Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
Monday 14 April 2025
Ashland City Doctor Sentenced to 3 Years for Conspiracy to Commit Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Dr. John R. Manning, 64, of Ashland City, Tennessee, was sentenced last week to three years in federal prison for his participation in a health care fraud conspiracy, announced Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee
Manning, a licensed medical doctor, was indicted in July 2022, with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and eight counts of health care fraud. In August 2023, Manning pled guilty to the conspiracy count. As part of his guilty plea, Manning admitted to allegations in the indictment, including that he worked for multiple “telemedicine” companies and signed doctor orders or prescriptions for durable medical equipment (DME), topical creams, and cancer genetic tests (CGx) based on only a brief conversation with a patient, or often no conversation at all. Manning signed those orders and prescriptions in exchange for illegal kickbacks and bribes.
From approximately June 2016 through April 2019, Manning signed orders and prescriptions that caused the submission of at least $41,083,490.62 in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, and Medicare paid over $19 million of those claims. Manning accepted the payment of kickbacks in connection with these orders and prescriptions totaling over $812,000.
“This doctor ignored his oath to help people and bilked the taxpayers out of almost $20 million,” said Robert E. McGuire, Acting United States Attorney, “now he faces accountability for his actions and the taxpayers get some justice for being taken advantage of.”
“Health care providers that participate in the federal health care system are required to obey the laws and regulations meant to protect the integrity of the Medicare and Medicaid program,” said Special Agent in Charge Kelly Blackmon with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and hold providers accountable when they do not follow the law.”
“Health care fraud is a crime that hurts all of us and drives up health care costs,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the Nashville Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “The FBI is committed to fighting fraud and protecting taxpayer dollars, and with our law enforcement partners we will continue to identify, investigate and bring to justice the criminals who, driven by greed, manipulate the system for personal benefit.”
As part of the sentence, Manning was ordered to pay $19,780,565.44 in restitution to the Medicare program. Manning was also ordered to pay criminal forfeiture in the form of a money judgment totaling $812,303.41.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services-Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Nashville Field Office, with the assistance of the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Levine and Trial Attorney Kathryn Furtado of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
# # # # #
Armed Drug Trafficker Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A Rocky Mount man was sentenced Friday to 68 months in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and distribution of a quantity of fentanyl. Nedall Alwan, 30, pled guilty to the charge on January 14, 2025.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, in March 2023, the Tarboro Police Department and Edgecombe Sheriff’s Office received information that Alwan, who operated a vape and tobacco store in Tarboro, was involved in the sale of narcotics. Between March 8 and April 5, 2023, law enforcement made three controlled purchases of “Perc 30” pills from Alwan. The pills contained fentanyl. On April 6, 2023, law enforcement searched Alwan’s vape and tobacco business. Law Enforcement found 290 “M-30” pills which contained 30 grams of fentanyl, a 9mm rifle and $9,533.00 in U.S. currency. A 9mm handgun was also found in Alwan’s car, and additional U.S. currency was found at Alwan’s residence.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Enforcement, Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tarboro and Rocky Mount Police Departments investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-CR-0035.
###
Albuquerque Man Charged in Connection with Arson Attacks on Tesla Dealership and Republican Party of New Mexico OfficeRead the Press Release
Note: View the criminal complaint.
Federal charges have been filed against Jamison Wagner, 40, an Albuquerque resident, in connection with recent arson attacks targeting the Tesla Albuquerque Showroom and the Republican Party of New Mexico (RPNM) headquarters. Investigators linked Wagner to both incidents through surveillance footage and scene evidence.
“Let this be the final lesson to those taking part in this ongoing wave of political violence,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will arrest you, we will prosecute you, and we will not negotiate. Crimes have consequences.”
“Hurling firebombs is not political protest,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “It is a dangerous felony that we will prosecute to the maximum extent. The impressive work by law enforcement in New Mexico sends a clear message to perpetrators of all of the shameful attacks on Tesla facilities and political establishments: we are coming for you, you can’t hide, and you will do serious jail time to pay for your crimes.”
“This arrest is part of the FBI’s aggressive efforts to investigate and hold accountable those who have targeted Tesla facilities in various states across the country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Thank you to our agents and support teams in Albuquerque who did an outstanding job executing the mission. Under Attorney General Bondi’s leadership, we will continue to locate and arrest those responsible for these acts of domestic terrorism, and the FBI will work with partners at the Department of Justice to ensure such lawbreakers face justice.”
“A key suspect is now in custody thanks to the exceptional work of ATF’s Special Agents, certified fire investigators, and forensic specialists,” said Deputy Director Robert Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “This arrest marks a critical step toward justice in the firebombing that targeted a Tesla dealership and the New Mexico Republican Party Headquarters. Our teams worked around the clock—collecting, analyzing, and connecting forensic evidence across both scenes. With the support of our local partners, the FBI, and the rapid work of ATF’s forensic lab, we were able to link the crimes, identify those responsible, and take swift action to protect the public. This is what ATF does best: we follow the evidence, we find the truth, and we bring offenders to justice.”
According to court documents, in the early morning hours of Feb. 9, 2025, the Tesla Albuquerque Showroom was targeted in an arson attack. Two Tesla vehicles were involved in the fire, one of which was significantly damaged.
An intact glass container containing an improvised napalm material was found in the second vehicle. Investigators noted a hand-written capital “I” or “H” letter on the top of the green metal lid.
Graffiti was spray-painted in red and black paint on the building and six other vehicles, including “Die Elon,” “Tesla Nazi Inc,” and “Die Tesla Nazi,” along with swastika symbols.
Surveillance video captured the suspect on scene, and he was observed as a tall, light-skinned individual, possibly over 6 feet tall, wearing black clothing and a mask, and carrying a white box.
The following month, in the early morning hours of March 30, 2025, a second arson attack occurred, this time at the Republican Party New Mexico (RPNM) office. The fire significantly damaged the front door and entry area. At the scene, investigators collected shattered glass and metal lids from what appeared to be two to three separate glass containers. Two of the lids bore a handwritten capital “I” or “H,” similar in appearance to the letter found on the lid of the glass container at the Tesla scene.
Graffiti with the phrase “ICE=KKK” was found on the south wall of the building.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from nearby businesses and identified a white sedan parking on the north side of the RPNM office building before the fire. A single individual exited the vehicle, approached the RPNM headquarters, and a flash of light was recorded. The individual then returned to the vehicle and drove away. The vehicle was captured on nearby surveillance as it left the RPNM scene. After review of the available surveillance, law enforcement preliminarily identified the suspect vehicle as in what appeared to be a white Hyundai Accent between the years 2012 and 2015.
Investigators determined that both arsons involved the use of homemade incendiary devices utilizing glass containers and flammable liquids. The resulting investigation connected Wagner as a significant person of interest for both crime scenes. Among other links, Wagner’s physical description matches that of the suspect in the available surveillance footage and investigators determined that Wagner owns a white 2015 Hyundai Accent.
Wagner Facebook photo. Tesla arson suspect. Wagner’s driver’s license.On April 12, 2025, agents from the FBI and ATF executed a search warrant at Wagner’s residence in Albuquerque without incident. Inside, investigators uncovered substantial evidence linking him to both arson attacks including:
- A white cardboard box containing eight assembled suspected incendiary devices.
- Blue Styrofoam egg cartons consistent with the polystyrene material found in the improvised napalm used in the Tesla fire.
- Materials for manufacturing additional incendiary devices and ignitable liquids consistent with the gasoline used at both fire scenes.
- A jar with a green gingham-style lid similar to one found at the RPNM fire scene, along with several jars marked with handwritten capital letters “I” or “H,” similar to markings seen on lids recovered from both arson sites.
- Black and red spray paint matching the graffiti used at both crime scenes.
- A stencil bearing the phrase “ICE=KKK,” consistent with graffiti found at the RPNM fire scene.
Wagner’s white Hyundai Accent was found in his garage during the search. Investigators noted modifications consistent with efforts to avoid identification during the commission of the crimes.
“The charges today demonstrate that there is no place in our society for politically or ideologically motivated acts of violence and extremism,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin for the District of New Mexico. “We are grateful for the tireless and exceptional work of our law enforcement partners to identify the alleged perpetrator of these unacceptable criminal acts and commit to prosecuting this case to the fullest extent of the law.”
Wagner is charged with two counts of malicious damage or destruction of property by fire or explosives and will remain in custody pending a detention hearing which has not been set. If convicted of the current charges, Wagner faces between five and 20 years in prison for each count.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI Albuquerque Field Office are jointly investigating the case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department and the New Mexico Department of Justice.
Numerous additional agencies responded to the arson scenes or otherwise provided valuable assistance, including the Santa Ana Pueblo Police Department, the Sandoval County Fire Department, the New Mexico State Fire Marshals Office, Albuquerque Fire Rescue, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Elena Stiteler and Nicholas Mote for the District of New Mexico and Trial Attorney Patrick Cashman of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Albuquerque Man Charged in Connection with Arson Attacks on Tesla Dealership and Republican Party of New Mexico OfficeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Federal charges have been filed against Jamison Wagner, an Albuquerque resident, in connection with recent arson attacks targeting the Tesla Albuquerque Showroom and the Republican Party of New Mexico (RPNM) headquarters. Investigators linked Wagner to both incidents through surveillance footage and scene evidence.
“Let this be the final lesson to those taking part in this ongoing wave of political violence,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will arrest you, we will prosecute you, and we will not negotiate. Crimes have consequences.”
“Hurling firebombs is not political protest,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “It is a dangerous felony that we will prosecute to the maximum extent. The impressive work by law enforcement in New Mexico sends a clear message to perpetrators of all of the shameful attacks on Tesla facilities and political establishments: we are coming for you, you can’t hide, and you will do serious jail time to pay for your crimes.”
According to court documents, in the early morning hours of February 9, 2025, the Tesla Albuquerque Showroom was targeted in an arson attack. Two Tesla vehicles were involved in the fire, one of which was significantly damaged.
Damaged Tesla.An intact glass container containing an improvised napalm material was found in the second vehicle. Investigators noted a hand-written capital “I” or “H” letter on the top of the green metal lid.
Class container and lid inside Tesla.Graffiti was spray-painted in red and black paint on the building and six other vehicles, including the phrases “Die Elon,” “Tesla Nazi Inc,” and “Die Tesla Nazi” along with swastika symbols.
Graffiti at a Tesla dealership.Surveillance video captured the suspect on scene, and he was observed as a tall, light-skinned individual, possibly over 6 feet tall, wearing black clothing and a mask and carrying a white box.
Suspect carrying a white box.The following month, in the early morning hours of March 30, 2025, a second arson attack occurred, this time at the RPNM office. The fire significantly damaged the front door and entry area. At the scene, investigators collected shattered glass and metal lids from what appeared to be two to three separate glass containers. Two of the lids bore a handwritten capital “I” or “H,” similar in appearance to the letter found on the lid of the glass container at the Tesla scene.
Fire damage at Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters building. Fire debris with lid.Graffiti with the phrase “ICE=KKK” was found on the south wall of the building.
Graffiti at Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters building.Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from nearby businesses and identified a white sedan parking on the north side of the RPNM office building before the fire. A single individual exited the vehicle, approached the RPNM headquarters, and a flash of light was recorded. The individual then returned to the vehicle and drove away. The vehicle was captured on nearby surveillance as it left the RPNM scene. After review of the available surveillance, law enforcement preliminarily identified the suspect vehicle as a white Hyundai Accent between the years 2012 and 2015.
Suspect vehicle leaving the RPNM scene.Investigators determined that both arsons involved the use of homemade incendiary devices utilizing glass containers and flammable liquids. Based on subsequent investigation, investigators identified Wagner, 40, as a significant person of interest for both crime scenes. Among other links, Wagner’s physical description matches that of the suspect in the available surveillance footage from both incidents and investigators determined that Wagner owns a white 2015 Hyundai Accent.
Wagner Facebook photo. Tesla arson suspect. Wagner’s driver’s license.On April 12, 2025, agents from the FBI and ATF executed a search warrant at Wagner’s residence in Albuquerque without incident. Inside, investigators uncovered substantial evidence linking him to both arson attacks including:
- A white cardboard box containing eight assembled suspected incendiary devices.
- Blue Styrofoam egg cartons consistent with the polystyrene material found in the improvised napalm used in the Tesla fire.
