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27 August 2026
Stanislaus County Man Defrauds Victims out of at Least $2.7 Million in Forex Market Investment SchemeRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment against Eshaq M. Nawabi, 27, of Salida, charging him with wire fraud for a scheme to defraud investors, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, between October 2019 and February 2022, Nawabi convinced victims that he was a successful trader in the foreign currency exchange or “forex” market. These victims gave Nawabi thousands of dollars to invest in forex, and their monthly statements showed that they were making a large profit every month. However, Nawabi lied to the victims and fabricated the monthly statements. Instead of investing the money, Nawabi spent it on himself and to keep his fraud scheme going. He leased luxury vehicles including multiple Lamborghinis, a Ferrari, a McLaren, and others.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica M.A. Alegría is prosecuting the case.
The FBI is seeking additional victims in this case. If you believe you may be a victim of Nawabi or his scheme under companies “Nawabi Enterprises” or “Hyperion Consulting Inc.,” please visit: fbi.gov/NawabiVictims.
If convicted, Nawabi faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 24 Months for Threatening to Blow up Schools and Kill California District Attorney’s Office EmployeeRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court for threatening to kill a prominent member of the California District Attorney’s office and bomb area schools.
David William Platek, 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Megan Blair Benton, to two years in federal prison, followed by three years supervised release. Platek previously pleaded guilty to threatening interstate communication.
In 2019, the San Luis Obispo (SLO) County, Calif. District Attorney’s Office charged Platek with identity theft. Eventually, those charges were dismissed. After the dismissal, Platek moved to Springfield, Mo., and blamed a member of the SLO District Attorney’s Office for his prosecution, his “self-exile” to Missouri, and his inability to find employment.
Platek sent his friend, who was living in another state, in excess of 125 pages of text messages. In the text messages, Platek threatened to blow up schools in SLO County, as well as threatened to kill a prominent member of the SLO District Attorney’s Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall D. Eggert. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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.
Six Texas Men Indicted for Robbing a Broken Arrow Man and Stealing 70 Pounds of Illegal MarijuanaRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Six Texas men have been indicted and detained for trial for their involvement in an interstate robbery conspiracy. The scheme, part of which was captured on a home video security system, allegedly involved kicking in a door at a residence in Broken Arrow, wearing masks, carrying a firearm, striking an occupant of the home, and stealing approximately 70 pounds of illegal marijuana.
According to court documents, Jabriel Williams, 33, Darius Devvoin Hinton, 28, Blake Alexander Calvillo, 25, Nathan Haywood Strong, 36, Remond Reeshon Williams, 39, all of Dallas, Texas, and Jeremy Romel Conner, 44, of Athens, Texas, are charged with Conspiracy to Commit Hobbs Act Robbery after allegedly conspiring among themselves and others to commit robbery within the Northern District of Oklahoma.
During detention hearings, prosecutors detailed the robbery in Broken Arrow, which occurred shortly after 4:00 a.m., in July 2025. Some of the defendants wore masks, brandished a firearm, and pistol-whipped a victim after announcing themselves as “Police!” and kicking in the front door of the home in Broken Arrow. When the defendants left, they stole approximately 70 pounds of illegal marijuana and were driven from the scene by co-conspirators.
In the unsealed indictment, Hinton, Calvillo, Conner, and Strong are further charged with Hobbs Act Robbery, which affected interstate commerce. Additionally, Hinton, Conner, and Strong are charged with Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. Lastly, Conner is charged with being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of a felony.
The FBI and the Broken Arrow Police Department are the investigative agencies, with the assistance of the Dallas Police Department and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John W. Dowdell and John Brasher are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. It emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
Shiprock Woman Charged with Assaulting Federal Officer, Endangering Three ChildrenRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock woman has been charged with assaulting a federal officer after allegedly running over a Navajo Police Department officer with a vehicle and fleeing the scene with three young children inside.
According to court documents, on August 21, 2026, Alondria Hope Benally, 24, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, allegedly assaulted a Navajo Police Department officer at a shopping center parking lot in Shiprock, New Mexico. The officer initially responded to reports of a drunk driver in a white SUV with three young children inside. When the officer arrived and attempted to question Benally, she smelled alcohol on her. The officer observed three minor children, two of whom were unrestrained inside the running vehicle.
When the officer attempted to detain Benally to prevent her from fleeing, Benally put the vehicle in gear, crashing into the police unit. As the officer attempted to pull her from the vehicle, Benally stepped on the gas and turned the vehicle’s wheel causing the officer to fall under the vehicle. The officer’s right leg was run over by the vehicle before Benally drove away down Highway 491.
The officer suffered injuries, including a chipped bone in her right leg, extreme pain, and widespread abrasions. Responding officers located Benally and attempted a traffic stop. Benally led police on a high-speed pursuit exceeding 80 mph through the Navajo Nation with the three young minors in her vehicle. Officers ultimately detained Benally, and they observed damage to her vehicle's front passenger fender consistent with the assault.
Benally is charged with assaulting a federal officer and three counts of child abuse. She will remain in third party custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charge, Benally faces up to 20 years in prison on the assault and up to three years imprisonment on the counts of child abuse.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allysa B. Gambarella is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Serial Child Predator Sentenced to 204 Months’ Imprisonment for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced that Christopher Robert Nelson, 45, of Eagan, Minnesota, was sentenced to 204 months in prison with five years of supervised release for the production of child pornography.
According to court documents, on or about January 13, 2023, Nelson knowingly enticed and coerced a then-11-year-old girl to engage in sexually explicit conduct. The defendant communicated with the girl through a messaging application and directed her to send sexually explicit content to him, and he would send money through a peer-to-peer money transfer application.
On September 9, 2023, Nelson returned to the United States from the Philippines and a Customs and Border Patrol agent conducted a border search of the defendant’s phone as his passport was flagged for possible involvement in child sex trafficking. Agents found several videos that appeared to be child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Following a forensic extraction of Nelson’s phone, agents found approximately 400 images and videos of CSAM. The images and videos found on the defendant’s phone were sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) for victim identification. The NCMEC report revealed 25 known victims across 46 different CSAM series. Law enforcement also found videos on Nelson’s phone depicting children, with ages ranging from eight to twelve years old, from Thailand engaging in sexual acts.
Additionally, law enforcement found messages between Nelson and an individual who claimed to be a mother in the Philippines and on his plans to travel to the country to have sex with children.
Nelson was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz on August 27, 2026. Nelson previously pleaded guilty on November 12, 2025.
“The defendant is a serial child predator whose heinous actions have created irreparable harm to vulnerable children in the United States and other countries. My office has an unwavering commitment to protect children and bring justice to the victims and their families,” said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.
“Today, alongside our partners, we stopped a serial sexual abuser from harming children for the next 204 months,” said HSI St. Paul Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard. “Christopher Nelson’s crimes were monstrous, and they underscore why our work with the Angel Watch Center and our law enforcement partners is so critical. We will keep fighting to bring predators to justice and protect children in our communities and around the world.”
This case was the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and other law enforcement partners.
Assistant United States Attorney Raphael B. Coburn prosecuted this case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
San Diego Man Sentenced to Eleven Months for Mailing a Threatening LetterRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – George Russell Isbell, Jr. (70, San Diego) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge John L. Badalamenti to eleven months in federal prison for mailing a threatening communication. He pleaded guilty on June 24, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, on or about September 18, 2025, Isbell mailed an angry, offensive, and threatening letter from San Diego, California to his victim, a media personality located in Tampa. In the letter, Isbell referenced one of the victim’s friends, Mr. Charlie Kirk, a conservative political activist who had recently been murdered during a public engagement on a college campus. The letter went on to state:
“Maybe someone will blow your head off!!! We can hope! Planning any public engagements? Love to see your head explode and your blood stain the concrete red. What a sight!”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Tampa Field Office, the Tampa Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Additional
support was provided by the FBI San Diego Field Office, the San Diego Police Department, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Wheeler, III.
San Antonio Felon Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Federal Prison for ATM BombingsRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio felon was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 140 months in prison for two charges related to ATM explosions in September 2025 and his illegal possession of multiple firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.
According to court documents, Dustin Jay Ammons, 44, attempted to destroy ATMs at two San Antonio banks on Sept. 12 and Sept. 26, 2025. Surveillance video showed Ammons arriving at the banks in a black Ram 3500 pickup truck, wearing black gloves with a skeleton hand design, a black hooded jacket or sweatshirt, dark blue pants, and black and white training shoes, and placing pipe bombs at the ATMs. The footage from both videos also showed explosions that resulted in unsuccessful breaches of the machines.
On Dec. 12, 2025, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a federal search warrant at Ammons’s residence. Inside the garage, agents discovered a homemade explosives lab containing Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate (PETN). Agents also located firearms (including a 9mm short-barreled rifle), magazines, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition throughout the house, as well as a pipe bomb in Ammons’s vehicle.
ATF queried the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR) for Ammons and his address, and found no firearms, short-barreled rifles or destructive devices registered to him. Additionally, Ammons does not possess a license or permit allowing him to possess, manufacture, transfer, or ship explosive materials such as PETN.
Ammons has multiple prior felony convictions, including assault/family violence, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of burglary tools, and multiple counts of theft and burglary of a building. On April 30, he pleaded guilty to one count of felon in possession of a firearm and one count of transporting explosives. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced Ammons to 120 months in federal prison for the explosives charge and 140 months for the felon in possession charge, both penalties to be served concurrently.
