alleged that Madison and White drove the van to a nearby location in Swansea where McDonald was waiting in an SUV. There, the men allegedly transferred the stolen cash into the getaway SUV, burned the U-Haul van and fled.
During a search of Madison’s residence in Bridgewater, a pistol and over 400 grams of cocaine were found. Madison has prior state convictions for masked armed robbery, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon and unlawfully possessing a firearm.
The charge of Hobbs Act robbery and conspiracy provide 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 brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison, to be served consecutively to any sentence on the underlying offense. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a $1 million fine. 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; Scott Riordan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble of the Massachusetts State Police; and Swansea Police Chief Mark Foley made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office and the Bridgewater, Brockton, Raynham and Whitman Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Reynolds III of the Major Crimes Unit and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Driscoll are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Billings man sentenced to 63 months in prison for possessing unregistered firearmRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Billings man who possessed an unregistered firearm was sentenced today to 63 months in prison to be followed by 3 of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Derek Joseph Velarde, 37, pleaded guilty in February 2025 to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on or about July 1, 2024, law enforcement officers were called to a residence on Florine Drive in Billings, Montana to a report of a man with a firearm who was involved in a domestic dispute. Law enforcement responded and witnesses identified the man as Velarde. Witnesses reported Velarde had left the scene on foot. A few minutes later, police located Velarde a short distance away and detained him. Velarde was in possession of a Savage Arms .22 caliber rifle and had discarded it in some nearby bushes just prior to police detaining him. Police recovered the rifle, and a witness confirmed Velarde was in possession of that firearm during the domestic dispute. An ATF agent later determined the rifle was a firearm with an overall length of 15 inches and a barrel of 7 inches, that it was not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, and that it was in operating condition.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Hendricks prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the ATF and Billings Police Department.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Baltimore County Man Facing Federal Charges in Connection with Bribing Former Baltimore City Finance OfficialRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland unsealed an indictment charging James Carroll Erny Jr., 54, of Glen Arm, Maryland, with paying more than $10,000 in bribes to Joseph Gillespie, a former Baltimore City Department of Finance, Revenue Collections, employee.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Acting Special Agent in Charge Amanda M. Koldjeski, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office.
As alleged in the indictment, from about August 2021 through September 2023, Erny paid Gillespie at least $10,000 in bribes in exchange for Gillespie extinguishing various financial obligations he owed to Baltimore City. The debt was in connection with various properties Erny owned, including unpaid water bills.
On February 20, 2025, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Gillespie to four years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, in connection with his role in the bribery scheme, along with an unrelated fraud scheme. According to his plea agreement, beginning in 2016, and continuing into 2023, Gillespie engaged in a bribery scheme. Through the scheme, Gillespie abused his position of trust as a public official within the Baltimore City Department of Finance for personal gain.
As an employee of the Department of Finance’s Revenue Collections, Gillespie routinely accepted bribes from various property owners in Baltimore City. These property owners were subject to financial obligations with Baltimore City, and if these debts remained unpaid, the property became subject to a tax sale.
Gillespie accepted these bribes — typically 10-15 percent of the amount owed to the City — in exchange for removing or extinguishing these financial obligations, including for citations, tax, and water obligations, which caused losses for the City. He also accepted bribes in exchange for delaying or postponing due dates — without approval or permission from other City officials — for payments owed to the City. By adjusting payment due dates, this prevented the City from placing liens on these properties.
Once Gillespie received bribe payments, he then extinguished the financial obligation owed by marking it as paid in the City’s online records. After removing the obligation, Gillespie sometimes sent a photograph of a cashier slip reflecting that the City received payment toward the financial obligation when, in fact, no such payment was made.
The bribery scheme continued for years, and Gillespie admitted that he enlisted the help of multiple co-conspirators. According to the plea agreement, Gillespie received more than $250,000 in connection with the bribery scheme and caused losses to the City in excess of $1.25 million.
Erny faces one charge of Bribery in connection with his role in the bribery scheme. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI for its work in the investigation and the Baltimore County Police Department for its valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Evelyn L. Cusson who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Armed Drug Trafficker Convicted by Federal JuryRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal jury convicted an Elizabeth City man Tuesday on one charge of possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Charles Gregory, 36, was stopped for a traffic violation in Elizabeth City on August 7, 2022. An Elizabeth City police officer observed Gregory, the sole occupant of the car, toss an item out the window before coming to a stop. Officers recovered the tossed item from the street and found it to be a bag containing multiple smaller baggies of crack cocaine. Officers placed Gregory under arrest and searched the vehicle, where they found a stolen pistol in the glovebox. Gregory later made statements on recorded jail phone calls about the drugs and gun. Gregory is a convicted felon who has multiple prior felony drug convictions, including possession of cocaine and sell/deliver a Schedule II controlled substance.
Charles Gregory faces a mandatory minimum of five years of imprisonment and a statutory maximum of life imprisonment when sentenced on a later date.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan accepted the verdict. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Elizabeth City Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office and the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phil Aubart and Jermaine Sellers 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. 2:23-CR-14.
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Ardmore Resident Sentenced for Federal Firearm CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Michael Adrian Wrenn, age 36, of Ardmore, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 92 months in prison for one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Ardmore Police Department.
