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Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
22 May 2025
L3 Technologies Inc. Agrees to Pay $62,000,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations arising from Submission of False Cost or Pricing Data on Defense ContractsRead the Press Release
L3 Technologies Inc., a corporation doing business in Utah, has agreed to pay the United States $62 million to settle allegations that its division, Communications System West, violated the False Claims Act and the Truth In Negotiations Act by knowingly making false statements and submitting and causing the submission of false claims by failing to disclose accurate, current, and complete cost or pricing data for communications equipment sold to various Department of Defense agencies, including the Air Force, Army, and Navy, and other government agencies.
L3 manufactures communications equipment to operate unmanned vehicles and retrieve data and visuals for military operations and intelligence. The devices are known as remote operations video enhanced receivers (ROVER), Video-Oriented Transceivers for Exchange of Information (VORTEX), and Soldier Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (SIR) receivers. The United States has purchased ROVER, VORTEX, and SIR products through sole source, fixed price contracts, and L3 also has supplied these products under subcontracts with other prime contractors who manufacture unmanned vehicles.
The settlement resolves allegations that, between October 2006 and February 2014, L3 failed to disclose accurate, complete, and current cost or pricing data relating to the labor, material, and other costs for manufacturing the ROVER, VORTEX, and SIR products, and each of their versions and kits, and falsely certified that it had done so in dozens of government contract proposals. The United States alleged that this conduct violated the Truth in Negotiations Act, which requires a contractor to provide to the government at the time of an agreement on price the most current, complete, and accurate facts that could reasonably be expected to affect price negotiations significantly. The United States further alleged that, by failing to disclose accurate, complete, and current cost or pricing data, L3 knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims in connection with the ROVER, VORTEX, and SIR contracts and subcontracts in violation of the False Claims Act.
“The Department will vigorously pursue federal contractors who fail to provide truthful information during contract negotiations to ensure federal agencies do not overpay for products and services.” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov M. Roth of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
“Taking advantage of the resources that support the armed forces of the United States and other government agencies will not be tolerated,” said Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and hold accountable individuals and contractors who defraud the government.”
“This $62 million settlement underscores the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) commitment to protecting national security and ensuring the integrity of Department of Defense acquisitions.,” stated OSI Special Agent Jeffery T.E. Herrin. “L3’s defective pricing in contract proposals for critical systems like ROVER, VORTEX, and SIR erodes public trust, and OSI, through robust law enforcement partnerships, will continue to uphold law and order within the defense industry.”
“This settlement is the result of a collaborative effort to guard against fraud, waste, and abuse, demonstrating the commitment of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and our partner agencies to safeguard public funds,” said Special Agent in Charge Olga Morales of the Department of the Army CID Southwest Field Office. “Investigating companies that defraud the Army is crucial to maintaining the trust of the American public and upholding the integrity of government contracting.”
The settlement resulted from a coordinated effort among the Civil Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah with assistance from the Defense Contract Management Agency, the Department of the Air Force, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Special Operations Command. Senior Trial Counsel A. Thomas Morris and former Senior Trial Counsel Russell Kinner of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carra Cadman for the District of Utah handled the matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Kansas City Woman Sentenced for COVID-19 SchemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for filing a false claim as part of a scheme to fraudulently receive approximately $62,811.75 in COVID-19 relief funds from the government.
Robin Brooks, 55, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to 15 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $62,811.75 in restitution to the Small Business Administration (SBA) and to Jackson County, Missouri.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was a federal law enacted in or around March 2020 and designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a part of the CARES Act, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was created to provided forgivable loans to small businesses that were administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) through corresponding financial institutions. The purpose of PPP was to provide support to small businesses and assist their payroll to their employees during the coronavirus pandemic.
In her guilty plea, Brooks admitted that, in 2021, she two submitted fraudulent applications to the Small Business Administration for the loans using fake businesses. In fact, Brooks’ business never actually existed and did not have any employees. In a related scheme, Brooks submitted approximately $30,345 in false invoices to Jackson County, Missouri, to receive CARES Act Funds for a non-profit organization she created to provide food to people negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on these false claims, the SBA issued payments totaling $32,466 to Brooks and Jackson County issued payments totaling $30,345.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Venneman. It was investigated by United States Secret Service.
Kansas City Woman Indicted for Fraudulent Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for preparing fraudulent tax returns that illegally claimed more than $300,000 in refunds for her clients.
Tanisha Spencer, 34, of Kansas City, Mo., was charged in an 11-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, May 20. Spencer was arrested today and made her first appearance in federal court.
The federal indictment charges Spencer with 11 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of false and fraudulent income tax returns. The indictment alleges that Spencer assisted at least 6 individuals to file at least 11 false and fraudulent income tax returns for the tax years 2021 through 2022. The tax loss associated with those false returns is approximately $334,445.
The federal income tax returns prepared by Spencer allegedly included Sick and Family Leave Credits, illegitimate Fuel Tax Credits, and fraudulently inflated Federal Withholding amounts. By including these and other fraudulent items on the client’s tax returns, the indictment says, Spencer was able to manufacture substantial refunds to her clients that they would not have been entitled to if the returns had been accurately prepared.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.
Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has pleaded guilty in federal court to attempting to rob a local bank.
Cleburn Bruce Greene, 50, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes today to one count of attempted bank robbery. Greene has been detained in federal custody since his arrest.
According to reports of bank employees and surveillance videos, on October 1st, 2024, Greene entered the bank at approximately 10:08 a.m. and went to the customer service counter where he wrote on a piece of paper. Greene then approached a teller and showed the note that read: “Give me your money.” The teller asked Greene if the male had an account at the bank and Greene stated: “No. this is a robbery.” Greene further stated: “Don’t play with me” and “don’t make me do something crazy,” or words to that effect. While the teller was typing on his computer to get access to emergency cash, Greene exited the bank and threw the note in a dumpster adjacent to the bank. Investigators later recovered the note. Surveillance video footage captured Greene fleeing the scene in a nearby Kia Sportage vehicle.
At approximately 3:30 p.m., Kansas City, Missouri Police Department Officers observed Greene in a restaurant parking lot in Kanas City, Missouri. Greene was wearing the same clothing he had on during the attempted bank robbery. Greene drove to a Gas Station where officers arrested him without further incident.
Under federal statutes, Greene is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo. Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
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.
Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission File Statement of Interest on Anticompetitive Uses of Common Shareholdings to Discourage Coal ProductionRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department, joined by the Federal Trade Commission (the “Agencies”) filed a statement of interest in the Eastern District of Texas in the case of Texas et al. v. BlackRock, Inc. The States’ lawsuit—led by the Texas Attorney General—alleges that BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard used their management of stock in competing coal companies to induce reductions in output, resulting in higher energy prices for American consumers. This is the first formal statement by the Agencies in federal court on the antitrust implications of common shareholdings.
On Jan. 29, President Trump issued Executive Order 14156, declaring a national energy emergency. On April 8, Executive Order 14261 called for “increase[d] domestic energy production, including coal.” As the Agencies’ statement makes clear, protecting competition for coal furthers these policies by enabling the free market to unleash America’s energy security and economic dynamism.
“The President has declared a national energy emergency, and we need competition in coal production now more than ever to help fuel American energy dominance,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail A. Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “American consumers suffer when institutional asset managers use shareholdings in competing companies to orchestrate output reductions. As the Supreme Court has held, ‘social justifications’ for anticompetitive conduct ‘do not make it any less unlawful.’ We will not hesitate to stand up against powerful financial firms that use Americans’ retirement savings to harm competition under the guise of ESG.”
Today’s statement of interest explains that while antitrust safe harbors for passive investment protect most index fund investing and beneficial corporate governance advocacy, they do not protect the use of commonly managed stock in competitors to encourage market-wide reductions in output. The statement explains how the law protects typical shareholder behavior, how the States’ complaint alleges an anticompetitive campaign, and how the law should properly be applied to the States’ claims.
The Antitrust Division routinely files statements of interest and amicus briefs in federal court where doing so helps protect competition and consumers, including by encouraging the sound development of the antitrust laws. A collection of these statements of antitrust and amicus filings is publicly available on the Division’s website.
Jury finds Chicago man guilty of drug crimes in Guernsey CountyRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal jury convicted a Chicago man with three crimes involving the possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and cocaine base.
The verdict was announced yesterday following a trial that began on May 19 before U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley.
Kenneth D. Triplett, 38, was found guilty on all counts as charged in a superseding indictment.
According to court documents and trial testimony, in April 2024, the Guernsey County Sheriff’s Office received a tip that Triplett was in the county to distribute drugs. Triplett had traveled to Guernsey County with distributable amounts of drugs after being in the Columbus area.
Within 12 hours of receiving the tip, law enforcement observed Triplett’s vehicle at a Quality Inn in Cambridge, Ohio, and arrested the defendant nearby. Triplett had an active full-extradition warrant for his arrest from Minnesota.
After arresting Triplett, officers searched his hotel room and discovered hidden throughout the room: cocaine and more than 230 grams cocaine base, an open vacuum sealed bag of fentanyl mixed with heroin, and a digital scale.
Triplett faces five to 40 years in prison and will be sentenced at a future hearing.
Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; and Guernsey County Sheriff Jeffrey D. Paden announced today’s guilty verdict. Assistant United States Attorneys Tyler J. Aagard and Kevin W. Kelley are representing the United States in this case.
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Irondequoit man claiming to be a physician charged with fraud and illegally dispensing controlled substancesRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Kevin M. Whitman, 27, of Irondequoit, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with distributing and dispensing a controlled substance, using a registration number issued to another person to obtain controlled substances, and obtaining controlled substances by fraud. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean C. Eldridge, who is prosecuting the case, stated that Whitman is not a licensed physician in New York State or anywhere else in the United States and does not possess a DEA Registration Number to issue prescriptions. The criminal complaint alleges that between August 2023 and April 2025, Whitman claimed to be a medical doctor and, fraudulently and without authorization, used a DEA Registration Number belonging to Strong Memorial Hospital. Using that number, Whitman issued 177 prescriptions to nine individuals for Schedule II controlled substances, totaling 38,067 dosage units. Of these 177 prescriptions, 173 were for oxycodone. Whitman is not an employee of Strong Memorial Hospital, he did not graduate from the University of Rochester Medical School, and Whitman does not hold any professional licenses granted in New York State to practice medicine or to issue controlled substance prescriptions. During a search of Whitman’s residence, law enforcement officers recovered a framed fake diploma purportedly from the University of Rochester Medical School.