The ATF, FBI, and San Antonio Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the San Antonio Arson and Bomb Squad and Bexar County Fire Marshal.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Wannarka prosecuted the case.
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Red Lodge man sentenced to six years in prison for possessing child pornographyRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Red Lodge man who had Child Sex Abuse Material (CSAM) on his phone was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Jeremy Dean Ruby, 50, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to possessing child pornography.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. A hearing was scheduled for Nov. 5, 2026, to determine how much Ruby should be required to pay his victims in restitution.
The government alleged in court documents that Ruby kept videos on his phone that contained Child Sex Abuse Material. From July 2024 to March 2025 law enforcement suspected Ruby of trafficking illegal drugs and obtained a warrant to search his home where they collected his cell phone. On the phone, investigators found hundreds of videos of CSAM involving children between the ages of 2 and 12.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. The FBI and the Red Lodge Police Department conducted the investigation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to over 2 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing a Firearm and Ammunition as a FelonRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on August 24, 2026.
Tanner Standing Bear, 21, was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Forfeiture was also ordered.
Standing Bear was indicted for two counts of Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in March 2026. He pleaded guilty on May 28, 2026.
On March 3, 2026, Standing Bear was released from the Pennington County Jail. Within a few hours, Standing Bear was in possession of a .22 caliber pistol and fired several rounds near Knollwood Elementary school, causing teachers to quickly gather children that were outside for recess back into the school. Standing Bear had fled by the time law enforcement arrived. Law enforcement located Standing Bear the following day in possession of a second firearm and ammunition. Standing Bear is prohibited from possession firearms and ammunition based on multiple prior felony convictions.
“This was a terrifying situation for all involved,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “I want to commend the staff of Knollwood Elementary for acting so quickly to keep everyone safe.”
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Standing Bear was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Porcupine Man Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Federal Prison for Wire Fraud and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Porcupine, South Dakota, man convicted of one count of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, three counts of Wire Fraud, and three counts of Money Laundering. The sentencing took place on August 24, 2026.
Patrick Ross, age 56, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $4,744,415.36 in restitution.
From May 2006 to November 2024, Ross’s co-defendant worked for the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s (OST) Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO), which enforces the tribal requirement that all employers engaged in business on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation give preference to qualified Native Americans in employment, contracting, and other business or economic development activities. One of the co-defendant’s duties was to collect TERO fee checks from contractors and transfer them to OST’s revenue department for deposit into the tribe’s general fund. OST’s general fund is used for emergency management services, solid waste disposal, water and sewer services, burial assistance, medical assistance, utility assistance, education assistance, and emergency assistance for tribal members in need of food and shelter due to emergencies. Between November 2017 and May 2024, Ross, a former employee of TERO, and his co-defendant, working together, developed a scheme to defraud OST by diverting TERO fee checks totaling more than $4.7 million belonging to the tribe and depositing the checks into Ross’ bank account, which Ross had opened for the purpose of carrying out the scheme to defraud the Oglala Sioux Tribe. The two then split the embezzled funds between themselves and used the funds for their own personal benefit, including purchasing homes and vehicles. Ross is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Ross’ co-defendant, Buffy Redfish, was previously sentenced to 78 months custody.
“As Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald has assured, there is no fraud too big, and no fraud too small, for the Department of Justice to prosecute,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “But this case is one of the big ones. Almost five million dollars, stolen from the Oglala Sioux Tribe and its members by Patrick Ross and Buffy Redfish. Be assured: if you steal from the government, including tribal governments, we have the tools to find you and you will find yourself, in short order, sitting in a federal prison cell.”
“Patrick Ross’s sentencing brings accountability for his role, together with co-defendant Buffy Redfish, in a years‑long scheme that diverted more than $4.7 million from an Oglala Sioux Tribe program. Ross violated the trust placed in him and harmed the community these funds were meant to serve,” said FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson. “The FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting tribal resources, uncovering complex financial fraud, and ensuring that individuals entrusted with public funds meet the highest standards of integrity.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Ross was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Northampton County Man Sentenced to 60 Months’ Imprisonment for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Wei Fu, age 40, of Easton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion to 60 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release, for possessing child pornography.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, following the execution of a search warrant at Fu’s Easton residence in March 2024, investigators found over 10,000 videos and pictures of child pornography on Fu’s electronic devices. The images and videos included those showing the sexual assault of infants and toddlers.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Bethlehem Township Police Department, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Tatum R. Wilson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
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Norman Man Sentenced to Serve 20 Years in Federal Prison for Arson of Deputy's Home and Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – AUSTIN GARRETT REEVES, 29, of Norman, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to serve 240 months in federal prison for arson in Indian Country and possession of firearms after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
“Reeves deliberately and repeatedly targeted law enforcement that escalated to the point of intentionally setting fire to a deputy’s vehicles and home while the deputy and his family were inside, putting innocent lives in grave danger,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. “Although the significant trauma and harm caused by Reeves’ criminal acts cannot be erased, today’s sentence ensures that he is unable to cause further harm in our community and reflects our commitment to hold accountable anyone who targets law enforcement. I applaud the cohesive and exhaustive law enforcement efforts that brought about this just result.”
“Reeves’ actions demonstrate a disturbing disregard for the safety of others and for the law. After setting fire to an occupied home and a law enforcement vehicle, he was found in possession of firearms that he was prohibited from having. His decisions put innocent residents and law enforcement officers in harm’s way and could have resulted in tragic consequences,” said ATF Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Brian W. Garner. “This case is a clear example of the importance of ATF working alongside our state, tribal, and local law enforcement partners to identify dangerous individuals and ensure they are held accountable.”
“The OSBI appreciates our local, state, tribal, and federal partners who worked alongside us during this investigation,” said Greg Mashburn, Director of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI). “All agencies involved worked swiftly and efficiently to apprehend the suspect shortly after the incident occurred that morning. Everyone’s dedication and commitment to this case, specifically following leads and gathering evidence, provided justice for the deputy and his family.”
According to public records, on August 22, 2025, the McClain County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and the Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police Department responded to a reported burglary at the Washington, Oklahoma, home of an MCSO deputy. A handgun was stolen from a family vehicle, and Reeves was located nearby and arrested in connection with the burglary. He was released from the Grady County jail later that day.
Hours after his release, during the early morning of August 23, Reeves returned to the deputy’s residence with a large gas can. Surveillance video captured Reeves pouring gasoline on the deputy’s personal vehicles and an MCSO patrol vehicle before setting the patrol vehicle on fire. The flames spread to the other vehicles and eventually to the residence. Although the deputy and his family members were inside the residence when it caught fire, they were all able to escape without injury. Reeves, however, was burned by the fire before fleeing the scene.
Later that day, law enforcement located Reeves at his home in Norman, where he was taken into custody following a standoff. Officers observed a significant burn on Reeves’ abdomen consistent with his involvement in the arson. Law enforcement also recovered two firearms from his bedroom.
Public records reflect that Reeves has previous felony convictions in Cleveland County District Court that include actual physical control of a vehicle while under the influence in case number CF-20-937 and driving while under the influence of alcohol in case numbers CF-20-752 and CF-21-1175.
On February 3, 2026, Reeves was charged by Superseding Information with arson in Indian Country and being a felon in possession of firearms. On February 24, 2026, he pleaded guilty to the Superseding Information. As part of his plea, Reeves admitted that he willfully and maliciously set fire to the vehicles and residence, placing the lives of those inside the home at risk. He also admitted that he knowingly possessed firearms despite his previous felony convictions.
The arson charge is in federal court because Reeves is a member of the Cherokee Nation and the crime occurred within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation.
At a sentencing hearing on August 27, 2026, U.S. District Judge Patrick R. Wyrick sentenced Reeves to serve 240 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, Judge Wyrick described Reeves’s actions as deeply troubling and expressed the need to protect the public from future crimes by Reeves. Judge Wyrick further noted that Reeves demonstrated a profound lack of respect for the law and law enforcement, and that his actions could have killed innocent victims in our community.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, McClain County Sheriff’s Office, Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police Department, Newcastle Police Department, and the Washington Police Department, with assistance from the District Attorney’s Office for Oklahoma’s 21st Judicial District. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Edgmon and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Ganote prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Newark, New Jersey Man Charged with Human SmugglingRead the Press Release
BURLINGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Edwin Enrique Menjivar, 54, of Newark, New Jersey, has been charged by criminal complaint with human smuggling, specifically the transportation of aliens within the United States in furtherance of their unlawful entry.
On August 25, 2026, Menjivar appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, who ordered that Menjivar be released on conditions pending trial.
According to court records, U.S. Border Patrol Agents were patrolling the international border near Holland, Vermont during the morning hours of August 24, 2026. Agents observed an SUV with a New Jersey license plate driving on a small rural dirt road that has previously been the site of cross-border smuggling activity. Agents conducted surveillance which provided indicators the SUV was likely engaged in smuggling. Further, a vehicle bearing the same New Jersey license plate had previously been encountered near the border during a suspected smuggling event. During a traffic stop of the SUV, agents discovered a person crouched down in the floor area of the front passenger seat of the SUV, attempting to conceal herself. Three people were found in the second row of the SUV, attempting to conceal themselves under blankets. Two additional people were found fully concealed under a blanket in the third row of the SUV. The occupants were determined to be aliens from Mexico, Ecuador, and China.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that Menjivar is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Menjivar faces up to 5 years of imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney David Golubock. Menjivar is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.
