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Wednesday 2 April 2025
President Donald J. Trump Intends to Nominate Individuals to Key Posts at the Department of JusticeRead the Press Release
Today the Department of Justice is proud to announce President Trump’s intent to nominate Stanley Woodward to serve as Associate Attorney General, and Elliot Gaiser to serve as Assistant Attorney General for The Office of Legal Counsel.
Stanley Woodward (The Office of the Associate Attorney General)
Most recently, Stanley served as Assistant to the President and Senior Counselor to the President. Stanley is a high-profile litigator and co-founder of Brand Woodward Law, LP, where he represented numerous prestigious clients in complex, high-stakes litigation, including multiple federal jury trials. Previously, he worked at a multinational law firm where his experience included the representation of multiple international corporations in defense of alleged violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act as well as serving as coordinating counsel to companies involved in nationwide federal litigation.
In 2018, he was awarded the D.C. Bar’s Laura N. Rinaldi Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year award for his efforts leading the firm’s Housing Law practice, providing legal counsel to tenants across the District of Columbia facing eviction. Stanley has served as an adjunct professor with the Catholic University Columbus School of Law and has also taught trial advocacy in Namibia with Lawyers Without Borders. He clerked for judges on the D.C. Court of Appeals and the D.C. Superior Court and earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science from American University, as well as his Juris Doctor from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.
Elliot Gaiser (The Office of Legal Counsel)
Elliot presently serves as the Solicitor General of Ohio. Prior to his appointment as Solicitor General by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Elliot was an associate at Jones Day in Columbus, Ohio. He previously worked as an associate at Boyden Gray in Washington, D.C.
Elliot clerked for Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. of the Supreme Court of the United States; Judge Neomi Rao of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit; and Judge Edith H. Jones of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and Hillsdale College.
Pharr resident charged with production of child sexual abuse material after attempting to exit U.S. into Mexico with minorRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas - A 26-year-old Pharr resident has been charged with producing child pornography involving a 16-year-old minor, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Carlo Ivan Hurtado is expected to appear for a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker at 11:15 a.m.
The criminal complaint, filed March 28, alleges Hurtado arrived at the Hidalgo Port of Entry with a 16-year-old female passenger attempting to exit the United States. She had allegedly left home without her parent’s permission.
Upon questioning, the minor reported she and Hurtado had stayed in a hotel room the night before in McAllen, according to the charges. She allegedly claimed she and Hurtado had sexual intercourse and recorded it using the minor female’s Snapchat account.
The complaint alleges law enforcement conducted a search of her phone and discovered sexually explicit images and videos of her and Hurtado.
If convicted, Hurtado faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a possible fine of up to $250,000.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Alexis Garcia is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Pawtucket Man Admits to Defrauding Federally Funded Benefit Programs Using Stolen Identities, Altering and Cashing Stolen U.S. Treasury ChecksRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Pawtucket man with a lengthy record of arrests and convictions for financial fraud admitted to a federal judge on Tuesday that he defrauded the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the U.S. Treasury out of more than $100,000 combined, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Reynaldo Martinez, 32, admitted that he obtained at least 40 SNAP EBT cards through the use of stolen identities and stolen or fraudulent Social Security numbers. Court documents reflect that Martinez appeared in person at multiple Rhode Island Department of Human Services offices and filed applications for SNAP benefits. He did this by presenting fraudulent drivers’ licenses in various names but depicting his own photograph, and using Social Security numbers assigned to others, including that of a deceased individual, living adult citizens, and at least one juvenile.
Martinez admitted to fraudulently securing at least $33,192.36 in SNAP benefits.
In a second fraud scheme, Martinez admitted to cashing altered United States Treasury checks made payable to himself. Martinez and co-conspirators obtained checks made payable to others, then altered the checks to reflect counterfeit or fraudulent driver’s licenses they presented when cashing or depositing the checks.
The total amount of fraudulent U.S. Treasury checks cashed or deposited was approximately $79,532.32.
Martinez pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy and one count each of misuse of a Social Security number and aggravated identity theft. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Court records illustrate that Martinez was previously arrested and convicted on multiple occasions in multiple states on fraud related and other criminal charges dating back to 2012.
