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14 May 2025
Citizen of India Unlawfully Living in Greenbrier County Pleads Guilty in Marriage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Aakash Prakash Makwana, 29, a citizen of India unlawfully residing in Ronceverte, pleaded guilty today to aggravated identity theft. Makwana admitted that he committed the offense as part of a scheme to marry a United States citizen to evade U.S. immigration laws.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 23, 2019, Makwana arrived in the United States on a J-1 non-immigrant visit under which he worked in hotel hospitality and culinary service. As part of his guilty plea, Makwana admitted that he knew the J1 visa was valid for one year and that he remained in the United States after the visa was not extended and expired on November 24, 2020.
In or around August 2021, Makwana conspired with others to marry a U.S. citizen for $10,000 so he could apply for Lawful Permanent Residence status, also known as obtaining a Green Card. Makwana was living in White Sulphur Springs and working at an area convenience store without legal authorization. As part of this scheme, Makwana married the U.S. citizen on September 3, 2021, falsified a residential lease agreement in White Sulphur Springs to make it appear that he and the U.S. citizen lived together, and added the U.S. citizen’s name to his utility bills and bank accounts. Makwana admitted that he committed aggravated identity theft when he included the name and signature of the residential property’s manager on the falsified lease agreement without the property manager’s authorization.
After learning that the marriage fraud scheme did not work, Makwana filed a Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Makwana admitted that he falsely claimed in the petition that he suffered domestic violence and emotional abuse at the hands of the U.S. citizen he married as part of the fraud scheme. Makwana further admitted that he filed the petition to continue to stay in the United States while his claims were considered and to increase his chances of obtaining a Green Card.
Makwana is scheduled to be sentenced on September 26, 2025, and faces a mandatory penalty of two years in prison, up to one year of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Makwana is also subject to removal from the United States.
The U.S. citizen, Kalee Ann Huff, pleaded guilty on February 20, 2025, to marriage fraud and perjury. Huff, 28, now living in Fairbury, Illinois, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, 2025. Huff’s brother-in-law, Joseph Sanchez, pleaded guilty on January 29, 2025, to participating in an immigration marriage fraud conspiracy. Sanchez, 33, of Fairbury, Illinois,is scheduled to be sentenced on May 30, 2025.
“This case reflects another unacceptable attempt to undermine our nation’s immigration laws, and the commitment of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to enforce those laws to uphold public safety, national security, and the rule of law in our country,” said Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston.
Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-190.
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Chicago Woman Pleaded Guilty in Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud Targeting United States Service Men & WomenRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Chicago, Il., woman pleaded guilty in federal court today for her role in a wire fraud conspiracy that targeted United States Service men and women who had recently joined the military.
Jetauwn T. Griffin, 31, waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Willie Epps, Jr., to a federal information charging her with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Griffin conspired with others that sought to defraud United States military service men and women through the use of social media.
According to the plea agreement, Griffin conspired with others that employed a scheme to defraud United States military service men and women. Service members who had recently joined the United States military were contacted through various social media platforms. Upon communicating with each military member, a person within the conspiracy would use the information obtained from the social media platform and then contact the service member claiming to be a senior military official. As a senior military member, they would tell each service member that they were receiving the wrong salary, and they were owed more money than they were being paid. The perpetrators of the scheme who advise the service member that they needed to return their prior pay using a cash application and then they would receive the higher pay once the other money was returned. If a service member followed these instructions, the members of this scheme would take the monies transferred and would never return any monies to the victim. Griffin conspired with others in this scheme by taking the cash application transfers and conducted financial transactions that transferred the victim’s money to accounts that were accessed by all members of the scheme.
Under federal statutes, Griffin is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Canadian Man Illegally in the United States Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Smuggle Handguns into CanadaRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Durante King-Mclean, age 26, of Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, pled guilty today before United States District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to a single count of a multi-count indictment charging him with conspiring with others to illegally traffic in firearms.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the charges stem from a September 2, 2023, traffic stop by the Pennsylvania State Police in Franklin County of a rental vehicle operated by King-Mclean who was the only occupant of the vehicle. During the stop King-Mclean fled on foot and was apprehended after a brief foot chase. A subsequent search of the rental vehicle led to the recovery of 65 handguns in the vehicle’s trunk that were all individually concealed in socks. Of the 65 handguns that were recovered, two were fully automatic, 11 were stolen, and one had an obliterated serial number. King-Mclean had been in communication with his co-conspirators from April of 2023 until his arrest on September 2, 2023, and had been staying at an Airbnb in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, until he rented the vehicle at the end of August 2023 and headed north towards Canada with the illegally purchased handguns. Sometime after his arrest and incarceration on September 2, 2023, King-Mclean was charged by Canadian authorities for his alleged participation in the April 17, 2023, heist of approximately $22.5 million dollars in gold bars and foreign currency from the Air Canada cargo terminal at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. It was shortly after this heist that King-Mclean illegally entered the United States where he remained until his arrest on September 2, 2023, as he was headed back to Canada with the 65 handguns.
“King-Mclean’s international firearms trafficking scheme had 65 guns destined for the hands of violent criminals and other prohibited people who threaten their communities,” said Eric J. DeGree, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Philadelphia Field Division. “ATF’s highest priority is reducing violent gun crime, and thanks to our cooperative efforts, this action kept dozens of crime guns off the street — preventing them from being used in any number of killings and other crimes.”
"This guilty plea highlights the serious consequences of international arms trafficking and the dangers it poses to public safety. By illegally moving firearms across borders, criminal networks fuel violence and threaten communities,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia Edward V. Owens. “HSI remains dedicated to working with our domestic and international partners to disrupt these illicit operations and ensure that those who engage in trafficking are held accountable."
“This case is the result of outstanding pro-active enforcement by our Patrol Troopers, which led to a larger successful inter-agency investigation,” said Major Serell Ulrich, Director, Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation. “Illegal firearm trafficking has no boundaries, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners both federally and internationally to mitigate this worldwide problem. Anytime illegal firearm trafficking affects our Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania State Police will strive to identify, investigate, and arrest those responsible.”
King-Mclean faces a potential sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000.00 fine, and a three-year term of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Harrisburg Office, the Pennsylvania State Police, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorney William A. Behe is prosecuting the case.
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 prosecution is also part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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California, Missouri Man Charged with Possession of Silencer and Machine GunRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A California, Mo., man was charged this week by a federal grand jury with possession of a silencer and possession of a machine gun.
According to the superseding indictment returned this week, Aubrey Foxworthy, 81, of California, Missouri was charged with possession of a silencer which was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Foxworthy was also charged with possession of a machinegun. According to the superseding indictment, Foxworthy possessed an AR-15 conversion device.
Foxworthy was previously indicted for selling firearms without a federal firearms license and possession of a rifle with a barrel length less than 16 inches and that rifle was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. The superseding indictment added the charges of possession of a silencer and possession of a machinegun.
The charges contained in the superseding indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron M. Maness. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Jefferson City Police Department, and the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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California Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Smuggle Pesticides & Veterinary Drugs into the United StatesRead the Press Release
Ruben Montes, of Calexico, California, was sentenced today in federal court to 16 months in prison and ordered to pay $12,710 in forfeiture for conspiring to smuggle and distribute more than $3 million worth of Mexican pesticides and veterinary drugs that are not approved for use in the United States.
“A secure border is vital to ensuring the health and safety of Americans,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “The Justice Department is committed to prosecuting those who violate our environmental and customs laws and jeopardize the health and safety of our citizens.”
“Bringing in and selling pesticides and veterinary drugs illegally puts both people and the environment at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California. “These unregulated products can be harmful to animals, insects, and humans. Our office is committed to holding accountable anyone who chooses profit over public safety.”
According to filings and evidence presented in court, Montes coordinated the smuggling of pesticides and veterinary drugs from Mexico into the United States since 2020. The primary pesticides involved were Taktic and Bovitraz, which are not registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in the United States. The smuggled veterinary drugs included Tylocet, Terramicina, Tetragent Ares and Catarrol, which are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the United States.
Montes requested that his co-conspirators bring pesticides and veterinary drugs — unavailable for purchase in the United States — from Mexico into the United States. Montes and his co-conspirators brought them into the United States without declaring them at the border. He and his co-conspirators then hid the pesticides and veterinary drugs in storage units in Calexico and retrieved them for distribution throughout the United States. Specifically, Montes and his co-defendant Gutierrez, who remains at large, supplied most of the pesticides and veterinary drugs to individuals charged in another case, United States v. Toledo, et. al., (case number 22-cr-1965-JAH, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California). Montes was also involved in shipping about 150 packages of unapproved products to another co-conspirator in Texas.
According to the EPA, the active ingredient in the pesticides Taktic and Bovitraz is amitraz, which is toxic to bees if released into hives, and then ultimately to humans when it ends up in honey, honeycomb, and beeswax. Misuse of amitraz-containing products in beehives can result in exposures that could cause neurological effects and possibly reproductive effects in humans from the consumption of contaminated honey. Signs of neurotoxicity from exposure to amitraz have been documented in multiple animal species and include central nervous system depression, decrease in pulse rate, and hypothermia.
Assistant Section Chief Stephen Da Ponte of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabet Brown for the Southern District of California prosecuted the case.
Calexico Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Smuggle Unapproved Pesticides and Veterinary Drugs into the United StatesRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO — Ruben Montes, of Calexico, California, was sentenced today in federal court to 16 months in prison and ordered to pay $12,710 in forfeiture for conspiring to smuggle and distribute more than $3 million worth of Mexican pesticides and veterinary drugs that are not approved for use in the United States.
“Bringing in and selling pesticides and veterinary drugs illegally puts both people and the environment at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California. “These unregulated products can be harmful to animals, insects, and humans. Our office is committed to holding accountable anyone who chooses profit over public safety.”
“A secure border is vital to ensuring the health and safety of Americans,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “The Justice Department is committed to prosecuting those who violate our environmental and customs laws and jeopardize the health and safety of our citizens.”
According to filings and evidence presented in court, Montes coordinated the smuggling of pesticides and veterinary drugs from Mexico into the United States since 2020. The primary pesticides involved were Taktic and Bovitraz, which are not registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in the United States. The smuggled veterinary drugs included Tylocet, Terramicina, Tetragent Ares and Catarrol, which are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the United States.
Montes requested that his co-conspirators bring pesticides and veterinary drugs — unavailable for purchase in the United States — from Mexico into the United States. Montes and his co-conspirators brought them into the United States without declaring them at the border. He and his co-conspirators then hid the pesticides and veterinary drugs in storage units in Calexico and retrieved them for distribution throughout the United States. Specifically, Montes and his co-defendant Gutierrez, who remains at large, supplied most of the pesticides and veterinary drugs to individuals charged in another case, United States v. Toledo, et. al., (case number 22-cr-1965-JAH, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California). Montes was also involved in shipping about 150 packages of unapproved products to another co-conspirator in Texas.
According to the EPA, the active ingredient in the pesticides Taktic and Bovitraz is amitraz, which is toxic to bees if released into hives, and then ultimately to humans when it ends up in honey, honeycomb, and beeswax. Misuse of amitraz-containing products in beehives can result in exposures that could cause neurological effects and possibly reproductive effects in humans from the consumption of contaminated honey. Signs of neurotoxicity from exposure to amitraz have been documented in multiple animal species and include central nervous system depression, decrease in pulse rate, and hypothermia.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabet Brown for the Southern District of California and Assistant Section Chief Stephen Da Ponte of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section prosecuted the case.