New York Woman Convicted of Trafficking FentanylRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A New York woman was convicted by a federal jury yesterday for offenses related to her trafficking of 400 grams or more of fentanyl in April and May 2020, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
Naomi Hernandez, 34, of New York, New York, was convicted for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl on May 13, 2020, and for conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl between April 2020 and May 13, 2020, before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti in Newark federal court yesterday, August 26, 2026 following a one week jury trial. Sentencing is set for January 12, 2027, at 10:00 a.m.
According to documents in this case and the evidence at trial:
In April 2020, Hernandez began communicating with two confidential sources working for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on an online messaging platform, seeking to sell a large quantity of fentanyl. Hernandez, a New York City resident, met with one of the confidential sources in Paterson, New Jersey, twice in April 2020 to hand over samples of the fentanyl she was offering for sale. She then met with the confidential source again in Paterson on May 11, 2020, and sold 98.6 grams of fentanyl for $5,500. She was arrested two days later, on May 13, 2020, riding in a van from her residence in upper Manhattan to Paterson on her way to meet with the confidential source again to sell a larger quantity of fentanyl for $45,000. When law enforcement stopped the van and arrested Hernandez, they also found and seized the 499.6 grams of fentanyl that Hernandez planned to sell to the confidential source.
Hernandez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, and a maximum sentence of life, imprisonment, on each count of conviction. She also faces a maximum fine of $10 million.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Towanda R. Thorne-James, with the investigation. U.S. Attorney Frazer also thanked the members of the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew M. Trombly, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, and Brian N. Sinclair of the Narcotics and International Trafficking Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Lorraine Gauli-Rufo, Esq.
hernandez.indictment.pdfNew Orleans Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Wire FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle announced that TANZANIKA RUFFIN, age 48, of New Orleans, pled guilty to the indictment pending against her for wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1343.
According to court documents, RUFFIN was an attorney with a law office in New Orleans. RUFFIN was retained to represent Client 1 in a criminal case in Orleans Parish in August 2025. RUFFIN falsely informed Client 1 and Client 1’s parents that a police officer had suffered various harms as a result of Client 1’s actions. RUFFIN told Client 1’s family that the District Attorney’s Office required Client 1 to pay $250,000 in restitution. As a result, Client 1’s parents sent RUFFIN $250,000 towards a “settlement” with the police officer. RUFFIN then spent all of the money on personal and unauthorized expenses. In truth and in fact, neither the District Attorney’s Office nor the police officer had requested any funds from Client 1.
“Today, Tanzanika Ruffin admitted her criminal conduct and pled guilty to wire fraud, admitting that she breached her legal and ethical obligations as an attorney by defrauding her client of $250k,” said U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. “As a licensed attorney, the defendant had a duty to protect her clients and uphold the law. Instead, she chose to exploit that position of trust for her own financial gain. This guilty plea is the proper result for the victims who were harmed by the defendant’s scheme. This outcome sends an unmistakable message to the community-the rules apply to everyone. We will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute fraud, regardless of the defendant’s title, stature in the community, or professional standing.”
RUFFIN faces a maximum penalty of twenty (20) years of imprisonment, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. A mandatory $100 special assessment fee is also applicable.
United States District Judge Anna St. John set sentencing for December 3, 2026.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. United States Attorney David I. Courcelle, Assistant United States Attorney Maria M. Carboni of the Public Integrity Unit, and Assistant United States Attorney Tiwana L. Wright of the Financial Crimes Unit are in charge of the prosecution.
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Naples Felon Sentenced to 16 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – Miguel Lauzado Hernandez (37, Naples) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kyle C. Dudek to 16 years in federal prison for distribution of methamphetamine. Hernandez pleaded guilty on June 3, 2025. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, on September 12, 2024, Hernandez sold approximately one pound of methamphetamine to a DEA confidential source in Naples. Hernandez and his co-defendant, Juan Carlos Rodriguez Perez, distributed approximately two pounds of methamphetamine to a DEA confidential source in Naples on February 19, 2025. Perez was previously sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in the offense.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan.
Missoula man sentenced to more than 16 years in prison for distributing child pornographyRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – A Missoula man who admitted distributing Child Sex Abuse Material (CSAM) online was sentenced today to 16 years and eight months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Johnathan Key Tucker, 39, pleaded guilty in March 2026 to distributing and receiving child pornography.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Tucker collected over 27,000 images of Child Sex Abuse Material and distributed at least three CSAM videos.
Tucker was on probation after having been convicted in 2014 of child sex abuse and surreptitiously watching someone without their knowledge. His parole officer, while meeting with Tucker on Sept. 11, 2023, became suspicious that Tucker was using an unauthorized phone.
The officer went to Tucker’s home and searched his room where he found the phone. A forensic analysis found 27,000 images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct and screenshots that showed he had been using an online app to find the material. Analysis also showed Tucker had shared at least three videos with another user through the app.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney prosecuted the case. The Missoula Police Department conducted the investigation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Milton Man Indicted for Assaulting and Injuring a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
BURLINGTON – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on August 27, 2026, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Jesse Roy, 45, of Milton, Vermont, with assaulting and resisting a federal agent while the agent was engaged in the performance of his official duties, and in so doing, inflicting bodily injury. Roy’s arraignment has not yet been scheduled.
According to court records, on June 30, 2026, a Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent working with a Detective from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force went to Roy’s residence in Milton to arrest him on unrelated charges. Roy refused to step outside of his residence and, as the officers tried to enter, Roy resisted and impeded their entry by attempting to push closed his front door. The force Roy exerted on the door as the officers attempted to gain entry resulted in impact to the Special Agent’s right hand, resulting in a torn ligament ultimately necessitating surgery with a 6-to-8-week recovery period.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Roy is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Roy faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the investigatory efforts of the FBI.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Corinne Smith. Roy has not yet retained nor been appointed counsel.
Michigan man sentenced to 18 months in prison for trafficking fentanyl on Rocky BoyRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Michigan man who trafficked fentanyl onto the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 18 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Deion Vincent Brown, 32, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Brown was part of group based out of Detroit that was bringing fentanyl into Montana and selling it around the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation.
Following a tip, law enforcement pulled Brown over near the Reservation in October 2020 and found $15,756 in cash and 81 fentanyl pills. They learned Brown and others from his group had been staying at a home on the reservation. Investigators learned the group had used the house as a base of operations to distribute fentanyl onto the reservation.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.
Mexican National Sentenced in Federal Court for Illegal Reentry after DeportationRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY – U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Mexican man convicted of Illegal Reentry after Deportation. The sentencing took place on August 25, 2026.
Rolando Hernandez-Estrada, 39, was sentenced to time served and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. He will be deported to Mexico.
Hernandez-Estrada was indicted for Illegal Reentry after Deportation by a federal grand jury in March 2026. He pleaded guilty on July 20, 2026.
Hernandez-Estrada is an illegal alien who has been deported from the United States to Mexico on four separate occasions. It is a federal felony to be inside the United States after having been deported. Since being in the United States unlawfully, Hernandez-Estrada has been convicted of domestic abuse, illegal reentry after deportation, and possession of a controlled substance.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.
Mexican National Sentenced for Trafficking over 70 FirearmsRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Mexican man who was a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration status was sentenced to federal prison today for trafficking firearms, announced Scott E. Bradford, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Vincente Cortes Quiroz, 37, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and 3 years’ supervised release.
According to court documents, investigators learned that Quiroz acquired over 120 firearms in Oregon since 2014 from licensed firearms dealers. Quiroz lied by stating he was a United States citizen on many of the firearm purchase forms. Over 70 firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were seized from Quiroz’s residence. Two vehicles Quiroz used in his crime were also seized.
“Getting illegal firearms off the streets is a top priority. Through our collaboration with our law enforcement partners, we removed more than 70 illegal guns, making our community safer,” said Scott E. Bradford.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office, the Salem Police Department, the WIN HIDTA Taskforce, the Washington County Community Violence Reduction Team (CoVRT), the Drug Enforcement Agency, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Sheridan Fire District. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Arin C. Heinz, Jessica Keefer, and Julia Jarrett.
The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.
Mexican National Illegally in the United States Makes Initial Appearance for Using a Counterfeit Foreign Passport to Deceive Victims and Launder MoneyRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – As a result of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation, a Mexican national, who is illegally present in the United States, made his initial court appearance Wednesday for allegedly using a counterfeit passport as identification to open a bank account and launder proceeds from online vehicle sales.
"The theft of identities and fabrication of official foreign travel documents strikes at the heart of our financial and border security systems,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “This office, alongside our federal law enforcement partners, remains committed to dismantling the complex fraudulent networks used by illegal actors to exploit innocent victims and launder illicit funds within our borders.”
“Fraudsters who use counterfeit passports, fake identities and shell accounts to steal from victims should understand that hiding behind paperwork will not shield them from law enforcement,” said Jonathan Sherwin, Deputy Special Agent in Charge for HSI Las Vegas. “Through the Las Vegas Homeland Security Task Force, HSI Las Vegas and our partners will continue to follow the money, expose these schemes and hold accountable those who exploit online marketplaces to defraud the American public.”