Whitman made an initial appearance this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and was released on conditions.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino, New York Field Division, the U.S. Department Health of Human Services, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Naomi Gruchacz, and the New York State Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, under the direction of Attorney General Letitia James. Additional Assistance was provided by the University of Rochester Department of Public Safety, the New York State Police, and the Brighton Police Department.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Indian National Pleads Guilty to Visa Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Indian national, residing in New York, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to serving as a getaway driver in staged armed robberies in furtherance of a visa fraud conspiracy. Defendant is the second individual to plead guilty in this case.
Balwinder Singh, 41, pleaded guilty to on one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for Sept. 11, 2025. In December 2023, Singh was charged along with a co-conspirator, Rambhai Patel.
Beginning in March 2023 Patel, and an alleged co-conspirator, set up and carried out staged armed robberies of at least nine convenience/liquor stores and fast-food restaurants across the United States – including at least five in Massachusetts. The purpose of the staged robberies was to allow the store clerks to claim that they were victims of a violent crime on an application for U nonimmigrant status (U Visa). A U Visa is available to victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and who have been helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.
During the staged robberies the “robber” would threaten store clerks and/or owners with an apparent firearm before taking cash from the register and fleeing, while the interaction was captured on store surveillance video. Singh served as the robber’s getaway driver in several of these robberies. The clerks and/or owners would wait five or more minutes until the “robber” had escaped before calling police to report the “crime.” The “victims” paid Patel to participate in the scheme. One purported victim paid $20,000 to participate as a victim in one of the staged armed robberies. In turn, Patel paid the store owners for the use of their stores for the staged robbery and paid the “robber” and Singh for their assistance.
At least two purported victim co-conspirators submitted U Visa applications based on being victims of the staged armed robberies.
Patel pleaded guilty on May 20, 2025 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 20, 2025.
The charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $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 Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of New York and the Western District of Washington; FBI’s New York and Seattle Field Offices; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; Massachusetts State Police; Worcester County District Attorney’s Office; and the Hingham, Marshfield, Randolph, Weymouth, Worcester, Upper Darby, (Pa.), West Pittston (Pa.), Louisville, (Ky.) and Bean Station (Tenn.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elianna J. Nuzum and Jessica L. Soto of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
Illegal Alien Sentenced to 15 Years for Armed Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Alberto Ismael Salinas Valencia (21), an Ecuadorian national residing illegally in Orlando, to 15 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Salinas Valencia pled guilty on January 23, 2025.
According to the plea agreement, between August 2023 and August 2024, Salinas Valencia ran an online business selling firearms, fentanyl, and cocaine in the Orlando area. An undercover law enforcement officer found Salinas Valencia’s online store and set up several undercover transactions. Over the course of the investigation, Salinas Valencia sold the undercover officer several firearms, including two machineguns, fentanyl pills, and cocaine.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard Varadan.
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.
Illegal Alien Sentenced in Multi-Million Dollar Wire and Tax Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Court Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Ana Juanita Andrade-Reyes, a Honduran national illegally present in United States, to 37 months in federal prison in connection with her conviction for three counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit tax fraud. The court also ordered Andrade-Reyes to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $2,084,182. The court also entered a money judgment against Andrade-Reyes in the amount of $664,588, representing the proceeds of the wire fraud.
According to court documents, Andrade-Reyes established a shell company that purported to be involved in the construction industry. She obtained a workers’ compensation insurance policy in the name of the shell company to cover a minimal payroll for a few purported employees. She then “rented” the workers’ compensation insurance to work crews who had obtained subcontracts with construction contractors on projects in various Florida counties, as well as contractors in other states. She sent the contractors a certificate of insurance as “proof” that the work crews had workers’ compensation insurance, as required by Florida law. By sending the certificate, Andrade-Reyes falsely represented that the work crews worked for the shell company. Over the course of the scheme, Andrade-Reyes “rented” the certificates to dozens of work crews, defrauding the worker’s compensation carrier, typically allowing undocumented illegal workers to be employed unlawfully.
As part of the scheme, the contractors issued payroll checks for the workers’ wages to the shell companies and Andrade-Reyes cashed these checks, then distributed the cash to the work crews without withholding any payroll taxes. As part of the scheme, she deducted a fee, which was typically about 6% of the payroll. During the scheme, Andrade-Reyes cashed payroll checks totaling approximately $8 million. Neither the shell company nor the contractors reported to government authorities the wages that were paid to the workers, nor did they pay either the employees’ or the employer’s portion of payroll taxes – including Social Security, Medicare, and federal income tax. According to the IRS, the amount of payroll taxes due on the wages totaled $2,048,182.
The scheme also facilitated the avoidance of the higher cost of obtaining adequate workers’ compensation insurance for the work crews to whom Andrade-Reyes “rented” the workers’ compensation insurance. The policy that Andrade-Reyes purchased and then “rented” out was for an estimated payroll of $169,400 and the insurance company issued a policy for a premium of approximately $11,352. Had a workers’ compensation insurance policy been purchased for the actual payroll totaling approximately $5 million, the policy premium would have totaled about $591,978.
“Worker’s compensation insurance fraud schemes are a built on unlawful hiring practices of illegal aliens and are directly tied to our border security. These schemes drive down wages, compromise the safety and future of workers who are hurt on the job, and disadvantage law-abiding contractors through the increase of legitimate premiums,” said Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Hemker. “Homeland Security Investigations, alongside our partners at the Internal Revenue Service, are committed to investigating the criminal networks that perpetuate these fraud schemes which inflict grave damage on the construction industry and incentivizes illegal immigration.”
“A level playing field is essential for an industry to thrive in our society,” said Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Tampa Field Office. “Cheating to get an unfair advantage undermines that. No matter how sneaky you think you are, we will find out, we will investigate, and we will do everything we can to balance the free market by bringing you to justice.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the Florida Department of Financial Services. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Cannizzaro.
Honduran National Sentenced for Illegally Entering the US after a Prior RemovalRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Honduran national was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for illegally entering the U.S. after a prior removal.
U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Jose Luis Matute-Duarte, 35, to time served (approximately 70 days). Following sentencing, Matute-Duarte was taken into custody for immigration proceedings and faces likely deportation.
According to court records, on March 10, 2025, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent approached Matute-Duarte outside a Brownville convenience store. Matute-Duarte told the agent he was from New Jersey and produced a New Jersey driver’s license. When asked if he was in the country illegally, Matute-Duarte initially declined to answer before acknowledging that he was. Immigration records showed that he was arrested in 2015 for illegally entering the U.S. in Texas and was removed from the country.
U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.
Operation Take Back America: This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Honduran National Pleads Guilty to Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Honduran national, illegally residing in Brockton, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Oscar Lopez, 41, a/k/a “Luis Maldonado,” pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Lopez was arrested on April 16, 2025 and has remained in custody since. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for July 1, 2025.
According to the charging documents, Lopez is a citizen of Honduras who entered the United States illegally in 2003. Lopez did not appear for an Immigration Court date in 2003 and was ordered removed. Immigration officials were not able to remove Lopez until January 2013. Lopez returned to the United States just a few months later without permission and he was removed again in May 2013. At some point thereafter, Lopez returned again and Immigration and Customs Enforcement became aware of Lopez’s unlawful presence in the United States following arrests by state authorities in March and April 2024.
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. 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, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Reynolds of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
Honduran Man Charged with Re-Entry of Removed AlienRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ERIK ROBERTO MACHADO-MENCIA, a/k/a “ROBERTO MACHADO-MENCIA,” (“MACHADO-MENCIA”), age 36, a native of Honduras, was indicted on May 22, 2025, for re-entry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8 United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
According to the indictment, MACHADO-MENCIA was found in the United States on May 15, 2025, having reentered the United States, without authorization from the Attorney General of the United States, after being previously deported on December 16, 2019.
MACHADO-MENCIA faces up to two years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to one year of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Border Patrol in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr. is in charge of the prosecution.
Hollywood Man Sentenced to Nearly 5 Years in Prison for Fraudulently Seeking Millions of Dollars in COVID Tax BreaksRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Hollywood man who admitted to seeking more than $65 million from the IRS by falsely claiming on tax returns that his nonexistent farming business was entitled to COVID-19-related tax credits was sentenced today to 57 months in federal prison.
Kevin J. Gregory, 57, was sentenced by United States District Judge Josephine L. Staton, who also ordered him to pay $2,769,173 in restitution.
Gregory, who has been in federal custody since May 2023, pleaded guilty on January 17 to one count of making false claims to the IRS.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact, Congress authorized an employee retention tax credit that a small business could use to reduce the employment tax it owed to the IRS, also known as the “employee retention credit.”
To qualify, the business had to have been in operation in 2020 and to have experienced at least a partial suspension of its operations because of a government order related to COVID-19 (for example, an order limiting commerce, group meetings or travel) or a significant decline in profits. The credit was an amount equal to a set percentage of the wages that the business paid to its employees during the relevant time period, subject to a maximum amount.
Congress also authorized the IRS to give a credit against employment taxes to reimburse businesses for the wages paid to employees who were on sick or family leave and could not work because of COVID-19. This “paid sick and family leave credit” was equal to the wages the business paid the employees during the sick or family leave, also subject to a maximum amount.
From November 2020 to April 2022, Gregory made false claims to the IRS for the payment of nearly $65.3 million in tax refunds for a purported Beverly Hills-based farming-and-transportation company named Elijah USA Farm Holdings.
The IRS issued a portion of the refunds Gregory claimed, and Gregory used a significant portion – more than $2.7 million – for personal expenses.
Specifically, in January 2022, Gregory made a false claim to the IRS for the payment of a tax refund in the amount of $23,877,620, which he submitted as part of Elijah Farm’s quarterly federal tax return. Gregory claimed Elijah Farm employed 33 people, paid nearly $1.6 million in quarterly wages, had deposited nearly $18 million in federal taxes, and was entitled to nearly $6.5 million in COVID-relief tax credits.