DEFENDANT Case Number 23CR2377
Ruben Montes Age: 60 Calexico, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C. Section 371
Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigations Division
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations
California Department of Toxic Substances Control
Buffalo felon arrested on new gun chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that William Morrison, Jr., 26, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, late in the evening of July 19, 2024, Buffalo Police responded to the area of Ashley and Mohr Streets for a report of a man with a gun. The caller indicated the suspect, later identified as Morrison, was wearing an ankle bracelet and was waiving a black pistol around. The caller then reported that the suspect was inside an Ashley Street residence, which was referred to as a “dope house.” When officers arrived, they observed Morrison running from the rear of the residence. Morrison was quickly apprehended. Officers searched the area of the yard where Morrison had fled and recovered a loaded 9mm handgun. In November 2019, Morrison was convicted of a felony gun charge in Erie County Court and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Morrison made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was held pending a detention hearing.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Alfonse Wright, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Buffalo felon arrested on new gun chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that William Morrison, Jr., 26, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, late in the evening of July 19, 2024, Buffalo Police responded to the area of Ashley and Mohr Streets for a report of a man with a gun. The caller indicated the suspect, later identified as Morrison, was wearing an ankle bracelet and was waiving a black pistol around. The caller then reported that the suspect was inside an Ashley Street residence, which was referred to as a “dope house.” When officers arrived, they observed Morrison running from the rear of the residence. Morrison was quickly apprehended. Officers searched the area of the yard where Morrison had fled and recovered a loaded 9mm handgun. In November 2019, Morrison was convicted of a felony gun charge in Erie County Court and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Morrison made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was held pending a detention hearing.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Alfonse Wright, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Bryan County Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Sean Paul Duer, age 58, of Durant, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to an Information of one count of Possession With Intent To Distribute Methamphetamine, punishable by up to twenty years in prison.
The Information alleged that on May 12, 2024, Duer knowingly and intentionally possessed a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, intending to distribute it.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Durant Police Department.
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Duer will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard J. Lorenz and Michael E. Robinson represented the United States.
Boyd County Man Sentenced for Armed Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
ASHLAND, Ky. – An Ashland man, Phillip Conley, 28, was sentenced on Monday to 180 months in prison, by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning, for possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
In February 2024, law enforcement officers with the Northeast Kentucky Drug Task Force (NKYDTF) began an investigation into the drug trafficking activities of Conley. On April 4, 2024, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Conley’s residence. During the search law enforcement located 57.6 grams of fentanyl, two firearms, and ammunition.
Conley admitted that he intended to distribute the fentanyl, and that he possessed the firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking crime. He also admitted to knowing that he was a convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Conley was previously convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance first degree in Boyd Circuit Court in May 2017.
Under federal law, Conley must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for eight years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by ATF and Northeast Kentucky Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Rieker is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, Acting U.S. Attorney McCaffrey coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
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Baltimore Man Pleads Guilty in Federal Court to Fentanyl, Firearm, and Unemployment Insurance Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Today, Vincent Ford, 22, of Baltimore, Maryland, pled guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and oxycodone; possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon; and wire fraud, in connection with fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the plea with Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer, National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG); and Chief Malik Aziz, Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD).
According to the guilty plea, on February 17, 2023, PGPD officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with heavily tinted windows. During the traffic stop, officers detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. The driver acknowledged there was marijuana in the car.
Ford was the passenger in the vehicle and officers noticed that he was wearing an unzipped gray satchel. After searching the vehicle, officers found a loaded Taurus G3C semi-automatic firearm under the passenger seat where Ford had been sitting. It was loaded with 13 rounds of 9mm ammunition in the magazine and one round of 9mm ammunition in the chamber ready to be fired. The firearm was previously reported stolen from a vehicle in Baltimore County.
Law enforcement also searched Ford’s satchel and person, recovering 46 30mg blue pills that contained fentanyl, a 20mg white pill that contained oxycodone, three 15mg green pills that contained oxycodone, and more than $1,000 in cash.
Ford admitted to possessing the fentanyl and oxycodone pills with the intent to distribute them. He also acknowledged that he possessed the loaded Taurus firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking. Due to a previous felony conviction, Ford is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
Additionally, a subsequent investigation revealed that Ford also engaged in COVID-19 UI fraud. According to the plea, between at least June 13, 2020, and November 19, 2020, Ford participated in a scheme to defraud the Maryland Department of Labor of at least $17,000 in UI benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, several federal programs expanded UI eligibility and increased UI benefits to provide emergency assistance to struggling Americans. Ford fraudulently took advantage of that program and filed at least six false UI claims, using stolen identities of real persons. Two of the fraudulent claims resulted in the disbursement of $17,000 in funds in the names of two of the identity theft victims. He obtained $2,580 of that amount from a bank card in the name of one of the victims.
Ford faces a maximum sentence of 15 years for the felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition charge; a maximum of 20 years for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and oxycodone; and a maximum of 20 years for wire fraud in connection with his fraudulent COVID-19 unemployment insurance scheme. Judge Deborah L. Boardman scheduled sentencing for Monday, November 3, at 2 p.m.
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.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the ATF, DOL-OIG, and PGPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick D. Kibbe and Nicholas F. Potter who are prosecuting the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Attorney General Pamela Bondi Appoints Career Prosecutor Theodore S. Hertzberg as Interim United States AttorneyRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Attorney General Pamela Bondi has appointed Theodore S. Hertzberg as Interim United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546, which provides that “the Attorney General may appoint a United States [A]ttorney for the district in which the office of United States [A]ttorney is vacant.” This appointment took effect on May 13, 2025. Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr. administered Mr. Hertzberg’s oath of office on May 14, 2025.
Mr. Hertzberg previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for nearly ten years. His tenure with the Justice Department began in the Savannah headquarters of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia. In Savannah, Mr. Hertzberg prosecuted violent criminals, drug dealers, fraudsters, and money launderers while also serving as chief of the asset forfeiture section. Upon relocating to Atlanta in 2018, Mr. Hertzberg transferred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, where he prosecuted gang leaders, child sex predators, gun traffickers, armed felons, and other dangerous offenders.
Before joining the Department of Justice, Mr. Hertzberg practiced law in the New York office of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, and he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Kristi K. DuBose of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama.
U.S. Attorney Hertzberg is a graduate of Amherst College and New York University School of Law.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Atlanta Attorney Sentenced in Syndicated Conservation Easement Tax SchemeRead the Press Release
A Georgia attorney was sentenced today to 16 months in prison for obstructing the IRS in connection with his participation in the promotion of abusive syndicated conservation easement tax shelters.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Vi Bui was an attorney and partner at Sinnott & Co., an Atlanta-based company. Beginning at least in 2012 and continuing through at least May 2020, Bui participated in a scheme to defraud the IRS by organizing, marketing, implementing, and selling illegal syndicated conservation easement tax shelters created and organized by co-conspirators Jack Fisher, James Sinnott, and others. Fisher and Sinnott were convicted at trial for their involvement in the scheme, and in January 2024, they were sentenced to 25 and 23 years in prison, respectively.
The scheme entailed the creation of partnerships that purchased land and land-owning companies and then donated conservation easements over that land or the land itself. Appraisers generated fraudulent and inflated appraisals of the conservation easements. The partnerships then claimed a charitable contribution tax deduction based on the inflated value of the conservation easement, resulting in a fraudulent tax deduction flowing to the wealthy clients who purchased units in the partnership. Many of these clients joined the tax shelters after the donation of the interest in land and after the end of the relevant tax year. Bui knew that in order to make it appear that the participants had timely purchased their units in the tax shelters, Fisher, Sinnott, and others backdated and instructed others to backdate documents, including subscription agreements, checks, and other documents.
Bui anticipated that the syndicated conservation easement transactions would be audited. In order to deceive the IRS, Bui and others took steps to make the partnerships appear as legitimate real estate development companies. They created and disseminated lengthy documents disguising the true nature of the transaction, instituted sham “votes” for what to do with the land that the partnership owned despite knowing that outcome was predetermined, and falsified paperwork such as appraisals and subscription agreements.
In one instance, when investigators conducted an undercover operation in 2018, Bui, believing that the IRS was auditing an individual’s tax returns, prepared false documents related to a 2014 syndicated conservation easement tax shelter with the intent to make it appear that the documents were executed before the purported donation of the conservation easement in 2014 and before the 2014 tax returns had been filed.
Bui earned substantial income for his role in the illegal scheme. He also used the fraudulent tax shelters to evade his own taxes, filing false personal tax returns from 2013 through 2018 that claimed false tax deductions from the illegal syndicated conservation easement tax shelters.
In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Timothy C. Batten Sr. for the Northern District of Georgia ordered Bui to serve one year of supervised release and to pay $8,250,244 in total restitution to the IRS.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia made the announcement. They also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina for their assistance in the investigation of this matter.
IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.
Senior Litigation Counsel Richard M. Rolwing, and Trial Attorneys Parker Tobin, Jessica Kraft, and Nicholas Schilling of the Tax Division prosecuted the case, with support from Assistant U.S. Attorney Samir Kaushal for the Northern District of Georgia.
Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Possession with Intent to Distribute MarinjuanaRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Trevion Dickson, a multi-convicted felon who again illegally possessed guns and drugs, will spend the next 30 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the 360-month total sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.
A federal grand jury indicted Dickson, 43, of Pine Bluff, in an indictment on December 5, 2023. On February 6, 2025, Dickson pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Judge Miller sentenced Dickson to 30 years on the firearm charge and five years on the drug charge, with the sentences to run concurrently.
On January 6, 2023, law enforcement officers from the White Hall Police Department were dispatched to an immobile vehicle revving its engine in the roadway. Dickson was standing next to the vehicle and upon questioning, Dickson fled from police on foot. He was later apprehended in a shed hiding behind a lawn mower and had to be physically restrained when officers attempted to take him into custody. At the time, Dickson had active felony warrants pending and was a parolee with a search waiver on file. Officers searched Dickson’s person and located methamphetamine, synthetic marijuana, marijuana, and alprazolam. During a search of Dickson’s vehicle officers located two sets of digital scales, marijuana, and a Smith & Wesson 9mm firearm.
Dickson has five previous felony cocaine convictions and two prior felony firearm convictions, as well as numerous other convictions. His criminal history classified him as an armed career criminal and enhanced his sentence.
Judge Miller also sentenced Dickson to three years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by DEA with assistance from the White Hall Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacy Williams.
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Albany Sex Offender Sentenced for Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Stephen Brisee a/k/a Sage Brisee, age 31, of Albany, was sentenced today to 180 months in prison following a guilty plea to all six counts of an indictment charging distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography.
United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office, made the announcement.
Brisee previously admitted to receiving and distributing videos of adults subjecting girls between the ages of 6 months and 10 years to sexual penetration. A search of a phone revealed Brisee’s possession of a collection of other child pornography images. At the time of the offenses, Brisee was a registered sex offender on post-release supervision following a New York State conviction for promoting a sexual performance by a child. Brisee had been released from state prison only months prior to committing this new offense.
United States Attorney Sarcone stated: “This conduct was especially egregious because the defendant was released from prison for another child pornography offense less than six months before. With our law enforcement partners my office will continue to take all available actions to hold sex offenders accountable to the fullest extent to the law when they commit new crimes.”
HSI Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan stated: “Brisee received and shared images depicting some of the most inhumane crimes imaginable against defenseless children and babies as young as 6 months old. Our community is significantly safer with this repeat sex offender no longer roaming freely. I thank HSI Albany personnel and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York for ensuring this defendant was sent back to prison where he can no longer hurt children."
United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also imposed a 20-year-term of supervised release and ordered Brisee to pay $3,000 in restitution. Brisee will be required to continue to register as a sex offender upon release from imprisonment.
HSI investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner prosecuted as a part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
5 Defendants Federally Charged in Los Angeles, Orange Counties as Part of Nationwide Crackdown on Child Sexual Abuse OffendersRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Attorney General Pamela Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel recently announced an unprecedented national initiative to protect the most vulnerable members of our communities. The FBI launched a coordinated effort with all field offices in a sweeping action to identify, track and arrest child sex predators.