"Each arrest is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our Deputies and Task Force Officers,” said U.S. Marshal Gary Schofield. “Bringing these criminals to court to be held accountable for running a multi-state scheme that defrauded our citizens is exactly why our officers work tirelessly to protect our communities."
According to allegations in the indictment, Jose Carlos Dalli Castro, also known as “Julio Castro Lopez,” “Mario Mejia Rojas,” “Alberto Silva Valdez,” Mike Boris Oganov,” and “Amer Daoud Panou,” used a counterfeit Spanish passport to open a personal checking account with the intention to launder money through the bank account. As alleged, he purported to be the seller of vintage restored vehicles and equipment. As part of the scheme, after a victim would make an online purchase, Dalli Castro would then quickly remove the funds from the bank account. He had no intention of selling a vehicle or equipment.
A federal grand jury returned a 20-count indictment charging Dalli Castro with one count of false use of a passport; seven counts of wire fraud; nine counts of money laundering; and three counts of fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents. A jury trial is scheduled to begin October 20, 2026, before United States District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is 10 years’ imprisonment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case was investigated by the Las Vegas Homeland Security Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by the District of Nevada.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The Las Vegas HSTF comprises agents and officers with the FBI, HSI, DEA, ATF, IRS-CI, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, and Nevada Gaming Control Board with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Mexican Fentanyl Manufacturer Pleads Guilty to International Drug Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
A Mexican national pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl for importation into the United States, and conspiracy to distribute listed chemicals for the unlawful importation of a controlled substance.
“For years, Ojeda Elenes manufactured and imported enormous quantities of fentanyl often using precursor chemicals obtained from China, which contributed to the opioid epidemic poisoning our communities,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This case sends a clear message: no matter where they operate, those who manufacture and then traffic deadly drugs into our country will be relentlessly pursued, prosecuted, and brought to justice. To protect the American people, the Criminal Division will continue to use every available tool to dismantle the transnational criminal organizations responsible for this devastation that has occurred in our country.”
“Ojeda Elenes architected the poisoning of Americans by manufacturing fentanyl on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel,” said Associate Chief of Operations Brian Clark, of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Pacific Southwest Region 5. “He obtained precursor chemicals from China, produced fentanyl in a Mexican lab, and fueled addiction from coast to coast, harming our communities. The DEA and HSTF partners will continue to strike at the heart of drug trafficking networks that threaten the safety and wellbeing of the American people.”
“Fentanyl manufacturers like Ojeda Elenes leave death and devastation in communities across the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral-DeArmas of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston. “This guilty plea sends a clear message to those who manufacture and traffic fentanyl into the United States, HSI and our law enforcement partners will find you and bring you to justice. HSI remains committed to dismantling the transnational criminal organizations responsible for importing this deadly drug into our country.”
According to court documents, Hernan Geovani Ojeda Elenes, 48, of Culiacan, Mexico, manufactured large amounts of fentanyl that he then imported into the United States over a course of several years. The documents allege that from at least 2019 to 2024, Ojeda Elenes, worked with his father and co-defendant, Hernan Domingo Ojeda Lopez, and others, to operate a drug trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico.
Ojeda Elenes admitted that he procured large amounts of fentanyl precursor chemicals, such as 4-Piperidone and N-Phenylpiperidin-4-amine, by purchasing them from Chinese companies and shipping them to his lab in Mexico. Ojeda Elenes used these chemicals to manufacture fentanyl which he and others subsequently imported into the United States for further distribution and sale. Over the course of the conspiracy, Ojeda Elenes was ultimately responsible for the creation and distribution of several metric tons of fentanyl.
The plea was accepted by District Court Judge Ana C. Reyes. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Ojada Elenes faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
DEA and HSI are investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance to Ojeda Elenes’ January 2026 transfer from Mexico to the United States pursuant to Mexico’s National Security law. The Department of Justice thanks the Government of Mexico for its assistance in securing Ojeda Elenes’ presence in the United States for prosecution.
Trial Attorneys Erik Cervantes and Kirk Handrich of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section are prosecuting the case.
The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section’s (MNF) mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit investigates and prosecutes the top command and control elements of international drug cartels, drug trafficking organizations and related transnational criminal organizations.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
Methamphetamine Trafficker Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
BOISE – Juan Carlos Delfin, 47, of Salem, Oregon, was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today.
A federal jury convicted Delfin of the crimes following a jury trial in December of 2025. According to evidence presented at trial, Delfin was a leader in a multi-state and international drug trafficking organization with ties to Mexico. Delfin’s son, Cesar Delfin-Cervantes, was also a member of the drug trafficking organization. The organization arranged for large shipments of methamphetamine to be delivered through a network of couriers from Mexico to California and then to Salem, Oregon, where Delfin and his son resided. From there, Delfin and his son organized delivery of the drugs to the Treasure Valley area. Over a span of approximately five months, investigators seized over 215 pounds of methamphetamine from the drug trafficking organization. Over a period of approximately two years, the organization transported and sold hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine.
“This significant sentence is well-deserved and reflects the danger posed to our communities by importing methamphetamine from Mexico and distributing it in our state” said U.S. Attorney Davis. “I am proud of the cooperative efforts of our federal and state law enforcement agencies. Together we will continue to aggressively target and prosecute illegal drug trafficking in Idaho.”
Chief U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford also ordered Delfin to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Judge Brailsford previously sentenced Delfin-Cervantes to 188 months in prison and five years of supervised release for his involvement in the organization. Delfin’s daughter, Esmeralda Delfin-Cervantes, is also alleged to be a member of the drug trafficking organization and has federal drug trafficking charges pending in the District of Oregon.
U.S. Attorney Davis commended the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (the Boise and Salem Resident Agencies), the Nampa Police Department Special Investigations Unit, the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, the Boise Police Department, the Meridian Police Department, the Oregon High Desert Drug Task Force, the Salem Police Department, and the Oregon State Police, which led to the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Morse and Christopher Booker prosecuted this case.
These cases were investigated through the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, which is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force that identifies, disrupts, and dismantles local, multi-state, and international drug trafficking organizations using an intelligence-driven, multi-agency, prosecutor-supported approach. HIDTA is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug program.
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Members of a Midlands Drug Conspiracy Sentenced to Federal Prison in Homeland Security Task Force InvestigationRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Twelve members of a Midlands drug conspiracy have been sentenced to federal prison. In total, over 15 kilograms of fentanyl, 16 kilograms of cocaine, 1.5 kilograms of crystal meth, 1 kilogram of crack cocaine, and 500 grams of meth were attributed to the conspiracy.
The following individuals have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a fentanyl, meth, cocaine, and crack cocaine drug trafficking conspiracy:
- Devin Terell Faulk, 36, of West Columbia, was sentenced to 275 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
- Winner Cheerbinson Cherisol, 65, of Columbia, was sentenced to 85 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
- Willie Geiger, 35, of Gaston, was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
- Bradley Jamal Foster, 31, of Gaston, was sentenced to 57 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
- Darryl Pou, 52, of Columbia, was sentenced to 63 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
- Dasia Mischell Reed, 24, of Gaston, was sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release.
- Kevin Jerrod Mungin, 34, of Columbia, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release.
- Wade Jerome Jenkins, 70, of Columbia, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release.
- Allison Way, 53, of Gaston, was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release.
- Darryl Lewis Brown, 48, of Columbia, was sentenced to time served and a term of supervised release of three years.
- Shyterria Shianne Shonta Suber, 32, of Columbia, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release.
- Donna L. Parks 49, of West Columbia, was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release.
Evidence presented to the court revealed that on March 25, 2021, Lexington County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Faulk on an outstanding warrant and booked him into the Lexington County Detention Center. In October of 2023, Faulk was sentenced to prison for assault and battery 1st degree and trafficking cocaine. During his time in the detention center and continuing until August of 2024 after Faulk was transferred to the South Carolina Department of Corrections, he ran a complex and multi-faceted drug operation.
Cherisol was Faulk’s main supplier of fentanyl and cocaine. Cherisol, a Haitian national, had been previously deported for a federal drug trafficking conviction and was living in the United States unlawfully under a false identity, including false passports and driver’s licenses. Faulk would use contraband phones to set up the quantity of drugs to be purchased from Cherisol. Faulk would then contact his sister, Dasia Reed, to meet Cherisol and purchase the drugs. Reed sometimes obtained money for the purchases from codefendants Parks and Suber, who Faulk used to store his drug proceeds. Faulk then coordinated sales with customers and instructed Reed and her boyfriend, Geiger, to deliver the drugs purchased from Cherisol and other suppliers to various customers.
Investigators infiltrated Faulk’s drug trafficking organization and conducted several controlled purchases of large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and ice, also known as crystal meth, from Reed and Geiger as directed by Faulk while Faulk was incarcerated. Investigators learned Faulk exchanged money and narcotics to a network of drug traffickers including Foster, Way, Mungin and Pou. In addition to supplying Faulk, Cherisol supplied Brown with cocaine and Jenkins with fentanyl. Jenkins acted as a middleman between Cherisol and other drug traffickers.
“Faulk and Cherisol continued to fuel dangerous drugs into our community,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “We will continue to marshal the full force of federal resources with the Homeland Security Task Force to attack drug trafficking at every level.”
