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Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
Thursday 10 April 2025
Marion County Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years for Transporting A Minor with the Intent to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Thomas Allen Ebersole (32, Dunnellon) to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison for transporting a minor with the intent to engage in sexual activity. Ebersole is also required to register as a sex offender. He entered a guilty plea on January 6, 2025.
According to court records, in December 2023, Ebersole met and communicated with a 16-year-old girl through online video games. On December 28, 2023, Ebersole drove from his home in Marion County to Ohio, where the minor lived. He then drove the victim back to his Florida home to engage in sexual activity with her. After the victim’s family reported her missing, law enforcement identified the Internet Protocol (IP) address the victim had used to play video games while at Ebersole’s home. Law enforcement located and removed the victim from Ebersole’s home on January 3, 2024. The victim told law enforcement that she never left Ebersole’s home during the week she had been missing. She also admitted that Ebersole had engaged in sexual intercourse with her multiple times, which was subsequently confirmed through DNA testing.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lima (Ohio) Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.
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 Attorney’s 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.
Man caught three times with dealer quantities of fentanyl indicted federallyRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 37-year-old man who was living in a Des Moines, Washington, hotel, is charged federally with four counts of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and one count of money laundering announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Dennis Aguilar Huisa was placed under arrest twice last fall when he was found to have possession of fentanyl pills and/or powder, methamphetamine, cocaine and a firearm. Huisa has been in state custody since his final encounter with law enforcement on November 1, 2024.
According to the criminal complaint, Puyallup Police first contacted Huisa on the side of the road in the early hours of August 15, 2023. Huisa said his car had overheated and he and a passenger were waiting for the engine to cool down. The police officer noticed that the license plate on the car did not match the type of vehicle listed in the registration. Huisa was removed from the car while law enforcement determined whether the car or the license plates were stolen. A second officer noticed blue pills in the car. Ultimately the car was impounded. A search revealed about 1,000 fentanyl pills as well as some suspected fentanyl powder. There was also a scale with drug residue in the car.
On September 7, 2024, Puyallup Police responded to a report of a nine-month-old infant who had stopped breathing. Huisa and a woman met the officers outside a box truck the infant in their arms. Law enforcement worked to get the child to respond and breath, medics responded and continued to work on reviving the child.
The law enforcement investigation found evidence that Huisa and the child’s mother has given the infant two doses of Narcan suspecting that the child had been exposed to fentanyl or other drugs. Huisa gave permission to search the box truck. Law enforcement located approximately 115 blue fentanyl pills. On Huisa they found fentanyl powder and over $16,000 in cash.
The infant was taken to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital. The child was given additional dose of Narcan, and the child’s blood tested positive for fentanyl, amphetamine, and oxycodone. The child survived and was temporarily released to Child Protective Services.
Finally, on November 1, 2024, Auburn Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit served a search warrant on the Des Moines motel where Huisa had been living. In the hotel room they found small packages of fentanyl powder packaged for sale in the toilet. They found additional fentanyl powder, methamphetamine, and cocaine in other places around the room. Officers once again searched the box truck Huisa had been driving and found two kilograms of fentanyl powder and a Polymer 80 ‘ghost gun’ – a gun made without a serial number.
Huisa was charged by criminal complaint on March 12, 2025, and was brought into federal custody today. He was indicted by the grand jury on March 26, 2025, for four counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and money laundering. Huisa is making his initial appearance at 2:00 today.
Possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute is punishable by a mandatory minimum ten years in prison and up to life in prison. Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime is punishable by a mandatory minimum five years in prison and up to life in prison to run consecutive to the other sentence imposed in the case. Money laundering is punishable by up to twenty years in prison.
The charges contained in the criminal complaint and the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the Puyallup Police Department, the Auburn Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Casey Conzatti.
Man Who Conspired to Traffic Child from Behind Bars Sentenced to More Than 15 YearsRead the Press Release
A Dallas man who coordinated the trafficking of a 17-year-old girl was sentenced on April 9, 2025, to more than 15 years in federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.
Christopher Jabar Jenkins, 33, was indicted in August 2023 and pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. He was sentenced Wednesday to 188 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Karen Gren Scholer, to be followed by 35 years of supervised release. Jenkins was also ordered to pay $82,300 in restitution to the victim.
According to plea papers, Jenkins admitted that between July 2022 and November 2022, he advertised the 17-year-old victim’s sexual services on commercial sex websites. He also rented hotel rooms for commercial sex dates and negotiated with patrons.
In an interview with the child, it was revealed that Jenkins physically assaulted her, threatened her at gunpoint, forced her to “brand” herself with a tattoo to indicate his ownership of her, and kept her identification as a way to ensure that she could not leave him.
At the sentencing hearing, prosecutors described how the child was forced to work seven days a week, up to fourteen-hour days, and Jenkins took all of the resulting proceeds for himself.
According to court documents, when Jenkins was arrested in September 2022 for unrelated charges, he passed the victim off to another trafficker. Jenkins continued to traffic the victim while in jail. During the recorded calls, Jenkins instructed the victim to continue participating in commercial sex acts. He also coordinated with other coconspirators regarding the pricing, advertisements, work hours, travel, and other logistics to ensure the success of the criminal enterprise. Jenkins specifically instructed a coconspirator to collect all of the money that the minor victim earned and to set it aside for him or add funds to his jail commissary account. Records confirmed that an individual deposited money to Jenkins’ jail commissary account no less than seven times from September 13 to September 29, 2022.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation, with invaluable assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle A. Winters prosecuted the case.
Man Admits Fraudulently Obtaining Student Visa, Other DocumentsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted fraudulently obtaining a student visa and admission to the University of Missouri and admitted using the visa to obtain a Social Security card, a driver license, a bank account and an apartment.
Mercy Ojedeji, 24, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of unlawful use of fraudulent immigration documents and one count of wire fraud.
Ojedeji admitted using counterfeit academic transcripts, recommendations, a resume and a report about his English language proficiency to obtain a student visa from the University of Missouri and admission to the chemistry PhD program in the fall of 2023. Ojedeji also obtained a stipend and a tuition waiver worth more than $49,000. Ojedeji presented his student visa and other documents to the Social Security Administration to obtain a Social Security card and used the fraudulently-issued Social Security number and other documents to open a bank account. He also used the Social Security number and documents produced by his paramour to rent an apartment. After Ojedeji failed to attend classes, his assistantship or join a research group, the university terminated him from the graduate program in January 2024. This also resulted in the termination of his student visa. On Feb. 26, 2024, Ojedeji used his fraudulently-obtained and now invalid visa and other documents to obtain a Missouri driver license.
The investigation into Ojedeji began when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service received complaints that romance fraud victims were mailing packages containing cash and gift cards to the home of Ojedeji’s paramour. Between Dec. 19, 2023, and Jan. 4, 2024, 35 Express Mail packages that had been tracked by Nigerian internet protocol addresses were delivered to the paramour’s address. A court-approved search of the home resulted in the discovery of packages sent pursuant to a Nigerian romance fraud scheme. A total of 193 packages were sent to the home through the Postal Services Express Mail, Federal Express, and United Parcel Service during Ojedeji’s relationship with the woman. At sentencing, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will argue that the total intended loss is more than $1 million, based on the $94,150 contained in the 17 packages seized by law enforcement. Ojedeji continues to deny any involvement in romance fraud.
A judge will ultimately determine the loss amount at Ojedeji’s sentencing hearing, scheduled for July 10. Wire fraud carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The immigration charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the same fine.
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to defending the nation’s mail system from criminal activity, preserving the integrity of the U.S. Mail, and protecting United States Postal Service employees. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service values our law enforcement partners for supporting our mission to protect the integrity of the U.S. Mail,” said Ruth M. Mendonça, Inspector in Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case, with the assistance of the FBI and the Town and Country Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case.
Man Accused of Setting Fires at St. Louis County HotelRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man was indicted Wednesday and accused of setting fires at a hotel near Ferguson, Missouri last month.
