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5 June 2025
Poplar woman sentenced to prison for making false statementsRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Poplar woman who provided false statements to federal law enforcement was sentenced today to 9 months in prison to be followed by 2 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Annie Lee Kirn, 27, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to one count of making a false statement.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on the evening of November 21, 2023, Kirn returned with her elderly friend to his residence on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Shortly thereafter, two men broke into the home. Armed with an assault rifle, the men assaulted the homeowner and another man and demanded money and access to a wall safe.
During an interview with federal law enforcement officers, Kirn said she saw the would-be robbers outside before the robbery and one of them kept trying to grab her, she then saw the gun and freaked out. She also told law enforcement the armed man told her to run, that she ran, and then he fired three or four times.
Law enforcement recovered and reviewed surveillance video from the home that showed a car with five people following Kirn’s truck into the yard. Two men, one of whom was armed with a rifle, approached the house while Kirn was getting out of the truck. After the homeowner went into the house, Kirn returned to the yard and visited with the two men. During that time, they discussed her relationship with the homeowner, Kirn offered to share a joint with the man armed with the rifle, they whispered about cash, and talked about the location of a safe. At one point, Kirn asked about the rifle, the armed man handed it to her, and she held it at the ready position before handing it back to the man. While they were outside, the man fired seven rounds from the rifle, primarily into the air.
In an interview in September 2024, law enforcement followed up with Kirn about the night of the robbery. When asked directly if she ever handled the firearm, Kirn said “hell no.” When asked if she had any conversations with the robbers, she said, “No…I didn’t talk with them at all.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI, ATF, and Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
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Plot to Molest a Young Girl Leads to 135 Months in Prison for a Virginia WomanRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Eleanor Hunton Hoppe, 46, of Charlottesville, Va., was sentenced to 135 months in prison today for distributing child pornography in a plot to molest an eight-year-old girl.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro of the District of Columbia, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Emily Odom of the Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Hoppe pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography on April 24, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras. The terms of Hoppe’s plea agreement call for her to serve 135 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release. In addition, she will have to register as a sex offender for a minimum period of 25 years.
According to court documents, in late February 2023, an undercover law enforcement officer encountered Hoppe on a social media site where individuals discuss their sexual interest in children and exchange child sexual abuse material. Hoppe distributed images of child pornography to the undercover officer and repeatedly expressed an interest in sexually abusing his purported 8-year-old daughter.
On March 16, 2023, Hoppe arranged to have the undercover officer bring his daughter from D.C. to a motel in Warrenton, Va., where she would meet them to sexually abuse the child. Police arrested Hoppe when she arrived at the hotel.
This case was investigated by detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division, Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Burrell and Rachel Forman.
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Pittsburgh Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Supplying Cocaine to Street GangRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 120 months of imprisonment, to be followed by eight years of supervised release, on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV imposed the sentence on Anthony Coker, 48, on June 4, 2025.
According to information presented to the Court, between July 2022 and June 2023, Coker supplied cocaine and crack cocaine to members of the Drizzy Gang, who then redistributed the drugs in the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Stickman stated that the defendant’s crimes victimized addicts, their families, and the Hill District neighborhood, and encouraged the defendant to turn his life around following his sentence.
Assistant United States Attorney Katherine C. Jordan prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Coker.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Pittsburgh Felon Pleads Guilty to Possession of Multiple Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal firearms laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Morisee Williams, 41, pleaded guilty to Count One of an Indictment before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan on June 4, 2025.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on May 7, 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at Williams’ residence in the Knoxville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. During that search, law enforcement recovered four firearms (two of which were stolen), approximately seven ammunition magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a firearm mount and rifle grip. As a previously convicted felon, Williams is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for September 24, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorneys Katherine C. Jordan and Kelly M. Locher are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Williams.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Pine Ridge Man Sentenced to over 3 Years in Federal Prison for Manslaughter and Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on June 2, 2025.
Daeshawn Poor Bear, 19, was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay restitution and $200 in special assessments to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Poor Bear was indicted for the charges by a federal grand jury in October 2024. He pleaded guilty on January 8, 2025.
Poor Bear, the victim, and two other friends consumed alcohol and edibles containing THC and smoked THC wax at an abandoned trailer in Pine Ridge on the evening of September 2, 2024. The victim and the other friends were all juveniles. The victim threw a firearm onto a bed near Poor Bear. Poor Bear picked up the firearm, pointed it at the victim, and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the victim and killed him. Poor Bear and the other two friends ran to Poor Bear’s mother’s residence. Poor Bear’s mother called 911. The Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety arrived at the abandoned residence and found that the victim had passed away. Poor Bear has a history of using THC, making him prohibited by law from possessing a firearm.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.
Poor Bear was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
New York City Man Sentenced for Possessing a Handgun with an Obliterated Serial NumberRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Steven Gomez, age 23, of Bayside, New York, was sentenced today to 3 years of probation, including 50 hours of community service, for possessing a handgun with an obliterated serial number.
United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “Those who unlawfully possess firearms endanger the public and will face criminal consequences. While the Second Amendment is no longer a second-class right, my office will vigorously enforce federal laws criminalizing the possession of certain firearms and the unlawful possession of firearms by prohibited people, to make our communities safer.”
HSI Buffalo Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan stated: “The possession of a handgun with an obliterated serial number is not just a violation of the law; it poses a significant threat to the safety of our citizens. We remain committed to working tirelessly to ensure that those who engage in such reckless behavior are held accountable. Together, HSI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York will strive to create a safer environment for all citizens of Northern New York.”
As part of his prior guilty plea, Gomez admitted that on September 8, 2022, in a parking lot of a shopping mall in Albany County, he unlawfully possessed a Glock 17 handgun with an obliterated serial number.
HSI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss prosecuted the case.
New Castle Resident Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl and Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of New Castle, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to fentanyl and cocaine trafficking, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Kiara Jones, 25, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Robert J. Colville to conspiring to distribute quantities of fentanyl and cocaine between August 2023 and August 2024.
Judge Colville scheduled sentencing for October 7, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Lawrence County Drug Task Force, New Castle Police Department, Michigan State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, Mercer County Drug Task Force, United States Postal Inspection Service, Department of Homeland Security, and Douglas County (Nebraska) Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Jones.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Mexican national unlawfully residing in Hudson, Mass. has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to illegally reentering the United States after deportation.
Fredi Rios-Nolasco, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing on Sept. 17, 2025. In April of 2025, Rios-Nolasco was indicted by a federal grand jury.
On March 6, 2025, federal immigration authorities lodged a detainer against Rios-Nolasco after he was arrested by the Hudson Police Department and charged in Marlborough District Court for trafficking 200 grams or more of cocaine. Fingerprints taken during his arrest matched biometrics from his prior removals.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Traffic Cocaine and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Mexican man, and member of a Tijuana-based Sinaloa Cartel cell, pleaded guilty yesterday to his role in a cocaine and money laundering conspiracy.
Eber Alain Estrada Palafox, also known as “Doctor”, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Sept. 4, 2025.
Palafox conspired with a ring of Massachusetts-based individuals to traffic cocaine and heroin from Mexico, through California, to Massachusetts and into New England over a two-year period. Palafox and his co-conspirators also conspired to import at least one kilogram of heroin (which turned out to be pure fentanyl) from sources in Mexico. Palafox also admitted to conspiring to use a co-conspirator’s auto dealership, State Line Auto Sales, LLC, in Enfield, Connecticut, to commit money laundering by wiring drug proceeds to his mother in Mexico.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute cocaine provides for a sentence of no less than 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10,000,000. The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000. The defendant is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of an imposed sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Merck of the Springfield Office is prosecuting the case.
Mendota Man Pleads Guilty to Witness TamperingRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Mendota, Virginia man – and self-described gang member- pled guilty yesterday to physically assaulting a fellow inmate at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority (SWVRJA) facility in Abingdon to prevent that individual from testifying in relation to a federal investigation.
McKinley Lee Shaffer, 32, pled guilty to one count of to using physical force against a witness in relation to the witness’s testimony and potential cooperation in an official proceeding. At sentencing, Shaffer faces a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison.
The witness was involved in a federal investigation involving a March 2024 shots-fired incident in Abingdon and a related federal investigation. Investigation revealed that Lakin Garrett had fired a pistol at a victim as part of a drug-related dispute. On November 24, 2024, Shaffer assaulted the victim at the SWVRJA facility in Abingdon. Surveillance equipment recorded the assault and shows Shaffer punch the victim without warning, and an ensuing physical altercation. In a later recorded video “visit” with another person, Shaffer stated he was a gang member, and that the victim had robbed an “Aryan Princess” and “told on her” for shooting at the victim. Shaffer was referring to the March 2024 shots-fired incident in Abingdon. Shaffer said that he “had to go beat him up.”
Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bristol, Virginia Police Department, and the Abingdon Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Whit Pierce is prosecuting the case.
Melbourne Man Sentenced to Five Years for Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – U.S. District Judge John C. Antoon II has sentenced Thomas Gaffney (59, Melbourne) to five years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $487,750, which represents the amount of proceeds the defendant obtained from the wire fraud conspiracy. Gaffney pled guilty on January 23, 2025.
According to court documents, between 2018 and 2021, Gaffney and others co-operated VerdeGroup as an investment fraud scheme. In furtherance of this scheme, Gaffney solicited investors primarily though advertisements for VerdeGroup in various local and national newspapers across the country.
The advertisements solicited would-be investors to provide funds for private loans to fund businesses engaging in legal marijuana cultivation, technologies, and pharmaceuticals in states where doing so was legal under state law. In exchange, investors were promised a 12% annual return on their investment.
The statements in these advertisements were false and fraudulent. In reliance on the information in the advertisements, investors called the listed number and spoke, most often, with co-conspirator-1. In concert with and at the direction of Gaffney, co-conspirator-1 would repeat and add to the false and fraudulent information about VerdeGroup and the state of its business to entice victims to invest with VerdeGroup. Once a victim expressed an interest in investing, co-conspirator-1 or Gaffney would send promotional materials to the victim about VerdeGroup, including brochures and a term sheet with instructions for how to invest with VerdeGroup. Co-conspirator-2 received the investments from the victims and then remitted the funds to the defendant and other co-conspirators.