“These significant sentences send a clear message to anyone flooding our communities with dangerous drugs,” said FBI Columbia Special Agent in Charge Anish Shukla. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners at every level are committed to dismantling criminal drug networks from top to bottom and bringing those responsible to justice. Together, we are working to make our neighborhoods safer places for everyone.”
“This investigation exposed a complex and multi-faceted drug trafficking organization that operated with no regard for the devastating impact its drugs had on our communities,” said Michael J. Connolly, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “The fact that one of the defendants continued to direct this operation from inside a corrections facility demonstrates the lengths these traffickers will go to continue their criminal enterprise. Through the dedication and collaboration of our Homeland Security Task Force partners and our local law enforcement partners, we dismantled this organization and held its members accountable. These sentences are an important step toward protecting our communities from dangerous drugs.”
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon presided over the case and sentenced each of the defendants. A final codefendant, Donat Telcy, has not yet been sentenced. There is no parole in the federal system.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lamar J. Fyall and Mike O’Mara are prosecuting the case.
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Mechanicsburg Man Sentenced to 78 Months’ Imprisonment for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Connor Waterman, age 25, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Keli M. Neary to 78 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a 10-year term of supervised release, for possessing child pornography.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, following the execution of a search warrant at Waterman’s Mechanicsburg residence in February 2023, investigators found numerous videos and pictures of child pornography on Waterman’s smartphone. The images and videos included those showing the sexual assault of infants and toddlers.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Upper Allen Police Department, Cumberland County Criminal Investigation Division, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
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Massachusetts Man Sentenced for CockfightingRead the Press Release
Providence — A Massachusetts man was sentenced today in federal court in Rhode Island for his role in a 2022 cockfighting operation, including transporting gaffs from Massachusetts to Rhode Island for use in animal fighting.
Jose Rivera, 70, was sentenced by U.S District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose to two years of probation, a $200 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
Rivera previously pleaded guilty on April 13 to violating the Animal Welfare Act for his involvement in the 2022 cockfighting operation. As part of his plea, Rivera admitted that he traveled from Massachusetts to Rhode Island to participate in a cockfight and that he transported gaffs and other sharp instruments he had purchased, which were designed or intended to be attached to a rooster’s leg during a fight. Rivera further acknowledged that he knew the cockfights were conducted for sport, wagering, and entertainment.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles C. Calenda for the District of Rhode Island made the announcement.
“This sentence sends a clear message: animal fighting is a cruel and unlawful activity, and those who cross state lines to participate in or support these operations will be held accountable,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles C. Calenda. “We remain committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners to dismantle animal fighting rings and protect the welfare of animals in our communities.”
The matter was prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Gary Donner and Assistant Chief Stephen Da Ponte of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John McAdams for the District of Rhode Island.
This case was investigated by the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigation, and the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Rhode Island State Police, Massachusetts State Police, the Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Law Enforcement Division, and the Providence, Woonsocket, and Attleboro Police Departments.
Massachusetts Man Sentenced for CockfightingRead the Press Release
A Massachusetts man was sentenced today in federal court in Rhode Island for his role in a 2022 cockfighting operation in which he brought gaffs from Massachusetts to Rhode Island for animal fighting.
Jose Rivera, 70, was sentenced to two years of probation, a $200 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
Rivera previously pleaded guilty on April 13 to violating the Animal Welfare Act in connection with his role in a 2022 cockfighting operation. As part of his plea, Rivera admitted that he traveled from Massachusetts to Rhode Island to participate in cockfights and that he brought with him gaffs or other sharp instruments that he had purchased and which were designed or intended to be attached to the leg of a rooster in a fight against another rooster. Rivera further admitted that he was aware that the cockfights he traveled to participate in were for sport, wagering, and entertainment.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Energy and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles C. Calenda for the District of Rhode Island made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigation, and the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Rhode Island State Police, Massachusetts State Police, Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Law Enforcement Division, Providence, Woonsocket, and Attleboro Police Departments.
The matter was prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Gary Donner and Assistant Chief Stephen Da Ponte of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John McAdams for the District of Rhode Island.
Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Massachusetts, man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to one count of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and three counts of distributing methamphetamine.
According to court records, Danny Sun, 38, was part of a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine between November 2024 and January 2025. In late November 2024, an FBI confidential source met with Sun and a co-conspirator in southern Maine and received approximately 220 grams of methamphetamine pills. On two subsequent dates, the confidential source contacted Sun for the purchase of additional drugs. Sun told the confidential source he would send someone with the drugs. Sun’s co-conspirator provided the FBI source with approximately 361 grams of methamphetamine pills in December 2024 and 419 grams in January 2025.
Sun faces a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years and up to life imprisonment, up to a $10 million fine, and up to a lifetime of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI investigated the case, with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Portland Police Department, and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
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Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Maryland man pleaded guilty today to two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion.
According to court documents, Brandon Sartor, 33, of Prince George’s County, Maryland, between December 2024 and April 2025, used physical violence, threats, sexual assault, and the withholding of drugs to compel two women to engage in repeated commercial sex acts in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. Sartor initially recruited each victim by falsely promising to help them make money. Sartor then compelled each victim to have sex with as many as 10 men each day in exchange for money he seized for his benefit. He also subjected each victim to violent physical beatings, including punching and hitting them, and threatened to harm or kill them or their families. Additionally, Sartor compelled one of the victims by giving and withholding drugs in such a way that caused her to fear experiencing opioid withdrawal sickness if she did not comply with his demands.
“Brandon Sartor used violence and fear to compel the two victims to have sex with dozens of men for his monetary gain,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His use of violence and threats to terrorize and control vulnerable victims speaks to the depravity of his conduct and the need to hold him accountable for trafficking them. The Criminal Division will continue to stand up for these and other victims of human trafficking.”
“This defendant treated human beings as commodities — brutalizing and exploiting vulnerable women for his own profit,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “That conduct is reprehensible. Those who traffic and profit from the suffering of others will be pursued relentlessly and held accountable.”
“The defendant forced these two women into sex trafficking through repeated violence and sexual abuse that no one deserves to be victimized with,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “The dedicated work of the FBI, the Anne Arundel County Police Department and DOJ prosecutors ensured Sartor pled guilty and was brought to justice.”
Sartor is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 17 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, with a maximum penalty of life in prison. He also faces a maximum penalty of lifetime supervised release and mandatory restitution to be paid to the victims. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
FBI Miami and the Anne Arundel County Police Department in Maryland are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dwayne Williams for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Elizabeth Hutson of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case numbers 26-cr-20188.
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Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
A Maryland man pleaded guilty today to two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion.According to court documents, Brandon Sartor, 33, of Prince George’s County, Maryland, between December 2024 and April 2025, used physical violence, threats, sexual assault, and the withholding of drugs to compel two women to engage in repeated commercial sex acts in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. Sartor initially recruited each victim by falsely promising to help them make money. Sartor then compelled each victim to have sex with as many as 10 men each day in exchange for money he seized for his benefit. He also subjected each victim to violent physical beatings, including punching and hitting them, and threatened to harm or kill them or their families. Additionally, Sartor compelled one of the victims by giving and withholding drugs in such a way that caused her to fear experiencing opioid withdrawal sickness if she did not comply with his demands.
“Brandon Sartor used violence and fear to compel the two victims to have sex with dozens of men for his monetary gain,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His use of violence and threats to terrorize and control vulnerable victims speaks to the depravity of his conduct and the need to hold him accountable for trafficking them. The Criminal Division will continue to stand up for these and other victims of human trafficking.”
“This defendant treated human beings as commodities — brutalizing and exploiting vulnerable women for his own profit,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “That conduct is reprehensible. Those who traffic and profit from the suffering of others will be pursued relentlessly and held accountable.”
“The defendant forced these two women into sex trafficking through repeated violence and sexual abuse that no one deserves to be victimized with,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “The dedicated work of the FBI, the Anne Arundel County Police Department and DOJ prosecutors ensured Sartor pled guilty and was brought to justice.”
Sartor is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 17 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, with a maximum penalty of life in prison. He also faces a maximum penalty of lifetime supervised release and mandatory restitution to be paid to the victims. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
FBI Miami and the Anne Arundel County Police Department in Maryland are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Elizabeth Hutson of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dwayne Williams for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Man Pleads Guilty to Selling and Stealing $4 Million in Embezzled Products from Employer in MinnesotaRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL – United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced that Paul Joseph Kroes, 42, of Shorewood, Minnesota, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
His initial appearance and change of plea hearing were before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Magnuson on August 27, 2026. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
From approximately November 2019 to March 2025, Kroes engaged in a scheme to embezzle approximately $4 million from his employer, Victim Company, a retailer of transport temperature control systems for refrigerated trucks and containers. Since 2007, Kroes held several different roles and a variety of responsibilities at the Victim Company, and his last role was as a Product Manager.
Kroes abused his positions and sold Victim Company products to third-party buyers and misappropriated the proceeds for his own personal benefit. Kroes would pull the products himself, or directed another employee to do so, and disguised the missing items from Victim Company’s inventory. Kroes had no authority to sell the products and concealed the payments he received through selling the embezzled products.
“The defendant exploited his access and authority to cause significant financial harm to his employer. Today’s guilty plea is one step closer to holding Kroes accountable for his actions,” said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.
“Paul Kroes abused his position over multiple years to systematically siphon millions of dollars from his employer. White collar criminals may think they can hide behind clever accounting and their knowledge of internal systems, but financial fraud always leaves a trail,” said FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson. “The FBI will continue to work shoulder to shoulder with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners to detect and disrupt fraud.”