Since the end of April, the FBI arrested 205 subjects across the country and rescued 115 children during Operation Restore Justice. These subjects are accused of various crimes including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors, and child sex trafficking. They include school leaders and registered sex offenders, among others.
In the Central District of California, a seven-county jurisdiction that includes Los Angeles and Orange counties, five defendants were charged with federal crimes as follows:
- Andrew Castillon, 47, of El Monte, was arrested May 1 on a federal criminal complaint charging him with possession of child pornography. A federal magistrate judge ordered him released on $5,000 bond. Castillon’s arraignment is scheduled for May 27 in United States District Court in Los Angeles. Assistant United States Attorney Thi H. Ho of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
- Jose Olvera, 34, of North Hollywood, was arrested May 1 on a federal indictment charging him with two counts of distribution of child pornography and five counts of possession of child pornography. He pleaded not guilty to all charges at his arraignment and a June 23 trial was scheduled in this case. A federal magistrate judge ordered him jailed without bond. Assistant United States Attorney Mikaela W. Gilbert-Lurie of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
- Steven Martin Nuss, 66, of San Juan Capistrano, was arrested May 9 on a two-count federal grand jury indictment charging him with distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He pleaded not guilty to both charges and a federal magistrate judge ordered him jailed without bond. He is scheduled to go to trial on July 1. Assistant United States Attorney Melissa S. Rabbani of the Orange County Office is prosecuting this case.
- David Eugene Parker, 55, of La Palma, was arrested April 30 on federal grand jury indictment charging him with two counts of possession of child pornography. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and a federal magistrate judge ordered him released on $100,000 bond. A June 24 trial date is scheduled in this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Lauren E. Border of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
- Gregory Cole Jr., 30, of Lancaster, was arrested April 30 in Arizona after he failed to appear at his trial earlier last month in which a jury found him guilty in absentia of one count of production of child pornography, one count of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, and one count of receipt of child pornography. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 23, at which time he will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Assistant United States Attorney Derek R. Flores of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.
Two additional individuals were arrested in Los Angeles for sexual exploitation of a child and charges of coercion and enticement, respectively; however, those cases are being prosecuted in separate districts.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
“Sexual predators who target children leave emotional scars that can last a lifetime,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Along with our law enforcement partners, we seek to bring a measure of solace to victims and put criminals on notice that they risk lengthy prison sentences and severe penalties for harming children.”
“The amount of child predators arrested during Operation Restore Justice should shock the conscience of any law-abiding citizen and parents or guardians, in particular,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Each day, our agents are tackling criminal allegations involving children, whether it be online dangers such as ‘sextortion,’ emerging nihilist extremist networks such as ‘764,’ or children being groomed by someone close to them. We urge caretakers of all children to educate themselves about these constant threats targeting the most vulnerable members of our society.”
As the nation marked National Child Abuse Prevention month in April, the timing of this effort was a culmination of countless hours by hundreds of FBI agents. It further underscores the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face. While the Bureau works relentlessly to investigate these crimes every day, April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of prevention and community education.
The FBI takes a proactive approach to identify unknown individuals involved in the sexual exploitation of children and the production of child sexual abuse material. We do that through our Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Forces (CEHTTFs) located in each field office. This allows the FBI to combine resources with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The FBI also partners with the nonprofit National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org.
In 2004, the FBI created the Endangered Child Alert Program (ECAP) to identify individuals involved in the sexual abuse of children and the production of child sexual abuse material. The program is a collaborative effort between the FBI and the NMCEC.
The FBI also offers resources for parents and caregivers to stay engaged with their children’s online and offline activities. The FBI's Safe Online Surfing (SOS) program teaches students in grades 3 to 8 how to navigate the web safely.
The FBI urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through our tiplines at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.
Other online resources:
- Electronic Press Kit:
- Violent Crimes Against Children
- How we can help you: Parents and caregivers protecting your kids
18th Street Gang Associate Pleads Guilty to Dealing FentanylRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An associate of the 18th Street Gang pleaded guilty yesterday to drug charges in federal court in Boston.
Elvin Martinez-Flores, 23, of Everett, pleaded guilty to distributing and possessing with intent to distribute 40 grams and more of fentanyl. United States District Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for Aug. 5, 2025. Martinez-Flores was charged by criminal complaint in January 2025.
On Sept. 20, 2024, Martinez sold approximately 400 pressed fentanyl pills to a cooperating witness. Later, on Oct. 28, 2024, Martinez sold another 500 pressed fentanyl pills to the cooperating witness.
The charge of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1,000,000. 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; Kim Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations; Suffolk County and Middlesex County District Attorney’s Offices; and the Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Falmouth, Lynn, Medford, Nantucket and Revere Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Moran and Fred Wyshak of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit are prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
13 May 2025
Wolf Point man pleads guilty to multiple assault charges on the Fort Peck Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS - A Wolf Point man accused of assaulting two individuals on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The defendant, Philip Ray Azure, 22, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon related to two separate incidents. Azure faces a term of imprisonment of ten years, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for September 24, 2025. Azure was detained pending further proceedings.
The first incident occurred on March 16, 2023, when Azure went to John Doe’s residence in Wolf Point, on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Azure and John Doe were friends and were drinking alcohol together. Azure became intoxicated and was asked to leave for being too loud. A family member of Doe’s, who also lives in the home, started to walk Azure out. As he was leaving, he struck the family member. John Doe confronted Azure about hitting his family member. Azure pulled out a knife and stabbed Doe in the chest and then turned and walked away without saying anything.
Doe was rushed to the hospital for treatment of his serious injuries. The stab wound pierced his lung, causing a partial collapse that caused blood, gas, and air to build in the space between his lungs and rib cage. Doe was airlifted to Billings for surgery. After surgery to repair his lung, Doe spent a week in the hospital before being discharged.
The second incident happened on January 27, 2024. Azure and several friends, including two co-defendants, and the victim, John Doe 2, were in a yard in Wolf Point, on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, playing a game of “slap-boxing.” The fighting escalated and eventually the group separated. Azure and his co-defendants returned home, and John Doe 2 arrived a short time later asking for his phone. Azure and his co-defendants exited the home and confronted Doe 2 in the driveway.
Several people witnessed the assault. One witness described seeing Azure and his co-defendants hitting John Doe 2 and saw someone using a bat and someone else using a hammer. A second witness saw Azure and his two co-defendants approach Doe 2 while he backed away and said all three “jumped” Doe 2. That witness saw Azure use a bat during the assault.
Doe 2 died at the scene before law enforcement arrived. According to an autopsy, he died from blunt and sharp force injuries to the head and chest, including a stab wound to the chest that perforated Doe 2’s sternum, heart, and esophagus.
Azure was arrested the day after the second assault. He initially claimed he wasn’t there when Doe 2 was assaulted. He later admitted he was involved but didn’t remember the details because he was intoxicated. He claimed Doe 2 had a big knife and he ultimately hit Doe 2 with a bat to stop him from using the knife. None of the other witnesses reported seeing Doe 2 with a knife.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI, Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice, and Wolf Point Police Department conducted the investigation.
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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Wewoka Resident Sentenced to 27 Years for Second Degree Murder and Federal Firearm CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Joseph Celdon Mullins, age 22, of Wewoka, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 210 months in prison for one count of Murder in Indian Country - Second Degree. Mullins was also sentenced to 120 months in prison for one count of using, carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The terms are set to be served consecutively.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Tribal Police Department, the Seminole Nation Lighthorse Police Department, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
On November 6, 2024, Mullins pleaded guilty to the charges. According to investigators on June 20, 2023, Mullins pulled a 9mm pistol during an argument with a neighbor and fired twice. One bullet struck the victim, who died on the scene. The crimes occurred in Seminole County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Mullins 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 Kevin Gross represented the United States.
Wesley Chapel Man Sentenced in Quit Claim Deed Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced John Alberto Stolard (48, Wesley Chapel) to one year and one day in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud involving quit claim deeds. The court also ordered Stolard to forfeit $747,388.30, which are traceable to Stolard’s proceeds from the offense. Stolard pleaded guilty on October 3, 2024.
According to court records, Stolard obtained fraudulent quit claim deeds in connection with five different properties—all owned by a victim Stolard had worked with and knew personally. Stolard obtained $827,000 in fraud proceeds by obtaining mortgages on five properties he did not actually own through fraudulent quit claim deeds he filed with the Hillsborough County Clerk of Court. Stolard and a co-conspirator forged the victim-owner’s name on quit claim deeds and then filed these fraudulent deeds with the court. Using the fraudulent deeds, Stolard applied online for mortgage loans, using the victims’ properties as collateral, and ultimately obtained $827,000 in mortgage loans.
U.S. Secret Service, Tampa Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Robert Engel stated, “Through our investigation, we uncovered how selfish greed nearly caused devastating financial losses for an innocent victim. Mr. Stolard epitomized the betrayal of trust, abusing his position to steal over $800,000 in property while fraudulently posing as the rightful owner. Thanks to the men and women of our Tampa Field Office, the United States Attorney's Office, and our partners at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office for their swift and dedicated work. We are pleased that justice was served.”
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.
Waterloo Man Who Attempted to Murder Victim Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who discharged multiple rounds of ammunition in downtown Waterloo during a murder attempt was sentenced on May 12, 2025, to more than thirteen years in federal prison.
Laindrell Myquail Cooper, age 22, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 21, 2024 guilty plea to possession of ammunition by a felon.
Information from sentencing showed that Cooper was a member of a gang in Waterloo. On the morning of November 18, 2022, an associate of Cooper’s got into an argument with the victim at a barbershop in downtown Waterloo. Cooper’s associate called someone to bring Cooper downtown. Cooper was dressed in all black clothing, including a mask. Cooper was dropped off a few blocks from the barbershop. After briefly entering and exiting the barbershop, he located the victim across the street. Cooper walked into the middle of the street, around a city bus, and then fired at least six rounds of ammunition at the victim, pursuing him as he sought shelter in the entryway of a storefront. Cooper’s actions caused another man to discharge his firearm as three of his family members were in a car in or near the line of fire. No one was injured. Two storefronts and two cars were damaged by gunfire. Additional evidence established that Cooper previously possessed a firearm that ballistics testing showed was discharged in a shots-fired incident that occurred in Waterloo on July 5, 2021.
Cooper was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. In pronouncing the sentence, Chief Judge Williams stated that Cooper represented “a clear and present danger to the public.” Cooper was sentenced to 160 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.
Cooper 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 Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by 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 23-CR-2034.
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U.S. Attorney’s Office is Looking for Additional Victims in the iCare Gifting Solutions CaseRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – The U.S. Attorney’s Office is looking for additional victims ahead of the sentencing, in June, of Robert Rahlre, who pled guilty earlier this year to tax evasion and wire fraud.
As part of his guilty plea, Rahrle admitted that from 2017 to 2024, he ran a fraudulent online gift basket website called iCare Gifting Solutions LLC. iCare purported to cater to families of incarcerated individuals, promising to send care packages into prisons. iCare charged hundreds of customers approximately $50 per gift basket but never sent the gift packages.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 11, 2025, before Senior United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby in Syracuse.
Victims of the charged offense have a right to request restitution for financial loss.
If you are a victim of Rahlre’s fraud scheme who wants to complete a statement about the impact of the crime on you and/or to request the Court to order the defendant to pay you restitution, please send your statement to [email protected] by no later than June 6. Anyone claiming to be a victim of iCare Gifting Solutions must provide documentation of a purchase they made from that company.
More information is available on the Victim Witness Assistance page of the U.S. Attorney’s Office web site.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Recognizes National Police Week, Sacrifice and Dedication of Fallen OfficersRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In observance of National Police Week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois recognizes the service and sacrifice of federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and pays tribute to the officers who have fallen in the line of duty. This year, National Police Week is observed Sunday, May 11, through Saturday, May 17, 2025.