After victims invested with VerdeGroup, Gaffney and co-conspirator-1 continued to make false and fraudulent statements to investors about how their money was being used and the state of VerdeGroup. Instead of using the money to fund private business loans as promised, VerdeGroup never provided any loans to any businesses or individuals. Rather, the conspirators used a small portion of the money to make the “Ponzi” type payments to investors. The rest of the funds were used for the personal benefit of Gaffney and his co-conspirators. Specifically, Gaffney received $487,750 as proceeds of the scheme. He used this money to pay for personal expenses, including cruises and expensive jewelry. He also used a significant portion of the funds to cover costs at a pizza restaurant that he helped operate.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda S. Daniels.
Manteca Man Pleads Guilty to Embezzling over $1.4 Million from Former EmployerRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Justin Alexander Payne, 50, of Manteca, pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
According to court documents, from December 2017 to September 2023, Payne worked as an IT Director for a family-owned, independent fuel supplier, distributor, and retailer company in Modesto. As part of his scheme, Payne used his company-issued credit card to make unauthorized purchases of gift cards from multiple retailers. To convert the gift cards to cash, Payne sold the gift cards to online businesses that specialize in purchasing unwanted gift cards for less than the value of the cards. The online businesses conducted no less than 3,700 transactions in gift card purchases from Payne, which included subsequent payouts to Payne.
Payne also used the company’s credit card to make unauthorized purchases of personal items, including, but not limited to, adult clothing, children’s clothing, golf and other sports equipment and home improvement products. In furtherance of the scheme, Payne concealed his unauthorized purchases from the family-owned company by altering receipts and falsifying expense reports to make it appear as if the purchases were for legitimate IT equipment for the company. During his employment, Payne embezzled more than $1.4 million dollars from the company.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Modesto Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitnee Goins is prosecuting the case.
Payne is scheduled to be sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley on October 16, 2025. Payne faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will 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.
Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to $3.8 Million Durable Medical Equipment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
MONROE, La. – Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Louisiana man pleaded guilty today in connection with a five-year scheme to submit millions of dollars in fraudulent claims to Medicare for expensive and medically unnecessary medical equipment.
According to court documents, Michael L. Riggins, 62, of West Monroe, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud for his role in a durable medical equipment (DME) scheme. Riggins was the owner of Bluewater Healthcare (Bluewater), a DME supply company in West Monroe. From 2018 to 2023, Riggins paid for doctors’ orders for medically unnecessary DME and tricked doctors into signing DME orders and certificates of medical necessity in order to bill for it. Despite receiving hundreds of complaints regarding the fraudulent orders, Riggins submitted over $3.8 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for supplying medically unnecessary DME and was reimbursed over $1.8 million.
Riggins is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook for the Western District of Louisiana; and Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.
Trial Attorneys Samantha Usher and Kelly Z. Walters of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin McCoy for the Western District of Louisiana are prosecuting the case. HHS-OIG is investigating the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
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Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to $3.8 Million Durable Medical Equipment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Louisiana man pleaded guilty today in connection with a five-year scheme to submit millions of dollars in fraudulent claims to Medicare for expensive and medically unnecessary medical equipment.
According to court documents, Michael L. Riggins, 62, of West Monroe, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud for his role in a durable medical equipment (DME) scheme. Riggins was the owner of Bluewater Healthcare (Bluewater), a DME supply company in West Monroe. From 2018 to 2023, Riggins paid for doctors’ orders for medically unnecessary DME and tricked doctors into signing DME orders and certificates of medical necessity in order to bill for it. Despite receiving hundreds of complaints regarding the fraudulent orders, Riggins submitted over $3.8 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for supplying the DME and was reimbursed over $1.8 million.
Riggins is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook for the Western District of Louisiana; and Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.
HHS-OIG is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Samantha Usher and Kelly Z. Walters of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin McCoy for the Western District of Louisiana are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Lexington Man Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 FraudRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky.— A Lexington, Ky., man, Tommie Joyner, 45, has pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward Atkins to wire fraud arising out of a scheme to unlawfully obtain various COVID-19 pandemic relief benefits.
In 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, established several new unemployment compensation programs that were funded primarily by the federal government and administered by state workforce agencies. Later that same year, the President authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to expend money for lost wage assistance, as a supplement to unemployment compensation programs. The CARES Act also expanded existing federal programs, including the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA). The EIDL Program provides loans for small businesses suffering from an economic disaster.
According to his plea agreement, from March 2020 to June 2022, Joyner made material false statements in order to obtain money from various government relief and Covid-19 relief programs. Joyner fabricated information about employment history, residence, and business ventures, and applied for relief funds using that false information. On May 19, 2020, Joyner filed an unemployment benefits application with the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, falsely claiming that he resided in Detroit, Michigan, when in fact he was a resident of Lexington, Kentucky. As a result of the misrepresentation, he was paid $15,269.76 in unemployment assistance.
Similarly, from March 2020 to June 2022, Joyner applied for pandemic unemployment benefits in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, and New York, all of which contained false statements and representations. His fraudulent applications to New York and Indiana were approved and he obtained $83,925.47 in unemployment benefits. Joyner also applied for two EIDLs with the SBA, seeking $62,500. While the fraudulent EIDL applications were ultimately denied, the SBA still paid Joyner $1,000 in EIDL advances. All of Joyner’s applications contained false statements.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Joseph V. Cuffari Ph.D., Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security (DHS-OIG); and Mathew Broadhurst, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Southeast Region, jointly announced the guilty plea.
The investigation was conducted by DHS-OIG and DOL-OIG. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Dunn-Pirio is prosecuting the matter on behalf of the United States.
Joyner is scheduled to appear for sentencing on August 22, 2025. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. Joyner will be required to pay a minimum of $100,195.23 in restitution. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing its sentence.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Last of Five Defendants Sentenced in Two Separate Romanian ATM Skimming Conspiracies with Combined Losses of over $1 MillionRead the Press Release
BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK – Ionel Tomescu Baldovin, age 28, a Romanian national, was sentenced Thursday, May 22, 2025, to 33 months in prison for his role in a bank fraud conspiracy impacting two Northern District of New York financial institutions and least five additional financial institutions across the United States. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Baldovin admitted that he conspired with others to place skimming devices and cameras at ATMs at financial institutions, including two financial institutions in the Northern District of New York. Once installed, the devices and cameras captured ATM customers’ account information and personal identification numbers (“PINs”). Members of the conspiracy subsequently created fraudulent debit cards from the captured information, which they used to withdraw currency from customers’ accounts. Baldovin admitted involvement in the conspiracy from October 2017 to April 2018, with losses of over $450,0000 to financial institutions, including losses of over $20,000 from a Northern District of New York financial institution. Baldovin was the only defendant charged in this conspiracy.
United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also ordered Baldovin to pay $454,447 in restitution, and to serve a 3-year term of supervised release following his incarceration.
In 2019, four Romanian nationals conspired to commit a similar bank fraud skimming scheme. In that conspiracy, skimming devices were placed on ATMs at a financial institution in the Northern District of New York, and fraudulent debit cards were created from the information captured, allowing the defendants access to information from over 500 compromised accounts.
Each Romanian national pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and multiple counts of aggravated identity theft. They were each sentenced as follows:
- Laurentiu Florian Iancu was sentenced December 11, 2024, to 48 months incarceration, three (3) years’ supervised release, and an order of restitution of $169,075.
- Florin Nicolae Mares was sentenced January 18, 2023, to 51 months incarceration, two (2) years’ supervised release, and an order of restitution of $169,075.
- Liviu Samuel Anca was sentenced September 20, 2024, to 40 months incarceration, three (3) years’ supervised release, and an order of restitution of $169,075.
- Teodor Claudiu Stan was sentenced December 19, 2023, to 81 months incarceration, four (4) years’ supervised release, and an order of restitution of over $675,000. During his plea, Stan admitted his involvement in the 2019 Northern District of New York conspiracy with Baldovin, as well as a broader conspiracy through 2022 where he and his co-conspirators made, modified, placed or assisted in placing skimming devices at eight (8) additional financial institutions across the United States.
U.S. Attorney Sarcone stated, “We commend our federal and local partners for their diligent work in developing these important investigations into strong cases that held multiple defendants accountable for their conduct in the Northern District of New York and beyond.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Tremaroli stated, “This sentence is the direct result of the commitment by our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue and charge those who willingly defraud our citizens and financial institutions. The FBI will continue to investigate and bring to justice these callous criminals to ensure they pay the price, instead of their victims.”
These cases were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the New York State Police, the Endicott Police and various local police departments outside the Northern District of New York. These cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristen Grabowski.
Laredo area alien smuggling ring taken downRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – Two men have been ordered to federal prison for their roles in an extensive human smuggling conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Manuel Capetillo, 27, Poteet, and Michael Diaz, 31, Laredo, pleaded guilty Feb. 4 and March 4, respectively.
U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen has now imposed an 85-month-term of imprisonment for Capetillo, while Diaz received 70 months. Both men were also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following their sentences. Diaz was further ordered to pay a $10,000 special assessment. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the inhumane conditions in which the aliens were transported and that Capetillo and Diaz had made a business out of smuggling aliens. “You thought of these people as cattle,” he said. Judge Kazen also commented on Capetillo’s leadership role and that he was one of the highest-level players in the region he had seen.
Capetillo and Diaz are attributed with smuggling over 65 aliens, including adults and children as young as six, who came from multiple countries as far south as Guatemala and as close as Mexico. Both had received cash payments in excess of $50,000 during their operations.
The investigation revealed both men operated stash houses in Laredo and that Capetillo also operated one in Poteet. Over several months, Capetillo recruited drivers, scouts and caretakers to bring aliens in from countries in Central America and transport them throughout the southern and central areas of Texas.
Capetillo negotiated prices with Mexican smugglers on how much and to whom would be paid for aliens illegally crossing into the United States. He also negotiated with Mexican nationals to provide weapons for the wars taking place in Monterrey, Mexico, and importing drugs into the United States.
Diaz worked in close connection with Capetillo to rent a yard in Laredo and load aliens into inoperable vehicles, place them on top of tow trucks and smuggle them to Capetillo’s Poteet stash house in the Southern Texas heat. Capetillo paid Diaz for his role in the conspiracy.