This case was the result of an investigation by the FBI.
Assistant United States Attorney Austin L. Bowyer and Rebecca E. Kline are prosecuting the case.
Local cell phone store employee pleads guilty to child pornography crimesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Grove City man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to receiving and possessing child pornography.
Neil R. Brown, 41, worked at multiple cell phone stores in Columbus and, in addition to receiving child pornography files, Brown admitted that he also captured nude photos and videos from customers’ phones.
A cyber tipline report received in January 2025 led investigators to search Brown’s digital accounts and devices.
Investigators discovered more than 75 images and videos of child pornography on Brown’s cell phone, including child sexual abuse material of prepubescent minors approximately 7 to 9 years old. Brown paid virtual currency on an app to receive videos of child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, Brown was employed by Cellular Sales and would take the phones of female customers and search through them for sexual or illicit content. Brown then captured the content on his own phone.
Agents also recovered 59 sexual images and videos of Cellular Sales customers that Brown had captured on his phone.
Brown was charged federally in December 2025.
Receipt of child pornography is a federal crime punishable by five to 20 years in prison and possessing child pornography carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and other members of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
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Leader of Dominican-Based Drug Trafficking Organization Extradited from Colombia to United States to Face Charges as Part of Homeland Security Task Force InitiativeRead the Press Release
The leader of a Dominican Republic-based international cocaine trafficking and money laundering organization was extradited from Colombia to the United States yesterday to face drug trafficking charges filed in two separate indictments in the Districts of Puerto Rico and New Jersey as well as money laundering charges in the District of New Jersey. The prosecutions are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative.
Erick Randhiel Mosquea Polanco, also known as “Ramon” and “E,” 45, made his initial appearance in Puerto Rico today. He will make an initial appearance in New Jersey at a later date. Mosquea Polanco was identified by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as a Regional Priority Organizational Target (RPOT).
Photo of Mosquea Polanco (left of center) surrounded by law enforcement after being extradited from Colombia to the United States.“During the Homeland Security Task Force investigation against this leader of a Dominican based drug trafficking organization extradited from Colombia, law enforcement seized millions of dollars worth of cocaine and narcotics proceeds from his drug trafficking organization,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Numerous other members of the organization have already been convicted. Under this administration, federal law enforcement has the tools to find these high-profile drug lords and dismantle their organizations anywhere in the world, because we have President Trump as a leader who unified a permanent interagency task force across all 52 U.S. states and territories.”
“The defendant is alleged to have been the leader of an international drug trafficking organization based in the Dominican Republic that distributed thousands of kilograms of cocaine in the United States and laundered millions of dollars of narcotics proceeds,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey. “After the defendant fled the Dominican Republic using false documents, we and our domestic and international law enforcement partners did not rest until he was located in Colombia and extradited to face charges in New Jersey and Puerto Rico. As this prosecution shows, my Office will continue to take the fight to drug cartels, both here and abroad.”
“This extradition is another important step in our fight against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime. This prosecution demonstrates the commitment of the Department of Justice, and our law enforcement partners, and the cooperation of international authorities to work together to bring drug traffickers to justice,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Héctor Ramírez Carbó for the District of Puerto Rico. “We will continue to maximize our multi-agency efforts to disrupt and dismantle international drug cartels that smuggle drugs into Puerto Rico and the continental United States.”
“Mosquea Polanco ran a cocaine trafficking network that stretched across Colombia, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Now he will answer for his alleged crimes in the United States,” said DEA Administrator Terry Cole. “This extradition underscores the reach of our partnerships and our resolve to bring drug traffickers to U.S courts, no matter where they operate.”
Photo of Mosquea Polanco (center) surrounded by law enforcement after being extradited from Colombia to the United States.Charges in Puerto Rico
Mosquea Polanco was arrested in Colombia on December 2024 at the request of the United States and extradited to Puerto Rico on Aug. 26. According to the indictment filed in Puerto Rico in October 2016, Mosquea Polanco and other coconspirators began no later than January 2013 to import and attempt to import cocaine into the United States. Mosquea Polanco also is charged with three counts of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. In a separate indictment filed in Puerto Rico June 2022, Mosquea Polanco is charged with four counts of conspiracy to distribute for purpose of unlawful importation of cocaine from places outside of the United States, including the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Colombia, and importation of cocaine.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is leading the investigation on the 2016 charges and the DEA’s Caribbean Division is leading the investigation of the 2022 charges.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille García for the District of Puerto Rico is prosecuting the cases in Puerto Rico.
Charges in New Jersey
In a three-count superseding indictment in the District of New Jersey, Mosquea Polanco is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute five kilograms of more of cocaine, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Mosquea-Polanco was the leader of a Dominican Republic-based international drug trafficking organization that distributed more than a thousand kilograms of cocaine in New Jersey, New York, and elsewhere from January 2020 through September 2023. In addition, Mosquea-Polanco coordinated the laundering of millions of dollars of cocaine proceeds to the Dominican Republic and elsewhere. During the investigation, law enforcement seized dozens of kilograms of cocaine and more than $6 million in narcotics proceeds from Mosquea’s drug trafficking organization. Numerous other members of the drug trafficking organization have already been convicted, including the recent conviction at trial of Samuel Alectus, also known as “Capet,” 37, on July 16.
The DEA — including the Newark Field Office as well as in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico — led the investigation with assistance from the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marko Pesce and Christopher Fell for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case in New Jersey.
If convicted of the drug trafficking counts, Mosquea Polanco faces, for each count, a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison, as well as a maximum fine of $10 million. The money laundering conspiracy charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a statutory maximum fine of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The U.S. Marshals Service, Justice Department’s Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, and the Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest of Mosquea-Polanco and his extradition to the United States. Colombian officials and the Colombian National Police also provided assistance.
These prosecutions are part of the HSTF initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Las Cruces Brothers Sentenced for Drug Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Two Las Cruces brothers were sentenced in federal court for drug trafficking and firearms offenses after law enforcement seized fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and multiple firearms during searches of their residence and vehicle.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on March 7, 2024, agents with the FBI and Las Cruces/Dona Ana County Metro Narcotics executed a search warrant at a residence in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where brothers Eddie Linarez, 32, and Nathan Quintana, 28, lived. Before executing the warrant, agents observed Linarez leave the residence in a truck and return shortly afterward. Agents detained Linarez in the driveway and searched his vehicle and the residence.
During the search of Linarez’s vehicle, agents found a backpack containing 58 net grams of pure methamphetamine, 88.6 net grams of fentanyl, 31.5 net grams of cocaine, a loaded firearm and approximately $7,000 in cash.
Bag containing scattered cash and a small black handgun.During the search of the residence, agents found five firearms in Quintana’s bedroom, including two rifles and two handguns under the bed and a handgun on the windowsill near a bag containing fentanyl. Three of the firearms were loaded. In the closet, agents found 120 net grams of fentanyl and 735.9 net grams of cocaine. Agents also found additional fentanyl and methamphetamine, a digital scale with narcotics residue and approximately $2,000 in cash in common areas of the residence.
Bags of white substances, blue pills, and a handgun Stacks of paper currency spread across a wooden table A black handgun with its detached magazine sits on a wooden table alongside several small plastic bags containing white substances and blue billsOn March 6, 2025, FBI and Metro Narcotics agents executed a second search warrant at the residence. Linarez was observed approaching the residence as agents were executing the warrant. When agents attempted to stop him, Linarez fled in a vehicle at a high rate of speed. During the pursuit, he drove around a stopped school bus with its stop sign extended and lights activated, entering oncoming traffic. Agents later lost sight of Linarez and ended the pursuit. Linarez remained a fugitive for six days before surrendering to law enforcement.
During the March 6, 2025, search, agents found approximately 120 grams of fentanyl, 89.6 grams of cocaine, approximately $3,841 in suspected drug proceeds and a loaded handgun in the residence.
Linarez pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He was sentenced to 168 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Quintana pled guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He was sentenced to 147 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Las Cruces/Dona Ana County Metro Narcotics. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Aragon Martinez prosecuted the cases.
Lame Deer man sentenced to more than 3 years in prison for involuntary manslaughterRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Lame Deer man who ran over an acquaintance after a night of drinking was sentenced today to three years and six months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Kristopher Aiden Blackwolf, 36, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to involuntary manslaughter.
U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Blackwolf spent a night drinking with friends and, while still intoxicated, ran over and killed one of his companions.
Law enforcement first responded after hearing reports the next morning of a man lying unresponsive in a driveway. Blackwolf had called the victim’s nephew earlier that morning, saying he’d just come from the victim’s house where he saw him lying on the ground outside. Blackwolf told the nephew he didn’t know if the victim was alive. A medical examiner later ruled that the man had died from multiple blunt force traumas.
Officers contacted Blackwolf later that day after his mother called authorities. They found Blackwolf sitting in the driver’s seat of his minivan, still intoxicated, and crying. After a medical evaluation, officers interviewed Blackwolf and learned that he had gone out the night before with the victim and another friend, all sharing a gallon of vodka they’d purchased in Colstrip. Blackwolf told officers he had returned home around 6:30 a.m. and, after eating, he fell asleep. At some point later in the morning, Blackwolf realized that he had reversed his van into the victim and run him over.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Yerger prosecuted the case. The FBI and the BIA conducted the investigation.