“We honor the dedicated and brave law enforcement officers across the country and here in the Central District of Illinois, said Acting U.S. Attorney Gregory M. Gilmore. “Every day, these officers go to work to make our communities safer. Our office is incredibly fortunate to work with these public servants and has seen firsthand the good that they do for those in our own district. Their important work, however, all too often places them in danger, and, tragically, officers across the nation and in our district have lost their lives in the line of duty. My thoughts and prayers are with their families and colleagues.”
In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices. Peace Officers Memorial Day, which every year falls on May 15, specifically honors law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.
The Central District of Illinois grieves the officers who served and were killed in the line of duty in 2024 and this year. In this district, Illinois State Police Trooper Corey S. Thompson tragically lost his life in the line of duty in a traffic accident in Champaign County, Illinois, on October 18, 2024.
One hundred and forty-eight federal, state, county, municipal, military, tribal, and campus officers died in the line of duty in 2024, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
The names of more than 345 officers killed in the line of duty who have been added to the wall at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial will be read on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at the 37th Annual Candlelight Vigil in Washington, D.C. To view a livestream of this event, visit https://nleomf.org/memorial/programs/national-police-week-2025/candlelight-vigil/. To learn more about National Police Week and the virtual candlelight vigil, please visit www.policeweek.org.
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Reference to any specific organization or service(s) offered by an organization is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Department of Justice.
Troy Man Pleads Guilty to Marijuana Trafficking and Money Laundering ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Isiah Ti-Quan Clements, aka “Zay,” age 38, of Troy, New York, pled guilty today to marijuana trafficking and money laundering.
United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III; Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division; Troy Police Chief Daniel DeWolf; and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “This prosecution of a sophisticated marijuana trafficking and money laundering organization was made possible by the close collaboration of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies on both coasts. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law and we continue to investigate and prosecute the criminal organizations profiting mightily from its illicit distribution.”
Clements admitted to being a member of a marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) trafficking organization that cultivated marijuana on a commercial scale in Fresno, California, and shipped thousands of kilograms of marijuana and THC from Fresno to locations throughout the United States, including the Capital Region of New York. Clements also admitted to laundering marijuana and THC proceeds for the organization.
Clements admitted to receiving packages of marijuana shipped by Dwight A. Singletary, II, aka “Nutt” and “Mike Jones,” and McKenzie Merrialice Coles, aka “Kenzie,” from a shipping store in Fresno, Fast Pack & Ship, at his home and a restaurant in Troy. Clements also arranged shipments of marijuana to his sister, LaFay Pearson, aka “Lala,” at her apartment in Troy, and coordinated the receipt of shipments of marijuana by his aunt, Consanga Harris, aka “Sondy,” at her home in Troy. After the packages of marijuana were delivered to the defendant, Harris, and Pearson, they were picked up by or dropped off to David Singletary, aka “DB.”
Clements was notified of the shipments of marijuana by Coles and Dwight Singletary and was paid between $300 and $400 for each package of marijuana received. Between June 2018 and May 2022, the defendant received and coordinated the receipt of approximately 1,102 kilograms (2,429 pounds) of marijuana.
Clements also laundered marijuana and THC proceeds for the organization, including by exchanging $110,200 in cash drug proceeds consisting of small bills for large bills at a bank and credit union in the Capital Region; purchasing over $127,000 in cashier’s checks with cash drug proceeds; flying from the Capital Region to Fresno with suitcases full of cash drug proceeds; depositing cash drug proceeds into business and other accounts held by Coles and Dwight Singletary; sending over $20,000 in money transfers purchased with cash drug proceeds from the Capital Region to Fresno and Modesto, California; and paying contractors working on properties in the Capital Region owned by Dwight Singletary and his company, DAS Empire, Inc., with cash drug proceeds.
Clements faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison on the two counts to which he pled guilty, conspiring to distribute marijuana and conspiring to commit money laundering; fines of up to $10.25 million; and a term of supervised release of between 5 years and life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
Clements was charged in an indictment with Dwight Singletary, David Singletary, Coles, Pearson, Harris, and 18 other people charging marijuana distribution and money laundering conspiracies, firearms offenses, and other crimes. Dwight Singletary, David Singletary, and Coles have pled not guilty and are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations as to them.
In addition to Clements, Person, and Harris, 15 other defendants – Rosemary Coles, Latrice Mumphrey, Lawrence Mumphrey, aka “L,” Sammy Olague, Victor Turner, Kristle Walker, Niara Banks, aka “Nie,” Ruby Ledesma, Lateek White, Onisha Smith, Jazell Shuler, Earnest Flood, aka “Pop,” James Tyrell Daniels, aka “Red” and “Ghost,” Alyssa June White, and Toquanda Ketchmore, aka “Quannie” – previously pled guilty.
The ATF, DEA, Troy Police Department and HSI are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cyrus P.W. Rieck and Dustin C. Segovia are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Toppenish Man Pleads Guilty to Assault and Firearm Charges for Shooting at Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
Yakima, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that Leland James Vijarro, age 26, of Toppenish, Washington, pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington to assault and firearm charges for shooting at federal officers.
Based on court documents and information presented at the change-of-plea hearing, at around 9 p.m. on February 10, 2024, law enforcement in Toppenish, Washington, responded to reports that two vehicles were chasing one another. According to these reports, the vehicles’ occupants were firing gunshots at one another
When officers responded to the scene and stopped one of the vehicles involved, Vijarro, who was a passenger in the vehicle, got out and ran from the scene, armed with a .45 caliber pistol and ammunition. Vijarro then fled into a nearby home in attempt to hide from law enforcement. At this point, law enforcement set up a permitter around the home where Vijarro was apparently hiding.
Just before 11p.m., Vijarro walked into the backyard of the home and fired three shots at law enforcement. Vijarro then stood on top a pallet in the backyard, took up a shooting stance while aiming at law enforcement, and fired two more shots. Two Yakima County Sheriff’s Office vehicles were hit by bullets fired by Vijarro.
Vijarro eventually surrendered to law enforcement after breaking into a home next door and barricading himself inside. These events, including the shots fired at law enforcement, occurred on the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation. Mr. Vijarro is not an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation.
At the change-of-plea hearing, Vijarro admitted that he intentionally fired at law enforcement officers, who had set up a perimeter around the home he had barricaded himself in.
“Firing at law enforcement officers is an intolerable act of violence that puts lives at risk and undermines public safety,” stated Acting United States Attorney Rich Barker. Mr. Vijarro’s reckless and dangerous actions could have resulted in tragedy. I commend the officers involved for their professionalism and restraint. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working closely with our federal, state, local, and Tribal partners to hold violent offenders accountable and protect our communities.”
“During Police Week, we are especially reminded of how law enforcement place themselves daily in harm’s way to protect us. FBI Seattle and our partners are committed to combatting violent crime to keep our communities safe, including on tribal lands,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “From the vehicle chase to the hiding in houses, so many parts of this scenario were dangerous and could have resulted in far worse results than the damaged sheriff’s office vehicles. We are thankful no one was injured by Mr. Vijarro’s actions.”
United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke accepted Vijarro’s plea and set sentencing for August 11, 2025.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bree R. Black Horse.
1:24-cr-02055-MKD
Suffolk man sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexually exploiting minorsRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Suffolk man was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for sexual exploitation of children.
According to court documents, Gary Owens Jr., 42, of Suffolk, engaged in a scheme to "catfish" teenage boys. Using images of a real, adult woman, including sexually explicit images, Owens pretended to be a minor female named “Jessica Lincon” on Instagram before enticing boys to Kik to obtain sexually explicit images and videos from them.
Owens exploited children over at least a five-year period from 2019 to 2023 and amassed a collection of at least 1,800 images and videos of child sexual abuse material and age questionable material. Law enforcement identified at least 35 minor victims in 2022 alone.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Sean Ryan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes. This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. Significant assistance was provided by the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura D. Withers and Rebecca Gantt prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-78.
Statement of U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton on Court-Ordered Reforms at Rikers IslandRead the Press Release
The Court’s findings and appointment of a remediation manager are a welcomed and much needed milestone. Rikers is not working, for its over 7,000 people in custody, the correction officers and staff who work there, or the people of New York. The Constitutional rights of people in custody are not being protected. The Court’s order provides the manager with broad authority, requires consultation and cooperation between the manager and the Commissioner of the Department of Correction, and, importantly, requires the development of a benchmarked plan for improvement and returning authority to the City. The women and men of the Southern District stand ready to work with the Court Monitor, the new manager, and the Commissioner to finally achieve sustainable and lasting reform of the City’s jail system.
nunez_opinion.pdfSinaloa Cartel Leaders Charged with Narco-Terrorism, Material Support of Terrorism and Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
An indictment unsealed today is the first in the nation to charge alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel with narco-terrorism and material support of terrorism in connection with trafficking massive amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin into the United States.
Pedro Inzunza Noriega and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, are charged with narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and money laundering as key leaders of the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO), a powerful and violent faction of the Sinaloa Cartel that is believed to be the world’s largest known fentanyl production network. Five other BLO leaders are charged with drug trafficking and money laundering. The indictment is a direct result of President Trump’s Executive Order 14157 which designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and the Secretary of State’s subsequent designation of the same on February 20, 2025.
“The Sinaloa Cartel is a complex, dangerous terrorist organization and dismantling them demands a novel, powerful legal response,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Their days of brutalizing the American people without consequence are over — we will seek life in prison for these terrorists.”
“Operation Take Back America initiatives reflect the reality that narco-terrorists operate as a cancer within a state,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California. “They metastasize violence, corruption and fear. If left unchecked, their growth would lead to the death of law and order. This indictment is what justice looks like when the full measure of the Department of Justice along with its law enforcement partners is brought to bear against the Sinaloa Cartel.”
“These charges highlight the unwavering efforts of transnational criminal organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel to flood our communities with deadly drugs,” said Special Agent in Charge Shawn Gibson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Diego. “HSI and our law enforcement partners will not allow cartel-driven drug trafficking to threaten the safety and stability of our neighborhoods. We are all lasered focused on a unified effort to dismantling these networks and their factions in bringing those responsible to justice.”
“BLO, under the leadership of Inzunza Noriega, is allegedly responsible for some of the largest-ever drug seizures of fentanyl and cocaine destined for the United States,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “Their drugs not only destroy lives and communities, but also threaten our national security. The law enforcement efforts against the Noriegas reaffirms our commitment to dismantling and disrupting this very dangerous narco-terrorist group and combating narco-trafficking.”
According to court documents, since its inception the Beltran Leyva faction has been considered one of the most violent drug trafficking organizations to operate in Mexico, engaging in shootouts, murders, kidnappings, torture and violent collection of drug debts to sustain its operations. The Beltran Leyva faction controls numerous territories and plazas throughout Mexico – including Tijuana – and operates with violent impunity, trafficking in deadly drugs, threatening communities, and targeting key officials, all while making millions of dollars from their criminal activities.
Pedro Inzunza Noriega works closely with his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, to produce and aggressively traffic fentanyl to the United States, the government has alleged. Court documents indicate that together the father and son lead one of the largest and most sophisticated fentanyl production networks in the world. Over the past several years, they have trafficked tens of thousands of kilograms of fentanyl into the United States. On Dec. 3, 2024, Mexican law enforcement raided multiple locations in Sinaloa that are controlled and managed by the father and son and seized 1,500 kilograms (more than 1.65 tons) of fentanyl – the largest seizure of fentanyl in the world.
These indictments follow a notable tradition in the Southern District of California for targeting leadership and operations of powerful Mexican cartels – from the dismantling of the Arellano Felix Cartel to major strikes against today’s most dangerous, powerful and violent cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), and now the Beltran Leyva Organization. It is the first indictment from the newly formed Narco-Terrorism Unit in the Southern District of California which was established upon the swearing in of U.S. Attorney Gordon on April 11.