Previously released on bond, Capetillo was taken into custody following the sentencing where he will remain pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Diaz has been and will remain in custody.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation with the assistance of police departments in Laredo and Poteet. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tory Sailer prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Justice Department Launches Investigation into Rhode Island for Race-Based Employment Preferences in Violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights ActRead the Press Release
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation into the State of Rhode Island (“Rhode Island”) concerning potential race-based discrimination in state employment practices.
The state of Rhode Island mandates state agencies set hiring targets that are effectively race-based employment quotas.[1] These statutorily mandated goals pressure state agencies to engage in discriminatory, and potentially unlawful, hiring practices. The Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section opened the investigation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, national origin, and other protected characteristics.
“The state of Rhode Island’s official hiring policy embraces racial discrimination, something the Supreme Court has long held to be unlawful,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “Discrimination in the name of ‘diversity’ is not only fundamentally unjust, but it also violates federal law. The Civil Rights Division will investigate Rhode Island’s discriminatory policy and take appropriate action if warranted.”
You can view the notice letter here
[1] Rhode Island General Law, §28-5.1-3(b) (“Each state department or agency, excluding the legislative branch of state government, shall annually prepare an affirmative action plan.”); see also Guidelines for State of Rhode Island Government Affirmative Action Plans, Affirmative Action | Rhode Island Office of Division of Equity Diversity and Inclusion.
Jury convicts Houston trucker of transporting illegal aliensRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 66-year-old Houston resident who has been a lawful permanent resident in the United States since 1989 has been convicted of smuggling aliens further into the country, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The jury deliberated for approximately one hour before returning the guilty verdict against Armando Balladares-Prado following a two-day trial.
On May 5, 2024, Balladares-Prado pulled up to the Border Patrol checkpoint south of Falfurrias for primary immigration inspection. The jury heard that he seemed nervous but provided consent for an x-ray examination of his tractor-trailer. The vehicle was completely empty but had a seal and lock on it as if there was a full transport load in the back.
Authorities soon found two individuals hidden underneath the bed of the sleeper compartment. Both were determined to be citizens of Guatemala illegally present in the United States.
Testimony revealed Balladares-Prado told the aliens to get under the bed and instructed them on what to say if law enforcement discovered them.
The defense attempted to convince the jury the aliens had gotten into the tractor and pulled the bed down on top of themselves. Contradictory evidence showed that to be virtually impossible. The jury was not convinced of defense claims and found Balladares-Prado guilty as charged.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos presided over trial and set sentencing for Sept. 3. At that time, Balladares-Prado faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Previously released on bond, he was taken into custody following the conviction where he will remain pending sentencing.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Griffith prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Jury Finds District Man Guilty of Conspiracy to Distribute PCPRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Norman Morris, 44, of the District of Columbia, was found guilty by a federal jury on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, of one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute phencyclidine (PCP).
The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, DEA Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Sentencing for Morris, aka “Fibble,” is pending and will be set at a later date.
According to court documents and testimony at trial before Judge Dabney L. Friedrich, the DEA and the FBI began conducting a criminal investigation in September 2023 of local PCP and fentanyl distributors, a group that included Morris and co-defendants Lamont M. Langston, Kelvin Sanker, and Jamar Bennett.
Morris conducted apparent drug transactions outside of his residence on the 200 block of 58th Street NE. The transactions were monitored by law enforcement from November 2023 to March 2024. During this same period, Bennett and Langston were observed meeting at Morris’s residence to exchange suspected narcotics and cash.
During the investigation, Bennett sold more than two kilograms of PCP to undercover officers over the course of nine transactions. The PCP was supplied by Langston and was stored and prepared by Sanker at Sanker’s home. Morris also retrieved 32 ounces of PCP from Sanker at the request of Langston after Langston was arrested with PCP and two firearms. Sixteen ounces of the PCP retrieved by Morris was sold to an undercover officer by Bennett.
Bennett, 45, of the District, pleaded guilty Apr. 11, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of PCP and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and was sentenced to 121 months in prison.
Sanker, 43, of the District, pleaded guilty Oct. 22, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute PCP and was sentencing to 65 months in prison.
Langston, 44, of the District, pleaded guilty Dec. 19, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of PCP. Langston’s sentencing is scheduled for June 30, 2025.
This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was investigated by the the FBI’s Washington Field Office, DEA’s Washington Division, and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Roman of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Division, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Stempel, with valuable assistance from Paralegal Michael Asmutis.
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Jefferson County man sentenced to federal prison, ordered to pay over $2 million in restitution for bank fraud conspiracyRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Nome, Texas man has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay over $2 million in restitution for his role in a bank fraud conspiracy in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Eulice Emerson Alvey, also known as Trey, 50, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on June 5, 2025. Judge Crone also ordered Alvey to pay restitution in the amount of $2,075,458.57.
According to information presented in court, on September 6, 2018, a Neches Federal Credit Union (NFCU) member contacted the credit union and reported there were loans reflected on their account that they did not request. Shortly thereafter, another member notified the credit union that they also had loans on their account that were not theirs. This type of notification then became common over the next few weeks, involving as many as 30 members, all associated with Billy Ray Thomas, an assistant branch manager for NFCU. An investigation revealed Thomas was working with Alvey to commit bank fraud. Alvey would fabricate fraudulent purchase invoices for tractors from his business, Oil City Tractor, LLC, and send the invoices to Thomas. Thomas would then use credit union members’ information to request a loan. Once the loan was approved, Thomas would share the proceeds with Alvey and they would use the money for personal and business ventures. In April 2025, Thomas was sentenced to 34 months in federal prison.
This case is being investigated by FBI’s Beaumont Field Office and the Beaumont Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Reynaldo P. Morin.
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Indiana Woman Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – An Indiana woman was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 300 months in prison for sexually exploiting a six-year-old child.
According to court documents, Veronica Solis, 35, of Valparaiso, produced child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in August and September 2019 with codefendant Gerald Talman Brann. An investigation showed that Solis and Brann sexually assaulted the child victim, recorded the sexual assaults using their cell phones, and then shared the CSAM with each other, as well as others. The two were arrested on March 14, 2023.
Solis pleaded guilty Dec. 5, 2023 and, on June 3, 2025, was sentenced by Judge Fred Biery.
Brann, who pleaded guilty to the same charge on Nov. 28, 2023, was sentenced in May 2024 to 360 months in federal prison by Judge Jason K. Pulliam.
U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The FBI’s San Antonio and Indianapolis divisions investigated the case with assistance from the Indiana State Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Honduran National Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Assaulting USBP AgentRead the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – A Honduran national was sentenced today in a federal court in Del Rio to 96 months in prison for assaulting a U.S. Border Patrol agent while attempting to illegally enter the United States.
According to court documents, Trinidad De Jesus Madrid-Rivas, and another illegal alien attempted to flee from two U.S. Border Patrol agents south of Spofford on Aug. 17, 2024. When one of the agents approached, Madrid-Rivas became assaultive, resisted arrest and attempted to choke the agent, leaving a mark on his neck.
During the incident, Madrid-Rivas released the safety of the agent’s duty weapon, left an incision on the agent’s hand with his fingernails, and struck the agent in the arm, causing the handgun to fire. The agent eventually regained control and attempted to call for help on his radio when Madrid-Rivas ripped the ear piece from the agent’s ear, along with the collapsible baton from the agent’s duty belt. Madrid-Rivas then attempted to gain possession of the agent’s pistol. Fearing for his life during the struggle over the handgun, the agent fired a single round and Madrid-Rivas fled again. He was later apprehended.
Madrid-Rivas pleaded guilty on Jan. 8 to one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees. He was also convicted in 2023 for felony assault on a peace officer. In that assault, police officers responded to a burglary in progress when they encountered Madrid-Rivas yielding a machete. After physically removing the machete from Madrid-Rivas, he bit one of the officers and later hit another officer with his head.
“This district and the Department of Justice will not tolerate violent criminal behavior that endangers our law enforcement officers, and this case is one of many that shows the potentially fatal risks our partners along the border face every day of the week,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Understand that we greatly value the efforts of our local, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement partners, and we will aggressively prosecute anyone who obstructs or assaults these men and women who risk their lives to keep our nation secure.”
The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Kass prosecuted the case.
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Honduran National Sentenced for Illegally Entering the US After a Prior RemovalRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Honduran national was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for illegally entering the U.S. after a prior removal.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., sentenced Josue Osmin Montoya Acosta, 36, to time served (approximately 93 days). Montoya Acosta pleaded guilty on April 3, 2025.
According to court records, on February 25, 2025, Montoya Acosta was observed by an officer from the Brunswick Police Department operating a vehicle with no front license plate and no light on the rear license plate. The rear plate was later determined to be a temporary plate from Indiana. When asked for his license, Montoya Acosta presented a Honduran passport and told the officer he did not have a driver’s license. When asked if he had a visa, he told the officer he did not. Immigration records showed that he had previously been removed on two prior occasions.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigated the case with assistance from the Brunswick Police Department.
Operation Take Back America: This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
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Honduran National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Honduran national has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Jose Denis Guardado-Paz, 40, is charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Guardado-Paz was arrested on May 5, 2025.
According to the indictment, Guardado-Paz was most recently deported from the United States on Oct. 18, 2019. It is alleged that sometime after his October 2019 removal, Guardado-Paz illegally reentered the United States without permission.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra W. Amrhein of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Honduran National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Honduran national residing in Waltham, Mass. has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Samuel Cruz Alvarado, 63, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Cruz Alvarado was arrested by immigration authorities on May 5, 2025. He will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to the indictment, Cruz Alvarado was deported from the United States on Nov. 26, 2012. It is alleged that sometime after his November 2012 removal, Cruz Alvarado illegally reentered the United States without permission.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Honduran Citizen Living Illegally in the United States Pleads Guilty and is Sentenced for Immigration CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Wilson Geovanny Nunez, also known as “Wilson Nunez,” 36, a citizen of Honduras living illegally in the United States, pleaded guilty today to reentry of a removed alien and was sentenced to seven months of incarceration. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has an immigration detainer on Nunez so he can be transferred to ICE administrative custody for removal proceedings once he serves the sentence imposed in this case.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 29, 2024, Nunez was arrested by law enforcement following a traffic stop in Hurricane, West Virginia. ICE agents confirmed that Nunez was a citizen of Honduras in the United States illegally and that he had previously been deported six times from the United States. Nunez had no identification documents permitting him legal status in the United States.