- Materials for manufacturing additional incendiary devices and ignitable liquids consistent with the gasoline used at both fire scenes.
- A jar with a green gingham-style lid similar to one found at the RPNM fire scene, along with several jars marked with handwritten capital letters “I” or “H,” similar to markings seen on lids recovered from both arson sites.
- Black and red spray paint matching the graffiti used at both crime scenes.
- A stencil bearing the phrase “ICE=KKK” consistent with graffiti found at the RPNM fire scene.
Wagner’s white Hyundai Accent was found in his garage during the search. Investigators noted modifications consistent with efforts to avoid identification during the commission of the crimes.
“The charges today demonstrate that there is no place in our society for politically or ideologically motivated acts of violence and extremism,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin. “We are grateful for the tireless and exceptional work of our law enforcement partners to identify the alleged perpetrator of these unacceptable criminal acts and commit to prosecuting this case to the fullest extent of the law.”
“The work of our ATF Special Agents and Certified Fire Investigators in this case was nothing short of spectacular,” said Brendan Iber, Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “Working tireless hours with our federal partners, we were able to collect vital evidence about the suspects who set fire to the Tesla dealership and the New Mexico Republican Party Headquarters. Our Forensic Science Lab was instrumental in processing evidence immediately and relaying the results back to the investigating agents after processing. These cases are another example of ATF’s fight against violent crime and our steadfast commitment to justice.”
"This arrest sends a clear message: those who terrorize our community through acts of arson will not escape justice," said Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office. "This affirms our commitment to holding criminals accountable, and we will continue to work with our state, local and federal partners to keep our communities safe."
Wagner is charged with two counts of malicious damage or destruction of property by fire or explosives and will remain in custody pending a detention hearing which is scheduled for Wednesday, April 16, 2025. If convicted of the current charges, Wagner faces between five and twenty years in prison as to each count.
Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin, Brendan Iber, Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office jointly investigated this case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department and the New Mexico Department of Justice.
Numerous additional agencies responded to the arson scenes or otherwise provided valuable assistance including the Santa Ana Pueblo Police Department, the Sandoval County Fire Department, the New Mexico State Fire Marshals Office, Albuquerque Fire Rescue, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Elena Stiteler and Nicholas Mote are prosecuting the case.
complaint_jamison_wagner.pdfA criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Activity in the U.S. Attorney's OfficeRead the Press Release
Attempted Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Illegal Sexual Activity
Kodey Dean Lamont, 29, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was sentenced to 156 months in federal prison with five years of supervised release to follow for attempting to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. The court also ordered the defendant to pay $6,000 in restitution and a $100 special assessment. According to court documents, on Friday, October 4, 2024, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted an undercover online investigation by posting an ad on a website selling sexual services with a young female. The defendant interacted with the ad and was told the female was 14 years old. He expressed his desire to pay to have sexual intercourse with the minor. The defendant negotiated paying less if he brought methamphetamine to get the minor high before the sexual intercourse. The defendant also expressed his desire to record the intercourse. The defendant then traveled to a predetermined location to meet up with who he thought would be the minor where he was arrested. The defendant was indicted on Nov. 20, 2024, and pleaded guilty on Jan. 16. ICAC and HSI investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Z. Seth Griswold prosecuted the case. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on April 8 in Cheyenne. Case No. 24-CR-00168
Drug Trafficking
Timothy McReynolds, 59, of Moorcroft, Wyoming, was sentenced to 78 months’ imprisonment with three years of supervised release to follow for distribution of methamphetamine. In June of 2023, agents with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigations Northeast Enforcement Team (DCI NEET) were investigating known drug dealers in Campbell County. Between July and September of 2023, agents completed three different controlled buys from the defendant. DCI NEET investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Z. Seth Griswold prosecuted the case. McReynolds waived indictment and pleaded guilty to an Information on Jan. 13. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on April 3 in Cheyenne. Case No. 24-00120
Jessie Miller, 31, of Big Horn, Wyoming, was sentenced to 48 months imprisonment with three years of supervised release to follow for distribution of methamphetamine. According to court documents, in April of 2024, the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) had been investigating several suspected drug distributors in Big Horn County. On May 4, the Sheridan Police Department conducted a traffic stop on Miller, and a canine alerted to drugs. Officers seized various amounts and types of drugs, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, MDMA, and marijuana. A search warrant of her electronic devices suggested Miller was buying and distributing large amounts of controlled substances in the area. DCI and the Sheridan Police Department investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie R. Morrison prosecuted the case. Miller waived indictment and pleaded guilty to an Information on Jan. 10. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on April 3 in Cheyenne. Case No. 24-00179
Firearm Offenses
Kilburn Troy Timbana, 39, of Arapahoe, Wyoming, was sentenced to 41 months, with three years of supervised release to follow for being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, Riverton and Shoshone Police Departments were dispatched to W. Fremont Street for a male subject sleeping in a pickup parked in front of a residence. When officers arrived, they observed a male sleeping in the driver’s side of the truck with an automatic pistol sitting on the center console next to him. The officer opened the driver’s door, seized the semi-automatic weapon, cleared the pistol, which had three 3-rounds of hollow point ammunition, and eventually woke the defendant. In his change of plea hearing, he admitted that he knowingly possessed a Smith & Wesson pistol and was a previously convicted felon, which prohibited him from having the weapon. Timbana was indicted on Nov. 20. 2024 and pleaded guilty on Jan. 21. The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives, the Riverton Police Department, and the Shoshone Police Department investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy W. Gist prosecuted the case. U.S. District Court Judge Kelly H. Rankin imposed the sentence on April 10 in Cheyenne. Case No. 24-CR-00164
About the United States Attorney’s Office
The United States Attorney’s Office is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the District of Wyoming, including all criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits brought by or against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. The Office is involved in several programs designed to make our communities safer. They include:
Project Safe Childhood
Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a DOJ initiative that combats the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. The threat of sexual predators soliciting children for sexual contact is well-known and serious.
Operation Take Back America
Operation Take Back America is 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. It also streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Victim Witness Program
The Victim Witness Coordinator for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming is dedicated to ensuring victims of federal crimes and their family members are treated with compassion, fairness, and respect.To report a federal crime, go to: https://www.justice.gov/actioncenter/report-crime
A Nageezi Man Pleaded Guilty to Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Nageezi man pleaded guilty to federal sexual abuse charges after he engaged in non-consensual sexual acts with the victim.
According to court records, between January 1, 2024, and April 30, 2024, Patrick Wayne Platero, 47, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, engaged in a sexual act with Jane Doe without her consent.
At sentencing, Platero faces up to life in prison followed by up not less than five years and up to life of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Investigation and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Meg Tomlinson is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
View the Plea Agreement (Platero).pdf
Friday 11 April 2025
Zaquikon T. Roy Facing New ChargesRead the Press Release
Rutland, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on Wednesday, April 1, 2025, the grand jury sitting in Rutland, Vermont, returned a Second Superseding Indictment charging Zaquikon T. Roy, 35, previously of Brooklyn, New York, with fifteen charges: conspiracy to distribute cocaine base, fentanyl, and 500 grams or more of cocaine; conspiracy to use and possess firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; three counts of distribution of cocaine base; two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; three counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm; and one count of discharge of a firearm while using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. The count related to the discharge of a firearm relates to a shooting that occurred in Leicester, Vermont on June 4, 2023. Roy has not yet been arraigned on these charges and no date for the arraignment has been set.
The United States Attorney emphasizes that the charges in the Indictment are merely accusations, and that Roy is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty. If convicted of these offenses, Roy faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 35 years’ imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, and/or a $8,000,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Vermont State Police.
The United States is represented in this matter by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul J. Van de Graaf and Wendy L. Fuller. Roy is represented by Chandler Matson, Esq.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This case 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.
York County Man Pleads Guilty to Filing False Income Tax Returns That Omitted More Than $13 Million in Income from Digital Artwork SalesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Waylon Wilcox, age 45, of Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, appeared in federal court April 9, 2025, before Senior United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion, and pled guilty to a two-count criminal information charging him with filing false individual income tax returns.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 10, 2022, in Cumberland County, Wilcox filed a false individual income tax return for tax year 2021 that underreported his income for tax year 2021 by approximately $8,511,238 and reduced Wilcox’s tax then due and owing by approximately $2,180,452. On October 10, 2023, in Cumberland County, Wilcox filed a false individual income tax return for tax year 2022 that underreported Wilcox’s income for tax year 2022 by approximately $4,599,532 and reduced Wilcox’s tax then due and owing by approximately $1,098,623.
Wilcox obtained most of this unreported income after acquiring and selling 97 pieces of digital artwork from the “CryptoPunks” collection of 10,000 unique art characters. Individual pieces from the digital artwork collection were referred to as “Punks.”
Each Punk was unique and contained digital proof of ownership that could be tracked on a blockchain, a digitally distributed, decentralized, public ledger. Two Punks from the same blockchain could look identical but were not interchangeable, meaning they were non-fungible. These so-called “non-fungible tokens” (or NFTs) could be traded and sold for money or cryptocurrency.
In 2021, Wilcox sold approximately 62 Punks for a total of approximately $7,402,935. In 2022, Wilcox sold approximately 35 Punks for a total of approximately $4,899,180. On his 2021 individual income tax return, Wilcox falsely answered “no” to the question “At any time in 2021, did you receive, sell, exchange, or otherwise dispose of financial interest in any virtual currency?” On his 2022 individual income tax return, Wilcox falsely answered “no” to the question “At any time during 2022, did you: (a) receive (as a reward, award or payment for property or services); or (b) sell, exchange, gift or otherwise dispose of a digital asset (or a financial interest in a digital asset)?”
When a taxpayer sells an NFT, including a Punk, then the taxpayer must report sales proceeds and any gains or losses from the sale of the NFT on their tax return.
“IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to unraveling complex financial schemes involving virtual currencies and non-fungible token (NFT) transactions designed to conceal taxable income,” said Philadelphia Field Office Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty. “In today’s economic environment, it’s more important than ever that the American people feel confident that everyone is playing by the rules and paying the taxes they owe.”
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Williams is prosecuting the case.
The total maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is up to six 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.
# # #
Wilburton Resident Sentenced for Involuntary ManslaughterRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that David Lee Holloway, age 40, of Wilburton, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 78 months in prison for one count of Involuntary Manslaughter in Indian Country.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On July 11, 2024, Holloway pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, in the early evening of February 16, 2023, Holloway crossed the centerline of US 270 Highway just outside Wilburton, Oklahoma, causing a multi-vehicle collision that killed one person and severely injured another. A toxicology test conducted on Holloway after the collision revealed methamphetamine, amphetamine, and THC in his system.
The crime occurred in Latimer County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Holloway will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Washington State Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Enticing and Sexually Exploiting Three Oregon Children OnlineRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Battleground, Washington man was sentenced to federal prison Wednesday for coercing and sexually exploiting three children online using Discord, an instant messaging social media application.
Jakob Joshua Stickney, 26, was sentenced to 246 months in federal prison and a lifetime term of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to each of his victims.
According to court documents, between August and September 2023, Stickney, who used the names “UNHOLY,” “unholy_xx2,” or “Unholy_22x” online, engaged in sexually explicit communications with children on Discord. Following months of online chatting with children in different states, Stickney attempted to arrange an in-person meetup with a child in Oregon. Stickney went in person to the child’s house where he was confronted by the child’s mother, and she reported the contact to law enforcement.
In October 2023, Discord submitted a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for sexually explicit messages that occurred between Stickney and another child. Stickney learned the child had a sibling and persuaded both children to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Additionally, he convinced the child to record sexually explicit conduct and send to him to gain membership to a Discord group called “Unholy Girls” that Stickney created and maintained.
Stickney was arrested on November 17, 2023, and his phone, which contained child sexual abuse material, was seized.
On December 30, 2024, Stickney was charged by criminal information with coercing and enticing a minor, sexually exploiting children, and possessing child pornography.
On January 23, 2025, Stickney pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting children and coercing and enticing a minor.
This case was investigated by the FBI and Portland Police Bureau. It was prosecuted by Eliza Carmen Rodriguez, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
The FBI Child Exploitation Task Force (CETF) conducts sexual exploitation investigations, many of them undercover, in coordination with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. CETF is committed to locating and arresting those who prey on children as well as recovering and assisting victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation.
Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Washington Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Assaulting Federal OfficersRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian sentenced Filiberto Santana, age 34, to 84 months in prison for assaulting two federal officers. Chief Judge Bastian also imposed 3 years of supervised release.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, on April 11, 2025, the Columbia River Drug Task Force had requested the United States Marshals Service to assist in the apprehension of Filiberto Santana, who had active state arrest warrants. A United States Marshals Service (USMS) Task Force Officer spotted Santana and a female sitting in a stolen vehicle at a “Park and Ride” in Wenatchee, WA. Santana was seated in the passenger seat and the female was seated in the driver’s seat. The female was also known to law enforcement and had an active state arrest warrant. Although in a parking space, the vehicle’s engine was running. Law enforcement decided to pin the stolen vehicle between two patrol cars to prevent Santana, who had a history of fleeing law enforcement, from avoiding capture.
Law enforcement approached the vehicle and ordered Santana and the female to put their hands up where they could be seen. Instead of complying with the lawful order, the female placed the car in reverse, then shifted to drive, spinning the tires in the snow in a failed attempt to escape. Santana immediately rolled up the front passenger window, which had been down, and began moving as if searching for something in the car. Because law enforcement could not view Santana’s hands and believed he was potentially searching for a weapon, law enforcement broke out the rear passenger window to better see inside the vehicle and access the occupants. Law enforcement continued to order the female to put the car in neutral and for the occupants to put up their hands. Instead, the female pressed the accelerator pedal spinning the tires. Santana momentarily raised his hands, however, he quickly lowered them and resumed searching for something around the floorboards and seat area. After repeated orders to place the car in neutral and to put up their hands were disregarded, officers attempted to tase both the female and Santana. However, Santana and the female had on thick layers of clothing and the taser prongs did not work effectively and both Santana and the female continued to disregard law enforcement’s directions.
Santana then grabbed an object from the seat area where he had been reaching, and with a pistol grip pointed the object at the officers. Initially the officers believed from the manner he grasped the object that it was a firearm, however, an officer closer to the car saw that it was a spray bottle and yelled out to the other officers, “He’s got spray!” Santana sprayed an unknown liquid directly at law enforcement striking a deputy United States Marshal in the eyes. He then climbed to the back seat and fled out the rear driver’s side window in an attempt to escape. He was stopped and taken into custody by law enforcement. After apprehending Santana, officers had to pull the noncompliant female out of the window and were able to handcuff her after a brief struggle outside the vehicle.
The Deputy United States Marshal was treated by medics at the scene. His eyes were bloodshot and burned and remained irritated for several days. A second federal Task Force Officer who was also struck by the spray and had breathed it in suffered from burning in his lungs for several hours after the incident. He did not seek medical treatment.
The spray used by Santana was later found in the vehicle and identified as an interior detailing spray. Law enforcement also located several stolen items in the car, including a Ruger handgun in the driver’s door compartment, as well as multiple magazines for the Ruger. Also found were several magazines from other caliber firearms, a holster, and 9mm ammunition.
“Everyday law enforcement officers take on tremendous dangers; yet, they put their lives on the line to protect our communities,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Rich Barker. “I am grateful to be able to work closely with federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement, who work tirelessly to secure Eastern Washington Communities.”
“Every day, law enforcement officers bravely put themselves in uncertain situations to perform their duties and keep the public safe," said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. "These subjects were actively resisting arrest and repeatedly refusing to comply. I want to commend these officers for their courage and professionalism in such a dangerous situation, which allowed them to successfully resolve the situation and take the subjects into custody. We are thankful the injuries to the officers were not even worse due to the dangerous actions of the subjects.”
“In bringing fugitives to justice, law enforcement faces the very real threat of assault from violent offenders,” stated U. S. Marshal Craig Thayer. Every effort is made to effectuate these arrests as safely as possible, and with only reasonable and necessary force. However, these offenders will be arrested, and will face justice, as Chief Judge Bastian’s sentencing today demonstrates.”
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Columbia River Drug Task Force.
2:23-cr-00133-SAB
Waianae Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Methamphetamine Distribution and Operating Illegal Chicken FightsRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson announced that Edward Caspino, 47, of Waianae, was sentenced today in federal court by U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright to 168 months of imprisonment followed by 5 years of supervised release for distribution of methamphetamine and operating an illegal gambling business. Judge Seabright also ordered that the defendant forfeit any interest in more than $600,000 in cash seized by investigators in this case, and any interest in a 10-acre real property in Waianae that was used to host the illegal gambling business.
According to court records, Caspino distributed a total of three pounds of methamphetamine on three occasions in July 2021. With respect to the gambling charges, Caspino organized and conducted a large-scale chicken fighting operation at his property in Waianae from as early as February 2021 through March 2023. He and his five co-defendants hosted regular chicken fighting events that constituted illegal gambling under the laws of the State of Hawaii. Each chicken fight event involved numerous individual chicken fights, during which hundreds of spectators and participants bet on the outcome of the fights.
Caspino is the first to be sentenced among the six illegal gambling business conspirators. Co-defendants William Caspino, Lavern Joseph, Kerilyn Caspino, and Fausto Aragon, Jr. each pled guilty to charges related to the illegal gambling conspiracy. Co-defendant Howard Unebasami was convicted of conspiracy and operating an illegal gambling business by a jury after a four-day trial in March 2025.
“Today’s lengthy sentence demonstrates that federal authorities will work together to put behind bars those responsible for illegal gambling operations and the community violence and drug trafficking tied to them,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “This prosecution has already secured convictions against five coconspirators, and Caspino’s 168-month sentence stands as a stark warning: running an illegal gambling business in Hawaii carries serious and lasting consequences under federal law.”
Anthony Chrysanthis, Deputy Special Agent in Charge for the DEA Los Angeles Field Division, which oversees Hawaii, said today’s announcement underscores the agency’s commitment to halt the flow of drugs on the island. “The methamphetamine epidemic continues to threaten the health, safety and wellbeing of our communities. We are determined to intercept drug suppliers and to disrupt their criminal activities, at every point. DEA will continue to work with partners to safeguard our residents.”
“Today’s sentencing of Mr. Caspino and the guilty pleas of the co-defendants is a testament to HSI’s unwavering commitment to combating illegal narcotics and gambling operations that threaten the safety and well-being of our communities,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Lucy Cabral-DeArmas. “We will continue to pursue justice and hold accountable those who violate federal laws designed to protect our communities.”
“FBI Special Agents – along with our partner agencies – work relentlessly every day to protect our communities from the dangers of drug trafficking organizations,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “Today’s sentencing sends a strong message that we will use every available resource to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle these organizations.”
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, and the Honolulu Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Albanese prosecuted the case.
Violent Bridgeport Gang Member Sentenced to More Than 13 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
ERIC HAYES, also known as “Heavyweight Champ,” 28, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 165 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his involvement in a violent Bridgeport street gang, including the murder and attempted murder of rival gang members.
Today’s announcement was made by Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Joseph T. Corradino, State’s Attorney for the Fairfield Judicial District; Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter; Anish Shukla, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, and Acting U.S. Marshal Lawrence Bobnick.
According to court documents, statements made in court, and the evidence presented during a month-long trial, the FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service and Bridgeport Police have been investigating multiple Bridgeport-based gangs whose members are involved in narcotics trafficking, murder and other acts of violence. Hayes has been a member of the “East End gang,” which began as a local street gang based in the East End of Bridgeport, but currently has members and associates who are either incarcerated or living throughout Bridgeport and surrounding towns. The East End gang has been aligned with other groups, including the PT Barnum Gang, the East Side gang and 150, which is a geographic gang based on the West Side of Bridgeport. These groups were aligned against rival organizations in Bridgeport, including the “Original North End” (“O.N.E.”) and the “Greene Homes Boyz,” (“GHB/Hotz”), based in the Charles F. Greene Homes Housing Complex in Bridgeport’s North End.
Due to the level of gun violence Bridgeport was experiencing, the investigation commenced shortly before East End members shot and killed Myreke Kenion and shot and attempted to kill D’Andre Brown, both members and associates of the GHB/Hotz gang, on January 26, 2020. The next day, in retaliation for these shootings, GHB/Hotz and O.N.E. members attempted to kill East End gang members and associates in a brazen afternoon shooting in front of a state courthouse on Golden Hill Street in Bridgeport that resulted in four victims being shot while sitting inside a car.
For a time, Hayes was the de facto leader of the East End gang. Hayes and other East End members distributed heroin, crack cocaine, marijuana and Percocet pills; used and shared firearms; and committed at least six murders and other acts of violence against rival gang members and other individuals. East End members celebrated their criminal conduct in rap videos on YouTube and on social media websites such as Facebook, and committed acts of intimidation and made threats to deter potential witnesses to their crimes and to protect gang members and associates from detection and prosecution by law enforcement authorities.
The investigation determined that on March 5, 2019, Hayes shot and killed Jerrell Gatewood, a member of the Terrace, a rival group to the East End gang. Also, Hayes helped coordinate the attempted murder of Marquis Isreal, also known as “Garf” or “Gbaby,” a member and associate of the O.N.E. gang. On September 15, 2019, East End member Trevon Wright shot Isreal 12 times inside a restaurant in Bridgeport’s East End. Isreal survived the shooting.
Hayes has been detained since his arrest on September 25, 2019. On that date, he possessed a loaded .45 caliber handgun. Subsequent forensic analysis of the firearm connected it to shell casings recovered from the restaurant after the Marquis Isreal shooting.
On December 5, 2023, a jury found Hayes, Wright, Keishawn Donald, and Travon Jones guilty of conspiring to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity.
Approximately 47 members and associates of the East End, O.N.E. and the GHB/Hotz gangs have been convicted of federal offenses stemming from this investigation, which has and solved eight murders and approximately 20 attempted murders.
Wright, Donald, and Jones were previously sentenced.
This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Safe Streets and Violent Crimes Task Forces, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Bridgeport Police Department, Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory, and the Waterbury Police Department. These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis, Stephanie T. Levick, Rahul Kale, and Karen L. Peck.
This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.
PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities. Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it. If a group member elects to engage in gun violence, the focused attention of federal, state and local law enforcement will be directed at that entire group.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Unlawful Illinois DEI Scholarship Program Suspended After Justice Department Threatened LawsuitRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department announced that it has acted to end the state of Illinois’ unlawful minority-only scholarship program. After the Justice Department threatened to file suit, the state and six universities suspended the program.
On March 31, 2025, the Justice Department found that an Illinois scholarship program unconstitutionally discriminated on the basis of race in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. Following the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President & Fellow of Harvard Coll., 600 U.S. 181 (2023), colleges and universities are prohibited from using race to select winners and losers in higher education. The scholarship program established by Illinois law used race as a prerequisite for participation, specifically excluding students of some races but not others in violation of federal law.
After the Justice Department notified the educational institutions of its findings, multiple universities informed the Justice Department that they had ended their participation in the program, including Northwestern University, Loyola University of Chicago, and the University of Chicago. None of the institutions that the Department notified of its findings is currently electing to continue its participation in the program.
Additionally, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, which administers the state-created DEI scholarship program, responded to the Department’s threatened lawsuit by suspending all its activities relating to the program until it can comprehensively review the program with the Illinois General Assembly during the current legislative session.
“This Department of Justice is committed to rooting DEI out of American institutions, including in the education system," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "This latest victory illustrates that the threat of legal action can be enough to force bad actors into dissolving harmful practices that disregard merit and divide Americans based on race.”
To learn more about the Civil Rights Division visit www.justice.gov/crt, and to report possible violations of federal civil rights laws go to www.civilrights.justice.gov or call toll-free at 800-253-3931.
United States Department of Justice Equitable Sharing FundsRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow, Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González-Colón, and Puerto Rico Police Bureau Commissioner Jospeh González today announced updated/new information regarding the United States Department of Justice Equitable Sharing Funds for agencies in Puerto Rico.
Asset forfeiture is the taking of property by the government without compensation because of the property’s connection to criminal activity. It is a legal tool that enables the federal government to recover property that can be used to compensate victims of the crime underlying the forfeiture, among other important law enforcement interests.
There are two distinct asset forfeiture programs: (a) the Department of Justice’s Asset Forfeiture Program over which the Attorney General exercises statutory authority; and (b) the Department of the Treasury’s Treasury Asset Forfeiture Program managed by the Secretary of the Treasury).