The indictment of Pedro Inzunza Noriega reflects the Southern District of California’s pursuit of the Sinaloa Cartel. Federal drug trafficking indictments are pending against all alleged leaders of its Beltran Leyva faction, including:
- Fausto Isidro Meza Flores aka “Chapo Isidro,” case number: 19-CR-1272 in the Southern District of California and 12-116BAH in the District of Columbia
- Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe aka “El Musico,” case number 19-CR-3736 in the Southern District of California; 09-CR-00672 in the Northern District of Illinois; 15-CR-00195 in the District of Columbia, and
- Pedro Inzunza Noriega aka “Sagitario,” case number 25cr1505.
The Southern District of California also has indictments pending against other leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, including:
- Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar aka “El Chapito,” case number 14-cr-00658 in the Southern District of California and 09-CR-383 in the Northern District of Illinois
- Ismael Zambada Sicairos aka “Mayito Flaco,” case number: 14-cr-00658 in the Southern District of California; and
- Jose Gil Caro Quintero aka “El Chino,” case number 22-cr-00036 in the District of Columbia
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Mellor and Matthew Sutton for the Southern District of California.
DEFENDANTS Case Number: 25cr1505
Pedro Inzunza Noriega Age: 62 Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
aka “Sagitario,” aka “120,” aka “El De La Silla”
Pedro Inzunza Coronel Age: 33 Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
Aka “Pichon,” Aka “Pajaro,” Aka “Bird”
David Alejandro Heredia Velazquez Age: 50 Guadalajara, Jalisco,
Aka “Tano,” Aka “Mr. Jordan” Mexico, and Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Oscar Rene Gonzalez Menendez Age: 45 Guatemala City,
Aka “Rubio” Guatemala
Elias Alberto Quiros Benavides Age: 53 San Jose, Costa Rica
Daniel Eduardo Bojorquez Age: 47 Nogales, Sonora, Mexico
Aka “Chopper”
Javier Alonso Vazquez Sanchez Age: 31 Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
Aka “Tito”, Aka “Drilo”
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 960a and 841 – Narco-Terrorism
Maximum penalty: Life in prison, mandatory minimum 20 years in prison; $20 million fine
Title 18, U.S.C. Sec. 2339B – Providing Material Support to Terrorism
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine
Title 21, U.S.C., Sec. 848(a) -Continuing Criminal Enterprise
Maximum penalty: Life in prison, mandatory minimum 20 years; $10 million fine
Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 952, 959, 960, and 963 - International Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances
Maximum penalty: Life in prison, mandatory minimum 10 years; $10 million fine
Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 841(a)(1) and 846 - Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances
Maximum penalty: Life in prison, mandatory minimum 10 years in prison; $10 million fine
Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 952, 960 and 963 – Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances
Maximum penalty: Life in prison, mandatory minimum 10 years; $10 million fine
Money Laundering Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1956(h)
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and a fine of the greater of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
HSI
FBI
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Sinaloa Cartel Leaders Charged with Narco-Terrorism, Material Support of Terrorism and Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – An indictment unsealed today is the first in the nation to charge alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel with narco-terrorism and material support of terrorism in connection with trafficking massive amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin into the United States.
Pedro Inzunza Noriega and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, are charged with narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and money laundering as key leaders of the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO), a powerful and violent faction of the Sinaloa Cartel that is believed to be the world’s largest known fentanyl production network. Five other BLO leaders are charged with drug trafficking and money laundering. The indictment is a direct result of President Trump’s Executive Order 14157 which designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and the Secretary of State’s subsequent designation of the same on February 20, 2025.
“The Sinaloa Cartel is a complex, dangerous terrorist organization and dismantling them demands a novel, powerful legal response,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Their days of brutalizing the American people without consequence are over — we will seek life in prison for these terrorists.”
“Operation Take Back America initiatives reflect the reality that narco-terrorists operate as a cancer within a state,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “They metastasize violence, corruption and fear. If left unchecked, their growth would lead to the death of law and order. This indictment is what justice looks like when the full measure of the Department of Justice along with its law enforcement partners is brought to bear against the Sinaloa Cartel.”
“These charges highlight the unwavering efforts of transnational criminal organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel to flood our communities with deadly drugs,” said Shawn Gibson, special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations San Diego. “HSI and our law enforcement partners will not allow cartel-driven drug trafficking to threaten the safety and stability of our neighborhoods. We are all lasered focused on a unified effort to dismantling these networks and their factions in bringing those responsible to justice.”
“BLO, under the leadership of Inzunza Noriega, is allegedly responsible for some of the largest-ever drug seizures of fentanyl and cocaine destined for the United States,” said FBI San Diego Acting Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi. “Their drugs not only destroy lives and communities, but also threaten our national security. The law enforcement efforts against the Noriegas reaffirms our commitment to dismantling and disrupting this very dangerous narco-terrorist group and combating narco-trafficking.”
According to court documents, since its inception the Beltran Leyva faction has been considered one of the most violent drug trafficking organizations to operate in Mexico, engaging in shootouts, murders, kidnappings, torture and violent collection of drug debts to sustain its operations. The Beltran Leyva faction controls numerous territories and plazas throughout Mexico – including Tijuana – and operates with violent impunity, trafficking in deadly drugs, threatening communities, and targeting key officials, all while making millions of dollars from their criminal activities.
Pedro Inzunza Noriega works closely with his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, to produce and aggressively traffic fentanyl to the United States, the government has alleged. Court documents indicate that together the father and son lead one of the largest and most sophisticated fentanyl production networks in the world. Over the past several years, they have trafficked tens of thousands of kilograms of fentanyl into the United States. On December 3, 2024, Mexican law enforcement raided multiple locations in Sinaloa that are controlled and managed by the father and son and seized 1,500 kilograms (more than 1.65 tons) of fentanyl – the largest seizure of fentanyl in the world.
These indictments follow a notable tradition in the Southern District of California for targeting leadership and operations of powerful Mexican cartels – from the dismantling of the Arellano Felix Cartel to major strikes against today’s most dangerous, powerful and violent cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco New Generation Cartel and now the Beltran Leyva Organization. It is the first indictment from the newly formed Narco-Terrorism Unit which was established upon the swearing in of U.S. Attorney Gordon on April 11, 2025.
The indictment of Pedro Inzunza Noriega reflects the Southern District of California’s pursuit of the Sinaloa Cartel. Federal drug trafficking indictments are pending against all alleged leaders of its Beltran Leyva faction, including:
- Fausto Isidro Meza Flores aka “Chapo Isidro,” case number: 19-CR-1272 in the Southern District of California and 12-116BAH in the District of Columbia
- Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe aka “El Musico,” case number 19-CR-3736 in the Southern District of California; 09-CR-00672 in the Northern District of Illinois; 15-CR-00195 in the District of Columbia, and
- Pedro Inzunza Noriega aka “Sagitario,” case number 25cr1505.
The Southern District of California also has indictments pending against other leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, including:
- Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar aka “El Chapito,” case number 14-cr-00658 in the Southern District of California and 09-CR-383 in the Northern District of Illinois
- Ismael Zambada Sicairos aka “Mayito Flaco,” case number: 14-cr-00658 in the Southern District of California; and
- Jose Gil Caro Quintero aka “El Chino,” case number 22-cr-00036 in the District of Columbia
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Mellor and Matthew Sutton.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 25cr1505
Pedro Inzunza Noriega Age: 62 Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
aka “Sagitario,” aka “120,” aka “El De La Silla”
Pedro Inzunza Coronel Age: 33 Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
Aka “Pichon,” Aka “Pajaro”
Aka “Bird”David Alejandro Heredia Velazquez Age: 50 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and
Aka “Tano,” Aka “Mr. Jordan” Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Oscar Rene Gonzalez Menendez Age: 45 Guatemala City, Guatemala Aka “Rubio”Elias Alberto Quiros Benavides Age: 53 San Jose, Costa Rica
Daniel Eduardo Bojorquez Age: 47 Nogales, Sonora, Mexico
Aka “Chopper”
Javier Alonso Vazquez Sanchez Age: 31 Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
Aka “Tito”, Aka “Drilo”
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 960a and 841 – Narco-Terrorism
Maximum penalty: Life in prison, mandatory minimum 20 years in prison; $20 million fine
Title 18, U.S.C. Sec. 2339B – Providing Material Support to Terrorism
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine
Title 21, U.S.C., Sec. 848(a) -Continuing Criminal Enterprise
Maximum penalty: Life in prison, mandatory minimum 20 years; $10 million fine
Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 952, 959, 960, and 963 - International Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances
Maximum penalty: Life in prison, mandatory minimum 10 years; $10 million fine
Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 841(a)(1) and 846 - Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances
Maximum penalty: Life in prison, mandatory minimum 10 years in prison; $10 million fine
Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 952, 960 and 963 – Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances
Maximum penalty: Life in prison, mandatory minimum 10 years; $10 million fine
Money Laundering Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1956(h)
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and a fine of the greater of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations
Federal Bureau of Investigation
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
Indictment
Unsealed 25CR1505CAB Indictment.pdfSin City Deciples Member Sentenced to 180 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Roger Lee Ervin Burton, age 55, of Merrillville, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to a racketeering conspiracy announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
Burton was sentenced to 180 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to the Second Superseding Indictment, the Sin City Deciples, originally formed in 1967 in Gary, Indiana, is an outlaw motorcycle organization in which its members and associates engaged in acts of violence, extortion, and narcotics distribution in the Northern District of Indiana and elsewhere.
Burton served as a National Board Member of the entire club and was described by informants as one of the top three leaders in the criminal organization.
The agencies involved in this prosecution were: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the East Chicago Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Gary Police Department, the Griffith Police Department, the Hammond Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area officers and agents, the Merrillville Police Department, the Munster Police Department, and the Schererville Police Department. Also aiding were the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Arkansas, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of Indiana, the Western District of Kentucky, and the Western District of Pennsylvania.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Nozick, Michael J. Toth, and former Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly L. Schultz.
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.
Richmond man sentenced to four years in prison after being found with over 20 kilograms of cocaineRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to four years in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
According to court documents, on Sept. 16, 2024, law enforcement conducting mobile traffic enforcement in Henrico County observed Sterling Hill Jr., 37, making an improper lane change. Officers then observed Hill failing to stop at a stop sign, and a traffic stop was initiated.
A K9 narcotics officer and his partner were on scene, and the canine alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. During a search of the vehicle, officers located a grocery bag in the rear floorboard of the vehicle that contained multiple kilograms of powder cocaine. Officers located more cocaine in a toolbox on the rear passenger seat. In total, Hill possessed over 20 kilograms of cocaine.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ibrar A. Mian, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; and Colette Wallace McEachin, Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Richmond, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Groover, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia L. Norman prosecuted the case. The Henrico Police Department assisted in the investigation of this case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-163.
Richmond Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Richmond, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for receiving child pornography, after having a prior state conviction for possession of child pornography.
Derek Shain, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Shain to serve supervised release for Life following his incarceration.
On January 16, 2025, Shain pleaded guilty to one count of receiving child pornography, after having a prior state conviction for possession of child pornography. According to court documents, Shain communicated with a 15-year-old minor female on a social media platform. He requested and received an image of child pornography from the minor female. A background investigation of Shain confirmed that Shain was a registered sex offender at the time of this offense. Shain also has prior state convictions for attempted child molestation in the first degree and age misrepresentation with intent to solicit a minor.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen A. Brackett. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sugar Creek, Missouri 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."
Richmond Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Create and Distribute Animal Crush VideosRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Richmond, Ky., man, Kendall Hacker, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves to 30 months in prison, for conspiracy to create and distribute animal crush videos.