In fact, Gregory knew that Elijah Farm employed nobody and paid wages to no one and had not made federal tax deposits to the IRS in the amounts stated on his tax return.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Kristen A. Williams of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case.
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. More information on the Justice Department’s response to the pandemic may be found here.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it to the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF online complaint form.
Hattiesburg Man Pleads Guilty to SNAP Benefits FraudRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, MS – A Hattiesburg man pleaded guilty today in federal court to stealing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits intended for low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford nutritious food.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Velton Taylor Williams, Jr., 31, of Hattiesburg unlawfully acquired and used SNAP benefits in November 2023. Williams admitted to selling the benefits to others and using them for himself. SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federally funded, national benefit program to help qualifying low- and middle-income families buy food, thus reducing hunger. Williams also admitted to using TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) cash benefits intended for low-income families with children under the age of 18.
Williams pleaded guilty to Food Stamp Fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 19, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Dax Roberson of United States Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General made the announcement.
The United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie is prosecuting the case.
Guatemalan man pleads guilty, sentenced for illegal re-entryRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Isaias Fernando Diego-Lucas, 40, a citizen of Guatemala, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to illegal re-entry. Diego-Lucas was sentenced to time served and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sasha Mascarenhas, who handled the case, stated that Diego-Lucas is an alien without any legal status in the United States. In February 2012, he was physically removed from the United States. On February 24, 2025, Diego-Lucas was found in Chautauqua County. He was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by Department of Homeland Security agents. Diego-Lucas presented a Guatemalan Identification Consular card.
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.
The plea and sentencing are the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan and Immigration, Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, under the direction of Acting Field Office Director Steven Kurzdorfer, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.
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Great Falls man sentenced on gun chargesRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Great Falls man who admitted to illegally possessing a firearm was sentenced yesterday to 20 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
James Keith LaBuff, 49, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on August 31, 2023, the Cut Bank Police Department responded to the Terrace Motel for a report of a man waving a gun around. Witnesses identified LaBuff as having a pistol, making threats, and “racking” a round. Cut Bank Police ultimately located LaBuff and, after he raised his hands as instructed, officers observed a pistol in his back right pocket. The pistol and several rounds of ammunition were subsequently discovered on LaBuff’s person. After arrest, LaBuff said he did not mean to shoot the gun, but explained it went off when he put the pistol in his bag by the bed in the motel room where he had been staying. Officers observed a bullet hole in the floor between the bed and the dresser in the motel room.
In July 2010, LaBuff was convicted of robbery and aiding and abetting a robbery in the United States District Court for the District of Montana, which prohibits him from owning a firearm.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Myers prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the ATF, Cut Bank Police Department and Glacier County Sheriff’s Office.
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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Gloucester County Man Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud Scheme and Theft of Elderly Victim’s Bank Account FundsRead the Press Release
NEWARK N.J. – A New Jersey man pleaded guilty to fraudulently seeking more than $1.4 million from the IRS by filing false tax returns claiming COVID-19-related employment tax credits, for laundering the proceeds from that scheme, and for stealing more than $180,000 from an elderly customer at the car dealership where he worked, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
James J. Mastrogiovanni, 44, of Washington Township, pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of mail fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of access device fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for November 6, 2025.
During the pandemic, Mastrogiovanni engaged in a scheme with Leon Haynes, a tax preparer, to exploit COVID-19 relief programs to line his own pockets. From in or around March 2021 through in or around December 2022, Mastrogiovanni and Haynes prepared and filed with the IRS false and fraudulent Forms 941 on behalf of Mastrogiovanni, his family members, and others, claiming tax refunds intended to help struggling small businesses by reducing employment taxes owed. All of the Forms 941 prepared in furtherance of the scheme were false and fraudulent because they listed employees and wages that, in fact, did not actually exist. Neither Mastrogiovanni nor any of his family members owned or operated a business, let alone had paid employees. Mastrogiovanni claimed at least $1,443,409 in tax credits, and as a result of the scheme, the U.S. Treasury disbursed at least $545,692 to Mastrogiovanni and his family members.
Haynes has been charged separately in a 63-count indictment for allegedly preparing and submitting more than 1,600 false employment tax returns on behalf of himself and clients totaling more than $150 million. He also allegedly defrauded some of his own clients by using their identities to submit these applications without their permission or knowledge. Trial is scheduled to begin on September 25, 2025 in that matter. The charges and allegations against Haynes are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
From on or about June 19, 2023 through on or about December 7, 2023, Mastrogiovanni engaged in a separate scheme to steal more than $180,000 from an 85-year old victim. The victim presented a check to Mastrogiovanni to purchase a vehicle at the car dealership where Mastrogiovanni worked. Mastrogiovanni later used the routing and checking account numbers on the check to make unauthorized personal transactions from the account until the account was empty.
The count of conspiracy to defraud the United States carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine; the mail fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; and the money laundering and access device fraud counts each carry a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan; special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction Acting Special Agent in Charge Corwin Rattler; postal inspectors from the U.S. Postal Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher Nielsen, Philadelphia Division; and officers of the Mahwah Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy O’Hara, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Stark and Fatime Meka Cano of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
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 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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Defense Counsel for Mastrogiovanni: Frank Agostino, Esq.
mastrogiovanni.information.pdfGang Member Sentenced to 16.5 Years After Conviction at Trial for Leadership Role in Memphis Mob Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – A federal judge has sentenced a Memphis man to more than 16 years in federal prison for his involvement in an armed drug trafficking operation. Jeffery “Bud B” Sevier, 48, of Memphis, was sentenced to 198 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Mark S. Norris also ordered Sevier to serve four years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. Interim United States Attorney Joseph C. Murphy, Jr. announced the sentence today.
According to information presented at trial and the sentencing hearing, while looking into drug trafficking activity by members of the Memphis Mob, investigators identified a North Memphis home from which narcotics were being sold. On March 4, 2019, someone allegedly stole narcotics from the house which led to shots being fired. A Memphis police officer responded and witnessed someone with a gunshot wound to the head running away from the house. Surveillance video from the house showed Sevier at the location, with co-conspirators firing into a vehicle occupied by five people including a minor child. One person was injured from the shooting but survived. Sevier was arrested on the scene and provided false information to the police.
In addition, the surveillance video showed Memphis Mob members distributing narcotics from the North Memphis house daily until the shooting, after which the group relocated operations.
In July 2022, Sevier was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. At sentencing, the Court held Sevier responsible for 4.5 kilograms of cocaine, holding a leadership role in the Memphis Mob directing others to sell narcotics on the gang’s behalf, and maintaining control over the gang’s drug distribution house.
There is no parole in the federal system.
Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Stankiewicz stated, “The ATF will continue to use its resources to combat illegal firearm possession, drug distribution, and violent acts of crime. We will continue to work closely with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to ensure public safety in the communities that we serve.”
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking organizations and organized criminal enterprises, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Memphis Police Department, and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorneys Greg Allen and Michelle Kimbril-Parks prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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For more information, please contact the media relations team at [email protected]. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Gang Leaders Among 16 Indicted for Drug Trafficking, Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Charleston returned two multi-count indictments (United States v. Gailliard et al. and United States v. Bailey et al.) charging a total of 16 individuals for their roles in trafficking cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl as well as the use of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
The indictments stem from a lengthy investigation led by the Lowcountry Violent Crime Task Force to address significant drug trafficking in our local communities and the violence associated with such activities. The individuals charged in these indictments operated primarily out of the North Charleston and West Ashley areas and several are associated with the Gangster Disciple and Fruit Town Piru street gangs. During the course of this investigation, law enforcement has seized approximately 60 kilograms of cocaine, 1 kilogram of methamphetamine, 24 pounds of marijuana, 600 grams of fentanyl, 500 grams of heroin and thousands of narcotics pills, as well as 12 firearms.
"These indictments send a clear message that we will not tolerate the proliferation of dangerous drugs and the violence they breed in our communities. The significant quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, along with numerous firearms, underscore the scale and severity of the alleged criminal activity,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. "Our local, state, and federal partners demonstrated their commitment to aggressively dismantling drug trafficking networks, particularly those fueling violent street gangs."
“These indictments and arrests should provide the community with a sense of reassurance of the FBI’s commitment to work with our state and local partners to make our communities safer,” said Reid Davis, acting special agent in charge of the FBI Columbia field office. “Every resident deserves to live in a safe environment, free from the threats of drugs and violence. The FBI is committed to justice, and we will continue to stand firm in protecting our communities by upholding the rule of law.”
In the Gailliard et al indictment, the following charges have been filed in United States District Court, according to court documents:
- Shawntez Gaillard, 32, of North Charleston, was charged with conspiring to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, as well as two counts of distribution of cocaine and one count of distribution of 50 gram or more of methamphetamine.
- Bernard Garland Gregory, 36, of North Charleston, was charged with conspiring to distribute cocaine.
- Harold Alvin Champaigne, 49, of North Charleston was charged with conspiring to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, as well as one count of distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine.
- Dominic Jaquan Mack, 44, of North Charleston, was charged with conspiring to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.
- Sharon T. Carter, 53, of Summerville, was charged with conspiring to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, as well as one count of possessing with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.
- Mary Nelly Ayala, 48, of Summerville, was charged with conspiring to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.
- Scott Clayton Hollins, 55, of North Charleston, was charged with conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and a quantity of cocaine, as well as one count of possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and quantities of cocaine and fentanyl, and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
- Quentin Rambert, 34, of North Charleston, was charged with conspiring to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.
- Levi Cohen, IV, 30, of Charleston, was charged with conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
- Jabari Cortez Lee, 28, of North Charleston, was charged with conspiring to distribute a quantity of cocaine.
- Marchevis Jefferson, 33, of Charleston, was charged with conspiring to distribute a quantity of cocaine.
In the Bailey et al indictment, the following charges have been filed in United States District Court, according to court documents:
- Jarell Montsho Bailey, 31, of Charleston, was charged with conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine, as well as eight counts of distribution of cocaine, four counts of distribution of methamphetamine, three counts of distribution of fentanyl, and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
- DaQuan Hakeem Lee, 33, of Charleston, was charged with conspiring to distribute a quantity of cocaine.