Kentucky Medical Biller Indicted for Healthcare Fraud and Money Laundering ChargesRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, KY- A Kentucky medical biller and owner of AA’s Medical Coding and Billing Services, LLC., Jacqueline Sanders, age 60, from Louisville, Ky., was indicted for one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, 25 counts of health care fraud, and four counts of money laundering.
According to the indictment, Sanders recruited individuals unfamiliar with Medicaid requirements to open behavioral health service entities, handled their credentialing and enrollment with Kentucky Medicaid, and then directed the submission of fraudulent Medicaid claims across ten behavioral health providers. Sanders allegedly billed for services that were never provided—including claims submitted for incarcerated, hospitalized, or deceased Medicaid members.
The indictment further alleges Sanders used National Provider Identifiers (NPIs) of licensed professionals without authorization to submit thousands of fraudulent claims, fabricated assessments and treatment plans, and billed Medicaid for excessive hours of treatment regardless of medical need or documentation. Between 2020 and 2026, Sanders and her co‑conspirators allegedly caused Medicaid to pay tens of millions of dollars in fraudulent reimbursements.
The indictment alleges Sanders personally received more than $3.6 million in payments from the fraudulent billing operations and used the proceeds to purchase luxury goods, vehicles, jewelry, travel, plastic surgery, and real estate.
“The indictment alleges an astonishing level of fraud: fabricated assessments, nonexistent treatment, unauthorized use of licensed providers’ identities, causing millions of dollars in false claims to be submitted for services that were never performed,” Jason Parman, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “Medicaid exists to support Kentucky’s most vulnerable residents, and this scheme exploited that mission at every turn. Our office will continue to hold accountable anyone who abuses taxpayer‑funded programs for personal gain.”
"The charges should send a clear message to anyone looking to enrich themselves at the expense of our most vulnerable citizens: don't,” said Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Louisville Field Office. “Public resources exist for the public good, and the FBI will do everything in its power to ensure those resources go to those legally entitled to them."
“This criminal defrauded a system intended to care for some of the most vulnerable Kentuckians,” said Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman. “Those who steal from the program will face consequences, and we will continue working with our partners like U.S. Attorney Parman to protect Medicaid for those it serves.”
Jason Parman, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Russell Coleman, Kentucky Attorney General, jointly announced the indictment.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate K. Smith and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Linsey Hogg are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Sanders appeared for her initial appearance on August 26.
Any indictment is an accusation only. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Kearneysville Man Sentenced After Traffic Stop Uncovers Large Quantities of Dangerous Drugs and FirearmRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Kearneysville, West Virginia man was sentenced to 150 months in federal prison for possessing large quantities of controlled substances and a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Bradley Allen Wilt, 45, was caught transporting large quantities of narcotics. A traffic stop of Wilt’s vehicle in Martinsburg, West Virginia, resulted in the seizure of 63 grams of cocaine, 169 grams of cocaine base, 282 grams of fentanyl, and 12 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride. Officers also recovered a .45 caliber handgun from the vehicle.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the West Virginia State Police investigated.
Fentanyl has been designated by President Donald Trump as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality which poses a grave threat to public safety, even in trace amounts. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, and repel the invasion of illegal immigration.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Kansas Chiropractor Pleads Guilty to Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas chiropractor has pleaded guilty to federal health care fraud charges.
Kenya Laser, 35, of Overland Park, Kan., pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge W. Brian Gaddy to health care fraud. This plea is one of many federal fraud cases pursued under the leadership of President Donald Trump and through the establishment of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.According to information presented in court, Laser was enrolled as a provider with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) and was otherwise authorized to submit claims for reimbursements to Blue KC for chiropractic and related services. Beginning around March 2022 and continuing until around March 2025, Laser carried out a scheme to receive payments from Blue KC for health care services that were not provided as billed. Laser submitted insurance claims to Blue KC seeking payment for services that were purportedly rendered to patients on dates for which Laser knew the patients had not visited Laser Chiropractic and received no medical treatment.
As part of the scheme, Laser used the information of an individual to bill for services between October 2024 and March 2025, knowing that individual had never utilized Laser for treatment. Under federal statutes, Laser is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rudolph R. Rhodes IV. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
National Fraud Enforcement Division
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Kalispell man pleads guilty to child pornography chargesRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – A Kalispell man who coerced an 11-year-old girl into sending him Child Sex Abuse Materials (CSAM) over Snapchat admitted to charges Wednesday, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Cameron Lee Powell, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of producing child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography. Powell faces up to 30 years in prison on the first count, a $250,000 fine, and over $70,000 in special assessments. On the second count he faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and over $50,000 in special assessments.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided and sentencing was set for Jan. 13, 2027. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Powell remained in custody pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents Powell used Snapchat to solicit explicit CSAM photos from an 11-year-old girl in May 2022. Once she sent the photos, Powell then threatened to share the images publicly if she didn’t provide more. The girl told her parents, who then called police.
Law enforcement searched the girl’s phone and found a history of her chat with Powell, who was pretending to be a sixth-grade girl. Using that information, law enforcement obtained a warrant and searched Powell’s Kalispell residence in August 2022, where they found electronics with visual depictions of CSAM.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney is prosecuting the case. Homeland Security Investigations and the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office helped conduct the investigation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Justice Department Finds George Washington University Medical School Discriminates Based on Race in AdmissionsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced today its finding that the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Services (GW Med) intentionally discriminated based on race in granting and denying admission to its 2024 and 2025 incoming classes. GW Med’s discriminatory conduct violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA), which banned race discrimination in higher education.
“GW Med’s admissions practices reveal an intent to prioritize racial diversity over merit, which is unlawful and poses legitimate public health consequences for the patients its future doctors will serve,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The law is simple — admissions officers can no longer discriminate based on race in the name of diversity.”
The Department’s investigation found that after SFFA, George Washington University issued university-wide admissions guidance stating that no preference or favorable assessment could be given based on racial or ethnic identity “that is self-reported and collected on the check-box data sections” of application forms. Under this direction, GW Med used other sources to discover an applicant’s race. GW Med’s application included essay questions that were designed to elicit information about an applicant’s race or ethnicity. And admissions officers used this information to select applicants for interviews. As a result of GW Med’s admissions practices, black applicants had a significantly higher probability of being selected for an interview, and received disproportionately higher interview scores, than comparable Asian applicants.
With respect to standardized test scores, GW Med’s admitted black students scored significantly lower on the MCAT than white or Asian applicants in 2024 and 2025. GW Med regularly denied admission to white and Asian applicants in favor of lower credentialed black and Hispanic applicants.
Medical schools receive substantial federal financial assistance and are subject to federal non-discrimination laws. The Department will continue to investigate their compliance with Title VI and SFFA’s prohibition on race-conscious admissions. Where a violation has been found, the Department is engaging in settlement negotiations to ensure the school’s admissions practices are brought into compliance. If those efforts fail, the Department will file suit.
Johnson, Vermont Man Sentenced to 100 Months for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialsRead the Press Release
RUTLAND – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on August 27, 2026, Joshua Burbank, 40, of Johnson, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier to a term of 100 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 10-year term of supervised release. Burbank previously pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse materials involving prepubescent minors.
According to court records, in 2021, law enforcement was provided a laptop by Burbank’s family member after the family member discovered child sexual abuse materials on the laptop. A search of the laptop confirmed it contained files that depicted child sexual abuse, including a video of a man sexually assaulting a toddler. In 2024, Burbank was served with a Relief from Abuse Order and arrested on new criminal charges. At the time of this 2024 arrest, Burbank possessed a cellphone (in violation of his state conditions of release). This cellphone was searched and also found to contain child sexual abuse material.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Newport, Vermont Police Department, and the Vermont State Police. “The collection of heinous depictions of child sexual abuse causes significant and continuing harm to the victims depicted in those images. Those who seek out such imagery also pose a significant risk of danger to children. I am extremely grateful to the law enforcement officers whose work enabled us to hold Burbank accountable for his conduct.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Arra. Burbank was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Emily Kenyon.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Restaurant InvestorsRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – George Joshua Floyd (45, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to wire fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Floyd has agreed to forfeit $1,159,596.26, the proceeds of the scheme to defraud that he personally obtained. He also agreed to make full restitution to the victims of his offense conduct. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to the plea agreement, beginning in April 2022, Floyd raised approximately $1.44 million from investors for a new restaurant he planned to open in Jacksonville, making various representations as to how the money would be used and how he would manage the restaurant. After the restaurant opened in November 2022 and generated significant cash flow, Floyd maintained control of the business’s bank account. He began embezzling funds by withdrawing large amounts of cash, wiring money to his personal account, using a business credit card for personal expenses, and causing the restaurant to enter into unauthorized merchant cash advance loans—the proceeds of which he transferred to himself or used to cover deficits that he had already created—which also led the restaurant to owe interest and fees. Further, in 2024, Floyd began soliciting individuals to invest money into a second restaurant concept to be opened in Clay County, raising approximately $570,000. Floyd stole those investors’ funds by using them to pay for personal expenses, trade in cryptocurrency, and repay losses he had caused at the first restaurant. The total fraud loss caused by Floyd through his scheme was approximately $1,397,500.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David B. Mesrobian. The forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Clint J. Locke.