The Justice Asset Forfeiture Program has four primary goals:
1. To punish and deter criminal activity by depriving criminals of property used in or acquired through illegal activities.
2. To promote and enhance cooperation among federal, state, local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement agencies.
3. To recover assets that may be used to compensate victims when authorized under federal law.
4. To ensure the Program is administered professionally, lawfully, and in a manner consistent with sound public policy.
The Justice Asset Forfeiture Fund receives the proceeds of forfeiture made pursuant to laws enforced or administered by members of Justice’s Asset Forfeiture Program. Thirteen agencies, including Justice agencies and components as well as non-Justice agencies, comprise the Asset Forfeiture Program’s membership. That membership includes Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The Treasury Asset Forfeiture Program also has four priorities:
1. To administer and manage the Treasury Forfeiture Fund (TFF) program in a fiscally responsible manner that seeks to minimize administrative costs and maximize the benefits for law enforcement and the compensation of eligible victims;
2. To ensure program policies protect due process rights of individuals;
3. To focus resources on strategic cases and investigations that result in actions against high profile criminals and criminal enterprises to affect the greatest financial damage to criminal organizations; and
4. To foster a strong working relationship between federal and state or local law enforcement agencies
The Treasury Forfeiture Fund receives the proceeds of forfeitures made pursuant to laws enforced or administered by Treasury and Department of Homeland Security law enforcement agencies. Members include U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), U.S. Secret Service (USSS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
Through equitable sharing, any state, local, or tribal law enforcement agency that directly participates in a law enforcement effort that results in a federal forfeiture may request an equitable share of the net proceeds of the forfeiture. The Equitable Sharing Program is an important aspect of the Justice and Treasury Asset Forfeiture Programs. Federal law authorizes the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury to share federally forfeited assets with participating law enforcement agencies. The exercise of this authority is discretionary and limited by statute. The Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury are not required to share assets in any case. Participation in an investigation with a member of the Justice Asset Forfeiture Program may result in equitable sharing paid from Justice’s Asset Forfeiture Funds (AFF), while participation in an investigation with a Treasury Asset Forfeiture Program member agency may result in equitable sharing paid from Treasury’s Forfeiture Funds (TFF).
In Puerto Rico, the following agencies are participating in the Equitable Sharing Program: Puerto Rico Police Bureau; Puerto Rico Special Investigations Bureau; Puerto Rico Ports Authority General Security Department; Puerto Rico National Guard Counterdrug Unit; Ponce Municipal Police Department; and the San Juan Police Department. Since the year 2020, these agencies have received Equitable Sharing Funds and are currently pending to receive Equitable Sharing Funds:
- Puerto Rico Police Bureau $2,604,847.72 (received) and $27,360,386.06 (pending)
- Puerto Rico Special Investigations Bureau $871,128.38 (received) and $110,791.90 (pending)
- Puerto Rico Ports Authority General Security Department $587,357.42 (received) and $112,889.15 (pending)
- Puerto Rico National Guard Counterdrug Unit $481,221.69 (received) and $5655 (pending)
- Ponce Municipal Police Department $160,047.89 (received) and $9,709.20 (pending)
- San Juan Police Department $1,439,682.39 (received) and $167,375.29 (pending)
Equitable Shared Funds must be used to increase or supplement the resources of the receiving state, local, or tribal law enforcement agency. Shared funds shall not be used to replace or supplant the agency’s appropriated resources. The recipient agency must benefit directly from the sharing.
“Forfeiting the proceeds and instrumentalities of crime puts the money to work for good – helping the victims of crime, funding community programs and providing resources to be used to promote public safety,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “Equitable sharing redirects illegal proceeds toward the local law enforcement agencies who work with their federal counterparts to dismantle large scale criminal enterprises. Such sharing can enable state and local agencies to commit the necessary resources to conduct a complex, long-term investigation that in the end enhances public safety.”
More agencies can participate in the Equitable Sharing Program. To become a Program participant, agencies must submit an Equitable Sharing Agreement and Certification (ESAC) and affidavit to the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS). Agencies must also be registered in the federal government’s System for Award Management (SAM.gov). Eligible agencies must comply with all rules and obligations, including bookkeeping procedures, internal controls, reporting and audit requirements.
###
Union City Pharmacy Agrees to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations of Billing for Drugs Not DispensedRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – People’s Rx, Inc., d/b/a The People’s Pharmacy Shoppe (“People’s”), a pharmacy located in Union City, New Jersey, has agreed to pay $995,420 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly billing a federal health care program for medications that it never dispensed, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
According to the contentions of the United States in the settlement agreement:
The United States alleged that, from January 2, 2015, through January 24, 2022, People’s caused the submission of claims for reimbursement to the Medicare Part D Program and the New Jersey Medicaid Program for drugs that were never dispensed to beneficiaries. The government contends that inventory records showed that People’s did not purchase enough of these medications from wholesalers to fill the prescriptions billed to the federal health care program.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Toll and Kruti Dharia of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit and Senior Trial Counsel Jennifer Cihon in the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section).
The government’s pursuit of these matters illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services, at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
###
peoples_pharmacy.agreement.pdfU.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 116 Border-Related Cases This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 116 border-related cases this week, including charges of transportation of illegal aliens, bringing in aliens for financial gain, receipt of bribes by public official, reentering the U.S. after deportation, deported alien found in the United States, and importation of controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).
In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.
A sample of border-related arrests this week, includes:
- On April 10, six Mexican nationals were arrested and charged with various immigration crimes. According to complaints, they were apprehended by Border Patrol agents while attempting to illegally enter the U.S. about three miles east of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. While an agent turned his attention to two other suspected illegal border crossers, the six defendants absconded after being placed in handcuffs. Jose Lastra Palafox, Pedro Orlando Aguilar-Vazquez, Javier Eduardo Jimenez Gonzalez, Jose Javier Solis Jardon, Joel Alonso Soria-Garcia, and Lazaro Velazquez Morales were later recaptured.
- On April 6, Jose Manuel Guzman, a United States citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, he was intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers when a drug detection dog alerted to his vehicle as he attempted to cross the border at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. Officers found 115 packages of methamphetamine weighing 125 pounds, concealed in the quarter panels, gas tank and doors of the vehicle, the complaint said.
- On April 7, Raul Vallejo-Isordia, Victor Manuel Quintero Sanez, Noe Avila, Jose Juan Cisneros-Cisneros and Valentin Gonzalez-Elizalde – all Mexican nationals - were arrested and charged with Attempted Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain and Attempted Entry after Deportation. According to a complaint, the defendants were taken into custody in connection with the smuggling of 17 undocumented immigrants who were intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard 12 miles west of Point Loma.
- Also on April 7, Dennis Geovanny Marquez-Cordova of Honduras was arrested and charged with Deported Alien Found in the United States. According to a complaint, the defendant had been previously deported.
Federal law enforcement has focused immigration prosecutions on undocumented aliens who are engaged in criminal activity in the U.S., including those who commit drug and firearms crimes, who have serious criminal records, or who have active warrants for their arrest. Federal authorities have also been prioritizing investigations and prosecutions against drug, firearm, and human smugglers and those who endanger and threaten the safety of our communities and the law enforcement officers who protect the community.
The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Adds 295 New Immigration Cases in One WeekRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 295 immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from April 4 through April 10.
Among the new cases, Mexican national Jorge Alberto Garcia-Drue was encountered at the Frio County Jail in Pearsall after he was arrested for allegedly refusing to provide accurate identification. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Enforcement Removal Operations agents determined that Garcia-Drue was an alien illegally present within the United States and that he had been previously removed from the country. A review of his criminal history revealed that he had also been convicted on Dec. 10, 2014 of harboring illegal aliens and aiding and abetting. For that conviction, Garcia-Drue was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison.
In El Paso, agents responded to an address on April 3. A criminal complaint alleges that one of the agents recognized an alarming amount of smoke inside the residence. Responding to the smoke, agents entered the home and noticed that two cell phones were burning inside a toilet. At the same time, an agent noticed a broken skylight in the bathroom was broken and believed someone had escaped through the roof. Two individuals were then located and apprehended on the roof of the house. The individuals were identified as Victor Adolfo Gonzalez-Serrano and Alberto Antonio Barrera-Soria. Back inside the residence, the criminal complaint indicates that agents located air mattresses, bags full of trash, and wet clothing and shoes. 17 additional people were located inside the residence. The home had been used as a stash house, allegedly managed by Gonzalez-Serrano and Barrera-Soria, who both stated they were being paid to harbor and care for the illegal aliens. Barrera-Soria has been deported two times—most recently on July 23, 2024. He, along with Gonzalez-Serrano and a third defendant, Diego Axel Barrera-Granados, who alleged that he had been smuggled into the U.S. to transport illegal aliens, are Mexican nationals in the United States illegally and have been charged with bringing in and harboring aliens.
On April 7, Border Patrol agents apprehended an individual east of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry. A criminal complaint alleges that, during processing, the individual was receiving multiple phone calls and texts, causing suspicion that an alien smuggling scheme was ongoing. The apprehended individual allegedly consented for agents to use his cell phone and, when a USBP agent answered an incoming call, the agent posed as an illegal alien to coordinate a pickup. This led agents to Luis David Castro, who arrived at an agreed upon location and believed he was going to pick up an illegal alien for smuggling. He’s charged with one count of bringing in and harboring aliens. Castro is a felon convicted in 2016 for aggravated robbery with 2023 conviction for burglary of a building.
Guatemalan national Julio Pop-Tiul was arrested in El Paso on April 7 for illegal re-entry, having been previously removed from the U.S. on May 13, 2024. A criminal complaint alleges that Pop-Tiul is a twice-convicted felon and admitted affiliation with the 18th Street Gang. He was convicted in Los Angeles, California in 2019 for assault with a deadly weapon and in 2021 for taking a vehicle without consent.
In Del Rio, Mexican national Jose Alfredo Almendarez-Alvarez was arrested by USBP agents for being an alien illegally present in the U.S. Almendarez-Alvarez was deported in October 2024 through Laredo. A convicted felon, he was sentenced in Huntsville in 2023 to two years’ confinement for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Other arrests this past week in the Del Rio sector include Mexican nationals Jose Eufracio-Plata, Isaias Gomez-Cruz, and Antonio Manuel Vazquez-Rodriguez. Eufracio-Plata was just deported March 7 for the third time and has four felony convictions, including two for illegal re-entry and two related to marijuana possession. Gomez-Cruz was apprehended April 3 near Carrizo Springs. Gomez-Cruz was most recently deported for the fifth time on March 3 following a conviction for illegal re-entry on Feb. 26. His criminal record includes two DWI convictions and a conviction for reckless driving. Vazquez-Rodriguez was deported March 14 through Laredo and was convicted in September 2024 for evading arrest. He was also convicted for the same offense in March 2023. Lastly, Mexican national Eduardo Gaspar-Santos was arrested April 2 after being previously deported Dec. 6, 2024. Gaspar-Santos was convicted in November 2024 in Lewisville for assault causing bodily injury.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
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).
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes ReportRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies.
In the one-week period ending April 11, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:
- 63 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
- 4 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
- 38 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions, with some of those convictions being for drug trafficking, alien smuggling, and grand theft.
It was announced this week that a Guatemalan citizen, previously convicted of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child under 14, was sentenced to 100 months in prison for illegally reentering the United States on July 23, 2024. This reentry occurred just three months after his most recent removal from the country.
In a separate case, Jose Soto-Perez and Marco Olvera-Aguilar were each sentenced to 36 months of incarceration for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death. The April 9, 2024, incident involved the defendants leading a group of migrants across active railroad tracks near the U.S.-Mexico border, where one individual was struck and killed by a train.
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. [use if applicable] Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the District of New Mexico. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The District of New Mexico consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses.
U.S. Attorney's Office Charges 261 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct in Arizona this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During this week of enforcement operations from April 5, 2025, through April 11, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 261 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 103 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 140 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 14 cases against 18 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Sanchez-Marcial: On April 8, 2025, Ofricino Sanchez-Marcial was arrested and charged for Harboring Illegal Aliens. The criminal complaint alleges that Sanchez-Marcial held a Guatemalan citizen, who was illegally present in the United States, against his will and sent threatening messages to his family members demanding a ransom of $135,000.