Nunez was removed from the United States to Honduras on February 28, 2014; June 9, 2014; July 5, 2018; April 8, 2020; November 8, 2020; and June 2, 2021. Nunez was previously convicted of the felony offense of illegal reentry of a removed alien in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on April 14, 2021.
Nunez never obtained the express consent of the Secretary of U.S. Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States for either of the prior removals, nor did he seek to reenter the United States through other legal means.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing and imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-8.
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Haskell County Resident Pleads Guilty to Failure to Register as A Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Tyler Dee Baker, age 33, of McCurtain, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, punishable by up to ten years in prison.
The Indictment alleged that Baker was convicted of First Degree Rape in the State of Oklahoma on May 7, 2010, and was required to register as a sex offender, and that from November 2024 until February 19, 2025, Baker failed to register and update his registration while entering, leaving, or residing in Indian country, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Baker will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Pippin represented the United States.
Guatemalan National Sentenced to Eight Months in Prison for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Elvis Alfonso Lopez-Perez, age 32, Guatemalan National residing in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to eight months in prison by United States District Judge Keli M. Neary for illegally reentering the United States.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Lopez-Perez was removed from the United States on February 1, 2013. He illegally reentered the United States at an unknown time thereafter. On May 28, 2024, he was found in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, without having first obtained legal permission to reenter the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Scalera prosecuted the case.
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Guatemalan National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Guatemalan national residing in Framingham has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Ariel Humberto Diaz, 33, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Diaz was arrested on May 5, 2025.
According to the indictment, Diaz was most recently deported from the United States to Guatemala on March 16, 2022. It is alleged that sometime after his March 2022 removal, Diaz illegally reentered the United States without permission. Diaz had previously been removed to Guatemala in May 2014, April 2016, October 2016 and November 2018. Diaz has twice been convicted of illegal re-entry.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra W. Amrhein of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Guatemalan National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Guatemalan national residing in Brighton, Mass., has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Santos Misael Castro-Gonzales, 31, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Castro-Gonzales was arrested on May 9, 2025 and will make an appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to the indictment, Castro-Gonzales was previously deported from the United States on Feb. 1, 2016. It is alleged that sometime after his February 2016 removal, Castro-Gonzales illegally reentered the United States without permission.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric L. Hawkins of the Major Crime Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Greenwood Arkansas Man Sentenced to 320 Months Imprisonment for Soliciting and Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Greenwood Arkansas man was sentenced today for production of child pornography and the attempted receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Grant Stephen Goers, 24, to 320 months imprisonment followed by 20 years of supervised release. Upon his release, Goers will also be required to register as a sex offender. Judge Frizzell further ordered Goers to pay a $200 special monetary assessment.
According to court documents, Grant Stephen Goers began communicating with a minor victim who he knew to be under the age of 18 years on Instagram. Goers repeatedly requested the child to send him sexually explicit photos of herself. The minor victim eventually sent Goers sexually explicit photos. According to his plea agreement, Goers convinced the minor victim to meet and have sex. Goers separately solicited two other minor victims who he knew to be 14 years-old to send him sexually explicit photos of themselves via online messages sent from Goers’ cell phone.
Previously released on bond, Goers was taken into custody at his change of plea hearing where he will remain pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The Tulsa Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Robert prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Grand Jury Charges Two Mexican Nationals with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
TOLEDO, Ohio – The United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) has announced that a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Ohio has returned indictments charging two Mexican nationals with violating Title 8 U.S. Code (USC) 1326, illegal reentry. Additionally, one defendant was charged with using fraudulent documents. These are separate cases and not related.
Pedro Martinez-Garcia, 28, has been charged with one count of illegal reentry. He has two previous removals from the United States with the most recent being Oct. 11, 2017. On June 1, 2025, he was found in Marion, Ohio, without the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security for readmission.
Bersain Alvarez-Lopez, 37, has been charged with one count of illegal reentry. He has three previous removals from the United States with the most recent being Jan. 15, 2019. He was again found in the country on May 9, 2025, in Norwalk, Ohio without the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security to be readmitted. He was also charged with two counts of possession of a fraudulent identification document for possessing a fraudulent permanent resident card and a fraudulent Social Security card in violation of Title 18 USC 1546 (a). Additionally, the defendant is charged with misuse of a Social Security Number, in violation of Title 42, USC 408 (a)(7)(B).
The investigations preceding the indictments were conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ava Rotell Dustin is leading the prosecution.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal records, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Michael Pratt, the mastermind behind the GirlsDoPorn sex trafficking ring, pleaded guilty in federal court today to multiple sex trafficking counts.
Pratt, who was the owner of the website GirlsDoPorn, was charged in October 2019 in the Southern District of California with sex trafficking crimes in connection with a scheme to deceive and coerce young women to appear in pornographic videos. Pratt liquidated his assets and fled the United States in mid-2019. He was named to the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list and lived as an international fugitive for more than three years until his arrest in Spain in December 2022 and extradition to San Diego in March 2024.
According to public court filings, Pratt and his co-defendants used force, fraud, and coercion to recruit hundreds of young women – most in their late teens – to appear in GirlsDoPorn videos. In his plea agreement, Pratt pleaded guilty to Count One (conspiracy to sex traffic from 2012 to 2019) and Count Two (Sex trafficking Victim 1 in May 2012) of the superseding indictment.
In connection with Count 1, Pratt admitted the following:
He was the owner and operator of the pornography website GirlsDoPorn, which featured sex videos of young adult women appearing in their first pornographic video. Pratt came up with the idea for the website, recruited women to appear in the videos, sometimes transported the women to and from the site of the video shoot, sometimes manned the camera for the videos, and otherwise managed the business.
In around 2012, Pratt recruited his co-defendant Matthew Wolfe to work for him. Wolfe operated GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys (an offshoot of GirlsDoPorn which featured many of the same women appearing in pornographic videos with sex toys). The two websites were run by Pratt as a single business venture. Both websites were supported by the same employees operating out of a shared office in San Diego.
Throughout the conspiracy, GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys received millions of views. To promote the websites, video content from both sites was posted on free porn sites such as Pornhub.com, one of the world’s most visited websites. The videos from GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys posted on PornHub were often viewed millions of times according to PornHub’s own view counters. The websites charged visitors a subscription fee to access content, and generated millions of dollars in revenue for Pratt.
To recruit young women to appear in videos for the websites, Pratt and some of his employees (at Pratt’s direction) often told the prospective models that their sex videos would never be posted on-line, that the videos would never be released in the United States, and that no one who knew the women would ever find out about the video, representations that Pratt and other members of the conspiracy knew were false. Women from various places throughout the United States and Canada were recruited to appear in videos based on these material misrepresentations.
In 2013, Pratt recruited co-defendant Ruben Andre Garcia. the male model who engaged in sex acts on video with the women. As a part of the scheme, Garcia found young women (“Reference Girls”) to falsely reassure prospective models that the videos would not be posted on-line and that none of the models’ friends, families, colleagues or classmates would ever find out. Garcia used the Reference Girls, because he believed that the victims were more likely to believe other young women. Pratt knew about the Reference Girls and paid them a fee for each model that they attempted to recruit.
As a part of the scheme, Pratt and other members of the conspiracy took steps to ensure that the victims did not find out that Pratt and the other members of the conspiracy owned and operated GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys. These steps included the intentional omission of any reference to the websites in statements that Pratt and others made to prospective models and in company names and documents, including the contracts that the prospective models signed. The business was instead often identified by innocuous names, such as “Begin Modeling,” “Bubblegum Casting” or “BLL Media.”
Most of the sex videos created as part of the conspiracy were shot at hotels or short term rental units in the San Diego area. Pratt, Wolfe or co-defendant Theodore Gyi served as the camera men for these video shoots.
Once the women arrived at the hotel or short term rental unit, Pratt, Garcia, Wolfe and/or Gyi continued to falsely assure the women that the videos would not be posted on-line and that no one who knew the victims would find out. The women were told that the contracts simply said what the women had already been told, including that the videos would not be posted on-line. Women were not provided with a copy of the contracts that they signed, even though some of them asked for copies.
If the women told Pratt or his co-conspirators that they wanted to stop making the video, Pratt or his co-conspirators threatened to sue the women, cancel flights home, and post the videos on-line if the women did not complete the sex videos.
Pratt became aware that personal identifying information and social media accounts for some models were being posted on Pornwikileaks.com, a site dedicated to exposing the true identities of individuals appearing in sex videos. Even after Pratt became aware of this, Pratt instructed his employees to assure prospective models that no one would ever find out about their video shoot or learn their identity.
In connection with Count 2, Pratt admitted the following:
In May 2012, Pratt, using the alias “Matt,” recruited Victim 1. The original Craigslist advertisement was for modeling, and it was posted under the name Bubblegum Casting. Victim 1 responded to the ad and communicated with Pratt. Pratt explained that the job was actually to shoot an “adult video.” Pratt falsely assured Victim 1 that her video would only be seen in Australia by private clients and would not be posted on the internet. Victim 1 was 18 years old at the time of these conversations.
Victim 1 initially declined, but Pratt referred her to a Reference Girl to convince Victim 1 to do the video and reassure Victim 1 that her video would not be posted on-line. Relying upon assurances by Pratt and the Reference Girl, Victim 1 flew from a state outside of California to San Diego for the video shoot. Pratt picked Victim 1 up at the airport and drove her to a hotel in San Diego. Pratt operated the camera. He directed and filmed the sex video.
Prior to making the video, Pratt rushed Victim 1 through a contract and did not provide her with a copy. Pratt had promised Victim 1 that the video would take 30 minutes, but it took hours to film. Once the video was done, Pratt gave Victim 1 $2,000.
Victim 1’s video was posted on GirlsDoPorn approximately nine months after the shoot. Victim 1 contacted Pratt after her video was posted to the GirlsDoPorn website and begged Pratt to take her video down. Pratt did not reply and did not take the video down.
Garcia was sentenced to 20 years in prison on June 14, 2021. Theodore Gyi was sentenced to four years in prison on November 9, 2022. Matthew Wolfe was sentenced to 14 years in prison on March 20, 2024. Valorie Moser, the office manager, is set for sentencing on September 12, 2025.