Brandon Dallas Smith, 40, is now facing an arson charge. The indictment accuses Smith of setting a fire at a hotel in the 2700 block of Target Drive on March 26, 2025. A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in St. Louis the day after the fire says patrons were awakened by a fire alarm at 2:48 a.m. to find two fires in front of hotel rooms and a third on the second-floor stairwell. The complaint alleges that Smith purchased gasoline a nearby gas station and convenience store shortly before going to the hotel and setting the fires.
A charge set forth in an indictment or a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and does not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The charge is punishable by at least five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Louis County Police Department and the St. Louis County Bomb and Arson Squad investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.
Man Indicted for Making Threats to Employee of Augusta National Golf ClubRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: The Grand Jury for the Southern District of Georgia returned an indictment against a man for his role in making threats against an employee of the Augusta National Golf Club.
Joseph Armand Zimmer, 48, of North Dakota, is charged with Threats in Interstate Communication, said Tara M. Lyons, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Zimmer was arrested on April 8, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. He appeared in federal court in the District of Nevada on April 9, 2025, for an initial appearance. He will be required to appear in the Southern District of Georgia to answer to the charge.
“Those who make threats against members of our community in violation of federal law will be held accountable, as we continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and bring to justice those who seek to intimidate and instill fear in our citizens,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lyons.
As described in court, Zimmer made a phone call on February 18, 2025, to the Augusta National Golf Club, during which he made numerous violent threats to the individual who answered the call. These threats included that he would “throw [the individual] in a cell and have [her] set on fire,” and that he would “blow [her] head off.”
Zimmer faces up to 5 years imprisonment on the charge. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The FBI treats threatening communications with the utmost seriousness and will dedicate all available resources to locating and prosecuting those responsible for such actions,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. "We trust that this indictment sends a clear message to anyone contemplating making threats, whether genuine or fabricated, through electronic means."
Criminal indictments contain only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patricia G. Rhodes.
Leader of Transnational Cybercrime Group “Noir’s Luxury Refunds” Charged with Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A federal grand jury in Huntsville has charged Kareem Mustafa Ahmad, 21, of Alexandria, Egypt, with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Chris DiMenna.
According to court documents, Mustafa used the persona “Noir” on Telegram and operated the channel “Noir’s Luxury Refunds,” as well as other fraud-based Telegram channels. Noir’s Luxury Refunds was dedicated to refund fraud, a type of fraud where a purchaser claims to return an item, receives a refund, but keeps the product. Customers would pay Noir’s Organization a percentage of the product price in exchange for the organization fraudulently refunding the item on the customer’s behalf. Noir’s Organization marketed itself as having the expertise to defraud retailers across the world in a wide range of industries. At one point, the Noir’s Luxury Refunds channel had over 5,900 followers. Noir’s Organization operated from July 2020 until July 2022.
Documents reviewed in the investigation reflect that the group obtained refunds or attempted to obtain refunds for millions of dollars’ worth of products, including electronics, designer clothing, home furnishings, and appliances. Noir’s Organization used a variety of tactics to commit refund fraud, including social engineering to manipulate customer service representatives into issuing refunds, manipulating shipping labels to deceive a retailer into believing they had received a returned product when it had not, and recruiting customer service representatives as “insiders” to perform refunds on the conspiracy’s behalf. Noir’s Organization also developed malware that would target retailers’ websites to facilitate refund fraud by circumventing fraud prevention measures.
In related cases, eight defendants have already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud based on their roles in Noir’s Organization:
- Damion Wayne Scarlett, also known as “Dash,” 26, from Deer Park, New York;
- Dhruv Gargi, also known as “Panda,” 25, from Newark, New Jersey;
- David James Park, also known as “Plutus,” 23, from Phoenix, Arizona;
- Nicholas John Caruso, also known as “Deaf,” 32, from Dallas, Texas;
- Jennifer Mireya Palma, also known as “Bianca,” 24, from Los Angeles, California;
- CK Chikong Tran, also known as “Radiant,” 30, from New York, New York;
- Tyree Samuel Tinsley, also known as “Tysamtin,” 31, from Richmond, Virginia; and
- Jason Seib, also known as “Waynor,” 43, from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
The maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The FBI investigated the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John M. Hundscheid and Edward J. Canter are prosecuting the cases.
Assistance was provided by Target Corporation; Amazon.com, Inc.; Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; Wayfair Inc.; Dell Technologies; Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc.; American Airlines Group Inc.; Hewlett Packard Incorporated; Adidas AG; eBay Inc.; and Google’s CyberCrime Investigation Group. The Sûreté Nationale of Morrocco also provided valuable assistance to the investigation.
This case was brought as part of Operation Chargeback, an FBI investigation into organized refund fraud groups across the United States and internationally. Cases have also been brought in the Western District of Washington and the Northern District of Oklahoma as part of the initiative.
For more resources on cybercrime, visit www.ic3.gov.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Las Cruces Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Drug and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Las Cruces man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after a federal search warrant uncovered large quantities of fentanyl, firearms, and cash linked to drug trafficking activities.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records, on April 10, 2024, FBI Southern New Mexico Safe Streets Gang Task Force agents and Task Force Officers along with agents from Las Cruces/Dona Ana County Metro Narcotics executed a federal search warrant at the residence of Joe Angel Sandoval, 29, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, uncovering substantial evidence of drug trafficking.
During the search, investigators located:
- Over 500 grams of fentanyl pills.
- Three firearms and ammunition.
- Approximately $139,857 in cash was found inside the residence, along with $1,900 in Sandoval’s vehicle.
In his plea agreement, Sandoval admitted to being an unlawful user of fentanyl at the time of the search and acknowledged selling the fentanyl pills for approximately three to four years, making him a prohibited possessor of firearms and ammunition under federal law.
Upon his release, Sandoval will be subject to 10 years 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 Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Las Cruces/Dona Ana County Metro Narcotics Agency, Las Cruces Police Department, and Dona Ana County Sheriff's Office. Assistant United States Attorney Maria Y. Armijo prosecuted this case.
Laguna Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Assault Charges Involving Serious InjuriesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Laguna man pleaded guilty to federal assault charges for a violent attack that left the victim hospitalized with serious injuries.
According to court records, on August 18, 2023, Kenzie Alonzo, 26, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna, physically assaulted Jane Doe during a verbal altercation. As a result, Jane Doe sustained serious bodily injury, including a concussion, severe bruising, and bite marks, requiring emergency medical transport and hospitalization.
At sentencing, Alonzo faces up to 10 years in prison. Upon his release from prison, Alonzo will be subject to three years 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 Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case with assistance from the Zia Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Jesse Pecoraro is prosecuting the case.
View the Plea Agreement (Alonzo).pdfKansas Realtor Indicted for Tax Evasion and COVID-19 Loan Program FraudRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Kansas City returned an indictment yesterday charging a Kansas woman with tax evasion and wire fraud.
The indictment alleges that Michelle O’Connor, of Louisburg, owned and operated a realty company based in the Kansas City metro area. For tax years 2008 through 2015, O’Connor filed federal income tax returns, self-reporting that she owed approximately $300,000 in taxes. Despite acknowledging she owed the taxes, O’Connor did not pay them. In 2011, the IRS audited her 2008 and 2009 tax returns and concluded that O’Connor had improperly claimed tens of thousands of dollars in personal expenses as charitable deductions to the “Church of Revelation and Love,” a purported church she and her husband created and were, along with her family, its primary members. Based on that audit, the IRS assessed over $40,000 in additional taxes against O’Connor.
Starting in 2011, the IRS began trying to collect the outstanding taxes from O’Connor, sending her over 50 notices regarding them. From 2011 through 2023, however, Michelle O’Connor tried to stymy the IRS’s collections efforts by, among other things, filing three separate false and frivolous bankruptcy petitions, purchasing approximately $250,000 of cashier’s checks to reduce her bank account balances, and closing her personal bank accounts and using her business’ bank accounts to pay personal expenses.
By 2020, O’Connor owed the IRS nearly $500,000 in taxes, penalties, and interest.