For example, in November 2017, Martinez pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island to four counts of aggravated identity theft, two counts of access fraud, and one count each of bank fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, attempted access fraud, and interstate transportation of stolen goods. He was sentenced to 48 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of federal supervised release.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter I Roklan.
The matters were investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, United States Marshals Service, Rhode Island Office of Internal Audit - Fraud Detection & Prevention Unit, Rhode Island Department of Human Services, Rhode Island State Police, Pawtucket Police Department, Warwick Police Department, West Warwick Police Department, Woonsocket Police Department, Foxborough, MA, Police Department, and Walmart Global Investigations.
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Palmer man sentenced for operating an unregistered aircraft without a licenseRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Palmer man was sentenced today to three years’ probation and is required to pay a $10,000 fine for operating an aircraft without a license and operating an unregistered aircraft.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, for roughly 30 years, William Marsan, 57, held an Airman Certificate as an Airline Transport Pilot issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He operated an aviation business out of Palmer, Alaska, transporting services, goods and people across Alaska on his Piper Cherokee aircraft.
In June 2023, the FAA received a report that Marsan, as the pilot in command of the Piper Cherokee aircraft, failed to radio his intention to take off from Warren “Bud” Woods Palmer Municipal Airport and operated the aircraft against the flow of landing traffic, resulting in a near mid-air collision with another aircraft attempting to land.
Law enforcement investigated the June 2023 incident and discovered that Marsan was operating an aircraft without a valid license or valid registration. The investigation revealed that in June 2022, Marsan sent a letter to the FAA revoking the registration of his aircraft. Investigators also discovered that Marsan allowed his medical certificate to lapse in 2020 and 2021, which was required to keep his pilot’s license.
When FAA inspectors contacted him in July 2023 as part of the investigation, Marsan refused to provide his airman certificate, aircraft registration and airworthiness certificates, all of which are requirements through the FAA, and claimed he was not required to have any of those documents. As a result of the investigation, the FAA issued an Emergency Order of Revocation of Marsan’s pilot’s license in January 2024, which required the immediate surrender of his pilot’s license or the filing of an appeal of the decision within 10 days. Marsan failed to file an appeal or surrender his license but continued to fly his aircraft until his initial arrest in July 2024.
Marsan was released pending trial. He failed to appear for multiple court hearings prior to his trial and he was rearrested in September 2024. On Dec. 4, 2024, Marsan was convicted of one count of operating an aircraft without a license and one count of operating an unregistered aircraft.
“Alaska’s aviation industry is a vital part of our infrastructure, safely connecting people and goods across the state. Mr. Marsan’s actions—operating an unregistered aircraft without a license and nearly causing a mid-air collision—put lives at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “To prevent further violations and protect communities, Mr. Marsan will serve a significant term of probation under the relevant statutes and pay a fine for the money he made at the risk of others.”
"Marsan's flagrant disregard for aviation regulations put countless lives at risk and undermined the integrity of Alaska's airspace," said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. "Such reckless, criminal behavior will not be tolerated by the FBI and aviation authorities."
The FBI Anchorage Field Office and FAA, Alaska Region investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tom Bradley and Mac Caille Petursson prosecuted the case.
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Owner of Boston Area Pizzerias Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Defrauding U.S. Small Business AdministrationRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The owner of Stash’s Pizza was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for submitting false information to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to obtain a loan on behalf of a business he no longer owned.
Stavros Papantoniadis, a/k/a “Steve Papantoniadis,” 50, of Westwood, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley to two years in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. Papantoniadis was also ordered to pay $534,462.01 in restitution. In February 2025, Papantoniadis pleaded guilty to a Superseding Information charging one count of false statements.
Papantoniadis is the owner and operator of Stash’s Pizza, a chain of pizzerias in greater Boston. In April 2021, Papantoniadis sold one of his pizzerias located in Randolph, Mass., and the Secretary of State subsequently cancelled the limited liability company through which Papantoniadis owned the Randolph pizzeria.