On December 31, 2024, Wrenn pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on December 9, 2023, Wrenn stole a semi-automatic handgun from an Ardmore, Oklahoma gun store. Prior to taking the weapon, Wrenn had been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Wrenn will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Amsterdam Man Sentenced to Prison for Possessing over 3 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jose Carrero, age 36, of Amsterdam, New York, was sentenced today to 87 months in prison for possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement.
On November 4, 2024, DEA agents arrested Carrero after observing him place three kilograms of cocaine into the trunk of his car. He had $1,704 in cash on his person, and a search of his home led to the recovery of an additional 296 grams of cocaine and $70,000 in drug proceeds.
United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement partners, Amsterdam will be free of this major drug dealer for years.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III stated: “Today’s sentencing reflects the hard work and commitment the DEA and our law enforcement partners have in targeting those individuals poisoning our communities. We will continue to target those individuals responsible for pushing illicit narcotics into our communities.”
United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also ordered Carrero to serve 4 years of post-imprisonment supervised release. Carrero administratively forfeited the $70,000 in drug money in his apartment as well as the $1,704 found on his person.
The DEA investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner prosecuted.
Adair County Resident Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Zachary Thomas Carson, a/k/a Zach Thomas Carson, age 36, of Adair County, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Felon in Possession of Ammunition, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.
The Indictment charged Carson with knowingly possessed 297 rounds of ammunition on April 21, 2025, after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Adair County Sheriff’s Office.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Carson will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob R. Parker and Emily Wittlinger represented the United States.
Activity in the U.S. Attorney's OfficeRead the Press Release
Drug Trafficking
Ashley Nicole Haberman, 40, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was sentenced to a total of 144 months’ imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl. According to court documents, beginning in September of 2024, detectives with the Cheyenne Police Department Community Action Team began an investigation into the distribution of fentanyl in the Cheyenne area. Through surveillance and interviews, they were able to track Haberman and her boyfriend at the time, Brady Ehlers’, movements to Colorado where they purchased fentanyl and brought it back to Laramie County to distribute. The investigation revealed that Haberman and other coconspirators were redistributing the fentanyl for several months and that one redistributor sold the fentanyl to another person who overdosed. Detectives also issued search warrants, resulting in the seizure of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia from Ehler’s vehicle and their shared hotel room. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Cheyenne Police Department investigated the crime. Assistance U.S. Attorney Mackenzie Morrison prosecuted the case. U.S. District Judge Scott W. Skadahl imposed the sentence in Casper on June 5, 2025. Case No. 25-CR-00033.
Drug Trafficking & Firearms
Donald Cameron Jackson, 33, of Casper, Wyoming, was sentenced to 155 months followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, and for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to court filings, in September 2024, Jackson was identified as a source of supply for fentanyl in Natrona County. In September and October 2024, Special Agents with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) conducted three controlled purchases of fentanyl from Jackson. A subsequent search warrant was executed at his residence, resulting in the seizure of approximately 218 grams of fentanyl, 11.8 grams of cocaine, and a semi-automatic handgun with a high-capacity drum magazine. Jackson admitted that within the last six months he had obtained and redistributed a half ounce of cocaine and 500 fentanyl pills per week. He also stated that he is prohibited from possessing firearms and he received a firearm as collateral, in exchange for $200 worth of cocaine. DCI investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Makenzie Morrison prosecuted the case. A complaint was filed on Dec. 3, 2024, and Jackson waived indictment, pleading guilty to an Information on March 14. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence in Cheyenne on June 3. Case No. 25-00031Tristan Brynn Larsen, 40, of Hudson, Wyoming, was sentenced to 120 months with five years of supervised release to follow for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and fentanyl analogue (Carfentanil) and for possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to court records, in September 2024, while investigating drug distribution activity on the Wind River Indian Reservation, the Rocky Mountain Safe Trails Task Force (RMSTTF) identified Larsen as a local source of supply for drugs. During the investigation, law enforcement purchased fentanyl from Larsen and obtained a search warrant for her vehicle and residence. On Oct. 4, 2024, Larsen was identified and stopped by law enforcement at which time she admitted to having fentanyl on her person. Firearms were also located in her vehicle. Larsen later admitted to purchasing large quantities of fentanyl tablets and fentanyl powder in Denver and redistributing them in Fremont County. The RMSTTF is a joint undertaking of the FBI, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), and local law enforcement agencies. RMSTTF is tasked with identifying and disrupting the distribution of controlled substances in and around the Wind River Indian Reservation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy W. Gist prosecuted the case. A complaint was filed on Nov. 1, 2024, and Larsen waived indictment, pleading guilty to an Information on March 14. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence in Cheyenne on June 2. Case No. 25-00036
Illegal Re-Entry of a Previously Deported Alien
Marco Mejia-Montiel, 36, of Hueyotlipan, Tlaxcala, Mexico, was sentenced to time served and will be deported for illegal reentry into the United States. According to court documents, on Sept. 16, 2024, Mejia-Montiel was arrested by the Jackson Police Department for the violation of a protection order, a probation violation and contempt of court. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was contacted, the defendant’s fingerprints were examined against their database, and a match was found. They determined that Mejia- Montiel had previously been removed from the U.S. and had not applied for permission to reenter after being formally removed in August 2018, September 2021, May 2024, and June 2024. ICE investigated the crime, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence in Cheyenne on June 3. Case No. 25-CR-00069
Public Land Violations
Timothy Steury II, age 31, of Eugene, Oregon, was sentenced to 10 days of incarceration, with credit for 6 days previously served. On June 3, Steury pled guilty to refusing to submit to an official breath test after being stopped by law enforcement and suspected of driving while impaired, contempt of court for refusing to comply with a validly issued warrant for his blood, and speeding. He was also ordered to pay $1,060 in fines and court costs and placed on 2 years of unsupervised probation, terms of which include a ban from Yellowstone National Park during that time. The refusal of a breath test conviction was also reported to the state that issued Mr. Steury’s driver’s license. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick imposed the sentence in Mammoth.