Jackson, Mississippi Man Charged with Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm near Derby, VermontRead the Press Release
BURLINGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Cruz Gary, 39, of Jackson, Mississippi, has been charged by criminal complaint with unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
On August 24, 2026, Gary had his initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. A detention hearing was held on August 25, 2026, during which Gary was ordered detained during the pendency of the case.
According to court records, on August 21, 2026, U.S. Border Patrol Agents were patrolling the international border near Derby Line, Vermont. During those patrols, an agent noticed a car with a Mississippi license plate traveling from near the international border onto a rural road. The car continued into an area that has been frequently used for alien smuggling, and slowed to half the speed limit, which the agent inferred was an attempt to locate people who may have illegally entered the United States. During a traffic stop, the driver of the car was identified as Gary. The agent learned from the occupants of the car that a firearm was inside the vehicle. A record check revealed Gary to have an extensive criminal history in Mississippi, including felony convictions. The firearm, a SCCY 9-millimeter pistol, was recovered from a bag removed from the driver’s area of the car. Inside the same bag, agents located a Social Security card and a health insurance card both bearing Gary’s name.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that Gary is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Gary faces up to 15 years of imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney David Golubock. Gary is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
Inmate Charged with Threatening Federal OfficersRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Robert Foust, age 42, an inmate at United State Penitentiary (USP), Allenwood, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of threatening federal officers.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, the indictment alleges that August 5, 2025 and November 6, 2025, at USP Allenwood, Foust threatened to assault and murder multiple employees of the federal Bureau of Prisons, including a corrections officer, a corrections counselor, and a prison physician, all of whom were engaged in the performance of their official duties.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Assistant United States Attorney Geoffrey W. MacArthur is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 40 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following the finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Illegal immigrant from Honduras with multiple previous felony convictions sentenced to over two years in prisonRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An illegal immigrant from Honduras was sentenced today to two years and nine months in prison for illegally reentering the United States subsequent to the commission of an aggravated felony.
According to court documents, Catalino Vigil Diaz, 44, was removed from the United States pursuant to a final order of removal in 2003. He was removed again in 2004, in 2008 following a conviction for domestic abuse in Louisiana, and in 2015 following a conviction of felony aggravated assault and unlawful restraint.
In 2014, Vigil Diaz was arrested and charged with attempted kidnapping, false imprisonment, unlawful restraint, simple assault, harassment, and aggravated assault. According to a police report from Indiana, Pennsylvania, Vigil Diaz grabbed a stranger by the neck, pulled her towards his waiting car, and attempted to shove her into his car. He pled guilty to unlawful restraint and aggravated assault and in 2015 was removed from the United States pursuant to the previous order of removal.
Vigil Diaz then unlawfully reentered the United States. On May 23, 2024, he was arrested for assault and battery of a family member in Fairfax County.
According to a police report from Goshen, Indiana, in 2025, Vigil Diaz entered his girlfriend’s residence, grabbed her by the throat, held her against a wall, and punched her in the face with a closed fist. Before leaving the residence, he took $300 from her. When law enforcement attempted a traffic stop following the assault, Vigil Diaz fled, first in his vehicle and then on foot. Vigil Diaz was charged with and convicted of felony intimidation, domestic battery, and resisting law enforcement.
Vigil Diaz also has two pending arrests warrants for his arrest for alleged assault and battery—one out of Virginia based on conduct that took place in 2024, and another out of Tennessee based on conduct that took place in 2025.
Theophani K. Stamos, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Robert Guadian, Field Office Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amber N. Rieff prosecuted the case.
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. 1:26-cr-48.
Illegal alien from Mexico released after 2025 arrest for DUI, is arrested in 2026 for escape, theft, and rapeRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 44-year-old citizen of Mexico, illegally present in the U.S., appeared in U.S. District Court in Seattle late yesterday charged with returning to the U.S. following removal, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Between 2007 and 2013, Isidro Ocampo-Cayetano was arrested and removed from the United States five times. Most of the removals were triggered by local arrests for crimes related to DUI. Isidro Ocampo-Cayetano returned to the U.S. at an unknown time following the 2013 removal.
In January 2025, Ocampo-Cayetano was arrested in King County based on a Kitsap County warrant for failing to appear on charges of DUI, driving with license suspended, and an ignition interlock violation. Ocampo-Cayetano was not turned over to immigration authorities. On November 2, 2025, Ocampo-Cayetano was arrested by Federal Way Police for Rape in the second degree. Six months later, in April 2026, he was arrested a second time and booked into the King County Jail for escape, theft, and a warrant for rape. Federal prosecutors got a judicial warrant to get Ocampo-Cayetano into federal custody, and he made his initial appearance on that warrant on Wednesday August 26, 2026.
“Even with his extensive criminal and immigration history, local jails released this criminal alien rather than turning him over to immigration authorities, which allowed him to allegedly commit rape,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “Sanctuary policies have a consequence, and this is it. Fortunately, we were able to intervene this time and prevent this criminal alien from being released – again.”
Magistrate Judge Michelle L. Peterson ordered Ocampo-Cayetano detained pending future hearings.
Return after removal is punishable by up to two years in prison.
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (HSI-ICE).
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Cáceres. SAUSA Cáceres is an attorney with Homeland Security Investigations specially designated to prosecute immigration matters in federal court.
Idaho man sentenced for drug traffickingRead the Press Release
TOPEKA, KAN. – An Idaho man was sentenced to 70 months in prison after being caught with packages of fentanyl that he was transporting cross-country.
According to court documents, Brian Hilario Delgado Mayorga, 24, of Burley, Idaho, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
In May 2024, a Geary County Sheriff’s deputy stopped Mayorga on Interstate 70 after observing him make an unsafe driving maneuver. When the deputy asked Mayorga questions about his route, Mayorga said he was coming from Idaho and was on his way to visit his grandparents in Missouri. The deputy became suspicious partly because Mayorga didn’t know his grandparents’ address and because license plate readers placed him in California and Nevada on the previous day, not Idaho. Mayorga refused to allow the deputy to search his vehicle, and a K9 unit was dispatched to the scene. After the K9 detected the odor of narcotics coming from Mayorga’s vehicle, deputies had probable cause to search. Inside the vehicle, officers found several heat-sealed packages of narcotics that laboratory results later determined to be approximately 4,000 grams of fentanyl.
Mayorga was arrested and admitted he picked up the narcotics in the Los Angeles area. The defendant stated it was his second trip and that he was paid $8000.00 on the first trip. Officers also found a firearm and $1,419 in cash in the vehicle.
“The Midwest is often used as a corridor for drug traffickers transporting their products from one region of the country to another,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “The Department of Justice is grateful to the Geary County Sheriff’s Office for its vigilance and attention to detail. Local law enforcement agencies are on the front line when it comes to foiling the plans of criminals on these road trips and seizing illegal narcotics. We are happy to stand beside them and prosecute these cases federally when warranted.”
“At the time of his arrest, Mayorga was traveling across the country with roughly 390,000 deadly doses of fentanyl,” DEA St. Louis Field Division Special Agent in Charge Steven Hofer said. “The sentencing is due in part to the astute work of the Geary County Sheriff’s Office and collaboration of federal and local resources. It’s because of partnerships like this that drug traffickers are dealt blow-after-blow in their attempt to turn profits in the Midwest.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Geary County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough prosecuted the case.
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Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty in Federal Court to Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
Francisco Javier Villanueva Castro, age 29, of Mexico, who is present in the United States without authorization, pleaded guilty before United States Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Kurt L. Wall.
According to admissions made during his plea, in February 2025, Castro used online phone messaging applications to convince someone he believed was a 14-year-old male to have an illegal sexual relationship with him. He traveled to Denham Springs, Louisiana, to meet the supposed 14-year-old male and engage in sexual acts. An undercover law enforcement officer posed as the 14-year-old male, and officers arrested Castro when he arrived at the agreed-upon location.
U.S. Attorney Kurt L. Wall praised the work of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, and Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen L. Ross leads the prosecution.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Homeland Security Task Force investigation results in 25-year prison sentence for three-time felon gang memberRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 30-year-old Corpus Christi resident has been ordered to federal prison for conspiring to possess to distribute meth smuggled into the United States from Mexico.
Tommie Lee Gutierrez pleaded guilty Jan. 29.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Gutierrez to serve 300 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing Aug. 26, the court heard additional evidence that Gutierrez is a member of the Tango Corpitos street gang and a three-time convicted felon. Judge Morales also heard that Gutierrez had made a call planning his return to participate in this drug trafficking organization while in custody on another unrelated felony.
The organization received meth in the Coastal Bend area in multi-kilogram quantities secreted in vehicles and loads of consumer goods such as cabinetry that had passed across the border into the United States from Mexico. Gutierrez was responsible for receiving vehicle loads, removing the bundles of meth from various natural voids in the vehicles, and repacking the same vehicles with cash proceeds from prior sales. Co-conspirators then drove vehicles back into Mexico to pay the suppliers.
On at least one occasion, Gutierrez wrecked an abandoned meth-laden vehicle on a public street in Corpus Christi before it had been completely unloaded. This left kilograms of meth in the drivers-side door which were later discovered at the city impound lot.
He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany Jensen and Amanda Gould prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF South Texas comprises agents and officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Department of Transportation; IRS Criminal Investigation; Interpol/Department of State; and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas leading the prosecution.