- Cleo Williams, Jr, 36, of Summerville, was charged with conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, as well as one count of distribution of cocaine.
- Meri Elizabeth Sottile, 42, of Charleston, is charged with conspiring to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine, as well as one count of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
- Amanda Danielle Forth, 34, of Charleston, is charged with conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, as well as possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF
The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia field office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Secret Service, City of Charleston Police Department, Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, State Law Enforcement Division, North Charleston Police Department, Summerville Police Department, Mount Pleasant Police Department, Charleston Aviation Authority and Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Lietzow, Nick Bianchi, and Katie Orville are prosecuting the case.
All charges in the indictment are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Four Mexican Nationals Charged for Conspiring to Distribute over 30 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on May 20, 2025, a federal grand jury returned a 4-count indictment charging four defendants with offenses related to a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The indictment charged the defendants as follows:
Ruben Salgado Espinoza (50), of Rockford, IL Conspiracy to Distribute over 5 Kilograms of Cocaine, Possession with Intent to Distribute over 5 Kilograms of Cocaine and Illegal Re-entry.
Pablo Sifuentes Navarro (20), of Rockford, IL, Conspiracy to Distribute over 5 Kilograms of Cocaine, Possession with Intent to Distribute over 5 Kilograms of Cocaine and Distribution of at least 500 grams of Cocaine.
Pedro Sifuentes Navarro (20) of Louisville, KY, Conspiracy to Distribute over 5 Kilograms of Cocaine, Possession with Intent to Distribute at least 5 Kilograms of Cocaine.
Sanjuana Montenegro Ochoa (27)of Rockford, IL Conspiracy to Distribute over 5 Kilograms of Cocaine and over 50 grams of Methamphetamine.
According to court records, on April 22, 2025, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized 30 kilograms of cocaine from vehicles occupied by Ruben Salgado Espinoza, Pablo Sifuentes Navarro, and Pedro Sifuentes Navarro, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Court documents allege that the defendants expected to receive $495,000 cash in exchange for the cocaine. Prior to this arrest, the four defendants are alleged to have distributed and conspired to distribute 1 kilogram of cocaine and 1 pound of methamphetamine.Court records indicate that all four defendants are Mexican nationals who entered the country illegally. Ruben Salgado Espinoza was previously deported to Mexico.
If convicted of the conspiracy charge, the defendants face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration – Green Bay Resident Office (DEA-GBRO), with assistance from DEA – Rockford, the Brown County Drug Task Force, the Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group – Drug Unit (LWAM), and the Wisconsin Department of Justice – Division of Criminal Investigation (DOJ-DCI). It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alex Duros.
The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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For Additional Information Contact: Public Information Officer
[email protected]
414-297-1700
Fort Wayne Woman Ordered to Repay Funds from PPP Loan FraudRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Dashanae Hamlet-Davis, 26 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to a federal felony for wire fraud, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
Hamlet-Davis was sentenced to 18 months of probation and ordered to pay $23,431.53 in restitution to the Small Business Administration.According to documents in the case, Hamlet-Davis falsely claimed gross income for a business that did not exist when she applied for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. The PPP program provided loans to small businesses for job retention and other expenses as part the CARES Act and for emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hamlet-Davis falsely claimed that she was the sole proprietor of a retail business when in reality, no such business existed. As a result of her fraudulent representations, Hamlet-Davis received PPP funds which she used for her own benefit on personal items such as clothing, jewelry, electronics, and a vacation.
“This sentencing demonstrates the commitment of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) to investigate and bring to justice those who victimize the American taxpayer,” said Kelly Moening, TIGTA Special Agent-in-Charge. “Fraudulently applying for loans through a federal program meant to assist Americans in need will be met with aggressive investigation and prosecution. I want to thank our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney's Office for their commitment to this goal.”
This case was investigated by the United States Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration with assistance from IRS Criminal Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin C. Sheridan.
Former United States Forest Service Special Agent Pleads Guilty to Theft of Government PropertyRead the Press Release
Edward Williams, 49, of Auburn, a former Special Agent with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), pleaded guilty today to theft of government property, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
According to court documents, Williams was a USFS Special Agent in the Grass Valley field office. On Oct. 25, 2021, Williams accessed the USFS Truckee Ranger District office and stole at least 21 pieces of equipment. These items were DRMO, which stands for Defense Reutilization Marketing Office, and refers to retired military-grade equipment from the U.S. Department of Defense. The DRMO equipment that Williams took belonged to the USFS and was not meant for Williams’ personal use, to be given to others, or to be sold for profit.
On May 19, 2022, law enforcement interviewed Williams. He confessed to the Oct. 25, 2021, theft. Later that day, Williams’ home was searched pursuant to a federal warrant and agents seized dozens of pieces of equipment that originated from the USFS, both from the October theft as well as at other times. Law enforcement later recovered additional pieces of night vision equipment that Williams had stolen from the USFS and had given to two of his friends. As part of his plea agreement, Williams agreed to return these items back to the USFS. The total value of these items is approximately $206,371.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and USFS Office of Professional Responsibility, with assistance by USFS and Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow is prosecuting the case.
Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 18, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta. Williams faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison. 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.
Former Solon-based Manufacturer to Pay $6M to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Paycheck Protection ProgramRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – The Justice Department has announced that Cosmax USA, a corporation having previously done business as two separate entities, Cosmax USA and Nu-World Corporation, has agreed to pay $6 million, of which $3 million is restitution, to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act (FCA) that they knowingly provided false information to obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and loan forgiveness. The companies are part of a global conglomerate that supplies cosmetics and nutritional supplements. Nu-World was merged into Cosmax USA in 2023.
Cosmax USA operated a manufacturing facility in Solon, Ohio up until 2023. This settlement resolves a lawsuit filed by a former employee who worked at that location. Under the whistleblower provisions of the FCA, an individual, known in legal terms as the “relator,” may file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The relator in this case, Alexander Novik, served as Cosmax USA’s controller and also in its human resources department.
The PPP was launched through the Small Business Administration (SBA), with the enactment of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act in 2020. The program provided eligible companies with financial support as businesses faced unprecedented challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. This resolution addresses two alleged violations in which the United States contended that Cosmax USA and Nu-World submitted false information to be eligible to receive PPP funds.
First, the resolution addresses allegations that Nu-World submitted an application in April 2020 for a First-Draw PPP loan, and an application for forgiveness of that loan in 2021, based on a calculated loan amount that was partially based on payments to temporary employees who were not employees of Nu-World.
Second, the resolution addresses allegations that Cosmax USA falsely certified that it was a small business with fewer than 300 employees (including employees at affiliated companies) when it submitted its Second-Draw PPP loan application. In reality, the number of Cosmax USA’s employees, when combined with the number of employees working at its affiliate Nu-World, exceeded the PPP program’s 300-employee limit.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, with assistance from the SBA’s Office of General Counsel (SBA-OGC) and Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG).
Trial Attorney Graham D. Welch of the Justice Department’s Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Jackson Froliklong for the Northern District of Ohio handled the matter, with assistance from Thomas W. Rigby and Arlene P. Messinger Lerner of the SBA.
Anyone with information about allegations of CARES Act fraud may submit a report with the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or online at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
executed_settlement_agreement-cosmax_0.pdfFormer President of Palmetto Railways Sentenced for Role in Conspiracy to Commit Honest Services FraudRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Jeffrey McWhorter, 63, of Mount Pleasant, has been sentenced to five years of probation with 12 months of home confinement for conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that McWhorter and an individual named Kevin Newkirk agreed to accept a payment from Tony Berenyi of Berenyi Construction should he be awarded a construction bid for the company Newkirk worked for, which is a Texas-based logistics company. The Texas Company went to McWhorter for contractor recommendations and McWhorter facilitated an introduction to Berenyi. Through the bidding process, McWhorter, Newkirk, and Berenyi discussed the payment and when the Texas Company awarded the contract to Berenyi Construction, payments began from Berenyi. Ultimately, through the course of the conspiracy, Berenyi paid a total of $420,000 that was wired to a bank account in the name of Newkirk’s wife. Newkirk agreed to pay McWhorter his portion in cash and the evidence revealed that McWhorter received $136,500 in total payments. McWhorter did not disclose these payments on the required filings for public officials.
United States District Judge David C. Norton sentenced McWhorter to five years of probation with 12 months of home confinement and electronic monitoring. There is no parole in the federal system. There is no parole in the federal system. McWhorter was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $75,198.02 and was fined $4,000. He must also complete 300 hours of community service. He must also complete 300 hours of community service. Kevin Newkirk was also charged and sentenced in April to five years of probation by United States District Judge David C. Norton.
This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia field office and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Bower is prosecuting the case.
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Former New Jersey Department of Children and Family Services Caseworker Sentenced to 109 Months in Prison for Possession and Transportation of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A former caseworker for the New Jersey Department of Children and Family Services, Division of Child Protection and Permanency, was sentenced to 109 months in prison for possessing and transporting child pornography, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Trent Collier, 58, of Kearny, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to an indictment charging him with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of transportation of child pornography.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On or about September 28, 2021, Collier arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport aboard a flight from the Dominican Republic. Upon his arrival, law enforcement searched Collier’s cellular phone and identified at least two images of child pornography. In a statement to law enforcement, Collier admitted that he had previously sent child pornography to at least one other individual using his cellular phone and that that individual also sent child pornography to Collier’s cellular phone. A further search of Collier’s cellular phone uncovered multiple additional videos of child pornography, including videos depicting the sexual exploitation of toddlers.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Collier to 5 years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel in Newark, and the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, under the direction of Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, with the investigation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren D. Kober of the Criminal Division in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Carol Dominguez, Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark, NJ
Former Mexican Police Officer Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison for Illegal Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Martin Eulalio Molina Lopez, 33, of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced on May 19, 2025, by United States District Judge Sharad Desai to 63 months in prison. Molina Lopez previously pleaded guilty to Alien in Possession of a Firearm.