In 2020, O’Connor submitted 34 fraudulent COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications on behalf of her real estate business and seven other corporate entities she created for the purpose of maximizing potential EIDL credits. Under the EIDL program, a small business could receive a loan of up to $150,000 from the Small Business Administration to cover six months of working capital. In total, O’Connor received nearly $300,000 from her fraudulent EIDLs, which she used for personal purposes, including $115,000 to purchase cryptocurrency.
If convicted, O’Connor faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for tax evasion and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Dominick Giovanniello and Robert Kemins of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Justice Department Files a Proposed Statement of Interest Supporting Equal Access to Southwest Airlines Travel ProgramRead the Press Release
The Justice Department filed a proposed statement of interest today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas to make clear that federal law protects the equal right of all Americans to make and enforce contracts regardless of their race.
According to the allegations in the case, the 2024 ¡Lánzate!/Take Off! Travel Award Program was an annual program in which college and graduate students could receive free Southwest Airlines flight vouchers, but only Hispanic students were eligible to apply. The American Alliance for Equal Rights sued Southwest alleging that by denying that opportunity to all other students on the basis of their race or ethnicity, Southwest’s program facially discriminated against non-Hispanic students in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1981. The Department’s proposed statement of interest affirms its continuing commitment to eradicating racially exclusionary practices across the government and in the private sector.
“Every person in the United States should have equal and nondiscriminatory rights to make and enforce contracts, and race should never be a consideration,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice is working to end discrimination using all of the tools at our disposal.”
“Discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated in our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham for the Northern District of Texas. “Our office will continue to enforce federal anti-discrimination laws to address racial discrimination affecting our residents.”
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.
Justice Department Files a Proposed Statement of Interest Supporting Equal Access to Southwest Airlines Travel ProgramRead the Press Release
The Justice Department filed a proposed statement of interest today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas to make clear that federal law protects the equal right of all Americans to make and enforce contracts regardless of their race.
According to the allegations in the case, the 2024 ¡Lánzate!/Take Off! Travel Award Program was an annual program in which college and graduate students could receive free Southwest Airlines flight vouchers, but only Hispanic students were eligible to apply. The American Alliance for Equal Rights sued Southwest alleging that by denying that opportunity to all other students on the basis of their race or ethnicity, Southwest’s program facially discriminated against non-Hispanic students in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1981. The Department’s proposed statement of interest affirms its continuing commitment to eradicating racially exclusionary practices across the government and in the private sector.
“Every person in the United States should have equal and nondiscriminatory rights to make and enforce contracts, and race should never be a consideration,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice is working to end discrimination using all of the tools at our disposal.”
“Discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated in our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham for the Northern District of Texas. “Our office will continue to enforce federal anti-discrimination laws to address racial discrimination affecting our residents.”
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.
Joplin Man Sentenced to 50 Years for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Joplin, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court for victimizing two children to produce child pornography.
Russell Myers, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven R. Bough on Tuesday, April 8, to 25 years for each of two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. The court ordered the sentences to run consecutively for a total sentence of 50 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Myers to a lifetime term of supervised release following incarceration.
Myers will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.
On Sept. 26, 2024, Myers pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Myers admitted to using minor victims, identified in court documents as “Jane Doe” and “John Doe,” to produce child pornography from Jan. 1 to Feb. 20, 2024.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Jasper County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Joplin, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Indianapolis Man Sentenced to 60 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Yesterday, Jorge Luis Jaramillo, 20 years old, of Indianapolis, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly Brady after pleading guilty to one count of distributing methamphetamine, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
Jaramillo was sentenced to 60 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in May 2023, Jaramillo knowingly distributed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. At the time of the drug delivery, Jaramillo was 18 years old, and he transported almost two kilograms of methamphetamine from Indianapolis for distribution in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Indiana State Police; the Fort Wayne Police Department; the Allen County Sheriff’s Department; and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony W. Geller.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Illegal Alien Sentenced for Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Pedro Cucul-Gualna, a/k/a Esduardo Cucul-Choc, age 25, of Guatemala, was sentenced to six months in prison for one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations.
On December 12, 2024, Cucul-Gualna pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on October 26, 2024, Cucul-Gualna, an alien, was found in the United States after having been previously deported and removed on one prior occasion near El Paso, Texas, on May 23, 2019.
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. Cucul-Gualna 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 Jacob R. Parker represented the United States.
Humboldt County Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
Lawrence Moore, 37, from Bode, Iowa, pled guilty April 10, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City, to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Moore was previously convicted of Armed Robbery and Aggravated Battery (three times) in Cook County, Illinois. These convictions prohibit Moore from possessing any firearm or ammunition.
At the plea hearing, evidence showed that Moore was involved in negotiations for buying and selling of firearms to other people. During the fall of 2024, Moore communicated with an undercover agent, attempting to buy or trade a firearm with the agent. On November 18, 2024, a search warrant was executed at Moore’s residence. Law enforcement located and seized a Smith & Wesson Model 59 semi-automatic pistol, which Moore had referenced previously. The fully loaded firearm was located inside a void cut into the mattress in the bedroom shared by Moore and his wife. Law enforcement also located and seized marijuana and drug use paraphernalia in the residence, including in the bedroom.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Moore remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Moore faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than three years of supervised release following any 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 case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-3050. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Hopkins Man Who Discharged a Firearm in the Columbia City Limits Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tyrone Grailford, 41, of Hopkins, has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that on Dec. 12, 2021, the City of Columbia Police Department officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert at a residence on Fairfield Road. When officers arrived Grailford was standing near the open passenger side door of a vehicle and told officers the gunshot came from another location. Officers detained Grailford and found a spent shell casing on the ground near where he was standing. Officers also found a firearm sitting on the passenger’s seat of the vehicle.
Witnesses confirmed the gunshot came from the yard of the Fairfield Road residence and one witness who heard the gunshot saw Grailford standing near the passenger’s side of the vehicle immediately after. Officers placed Grailford under arrest and found a box of 9mm ammunition in his pocket.
Grailford has prior convictions for burglary, assault and battery with intent to kill, threatening the life of a public official, and domestic violence second degree, all of which prohibit him from possessing a firearm under federal law.
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Grailford to 77 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin
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.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the City of Columbia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall is prosecuting the case.
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Honduran National Indicted for Illegal Reentry into the United StatesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Alexander Neptali Mejia-Martinez (36), a Honduran national, with illegal reentry into the United States by a removed alien. If convicted, Mejia-Martinez faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, in 2016, Mejia-Martinez was convicted of unlawful reentry of a removed alien and removed from the United States shortly thereafter. At some point, Mejia-Martinez illegally reentered the United States and was found to be living in Jacksonville on April 2, 2025.
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 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Lasry.
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).
Hadley Man Arrested for Unlawful Possession of Ammunition and FirearmsRead the Press Release
BOSTON –A Hadley, Mass. man has been arrested and charged for unlawful possession of ammunition and firearms.
Jacob D. Miller, 43, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of ammunition and firearms by a person previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in person. Miller was arrested yesterday and appeared in federal court in Springfield, Mass. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Katherine A. Robertson. Miller was released on conditions.
According to the charging documents, on Feb. 9, 2004, Miller was convicted of felony crimes in two separate Hampshire Superior Court cases. In the first case, Miller was convicted of one count of possession of child pornography and sentenced to seven years of probation. In a separate case, Miller was convicted of two counts of possession of an explosive device and sentenced to two and one-half years in jail and 10 years of probation.
On April 8, 2025, following the execution of search at Miller’s residence, a box of approximately 50 rounds of Federal brand, American Eagle .45 auto, 230 grain ammunition was recovered in a bedside table, as well as six firearms inside a safe in a hallway closet.
At the hearing, the Court was informed that, based on the materials known to be present at Miller’s residence, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) “is greatly concerned about potential impacts to public safety. Accidental release, breaking of containers, mixing of incompatible or reactive chemicals and or a fire at the residence pose a serious risk to public safety. MassDEP strongly urges a full and comprehensive evaluation at the residence and removal of any remaining hazardous chemicals.” The Court released Miller on various conditions, including the condition that he consent to MassDEP conduct a complete examination of his residence and remove any hazardous substances.