Animal crushing is defined under federal criminal law as “actual conduct in which one or more living non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians, is purposely crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled, or otherwise subjected to serious bodily injury.”
According to his plea agreement, on November 4, 2021, through June 21, 2022, Hacker sent money through online payment applications to online group chats in which Hacker and other co-conspirators were members, for the purpose of creating, funding, and receiving animal crush videos. Co-conspirators outside the United States received this funding and used it create animal crush videos. Hacker possessed animal crush videos on his phone, including one that depicted a juvenile monkey being tortured with a jar of ants and sexually assaulted with an object that caused the juvenile monkey’s death.
Under federal law, Hacker must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; and Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by HSI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Greenfield is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
– END –
Puerto Rico Man Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Cocaine to Manchester through the United States Postal ServiceRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Puerto Rico man was sentenced today in federal court for drug trafficking in New Hampshire, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay Mccormack announces.
Lewistone Baez Miranda, 50, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Samantha Elliott to 78 months in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release. In January of this year, Baez Miranda pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He was indicted on this conspiracy charge along with five other co-defendants in December 2023.
“The defendant will spend the next six years in federal prison because he chose to use the United States Postal Service to facilitate his drug trafficking enterprise by shipping multiple kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to New Hampshire,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay Mccormack. “The United States Postal Inspectors in New Hampshire are tireless in their efforts to prevent the mail from being used for drug trafficking. Drug traffickers should take today’s sentence as a warning of what awaits if they try to use the mail for crime in the Granite State.”
“Illegal narcotics have no place in our neighborhoods or in the U.S. Mail. Mr. Miranda’s actions endangered not only communities in New Hampshire, but he also endangered the U.S. Postal Service employees who move and deliver the mail every day. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue our work to investigate and prevent the mail stream from being used by drug traffickers. We commend the efforts and collaboration between our agency and the Manchester Police Department for the successful outcome of this case,” said Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division
According to court documents and statements made in court, the defendant was the leader a drug trafficking organization that shipped cocaine from Puerto Rico to Manchester, New Hampshire. The defendant’s son, based in Puerto Rico, used fictitious information to send packages of cocaine through the United States Postal Service to Manchester at the direction of the defendant. The cocaine was often packaged in 500-gram or 1,000-gram bundles and hidden inside children’s games. The defendant employed co-conspirators to retrieve the packages of cocaine for him in Manchester. The defendant also sent suspected drug proceeds to his son in Puerto Rico, in one instance sending him a parcel containing $11,000. Between September 2020 and December 2021, the defendant’s drug trafficking organization shipped over 5.6 kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Manchester for redistribution.
The charging statute for the drug offense provides a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a term of supervised release of at least three years, and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. 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.
The United States Postal Inspection Service led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron Gingrande and Cesar Vega are prosecuting the case.
###
Praetorian Shield and Two Individuals Agree to Pay $221,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Connected to Fraudulently Obtained Small Business Contracts and KickbacksRead the Press Release
Praetorian Shield Inc., formerly a Delaware company, and Grady Baker, and his wife Ranya, have agreed to pay the United States $221,000 to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by fraudulently obtaining small business set-aside contracts.
This settlement further resolves allegations that Praetorian and the Bakers violated the Anti-Kickback Act. The settlement is based on Praetorian Shields’ and the Bakers’ financial condition and ability to pay.
“The Bakers’ conduct in fraudulently obtaining government small business contracts thwarts the purpose of the small business program, which is meant to support small and disadvantaged businesses, and deprives legitimate businesses of opportunities intended by Congress” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. “This settlement demonstrates our office’s commitment to protecting the integrity of the federal contracting programs and to holding accountable those who seek to gain an unfair advantage through deception.”
The settlement resolves allegations that between 2016 and 2023, Praetorian and the Bakers falsely represented that Praetorian was a Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). They made these false claims to obtain small business set-aside contracts awards from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for security services at federal buildings.
Praetorian was a purported small business subcontractor to Paragon Systems Inc. (Paragon), one of the federal government’s largest security guard providers at federal buildings throughout the U.S. The U.S. alleged that Paragon, acting through former high-ranking corporate executives, knowingly engaged in a fraudulent scheme to use purported small businesses that it controlled, such as Praetorian, to obtain DHS set-aside contracts for which Paragon was itself ineligible.
Grady Baker, who served as Paragon’s vice president of operations, allegedly instructed Ranya Baker to incorporate Praetorian using her middle and maiden names. Ranya Baker did not typically use her middle or maiden names for business or personal purposes. The Bakers controlled Praetorian, along with other high-level Paragon executives, and Grady Baker served as Praetorian’s de facto director of operations.
Through Grady Baker and other Paragon executives’ operational control, the Bakers and Praetorian knew that Praetorian was not an eligible small business. But they forged forward with devising the scheme to obtain DHS small business contracts for Paragon.
This settlement also resolves allegations that Praetorian and the Bakers provided more than $188,000 in kickbacks to Paragon executives and that Ms. Baker received $98,000 in kickbacks from another Paragon subcontractor, Patronus Systems Inc.
In November 2024, the United States resolved related civil claims against Paragon, recovering $52 million. Additionally, another purported small business, Athena Services International LLC (ASI), and its joint venture with Paragon, Athena Joint Venture Services LLC (AJVS) — along with their owner, Alisa Silverman — previously agreed to pay more than $1.6 million to resolve their liability in connection with the alleged Paragon small business contracting fraud scheme.
This settlement is the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, and DHS-OIG. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Marquardt and Senior Trial Counsel A. Thomas Morris, Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, who handled this matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Praetorian Shield and Two Individuals Agree to Pay $221,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Connected to Fraudulently Obtained Small Business Contracts and KickbacksRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Praetorian Shield Inc., formerly a Delaware company, and Grady Baker, and his wife Ranya, have agreed to pay the United States $221,000 to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by fraudulently obtaining small business set-aside contracts.
This settlement further resolves allegations that Praetorian and the Bakers violated the Anti-Kickback Act. The settlement is based on Praetorian Shields’ and the Bakers’ financial condition and ability to pay.
“The Bakers’ conduct in fraudulently obtaining government small business contracts thwarts the purpose of the small business program, which is meant to support small and disadvantaged businesses, and deprives legitimate businesses of opportunities intended by Congress” said Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. “This settlement demonstrates our office’s commitment to protecting the integrity of the federal contracting programs and to holding accountable those who seek to gain an unfair advantage through deception.”
The settlement resolves allegations that between 2016 and 2023, Praetorian and the Bakers falsely represented that Praetorian was a Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). They made these false claims to obtain small business set-aside contracts awards from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for security services at federal buildings.
Praetorian was a purported small business subcontractor to Paragon Systems Inc. (Paragon), one of the federal government’s largest security guard providers at federal buildings throughout the U.S. The U.S. alleged that Paragon, acting through former high-ranking corporate executives, knowingly engaged in a fraudulent scheme to use purported small businesses that it controlled, such as Praetorian, to obtain DHS set-aside contracts for which Paragon was itself ineligible.
Grady Baker, who served as Paragon’s vice president of operations, allegedly instructed Ranya Baker to incorporate Praetorian using her middle and maiden names. Ranya Baker did not typically use her middle or maiden names for business or personal purposes. The Bakers controlled Praetorian, along with other high-level Paragon executives, and Grady Baker served as Praetorian’s de facto director of operations.
Through Grady Baker and other Paragon executives’ operational control, the Bakers and Praetorian knew that Praetorian was not an eligible small business. But they forged forward with devising the scheme to obtain DHS small business contracts for Paragon.
This settlement also resolves allegations that Praetorian and the Bakers provided more than $188,000 in kickbacks to Paragon executives and that Ms. Baker received $98,000 in kickbacks from another Paragon subcontractor, Patronus Systems, Inc.
In November 2024, the United States resolved related civil claims against Paragon, recovering $52 million. Additionally, another purported small business, Athena Services International LLC (ASI), and its joint venture with Paragon, Athena Joint Venture Services LLC (AJVS) — along with their owner, Alisa Silverman — previously agreed to pay more than $1.6 million to resolve their liability in connection with the alleged Paragon small business contracting fraud scheme.
This settlement is the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, and DHS-OIG. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Marquardt and Senior Trial Counsel A. Thomas Morris, Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, who handled this matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Portland Gang Leader Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Drug Trafficking Conspiracy and Possessing a Weapon in PrisonRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A known leader of Portland’s 18th Street Gang was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison Friday for his leadership role in a local drug trafficking conspiracy and for possessing a weapon while in federal prison.
Noah Herrera, 26, was sentenced to 144 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.
According to court documents, Herrera was a second-in-command leader of the 18th Street Gang in Portland, working regularly with the gang’s local leader, Gustavo Torres-Mendez, who was sentenced in May 2024 to 164 months in federal prison. Together, the two men led various gang-driven activities including trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl in the Portland area. During this time, the 18th Street Gang was heavily armed and sold drugs acquired near the Mexico border in California to local buyers in and around Portland.
The government’s investigation exposed several major episodes in the gang’s activities. In August 2022, agents seized nearly nine pounds of methamphetamine after Herrera organized a transaction in Portland. Only weeks later, in early September 2022, federal agents monitoring the two leaders’ activities learned they and subordinate 18th Street Gang members had collected over $126,000 in cash after which Herrera and Torres-Mendez dispatched two members to California to purchase and pick up drugs. Agents monitored the return of the load vehicle, which was stopped near Grants Pass, Oregon, and over 104 pounds of methamphetamine and a smaller quantity of cocaine were seized. The methamphetamine was packaged in 56 separate plastic food containers.
On November 17, 2022, agents arrested Herrera and executed a search warrant at his Vancouver, Washington, home, where they found two loaded Glock pistols, ammunition, additional quantities of drugs, two scales with drug residue, a drug ledger, over $5000 in cash and several cell phones.
Agents also executed a search warrant at a residence in North Portland which had been used by the 18th Street Gang throughout the investigation as a meeting place and stash house. There, agents found and seized ten handguns in locations throughout the main rooms, a short-barreled shotgun, extended magazines, ammunition, body armor as well as additional drug evidence, packaging equipment and scales.
On September 25, 2023, while housed at FCI Sheridan pending trial, prison guards found Herrera in possession of a shiv (a six-inch sharpened piece of metal) prohibited by federal law.
On January 10, 2025, Herrera pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine, and possessing a dangerous weapon in a federal facility.
This case was investigated by the FBI and was prosecuted by Thomas H. Edmonds and Nicole M. Bockelman, Assistant United States Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
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 www.justice.gov/ocdetf.
Port Arthur woman sentenced to federal prison for trafficking fentanylRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Port Arthur woman has been sentenced to federal prison for possessing fentanyl for distribution in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.
Kailynn Ina Hardy, 25, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on May 13, 2025.
According to information presented in court, in August 2023, law enforcement began investigating Hardy for suspicion of drug trafficking in Jefferson County. During the investigation, officers were able to obtain fentanyl-laced pills which Hardy had distributed. Hardy admitted to being involved in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving at least 400 grams of fentanyl.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Beaumont Police Department; Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office; Port Neches Police Department; FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Port Arthur Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan C. Lee and Matt Quinn.
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Phenix City Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Production and Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Ala. – Today, Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced the sentencing of a Phenix City, Alabama man for producing and distributing child sexual abuse material. On May 12, 2025, a federal judge ordered 46-year-old Corey Joseph Brand to serve 360 months in prison. The judge also ordered that Brand remain on supervised release for five years following his prison term and to register as a sex offender. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to Brand’s plea agreement and other court records, in September 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a tip about the online upload of child sexual abuse materials, including images of a nude young female, using a social media website. The user of the account claimed to be an active-duty soldier in Georgia. The tip was referred to the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), which ultimately identified Brand as the source of the uploads. The investigation revealed that Brand deceptively used another individual’s identity to establish the account. Brand formally served in the Army but had previously been discharged.