10 June 2025
Wolf Point man pleads guilty to distributing meth to a minorRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS - A Wolf Point man accused of distributing methamphetamine to a minor admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The defendant, Brickie Cole Jackson, 36, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine to a person under 21 years of age. Jackson faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 1 year, a maximum term of 40 years, a $2,000,000 fine, and at least 6 years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for October 30, 2025. Jackson was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that in November 2023, law enforcement responded to Wolf Point High School after a student, Jane Doe, admitted drug use and tested positive. Doe, a 16-year-old female, disclosed she had gone to Jackson’s house, and he provided her with methamphetamine. Doe said she had gone to the house multiple times over multiple days and Jackson provided her with methamphetamine on several occasions in November.
In January 2024, Doe again admitted to hanging out with Jackson at his house over multiple days. He again provided Doe with methamphetamine.
Jackson was interviewed. He admitted providing Doe with methamphetamine but said he believed she was 18 years old. Jackson said Doe stayed with him on two occasions, and he gave her about a gram of meth each time she stayed at his house.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI, Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice, and Wolf Point Police Department conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
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Waco Man Federally Indicted After Allegedly Shooting Police K9 with Machine GunRead the Press Release
WACO, Texas – A federal grand jury in Waco returned an indictment today charging a Waco man with one count of possession of an unregistered firearm.
According to court documents, Darrin King allegedly fled from Waco Police officers, who were dispatched to a civil disturbance involving a firearm on May 28. A police K9 was deployed in pursuit of King, who allegedly produced a firearm and fired multiple shots at the dog, striking the K9 twice in the neck and once in the chest. King was subsequently taken into custody and the firearm was recovered. The firearm was allegedly equipped with a machinegun conversion device (MCD), also known as a “Glock switch,” allowing the firearm to fire as a fully automatic weapon. MCDs are defined as machineguns under the National Firearms Act, even when not installed.
The injured K9 survived his life-threatening injuries but, due to the extent of the injuries, will be medically retired.
King faces up to 10 years in prison, if convicted. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Waco Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Blanton is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Utica Sex Offender Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Distributing, Receiving, and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Dustin Smith, age 31, of Utica, New York, was sentenced last week to 20 years in prison for distributing, receiving, and possessing child pornography. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III, Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office, and Steven G. James, New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent made the announcement.
As part of his prior guilty plea, Smith admitted that he had a 2013 conviction for sexual abuse in the first degree and that in 2022, while under parole supervision for that conviction, he possessed a cell phone which he used to send, receive, and possess thousands of images and videos of child pornography. Specifically, Smith admitted that he used the cell phone to exchange videos of child pornography with at least two identified minor children.
In addition to the 20-year prison sentence, Senior United States District Judge David N. Hurd also imposed a 15-year term of supervised release, to begin after Smith’s prison sentence is complete. Additionally, Smith must pay $102,000 in restitution to the victims of his offenses, forfeit the device he used to commit the crimes, and register as a sex offender upon his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Sarcone stated, “While under parole supervision, Smith distributed child pornography to a minor, demonstrating that he cannot be at liberty without harming children. With this 20-year sentence, our children are safer.”
HSI Special Agent in Charge Keegan said, “Northern New York is undoubtedly a safer place with Dustin Smith behind bars. This sex offender has an admitted history of abhorrent crimes against children. HSI Syracuse stands in lockstep with our law enforcement partners in our shared commitment toward justice on behalf of our communities.”
HSI investigated this case with assistance from the New York State Police Computer Crimes Unit, New York State Parole, and Oneida County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica N. Carbone prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Warns of Scams Targeting SeniorsRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – Acting U.S. Attorney Carol M. Skutnik joins leaders across the country to recognize June as Elder Abuse Awareness Month. The initiative brings attention to the types of abuse that can affect some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, senior citizens.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Northern District of Ohio is committed to combatting fraud in all its forms, and in particular, financial schemes that target older victims for their money.
“Seniors are frequently targets of financial exploitation. These fraudsters will use unsolicited text messages, spam emails, and robocalls, to find ways to take the hard-earned money that victims have saved up over the years,” said Skutnik. “Scammers will even pretend to be government officials and frighten seniors into giving them their money using elaborate stories and tactics. We’ve seen some individuals lose their entire life savings. Together with our state, local and federal law enforcement partners we’ll investigate and prosecute these perpetrators to protect our seniors.”
While the USAO can seek justice for victims, Skutnik recommends being vigilant and informed to prevent these crimes from happening. Here are some of the types of scams that typically target older adults:
- Cryptocurrency scams, where a victim is promised large returns by investing in cryptocurrency.
- Lottery scams, where a caller convinces a senior that they have won money, but they must first pay a fee or tax before claiming the prize.
- Grandparent scams, where a scammer convinces a senior that their grandchildren have been arrested and need money for bail.
- Romance or friendship scams, where the victim is convinced by their new acquaintance that they need money for any number of reasons.