In early 2024, Molina Lopez was admitted to the United States under a travel visa. In February 2024, Molina Lopez was arrested and charged after law enforcement observed him recruit United States citizens to serve as straw purchasers for firearms at a gun show in Phoenix, Arizona. Law enforcement agents found Molina Lopez in possession of 18 firearms that were purchased by others for him at the show. A subsequent investigation revealed that Molina Lopez, who was prohibited from purchasing firearms in the United States while on a travel visa, had previously recruited United States citizens to purchase an additional 20 firearms on his behalf.
Molina Lopez retired from the Hermosillo Municipal Police in 2021 after sustaining a gunshot wound.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney, Marcus Shand, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-00482-PHX-SHD
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-081_MOLINA LOPEZ# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Agrees to Plead Guilty to Threatening to Bomb L.A. City Hall Last YearRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor of Public Safety was charged today with threatening to bomb Los Angeles City Hall last year.
Brian K. Williams, 61, of Pasadena, is charged in a single-count information with threats regarding fire and explosives.
In a related filing today, Williams agreed to plead guilty to the felony charge, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
Williams is expected to make his initial appearance in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
“In an era of heated political rhetoric that has sometimes escalated into violence, we cannot allow public officials to make bomb threats,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “My office will continue its efforts to keep the public safe, including from those who violate their duty to uphold the law.”
“Mr. Williams, the former deputy mayor of Public Safety for Los Angeles, not only betrayed the residents of Los Angeles, but responding officers, and the integrity of the office itself, by fabricating a bomb threat,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Government officials are held to a heightened standard as we rely on them to safeguard the city. I’m relieved that Mr. Williams has taken responsibility for his inexplicable actions.”
According to his plea agreement, on October 3, 2024, while serving as Deputy Mayor of Public Safety for the City of Los Angeles, Williams participated in a virtual meeting with multiple people in connection with his official duties. During this meeting, Williams used the Google Voice application on his personal cellphone to place a call to his city-issued cellphone. Williams then left the virtual meeting and placed a call to the Chief of Staff of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). During this call, Williams falsely stated that he had just received a call on his city-issued cellphone from an unknown man who threatened to bomb Los Angeles City Hall.
In fact, Williams received no such call and had made the bomb threat himself. At no time did Williams intend to carry out the threat.
Approximately 10 minutes later, Williams sent a text message to the Los Angeles Mayor and several high-ranking city officials in the Mayor’s office and falsely reported, “Bomb threat: I received phone call on my city cell at 10:48 am this morning. The male caller stated that ‘he was tired of the city support of Israel, and he has decided to place a bomb in City Hall. It might be in the rotunda.’ I immediately contacted the chief of staff of LAPD, they are going to send a number of officers over to do a search of the building and to determine if anyone else received a threat.” In fact, Williams had not received such a call.
Shortly thereafter, LAPD officers responded to City Hall to investigate the threat Williams reported. Police searched the building and did not locate any suspicious packages or devices. Williams described to police the threatening call he claimed to have received, showed them the record of an incoming call that appeared as a blocked number on his city-issued cellphone, and said it was the unknown man who conveyed the threat. In fact, that incoming call record was the call Williams had placed to himself from the Google Voice application on his personal cellphone.
Williams then sent additional text messages to the Los Angeles Mayor and other high-ranking city officials stating, “At this time, there is no need for us to evacuate the building, I’m meeting with the threat management officers within the next 10 minutes. In light of the Jewish holidays, we are taking this thread, a little more seriously. I will keep you posted.”
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating this matter. The Los Angeles Police Department provided substantial assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney David T. Ryan, Chief of the National Security Division, is prosecuting this case.
Former Illinois Police Officer Sentenced for Assaulting Handcuffed ManRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Thursday sentenced a former police officer who struck a handcuffed man in the face to two years in prison.
Justin Gaither was in full uniform and on duty with the Venice Police Department on Nov. 20, 2022, when he began pursuing a car that was displaying stolen license plates. The car drove over spike strips that Gaither deployed, then over the McKinley Bridge and into St. Louis. A Brooklyn Police Department officer was also pursuing the car. The pursuit ended in the 3800 block of Parnell Avenue in St. Louis. The vehicle’s occupants ran away. Gaither, the Brooklyn officer and that officer’s K-9 chased the driver. The driver was bitten while climbing over a fence and fell. His hands were then handcuffed behind his back by the Brooklyn officer. As Gaither lifted the driver from the ground to escort him to a police vehicle, he struck the driver twice in the face without justification and without a legitimate purpose, breaking the driver’s nose.
Gaither, 34, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in February to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law. The right violated in this case is the right to be free from the use of unreasonable force under the Fourth Amendment.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug prosecuted the case.
Former Harvard Morgue Manager Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Stolen Human RemainsRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Cedric Lodge, age 57, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, pled guilty yesterday before Chief United States District Judge Matthew W. Brann to interstate transport of stolen human remains.
According to Acting United States Attorney John Gurganus, Lodge admitted that, from 2018 through at least March 2020, he participated in the sale and interstate transport of human remains stolen from Harvard Medical School morgue, located in Boston, Massachusetts. Lodge, who was then employed as the manager of the Harvard Medical School Morgue, removed human remains, including organs, brains, skin, hands, faces, dissected heads, and other parts, from donated cadavers after they had been used for research and teaching purposes but before they could be disposed of according to the anatomical gift donation agreement between the donor and the school. Lodge took the remains without the knowledge or permission of his employer, the donor, or the donor’s family, and transport the remains to his home in New Hampshire. After he and his wife Denise Lodge sold the remains, they would ship the remains to the buyers in other states or the buyer would take possession directly and transport the remains themselves. Remains stolen and sold by Lodge were transported from the morgue in Boston to locations in Salem, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania.
Lodge admitted to having sold remains to Joshua Taylor and Andrew Ensanian, among others. Many of the remains purchased from Lodge were resold for a profit, including to Jeremy Pauley, who previously entered a guilty plea to conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen human remains.
Several other defendants have previously entered guilty pleas in related cases, including Lodge’s wife, Denise Lodge, Joshua Taylor, Andrew Ensanian, Matthew Lampi, and Angelo Pereyra. Lampi was sentenced to 15 months in prison and Pereyra was sentenced to 18 months. Denise Lodge and Joshua Taylor are still awaiting sentencing. Additionally, Candace Chapman-Scott, who stole remains from an Arkansas crematorium where she was employed and sold them to Pauley in Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty in Arkansas federal court and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the East Pennsboro Township Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan Martin is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
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Former Exec at O.C. Company and Illegal Alien Arrested on Federal Complaint Alleging He Embezzled $7 Million from His EmployerRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A former executive at a Newport Beach company that specializes in the purchase of classic cars – who also happens to be an illegal alien from Mexico – was arrested today on a federal complaint alleging he embezzled approximately $7 million from his employer.
Alexander G. Ramos, 62, of Newport Beach, is charged with wire fraud, a felony that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
A federal magistrate judge ordered Ramos jailed without bond and scheduled an arraignment for June 30.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Ramos was employed at the victim company since 2017 until his termination in September 2024 in the company’s Risk Management Department. Through his positions, he knew his employer’s loans and held relationships with title agents or other partners nationwide. He also oversaw requests by the company’s Title and Risk Department to its Accounting Department for payment to title agents, sometimes submitting the requests himself.
Ramos allegedly caused checks to be issued from the victim company to certain parties, including a Las Vegas DMV services business. The checks were supposed to cover expenses for tax, titling, and licensing associated with car purchases.
However, Ramos purposely caused his employer to send too much money to the outside entities. He then directed those entities on how to dispose of the extra money, including by sending the funds to bank accounts that he controlled.
A law enforcement review of financial records revealed that approximately $7 million in checks and wires were deposited into Ramos-controlled bank accounts from the outside entities in the car industry. The origin of some of the funds deposited into Ramos’s bank accounts showed the checks and wires were made out to the victim company and were intended as refunds to that company’s clients who had overpaid for vehicle registration fees.
Instead of being returned directly to the Ramos’s employer, Ramos allegedly moved the funds to other accounts he controlled for his personal use, including buying a home in Irvine. The illegal transfers date back to at least January 2020, according to the complaint.
Ramos is an illegal alien from Mexico who was removed from the United States in 2017 but later returned.
A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
The FBI and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Fu of the Orange County Office is prosecuting this case.
Former East Hartford Resident Sentenced to More Than 13 Years in Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl, Violating Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that EDUARDO AGUILAR-LINARES, 34, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 158 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking fentanyl, and for violating the conditions of his supervised release that followed a prior federal conviction.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 1, 2017, Aguilar-Linares was sentenced in the Eastern District of New York to 29 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for a fentanyl trafficking offense. He was released from federal prison in June 2018 and, while residing in East Hartford, his supervision was subsequently transferred to the District of Connecticut. At some point, Aguilar-Linares absconded from supervision and fled to Mexico.
In July 2019, the DEA’s Hartford Task Force began investigating a Mexican-based drug trafficking organization that was distributing fentanyl and heroin in Connecticut. The investigation determined that Aguilar-Linares, while living in Mexico, was trafficking kilogram-quantities of narcotics, primarily fentanyl, to associates in Connecticut who then distributed the drugs to street-level distributors. His associates used several locations to store, process and package fentanyl, including office space on Pratt Street in Hartford, an apartment in the Asylum Hill neighborhood in Hartford, and an apartment in New Britain.
Members of the organization delivered cash generated from the sale of narcotics to a money broker in Brooklyn, New York, who assisted in laundering the narcotics proceeds before they were transferred to Aguilar-Linares and others. Between August and October 2019, investigators seized more than $200,000 in cash from members of the drug trafficking organization.
On June 3, 2020, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Aguilar-Linares and nine others with narcotics distribution and money laundering offenses. Aguilar-Linares remained a fugitive until December 20, 2023, when he was arrested in Texas.