The charge of unlawful possession of ammunition and firearms provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Hadley Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office 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.
HSI Arrests Previously Deported, Violent Felon Fugitive Wanted for Homicide in MexicoRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Bonifacio Renteria-Cruz, 48, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested on Illegal Re-Entry charges on Tuesday during a Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) operation led by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director Madison Sheahan. Renteria-Cruz was charged by Criminal Complaint for violation of Title 8, U.S.C. 1326(a) and (b)(1).
On October 11, 2006, Renteria-Cruz, a Mexican citizen illegally present in the United States, was convicted of Aggravated Assault, a class 3 felony, in the Maricopa County Superior Court and sentenced to three-and-a-half-years in prison. Renteria-Cruz was deported to Mexico on April 8, 2008.
After his deportation, Mexican authorities charged Renteria-Cruz with homicide for events that occurred on July 20, 2009, in Mexico. Since that time, he has been a fugitive.
Pursuant to a tip in January 2025, HSI learned that Renteria-Cruz had illegally returned to the United States. Agents were able to locate and identify Renteria-Cruz, and on April 8, 2025, Renteria-Cruz was arrested during an Immigration Operation.
This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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.
Homeland Security Investigations in Phoenix, Arizona conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Addison Owen, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 25-3128MJ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-052_Renteria-Cruz# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.H Block Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A member of the violent Boston-based gang, H-Block, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to drug conspiracy charges.
Dennis Wilson, a/k/a “Deuce,” 36 of Boston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for July 8, 2025.
Wilson was one of 10 H-Block gang members and associates charged in August 2024 following a multi-year investigation of H Block beginning in 2021 in response to an uptick in gang-related drug trafficking, shootings and violence. According to court documents, over 500 grams of cocaine, cocaine base (crack cocaine) and fentanyl, as well as over 20,000 doses of drug-laced paper were seized during the investigation.
According to the charging documents, the H Block Street Gang is one of the most feared and influential city-wide gangs in Boston. Originally formed in the 1980s as the Humboldt Raiders in the Roxbury section of Boston, the gang re-emerged in the 2000s as H Block. Current members of H Block have a history of violent confrontation with law enforcement, including an incident in 2015 when a member shot a Boston Police officer at point blank range without warning or provocation.
From 2022 through 2023, Wilson, a long-time H Block gang member, participated in a conspiracy to distribute various controlled substances, including fentanyl, powdered cocaine and cocaine base (crack). On numerus occasions, Wilson accompanied a co-conspirator on various drug deals with undercover officers.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. 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.
Wilson is the fourth defendant to plead guilty in the case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Andrew Murphy of the U.S. Secret Service Boston Field Office; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. The investigation was supported by the Massachusetts State Police; Massachusetts Department of Corrections; Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; and the Braintree, Quincy, Randolph and Watertown Police Departments. Assistant United States Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit and Jeremy Franker of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section are prosecuting the cases.The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Guatemalan National Arrested for Illegally Possessing Firearm After Shots Fired from VehicleRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the arrest of Elmer Gustabo Vasquez-Lopez (19, Guatemala) on a criminal complaint charging him with possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. If convicted, Vasquez-Lopez faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.
According to the complaint, on March 30, 2025, the Palmetto Police Department responded to a call for service regarding shots fired on 14th Street in Palmetto. An officer from the Palmetto Police witnessed gunshots from a vehicle, and officers arrested the vehicle’s occupants, including Vasquez-Lopez. The occupants were arrested on state charges and two firearms were seized from the vehicle. The next day, Vasquez-Lopez admitted to agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that he had shot one of the firearms recovered from the vehicle and that he was a Guatemalan national. A review of Vasquez-Lopez’s immigration history showed that the U.S. Border Patrol previously arrested Vasquez-Lopez as an inadmissible alien and that he is in removal proceedings.
A complaint is merely a formal allegation 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 Palmetto Police Department, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam W. McCall.
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).
Great Falls man sentenced to over 10 years in prison on drug chargesRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A convicted felon from Great Falls who possessed guns and drugs was sentenced today to 128 months in prison to be followed by5 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Michael Shawn O’Neill, 59, pleaded guilty in December 2024 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on September 4, 2023, Michael Shawn O’Neill, a convicted felon on state supervision, possessed thousands of fentanyl pills for redistribution, as well as four firearms and some methamphetamine and heroin. The guns and drugs were found during a probation search and the subsequent execution of a search warrant in Great Falls, Montana. On September 14, 2023, O’Neill told interviewing agents that there was no one above him in the Great Falls area. He drove to Spokane to get his supply and he believed he was one step away from the cartel through a third party. He distributed drugs to smaller users who purchased less than 100 pills at a time. He said he just spent $12,000 in Spokane on the drugs found on September 4, 2023,and told agents: “I was moving about 500-800 pills a day, plus an ounce of heroin, plus an ounce of meth – I wasn’t moving that much.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case and the investigation was conducted by the ATF, Russell Country Drug Task Force, and Montana Probation and Parole.
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 https://www.justice.gov/psn.
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Grand jury indicts Vinton County man for child pornography, obscenity crimes that involve computer-generated contentRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A previously convicted sex offender who resides in Vinton County was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly committing child pornography and obscenity crimes that involve the use of computer-generated content.
Cody L. Prater, 27, of McArthur, Ohio, is charged with receiving and possessing child pornography and obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse. He is also charged with transporting obscene matters.
According to the indictment, between August 2023 and July 2024, Prater allegedly committed numerous child pornography and obscenity crimes. He also allegedly attempted to hide his various crimes by using a computer operating system that leaves no traces of internet activity on the digital devices it is connected too.
Prater allegedly received child pornography depicting children as young as infants and toddlers that included sadistic and masochistic abuse.
It is also alleged that Prater received digital files of computer-generated minors engaged in bestiality and sex acts with adults and subjected to sadistic and masochistic abuse. Prater also allegedly possessed online visual depictions of child mutilation and torture.
If convicted as charged, Prater could face up to 40 years in prison.
Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Czerniejewski and Tyler Aagard are representing the United States in this case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Government Seeks Death Penalty for Federal Inmate Charged with First Degree MurderRead the Press Release
DENVER — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment this week, charging Ishmael Petty, 56, with first degree murder and murder by a federal prisoner serving a life sentence.
According to court documents, on Sept. 19, 2020, Petty murdered a fellow inmate while the two were housed in the same unit at the U.S. Penitentiary-Florence, Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) in Florence, Colorado. Petty has been in federal custody since a 1998 conviction for bank robbery. In 2002, Petty was sentenced to life in prison for murdering an inmate at another federal prison. In 2015, Petty was sentenced to 60 years in prison for an assault on two federal officers at ADX.
For the current charges, the maximum penalty is death, and Attorney General Bondi has authorized the United States Attorney for the District of Colorado to pursue capital punishment in this case. Consistent with that authorization, the U.S. Attorney filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Petty.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell for the District of Colorado made the announcement.
The FBI Denver Field Office investigated the case.
This case is being prosecuted by the Violent Crime and Immigration Enforcement Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado and the Criminal Division’s Capital Case Section.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Case number: 25-cr-00123-DDD
Government Seeks Death Penalty for Federal Inmate Charged with First Degree MurderRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment this week, charging Ishmael Petty, 56, with first degree murder and murder by a federal prisoner serving a life sentence.
According to court documents, on Sept. 19, 2020, Petty murdered a fellow inmate while the two were housed in the same unit at the U.S. Penitentiary-Florence, Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) in Florence, Colorado. Petty has been in federal custody since a 1998 conviction for bank robbery. In 2002, Petty was sentenced to life in prison for murdering an inmate at another federal prison. In 2015, Petty was sentenced to 60 years in prison for an assault on two federal officers at ADX.