- Government agent schemes, where victims are told they owe back taxes by fake IRS agents or are contacted by someone posing as a Social Security employee and told to provide money to fix a problem with their account.
- Money Mule scams, where a scammer recruits seniors to send or receive money or packages.
- Tech support scams, where victims will click on a pop up message on their computer claiming that there is malware or a virus on a device and can offer assistance in exchange for money.
There are countless ways that fraudsters use to trick people into giving them money. Other fraud cases in Northern Ohio that have affected older victims include sports betting, investing in gold, wine or whiskey.
- Sports betting scam
- Gold bar investing scam
- Wine and whiskey scam
- Theft from a caretaker
To report elder financial abuse, visit tips.fbi.gov/home or justice.gov/elderjustice/financial-exploitation.
U.S. Attorney's Office Co-Hosts 3rd Annual “Walk for Awareness ” Ahead of World Elder Abuse Awareness DayRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In advance of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is joining Age-Friendly Mecklenburg and AARP-Charlotte to co-host the 3rd Annual Walk for Awareness on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at Freedom Park in Charlotte. Registration for the walk opens at 8:00 a.m. at Shelter #5 (adjacent to bandshell). The walk will begin at 9:00 a.m.
“Elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation affects too many older adults in our communities. Sadly, crimes against the elderly often go unreported. That’s why it’s important to raise awareness about what financial, physical, or emotional abuse looks like and how to seek help. By participating in events like this walk, we can all take an important step toward protecting our elders to ensure that they can live their advanced years with safety and dignity,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson.
First recognized on June 15, 2006, by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) seeks to promote a better understanding of the abuse and neglect suffered by millions of older adults, and bring attention to the cultural, social, economic, and demographic factors that contribute to elder abuse.
Financial exploitation is one of the fastest-growing crimes against older adults. According to the FBI’s Internet Crimes Report, a record number of financial losses were reported in 2024, totaling a staggering $16.6 billion. As a group, those over the age of 60 suffered the most financial losses ($4.8 billion) and submitted the most complaints (147,127). North Carolina ranked #9 in the number of complaints submitted to IC3 and #12 in reported financial losses. The report further indicates that investment fraud, tech support scams, extortion schemes and non-payment/non-delivery scams continue to impact older adults disproportionately, and government impersonation, romance scams, and phishing schemes continue to cost millions in losses for the 60+ population.
“It is not that older adults are more gullible,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson, “it’s that they have built up the assets that make them targets for criminals.”
Through prosecutions, the U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to combat elder fraud involving domestic and transnational perpetrators. Major strides have already been made to that end:
- In May, a California man was indicted for allegedly orchestrating a $4 million investment scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable victims.
- In March, a Nigerian national pleaded guilty to laundering millions in criminal proceeds linked to criminal activity, including romance scams that targeted older adults.
- In March, a foreign national was extradited from Spain to face charges in Western North Carolina for an alleged international “tech support” scheme that targeted victims across the United States, including victims who were 55 and older.
In addition to prosecuting elder fraud cases, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, through its Elder Justice Initiative, partners with law enforcement agencies, local governments, and community organizations to ensure that older adults, caretakers, and those who come in frequent contact with the elderly are educated on how to detect, prevent, and report elder fraud, neglect, and abuse.
In May, the U.S. Attorney’s Office participated in Age Friendly Mecklenburg’s annual Scam Jam to help educate older Americans on how to spot the tell-tale signs of potential scams and where to seek help if fraud is suspected.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office continues its efforts to educate the public by distributing the latest trends in schemes targeting older adults and sharing tips on how to be protected from scammers.
Additional financial schemes targeting older Americans are:
- Tech Support Scams – Convince victims to pay for non-existent problems with their computers.
- Non-Payment/Non-Delivery Scams – Induce victims to pay for goods or services online, but never receive them. A variation of this scheme is victims receiving emails or texts messages that appear to be from legitimate shipping companies (e.g., UPS, FedEx) with fake non-delivery notifications, claiming that payment or additional personal information is required to complete a package delivery.
- Romance Scams – Lull victims into believing they are in an online romantic relationship and their paramour needs money to pay for a visit to the U.S. or for some other purpose.
- Grandparent Scams – Dupe victims into thinking that their grandchildren or other relatives are in trouble and need money right away for bail or another emergency.
- Charity Scams – Solicit donations for fake charities, or by altering or “spoofing” caller IDs to show the name of a real charity on the phone.
- Lottery Scams – Scammers use phone calls, letters, or emails to convince victims that a large fee or taxes must be paid before they can receive lottery winnings.
- Debt Collection Scams – Victims are threatened with arrest and jail time if payment for a fake debt is not made immediately.
- Money Mule/Money Laundering Scams – Convince victims to use their existing or new bank accounts to quickly move funds in and out of those accounts. Generally, the transferred funds are proceeds of other criminal schemes (such as romance schemes) and victims are unwittingly being used to launder the ill-gotten funds.
- Timeshare Scams – Fraudsters target timeshare owners with false promises of resale and exit from their timeshares for a fee.
- Sham Business Opportunities – Convince victims to invest in lucrative business opportunities or fake investments.
Here are some tips on how to avoid falling victim to a financial scam:
- Don’t share personal or financial information with anyone you don’t know.
- If the person asking the information claims to be a relative, a friend, someone you know, or a representative of a financial institution or government agency, do not respond right away. Instead, contact the person/entity independently or ask a trusted family member or friend for help.