Aguilar-Linares has been detained since his arrest. On February 18, 2025, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
Judge Hall sentenced Aguilar-Linares to 137 months of imprisonment for the fentanyl trafficking offense, and a consecutive 21 months of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
The DEA’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, Middletown, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments. The DEA New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Strike Force and the New York Police Department assisted the investigation.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Food Stamp Fraud Nets Two Former Harrisburg Merchants Federal Prison TimeRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Mervat Gharib, 60, and Adam Rashwan, 63, both of Harrisburg, were each sentenced on May 21, 2025, by Senior United States District Judge Yvette Kane to 21 months’ imprisonment for defrauding the United States out of over $1 million dollars in benefits under what was formerly the federal food stamp program.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, on October 19, 2022, one-count Informations were returned charging both Gharib and Rashwan, formerly husband and wife, with unauthorized use of benefits from on or about January 2017 through in or about August 2020. In November 2022, both defendants pled guilty.
The United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”), formerly known as the Federal Food Stamp Program. Retail food stores approved for participation in SNAP may sell food in exchange for SNAP benefits. These benefits may not be lawfully exchanged for cash. The investigation disclosed that Capital City Family Market was a small food retailer and/or convenience store located at 2000 North 6th Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Gharib was listed as the owner. Rashwan was married to Gharib at that time and employed at the store. Rashwan and Gharib engaged in a scheme to defraud SNAP. The scheme included food stamp trafficking, which occurs when a retailer allows customers to exchange SNAP benefits for cash, charging the customer a significant percentage of the amount of the unlawful transaction. Between November 2016 and July 2021, 24 undercover transactions occurred at Capital City Family Market during which SNAP benefits were exchanged for United States currency.
Agents reviewed FNS records detailing the total amount paid to Capital City Family Market dating to January 2014. From January 2014 through June 2021, Capital City Family Market received approximately $1,806,761 in SNAP benefits. Data from FNS revealed in May 2021 alone, Capital City Family Market processed 408 individual SNAP transactions totaling $96,908.46 with an average transaction amount of $238.86. Gurganus said that the average transaction amount during the same time period for convenience stores in Pennsylvania was $11.58, and for small grocery stores was $23.16. The unusual number of large transactions at Capital City Family Market alerted the authorities to the possibility of fraud. The investigation revealed that from January 2011 through June 2021, Rashwan and Gharib, through the Capital City Family Market, illegally diverted approximately $1,091,822.05 in SNAP benefits. The business has since closed.
Defendants were also ordered to pay restitution to the USDA’s SNAP program in the amount of $1,091,822.05.
The case was investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General - Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney William A. Behe prosecuted the case.
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Five Illegal Hondurans Charged in Separate Cases Involving Illegal Re-entry into the United States After DeportationRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – Five men found to be in the United States illegally have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Lafayette in five separate cases, announced Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook. All of the defendants are currently in federal custody.
Enrique Hernandez-Ortiz, 44, a citizen of Honduras, was charged with one count of re-entry of a removed alien. The indictment alleges that Hernandez-Ortiz was found in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on December 3, 2024, and the indictment alleges his prior removal was subsequent to a conviction for commission of an aggravated felony. The indictment also alleges that Hernandez-Ortiz never obtained the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.
Enrique Hernandez-Ortiz has been removed from the United States on three prior occasion as follows:
- On or about June 30, 2008, at or near Atlanta, Georgia
- (After being convicted of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile on March 20, 2008)
- On or about May 18, 2012, at or near New Orleans, Louisiana
- (After being convicted on July 17, 2011, of Illegal Re-entry After Aggravated Felon Conviction)
- On or about September 2024, at or near Alexandria, Louisiana
- (After being convicted on June 8, 2023, for illegal re-entry after removal subsequent felony conviction as well as failure to register and update registration as a sex offender)
If convicted Hernandez-Ortiz faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,00.00 and deportation.
This case is being investigated by Customs Border and Patrol and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jamilla Bynog.
The second indictment charges Martin Perez-Amaya, 30, a citizen of Honduras re-entry of a removed alien. The indictment alleges that on April 23, 2025, Perez-Amaya was found in Lake Charles, Louisiana, after having been removed from the United States on three prior occasions. The indictment also alleges that Perez-Amaya never obtained the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States. His prior removals are as follows:
- On or about January 30, 2015, at or near Brownsville, Texas
- On or about May 21, 2015, at or near Brownsville, Texas
- On or about September 2, 2015, at or near Brownsville, Texas
Perez-Amaya came to the attention of immigration officials after he was arrested by the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office for Domestic Abuse Child Endangerment on April 4, 2025. He was subsequently arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol in Lake Charles, Louisiana on April 23, 2025 and charged by complaint with illegal reentry.
If convicted, Perez-Amaya faces up to 2 years in prison and deportation.
This case was investigated by Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Border Patrol and prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney Myers Namie.
The third indictment charges William Noel Delcid-Guzman, 22, a citizen of Honduras with possession of a fraudulent immigrant visa or about February 26, 2025.
If convicted, Delcid-Guzman faces up to 10 years in prison and deportation.
This case was investigated by Customs and Border Patrol and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jamilla Bynog.
The fourth indictment charges Yunior Nahin Nazar-Garcia, 29, a citizen of Honduras with possession of a fraudulent immigrant visa on or about February 14, 2025. The defendant has a criminal history of domestic abuse battery and served a six-month sentence in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana.
If convicted, Nazar-Garcia faces up to 10 years in prison and deportation.
This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jamilla Bynog.
The fifth indictment charges Humberto Valladares-Cruz, 37, a citizen of Honduras, with one count of re-entry of a removed alien. The indictment alleges that on March 26, 2025, Valladares-Cruz was found in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, after having been removed from the United States on five prior occasions. The indictment also alleges that Valladares-Cruz never obtained the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States. Valladares-Cruz’s five prior removals are as follows:
- On or about October 14, 2016, at or near Oakdale, Louisiana
- On or about April 20, 2018, at or near Brownsville, Texas
- On or about October 14, 2018, at or near Alexandria, Louisiana
- On or about September 27, 2019, at or near Brownsville, Texas
- On or about March 3, 2021, at or near Laredo, Texas
Valladares-Cruz has a criminal history with convictions for DWI, possession of drug paraphernalia and simple burglary.
If convicted, Valladares-Cruz faces up to 10 years in prison and deportation.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Casey Stelly.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Final Defendant Pleads Guilty in Federal Pandemic Fraud Unemployment Benefits SchemeRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – The final defendant charged in a 17-member conspiracy that defrauded the United States, committed program fraud and mail fraud in connection with a scheme involving the filing of fraudulent claims for pandemic unemployment benefits pled guilty today in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.
Jason Dale Worley, 47, of Meadowview, Virginia, pled guilty today to filing a fraudulent claim for pandemic unemployment benefits. He will be sentenced on August 29, 2025.
Earlier this month, Crystal Shaw was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for her role in the conspiracy. Shaw, one of the lead organizers of this conspiracy, was sentenced to the statutory maximum term of imprisonment. She was also ordered to pay $287,459 in restitution to the Virginia Employment Commission for her role in this conspiracy.
Previously sentenced as part of the conspiracy were: Christopher Webb, 20 months; Russell Stiltner, 24 months; Jessica Lester, 19 months; Cara Camille Bailey, 19 months; Justin Meadows, 18 months; Terrence Vilacha, 18 months; Joseph Hass, 27 months; Daniel Horton, 21 months; Brian Addair, 24 months; and Stephanie Amber Barton, Hayleigh McKenzie Wolfe, Clinton Michael Altizer, and Jeramy Blake Farmer were each sentenced to 12 months and 1 day.
Jonathan Webb, the individual charged with recruiting others to file fraudulent claims, mostly inmates at local jails, was sentenced to 48 months in prison and was ordered to pay $150,218 in restitution. Josef Brown, another incarcerated individual who recruited others to file fraudulent claims, was sentenced to 35 months in prison and was ordered to pay $119,660 in restitution.
All defendants were also ordered to pay restitution to the Virginia Employment Commission for the fraudulent claims.
According to court documents, between March 2020 and September 2021, Josef Brown, Jonathan Webb, and Crystal Shaw developed a scheme to file fraudulent claims and recertifications for pandemic unemployment befits via the Virginia Employment Commission website. The scheme involved the collection of personal identification information (PII) of inmates housed at SWVRJA-Haysi and Abingdon, as well as personal friends and acquaintances of Brown, Webb, and Shaw. The conspirators used that information to file fraudulent claims and recertifications for pandemic unemployment benefits for incarcerated individuals and others who were ineligible for the benefits.
In total, the defendants stole $341,205 in pandemic relief to which they were not entitled.
As part of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Task Force, this investigation was conducted by the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General were charged with identifying major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending. According to the United States Department of Labor, Virginia paid approximately $1.1 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021.
Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee, Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, Syreeta Scott, Special Agent in Charge, Mid-Atlantic Region, U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced the sentences.
Agencies that assisted with this investigation included the Dickenson County Sheriff’s Office, the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority, the FBI, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, and the Virginia Employment Commission.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Danielle Stone are prosecuting the case for the United States.
Fifteen Charged with Drug Conspiracy and Weapons ChargesRead the Press Release
A 29-count indictment was unsealed today charging 12 men and 3 women for their roles in a drug trafficking organization and related gun offenses.
According to court documents, the defendants were part of a drug trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine, powder cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, oxycodone, Xanax, psylocibin mushrooms, and marijuana. Six of the defendants face additional charges for gun crimes relating to their alleged drug trafficking. The defendants are alleged to have used several drug houses and a food truck to store illegal drugs and conduct drug transactions. As alleged, in one notable instance in June of 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized 29 kilograms of methamphetamine that one defendant was attempting to transport into the United States.
“As alleged, this drug trafficking organization imported methamphetamine directly from Mexico and used the U.S. mail, a taco truck, and homes in different Houston neighborhoods to distribute and sell methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Several of the defendants are also alleged to have used firearms in furtherance of their narcotics trafficking and illegally possessed firearms despite having previously been convicted of felonies. The Criminal Division, along with our federal, state, and local partners, will continue to work tirelessly to combat the scourge of drug trafficking in communities.”