For the current charges, the maximum penalty is death, and Attorney General Bondi has authorized the United States Attorney for the District of Colorado to pursue capital punishment in this case. Consistent with that authorization, the U.S. Attorney filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Petty.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell for the District of Colorado made the announcement.
The FBI Denver Field Office investigated the case.
This case is being prosecuted by the Violent Crime and Immigration Enforcement Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado and the Criminal Division’s Capital Case Section.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Georgia Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing a Destructive DeviceRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Ala. – On April 9, 2025, a federal judge sentenced 43-year-old Waylon Blake Gilreath, Sr., from Williamson, Georgia, to 41 months in prison for possession of an unregistered destructive device, announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson. Following his prison sentence, Gilreath will serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records and evidence presented during Gilreath’s trial last fall, on March 20, 2024, deputies from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a domestic disturbance at a Hope Hull, Alabama residence. Deputies arrived and found Gilreath sitting on the front porch of the residence. Responding officers were advised of a protection from abuse order prohibiting Gilreath from being on the property. Deputies placed Gilreath into custody based on that information. While making the arrest, deputies found that Gilreath had a handgun and knife on his person.
During a search of Gilreath’s vehicle, which was parked on the property, deputies found nine firearms — including handguns and AR-style firearms — numerous rounds of ammunition, several ammunition magazines, and two sets of body armor. Several of the magazines were high-capacity drum style magazines. In addition, deputies located four prescription medication bottles that contained two common substances that, when mixed, create an explosive material subject to federal regulation. Three of the containers were also found to contain metal shrapnel, which would enhance the destructive power of the mixture. On March 21, 2024, agents executed a search warrant at Gilreath’s residence and found additional quantities of explosive mixture and shrapnel material, including assorted glass shards.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and Montgomery Police Department investigated this case, which Assistant United States Attorneys Brandon W. Bates and Christopher P. Moore prosecuted.
Fresno County Podiatrist and Sales Representative Indicted for Conspiracy to Submit Millions of Dollars in False Claims Related to Skin GraftsRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Felipe Ruiz, 51, of Fresno, and Jose Gabriel Aguirre, 52, of Clovis, charging them with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
According to court documents, Ruiz was a podiatrist at West Coast Podiatry Inc. (WCP), a podiatric medical practice with locations in Fresno, Madera, and Stanislaus Counties.
Aguirre was a sales representative for several companies that sold skin grafts. Aguirre used his name, his wife’s name, and the name of a corporation registered to his wife to sell the skin grafts.
Between June 2021 and January 2024, Ruiz purchased skin grafts from Aguirre and permitted Aguirre, who was not a licensed health care provider, to apply the skin grafts to Medicare and Medi-Cal beneficiaries without Ruiz being present. Ruiz and Aguirre also allowed beneficiaries to refer to Aguirre as “Dr. Gabe,” though he was not a doctor.
Ruiz and Aguirre subsequently submitted claims to Medicare and Medi-Cal that falsely represented that Ruiz had applied the skin grafts to the beneficiaries, when Aguirre had actually rendered the services. As a result, Medicare and Medi-Cal paid Ruiz millions of dollars for the false claims. Ruiz then made payments to Aguirre. Ruiz and Aguirre used the money for their own benefit and for personal expenditures.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany M. Gunter is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Ruiz and Aguirre face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Founder and Top Executive for Fresno-Based Business American Labor Alliance Receive Multi-Year Prison Sentences Following Fraud TrialRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Fresno residents Marcus Asay, 69, and Antonio Gastelum, 53, were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to five years in prison and two years in prison, respectively, for committing a long-running pension fraud scheme through their company, Agricultural Contracting Services Association dba American Labor Alliance (ALA), Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
ALA also received a corporate fine of $2.5 million. Asay and ALA were each ordered to pay $69,250 in restitution.
On June 18, 2024, Asay, Gastelum, and ALA were convicted of the pension fraud scheme following a five-week jury trial. Asay and ALA were also convicted of committing a worker’s compensation fraud scheme, a hardship exemption fraud scheme, and money laundering. The hardship exemption fraud scheme involved a supposed exemption from the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that people obtain health insurance or pay a significant shared responsibility payment when they file their taxes.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Asay was the founder and chairman of ALA, and Gastelum was the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Compliance Officer. From 2011 through 2019, the defendants offered three sham products: retirement plan, worker’s compensation coverage, and hardship exemption.
Pension Fraud Scheme
For the pension fraud scheme, Asay, Gastelum, and ALA falsely represented to more than 3,000 people that they would protect and invest their retirement money through a 401(k) Plan when, in fact, they used the money for improper business and personal expenses. The improper expenses included restaurants, travel, credit cards, rare coins, transfers to Asay’s personal retirement account, online companion websites, and rent for Asay’s lakefront mansion in Fresno. Asay, Gastelum, and ALA then covered up the fact that the retirement money was gone by taking money the company received from the worker’s compensation fraud scheme and holding those funds out as pension funds. The loss caused by the pension fraud scheme was more than $620,000.
Asay’s money laundering conviction resulted from this scheme because he moved pension funds through multiple bank accounts to conceal the source of the funds before using them for improper expenses.
Workers’ Compensation Fraud Scheme
For the worker’s compensation fraud scheme, Asay and ALA falsely represented that national insurers backed the worker’s compensation coverage that the company offered in several states, including California. Asay and ALA did so by listing the national insurers on the certificates of insurance and policy declarations that the company issued to customers. The accuracy of the certificates of insurance and policy declarations was important to the customers because they needed to present these items to their own customers and regulators as proof of having worker’s compensation coverage in order to continue doing business. When government authorities began investigating the workers’ compensation fraud scheme, Asay and ALA sent letters to customers telling them not to cooperate. The worker’s compensation fraud scheme generated $2.25 million in premiums.
Hardship Exemption Fraud Scheme
For the hardship exemption fraud scheme, Asay and ALA falsely represented that for a few hundred dollars they could provide people with an exemption that would protect them from the Affordable Care Act’s shared responsibility payment for not having health insurance when, in fact, only government agencies could issue such exemptions. Moreover, the exemptions were free to those who qualified.
Asay and Gastelum received enhanced sentences because they both testified in their own defense at trial and were found to have perjured themselves.
This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration and Office of Labor-Management Standards, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Tierney, Joseph Barton, and Stephanie Stokman prosecuted the case.
Fort Pierce Men Plead Guilty to Bank Fraud and Mail TheftRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Aquarius Jones (24, Fort Pierce) and Johnathan Bryant (26, Fort Pierce) have pleaded guilty for their roles in a mail theft scheme. Jones pleaded guilty to bank fraud and faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison. Bryant pleaded guilty to mail theft and faces up to five years in federal prison. Sentencing dates have not yet been set.
According to court documents, on July 22, 2022, Jones and Bryant assembled mail “fishing” devices using shoelaces, mouthwash bottles, and mouse glue traps. They lowered the fishing devices into the mail slot of a United States Postal Service collection box and stole mail from inside the box. Additionally, between January and July 2022, Jones obtained checks which had been stolen from mailboxes, altered the names of the recipients on the stolen checks, and fraudulently deposited those checks into various bank accounts belonging to individuals other than the intended check recipients.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Winter Park Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diane Hu.
Former Teacher Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Former high school teacher Daniel Janke of Mankato, Minnesota, has been sentenced to 72 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. Janke was also ordered to pay $18,000 in special assessments that benefit minors directly impacted by these types of offenses.
According to court documents, Daniel John Janke, 54, knowingly obtained and distributed images and videos depicting the graphic sexual exploitation of children. During an investigation of a specific chatroom on Kik, a social media application, an undercover (UC) law enforcement agent encountered the defendant using the pseudonym “Jack Frost.” Between October 23, 2023, and November 1, 2023, they exchanged multiple messages and Janke sent multiple CSAM images and a video to the UC agent. A subsequent forensic examination Janke’s electronic devices and Kik account confirmed that he collected and distributed sexually explicit images of pubescent and pre-pubescent minor victims.