- Don’t pay a fee for a prize or lottery winning.
- Don’t click on pop-up ads, messages, or virus warnings.
- Delete phishing emails, do not respond to texts from unknown numbers, and ignore harassing phone calls.
- Don’t send gift cards, checks, money orders, wire money, or give your bank account information to a stranger or someone who claims to be a relative without verifying the person’s identity.
- Don’t fall for a high-pressure sales pitch or lucrative business deals.
- If you suspect fraud, take the time to talk to a trusted friend or family member.
- It’s not rude to say, “NO.”
- Keep in mind that if you send money once, you’ll be a target for life.
- A good rule of thumb is, if it’s too good to be true, it’s likely a scam.
- And remember, there is no shame in falling victim to an online scammer. These are professional criminals that use tried-and-true tactics to perpetrate fraud.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office urges the public to report suspected elder fraud by calling the Justice Department’s Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311) or visiting the Elder Justice Initiative at Justice.gov/elderjustice for additional information and resources.
U.S. Attorney Announces Extradition of Pakistani National Who Targeted Jewish Center in Brooklyn for Terrorist AttackRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton; the Attorney General for the United States, Pamela Bondi; the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Christopher G. Raia; and the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), Jessica S. Tisch, announced today that Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a/k/a “Shahzeb Jadoon,” has been extradited from Canada to the United States to face charges for attempting to enter the United States and carry out a mass shooting with automatic weapons at a prominent Jewish center in New York. The case is pending before U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe. KHAN will make his initial appearance in court tomorrow, June 11, 2025, before Chief Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn.
“As alleged, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan attempted to enter the United States to carry out a deadly terrorist attack on a Jewish center in New York City,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “He planned to use automatic weapons to kill as many members of our Jewish community as possible, all in support of ISIS. Khan’s deadly, antisemitic plan was thwarted by the diligent work of our law enforcement partners and the career prosecutors in this Office who are committed to rooting out antisemitism and stopping terror. Thanks to their efforts, Khan will now face justice in New York.”
“The foreign terrorist organization ISIS remains a clear and present danger to the American people, and our Jewish citizens are especially targeted by evil groups like these,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice is proud to help secure this extradition, and we will prosecute this man to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Muhammad Shahzeb Khan has been brought to the United States to face justice for his barbaric plot to conduct a mass shooting in New York City,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia. “Due to the dedication and commitment of the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force and our partners here and internationally, we were able to disrupt Khan’s evil plans before he could carry them out. The FBI will do whatever it takes to defend our nation from those wishing to carry out acts of terrorism, wherever in the world they may be located.”
“Muhammad Shahzeb Khan—a supporter of ISIS and fueled by antisemitism—allegedly plotted a terrorist attack that could have slaughtered Jewish New Yorkers simply because of their faith,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “Thanks to the proactive work of the NYPD, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, that plot was stopped before it could become a tragedy. This case is a powerful reminder of the ongoing efforts by the NYPD and our law enforcement partners to prevent acts of hate and protect our communities, because bigotry and antisemitism have no place in our city. And we will never hesitate to hold accountable anyone who threatens the safety of New Yorkers.”
As alleged in the charging instruments and other public filings:[1]
In or about November 2023, KHAN, a Pakistani national residing in Canada, began posting on social media and communicating with others on an encrypted messaging application about his support for ISIS, including by distributing ISIS propaganda videos and literature. KHAN then began communicating with two undercover law enforcement officers (collectively, the “UCs”) about his desire and plan to carry out terrorist attacks in the United States in support of ISIS. During those conversations, KHAN confirmed that he and a U.S.-based associate (“Associate-1”) had been planning to carry out a terrorist attack in a particular U.S. city (“City-1”) using AR-style assault rifles to “target[] Israeli Jewish chabads . . . scattered all around [City-1].”[2] During subsequent conversations, KHAN repeatedly instructed the UCs to obtain AR-style assault rifles, ammunition, and other materials to carry out the attacks, and identified locations in City-1 where the attacks would take place. Khan also told the UCs that he had identified a human smuggler who would help him cross the border from Canada into the United States for the attack.
In or about August 2024, KHAN changed his target to New York City. Specifically, KHAN told the UCs that the target location would now be a prominent Jewish religious center in Brooklyn, New York (“Location-1”). KHAN conveyed that he hoped to carry out this attack on or around October 7, 2024—which KHAN recognized as the one-year anniversary of the brutal and deadly terrorist attacks in Israel carried out by the foreign terrorist organization Hamas. KHAN told the UCs that “New york is perfect to target jews” because it has the “largest Jewish population in america,” and, as such, “even if we dont attack a[n] Event[,] we could rack up easily a lot of jews.” KHAN then told the UCs that he intended to kill as many Jewish civilians as possible, proclaiming that “we are going to nyc to slaughter them,” and later sent a photograph to the UCs of the specific enclosed area inside of Location-1 where KHAN planned to carry out his attack. In the days that followed, KHAN continued to urge the UCs to acquire AR-style rifles, hunting knives to “slit their throats,” and other equipment for the attack, and reiterated his desire to carry out this attack in support of ISIS. During one such communication, KHAN noted that “if we succeed with our plan this would be the largest Attack on US soil since 9/11.”
On or about September 4, 2024, KHAN attempted to reach the U.S-Canada border using a human smuggler to enter the United States and carry out his attack. KHAN traveled from the vicinity of Toronto, Canada toward the United States, before he was stopped in or around Ormstown, Canada, approximately 12 miles from the U.S.-Canada border.