“The defendants are alleged to have engaged in a multi-drug narcotics distribution ring, and, as often seen in the drug trade, are also alleged to have used illegal firearms to facilitate their enterprise,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas. “Some of the charges indicate methamphetamine was alleged to have been sourced from Mexico, and thus this investigation highlights why this office’s enforcement efforts on the border are so critical. The Southern District of Texas will do everything it can to prevent narcotics from entering our country and will be relentless in apprehending those that would distribute drugs in our communities.”
“For years, the transnational criminal organization allegedly operated by these gang members has brazenly flooded our local communities with deadly narcotics,” said Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz of Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) Houston. “Working in conjunction with the Houston Police Department (HPD) and our Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) partners, we were able to expose and dismantle their drug trafficking scheme, eliminating a significant contributor to violent crime in the area and saving an untold number of Houstonians from becoming addicted.”
James Michael Brewer, also known as Creeper, 33; Jonathan Alvarado, also known as Joker, 28; Hector Luis Lopez, also known as Capulito, 23; Alfredo Gomez, also known as Fredo, 26; and Victor Norris Ellison, 35, all of Houston, have been indicted on drug trafficking and firearm charges. If convicted, they each face a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The following defendants, all of Houston unless otherwise noted, have been indicted on drug trafficking charges. If convicted, they each face a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
- Jose Francisco Garcia-Martinez, also known as Paco, 29, a Mexican national;
- Enzo Xavier Dominguez, also known as Smiley, 32;
- Alexis Delgado, also known as Chino, 28;
- Jose Eduardo Morales, also known as Primo, 22;
- William Alexander Lazo, also known as Miclo, 21;
- Kylie Rae Alvarado, 24;
- Ruby Mata, 31;
- Mexi Dyan Garcia, also known as Mexi, 31; and
- Jesus Gomez-Rodriguez, also known as Jr., 33.
Marcos Rene Simaj-Guch, also known as Taco Man, 41, a Mexican national, is charged with drug trafficking. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.
ICE-HSI and HPD conducted the investigation with the assistance of the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and Texas Board of Criminal Justice Office of the Inspector General.
Trial Attorneys Ralph Paradiso and Amanda Kotula of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco Rodriguez for the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Houston, Texas. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes 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.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s OCDETF and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Federal Jury Convicts Tampa Felon for Illegally Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL –United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that a federal jury has found Cortevious Torrez Crews (31, Tampa) guilty of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Crews faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the evidence presented at trial, on May 3, 2024, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of Crews’ car in Clearwater Beach, Florida. When officers searched the car, they located two firearms. Despite knowing he was a felon and that he was prohibited from owning firearms, Crews had purchased one of the recovered firearms off the streets about a week earlier.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Clearwater Police Department, and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael R. Kenneth. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney James A. Muench.
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.
Federal Charges Filed After Deadly Shooting of Israeli Embassy Staffers in D.C.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, has been charged with federal and local murder offenses in connection with the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staff members outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2025.
Rodriguez is charged in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with the murder of foreign officials, causing death through the use of a firearm, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. He is also charged with two counts of first-degree murder under the D.C. criminal code.
The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen, and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith.
“This brutal, anti-Semitic violence has no place in our country or anywhere in civilization,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will follow the facts and secure the most severe possible punishment for the perpetrator of this heinous crime, which robbed two wonderful young people of a bright future together.”
“Our community is reeling. Because of one person’s actions, two families are left to grieve for dreams that will never be realized,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Violence of any kind is unacceptable. Senseless acts that take innocent lives are intolerable. We will hold accountable anyone who inflicts harm on our families, our neighbors, the citizens of our nation, or the visitors to our great capital city. We are united in that purpose, and we hold strong against those whose reckless actions claim as victim any part of our community.”
“This Civil Rights Division is aggressively pursuing every avenue to investigate this crime,” said Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon.” Let me be clear: hateful violence against Jewish Americans will be met with the full force of the Justice Department. We are expanding enforcement, increasing our outreach, and holding perpetrators accountable wherever they act.”
“Make no mistake: This attack was targeted, antisemitic violence,” said Assistant Director in Charge Jensen. “The FBI will continue to pursue all leads and use all available resources to investigate this heinous murder.”
“We continue to work closely with our federal partners and want to assure our community that the safety of all residents and visitors remains our top priority,” said Chief of Police Pamela A. Smith. “Out of an abundance of caution we are increasing our presence at religious institutions citywide.”
According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, Rodriguez allegedly opened fire on the victims as they were leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee, which brought together Jewish professionals and members of the diplomatic community. Both victims were employed by the Israeli Embassy. One was an Israeli citizen and an official guest of the U.S. government.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows Rodriguez walking past the victims before turning and firing multiple rounds. After the victims fell, he allegedly continued firing at close range, including as one attempted to crawl away. Investigators recovered a 9mm handgun and 21 spent shell casings at the scene.
Rodriguez entered the Museum after he committed the murders. Witnesses and surveillance video reportedly confirmed his involvement. He had flown from Chicago to Washington the day prior with the firearm declared in his checked luggage.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia with assistance from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Federal Charges Brought After Shots Fired at Bertie County DeputiesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Federal charges were brought today against a Lewiston-Woodville man charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Dominique Javon Thompson, 34, appeared in federal court for his initial appearance.
According to information presented in the Criminal Complaint, Thompson fired at Bertie County Deputies who were responding to a call regarding an armed individual at a residence in Lewiston-Woodville. The Complaint alleges that when deputies arrived, Thompson opened fire at their patrol vehicles. Neither the deputies nor the K-9 deputy were struck by the gunfire, although their vehicles were hit multiple times. Thompson then fled in a White Hyundai Elantra. Deputies received information that Thompson had family in the Kinston area, and the Kinston Police Department found the white Elantra abandoned on the side of the road around 9 am. Kinston PD later found Thompson in a car during a traffic stop. Upon approaching the car, the officer found Thompson in the back seat and took him into custody. A firearm was found in the glovebox, which matched the description of the one used in the shooting in Bertie County.
“We will work quickly and tirelessly to investigate anyone who tries to inflict violence against our law enforcement partners and break federal laws, as alleged in the complaint,” Acting United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar stated today. “I’m proud of the investigative response provided by our federal and state partners in this case.”
“Thankfully, no one was hurt, and the defendant was taken into custody without incident,” Bertie County Sheriff Tyrone M. Ruffin stated today. “Law enforcement officers dedicate themselves to public service and we leave home daily not knowing if we will return. We are thankful for the partnerships of our local, state, and federal resources.”
Thompson is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of Title 18, United States Code Sections 922(g)(1) and 924. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison if convicted.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office, State Highway Patrol, Bertie Police Department, Martin Police Department, Williamston Police Department, and Kinston Police Department assisted with the investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Phil Aubart is prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-mj-01049.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Fairfield County man arrested on federal child pornography chargesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Lancaster man was arrested yesterday afternoon on federal child pornography charges and appeared in federal court in Columbus today.
It is alleged that Carson A. Bigham, 23, possessed, distributed or received child pornography.
According to charging documents, law enforcement received two separate Cybertips from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) related to a Columbus man who was charged with federal child pornography crimes in March, including exploitation of a minor. One report was from Kik messenger regarding the distribution of 13 child pornography files. The second report was from Sniffies LLC, a map-based hookup application for gay, bisexual and bicurious men.
As part of their investigation, devices were seized from the Columbus man. Law enforcement’s forensic review of the devices revealed conversations between the Columbus man and Bigham. In the conversations, Bigham allegedly uses the screenname “daddy.” The conversations between the two men were sexual in nature and included discussions about engaging in sex with minors. Bigham also allegedly received child pornography during these discussions, including files which depicted prepubescent minors engaged in sex acts with adults.
Law enforcement officers learned that Bigham is employed as a Columbus firefighter and photographs of Bigham match those sent to the Columbus man during their conversations.
Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin; other members of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force; and officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Columbus Airport Group and Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.
A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Emporia man sentenced to over five years in prison for armed robberyRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – An Emporia man was sentenced yesterday to five years and five months in prison for a Hobbs Act Robbery.
According to court documents, on Aug. 19, 2023, David Earl Gay, 60, entered a Walmart in Emporia, approached a clerk, and told her that he had a gun in his pocket, that if she did anything he would shoot her, and to hand him all the money. The clerk complied, handing him money from the service desk. Gay fled the Walmart in a rusted white van.
Law enforcement responded to the address where the van was registered and located the van. Investigators executed a search warrant on the trailer located at that address and found Gay inside. Gay had some of the money from the robbery in his pants pocket. Investigators then found additional money from the robbery in a metal shed on the property.
Gay was previously convicted of, among other crimes, breaking and entering, uttering forged paper or instrument, common law forgery, uttering forged check, statutory burglary, larceny, possession of stolen goods or property, forgery of instrument, abuse of a child – neglect, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and armed bank robbery. At the time he robbed the Emporia Walmart, Gay was on supervised release for his armed bank robbery conviction.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick J. McGorman, Stephen E. Anthony, and Vetan Kapoor prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-23.
Eight Defendants Charged with Federal Immigration CrimesRead the Press Release
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A federal grand jury in Huntsville has charged eight individuals with immigration crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona.
The following defendants were indicted for illegally reentering the United States after having previously been deported:
- Raul Alvarez-Lopez, 28, a citizen of Mexico;
- Jose Faustino-Climaco, 29, a citizen of Mexico;
- Nazario Vargas-Peres, 27, a citizen of Guatemala;
- Eberardo Yovany Peralta-Cazales, 33, a citizen of Mexico;
- Amilcar Pablo-Cinto, 35, a citizen of Guatemala;
Stanley Amalemba Ambeyi, 38, a citizen of Kenya, was charged with being an alien in possession of a firearm.
Pedro Pedro-Mateo, 30, a citizen of Guatemala, was charged with fraud and misuse of a visa, permits, and other documents, and for failure to maintain personal possession of alien registration.
Efren Gimenez-Gimenez, 44, a citizen of Mexico, was charged with illegally reentering the United States after having previously been deported and for failure to register.