“It’s hard to imagine someone working with children and then making the choice to exploit them on the internet,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “Teachers, coaches, daycare workers—it doesn’t matter who you are—my office will continue to prosecute predators in positions of trust to the fullest extent of the law.”
"This case is a stark reminder that child predators continue to operate in digital spaces, using technology to exploit children and share that abuse with others," said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. "The FBI is committed to protecting our most vulnerable and will continue to work with our partners to bring predators to justice."
On October 29, 2024, Janke pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child sexual abuse material. Janke was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge John R. Tunheim. When pronouncing the sentence, Judge Tunheim specifically noted an aggravating aspect of the Janke matter was “the haunting reality that the distribution of CSAM material on the Internet means it lives on forever.”
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan L. Sing prosecuted the case.
Former Scarborough Resident Sentenced for Assaulting Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A former Scarborough resident was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Portland for assaulting a federal officer.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Garrett McDonald, 28, to two years of probation. McDonald pleaded guilty on October 22, 2024.
According to court records, on August 6, 2023, an airline crew at the Portland International Jetport requested that law enforcement remove McDonald from a flight due to his behavior. A Portland police officer and a security officer with the Federal Air Marshal Service escorted McDonald from the plane. McDonald began yelling and arguing about being removed from the flight. Once inside the exit port, McDonald pushed one officer and then resisted the officer’s efforts to restrain him. The officers secured a handcuff on McDonald’s left wrist but were unable to secure a handcuff on his right wrist. McDonald freed his right arm from underneath his person and struck the federal officer with his fist.
The FBI, Federal Air Marshal Service, and the Portland Police Department investigated the case.
Former Philadelphia Correctional Officer Convicted at Trial of Violating the Constitutional Rights of an Inmate, Filing a False ReportRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Ivory S. Cousins, 35, of Glassboro, New Jersey, was convicted today at trial of three counts of depriving an inmate of his civil rights under color of law and one count of filing a false report about the incident, arising from her conduct while employed as a Philadelphia correctional officer. The Philadelphia Department of Prisons provided substantial assistance with this case.
Cousins was charged by indictment in August 2024 with violating the inmate’s constitutional rights for ignoring his significant injuries from an assault by other inmates, pepper spraying him, helping another inmate to steal from him, and obstructing the investigation of what happened to him.
As proven at trial, while on duty at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, the defendant became aware that an inmate had been assaulted by other inmates and had serious injuries, but she was deliberately indifferent to his serious medical needs, failed to get him medical attention, and prevented a superior officer from discovering the inmate’s injuries.
After her partner discovered the injured inmate and called for medical attention, but before assistance arrived to escort him to the medical unit, Cousins subjected the injured inmate to excessive force, unreasonably pepper spraying him.
When the injured inmate had been escorted out of the area for medical attention, Cousins further violated the injured inmate’s constitutional rights by helping one of the inmates involved in his assault to steal the injured inmate’s personal belongings from his cell.
When she later completed a report about the incident, Cousins provided false information about the injured inmate being aggressive, engaging in a fight, and using a weapon.
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24 and faces a maximum possible sentence of 41 years in prison.
“Prisoners still have civil rights, and we will prosecute all violations committed by officials entrusted with their security,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf.
“Today’s verdict illustrates that no one is above the law, especially those who swear an oath to uphold it,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “The FBI remains steadfast in investigating and bringing to justice those who abuse their authority.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Everett Witherell and Jessica Rice.
Former Cruise Line Employee Sentenced for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that on April 1, 2025, PANKAJ SINGH BOHRA (“BOHRA”), age 35, a foreign national of the Republic of India, was sentenced for Possession of Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(4)(B) and (b)(2).
According to court documents, BOHRA was previously employed by Carnival Cruise Lines and was arrested in July 2024 after special agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, found BOHRA in possession of child pornography at the Erato Street Cruise Terminal in New Orleans.
United States District Judge Wendy B. Vitter sentenced BOHRA to eighteen (18) months imprisonment, five years (5) of supervised release, sex offender registration, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.
Former Bank Officer Pleads Guilty to EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Edward L. Jenkinson (47, Trinity) has pleaded guilty to misappropriation of bank funds and embezzlement. Jenkinson faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. Jenkinson has also agreed to forfeit to the United States $122,004.04, the proceeds of his criminal activity. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement and court proceedings, Jenkinson was employed as a bank officer at Bank 1, an FDIC insured institution that was a member bank of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta. As a bank officer, Jenkinson was responsible for managing a Bank 1 financial center located in Tampa. One of Jenkinson’s duties was to oversee the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and teller cash drawers at the financial center.
Between March and November 2024, Jenkinson embezzled FDIC-insured funds. As part of his embezzlement scheme, Jenkinson redeemed certificates of deposit without the customers’ knowledge or consent. He then prepared deposit tickets and deposited the redeemed funds in customer checking accounts. Subsequently, Jenkinson embezzled the funds from the victim customers’ accounts and drafted cashiers’ checks payable to himself, which he deposited into his own bank accounts. Jenkinson depleted most of the embezzled funds through cash withdrawals. He also embezzled $52,000 from the ATM machine at the Bank 1 financial center he managed in Tampa, as well as $2,500 from a bank teller drawer. Jenkinson spent the embezzled funds on gambling, paying off debt, and retail purchases.
This case was investigated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.
Florida Pharmacy Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud and Agrees to Pay More than $1 Million SettlementRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Florida-based pharmacy, OHM Pharmacy Services, aka “Benzer,” aka “Auburndale,” has agreed to plead guilty to one count of health care fraud; pay restitution of $82,000; and pay $1,018,000 to resolve False Claims Act violations.
According to OHM’s admissions in today’s global resolution of criminal charges and civil claims, the pharmacy dispensed Evzio, one of several naloxone products on the market indicated for use on an emergent basis in the case of opioid overdose. Due to Evzio’s high price, insurers (including Medicare Part D plans) frequently required that health care providers submit prior authorization requests before they approved coverage. OHM completed prior authorization forms in place of prescribing physicians, and in some instances OHM personnel signed the prior authorization forms without the physician’s authorization and submitted information to insurers that made it appear as though a physician, and not OHM, was submitting the information. Moreover, OHM also submitted prior authorization requests to insurers, including Medicare Part D plans, that contained false information. For example, OHM staff filled out and submitted dozens of Evzio prior authorization request forms that falsely asserted that patients had previously tried and failed to successfully use Narcan or naloxone.
“OHM deliberately falsified prior authorization requests to ensure that Medicare would reimburse its fraudulent claims for Evzio. It took advantage of the need for naloxone products to combat the opioid crisis by making up information on insurance forms that it knew would be necessary to support reimbursement,” said U.S. Attorney Leah Foley. “We will aggressively pursue any attempts to defraud Medicare of taxpayer funds.”
“OHM Pharmacy Services admitted today to abusing its dispensing privileges and fleecing taxpayer-funded health care programs in the process,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Fraudulent schemes like this one are not only unethical, but illegal, and drive up the cost of health care for all of us. Anyone who engages in criminal conduct to maximize profits should know the FBI and our partners will identify you and ensure that you’re held accountable.”
“OHM’s falsification of prior authorization requests subverted an important safeguard against unnecessary Medicare costs,” said Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. “This fraud scheme was an attempt to capitalize on the opioid crisis at the expense of taxpayers who fund the Medicare program, and we will not tolerate such conduct.”
In connection with the resolution, Benzer entered into an integrity agreement (IA) with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). The IA requires, among other things, that OHM implement measures to ensure that its submission of claims for pharmaceutical products complies with applicable law relating to prior authorizations.
The civil settlement concludes the government’s resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by a former employee of kaléo Inc., Evzio’s manufacturer. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Socol v. Benzer Pharmacy Holding, LLC, et al., No. 18-cv-10050-RGS (D. Mass.). As part of the civil resolution with OHM, the whistleblower will receive $285,040 of the civil settlement amount.
In 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced settlements with kaléo Inc. for $12.7 million and with other pharmacies for $1 million relating to their submission of false claims for Evzio. In 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced a $1.31 million deferred prosecution agreement and civil settlement with another pharmacy.