United States v. Renteria-Cruz: On April 8, 2025, Bonifacio Renteria-Cruz, 48, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested on Illegal Re-Entry charges during an HSI operation led by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan. In January 2025, HSI learned that Reinteria-Cruz had illegally returned to the United States after being deported following a 2006 Aggravated Assault conviction. After his deportation, Mexican authorities charged Renteria-Cruz with homicide for events that occurred on July 20, 2009, in Mexico. He was a fugitive until his arrest on Tuesday by HSI.
A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
CASE NUMBERS: 25-3144MJ
25-3128MJRELEASE NUMBER: 2025-055_April 11 Immigration Enforcement
# # #
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 X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Two members of a transnational money laundering organization sentenced for laundering millions of dollars in drug proceedsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Georgia man was sentenced today to six years and six months in prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to launder millions of dollars in drug proceeds on behalf of foreign drug trafficking organizations, including the Sinaloa cartel and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (the Jalisco cartel or CJNG). On Dec. 4, 2024, a co-conspirator was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison for his role in the same money laundering scheme.
According to court documents, Li Pei Tan, 47, of Buford, Georgia, and Chaojie Chen, 41, a Chinese national who resided in Chicago, worked for an organization that laundered millions of dollars in proceeds related to the importation of illegal drugs into the United States, primarily through Mexico, and the unlawful distribution of these drugs. Tan, Chen, and their co-conspirators traveled throughout the United States to collect proceeds derived from trafficking in fentanyl, cocaine, and other drugs. They communicated and coordinated with co-conspirators in China and other foreign countries to arrange for the laundering of these proceeds through financial transactions that were designed to conceal the illicit source of the drug proceeds, including through a sophisticated trade-based money laundering scheme involving the purchasing of bulk electronics in the United States and the shipping of these electronics to co-conspirators in China.
On multiple occasions prior to Chen’s May 2024 arrest, law enforcement seized hundreds of thousands of dollars in bulk cash drug proceeds from Chen at locations across the United States. Tan was intercepted by law enforcement in South Carolina while attempting to transport over $197,000 in drug proceeds.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA’s) National Drug Threat Assessment, the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are at the heart of the fentanyl crisis in the United States.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Matthew R. Galeotti, Supervisory Official of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and and Louis A. D’Ambrosio, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Special Operations Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.
The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit investigated the case, with assistance from the DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit and the DEA’s offices in Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edgardo J. Rodriguez of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Mary K. Daly of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-145.
Two Men Sentenced for Misbranding and Conspiring to Price Gouge N95 Masks in Early Months of COVID-19 PandemicRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Two brothers, who co-owned a now-defunct Florida-based company, have been sentenced in federal court in Boston for charges associated with shipping facemasks that were misbranded as N95 respirators, and price gouging hospitals, during the earliest phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Daniel Motha, 40, of Miami, Fla. and Jeffrey Motha, 36, of Norfolk, Mass. were each sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $9,500 fine. In October 2025, the defendants pleaded guilty to one count of introduction of misbranded devices into interstate commerce and one count of conspiracy to commit price gouging in violation of the Defense Production Act. Daniel Motha and Jeffrey Motha were charged in October 2024, along with JDM Supply LLC (JDM). In August 2023, a third individual, Jason Colantuoni of Norfolk, Mass, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit price gouging in connection with this investigation. Colantuoni is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, 2025.
The defendants co-owned JDM, with Daniel Motha serving as the company’s chief executive officer and Jeffrey Motha serving as head of sales. In the spring of 2020, during the earliest phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, JDM conspired with another company, Advoque Safeguard LLC – a PPE manufacturer – to distribute facemasks that were misbranded as National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-approved, N95 respirators. JDM misled one hospital into believing that the masks were NIOSH-approved N95s, when in fact they were not. As a result, the hospital accepted and paid for approximately 850,000 purported N95 masks that were manufactured by Advoque and sold by JDM, at a total price of approximately $2.6 million. To accompany the masks, JDM sent the hospital NIOSH-passing test results and approval documents for a different mask. Ultimately, the hospital did not use the masks, which were eventually returned to Advoque.
In August 2020, a NIOSH lab tested a sample of the masks that had been shipped to the hospital. The masks tested between 83.94% and 93.24% filtration efficiency, thus falling below the 95% minimum level of filtration efficiency required for N95 respirators.
Daniel Motha and Jeff Motha conspired to use JDM to exploit and profit off of the critical need of hospitals and healthcare workers for scarce N95 masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. They accumulated N95 masks from various sources and then sold the N95 masks through JDM to hospitals in Massachusetts, and elsewhere, at prices that exceeded the prevailing market price.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; Fernando McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Michael J. Krol, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard Locker of the Health Care Fraud Unit prosecuted the 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 augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus and https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud.
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 via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.Two Members of a Transnational Money Laundering Organization Sentenced for Laundering Millions of Dollars in Drug ProceedsRead the Press Release
A Georgia man was sentenced today to 78 months in prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to launder millions of dollars in drug proceeds on behalf of foreign drug trafficking organizations, including the Sinaloa cartel and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (the Jalisco cartel). On Dec. 4, 2024, his co-conspirator was sentenced to 90 months in prison for his role in the money laundering scheme.
According to court documents, Li Pei Tan, 47, of Buford, Georgia, and Chaojie Chen, 41, a Chinese national who resided in Chicago, worked for an organization that laundered millions of dollars in proceeds related to the importation and distribution of illegal drugs into the United States, primarily through Mexico. Tan, Chen, and their co-conspirators traveled throughout the United States to collect proceeds of fentanyl and cocaine trafficking, among other drugs. The defendants communicated and coordinated with co-conspirators in China and other foreign countries to arrange the laundering of these proceeds through financial transactions that were designed to conceal the illicit source of the drug money, including through a sophisticated trade-based money laundering scheme involving purchasing bulk electronics in the United States and shipping them to co-conspirators in China.
On multiple occasions prior to Chen’s May 2024 arrest, law enforcement seized hundreds of thousands of dollars in bulk cash drug proceeds from Chen at locations across the United States. Tan was intercepted by law enforcement in South Carolina while attempting to transport over $197,000 in drug proceeds.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA’s) National Drug Threat Assessment, the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are at the heart of the fentanyl crisis in the United States.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Special Agent in Charge Louis A. D’Ambrosio of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Special Operations Division made the announcement.
The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit investigated the case, with assistance from the DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit and the DEA’s offices in Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Trial Attorney Mary K. Daly of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Edgardo J. Rodriguez of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States, using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Two Foreign Nationals with Prior Convictions Charged for Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – Mexican and Salvadorian nationals residing in Las Vegas made their initial court appearances Thursday to face charges of illegally reentering the United States after previously being removed from the country.
David Cristales-Machado, 35, and Juan Manuel Lopez-Mendez, 35, are both charged with one count of deported alien found in the United States. Preliminary hearings for both defendants are scheduled for April 24, 2025, before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J Albregts.
According to allegations contained in the criminal complaints and statements made during court proceedings, Cristales-Machado, a citizen and national of El Salvador, and Lopez-Mendez, a citizen and national of Mexico, were both previously deported and removed from the United States and reentered the United States illegally.
On March 22, 2025, Cristales-Machado was remanded to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), from the Clark County Detention Center, based on an ICE detainer after he had twice been arrested and convicted of carry a concealed weapon without permit. Cristales-Machado had previously been deported on or about October 8, 2014. Cristales-Machado has three prior felony convictions: two for attempt possession of a stolen vehicle, and one attempt burglary.
On March 28, 2025, Lopez-Mendez was remanded to the custody of ICE, from the Clark County Detention Center, based on an ICE detainer after he been arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance, by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police. Lopez-Mendez had previously been deported to Mexico on July 12, 2018. Lopez-Mendez has two prior felony convictions: one for transport of a controlled substance, and another for attempt possession of a stolen vehicle.
If convicted, Cristales-Machado faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
If convicted, Lopez-Mendez faces a maximum statutory penalty of two years in prison, a one-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Field Office Director Michael Bernacke made the announcement.
The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated the case; and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada is prosecuting the case.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
A complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
###
Third man guilty of laundering funds from 9-year fraud schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 62-year-old Houston resident has admitted to laundering proceeds from a large-scale bank fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
William Mills admitted that from 2014 to 2023, he conspired with others in a bank fraud scheme involving dozens of loans totaling at least $35 million in fraudulent loan proceeds.
As part of the plea, Mills acknowledged opening and maintaining shell companies and bank accounts to collect money from the scheme. He then laundered the fraud proceeds by wiring them to bank accounts other co-conspirators controlled.
Mills and others accomplished the bank fraud by preparing loan applications that contained false and fraudulent information and documents, including fake equipment sales invoices, income tax returns and financial and bank statements.
U.S. District Keith Ellison will impose sentencing June 27. At that time, Mills faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine or twice the amount involved in the transaction.
He will remain in custody pending that hearing.
Two other Houston residents charged in the case, Jeremiah Almaguer, 45, Bun Khath, 44, both of Houston, previously pleaded guilty to money laundering in the same scheme and are awaiting sentencing. Another Houston resident charged in the case - Hugo Villanueva, 70, - is considered a fugitive, and a warrant remains outstanding for his arrest. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI at 713-693-5000.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency-Office of Inspector General (OIG), IRS Criminal Investigation, FBI and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-OIG conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Belinda Beek is prosecuting the case.
Texas drug trafficker convicted in cocaine, fentanyl conspiracyRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal jury convicted Kelsey Manning, 31, of Houston, yesterday on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, distribution of cocaine and fentanyl, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Sept. 28, 2023, law enforcement investigators were performing surveillance at an apartment complex in Hampton to locate Manning for outstanding indictments on narcotics distribution offenses out of James City County. When Manning left an apartment and entered his vehicle, investigators took him into custody. At the time, Manning possessed around 7.9 grams of cocaine base, around 1.9 grams of fentanyl, and $5,303.
A K9 unit performed an exterior sweep of Manning’s vehicle, resulting in a positive alert for narcotics. Inside the vehicle, investigators recovered a bag containing approximately a kilogram of cocaine, two boxes of baking soda, an aluminum pot, and a measuring cup with a whisk.
Manning also possessed a key fob to access the apartment building. The fob was registered to Ashley Manning. During a search of the apartment, Investigators recovered approximately $114,000, approximately two kilograms of cocaine, and approximately a kilogram of fentanyl.
Law enforcement also searched a residence where co-defendants Karon Jamar Harris, 44; Michael Dewalt; 33; and Traveon Parker, 32, all of Houston, were present. Within the residence investigators located distribution quantities of cocaine, cocaine base, fentanyl, drug-packaging materials, digital scales, over $30,000, and three firearms.
Manning faces a mandatory minimum of ten years and up to life in prison when sentenced on August 14.
On Feb. 6, Parker pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Parker is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12 and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison.
On Feb. 6, Harris pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Harris is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12 and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison.
On Feb. 13, Dewalt pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Dewalt is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12 and faces a mandatory minimum of five years to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed and up to life in prison.
Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Christopher Heck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C.; Ibrar A. Mian, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; Jason S. Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia; Col. Matt Hanley, Superintendent of Virginia State Police; Jimmie Wideman, Chief of Hampton Police; and Mark Jamison, Chief of James City County Police Department, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes accepted the verdict.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric M. Hurt and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyson C. Yates, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, are prosecuting the case.
The Tri-Rivers Drug Task Force, Hampton Roads Peninsula Drug Initiative-Hampton Division, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Virginia State Police investigated this case. Assistance was provided by the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task force.
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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:23-cr-88.
Sussex County Man Sentenced to 80 Months for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Sussex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced to 80 months for distributing videos and images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Gaetano Lapegna, 67, of Franklin, New Jersey previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to an information charging one count of distribution of child pornography. Judge Cecchi imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From December 2022 to March 2023, Lapegna distributed videos and images of child sexual abuse via a publicly available online peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing program. During the course of the investigation, an undercover law enforcement officer conducted online sessions using the P2P program, during which a user shared hundreds of videos and images of child sexual abuse from an IP address traced to Lapegna’s address.