Pratt’s sentencing is scheduled for September 8, 2025, at 9 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 19cr4488-JLS
Michael Pratt Age: 42 To be sentenced September 8, 2025
Matthew Wolfe Age: 43 Sentenced to 14 years on March 20, 2024
Ruben Andre Garcia Age: 36 Sentenced to 20 years on June 4, 2021
Theodore Gyi Age: 47 Sentenced to 4 years on November 9, 2022
Valorie Moser Age: 42 To be sentenced on September 12, 2025
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Sex Trafficking Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1594
Maximum penalty: Life in prison and $250,000 fine
Sex Trafficking – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1591
Mandatory Minimum: Fifteen years in prison
Maximum penalty: Life in prison and $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
Federal Bureau of Investigation
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Gettysburg Man Charged with Mail TheftRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that, on June 5, 2025, Harry Hartman, age 54, a resident of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was charged by criminal information with mail theft.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus, the Information alleges that, between approximately May 2023 and August 2024, Hartman stole packages from the Gettysburg Post Office that were to be received by the Gettysburg College, Print Center & Post Office, and delivered, provided, or made available to intended recipients.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and United States Postal Service – Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Wesley (“Wes”) Mishoe is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is five years imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, a fine, and the imposition of a special assessment. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by a court after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Informations only contain allegations. All persons charged by information are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Gang Member Convicted by Jury for his Part in MurderRead the Press Release
Following a one-week trial, a federal jury in Memphis convicted a member of the Unknown Vice Lords (UVL) — a violent street gang in Memphis — for his involvement in a gang-related murder, after deliberating for less than an hour.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Vincent Grant, also know as “V-Slash,” 41, of Memphis, was a high-ranking member of UVL, also known as The Ghost Mob — a criminal enterprise that controlled territory throughout the entire city of Memphis and beyond to Arkansas and Mississippi. Members of UVL committed murders, burglaries, assaults, human trafficking, and drug trafficking on behalf of the enterprise. When the gang’s Supreme Elite Chief, the leader for the entire state of Tennessee, was murdered, the gang sought retaliation against anyone thought to be involved.
As proven at trial, on Jan. 10, 2019, the gang’s Supreme Elite Chief and his girlfriend were murdered in a residential neighborhood in broad daylight. The gang sought retaliation that same night against a rival gang, the Traveling Vice Lords (TVL) whom they initially believed to have been responsible. Multiple UVL members drove to a known TVL hangout and engaged in a gun battle with the other gang. During the next few days, UVL conducted its own internal investigation and were informed that a fellow member was thought to be responsible for their Chief’s murder.
Five days after the Chief was murdered, on Jan. 15, 2019, the implicated member, the victim for this trial, was murdered at the hands of Grant and other UVL members. On Jan. 14, 2019, Grant, as a keeper of guns for the gang, provided guns to multiple gang members for the purpose of going on a “demo,” which is the gang’s term for committing violent acts. Then early the next morning at around 1:00 a.m., Grant and three other gang members drove the victim to an apartment complex, where two of them executed the victim with the guns Grant provided.
“This violent gang brutally executed one of their own and left the body on display as a warning that betrayal would not be tolerated,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their blatant disregard for human life — carrying out shootings in broad daylight and in residential neighborhoods—underscores the urgent need to confront and dismantle this threat to public safety. The Justice Department and the ATF turned this case from a cold case into a conviction, and we remain committed to working closely with law enforcement to tackle even the most challenging cases. Our warning to street gangs is clear: their violence will not be tolerated.”
“Gang violence is never isolated — it endangers entire communities,” said Acting Director Daniel Driscoll of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “This gang’s brutal executions, carried out openly in residential neighborhoods in broad daylight, sent a chilling message of intimidation; but ATF and our law enforcement partners sent an even stronger one back: violence and fear will not prevail. We remained dedicated to protecting the community and unraveled this deadly conspiracy to ensure justice was done. We remain relentless in our commitment to dismantle gangs that threaten public safety, and we’ll continue to hold accountable, those who inflict violence in our communities.”
The jury convicted Grant of causing death by use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, that being murder in aid of racketeering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 19 and faces up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis Police Department, and United States Secret Service assisted in the investigation.
Trial Attorneys Lisa Thelwell and Christopher Usher of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case with substantial assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.
This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Memphis, Tennessee. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute the violent offenders and prevent further violence.
Franklin County man sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for child exploitation violationRead the Press Release
TEXARKANA, Texas – A Mount Vernon man has been sentenced to federal prison for child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Zachary Arzola, 28, pleaded guilty to travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder, III on June 5, 2025.
According to information presented in court, Arzola met a minor victim online in September 2022 when he was 26 years old, and the minor victim was 14 years old. Arzola communicated with the minor victim through social media applications and eventually traveled to Ohio to meet her in December 2022. Once in Ohio, Arzola presented the victim’s family with an altered driver’s license to falsely represent that he was 16 years old. After briefly returning to Texas, Arzola traveled back to Ohio in January 2023, picked the minor victim up from her home after her mother left for work, and transported the victim back to Texas with him. Mount Vernon Police discovered the minor victim and Arzola at Arzola’s home shortly after they arrived in Texas. Arzola admitted in court documents that he persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced the 14-year-old victim to engage in prohibited sexual activity.
“With the scope and accessibility of social media applications, predators like Arzola are every parent’s worst nightmare,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. “Arzola’s despicable crime took online predation to a whole new level. He invented a new identity, lied about his age, and traveled to Ohio to meet the victim and her family. He concocted a plan to kidnap the victim under the guise of elopement and acted on it. The sentence he received should serve as a warning to other online predators that they will get caught, and they will face justice. Parents around our country should take note of the ease with which Arzola was able to exploit technology to lure an innocent child into danger.”
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. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety – Criminal Investigations Division, the Mount Vernon Police Department, and the Clermont (Ohio) County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Austin Wells.
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Four Foreign Nationals Sentenced for Illegally Reentering the United States After DeportationRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that four men convicted separately of illegally reentering the United States after prior deportations were sentenced this week.
Eric Gonzalez, aka Jefferson Alexander Huertas Cajamarca, 44, a Colombian national, was sentenced this morning by United States District Judge Juan R. Sánchez to 12 months and one day in prison for illegal reentry. At the conclusion of his sentence, he again will be removed from the country.
Gonzalez had previously been deported in February 2008, after having been convicted of robbery in New Jersey.
In April 2024, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) received an electronic notification that Gonzalez had been arrested by the Abington Township Police Department and charged with theft by unlawful taking and related offenses. ICE officers took Gonzalez into custody in October, following the completion of his term of imprisonment on the state theft conviction. In December, he was charged by federal indictment with illegally reentering the United States and pleaded guilty in February of this year.
Eddy Rondon Salcedo, 34, a Dominican national, was sentenced this morning by United States District Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg to time served, approximately five months, for illegal reentry. Having completed his prison sentence, he again will be removed from the country.
In September 2008, Rondon Salcedo entered the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident on a valid visa. In December of 2019, he pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to possession with intent to distribute one kilogram of heroin and fentanyl. Rondon Salcedo was sentenced in March of 2021 to time served and two years of supervised release. Due to the federal conviction on this aggravated felony, Rondon Salcedo was removed from the United States in June 2021.
In December 2024, the defendant was arrested by ICE officers, who had received information that he was back in Philadelphia. In February of this year, Rondon Salcedo was charged by information with illegal reentry and pleaded guilty.
Wilmer Yovani Fuentes-Benitez, 34, a Honduran national, was sentenced by Judge Goldberg on Monday to time served, approximately four months, for illegally reentering the U.S. after multiple previous deportations. Having completed his prison sentence for this latest illegal reentry, he again will be removed from the country.
Fuentes-Benitez had been deported from the United States to Honduras three times prior: in June 2008, after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) encountered him at a Philadelphia jail following his arrest for aggravated assault and weapons possession; in June 2010, after ICE encountered him at a Louisiana jail following his arrest for battery on a police officer and resisting arrest; and in May 2022, following his arrest by the United States Border Patrol in Franklin, Vermont, during an alien smuggling operation.
After becoming aware that Fuentes-Benitez was once again unlawfully present in the United States, ICE officers conducted surveillance to confirm his identity and took the defendant into custody in February of this year. He was charged by indictment with illegal reentry that month and pleaded guilty in March.
Ronal Hilario Morantin-Mota, aka Jose Flores Davila, 39, a Dominican national, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro on Monday to time served, approximately three months, for illegally reentering the United States. Having completed his prison sentence, he again will be removed from the country.
Morantin-Mota had been deported in September 2019, following his arrest by Pennsylvania State Police in January of that year on a charge of possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance.
Earlier this year, ICE received information that Morantin-Mota may be back in the United States unlawfully. Officers conducted surveillance to confirm his identity and took the defendant into custody in February. In March, he was charged by indictment with illegal reentry and pleaded guilty.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
The cases were investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Everett Witherell, Shayna Gannone, and S. Chandler Harris.
Former spouse of deceased U.S. Army veteran sentenced to prison for improperly claiming surviving spouse benefitsRead the Press Release
Defendant falsely denied divorce from deceased veteran
SAVANNAH, GA: The ex-wife of a deceased U.S. Army veteran was sentenced Monday after fraudulently receiving spousal benefits.
Tara M. Lyons, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced that Miranda Rachel Briggs, a/k/a “Miranda Rachel Fisher,” 34, of Rincon, Georgia, pled guilty to Wire Fraud on January 15, 2025. On Monday, June 2, 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood sentenced Briggs to two months imprisonment. Judge Wood also ordered Briggs to pay more than $129,000 in restitution to the Veterans Administration, and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of her prison term.
The key events began in November 2015 when Briggs married G.B., a U.S. Army veteran, keeping her maiden name “Fisher.” Less than a year later, Briggs filed for divorce. Two weeks after the divorce was final, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs granted G.B.’s request to remove Briggs as a recipient of G.B.’s benefits.
Briggs filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in January 2018, certifying that she and G.B. were divorced. In January 2018, G.B. died and within weeks, Briggs filed for VA benefits, falsely claiming to be G.B.’s surviving spouse. In April 2018 she also claimed to be G.B.’s spouse when applying for benefits from the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA benefits).