The global resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge, Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General; the Federal Bureau of Investigations; Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service; Office of Personnel Management, Office of Inspector General; and the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General.
The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Abraham R. George, Chief of the Civil Division, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie A. Queenin, Deputy Chief of the Healthcare Fraud Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren A. Graber, Deputy Chief of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit.
Federal jury convicts South Dakota man of sexually abusing two victims on Fort Belknap Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A federal jury yesterday convicted a South Dakota man of multiple crimes involving the sexual abuse of two victims on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
After a two-day trial, the jury found the defendant, Farron Gene American Horse, Sr., 40, guilty of sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact as charged in an indictment. On the more serious charge of sexual abuse, American Horse faces up to life in prison, a $250,000 fine and not less than five years to life of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The Court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for July 17, 2025. American Horse will remain in custody pending further proceedings.
“Protecting the public on our Native American reservations has been, and remains, a top priority for the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office here in Montana, especially vulnerable victims like those in this case. The defendant’s decision to abuse the children he was supposed to be caring for, is abhorrent and tragic. The jury’s guilty verdict should serve as a warning to others who would abuse others that they will be caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I want to thank the Assistant U. S. Attorneys and staff in our office, and the law enforcement agents from the FBI and Fort Belknap Law Enforcement Services for their hard work on the case.” U.S. Attorney Alme said.
The government alleged at trial and in court documents that American Horse sexually abused the victims in September and October 2020 in Hays, on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. In the summer of 2020, American Horse went to live with a woman and her family in Hays and helped look after the children. In October 2020, one victim, identified as Jane Doe 1, who had attained the age of 12 years but had not yet reached the age of 16 years, disclosed being sexually abused by American Horse while spending the night at the woman’s residence. About this time, another victim, identified as Jane Doe 2, who also had attained the age of 12 years but had not yet reached the age of 16 years, disclosed that American Horse had touched her while she was sleeping at the woman’s home weeks earlier.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI and Fort Belknap Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation.
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Federal Jury Convicts Stilwell Resident of Voluntary ManslaughterRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that Mose Adam Smith, age 43, of Stilwell, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a federal jury of Voluntary Manslaughter in Indian Country, punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000.00.
The jury trial began with testimony on April 7, 2025, and concluded on April 10, 2025, with the guilty verdict.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on or about July 17, 2023, Smith unlawfully killed an individual during an altercation at the victim’s Sallisaw, Oklahoma residence. The Government presented evidence that during the altercation, Smith inflicted blunt-force trauma on the victim, and that Smith caused extensive injuries resulting in the death of the victim. Smith attempted to conceal the victim’s death and fled the state. The crime occurred in Sequoyah County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation of Oklahoma, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
On March 19, 2025, Co-defendant Kimberly Dawn Ball-Gilbert, age 42, of Stilwell, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to an Information of one count of Voluntary Manslaughter. At the plea hearing, Ball-Gilbert admitted to aiding and abetting Smith’s actions in causing the victim’s death.
The guilty verdict was the result of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office, the Grant County, Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office, and the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. The sentencings for Smith and Ball-Gilbert will be scheduled following completion of the presentence reports. The Court will sentence the defendants after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Smith and Ball-Gilbert will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals until sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick M. Flanigan and Lewis M. Reagan represented the United States.
Federal Employee Charged with Possession of A Firearm by an Unlawful Drug UserRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Bryan Roger Byers (57, Jacksonville), a United States Postal Service employee, with possessing a firearm as an unlawful drug user. If convicted, Byers faces up to 15 years in federal prison.
According to court documents and proceedings, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) began investigating Byers after a firearm he had purchased was recovered during a drug trafficking investigation. During that investigation, a felon was found to be in possession of a firearm and admitted purchasing the firearm from Byers in exchange for crack cocaine.
Investigators located text messages, which reflected that Byers used sex workers to find buyers for his firearms and those buyers then exchanged drugs for the firearms. Records reflect Byers purchased at least 10 firearms over the last four years.
On April 2, 2025, a search warrant was executed at Byers’s home. Law enforcement officers located seven firearms, multiple rounds of ammunition, and two suspected crack pipes, all of which were seized by ATF. The next day, Byers attempted to purchase another firearm and was arrested by ATF agents.
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 and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brenna Falzetta.
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).
Federal Court Permanently Shuts Down Ohio Tax PreparerRead the Press Release
Note: View order here.
A federal court in Ohio yesterday permanently enjoined a Columbus, Ohio, tax preparer from preparing returns for others and from owning or operating any tax return preparation business in the future. According to the court’s order, Michael Craig, both individually and doing business as Craig’s Tax Service, consented to the entry of the injunction.
The court’s order requires Craig to send notice of the injunction to each person for whom he prepared federal tax returns or refund claims after Jan. 1, 2022. According to the government’s complaint, many tax returns that Craig prepared made false and fraudulent claims, including:
- Reporting losses for fictitious Schedule C businesses;
- Claiming costs of goods sold (COGS) for types of businesses that cannot legitimately claim COGS and without supporting documentation;
- Inventing or inflating expenses for otherwise legitimate Schedule C businesses; and
- Taking deductions for both cash and non-cash charitable deductions that are either exaggerated or completely fabricated.
According to the complaint, the IRS estimated a tax loss of more than $3.1 million in 2022 alone from tax returns prepared by Craig.
The Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also offers guidance on the credentials and qualifications that taxpayers should seek from their return preparer.
In the past decade, the Justice Department’s Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Expatriate Pleads Guilty to Threatening to Kill U.S. Senator and StaffRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – An American citizen living in Thailand pleaded guilty Wednesday to threatening to kill United States Senator Thom Tillis and his staff. Eric Charles Welton, 53, pled guilty to one count of threatening a federal official on account of his duties.
According to court documents and information presented in court, Welton made multiple harassing and intimidating calls to the offices of Republican elected officials and GOP organizations in the United States. Welton claimed he made the threatening calls because he was angry about the large number of unsolicited political emails he received. In September of 2021, Welton spoke with a staff member at the Senator’s Raleigh office and threatened to show up and “put a bullet through each of [their] heads.” Welton also threatened to come to North Carolina and “mow…down” the “whole [expletive] state,” and find the person who emailed him and cut off his hands.
“Threatening to kill a public official and his staff is not only despicable, but also an affront to our democratic system of government,” Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar stated today. “Our office will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute threats or intimidation against public officials, so they can properly carry out their important duties.”
“It is unacceptable to make violent threats against anyone. But when threats are directed at elected officials, it can impact their ability to effectively serve their constituents and their country. The FBI will not tolerate this type of intimidation for any reason especially when it comes to those who help run our democracy,” said Robert M. DeWitt, the Special Agent in Charge of FBI in North Carolina.
Welton pleaded guilty to violating 18 U.S.C. § 115(a)(1)(B) and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison when sentenced in July.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II accepted the plea. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Warlick is prosecuting 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-192-M-RN.
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Everett man charged federally for illegally possessing a destructive device, a firearm and ammunitionRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 54-year-old Everett, Washington man will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Seattle today at 2:00, after being charged federally in connection with a pipe bomb explosion that destroyed a neighbor’s car, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Steven Goldstine was originally charged in Snohomish County for the suspected hate crime. He is now charged in federal court by criminal complaint with unlawful possession of a destructive device, unlawful possession of ammunition, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
According to records filed in the case, on December 31, 2024, Everett Police responded to reports of an explosion in a car parked at an apartment complex. The victims told police they suspected Goldstine due to prior conflicts they had had with him. The day after the explosion they received a voice message using racial slurs and referencing the explosion in the vehicle. Further analysis of the records led investigators to believe it was Goldstine.
Using video footage from the apartment complex and other cameras in the area investigators determined the bomber’s clothing and direction of travel. When they executed a search warrant at Goldstine’s home law enforcement found a jacket and shoes that appeared to match those seen in the video. Law enforcement also seized more than 700 rounds of ammunition. Goldstine is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to prior felony convictions for burglary, arson and possession of stolen property.