A search warrant was executed at Brand’s residence in Phenix City, where agents examined multiple electronic devices. Forensic analysis revealed numerous images of child sexual abuse materials stored on those devices along with evidence that the images had been distributed to others. Further investigation revealed that Brand had previously used a minor victim to produce child sexual abuse material.
In 2024, a federal grand jury in Montgomery, Alabama charged Brand with producing and distributing child sexual abuse material. Brand pleaded guilty to those charges on February 7, 2025.
The Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated this case, with assistance from the Muscogee County, Georgia Sheriff’s Office, the Columbus, Georgia Police Department, the Phenix City, Alabama Police Department, the Auburn, Alabama Police Department, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Assistant United States Attorney Tara S. Ratz prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Pat Allen Potter Sentenced to 25 Years for Exploitation of A Child and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On May 8, 2025, Pat Allen Potter, 48, currently of Andersonville, Tennessee, was sentenced to 300 months imprisonment by the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville. Following Potter’s imprisonment, he will be on a lifetime supervised release and will be required to register with state sex offender registries and comply with special sex offender conditions.
As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Potter agreed to plead guilty to an indictment charging him with, one count of exploitation of a child in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a); and one count of possession of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252A(a)(5)(B) and 2252A(b)(2).
According to court filed documents, in March of 2024, Knoxville Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children and Homeland Security Investigations began an investigation after receiving a tip that Potter was uploading and storing child pornography (CP) onto a website. During the investigation, a ten -year-old victim was identified who was known to Potter. On March 19, 2024, law enforcement obtained and executed arrest and search warrants for Potter and electronics located at his residence. Forensic examinations were conducted which revealed Potter possessed 20 videos and 38 images of CP. Evidence further revealed that Potter produced CP of the 10-year-old victim and groomed the victim to make CP videos of herself for Potter.
U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee and Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) made the announcement.
The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by the Knoxville Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children (KPD-ICAC) and HSI. The investigation was headed by Detective Johnny Williams, HSI-ICAC task force officer. Also assisting in the prosecution were the Clinton Police Department and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Kolman represented the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), 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, PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab "resources.”
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Passaic County Man Charged with Sex Trafficking of a Minor, and Production and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Passaic County, New Jersey man has been charged for child sex trafficking and child pornography offenses, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Keshawn Harley, 38, of Paterson, New Jersey is charged by complaint with one count of sex trafficking of a minor, one count of production of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. Harley appeared on May 6, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa in Newark federal court and was detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Beginning in or around May 2022, minor victims began attending “after-hours” parties hosted by Harley at residences in Paterson, New Jersey, at which the victims engaged in commercial sex acts. Harley’s cell phone contained a picture of a news article regarding these victims being missing minors and numerous communications indicating that Harley was arranging for one of the minor victims to engage in commercial sex work. Harley’s cell phone also contained videos of that minor victim engaging in sex acts with Harley.
The charge of sex trafficking of a minor carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of production of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. The charge of possession of child pornography carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI Newark’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly with the investigation leading to the charges. She also thanked IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan, and the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office for their assistance.
This investigation was conducted as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey’s Human Trafficking Task Force, which was formed in 2025. The Task Force brings together federal and state agencies to collaborate and dedicate resources to combat human trafficking and prosecute human trafficking offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The Human Trafficking Task Force is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service, and the New Jersey Office of Attorney General.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Kober of the Criminal Division in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel: Adalgiza Nunez, Esq.
harley.complaint.pdfParkersburg Man Sentenced for Immigration CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Frederick Sayre Anderson, 65, of Parkersburg, was sentenced today to three years of federal probation and ordered to pay $75,000 in restitution for concealing, harboring, and shielding an alien from detection.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from in or about January 2011 until May 7, 2021, a foreign national of Madagascar worked and lived at Anderson’s Parkersburg business. As part of his guilty plea, Anderson admitted that the foreign national entered the United States on a 90-day fiancée K-1 nonimmigrant visa that he obtained. Anderson further admitted that he knew the visa required him to marry the foreign national within 90 days, that he never married her, and that he knew her presence in the United States became unlawful once her K-1 visa expired on April 8, 2011.
Anderson also admitted that the foreign national did not receive compensation for the work she performed at his business, a laboratory that provides water quality testing kits to state and local governments across the country. The foreign national slept in an office at the business that was converted into a bedroom. The business had no shower facilities. The foreign national showered at the home of Anderson’s business partner, John Robert Coe, or cleaned herself with baby wipes when Coe’s residence was unavailable.
The foreign national exhausted her life savings while working for Anderson without receiving income. Anderson encouraged the foreign national to obtain credit cards and advised her to lie about her income to obtain them. Anderson used the foreign national’s credit cards to pay business operating expenses and for travel, including a trip to the Cayman Islands that Anderson took with one of his friends.
Anderson admitted that he took steps to prevent government officials from finding the foreign national. Immigration agents visited Anderson’s business at least three times in May 2021. In advance of one of those visits, Anderson had the foreign national hide on the property. During the visit, Anderson falsely told the agents that the foreign national did not live at the business, that she had left months prior, and that he did not know where she was.
“In this strange and saddening case, the defendant harbored an illegal alien for a decade and took advantage of her at every opportunity,” said Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston. “Faithfully executing the immigration laws of the United States is critical to public safety, national security, and the rule of law, and this office is committed to the total and efficient enforcement of those laws.”
Coe, 66, of Parkersburg, pleaded guilty on January 22, 2025, to continuing to employ a known illegal alien and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 7, 2025. As part of his plea agreement, Coe has paid $54,740 in restitution.
Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the West Virginia State Police, and the Parkersburg Police Department.
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-187.
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Op Sweet Silence Defendant Pleads Guilty, Agrees to Serve 20 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ga. – A Columbus resident, arrested and prosecuted under the multi-agency law enforcement effort called Operation Sweet Silence, confessed to leading a major drug trafficking conspiracy in the community and agreed to serve 20 years in prison under a binding plea agreement with the final two co-defendants entering guilty pleas in federal court late Friday.
Tommie Mullins, Jr. aka “TJ” aka “Bo” aka “Mini,” 31, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess controlled substances with intent to distribute before U.S. District Judge Clay Land on May 6. As part of his binding plea agreement, Mullins will serve 20 years in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release.
Nine co-defendants pleaded guilty:
Trenton Thomas aka Bubbles, 25, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess controlled substances with intent to distribute and two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on May 9 and faces a maximum of life imprisonment;
Trenton Clemons, 48, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess controlled substances with intent to distribute and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on May 9 and faces a maximum of life imprisonment;
Adrian Palmer aka AP, 24, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on May 6 and faces a mandatory minimum of ten years imprisonment;
Darius Jenkins, 23, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on April 25 and faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment;
Christopher Hill, 36, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of use of a communication facility to facilitate drug felony on April 25 and faces a maximum of four years imprisonment;
Corey Turner aka “Lito” aka “Lito Red,” 33, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess controlled substances with intent to distribute on April 22 and faces a mandatory minimum of ten years up to a maximum of life imprisonment;
Anthony Champion, 45, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine on April 22 and faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment;
Javonta Paden, 24, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana on April 22 and faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment; and
Adrian Pleasants, 29, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana on April 22 and faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment.
The sentencing for Mullins and his co-defendants is scheduled for Aug. 7. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Armed criminal organizations that traffic methamphetamine and large quantities of illicit drugs pose a serious threat to the safety of our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker. “Our office is dedicated to collaborating with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to dismantle criminal organizations and hold their associates accountable.”
“Illicit drugs devastate our communities, resulting in significant suffering by those addicted and their families,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “We will continue to work with our federal, state and local partners to prevent this poison from finding its way onto our streets.”
“The DEA is deploying all resources available to combat criminal organizations that are destroying our communities with drugs, guns and violence,” said Jae W. Chung, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division.
“This is a huge victory for the citizens we serve,” said Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman. “There is strength in collaboration when we combine our resources to go after criminal enterprises involving street gangs, drug dealers and convicted felons. We will continue this fight for safer streets and a safer community.”
According to court documents and statements referenced in court, federal and local law enforcement conducted Operation Sweet Silence from Aug. 2022 until May 2024, an extensive investigation into the illegal activities of the Zohannon criminal street gang involving armed drug trafficking. Mullins coordinated multiple drug transactions with co-conspirators in Columbus and drug suppliers elsewhere, including a major supplier in Seattle, Washington, for the distribution of methamphetamine and marijuana.
Under surveillance, investigators determined that Mullins used his Cove Circle residence—where he resided with his brother, co-conspirator Turner—as a primary distribution location frequented by members of his drug trafficking organization. Based on intercepted calls during a court-authorized wiretap, FBI and DEA agents learned co-conspirators facilitated and received directions from Turner and Mullins to conduct drug transactions on their behalf. For example, on March 7 and 18, 2023, federal agents monitored the coordination and delivery of a one-kilogram methamphetamine package from California via the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to a house on Urban Avenue in Columbus used by Turner and his co-conspirators.
On March 22, 2023, co-conspirators Trenton Thomas, Paden, Pleasants and Palmer, flew to Seattle, Washington, to purchase marijuana and transport it back to Columbus. Before the trip, intercepted calls between Thomas and a middleman in Seattle, Washington, discussed arrangements for the purchase of 300 pounds of marijuana from a Hispanic supplier in Seattle, and that Mullins was supposed to communicate with the middleman. Mullins received incoming calls from the Hispanic supplier during this time. The four co-conspirators were taken into custody by the FBI at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport two days later; eight pieces of luggage were seized containing 232 pounds of marijuana. The marijuana seizure then triggered a series of calls and messages over court-authorized wiretaps and the Muscogee County Jail (MCJ) communication system between co-conspirators, including Clemons, and others expressing frustration over the marijuana seizure.
Clemons was also a known distributor in the Mullins drug trafficking organization. On April 15, 2024, FBI and DEA agents surveilled Mullins and Clemons to travel from Columbus to a music studio in Atlanta and meet with a co-conspirator. A few hours later, a GMC Denali arrived across the street; the co-conspirator retrieved three large bags, including a green gift bag, from the GMC Denali and returned inside the studio. Mullins and Clemons then exited the studio carrying the same green gift bag. Clemons emptied the contents of the green gift bag into a blue suitcase and placed the suitcase into Mullins’ vehicle. Mullins then dropped Clemons at the Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta; Clemons subsequently caught a Groome transportation bus back to Columbus with the blue suitcase. Agents were waiting at the Groome headquarters in Columbus when the shuttle arrived approximately two hours later; they observed Clemons exit the bus, retrieve the blue suitcase, and place it in a car driven by a woman. Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and based on the positive alert by a drug canine, agents searched and located 3,952 grams of methamphetamine separated into four bags inside the blue suitcase. Clemons was arrested.
Mullins and Palmer shared a source of supply located on the West Coast. A search warrant was executed for Mullins’ Instagram account, which found a series of messages between Mullins and a West Coast supplier of marijuana between April 23, 2023, and May 18, 2023. Subsequent intercepts with others, including Palmer, showed several drug conversations for “squares” (usually denotes a pound or kilogram of hard narcotics, typically methamphetamine) and marijuana. A conversation involving Palmer discussed “loading up on these squares” and getting “about 10 of them” to recoup some money they lost from the large marijuana seizure.
Palmer utilized co-defendant Jenkins to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana. Palmer was arrested at Club Hill Apartments on Sept. 27, 2023, in possession of drugs, a digital scale and plastic baggies. FBI located approximately a kilogram of methamphetamine in his car, packaged in 33 separate baggies. Inside his apartment, agents located a plastic container and spoons with suspected methamphetamine residue, over 50 pouches of prepackaged suspected marijuana and other drug paraphernalia.