After the VA’s initial decision to deny her claim to G.B.’s VA survivor benefits, Briggs submitted additional paperwork claiming she and G.B. were married until his death in 2018. Based on this claim, the VA granted her the benefits. She then filed a petition in Chatham County Superior Court, changing her name from Miranda Rachel Fisher to Miranda Rachel Briggs, and in June 2018, the court granted the name change.
In April 2021, Briggs filed a petition to become the administrator of G.B.’s estate after claiming in Chatham County Probate Court to be G.B.’s surviving spouse. In December 2021, the Probate Court granted that petition. One week later, Briggs filed suit against the United States seeking more than seven million dollars in damages for G.B.’s death. During the pendency of this suit, lawyers for the United States discovered that Briggs’s fraudulently claimed to be G.B.’s spouse, and the lawsuit was dismissed.
In March 2023, the Chatham County Probate Court removed Briggs as administrator after finding that she was divorced from G.B. at the time of his death and not eligible to act as an administrator of his estate.
As a result of her falsely claiming to be the widow of G.B., Briggs received approximately $49,000 for medical care, and approximately $80,000 in benefits from the VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation Program. The Court noted at the sentencing hearing, that Briggs spent thousands of dollars on cosmetic surgeries after she began receiving the CHAMPVA benefits.
“Programs that financially benefit surviving family members of deceased veterans are designed to provide a safety net to those survivors,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lyons. “This sentence sends the appropriate message that those not entitled to these benefits will be called to answer for their crimes.”
“This sentence sends a clear message that individuals who steal VA benefits will be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge David Spilker with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General Southeast Field Office. “The VA OIG will continue to identify and eliminate fraud by seeking prosecution of those who swindle VA benefit programs that are intended to help veterans, their families, and caregivers. We thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their efforts in this investigation.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and prosecuted for the United States of America by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia G. Rhodes and Michael Z. Spitulnik.
Former Maryland State Trooper Sentenced to Federal Prison for Bribery and Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Today, U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Justin Riggs, 35, of Smithsburg, Maryland, to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for Conspiracy to Distribute and Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Controlled Dangerous Substances, Use of a Communication Facility in Causing or Facilitating the Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Dangerous Substances, and Travel Act-State of Maryland Bribery.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Acting Special Agent in Charge Amanda M. Koldjeski, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office.
According to his guilty plea, in December 2022, Riggs — who was serving as a Maryland State Trooper — was assigned to a group within the Maryland State Police (MSP) investigating drug and gun trafficking in Western Maryland. The MSP group used at least one confidential human source during the investigation. On December 19, Riggs created a fictitious Facebook account to contact a drug-distributor target. While corresponding with the drug distributor, Riggs informed the drug distributor that he worked “for a fed agency.” Riggs also told the drug distributor that he had “tons more info pertaining to your biggest informant.” The former Maryland state trooper initiated several electronic conversations with the drug distributor between 2022 and 2023, attempting to sell the informant’s identity.
On December 21, Riggs stated among other things:
“Theres a big case man. I’m not reaching out because I care what you’re in to or not in to. you don’t have to play innocent to me. IDC about that. I’m just trying to get paid. But there’s a big case that’s going on. Im here to work with you. I gave you some free info to prove my worth. Once you find the tracker and see I’m legit then let's talk about the other info I have.”
“That’s why I need money for the info. I know what’ll happen to the rat. You may not have the money but your club does. And this case is going to hurt alot of members. But anyway. Just holler when you want to move forward man.”
Then on December 22, Riggs continued conversing with the drug distributor. The drug distributor told Riggs that he was no longer going to participate in drug trafficking, to which Riggs responded in part:
“…So listen, if you’re getting out or want nothing to do with what I can offer, is there anybody trustworthy in your club that would have interest in my services? Info for money exchange type of thing?”
“I could be willing to give you some more info now for forwarding my services to someone that could use it.”
On December 26, Riggs asked the drug distributor if he removed the tracker from his truck. Riggs then offered additional help to the drug distributor. During the correspondence, Riggs said:
“Did you pull the tracker off? I can help you by telling you how deep the investigation is. How to make it go away, who your snitch is that’s setting y’all up, and when your phone will be tapped…”
“Gotchya. Yah it will send an alert once removed. I think they’re going to try to put another one of this week. I can’t communicate with you once the wire tap starts. That’s why I’m going offline tomorrow. But like I said I can help you. By telling you the snitch. Once he’s gone then you’re case should be gone because he won't be able to testify against you”
On January 2, 2023, Riggs began negotiating a price with the drug distributor for the information which continued through January 3. During a latter part of the conversation, Riggs stated:
“If you make the 1500 drop then I’ll just give ya the rest of the info and you can make the 300 drop.” Then later, “Every buy he’s done hasbeen recorded. The audio conversations have been recorded. But he plans on testifying on ya…”
Then on January 5, Person 1 picked up the $1,500 on behalf of Riggs at an agreed upon location in Western Maryland. Riggs later confirmed with the drug distributor that he received the money.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and MSP for their work in the investigation and ATF and HSI for their valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean R. Delaney who prosecuted the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Former Avon police chief sentenced to probation for stealing federal fundsRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that that Joseph Geer, 40, of Caledonia, NY, who was convicted of theft of funds related to a federal program, was sentenced to serve two years’ probation by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Testani, who handled the case, stated that in 2022, the Avon Central School District and the Village of Avon entered into a School Resource Officer Contract, in which the Village of Avon agreed to provide an off-duty member of the Avon Police Department to provide various services to the district. In exchange, the School Resource Officer (SRO) would be paid an hourly wage by the district. Between September 2023, and January 2024, Geer was employed as the Avon Police Chief and an SRO under the contract. During that time, Geer billed the district for hours during which he did not perform duties under the contract. Geer assigned an on-duty subordinate officer to “cover” his obligations, thus depriving the Village of Avon of a patrolling on-duty police officer. Geer knew that by assigning an on-duty officer to cover his duties, the Village of Avon was being charged for a police officer’s wages who was not performing all of his police officer duties.
The value of police services for the Village of Avon that were lost while officers covered Geer’s SRO duties was approximately $6,866.84.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm, and the New York State Comptroller’s Office, under the direction of Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
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Florida Man Sentenced to over Four Years in Prison for Embezzling $5.8 Million from EmployerRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The former finance director of a Florida-based company has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for embezzling more than $5.8 million from his employer.
Paul Schnitzer, 52, of Clermont, Fla., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo. T. Sorokin to 54 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Schnitzer was also ordered to pay $5,831,829 in restitution and to forfeit various assets that he obtained through his crime, including the full balances of two financial accounts, subscription ownership shares in certain artwork, and up to $50,000 in cash on deposit with Bulgari, the luxury jeweler.
Between January 2022 and May 2024, Schnitzer made over 100 transfers, most disguised as “equity distributions,” from his employer’s operating account into his personal account. He also secretly used a line of credit to replenish the company’s operating account after he had stolen from it and to transfer additional funds to his account. To hide these transfers, Schnitzer provided falsified financial reports with inflated cash balances for the company, to the Massachusetts-based investment firm that owned the company. He also spoofed email addresses and posed as representatives of the company’s bank and customers to send falsified confirmations to the company’s audit firms.
While on pre-trial release, Schnitzer was arrested after cutting his location monitoring device in June 2024 and using a company credit card to make over $10,000 in purchases in August 2024.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol E. Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit handled the forfeiture aspects of the case.
Five Highs Gang Members Convicted by Jury of RICO Conspiracy, Drug Trafficking, and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Following a three-week trial, a federal jury in Minneapolis convicted five Minnesota men today for their involvement in the Highs — a violent Minneapolis street gang — and in gang-related murders, shootings, and narcotics distribution.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, defendants Tyreese Giles, 24, Josiah Taylor, 31, Trevaun Robinson, 29, William Banks, 35, and Gregory Brown, 35, all of Minneapolis, were members of various “cliques,” or subsets, of the Highs — a criminal enterprise that controlled territory north of West Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis. Members of the Highs committed murders, narcotics trafficking, weapons violations, burglaries, assaults, and robberies on behalf of the enterprise. As part of their Highs membership, the defendants were expected to retaliate against their rivals, the Lows gang, which operated south of West Broadway Avenue. These two gangs had been in a gang war that spanned years and alleged members of the Lows gang have been separately charged with federal crimes, including racketeering charges.
“This is the second successful trial against members and associates of the Highs gang in this case in the last three weeks,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This case and these trials show the Department’s relentless determination to hold accountable criminal enterprises that use murder and intimidation to exert power and control narcotics territory. We will continue to dismantle violent gangs and secure justice for victims and their loved ones in communities around the country.”
“The Highs have long terrorized north Minneapolis, bringing drugs, violence, and murder,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson for the District of Minnesota. “This verdict represents yet another step in our fight against gang violence. I want to thank the coalition of federal, state, and local law enforcement partners who joined together to bring down this violent criminal street gang. I also want to thank the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section for lending their expertise and partnering with the U.S. Attorney’s Office on our RICO cases.”
“The FBI is committed to using every legal means available, including federal racketeering statutes, to dismantle these criminal enterprises who plague our society,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “The Highs have used violence to terrorize and control our streets with no regard for the innocent lives impacted by their dangerous lifestyle. Today’s outcome is the result of coordinated law enforcement efforts with our partners to dismantle this dangerous group and make our streets safer.”
“This case is a powerful example of how we use federal racketeering laws to take down violent gangs at the center of community violence,” said Acting Director Daniel Driscoll of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “These individuals relied on firearms, retaliation, and drug trafficking to fuel chaos and assert fear and dominance over their neighborhoods. ATF special agents worked closely with our partners to map the gang’s structure and document their vicious acts of violence, to bring the full weight of the law against its members. We will continue to use every tool available to protect the public and hold violent offenders accountable.”
“The verdict today reflects the United States Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS) dedication to building great partnerships with other federal agencies, as well as state and county law enforcement, to bring violent criminals in our communities to justice,” said Acting Inspector in Charge Steve Hodge of USPIS.