Subsequent to a lawful search of his residence on March 30, 2023, law enforcement officers recovered over 100 items depicting child pornography on Lapegna’s thumb drive. Law enforcement also found that Lapegna’s computer was running the same version of the P2P program from which law enforcement downloaded child pornography from Lapegna.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cecchi sentenced Lapegna to five years of supervised release and ordered restitution of $50,000.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. She also thanked the United States Postal Inspection Service, Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office, and Franklin Borough Police Department for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Farhana C. Melo of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
Defense counsel: Claressa Lowe Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark
Stilwell Resident Sentenced for Possessing Child Sexual Exploitation MaterialRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Geoff Edward Luethje, age 47, of Stilwell, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 97 months in prison for one count of Possession of Certain Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. The imprisonment will be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Residence Agencies in Atlanta, Georgia, and Muskogee, Oklahoma.
On June 18, 2024, Luethje pleaded guilty to the charge. As part of that plea, Luethje admitted to knowingly possessing, and accessing with an intent to view, visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, including depictions of children under the age of twelve, between April 28, 2023, and August 3, 2023.
According to investigators, in July of 2023, Special Agents were alerted to Luethje’s activity in an online community dedicated to distributing child sexual abuse material. An investigation and subsequent search of Luethje’s electronic devices and cell phone revealed that Luethje possessed over 27,000 images depicting the sexual abuse of children.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
We encourage anyone who suspects or has information regarding child sexual exploitation, trafficking of minors, sextortion, child pornography, or any other means of child exploitation to immediately contact law enforcement. You can file a report through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-843-5678 or online at www.cybertipline.com, through the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or through Homeland Security Investigations at 1-877-4-HSI TIP.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Luethje will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caila M. Cleary represented the United States.
Springer Residents Sentenced for Federal Firearms CrimesRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Cord Sikes Hutchins, age 43, and David Colbert Johnston, age 65, both of Springer, Oklahoma, were sentenced in federal district court.
Hutchins was sentenced to 46 months in prison for one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition. Hutchins pleaded guilty to the charges on April 24, 2024.
Johnston was sentenced to 24 months in prison for one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm. Johnston was found guilty by a federal jury at trial on May 7, 2024.
The charges arose from an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Crime Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
According to investigators, on May 11, 2023, U.S. Marshals apprehended Hutchins at Johnston’s Springer residence on outstanding felony arrest warrants out of Wichita County, Texas. As the entry team prepared to breach the house, Johnston confessed that Hutchins had access to firearms inside the residence. During the arrest, Marshals discovered Hutchins armed with an AR .223 semi-automatic rifle, a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, and assorted rounds of ammunition and shotgun shells. After obtaining a search warrant for the residence, investigators discovered a second AR .223 and a 12-gauge shotgun in Hutchins’ bedroom closet and a .22 caliber rifle and ammunition in the living area of the house.
At the time of arrest, both Hutchins and Johnston had previously been convicted of crimes punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Hutchins and Johnston will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edith Singer and T. Cameron McEwen and represented the United States.
Spencer Woman Pleads Guilty to Bank FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Spencer woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to fraudulently obtaining Social Security benefits.
Gina Llerena-Donohue, 62, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for July 23, 2025.
From February 2006 through May 2021, Llerena-Donohue, fraudulently obtained approximately $41,954.20 in Social Security benefits. Llerena-Donohue held a power of attorney (POA) for a Social Security beneficiary that died in January 2006. She did not report the beneficiary’s death to either the Social Security Administration or the bank where the benefits were deposited. Instead, Llerena-Donohue accessed the improperly paid benefits through several counter cash withdrawals. Further, she submitted four false affidavits to the bank in 2018 and 2019 stating that the POA was still in effect because it had not been terminated by the death of the beneficiary.
The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Amy Connelly, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Southern District of Texas charges more than 200 persons for immigration and border security offenses this weekRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A total of 229 cases have been filed in border security-related matters from April 4-10, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
As part of those cases, 80 face allegations of illegally reentering the country with the majority having felony convictions such as narcotics, firearms or sexual offenses, or prior immigration crimes. A total of 126 people face charges of illegally entering the country, 18 cases involve various instances of human smuggling with others relating to firearms, false statements and other immigration matters.
One such case alleges Victor D. Perozo-Zarraga committed fraud and misuse of a visa after authorities found him in possession of fraudulent legal permanent resident and Social Security documents. He indicated he had legal status to be in the United States, which he does not, according to the complaint.
Other relevant matters this week include a Mexican visa holder who attempted to bring child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and drugs across the border. Christian Christopher Rodriguez-Lopez was ordered to serve 151 months after attempting to enter the United States from Mexico. Upon inspection, law enforcement located approximately five kilograms of cocaine in his vehicle. Further investigation following his arrest resulted in the additional discovery of CSAM on his cell phone. His visa has since been revoked.
“Mr. Rodriguez-Lopez is a perfect example of why our more aggressive approach to border security is so critical,” said Ganjei. “Neither these drugs, nor this defendant, have any place in our communities. Due to the excellent work of our law enforcement partners, this cocaine will never make it to the streets and this offender will spend the next decade in federal prison.”
Also announced was a 29-year-old Mexican national with a felony criminal history who was sentenced for illegally entering the country without authorization. Joaquin Hernandez-Reyes has felony convictions for illegal reentry as well as assault of a public servant and possession of a controlled substance. He was first removed from the United States in 2016 and returned illegally several more times. He received a 72-month sentence.
A Mexican national who illegally resided in Roma has been ordered to federal prison for 37 months for human smuggling. Allan Eduardo Mar-Uballe was driving a Ford Expedition with the back seats and seatbelts removed. Inside the vehicle were 18 illegal aliens, including two unaccompanied minors. Authorities attempted to stop the vehicle, but he evaded at a high rate of speed and drove erratically, disregarding stop signs and other vehicles, before crashing into a ditch. Several inside the vehicle sustained injuries.
Another human smuggler was sentenced to 46 months. On Dec. 23, 2024, Felipe Montez attempted to transport seven illegal aliens. He was driving a vehicle waiting by the Rio Grande River near Escobares as the individuals ran from the river towards him. Upon the sight of law enforcement, they all attempted to flee, but authorities apprehended them. Further investigation revealed Montez was involved in four previous alien smuggling events which involved attempts to evade law enforcement. His crimes have involved a total of 41 illegal aliens.
In a case out of the Corpus Christi office, the court found Hosmel Vences responsible for organizing the smuggling of at least 75 illegal aliens between Aug. 16 – Dec. 17, 2023, and ordered him to serve 48 months. The investigation revealed Vences recruited many different drivers from all over South Texas to drive to Brownsville and Raymondville for the purpose of transporting illegal aliens further into the United States.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX). Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The SDTX remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Salvadoran National Indicted for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Salvadoran national has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for illegally reentering the United States after deportation.
Arsenio Valladares, 44, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to the indictment, Valladares was deported from the United States on or about April 23, 2008. It is alleged that sometime after his removal, Valladares illegally reentered the United States without permission.
Prior to his removal, Valladares was convicted of offenses including assault and battery with a deadly weapon, assault and battery on a police officer, assault and battery, operating under the influence, larceny and malicious destruction of property. In November 2024, federal immigration authorities became aware of Valadares’ presence in the United States after being notified that his fingerprints were taken in connection with criminal charges in Massachusetts. Valladares was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on March 18, 2025.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant will be subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia Benjamin is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Roanoke Rapids Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Multiple Narcotics and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A Roanoke Rapids man was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison for charges related to the sale of narcotics and possession of a firearm by convicted felon. On November 4, 2024, Danny Steven Bryant, Jr., age 33, pled guilty to thirteen charges, including nine drug-related charges and four counts of possession of a firearm by a felon.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, in June 2021, Nash County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) began investigating Bryant for narcotics and firearms sales in Nash County, North Carolina. Investigators with NCSO, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Roanoke Rapids Police Department (RRPD), and Halifax County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) conducted multiple controlled purchases from Bryant from June 2021 through November 2021 for methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and several firearms, including one .223 AR-15 and two high capacity magazines capable of firing 100 rounds of ammunition, a .22 caliber revolver, and two .38 caliber revolvers.
Bryant is a convicted felon, having previous convictions for unlawful wounding and felon in possession of a firearm.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Nash County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Roanoke Rapids Police Department, and the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie A. Childress and Katherine S. Englander prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-00252-FL.
###
Roanoke Drug Dealer to Serve More Than 12 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke methamphetamine and fentanyl dealer, who possessed nearly a pound of pure methamphetamine, was sentenced this week to 150 months in federal prison.
Jeffrey Javontae Knight, 27, a.k.a. “Jefe,” was sentenced earlier this week to 150 months in prison. Knight pled guilty in December 2024 to possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
According to court documents, on March 25, 2024, investigators observed Knight conducting a drug transaction from his car at a gas station in Roanoke County. Officers stopped the car, and, after a K-9 officer alerted to the odor of drugs, searched the vehicle. Inside, officers found close to a half-pound of pure methamphetamine, pill presses, digital scales, a fentanyl pill, and nearly an ounce of fentanyl/xylazine mixtures.
In addition, Knight was carrying thousands of dollars in cash. Messages on his phones showed that he had been extensively selling methamphetamine and opioids from his Roanoke County hotel room for months. Phone messages also revealed that one of Knight’s associates asked him for guns because “we at war,” and Knight offered to provide a .357 Magnum revolver. Further evidence showed that Knight was previously brokering sales of pounds of methamphetamine out of Pulaski County.
Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the DEA Washington Division made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Roanoke County Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew O. Inman prosecuted the case for the United States.
Restaurant Owner Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Tax Evasion and COVID-Relief FraudRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Restaurateur Leronce Suel was sentenced in federal court today to 42 months in prison for submitting more than $1.7 million in fraudulent applications for COVID relief programs and failing to report the income to the IRS.
Suel was convicted by a federal jury in September 2024 of wire fraud, conspiracy, and tax crimes. The court ordered him to pay $1,773,245 in restitution to the U.S. Small Business Administration and criminal forfeiture of $1,466,918 from the over $2.4 million in cash seized from Suel’s home in June 2022. Restitution to the IRS will be determined at a hearing on June 6, 2025.
Suel was the majority owner of Rockstar Dough LLC and Chicken Feed LLC, both of which operated restaurants in the San Diego area, including Streetcar Merchants in the North Park neighborhood.
“This defendant took resources meant to support those most vulnerable during a time of crisis and used them for his own enrichment,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “By misappropriating over $1.7 million in COVID relief funds, he robbed individuals and families of the assistance they desperately needed. Today, justice holds him accountable for his exploitation of a public emergency for personal gain.”
According to evidence presented at his eight-day trial, Suel conspired with his business partner to underreport over $1.7 million in gross receipts on Rockstar Dough LLC’s 2020 corporate tax return and COVID relief applications. Suel’s businesses also fraudulently received approximately $1,773,245 million in COVID-related Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) grants by falsely certifying his businesses were eligible and that his businesses would use the money appropriately.
Instead of using the COVID-19 relief program funds on eligible expenses like rent and payroll, Suel and his co-conspirator made substantial cash withdrawals from their business bank accounts and purchased a home in Arkansas. As part of their conspiracy, Suel concealed more than $2.4 million in cash in his bedroom.
On June 23, 2022, IRS-Criminal Investigation special agents executed a search warrant at Suel’s residence where they seized the $2.4 million in cash. During the trial, the evidence showed that Suel attempted to cover-up his crimes by providing false information to an accountant who prepared dozens of original and amended tax returns that contained false information.
In 2023, Suel signed and filed these original and amended tax returns for prior years that included false depreciable assets, business losses, and deductions. In one example, Suel caused one business to deduct significant amounts of rent for years 2020 and 2021, but evidence at trial established Suel paid no rent to that restaurant’s landlord.
Suel also failed to report income he received from his business, including millions of dollars in cash and personal expenses paid for by the businesses.
“Mr. Suel’s 10-plus years of tax evasion and fraudulent claims for COVID relief grants and loans caught up to him when a jury of his peers found him guilty,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher, IRS Criminal Investigation, Los Angeles Field Office. “Now Mr. Suel will feel the repercussions of his disregard for his fellow taxpayers. Our tax system only works when people pay their fair share, and IRS-CI will continue pursue those who evade their tax responsibilities to their fellow Americans.”