* * *
KHAN, 20, a Pakistani citizen who was residing in Canada, is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The potential maximum sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding efforts of the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force of the FBI, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the New York City Police Department, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies, and thanked the FBI’s Los Angeles and Chicago Field Offices, the New York State Police, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, and the Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division for their assistance. Mr. Clayton also thanked our law enforcement partners in Canada, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Department of Justice Canada’s International Assistance Group, for their assistance.
This case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaylan E. Lasky and David J. Robles are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Kevin Nunnally of the Counterterrorism Section.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the charging instruments and other public filings to date constitute only allegations, and every fact described herein should be treated as an allegation.
[2] “Chabad” is a branch of Hasidic Judaism, as well as a movement that operates Jewish religious and educational institutions around the world.
Two Dallas Men Charged with Assaulting a Federal Agent with a Deadly Weapon and Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
Andres Saucedo, Jr., of Dallas, was charged and arrested on June 4, 2025, for shooting at an undercover FBI Task Force Officer who was surveilling Saucedo to interrupt and stop a robbery of methamphetamine from another individual in the Dallas, Texas area, announced Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson.
According to a criminal complaint filed June 3, 2025, Saucedo and another individual, Angel Flores, were involved in importing and trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine and heroin obtained from a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization. Court documents reveal that Flores sold undercover agents a kilogram of heroin for $7,200 in the Dallas area late last year. Flores, Saucedo, and others working with them continued selling kilogram quantities of methamphetamine to numerous other individuals from that time until Flores was arrested on May 21, 2025. The two even orchestrated the sale of two kilograms of methamphetamine on May 20, 2025, the day before Flores was apprehended by FBI SWAT.
During the investigation, according to court documents, agents discovered that Flores, Saucedo, and others plotted to rob another drug trafficker of thirty to forty kilograms of methamphetamine on May 19, 2025. While surveilling Flores and Saucedo to prevent this robbery, Flores and Saucedo realized they were being followed and attempted to lure two federal agents to a place where other coconspirators in their group would ambush and shoot them. Before reaching the planned ambush location, Saucedo fired a gun at an undercover FBI Task Force Officer in one of the vehicles. The undercover officer was an FBI Task Force Officer with the Dallas Police Department who was working with the OCDETF North Texas Strike Force. The Task Force Officer was not struck by the gun fire but had to abandon surveillance at that time for safety.
The complaint charges Saucedo with his role in conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, as well as assaulting, resisting, or impeding a federal agent by using a dangerous and deadly weapon. Flores was also charged by complaint with similar crimes in May 2025.
Saucedo was previously convicted in Federal District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division in December 2011, for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced to serve 144 months in federal prison by United States District Judge Terry Means in 2012. Court documents reflect that in that case, Saucedo also conspired with a group of individuals who not only distributed cocaine, but also robbed other drug traffickers as well.
At his initial appearance on Friday, June 6, 2025, in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian McKay, Saucedo was detained in federal custody. Flores previously appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rebecca Rutherford on Friday, May 23, 2025, and was also detained in federal custody. If convicted, Saucedo and Flores face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
“We are fighting drug trafficking on multiple dangerous fronts, as demonstrated by this case,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson. “Beyond the tragic effects of the illegal drugs that cross our country’s border and flood our communities, drug traffickers unleash significant violence on each other, in our neighborhoods, and against the brave law enforcement officers attempting to stop them. The full prosecution of those in the drug trade and the violence they bring is a top priority for the safety of our law enforcement partners and our citizens.”
“This incident serves as a stark reminder of the danger agents and task force officers face every day,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “The FBI stands by our colleagues as they carry out their duties to keep our communities safe and pledge to investigate those who use violence against law enforcement.”
“Assaulting a Federal Agent can never be tolerated and undermines the very fabric of our ability to conduct drug investigations safely and effectively,” said Eduardo A. Chávez, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Dallas Field Division. “We do our jobs to make our community safer, and we will use every tool available to investigate and prosecute those who feel violent acts against our agents are held accountable.”
“The Dallas Police Department could not be more proud of the work that was done by the women and men of not only our department, but our Federal partners as well,” said Chief of Police Daniel Comeaux of the Dallas Police Department. “These joint task force and collaborations are essential in keeping our community and its members safe.”
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
This operation was conducted by the OCDETF North Texas Strike force with Special Agents and Task Force Officers from DEA, FBI, HSI, the Dallas Police Department, Grand Prairie Police Department and Coppell Police Department all participating.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Coker is prosecuting the case.This investigation 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 OCDETFs and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Two Charged with Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two men have been charged for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Ramon Garcia-Parra, 37, a Mexican national, and Abraham Acevedo-Hernandez, 32, of Kansas City, Mo., were charged in a criminal complaint in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, June 5, 2025.
The complaint alleges that Ramon Garcia-Parra and Abraham Acevedo-Hernandez conspired to distribute methamphetamine. As part of the conspiracy, the defendants delivered approximately 10 kilograms of methamphetamine during a controlled purchase on June 2, 2025.
Trinidad Garcia-Parra, 40, a Mexican national and relative of Ramon Garcia-Parra, has also been charged in a separate criminal complaint in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, June 5, 2025, with illegal re-entry. Trinidad Garcia-Parra had previously been removed from the United States on two prior occasions.
The charges contained in these complaints are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Smith. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department, and the Internal Revenue Service.