“As financial investigators, IRS Criminal Investigation brings a unique skill set to dismantling violent criminal enterprises,” said Special Agent in Charge Ramsey E. Covington of the IRS Criminal Investigation Chicago Field Office. “Our special agents are experts in exposing how criminal organizations move and hide their illicit funds. By following the money, we developed critical financial evidence on significant fentanyl suppliers. As an agency on the RICO task force to combat violent crime, IRS-CI will continue to collaborate with our federal, state, and local partners to make a noticeable impact in our community. These convictions are a critical step in restoring safety and stability to the streets of Minneapolis and maintaining the marked decrease in violence in our community.”
As proven at trial, the gang war escalated when, on Sept. 9, 2021, a prominent Highs member was shot and killed at a barbershop in Minneapolis. About two hours later, suspecting that the Lows were responsible for the killing, defendant Giles traveled to Pennwood Market in Lows territory. Once there, Giles, who was dressed in black and wearing a mask covering his face, shot and killed a Lows member. He fired the fatal shot into the victim’s back before he attempted to flee from the scene.
Evidence at trial tied defendant Robinson to two shootings — one into a crowd of individuals in downtown Minneapolis on July 7, 2019, and another in the parking lot of Merwin Liquors, a Highs hangout, on April 2, 2022.
Defendants Taylor and Banks trafficked drugs, including fentanyl, on behalf of the Highs. Evidence proved that Brown was a high-level narcotics supplier for the Highs and coordinated trips to and from Arizona for Highs members to obtain tens of thousands of fentanyl pills to sell on the streets of Minneapolis. Each defendant was arrested in possession of narcotics, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, and oxycodone, and one possessed a firearm in furtherance of their narcotics trafficking.
The jury convicted defendants Giles, Robinson, Banks, And Brown of Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Conspiracy. Defendants Taylor and Banks were also convicted of drug trafficking conspiracy. The jury convicted Taylor of the separate crime of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This is the second of several trials in this case, which charged over 40 defendants with RICO conspiracy, narcotics trafficking, firearms offenses, and other charges related to their activities as members and associates of the Highs gang. Nine defendants are awaiting trial.
The ATF, FBI, Minneapolis Police Department, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and Minnesota Department of Corrections are investigating the case, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, St. Paul Police Department, and numerous other law enforcement agencies contributed to the investigation.
Trial Attorneys Brian Lynch and Alyssa Levey-Weinstein of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Lopez-Calhoun and Carla Baumel of the District of Minnesota are prosecuting the case.
Final of 14 Individuals Sentenced for Dog FightingRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga.— Following a final sentencing hearing today, all 14 defendants convicted in a large-scale federal dog fighting case in Southwest Georgia have been sentenced to a total of 343 months in prison for dog fighting and other charges.
“The brutality of dog fighting, combined with armed drug distribution, negatively affects our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker for the Middle District of Georgia. “The collaboration among law enforcement agencies at every level during this investigation and prosecution was essential in bringing these defendants to justice and rescuing abused animals.”
“Dog fighting is an odious form of organized crime, and it’s a magnet for other criminal activity,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The Justice Department and its local partners, such as the Seminole County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office, will not tolerate this callous criminal activity.”
“The Office of Inspector General is committed to working with all of our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners in pursuing individuals who choose to participate in animal fighting activities and engage in violations involving animal welfare,” said Special Agent in Charge Miles Davis of the Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG).
Details of the total sentencings is below:
• Donnametric Miller, of Donalsonville, Georgia – 100 months in prison;
• Fredricus White, of Panama City, Florida – 35 months in prison;
• Christopher Travis Beaumont, of Panama City, Florida – 30 months in prison;
• Marvin Pulley, of Donalsonville, Georgia – 30 months in prison;
• Cornelious Johnson, of Panama City, Florida – 27 months in prison;
• Terelle Ganzy, of Panama City, Florida – 24 months in prison;
• Willie Russell, of Blakely, Georgia – 24 months in prison;
• Brandon Baker, of Panama City, Florida – 20 months in prison;
• Terrance Davis, of Pansey, Alabama – 20 months in prison;
• Tamichael Elijah, of Donalsonville, Georgia – 18 months in prison;
• Timothy Freeman, of Bainbridge, Georgia – time served (15 months in prison);
• Herman Buggs Jr., of Donalsonville, Georgia – time served (two weeks in prison);
• Rodrecus Kimble, of Donalsonville, Georgia – one year home confinement; and
• Gary Hopkins, of Donalsonville, Georgia – six months home confinement.
In addition to prison sentences, the court also imposed restitution for the costs of care of dogs rescued in this investigation. Under federal law, it is illegal to fight dogs in a venture that affects interstate commerce and to possess, train, transport, deliver, sell, purchase or receive dogs for fighting purposes.
According to court documents filed in this case, defendants from three states all converged on a property in Donalsonville, Georgia, on April 24, 2022, where they held a large-scale dog fighting event. Law enforcement disrupted the event after a 911 call and rescued 27 dogs that night, including one found in the blood-soaked fighting pit with severe injuries who soon died. The participants used their cars to store injured dogs who had already been fought, as well as those whose handlers were awaiting their turn in the fighting pit. Law enforcement personnel also seized a distribution quantity of methamphetamine.
Seized cell phones in this case contained evidence of some of the participants’ extensive participation in the dog fighting “industry,” including large group dog fighting text message chains, fight reports, and dog fighting videos and photos, including one of a dog who had been hung to death in a garage. Authorities seized and rescued 78 pit bull-type dogs altogether in this investigation, including 51 recovered during search warrants executed with arrest warrants this spring, sparing them from similar fates.
The USDA-OIG and detectives with the Seminole County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Detectives with the Bay County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office also provided assistance.
Criminal Chief Leah McEwen of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia assisted Senior Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy and Trial Attorney Leigh Rendé of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section in prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Morrill and Paralegal Kristi Cote for the Middle District of Georgia handled a parallel civil forfeiture proceeding to ensure that the dogs did not have to be returned to the defendants. The Seized Canine Program of the U.S. Marshals Service cared for the rescued dogs pending legal process.
Final of 14 Individuals Sentenced for Dog FightingRead the Press Release
Following a final sentencing hearing today, all 14 defendants convicted in a large-scale federal dog fighting case in Albany, Georgia, have been sentenced to a total of 343 months in prison for dog fighting and other charges.
“Dog fighting is an odious form of organized crime, and it’s a magnet for other criminal activity,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The Justice Department and its local partners, such as the Seminole County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office, will not tolerate this callous criminal activity.”
“The brutality of dog fighting, combined with armed drug distribution, negatively affects our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker for the Middle District of Georgia. “The collaboration among law enforcement agencies at every level during this investigation and prosecution was essential in bringing these defendants to justice and rescuing abused animals.”
“The Office of Inspector General is committed to working with all of our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners in pursuing individuals who choose to participate in animal fighting activities and engage in violations involving animal welfare,” said Special Agent in Charge Miles Davis of the Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG).
Details of the total sentencings is below:
- Donnametric Miller, of Donalsonville, Georgia – 100 months in prison;
- Fredricus White, of Panama City, Florida – 35 months in prison
- Christopher Travis Beaumont, of Panama City, Florida – 30 months in prison;
- Marvin Pulley, of Donalsonville, Georgia – 30 months in prison;
- Cornelious Johnson, of Panama City, Florida – 27 months in prison;
- Terelle Ganzy, of Panama City, Florida – 24 months in prison;
- Willie Russell, of Blakely, Georgia – 24 months in prison;
- Brandon Baker, of Panama City, Florida – 20 months in prison;
- Terrance Davis, of Pansey, Alabama – 20 months in prison;
- Tamichael Elijah, of Donalsonville, Georgia – 18 months in prison;
- Timothy Freeman, of Bainbridge, Georgia – time served (15 months in prison);
- Herman Buggs Jr., of Donalsonville, Georgia – time served (two weeks in prison);
- Rodrecus Kimble, of Donalsonville, Georgia – one year home confinement; and
- Gary Hopkins, of Donalsonville, Georgia – six months home confinement.
In addition to prison sentences, the court also imposed restitution for the costs of care of dogs rescued in this investigation. Under federal law, it is illegal to fight dogs in a venture that affects interstate commerce and to possess, train, transport, deliver, sell, purchase or receive dogs for fighting purposes.
According to court documents filed in this case, defendants from three states all converged on a property in Donalsonville, Georgia, on April 24, 2022, where they held a large-scale dog fighting event. Law enforcement disrupted the event after a 911 call and rescued 27 dogs that night, including one found in the blood-soaked fighting pit with severe injuries who soon died. The participants used their cars to store injured dogs who had already been fought, as well as those whose handlers were awaiting their turn in the fighting pit. Law enforcement personnel also seized a distribution quantity of methamphetamine.
Seized cell phones in this case contained evidence of some of the participants’ extensive participation in the dog fighting “industry,” including large group dog fighting text message chains, fight reports, and dog fighting videos and photos, including one of a dog who had been hung to death in a garage. Authorities seized and rescued 78 pit bull-type dogs altogether in this investigation, including 51 recovered during search warrants executed with arrest warrants this spring, sparing them from similar fates.
The USDA-OIG and detectives with the Seminole County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Detectives with the Bay County, Florda, Sheriff’s Office also provided assistance.
Senior Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy and Trial Attorney Leigh Rendé of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case with assistance from Criminal Chief Leah McEwen of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Morrill and Paralegal Kristi Cote for the Middle District of Georgia handled a parallel civil forfeiture proceeding to ensure that the dogs did not have to be returned to the defendants. The Seized Canine Program of the U.S. Marshals Service cared for the rescued dogs pending legal process.
Fentanyl dealers sentenced to federal prisonRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – Two Texas residents have been sentenced for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Hernan Cortez, 40, Houston, and Daniel Elizondo, 37, Laredo, pleaded guilty Jan. 8.
U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen has now imposed a 63-month-term of imprisonment for Elizondo. Cortez previously received 66 months. Both must also serve four years of supervised release following completion of their sentences. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that detailed how Cortez brought the fentanyl to Laredo and how Elizondo decided to hide the drugs after he learned law enforcement was watching the house. In handing down the prison terms, Judge Kazen noted that fentanyl is lethal and kills many people.
Cortez transported approximately a half of a kilogram of fentanyl from Houston to Laredo Aug. 28, 2024. He intended to sell the drugs there with Elizondo’s assistance.