On Sept. 24, 2023, Turner was arrested during a traffic stop by the Columbus Police Department, where he was the front seat passenger. At the time, Turner tossed a stolen, loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol from the window. Turner possessed 439 grams of marijuana and two baggies of cocaine.
Agents intercepted calls with Champion in March 2023, who was seeking to purchase a half-kilogram of cocaine. Under surveillance, agents observed a co-conspirator visit a trap house operated by other co-conspirators and then enter Champion’s car; Champion was recorded shortly later calling the co-conspirator to complain about the contents and the weight of the drug package, stating, “This ain’t even a whole, it’s a half” and returning to the trap house. A later call discussed arrangements to meet the co-conspirator to remedy the drug shortage.
On Oct. 5, 2022, Mullins was at the Sacramento International Airport when a canine alerted to the presence of narcotics in Mullins’ suitcase. A search of that suitcase revealed over $29,000 in cash, which was confiscated as suspected drug proceeds. Federal agents discovered messages in Mullins’ Instagram account related to the Sacramento search and seizure as part of this investigation.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The case was investigated by FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office with critical assistance from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office; the Russell County, Alabama, Sheriff’s Office; the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office; the Sacramento County, California, Sheriff’s Office; and the Muscogee County District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica Hansis of the Middle District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Matthew P. Mattis of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case for the Government.
Oneida County Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Receive and Distribute Child Pornography and Distribution, Receipt, and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – John Kelly, age 82, of Rome, New York, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to receive and distribute child pornography and to distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography announced United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
As part of his guilty plea, Kelly admitted that in August of 2022, he began conspiring with his co-defendant, Richard Hockersmith, to exchange child pornography. Kelly further admitted that he and his co-defendant exchanged child pornography by mailing an SD card containing the child pornography back and forth. Kelly also admitted that during a search of his residence on February 23, 2024, he still possessed images and videos of child pornography on the same laptop computer he had used to access the SD card he had exchanged with his co-defendant. Hockersmith previously pled guilty on December 10, 2024, to possessing and conspiring to receive and distribute child pornography.
U.S. Attorney Sarcone stated, “We will find and prosecute those who distribute child pornography in the Northern District of New York, whether by mail, computer or otherwise. Justice has been served, but our work continues. Every child deserves to grow up safe, and we will never stop fighting for their protections. This predator will never harm another child again. Let this be a message: we will find you, we will expose you, and we will bring you to justice – no mercy, no hiding, no exceptions.”
At sentencing, which is currently scheduled for September 10, 2025, in Albany, New York before United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci. Kelly faces a term of imprisonment of at least 5 years and up to 20 years, a supervised release term of between 5 years and life, and a maximum fine of $250,000. Kelly will also be required to pay restitution to the victims of his offenses and will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
The case is being investigated by HSI with assistance from the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Oklahoma Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting ChildrenRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - An Oklahoma man was sentenced yesterday to 30 years in prison for producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, Landon Joe Black, 25, of Stilwell, was sentenced for producing CSAM featuring two child victims that he shared on the “dark web.” Black would pose as a young girl on the internet to establish relationships with children and would then direct them to create CSAM. He would then share images of his victims along with their ages, as well as other CSAM images, on the dark web. He would refer to some of his victims as “baits.” Documents found on Black’s computers included a draft how-to guide for other offenders. Black also collected detailed information about one child, including information about their family, school, and daily movements. The pictures Black produced and shared continue to circulate, causing significant ongoing harm to his victims.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, and Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Pippin for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case, with substantial assistance from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Marek.
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 epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
New Hampshire Man Sentenced to Two Years for Pandemic Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Plymouth, New Hampshire man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for conspiring to commit wire fraud.
Chief U.S. District Judge Lance Walker sentenced Tyree Jones, 33, to 24 months in prison to be followed by 2 years of supervised release. Jones was also ordered to pay $359,274 in restitution to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Jones pleaded guilty on January 8, 2025.
According to court records, in 2020 and 2021, Jones conspired with others to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic by submitting fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds. Jones submitted three fraudulent applications for himself and obtained $51,666. On his applications, Jones claimed to be the sole proprietor of non-existent businesses in the agricultural and trucking industries.
In addition to filing fraudulent applications for himself, Jones offered to help others obtain PPP and EIDL funds in exchange for “kickbacks” from any funds they received. Jones and coconspirators caused fraudulent applications to be filed for at least 12 other people. In support of the false applications, Jones and his coconspirators provided falsified IRS and bank documents.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act: The Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who suffered economic effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act made EIDL funding available to business owners negatively affected by the COVID19 pandemic. EIDL proceeds were funded by the SBA and disbursed by the U.S. Treasury. EIDLs could only be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that could have been paid had the COVID19 disaster not occurred.
Paycheck Protection Program: The PPP was a COVID-19 pandemic relief program administered by the SBA that provided forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses. The PPP permitted participating third-party lenders to approve and disburse SBA-backed PPP loans to cover payroll, fixed debts, utilities, rent/mortgage, accounts payable and other bills incurred by qualifying businesses during, and resulting from, the COVID-19 pandemic. PPP loans were fully guaranteed by the SBA.
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New Hampshire Doctor Pleads Guilty to Illegally Prescribing OpioidsRead the Press Release
A New Hampshire doctor pleaded guilty today to unlawfully distributing a controlled substance. This is the first conviction of a doctor in the District of New Hampshire from a joint investigation by the New England Strike Force and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to court documents, Robert G. Soucy Jr., D.O., 72, of Columbia, New Hampshire, illegally prescribed opioids from his home in Columbia, New Hampshire. Dr. Soucy knew that pharmacies in and around Colebrook, New Hampshire, would not fill his prescriptions for several of his patients. To have the unlawful prescriptions filled, Dr. Soucy specifically instructed a patient to bring his prescriptions to a pharmacy in another location. Dr. Soucy also continued to prescribe opioids to the patient, who the defendant knew had a substance-abuse disorder, without conducting any medical evaluation or testing and after the patient had moved out of New England.
Dr. Soucy faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. He surrendered his DEA registration and is no longer authorized to prescribe controlled substances.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting United States Attorney Jay McCormack for the District of New Hampshire, Acting Special Agent in Charge Stephen Belleau and Acting Diversion Program Manager George Lutz of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New England Division, and Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.
The DEA and HHS-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Thomas D. Campbell and Danielle H. Sakowski of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Anyone needing access to opioid treatment services can contact HHS-OIG’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 24/7 National Helpline for referrals to treatment services at 1-800-662-4359.
Nevada Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for Threatening U.S. SenatorsRead the Press Release
A Las Vegas man who pleaded guilty to threatening a U.S. Senator from Nevada and threatening family members of two United States Senators was sentenced today to over three years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
“The threats against these U.S. Senators and their families were vile, dehumanizing, and shameful,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the National Security Division. “Today’s sentence reflects the Department’s firm resolve to holding accountable those who seek to intimidate and harm our public officials. Such threats of violence have no place in our country.”
“With today’s sentencing, the defendant will pay the price for making threats of violence,” said Assistant Director Donald M. Holstead of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “It is unacceptable to threaten public officials or anyone else, and the FBI will work with our law enforcement partners to identify and hold accountable anyone who engages in such illegal activity.”
According to court documents, from Oct. 11 to 25, 2023, John Anthony Miller left numerous threatening voicemails at the offices of two U.S. Senators. Miller threatened to assault and murder a U.S. Senator with intent to impede, intimidate, and interfere with U.S. Senator while engaged in the performance of official duties, and with intent to retaliate against the U.S. Senator on account of the performance of official duties.
The following week, on Oct. 24 and Oct. 25, Miller threatened to assault and murder a member of the immediate family of two U.S. Senators, with intent to impede, intimidate, and interfere with the U.S. Senators while engaged in the performance of official duties, and with intent to retaliate against the U.S. Senators on account of the performance of official duties.
Miller pleaded guilty to one-count of threatening a federal official and two-counts of influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a federal official by threatening a family member. U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey presided over the sentencing hearing.
The FBI Las Vegas Field Office investigated the case with valuable assistance provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Capitol Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob Operskalski and Daniel Schiess for the District of Nevada prosecuted the case.
To report suspected threats or violent acts, contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or file an online complaint at www.tips.fbi.gov. If someone is in imminent danger or risk of harm, contact 911 or your local police immediately.
Nevada Man Sentenced to Prison for Threatening United States SenatorsRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas man who pleaded guilty to threatening a United States Senator from Nevada and threatening family members of two United States Senators was sentenced today to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, from October 11 to 25, 2023, John Anthony Miller left numerous threatening voicemails at the offices of two United States Senators. Miller threatened to assault and murder a United States Senator with intent to impede, intimidate, and interfere with the United States Senator while engaged in the performance of official duties, and with intent to retaliate against the United States Senator on account of the performance of official duties.
On October 24 and October 25, Miller threatened to assault and murder a member of the immediate family of two United States Senators, with intent to impede, intimidate, and interfere with the United States Senators while engaged in the performance of official duties, and with intent to retaliate against the United States Senators on account of the performance of official duties.
“The threats against these U.S. Senators and their families were vile, dehumanizing, and shameful,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the National Security Division. “Today’s sentence reflects the Department’s firm resolve to holding accountable those who seek to intimidate and harm our public officials. Such threats of violence have no place in our country.”
“With today’s sentencing, the defendant will pay the price for making threats of violence,” said Assistant Director Donald M. Holstead of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “It is unacceptable to threaten public officials or anyone else, and the FBI will work with our law enforcement partners to identify and hold accountable anyone who engages in such illegal activity.”
“Violent threats against any individual are unacceptable, but when they are directed at elected officials and their family members, threats have the potential to impact democracy itself by silencing those chosen to represent the American People,” said Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI Las Vegas Division. “The sentencing of John Anthony Miller exemplifies the FBI's commitment to hold accountable those who seek to illegally threaten or intimidate others.”
Miller pleaded guilty to one-count of threatening a federal official and two-counts of influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a federal official by threatening a family member. United States District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey presided over the sentencing hearing.
This case was investigated by the FBI Las Vegas Division with valuable assistance provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Capitol Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Jacob Operskalski and Daniel R. Schiess prosecuted the case.
To report suspected threats or violent acts, contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or file an online complaint at www.tips.fbi.gov. If someone is in imminent danger or risk of harm, contact 911 or your local police immediately.
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Montgomery County Woman Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Facilitating the Sexual Abuse of a Minor, Manufacturing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Tina Marie Farley, 49, of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Joshua D. Wolson to 420 months in prison, 10 years of supervised released, and $3,000 in restitution for facilitating, permitting, and participating in the sexual abuse of a minor, and the manufacture of child pornography.
Farley was charged by indictment in December 2023 with those offenses and pleaded guilty in January of this year.
As detailed in court documents and admitted to by the defendant, beginning around October 2017 and over the course of approximately 18 months, Farley facilitated the sexual abuse of Minor 1 by Farley’s boyfriend, including engaging in sexual contact with Minor 1, and filming and photographing the sexual abuse. At times, Farley was present for and even participated in the sexual abuse and filming/photographing of the abuse. Minor 1 was 12 to 13 years old at the time.
“This defendant badly betrayed a child who trusted her, and now must be held to account for that exploitation,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Those who sexually abuse children cause lasting harm, an emotional toll that’s unfathomable. My office and the FBI are working aggressively every day to find and prosecute child predators, to keep them from hurting more innocent victims.”
“The exploitation of children is one of the most egregious crimes the FBI investigates,” said Gabriel Poling, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “Today’s sentencing underscores the FBI and our partners’ commitment to safeguarding children and ensuring that those who harm them will be brought to justice.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the FBI, with the Conshohocken Police Department and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Meghan Claiborne and Kelly Harrell.