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Beeler and Trial Attorney Julia Rugg of the U.S. Department of Justice Tax Division.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 23-CR-965-RBM
Leronce Suel Age: 47 Fayetteville, Arkansas
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Wire Fraud Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1349
Maximum penalty: Thirty years in prison and $1,000,000 fine
Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1343
Maximum Penalty: Thirty years in prison and $1,000,000 fine
Conspiracy to Defraud the U.S. – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371
Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine
Tax Evasion – Title 26, U.S.C., Section 7201
Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison and $100,000 fine
Filing False Tax Returns – Title 26, U.S.C., Section 7206(1)
Maximum Penalty: Three years in prison and $100,000 fine
Failure to File –Title 26, U.S.C., Section 7203
Maximum Penalty: One year in prison and $25,000
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI)
Pine Bluff Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for PerjuryRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Dezstiny Collins will spend the next 18 months in federal prison for lying to a grand jury. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on April 10, 2025, by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.
A federal grand jury indicted Collins, 29, of Pine Bluff, in an indictment on August 3, 2022. She was charged in a one count indictment of false declarations before a grand jury. On December 5, 2024, Collins pleaded guilty to the perjury charge in the indictment.
Collins was subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury on March 2, 2022, as part of an ongoing federal investigation into ammunition possessed by convicted felons during a shooting and homicide in Pine Bluff. During her testimony before the grand jury, Collins repeatedly denied being with the suspects from the February 26, 2019, shooting despite being confronted with surveillance video footage from local businesses that placed her with the suspects immediately prior to the shooting. At the change of plea hearing, Collins acknowledged that the testimony she provided before the grand jury was not truthful.
In addition to the 18-month sentence, Judge Miller sentenced Collins to three years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the FBI and Pine Bluff Police Department. The case was prosecuted in the Eastern District of Arkansas by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Fields.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
X (formerly known as Twitter):
@USAO_EDAR
Phillips Man Sentenced for Drug User in Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that Tyler Caudill, age 22, of Phillips, Nebraska, was sentenced on April 10, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for possession of a firearm while an unlawful user of marijuana and THC. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Caudill to 37 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Caudill’s release from prison, he will begin a three-year term of supervised release.
On the morning of May 4, 2021, authorities in the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office learned that Caudill had taken a pickup without permission and his father was missing an AR-15 style rifle. That same morning, surveillance cameras captured Caudill walking through an aviation building attached to the Central Nebraska Regional Airport (CNRA) in Grand Island, Nebraska. Caudill was carrying several bags including a rifle case. He was able to make his way onto the tarmac where an 11-person Cessna Citation Bravo aircraft was parked. He opened the hatch and entered the aircraft. He brought some personal belongings along with an AR-15 rifle and some ammunition onto the aircraft.
Later that afternoon, when pilots entered the aircraft to prepare for flight, they found Caudill asleep on the plane and the firearm in the cabin. One pilot threw Caudill’s bags out of the plane, removed the rifle from the plane, then contacted police. Grand Island police officers arrived to assist. Caudill was seen trying to manipulate the controls of the airplane once he awoke. A tactical team of investigators was eventually able to remove him from the plane after deploying chemical munitions. An inbound flight from Dallas was diverted to Kansas due to the disruption at the airport. No one was injured.
Caudill was taken to the hospital where he admitted having used marijuana and THC. A urine sample tested positive for the presence of THC. Caudill claimed possession of the firearm and told investigators he believed he was going to take the plane to a bunker in Montana. Investigators collected THC vape cartridges from his clothing.
This case was investigated by the Grand Island Police Department, the Kearney Police Department, the Nebraska State Patrol, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Philadelphia Man Who Scarred, Nearly Blinded Ex-Girlfriend in Public Chemical Attack Sentenced to Seven Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Victor Ortiz, 47, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick yesterday to 84 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and $3,300 in restitution for stalking, seriously injuring, and permanently disfiguring a woman with whom he had a previous relationship.
Ortiz was convicted following a jury trial in September of last year.
As proven at trial, on the morning of May 4, 2022, the defendant pursued his ex-girlfriend as she walked to her office in Philadelphia. Before she reached the building, the defendant threw soda ash, a caustic substance, on the victim’s face and torso. His attack temporarily blinded her in the left eye and caused severe pain and permanent scarring on her body.
Investigators subsequently found that the defendant had attached a GPS device to the victim’s vehicle so that he could monitor her location and follow her. After law enforcement officials discovered the device, the defendant was caught on camera attempting to install a second GPS device on the victim’s vehicle in July 2022.
As detailed in court filings, Ortiz was previously convicted in Delaware County in 2005 of criminally harassing his ex-wife, and in 2016, an arbitrator found that he stalked another ex-girlfriend by placing a GPS device in her vehicle.
“Victor Ortiz has a troubling pattern of refusing to move on when his relationships end,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “In this case, he grew more and more fixated on his ex-partner, escalating from harassment to stalking to a violent assault that caused his victim lasting physical and emotional harm. While prosecuting Mr. Ortiz can’t undo that damage, this sentence keeps him off the street, holds him accountable, and secures some measure of justice for the innocent woman he was so determined to hurt.”
“Victor Ortiz’s deliberate and cruel actions inflicted deep physical and emotional harm on his victim. HSI Philadelphia stands firm in its commitment to protecting individuals from predators and ensuring justice is served,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia Edward V. Owens. “Through our strong partnerships with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and local law enforcement, we will continue to pursue those who pose a threat to our communities and hold them accountable for their crimes.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael R. Miller and Angella Middleton.
Philadelphia Man Convicted at Trial of Sex Trafficking of a Minor and Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Walter Tharrington, aka “Black” and “Roaadblock,” 32, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was convicted this week at trial of sex trafficking and child pornography offenses.
Tharrington was charged by indictment in August of 2024, and convicted on Wednesday, April 9, of sex trafficking of a minor, advertising child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
As detailed in court filings and proven at trial, in or about the summer of 2023, the defendant asked Minor 1, then 14 years old, to help him make money. In order to do so, Tharrington directed Minor 1 to engage in commercial sex, with the defendant facilitating the commercial sex by soliciting customers through online advertisements.
Tharrington used his cellular phone to post explicit content of Minor 1 to accompany the online advertisements. The defendant set the prices for the encounters and instructed Minor 1 on what sexual acts to perform in exchange for money.
At the defendant’s direction, Minor 1 engaged in sexual encounters with buyers. The evidence established that Tharrington kept and controlled the profits from the encounters, while providing shelter for Minor 1, who lived at Tharrington’s house during the summer of 2023.
Tharrington physically assaulted Minor 1 on multiple occasions. Minor 1’s injuries were observed by another minor female, who corroborated Minor 1’s account and confirmed that the defendant had solicited her to work for him, as well.
The defendant will be sentenced at a later date and faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.
“Walter Tharrington made money by sexually exploiting a child, advertising her for sex with strangers,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Putting anyone through that, let alone a vulnerable minor, is unconscionable. Know that my office and the FBI are working every day to put traffickers like this defendant behind bars and ensure some justice for their victims.”
“Sex trafficking — especially when it involves a child — is among the most heinous crimes the FBI investigates,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Field Office. “This conviction is a powerful testament to the tireless efforts of the FBI and our dedicated law enforcement partners to protect the most vulnerable among us. It reaffirms our unwavering commitment to pursuing justice for victims and holding predators accountable.”
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 United States 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 projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the FBI Philadelphia Violent Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Task Force and the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Justin Ashenfelter and Amanda McCool.
Philadelphia Man Admits to Conspiring to Defraud the IRSRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Philadelphia man admitted to conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service by paying himself and his co-workers in cash in order to avoid payroll taxes, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Henry “Hank” Collins, 53, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams to an information charging him with one count of conspiring to defraud the IRS.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Collins worked at Davis Brothers Chimney Sweep & Masonry (“Davis Brothers”), a business located in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. Collins admitted that between January 1, 2018 and April 30, 2024, he conspired with the spouse of the owner of Davis Brother to defraud the IRS. As part of the conspiracy, Collins utilized a commercial check casher to negotiate a substantial amount of Davis Brothers’s gross receipts checks. Collins used some of the resulting cash to pay himself and other Davis Brothers employees in cash. Collins provided the rest of the cash to the business owner and spouse. Collins then provided false and misleading information to the business’s outside accounting firm that resulted in the preparation and filing of false payroll tax returns that omitted the employees paid in cash and their cash wages. Collins also admitted filing false individual income tax returns for himself that concealed his own cash wages. Collins admitted that the conspiracy resulted in a tax loss of approximately $1 million.
The count of conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for August 18, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
###
Defense counsel: Joseph Marrone, Esq., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
collins.information.pdfPennsylvania Man Charged with Making Threats to Assault and Murder President Donald J. Trump, Other U.S. Officials, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement AgentsRead the Press Release
Shawn Monper, 32, a resident of Butler, Pennsylvania, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with making threats to assault and murder President Donald J. Trump, other U.S. officials, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
“I want to applaud the outstanding and courageous investigative work of the FBI and the Butler Township Police Department, who thankfully identified and apprehended this individual before he could carry out his threats against President Trump’s life and the lives of other innocent Americans,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Rest assured that whenever and wherever threats of assassination or mass violence occur, this Department of Justice will find, arrest, and prosecute the suspect to the fullest extent of the law and seek the maximum appropriate punishment.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti for the Western District of Pennsylvania joined Attorney General Bondi in making today’s announcement.
According to the federal criminal complaint, on April 8, the FBI National Threat Operations Section (NTOS) received an emergency disclosure regarding threats posted to YouTube by user “Mr Satan.” Federal agents determined that the threatening statements occurred between Jan 15 April 5. The subsequent federal investigation affirmed that the internet activity associated with “Mr Satan” corresponded with Monper’s residence.
The investigation further established that Monper sought and obtained a firearms permit shortly following President Trump’s inauguration. In February 2025, Monper commented using his “Mr Satan” account: “I have bought several guns and been stocking up on ammo since Trump got in office.” Further, in March 2025, Monper commented using his account: “Eventually im going to do a mass shooting.” One week later, Monper commented: “I have been buying 1 gun a month since the election, body armor, and ammo.”
The criminal complaint identified the following threatening statements regarding President Trump, other United States officials, and ICE agents:
February 17, 2025: “Nah, we just need to start killing people, Trump, Elon, all the heads of agencies Trump appointed, and anyone who stands in the way. Remember, we are the majority, MAGA is a minority of the country, and by the time its time to make the move, they will be weakened, many will be crushed by these policies, and they will want revenge too. American Revolution 2.0”
March 4, 2025: “im going to assassinate him myself.” This threat was made in a YouTube video titled “Live: Trump’s address to Congress.”
March 18, 2025: “ICE are terrorist people, we need to start killing them.”
April 1, 2025: “If I see an armed ice agent, I will consider it a domestic terrorist, and an active shooter and open fire on them.”
On April 9, the FBI, with the assistance of the Butler Township Police Department, arrested Monper on the federal criminal complaint. On April 10, Monper was ordered detained pending preliminary and detention hearings scheduled for April 14, at 1:00 pm.
The FBI and Butler Township Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Parrish Man Indicted for Arson of A VehicleRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Kendarius Devonta Stitten (25, Parrish) with a violation of the federal Anti-Arson Act. If convicted, Stitten faces a minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Stitten that the United States intends to forfeit assets that are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.
According to the indictment, on March 20, 2025, Stitten set fire to a rental van that was parked at a motel in Bradenton.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives Investigations, and Cedar Hammock Fire Rescue. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam W. McCall.
PDS Gang Member Sentenced for Drug DistributionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Dartanyan Ricardo Hawkins, 30, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison in connection with his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed large quantities of marijuana in the District of Columbia.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Field Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Hawkins, aka “Shitty,” was a member of the Push Dat Shit (PDS) and Jugg Gang (JG) street crews. He pleaded guilty November 1, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson to possession with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of marijuana. As part of his plea, Hawkins admitted to possessing a firearm as part of the offense and further admitted to using Instagram to sell marijuana.
In addition to the 60-month prison term, Judge Berman Jackson ordered Hawkins to serve four years of supervised release.
According to court documents, PDS maintained gang territory in the 3300 – 3500 blocks of Wheeler Road, Southeast and operated an open-air drug market outside a market. In August 2018, PDS allied with a neighboring street gang known as Jugg Gang, or “JG,” that included Hawkins. The combined gang also conspired to carry firearms – including machine guns – to protect themselves, their drugs, their cash, and their territory from rival crews with whom they had “beefs.”