KC Metro Strike Force
This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
Operation Take Back America
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Texas Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Brandon Lee Smith, age 30, of Wichita Falls, Texas, entered a guilty plea to one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm, punishable by up to fifteen years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.
The Indictment charged Smith with knowingly possessing a semi-automatic pistol on January 18, 2025, after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Ardmore Police Department.
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Smith will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Tate County Man Sentenced to 71 Months for Possession of a Machine GunRead the Press Release
Oxford, MS – A Tate County man was sentenced today to 71 months in prison for the illegal possession of a machine gun.
According to court documents, Mohammad Hussam Amro, also known as Mohammad HG Amro, 34, of Sarah, Mississippi, previously pled guilty to possession of a machine gun. U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock sentenced Amro to 71 months in prison to be followed by a term of three years of supervised release. Amro was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals following sentencing.
The evidence before the court at sentencing was that the Tate County Sheriff’s Department responded to a domestic violence call at the defendant’s residence and that upon their arrival, they located numerous firearms and weapons, including the machine gun.
U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner of the Northern District of Mississippi said, “The illegal possession of a machine gun is an offense that must be pursued by law enforcement, especially when it is found during a domestic violence incident. Protecting lives from domestic violence and gun violence is a high priority with the Department.”
“The illegal possession of a machinegun is a significant threat to public safety,” said ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. “This defendant possessed this dangerous firearm during a domestic violence incident causing harm. The sentence imposed today sends a message to anyone who chooses to unlawfully possess or use a machinegun, they will be held accountable as we work with our partners to keep our neighborhoods safe.”
This case was investigated by the Tate County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by AUSA John Herzog Jr.
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.
Tennessee Woman Pleads Guilty to Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Ellison C. Travis announced that Trisha Milstead, age 53, of Newport, Tennessee, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson to wire fraud.
According to admissions made as part of her guilty plea, beginning in May 2024 and continuing through July 2024, Milstead engaged in a scheme to defraud two credit unions and three small businesses - a business in Tennessee that sells recreational vehicles (RVs) and travel trailers, a used car dealership in North Carolina, and a new and used car dealership in Gonzales, Louisiana.
Milstead opened new accounts online at a financial institution based in California and attempted to fund the accounts by initiating wire transfers from an account that she purportedly held at another financial institution based in Mississippi, knowing that she did not have any account at the Mississippi institution and that the transfers were fraudulent. Before the financial institutions realized that Milstead’s transfers should be reversed, however, she accessed the first institution’s online “bill payment” system and issued several large checks drawn on her accounts.
Milstead used one of the fraudulent checks in the amount of $38,000, to obtain a Ford F-150 Raptor truck from a dealership in North Carolina, another fraudulent check in the amount of $49,044.42 to obtain a 2020 Cadillac XT5 luxury sport utility vehicle from a dealership in Gonzales, Louisiana, and other fraudulent check in the amount of $35,350 to attempt to purchase a recreational vehicle from the business in Tennessee.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations and the Gonzales Police Department with valuable assistance from Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Department and Rutherford County (North Carolina) Sheriff’s Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alan A. Stevens, who also serves as Senior Litigation Counsel.
Suburban Chicago Physician Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago physician has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for billing Medicaid and private insurers for nonexistent and unnecessary services.
MONA GHOSH owned and operated Progressive Women’s Healthcare, S.C., a medical office in Hoffman Estates, Ill., specializing in obstetrics and gynecology services. From 2018 to 2022, Ghosh submitted and caused her employees to submit fraudulent claims to Medicaid, TRICARE, and numerous other insurers for procedures and services that were not medically necessary, including endometrial ablations and biopsies, ultrasounds, vaccinations, laboratory blood tests, and tests for sexually transmitted diseases. Some of the procedures were performed without patient consent. Ghosh also fraudulently overstated the length and complexity of in-office and telemedicine visits and submitted claims using billing codes for which the visits did not qualify in order to seek higher reimbursement rates. Ghosh prepared false patient medical records to support the fraudulent reimbursement claims.
Ghosh, 52, of Inverness, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to two counts of health care fraud. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Franklin U. Valderrama imposed the ten-year prison sentence and ordered Ghosh to pay approximately $1.5 million in restitution.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Mario Pinto, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; Jason Sargenski, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Southeast Field Office; and Kwame Raoul, Illinois Attorney General. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kavitha Babu and Hayley Altabef.
“When physicians submit fraudulent claims to federal health care programs, they divert taxpayer-funded resources away from those who truly need them,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “Dr. Ghosh’s fraud scheme was particularly egregious because she endangered the health of her patients by performing unnecessary medical procedures, including procedures that severely limited some patients' ability to have children in the future. We applaud the victims’ strength to come forward and confront this defendant. Our Office will fight tirelessly for victims and work diligently with our law enforcement partners to safeguard taxpayer funds and hold accountable those who steal from the American public.”
“Dr. Ghosh spent years traumatizing patients, lying to insurers, and stealing taxpayer money to feed her greed,” said FBI SAC DePodesta. “The depraved conduct uncovered in this case represents an extreme betrayal of trust toward patients who were simply seeking care and integrity from their doctor. The FBI will continue to aggressively pursue and hold accountable any medical professional who seeks to harm patients for their personal enrichment.”