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 Neighborhood (PSN). Operation Take Back America partners Homeland Security Investigations – Atlanta and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Nashville Field Division investigated these cases.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
East Helena man sentenced to over 5 years in prison on drug chargesRead the Press Release
HELENA – An East Helena man who admitted distributing meth was sentenced today to 64 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Gordon Eric Barraugh, 63, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on September 21, 2022, law enforcement agencies conducted a controlled buy from Barraugh at his home in Helena. They purchased over 80 grams of actual methamphetamine from Barraugh in the alley behind his house.
On September 23, 2024, law enforcement arrested Barraugh on an arrest warrant. They also searched his truck and seized meth and prescription pills. When Barraugh was brought to the courthouse for an arraignment on December 16, 2024, the United States Marshal’s Service located a small baggie with methamphetamine residue and another pill.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by Missouri River Drug Task Force, State of Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Helena Police Department, and ICE.
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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District Woman Charged with Assault for Spitting on Former Interim U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Emily Gabriella Sommer, 32, of the District of Columbia, was arrested today on a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in connection with a May 8 incident during which she allegedly spit on former U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. while he was participating in a video-recorded interview.
Sommer is charged with one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding a government official.
The complaint was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Acting U.S. Marshal Ron Carter of the District Court for the District of Columbia.
According to the complaint, on May 8th, 2025, at approximately 3:30 p.m., then-Interim U.S. Attorney Martin was conducting an on-camera interview in front of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the 600 block of D Street Northwest.
During the interview, the suspect, later identified as Sommer, approached Martin and stated words to the effect of, “Who in the f-- are you?” Martin turned to face Sommer. Sommer then said, “Are you Ed Martin? You are. Ed Martin.” Sommer lunged at Martin and spit on his shoulder. Sommer then walked eastbound on D Street Northwest and yelled, “You are a disgusting man. F--- you, Ed Martin. My name is Emily Gabriella Sommer, and you are served.”
Law enforcement identified the X account with username @EmilyGabriellaS and display name “Lefttits” as likely belonging to Sommer. On the evening of May 8, 2025, that account made several posts related to the incident including the following:
On May 22, 2025, law enforcement located Sommer and placed her under arrest.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Green.
A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
District Man Who Wielded a Machine Gun Near Anacostia Elementary School Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jason Jerome Bell, 21, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 21 months in federal prison for brandishing a fully loaded machine gun at a passing car, on a heavily trafficked street in the middle of the afternoon, in the direction of an elementary school with staff present.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Jessica M.E. Taylor of the U.S. Park Police.
Bell pleaded guilty on January 15, 2025, without a plea agreement to unlawful possession of a machine gun, and to carrying a pistol without a license. In addition to the 21-month prison term, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered Bell to serve three years of supervised release. In light of the severity of Bell’s conduct, the government had asked the Court for an upward variant sentence of 36 months.
According to court documents, about 2:45 pm on Oct. 11, 2024, a U.S. Park Police investigator was conducting surveillance of Bell in Anacostia. Bell had been reported to be flashing firearms. The investigator located Bell in the alley behind a house on 1900 block 16th Street SE. The investigator watched as Bell pulled a firearm from his waistband and aimed it at a silver sedan. The USPP investigator captured Bell’s actions on camera.
USPP officers subsequently arrested Bell and recovered a loaded Glock 30 gen 4 pistol, .45 caliber, outfitted with a switch which converted the semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic machine gun. The Glock had 26 rounds in the magazine and one round in the chamber.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Park Police with the assistance of the ATF. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas G. Strong and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren R. Randell.
Bell brandishes a Glock outfitted with a “switch” to fire like a machine-gun in the direction of a U.S. Park Police Officer on Oct. 11. 2024.
The Glock and magazine found in Bell’s possession.
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Deltona Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison for Possessing of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger has sentenced Juan Santiago (36, Deltona) to 57 months in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse material. Santiago entered a guilty plea on December 19, 2024.
According to court documents, between August and December of 2022, Santiago purchased child sexual abuse material on multiple occasions from an individual that he communicated with via the messaging application Telegram. Santiago’s cell phone contained over 80 files of child sexual abuse material, including images depicting prepubescent children, toddlers, and infants.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diane Hu.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Danvers Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Money Laundering and Operating Unlicensed Money Transmitting BusinessRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Danvers man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for money laundering and operating an unlicensed, “no questions asked,” money transmitting business that converted more than $1 million in cash to the digital currency Bitcoin, including on behalf of scammers and a drug dealer.
Trung Nguyen, a/k/a “DCS420”, 48, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to six years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The Court also ordered Nguyen to forfeit $1,513,000.04. In November 2024, Nguyen was convicted of one count of conducting an unlicensed money transmitting business and one count of concealment money laundering. Nguyen was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 30, 2023.
Between September 2017 and October 2020, Nguyen owned and operated National Vending, LLC. Through National Vending, Nguyen accepted cash from customers and, in exchange for a fee, sent them Bitcoin in return. Exchangers of virtual currency, including Bitcoin exchangers, are money transmitters under federal law and are subject to federal anti-money laundering (AML) regulations. The regulations require them to register as money service businesses with the Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and to maintain effective AML programs, including by filing Suspicious Activity Reports with FinCEN, and by filing Currency Transaction Reports for Bitcoin-for-cash exchanges of more than $10,000.
Nguyen purposely failed to register National Vending with FinCEN, despite being required to do so. Over the course of 10 transactions in 2018, Nguyen accepted a total of $250,000 in cash from an individual who identified himself to Nguyen as a methamphetamine dealer. In 2019 and 2020, Nguyen also accepted approximately $325,000 from a romance scam victim from Kansas City, Mo.; $60,000 from a romance scam victim from Glastonbury, Ct. and $60,000 from a romance scam victim from central Massachusetts—each of whom had been tricked into converting cash into Bitcoin and sending it to con artists overseas. Nguyen failed to file Suspicious Activity Reports or Currency Transaction Reports on any of these transactions, including cash transactions of more than $10,000.
Nguyen concealed his money transmitting business by, among other ways, holding National Vending out to banks, cryptocurrency exchanges and state authorities as a vending machine business. He used encrypted messaging apps to communicate with customers, using technologies that made it more difficult to trace Bitcoin transactions and breaking cash deposits of more than $10,000 into smaller cash deposits over consecutive days or at different branches of the same bank. Nguyen also enrolled in a paid course on concealing his business that recommended Nguyen purport to operate “a business for which cash deposits from around the country make sense” and that he “develop [his] cover story,” “create a list or your suppliers Fictitious of course” and “Don’t say the word ‘Bitcoin.”
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth B. Kosto and Benjamin A. Saltzman of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
Coventry Man Indicted for Trafficking FentanylRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A federal grand jury has returned a two-count indictment charging Christian Rodriguez, 38, of Coventry, with possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
According to information presented to the court, it is alleged that Rodriguez was involved in a drug trafficking organization that worked out of a stash house in Providence and supplied buyers in Southeastern Massachusetts.
At the time of his arrest on April 22, 2025, law enforcement executed court-authorized searches of Rodriguez’s Coventry residence and the Providence residence. Agents seized more than $100,000 in cash, more than 40 grams of fentanyl, cocaine, and various items used in the packaging of illegal drugs.
Rodriguez is currently detained in federal custody.
A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey A. Erickson
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
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Convicted Felon Sentenced to 24 Months for Possession of a Glock Semiautomatic PistolRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tyrell Anthony West, 30, a previously convicted felon and resident of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 24 months in prison in connection with being in possession of a loaded Glock semiautomatic pistol when police encountered him with a stolen Mercedes.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives - Washington Division, and FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
West pleaded guilty on Feb. 13, 2025, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered West to serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, on Feb. 26, 2024, about 7:30 p.m., the officers with the MPD’s Robbery Suppression Unit were travelling down the 2900 block of Knox Place, SE, in unmarked vehicles. An officer noticed a parked silver Mercedes Benz C300 park and watched as West quickly closed the car door and crossed the street at a brisk pace to where a group was congregated.
Officers ran the Mercedes’ plate number and learned it was not registered in the database. They approached the vehicle to discover that its VIN number was covered.
An officer uncovered the VIN. Another asked West if the car's registration was in the glove compartment. West opened the glove compartment and then opened the vehicle’s center console. One of the officers immediately spotted a firearm. Three seconds later, the officer checking the VIN number learned the Mercedes had been reported stolen from a car dealership in Howard County, Maryland.
From the center console, MPD officers recovered a black Glock 30. .45 caliber semi-automatic firearm loaded and ready to fire with one round of ammunition in the chamber and 13 additional rounds in the magazine. DNA evidence later linked West to the firearm.
Officers also recovered three plastic bags containing a white rock substance with a combined weight of 82.79 grams, and a black digital scale with white residue. Later testing by the DEA determined the substance was N, Ndimethylpentalone, an illegal synthetic controlled-substance otherwise known as 'boot." Officers also recovered 28 suspected suboxone strips from the trunk of the Mercedes.
West has a previous conviction for carrying a pistol without a license. On April 22, 2022, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison, which was suspended. On Feb. 9, 2023, he was resentenced to nine months in prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Metropolitan Police Department. The matter is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Reeder-Ricchetti, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Omeed Ali Assefi, and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Svetoslavov.
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Convicted Child Predator Sentenced to 16 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A previously-convicted child predator was sentenced to 192 months in prison today for distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Justin Matthew Adkins, 40, of Marion, North Carolina, was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release and to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison.
According to records, Adkins was convicted of Second-Degree Exploitation of a Minor in Buncombe County and was sentenced to a term of imprisonment. Adkins was released from state custody in April 2023, and was placed on post-release supervision until 2028. On November 7, 2023, officers with the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections, deputies with the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office, and deputy marshals with the U.S. Marshals Service conducted a probation search at Adkins’ home. During the search, law enforcement reviewed Adkins’s electronic devices for compliance with his post-release conditions and found that the defendant possessed CSAM. Law enforcement also seized narcotics and drug paraphernalia.
Court records show that a computer forensic analyst with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) analyzed Adkins’s electronic devices and located thousands of CSAM images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of prepubescent children. The analysis also revealed that Adkins had distributed CSAM to other individuals online.
On December 18, 2024, Adkins pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended HSI in Greenville, the U.S. Marshals Service, the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections, and the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Alexis Solheim of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville 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 the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.