In reviewing Goldstine’s history, law enforcement determined that on September 17, 2020, law enforcement searched Goldstine’s residence following a report that while out in his car he had pointed a gun at protestors. The action was captured on video. In the search of Goldstine’s home in 2020, the firearm was seized by law enforcement. The federal complaint filed this week charges Goldstine with that illegal firearms possession.
Unlawful possession of a destructive device and unlawful possession of a firearm, as charged in this case, are both punishable by up to ten years in prison. Unlawful possession of ammunition is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the Everett Police Department, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Manca.
Eugene Man Sentenced to 5 Years' Probation for Posting Violent Threats on FacebookRead the Press Release
EUGENE, Ore.—A Eugene man was sentenced to federal probation Wednesday for posting violent threats on Facebook.
Jeffrey Alan Voss, 31, was sentenced to a five-year term of probation in addition to the six months in custody he served prior to sentencing.
According to court documents, between September 24 and 27, 2024, Voss posted several videos of himself online making violent threats, including two in which he was holding a firearm. In another video, Voss discussed becoming the next Kip Kinkel, referring to a school shooter who, in 1998, murdered his parents and then opened fire at a Springfield, Oregon high school, killing two of his classmates and injuring twenty-five others.
Following those videos, on September 27, 2024, a concerned citizen called 911 to report a Facebook Live video Voss posted in which he claimed he was minutes from a specific high school and made violent threats. The Eugene Police Department located and arrested Voss the same day.
On October 1, 2024, the FBI executed a search warrant on Voss’s Eugene residence. Agents located and seized two firearms, one replica firearm, ammunition, body armor, and a handwritten note outlining his desires for vengeance and specifying individuals Voss wished to harm. The same day, upon learning his residence would be searched, Voss attempted to persuade an individual to conceal or remove evidence from his home.
On November 5, 2024, a federal grand jury in Eugene indicted Voss. He made his initial appearance the following day and was ordered detained. On March 6, 2025, Voss pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Eugene Police Department. It was prosecuted by William M. McLaren, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, in coordination with the Lane County District Attorney’s Office.
Enhanced Second-Degree Theft Charges Filed for CVS Retail Store Theft in NorthwestRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ramon Randall, 37, of Washington, D.C., was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on one count of felony second-degree theft stemming from events occurring on March 12, 2025, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
A grand jury indicted Randall on April 9, 2025. Arraignment is scheduled for on April 29..
According to the government’s evidence, on March 12, 2025, the defendant entered the CVS located at 2009 8th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001 with a reusable bag. The manager of the CVS saw him place several items in his bag and called the police. MPD officers arrived on the scene and observed the defendant walking furtively throughout the store. The officers observed Randall attempt to leave the store without paying for the items. One officer, who was familiar with the defendant, stopped him as he was leaving the store. Randall exclaimed, “I ain’t left the premises!” The officer then delivered the stolen items to the manager, which consisted of several bottles of toothpaste, socks, and other merchandise valued at $133.27.
Randall has two or more prior theft convictions, though not from the same occasion, and therefore is subject to enhanced penalties for his alleged theft, including a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in jail for each count of theft for which he is indicted.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Liss.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Ecuadorian National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Entering the US After a Prior RemovalRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: An Ecuadorian national pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to illegally entering the U.S. after a prior removal.
According to court records, on January 27, 2025, an officer from the Brunswick Police Department observed Juan Pablo Clabijo Tacuri, 37, operating a vehicle without a seatbelt. After Clabijo Tacuri pulled into a gas station parking lot, the officer approached the vehicle. When asked for his license, Clabijo Tacuri presented a Massachusetts driver’s license with a false name. Immigration records showed that he had previously been removed from the United States on four occasions and did not have a visa or other documentation that would allow him to re-enter the United States.
Clabijo Tacuri faces a maximum prison term of two years and a fine up to $250,000. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigated the case with assistance from the Brunswick Police Department.
Operation Take Back America: This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
Drug Dealer from Washington State Receives 150 Months for Trafficking More Than 10 Pounds of Methamphetamine in OmahaRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that Narciso Maciel, 25, of Moses Lake, Washington, was sentenced on April 10, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Maciel to 150 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Maciel’s release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
On September 5, 2023, law enforcement conducted a controlled purchase of approximately 1 pound of methamphetamine from Maciel in Omaha. On October 26, 2023, they purchased another pound of methamphetamine from him. On November 2, 2023, law enforcement served a search warrant of the Airbnb Maciel rented in Omaha and seized more than 8 pounds of methamphetamine, drug packaging, shipping labels, receipts of money wires to Mexico, and $10,146 in United States currency. Through the investigation, law enforcement learned that Maciel was receiving and storing methamphetamine at the Airbnb in Omaha while also distributing methamphetamine and wiring money to Mexico for the drug trafficking organization. The currency has been forfeited to the United States.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. 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 https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Dark Web Fentanyl Distributor Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday has sentenced James Bookman (30, Largo) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute and distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Bookman pleaded guilty on October 2, 2024.
According to court documents and statements presented at the sentencing hearing, Bookman, from the Middle District of Florida and elsewhere, using a dark web marketplace, distributed significant amounts of fentanyl (disguised and sold as oxycodone pills), methamphetamine (disguised and sold as Adderall pills), and other drugs, throughout the United States. One such sale resulted in the fentanyl overdose death of an internet customer in Montana.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Boston), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Montana State Medical Examiner’s Office, the Butte-Silver Bow (Montana) Law Enforcement Department, and the Mantatee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jim Preston.
Cut Bank man sentenced to two years in prison for assaultRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Cut Bank man who assaulted a 17-year-old girl was sentenced today to 24 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Elijah John Bullcalf, 21, pleaded guilty in December 2024 to assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on May 25, 2023, Bullcalf assaulted Jane Doe in her bedroom at her parents’ home. They got into an argument after Bullcalf saw a text message he didn’t like on Doe’s cell phone. Bullcalf bit Doe’s hand and then punched her one time in the face, breaking her jaw.
Bullcalf didn’t want her to go to the hospital and took her to his house instead. After several hours, Doe was in so much pain that Bullcalf relented and took her to the hospital. He told Doe to tell everyone she slipped and fell on the porch. Doe had to have two metal plates surgically placed in her jaw, one of which is permanent. Doe told law enforcement that one month after the assault, Bullcalf hit her again in the same part of the jaw, causing pain and bleeding. During a recorded interview with law enforcement in March 2024, Bullcalf admitted the assault.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case and the investigation was conducted by the FBI and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services.
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Convicted Felon Who Possessed a Gun Sentenced to over Three Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A convicted felon who unlawfully possessed a handgun was sentenced April 8, 2025, to more than three years in federal prison.
Torion Tamaz Byrd, age 25, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 1, 2024, bench trial where he was found guilty of one count of felon in possession of a firearm
Evidence at trial showed that Byrd was found in possession of a handgun when Waterloo police officers stopped a car Byrd was driving. During the traffic stop, officers arrested the passenger in the car who was wanted for failing to appear for a state court hearing. Officers saw a loaded handgun with an extended magazine in the glove box. Byrd’s DNA was eventually found in three places on the handgun.
Byrd was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Byrd was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
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.
Byrd is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR-2016.
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Convicted Felon Who Possessed a Gun Sentenced to over Three Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A convicted felon who unlawfully possessed a handgun was sentenced April 8, 2025, to more than three years in federal prison.
Torion Tamaz Byrd, age 25, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 1, 2024, bench trial where he was found guilty of one count of felon in possession of a firearm
Evidence at trial showed that Byrd was found in possession of a handgun when Waterloo police officers stopped a car Byrd was driving. During the traffic stop, officers arrested the passenger in the car who was wanted for failing to appear for a state court hearing. Officers saw a loaded handgun with an extended magazine in the glove box. Byrd’s DNA was eventually found in three places on the handgun.
Byrd was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Byrd was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
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.
Byrd is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR-2016.
Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.