“Physicians and other medical professionals who place profits ahead of patient care do so at the expense of the very people they swore an oath to protect,” said HHS-OIG SAC Pinto. “The sentence imposed in this case reflects the severity of the defendant’s crimes and the harm inflicted on numerous patients. This investigation underscores our agency’s commitment to aggressively pursuing those who fraudulently submit claims to federal health care programs and put patients at risk.”
“It is imperative that our service members have full confidence that the medical care they receive is both legitimate and delivered by healthcare providers who are unwaveringly committed to their well-being,” said DCIS SAC Sargenski. “Today’s outcome should reassure the public that DCIS, alongside our investigative partners, remains steadfast in our pursuit of those who harm the health, safety, and readiness of our men and women in uniform.”
St. Paul Woman Charged with Assaulting Law Enforcement Officers During Lake Street Narcotics Search Warrants, Punching an FBI Agent Upon her ArrestRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Isabel Lopez, 27, of St. Paul, Minnesota, has been charged by federal complaint and indictment with assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
According to court documents, on June 3, 2025, law enforcement officers from multiple federal agencies were executing federal search warrants at eight Twin Cities locations. These search warrants were related to a long-term investigation into narcotics trafficking, money laundering, human trafficking, and related offenses. The investigation began with the seizure of 900 pounds of methamphetamine, with a street value of between $22 million and $25 million.
One of the search warrant locations was the Cuatro Milpas restaurant on Lake Street in Minneapolis. Shortly after the search warrant execution began, a crowd began to gather. The crowd appeared to be under the mistaken belief that law enforcement was present to arrest individuals illegally present in the country for immigration offenses. This was incorrect. In fact, agents were there to collect evidence pursuant to a federal search warrant signed by a federal judge. Indeed, no one was arrested that day. Recognizing the apparent misunderstanding, law enforcement explained the nature of the search warrant to crowd members.
Some people in the crowd engaged in legal protest activity. Lopez, as detailed below, obstructed, impeded, and assaulted federal agents and officers, in violation of federal law. Lopez physically assaulted several agents and officers. She punched, kicked, and shoved agents and officers. Crowd members moved to restrain Lopez. Even as they were doing so, Lopez kicked an FBI agent. Lopez continued to assault federal agents and officers. As law enforcement attempted to depart the scene, Lopez threw a softball at the back of a deputy from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
On June 9, 2025, Lopez was charged by complaint with Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding Officers, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(a)(1). When federal agents attempted to arrest Lopez, she punched an FBI agent in the head.
Today, June 10, 2025, a federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment against defendant Lopez. The grand jury charged Lopez with three counts of Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding Officers, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(a)(1)—two counts related to the assaults Lopez committed during the June 3rd search warrant execution and one count related to Lopez punching an FBI agent at the time of her arrest. The grand jury also charged Lopez with one count of Obstruction of Law Enforcement During Civil Disorder, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 231(a)(3).
“As laid out in the complaint, federal agents were executing federal search warrants signed by a federal judge,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “The search warrants were part of a long-term drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking investigation involving a transnational criminal organization. The defendant physically attacked law enforcement agents in the course of their duties, even as the crowd tried to hold her back. When the defendant was arrested, she doubled-down, punching an FBI agent in the head. Let me make clear: it is against the law to assault or obstruct federal law enforcement agents. We do not punch cops.”
“Assaulting a law enforcement officer engaged in their lawful duties, or damaging government property during a protest, is not protected under the First Amendment — it is a criminal offense,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, will use every available resource to investigate these acts, identify those responsible, and ensure they are held accountable under the law.”
“Our agents were lawfully performing their duties when they were surrounded and obstructed by individuals attempting to interfere with a federal operation. Let me be clear – interfering with federal law enforcement is a crime, and those responsible will be identified and held accountable,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Jamie Holt. “HSI and its partners operate with professionalism, purpose, and the full backing of the law. I fully support the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way every day to uphold public safety. No one should face threats, intimidation, or violence while carrying out the duties entrusted to them by the American people. The safety of our agents and officers will never be compromised.”
“Respect for the rule of law is the foundation of our justice system,” said Special Agent in Charge of ATF Travis Riddle. “When federal law enforcement officers are executing a lawful search warrant, which is part of ensuring due process, interference, especially violent interference, will not be tolerated. Anyone who chooses to escalate these situations and assault officers should expect to be held accountable. Actions have consequences.”
Assaulting a federal agent is not only a criminal act–it is an attack on an individual, a member of our community, and the integrity of the justice system itself,” said Ramsey E. Covington, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “Acts of violence against federal agents will not be tolerated and will be met with swift and appropriate action. This arrest underscores our commitment to upholding the rule of law without compromise and ensuring offenders who attempt to obstruct justice are held fully accountable.”
Lopez made her initial appearance in U.S. District Court today, before Magistrate Judge John F. Docherty. She will remain detained pending a detention hearing.
This case is a result of a criminal investigation conducted by the FBI, HSI, DEA, IRS-CI, ATF, USMS, and Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
South Korean Woman Indicted for Unlawful Procurement of Citizenship by Lying on ApplicationRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Michael M. Simpson announced today that YEON SOOK HWANG, a/k/a “Jackie” (“HWANG”), age 50, was indicted on June 5, 2025 for unlawful procurement of naturalization, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1425(b).
According to the indictment, HWANG made false statements on an Application for Naturalization in 2015 in the Eastern District of Louisiana. She falsely claimed she had not committed any crimes, when, in fact, she had. If convicted, HWANG faces up to ten years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr. of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).