The following day, Cortez brought the fentanyl to a stash house where Elizondo was located. Authorities conducting surveillance observed Elizondo exit the house wearing a black satchel bag and walk into an alleyway connected to an adjoining property. Shortly after, he returned without the bag.
Authorities executed a search warrant and found 274 grams of fentanyl hidden in a tire wheel in the covered alleyway between the two properties.
Cortez initially believed the narcotics were cocaine or heroin and tried selling them in Houston but couldn’t find any buyers because it was actually fentanyl.
Both men have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Laredo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew P. Hakala-Finch prosecuted the case.
Federal jury convicts Pakistani weapons smuggler of transporting Iranian advanced conventional weapons destined for the Houthis in YemenRead the Press Release
Richmond, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Pakistani national today on charges related to smuggling Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry destined for the Houthis in Yemen and threatening multiple witnesses.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on the night of Jan. 11, 2024, U.S. Central Command Navy forces operating from the USS LEWIS B. PULLER, including Navy SEALs and members of the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team East, boarded an unflagged dhow, a small vessel, in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Somalia. The U.S. boarding team encountered 14 individual mariners on the vessel, including the captain, Muhammad Pahlawan, 49.
During a search of the dhow, the U.S. boarding team located and seized Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry, including ballistic missile components, anti-ship cruise missile components, and a warhead. The type of weaponry found aboard the dhow is consistent with the weaponry used by the Houthi rebel forces during the time of the charged conspiracy against merchant ships and U.S. military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel. During the interdiction, Pahlawan lied to the boarding team, instructed other crewmembers to lie, and eventually threatened the lives of his crewmembers and their families.
Pahlawan’s January 2024 trip was part of a larger operation. From in or around August 2023 through in or around January 2024, Pahlawan worked with two Iranian brothers, Shahab Mir’kazei (Shahab), and Yunus Mir’kazei (Yunus), affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to smuggle materials from Iran to the Houthi rebel forces in Yemen. Pahlawan completed multiple smuggling voyages, coordinated and funded by Shahab and Yunus, by traveling with cargo from Iran to the coast of Somalia and transporting that cargo to another vessel for a nighttime ship-to-ship transfer. Pahlawan worked with Shahab and Yunus to prepare the dhow for these smuggling voyages, received specific coordinates from them for the ship-to-ship transfers, and received multiple payments from them for his role in the smuggling operation.
Pahlawan was convicted of: conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists, providing material support and resources to Iran’s weapons of mass destruction program, providing material support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s weapons of mass destruction program, conspiring to and indeed transporting explosive devices to the Houthis knowing those explosives would be used to cause harm, and threatening his crew. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 22 and most statutes of conviction include a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Donald M. Holstead, FBI Assistant Director of Counterterrorism; and Steven J. Jensen, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge David J. Novak accepted the verdict.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Troy A. Edwards Jr. and Gavin R. Tisdale for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Joseph N. Kaster of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case. Former Eastern District of Virginia prosecutor Danya Atiyeh and former National Security Division Trial Attorney Lesley Woods supported the case.
The following government agencies provided invaluable support to the case: the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Department of Defense, the Diplomatic Security Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-41.
Federal Jury Convicts Pakistani Weapons Smuggler of Transporting Iranian Advanced Conventional Weapons Destined for the Houthis in YemenRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a Pakistani national today on charges related to smuggling Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry destined for the Houthis in Yemen and threatening multiple witnesses.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on the night of Jan. 11, 2024, U.S. Central Command Navy forces operating from the USS LEWIS B. PULLER, including Navy SEALs and members of the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team East, boarded an unflagged dhow, a small vessel, in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Somalia. The U.S. boarding team encountered 14 individual mariners on the vessel, including the captain, Muhammad Pahlawan, 49.
During a search of the dhow, the U.S. boarding team located and seized Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry, including ballistic missile components, anti-ship cruise missile components, and a warhead. The type of weaponry found aboard the dhow is consistent with the weaponry used by the Houthi rebel forces during the time of the charged conspiracy against merchant ships and U.S. military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel. During the interdiction, Pahlawan lied to the boarding team, instructed other crewmembers to lie, and eventually threatened the lives of his crewmembers and their families.
Pahlawan’s January 2024 trip was part of a larger operation. From in or around August 2023 through in or around January 2024, Pahlawan worked with two Iranian brothers, Shahab Mir’kazei (Shahab), and Yunus Mir’kazei (Yunus), affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to smuggle materials from Iran to the Houthi rebel forces in Yemen. Pahlawan completed multiple smuggling voyages, coordinated and funded by Shahab and Yunus, by traveling with cargo from Iran to the coast of Somalia and transporting that cargo to another vessel for a nighttime ship-to-ship transfer. Pahlawan worked with Shahab and Yunus to prepare the dhow for these smuggling voyages, received specific coordinates from them for the ship-to-ship transfers, and received multiple payments from them for his role in the smuggling operation.
Pahlawan was convicted of: conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists, providing material support and resources to Iran’s weapons of mass destruction program, providing material support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s weapons of mass destruction program, conspiring to and indeed transporting explosive devices to the Houthis knowing those explosives would be used to cause harm, and threatening his crew. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 22 and most statutes of conviction include a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant Director Donald M. Holstead of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division; and Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Troy A. Edwards Jr. and Gavin R. Tisdale for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Joseph N. Kaster of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case. Former Eastern District of Virginia prosecutor Danya Atiyeh and former National Security Division Trial Attorney Lesley Woods supported the case.
The following government agencies provided invaluable support to the case: the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Department of Defense, the Diplomatic Security Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State.
Federal Jury Convicts Fort Gibson Resident of Second Degree Murder in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that David Allen Lee, age 44, of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of Second Degree Murder in Indian Country, punishable by up to life in prison.
The jury trial began with testimony on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, and concluded, on Thursday, June 5, 2025, with the guilty verdict.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on July 2, 2024, Lee stabbed a Tahlequah resident in the chest with a knife at the victim’s residence. Lee waited to call 911 for several hours after the victim’s death and barricaded himself inside the residence before finally surrendering to police. The crime occurred in Cherokee County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The guilty verdict was the result of an investigation by the Tahlequah Police Department, the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. The sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Lee will remain in custody of the United States Marshals until sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Gross and Patrick Flanigan represented the United States.
Federal Jury Convicts Five Highs Gang MembersRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – This afternoon, following a three-week jury trial, a federal jury convicted all five defendants on trial in the Highs RICO case of a variety of federal charges, including RICO and murder, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joesph H. Thompson. The Highs are a prominent Minneapolis street gang, whose primary agenda consists of gang-related murders, shootings, and the distribution of narcotics. This is the second of back-to-back large trials in which members of the Highs gang have been convicted of RICO or related charges. The third Highs RICO trial begins on Monday.
“The Highs have long terrorized north Minneapolis, bringing drugs, violence, and murder into our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “This verdict represents yet another step in our fight against gang violence. I want to thank the coalition of federal, state, and local law enforcement partners who joined together to investigate and prosecute this violent criminal street gang. I also want to thank the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section for lending their expertise and partnering with the U.S. Attorney’s Office on our RICO cases.”
Defendants Tyreese Giles, 24, Trevaun Robinson, 29, William Banks, 35, and Gregory Brown, 35, all of Minneapolis, were convicted of federal RICO conspiracy. As proven at trial, these defendants were members of various “cliques,” or subsets, of the Highs — a criminal enterprise that controlled territory north of West Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis. Members of the Highs committed murders, narcotics trafficking, weapons violations, burglaries, assaults, and robberies on behalf of the enterprise. As part of their Highs membership, these defendants were expected to retaliate against their rivals, the Lows gang, which operated south of West Broadway Avenue. These two gangs had been in a gang war that spanned years and alleged members of the Lows gang have been separately charged with federal crimes, including racketeering charges. Giles was also convicted of committing a murder for the benefit of the gang. Josiah Taylor, 31, was convicted of conspiring to distribute controlled substances and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking.
This is the second of several trials in this case, which charged over 40 defendants with RICO conspiracy, narcotics trafficking, firearms offenses, and other charges related to their activities as members and associates of the Highs gang. Nine defendants are awaiting trial.
“Our special agents devoted countless hours coordinating the intricate details of this complex investigation, working closely with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Travis Riddle, of the St. Paul Field Division. “The jury’s verdict rightfully recognizes the seriousness of the violence inflicted upon our Minneapolis communities and reflects ATF’s unwavering commitment to relentlessly pursue those who commit craven acts that endanger public safety. Together, we remain resolute and will continue to aggressively target and dismantle violent criminal enterprises to ensure justice and protect our neighborhoods.”
“The Highs built their reputation on fear, violence, and bloodshed,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “For too long, this violent street gang operated with a ruthless disregard for human life — they poisoned the streets with drugs and left neighborhoods living under the shadow of gunfire and murder. Today’s verdict is a critical step in the fight against violent crime. The FBI and our partners will continue to dismantle violent organizations and pursue these dangerous offenders without pause until our communities are safe from their destructive influence.”
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see violent criminals not only arrested but now convicted,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. “These guilty verdicts send a powerful and unmistakable message: we are serious about ending violent crime in our cities. This outcome reflects the incredible work of MPD officers along with the tireless efforts of our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office. The strategy to target those individuals who cause the greatest harm is paying off. These convictions will surely bring a renewed sense of justice and hope to the individuals and communities that have been harmed by these violent offenders.”
As financial investigators, IRS Criminal Investigation brings a unique skill set to dismantling violent criminal enterprises,” said Ramsey E. Covington, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “Our special agents are experts in exposing how criminal organizations move and hide their profits. By following the money, we developed critical financial evidence on significant fentanyl suppliers. IRS-CI joined the RICO task force to combat violent crime, and we will continue to collaborate with our federal, state, and local partners to make a noticeable impact in our community. These convictions are a critical step in restoring safety and stability to the streets of Minneapolis and maintaining the marked decrease in violence in our community.”
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the ATF, FBI, Minneapolis Police Department, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and Minnesota Department of Corrections with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. The Ramsey County Sherif’s Office, Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, St. Paul Police Department, and numerous other law enforcement agencies contributed to the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Calhoun-Lopez and Carla Baumel and Brian Lynch and Alyssa Levey-Weinstein of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section are prosecuting this case.