This sentence is part of an ongoing joint investigation which has resulted in 27 convictions and the seizure of two vehicles, 35 firearms, four machine guns, more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, approximately 60 pounds of marijuana, 41 grams of cocaine base, dozens of oxycodone pills, and approximately $500,000 in cash.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the ATF’s Washington Field Division, and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson.
23cr379
Owner of Florida Healthcare Companies Sentenced for Employment Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
Defendant Did Not Pay Over $10M in Taxes
MIAMI – A Florida man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison, two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $4,381,265.76 in restitution to the United States for willfully failing to pay over employment taxes and willfully failing to file individual income tax returns.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Paul Walczak controlled a network of interconnected health care companies operating under various names, including Palm Health Partners. Through another of his entities, Palm Health Partners Employment Services (PHPES), Walczak employed over 600 people and paid over $24 million annually in payroll. As such, Walczak was required to withhold Social Security, Medicare, and federal income taxes from his employees’ paychecks and to pay those monies over to the IRS each quarter, and to pay the companies’ portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes.
For more than a decade, Walczak was not compliant with his tax obligations and instead used the withheld taxes to enrich himself. In 2011, Walczak did not pay two quarters of withheld taxes to the IRS. In 2012, the IRS began collection efforts, including by sending him notices about his unpaid taxes, and by meeting with Walczak to help bring him into compliance. When that effort was unsuccessful, the IRS assessed the outstanding taxes against him personally. After that was imposed, Walczak paid the assessments in October 2014. Walczak’s compliance did not last long, however. By the end of the following year, Walczak was again withholding taxes from his employees’ paychecks and keeping the money.
From 2016 through 2019, Walczak withheld $7,432,223.80 of taxes from his employees’ paychecks, but did not pay those taxes over to the IRS. While Walczak was withholding taxes from the pay of his employees under the pretext of paying these funds to the IRS, he used over $1 million from his businesses’ bank accounts to purchase a yacht, transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to his personal bank accounts, and used the business accounts for personal purchases at retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman, Cartier, and Saks. During this same time, he also did not pay $3,480,111 of his business’s portion of his employees’ Social Security and Medicare taxes.
By 2019, the IRS had assessed millions of dollars in civil penalties against Walczak. Beginning with the 2018 tax year, Walczak also stopped filing personal income tax returns despite that he was still receiving income including a $360,000 salary from PHPES and $450,000 in transfers from his business bank accounts.
Moreover, in 2019, Walczak created a new business, NextEra. Walczak used a family member as the 99% nominal owner of NextEra, but Walczak had ultimate control of the finances and operations of NextEra. Through NextEra, Walczak transferred in 2020 just under $200,000 to a bank account titled in a family member’s name, over $250,000 to a bank account in his wife’s name, and over $800,000 in payments directly to third parties for Walczak’s personal expenses, including clothing stores, department stores, and fishing retailers.
In total, Walczak caused a tax loss to the IRS of $10,912,334.80
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Special Agent in Charge Emmanuel Gomez of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Miami Field Office made the announcement.
IRS-CI investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Andres E. Chinchilla for the Southern District of Florida, and Trial Attorneys Brian Flanagan, Andrew Ascencio, and Ashley Stein of the Justice Department’s Tax Division prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-80024.
###
Owner of Florida Health Care Companies Sentenced for Employment Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
A Florida man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison, two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $4,381,265.76 in restitution to the United States for willfully failing to pay over employment taxes and willfully failing to file individual income tax returns.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Paul Walczak controlled a network of interconnected health care companies operating under various names, including Palm Health Partners. Through another of his entities, Palm Health Partners Employment Services (PHPES), Walczak employed over 600 people and paid over $24 million annually in payroll. As such, Walczak was required to withhold Social Security, Medicare, and federal income taxes from his employees’ paychecks and to pay those monies over to the IRS each quarter, and to pay the companies’ portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes.
For more than a decade, Walczak was not compliant with his tax obligations and instead used the withheld taxes to enrich himself. In 2011, Walczak did not pay two quarters of withheld taxes to the IRS. In 2012, the IRS began collection efforts, including by sending him notices about his unpaid taxes, and by meeting with Walczak to help bring him into compliance. When that effort was unsuccessful, the IRS assessed the outstanding taxes against him personally. After that was imposed, Walczak paid the assessments in October 2014. Walczak’s compliance did not last long, however. By the end of the following year, Walczak was again withholding taxes from his employees’ paychecks and keeping the money.
From 2016 through 2019, Walczak withheld $7,432,223.80 of taxes from his employees’ paychecks, but did not pay those taxes over to the IRS. While Walczak was withholding taxes from the pay of his employees under the pretext of paying these funds to the IRS, he used over $1 million from his businesses’ bank accounts to purchase a yacht, transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to his personal bank accounts, and used the business accounts for personal purchases at retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman, Cartier, and Saks. During this same time, he also did not pay $3,480,111 of his business’s portion of his employees’ Social Security and Medicare taxes.
By 2019, the IRS had assessed millions of dollars in civil penalties against Walczak. Beginning with the 2018 tax year, Walczak also stopped filing personal income tax returns despite that he was still receiving income including a $360,000 salary from PHPES and $450,000 in transfers from his business bank accounts.
Moreover, in 2019, Walczak created a new business, NextEra. Walczak used a family member as the 99% nominal owner of NextEra, but Walczak had ultimate control of the finances and operations of NextEra. Through NextEra, Walczak transferred in 2020 just under $200,000 to a bank account titled in a family member’s name, over $250,000 to a bank account in his wife’s name, and over $800,000 in payments directly to third parties for Walczak’s personal expenses, including clothing stores, department stores, and fishing retailers.
In total, Walczak caused a tax loss to the IRS of $10,912,334.80
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Special Agent in Charge Emmanuel Gomez of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Miami Field Office made the announcement.
IRS-CI investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Brian Flanagan, Andrew Ascencio, and Ashley Stein of the Justice Department’s Tax Division prosecuted the case.
Overland Park man sentenced for abusing incentive rewards programRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced to 15 months in prison for causing a $1.2 million loss to a company by submitting false invoices in connection a performance incentive rewards program. The prison sentence will be followed by two years of supervised release, and Cummings is ordered to pay more than $1.2 million in restitution.
According to court documents, Barry Cummings, 52, of Overland Park, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud.
An energy management company offered a performance-based rewards program as an incentive to non-employee resellers, contractors, and others to sell its products. Participants submitted information regarding sales to earn points they could then redeem for items like airline vouchers, hotel stays, gift cards, and electronic devices.
In 2017, a business in Lenexa, Kansas, hired Cummings, and he enrolled in the victim company’s rewards program through that affiliation. In his plea agreement, Cummings admitted to orchestrating a years-long scheme to defraud the victim company’s rewards program. Cummings admitted to logging into the rewards site and submitting fraudulent sales claims, which falsely represented that he had sold the company’s products. Cummings admitted that he never sold a single one of the company’s products despite the thousands of sales claims he submitted representing that he did.
After his termination from the Lenexa business in April 2018, Cummings continually logged into the rewards website to submit fraudulent invoices and redeem points, using the email he previously had at the Lenexa business. As an example, during a 12-hour period in November 2018, Cummings submitted 834 fraudulent invoices for which he received more than 2.8 million points. In 2019, he submitted 5,543 false claims for 22.5 million points. Cummings used point redemptions to receive more than 2,000 rewards at a value that caused a $1,233,024 loss to the victim company.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case. The victim energy company cooperated and provided invaluable assistance in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Huschka prosecuted the case.
###
Ohio Resident Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Narcotics TraffickingRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced in federal court to 72 months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, fentanyl, and crack, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Deangelo Ward, 35, on April 10, 2025.
According to information presented to the Court, from in and around July 2022 to in and around March 2023, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Ward conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of cocaine, 40 grams or more of a mixture of fentanyl, and a quantity of a mixture of crack. Ward was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that he distributed to others.
Assistant United States Attorney Arnold P. Bernard Jr. prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Ward. Additional agencies participating in the investigation included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, and other local law enforcement agencies.
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.
Ocean County Man Admits to Fraudulently Obtaining over $250,000 in Social Security Disability BenefitsRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – An Ocean County, New Jersey man admitted he defrauded the Social Security Administration for nearly eight years in order to improperly obtain over $250,000.00 in Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Krzysztof Niedzielski, 49, of Toms River, New Jersey, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi in Trenton federal court to an Information charging him with theft of public money and making false statements to the Social Security Administration.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From at least as early as 2012 through at least as recently as 2020, Niedzielski obtained approximately $270,933.10 in Social Security disability benefits for himself, his wife, and his dependent children on the basis that he was disabled and could not work. During this period, Niedzielski managed and performed physical labor for a home improvement contracting company where he obtained a substantial income. However, during this time, Niedzielski failed to notify the Social Security Administration of his employment and income. Niedzielski knowingly and intentionally concealed this work from the Social Security Administration to prevent any reduction in disability benefits.
The charge of theft of public money carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and the charge of making false statement to the Social Security Administration carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison. Each charge also carries a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for August 5, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Amy Connelly, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.
The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Abrams of the Narcotics/OCDETF Unit in Newark.
###
Defense counsel: Nicholas Moschella, Esq.
niedzielski.information.pdfOakland Resident Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Unlawful Possession of A Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Pedro Juarez was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a felony, announced Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and ATF Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Cicolani. The sentence was handed down by the Hon. Charles R. Breyer, U.S. District Judge.
Juarez, 33, of Oakland, Calif., was found guilty of the charge by a jury on September 25, 2024. The evidence presented at trial demonstrated that, on August 16, 2023, Juarez forced a woman he knew to travel with him from San Jose to San Francisco. After Juarez let the woman go, she called 9-1-1 and police responded to a location in San Francisco at which Juarez was located. Juarez fled from police and, during his flight, pulled a handgun from his waistband and began to point it towards officers before his arm hit a railing and the firearm fell to the ground. The firearm was loaded with ammunition.
In addition to the 84-month prison term, Judge Breyer ordered Juarez serve a three-year term of supervised release, which will begin after he leaves prison. Judge Breyer also ordered Juarez to forfeit his interest in the recovered firearm and ammunition. Juarez is currently in custody and will begin to serve is prison term immediately.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ivana Djak and Noah Stern with the assistance of Tina Rosenbaum and Madeline Wachs. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the ATF.
North Ridgeville Doctor Pleads Guilty to Healthcare Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – An Ohio doctor has pleaded guilty to his role in a conspiracy that prescribed medical equipment and lab tests for patients who did not need them and then submitted claims to Medicare to receive payment. Medicare is a federal health benefit program administered under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and most notably covers beneficiaries aged 65 and older.
According to court documents, Timothy Sutton, 43, of North Ridgeville, Ohio, admitted that he and other co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to fraudulently bill more than $14.5 million in payments from Medicare. Sutton was employed by two telemedicine companies; Real Time Physicians, LLC, based in Nevada, and 24 Hour Virtual MD, LLC, based in Florida. The companies provided Sutton with pre-completed orders for durable medical equipment (DME), such as braces, and/or cancer genetic testing (CGX) for him to approve and digitally sign. In doing so, he affirmed that he had examined patients using a telemedicine platform and determined that they needed DME or that CGX testing was necessary. In truth, he never examined any of the patients who resided throughout Ohio and Florida.
Once Sutton prescribed the equipment or ordered testing, Real Time Physicians and 24 Hour Virtual MD furthered the conspiracy by forwarding the orders to companies under their control or sold the orders to other medical entities to provide DME or conduct the lab testing. Sutton defrauded Medicare by submitting claims that were not reasonable and necessary for medical treatment and did not comply with Medicare rules and regulations or applicable federal laws.
On April 4, 2025, Sutton pleaded guilty to attempt and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, false statements related to health care matters, and aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 27 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for July 26, 2025. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Inspector General, and the FBI Cleveland Division. In the Northern District of Ohio, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Om Kakani and Rebecca Lutzko are prosecuting the case.
About the Northern District of Ohio
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio covers the 40 northern-most counties in the state of Ohio, which is home to nearly six million people. The office operates from its main headquarters in Cleveland, with additional branches in Akron, Toledo, and Youngstown. The U.S. Attorney serves as the chief federal law enforcement officer in the District and oversees the prosecution of federal crimes and protect victims’ rights.