Between November 2021 and January 2022, Papantoniadis applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan from the SBA. These loans were designed to provide relief for existing small businesses that suffered substantial economic injury during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his submissions to the SBA, Papantoniadis falsely stated that he still owned and operated the pizzeria in Randolph, even claiming that he then had 18 employees at the location. However, in reality, Papantoniadis had sold the business several months before he applied for the loan. Based on Papantoniadis’ false representations, the SBA approved the loan and sent Papantoniadis $499,900.
In June 2024, Papantoniadis was convicted by a federal jury of three counts of forced labor and three counts of attempted forced labor. Based on evidence introduced at trial, Papantoniadis forced or attempted to force five men and one woman to work for him through violent physical abuse, threats of abuse and repeated threats to report victims to immigration authorities for deportation if they did not continue working for him. In October 2024, Papantoniadis was sentenced to 102 months in prison, one year of supervised release and ordered to pay a $35,000 fine. Six months of the sentence imposed today will run consecutive the 102-month sentence the court imposed in June 2024.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy E. Moran, Chief of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit and Brian A. Fogerty of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit prosecuted the case.On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus and https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.
Own Every Dollar Gang Member Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for 2019 MurderRead the Press Release
Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JERRIN PENA, a/k/a “Rooga,” a/k/a “Perry,” was sentenced yesterday to 25 years in prison for his participation in several acts of violence as a member of the Own Every Dollar (“OED”) gang, including the April 14, 2019, murder of Hector Cruz. PENA previously pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy, assault with a dangerous weapon, Hobbs Act robbery, discharging a firearm in furtherance of Hobbs Act robbery, narcotics conspiracy, and firearms trafficking. U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken imposed yesterday's sentence.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “Jerrin Pena, a leader of the violent OED gang, murdered an innocent bystander, Hector Cruz, while trying to shoot at a rival gang member on April 14, 2019. Then, when in federal custody on these charges, Pena stabbed another inmate in an attempt to kill him. Yesterday’s lengthy prison sentence hopefully brings some measure of comfort to the family of Hector Cruz, and reinforces this Office’s commitment to ending gang violence throughout New York City.”
As alleged in the Indictment and statements made in public filings and public court proceedings:
PENA was a leader of the violent OED gang, a subset of the Trinitarios gang based in and around the Washington Heights area of Manhattan. The indictments in this case charge 24 members and associates of OED with numerous violent crimes, including five murders and 15 attempted murders.
On April 14, 2019, in the early evening, PENA and others drove to West 135th Street in Manhattan to shoot at members of a rival gang. PENA exited the car and shot at a rival gang member on West 135th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. He missed the rival gang member, but struck bystander Hector Cruz—then age 57—in the liver. Cruz died of the gunshot wound approximately one month later.
PENA also committed an attempted murder on February 28, 2023, when he and several other inmates stabbed another inmate in the Metropolitan Detention Center; committed a gunpoint robbery of a drug dealer on January 22, 2022, in the vicinity of Riverside Drive and West 145th Street in Manhattan; conspired to traffic more than four kilograms of fentanyl; and trafficked firearms from Pennsylvania to New York.
16 other defendants have previously pled guilty in the case.
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In addition to his prison term, PENA, 23, of New York, New York, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding work of the New York City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah L. Kushner, Kevin Mead, Ashley C. Nicolas, and Alexandra Messiter are in charge of the prosecution.
Operation Not Forgotten Will Surge 60 FBI Personnel to 10 FBI Field Offices to Support Investigations of Indian Country Violent CrimesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced that it will surge FBI assets across the country to address unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country, including crimes relating to missing and murdered indigenous persons.
FBI will send 60 personnel, rotating in 90-day temporary duty assignments over a six-month period. This operation is the longest and most intense national deployment of FBI resources to address Indian Country crime to date. FBI personnel will support field offices in Albuquerque; Denver; Detroit; Jackson, Miss.; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Portland, Oreg.; Seattle; and Salt Lake City. The FBI will work in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions.
FBI personnel will be assisted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, and they will use the latest forensic evidence processing tools to solve cases and hold perpetrators accountable. U.S. Attorney’s Offices will aggressively prosecute case referrals.
“Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high. By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with US Attorneys and Tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability
that these communities deserve,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“The FBI will manhunt violent criminals on all lands – and Operation Not Forgotten ensures a surge in resources to locate violent offenders on tribal lands and find those who have gone missing,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington Teal Luthy Miller added that “investigating and prosecuting crimes in Indian Country in collaboration with our tribal partners is critical to our shared mission of addressing public safety in our communities. We welcome the opportunity for continued collaboration as we seek justice on behalf of victims of violent crime.”
Indian Country faces persistent levels of crime and victimization. At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, FBI’s Indian Country program had approximately 4,300 open investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations.
Operation Not Forgotten renews efforts begun during President Trump’s first term under E.O. 13898, Establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. This is the third deployment under Operation Not Forgotten, which has provided investigative support to over 500 cases in the past two years. Combined, these operations resulted in the recovery of 10 child victims, 52 arrests, and 25 indictments or judicial complaints.
Operation Not Forgotten also expands upon the resources deployed in recent years to address cases of missing and murdered indigenous people. The effort will be supported by the Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which places attorneys and coordinators in
U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the United States to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered indigenous people.
Omaha Woman Sentenced for Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that Hanna J. Williams, 44, of Omaha, was sentenced April 2, 2025, in federal court in Omaha for distributing methamphetamine. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Williams to 200 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Williams’s release from prison, she will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
On November 15, 2023, a Drug Enforcement Administration confidential source (CS) made a controlled purchase of 1 pound of methamphetamine. The CS first met with Hanna Faust aka “Williams” at a buy location in mid-town Omaha. Faust then made a call to her supplier, Daniellea M. Fedail, while the CS got in her car and waited for Fedail supplier to arrive.
Fedail arrived a short time later and delivered 1 pound of methamphetamine with 99% lab confirmed purity to Williams who then gave the meth to the CS in exchange for money.
Fedail previously pled guilty to distributing meth and was sentenced by Judge Buescher on December 19, 2024, to 120 months’ imprisonment. She will also serve a 5-year term of supervised release following her release from prison.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Newington Man Admits Trafficking Narcotic Pills, Violating Supervised Release from Prior ConvictionRead the Press Release
Marc. H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that KYLE PETERSEN, 39, of Newington, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to a narcotics trafficking offense and admitted that he violated the conditions of his supervised release that followed a prior federal conviction.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in May 2023, members of the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad began investigating suspicious packages that were being delivered to Petersen’s Newington residence. At the time, Petersen was on federal supervised release following a federal conviction in 2017 involving the trafficking of fentanyl and prescription pills. During the investigation, a court-authorized search of a package mailed to Petersen contained more than 400 grams of pills containing Protonitazene, a synthetic opioid typically more potent than fentanyl. The investigation revealed that Petersen had received approximately 34 similar packages mailed from the same source in Michigan, and also received approximately 46 packages from California and Oregon suspected to contain multiple pounds of marijuana. Investigators also made controlled purchases of counterfeit Percocet pills containing fentanyl from Petersen’s brother, Erik Peterson.
Kyle and Erik Petersen were arrested on federal criminal complaints on April 3, 2024. On that date, a search of Kyle Petersen’s residence revealed more than a kilogram of counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine, counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, counterfeit Xanax pills, a large quantity of Protonitazene, approximately 40 grams of cocaine, and $76,650 in cash. Kyle Petersen has been detained since his arrest.
Kyle Petersen pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and Protonitazine. He also admitted he violated the conditions of his supervised release and agreed to the forfeiture of the cash seized from his residence, an additional $57,530 in cash seized from a bank account, and a 2014 Porsche Cayenne.
Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for July 3, at which time Kyle Peterson faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.
Erik Petersen, of New Britain, pleaded guilty to a related charge and awaits sentencing.
This matter is being investigated by the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad, with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the New Britain and Newington Police Departments. The Tactical Diversion Squad is composed of personnel from the DEA, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hamden, West Haven, Fairfield, Seymour, and Glastonbury Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Keefe.
New York Men Sentenced for Violent Attempted Theft of Drugs from Rangeley HomeRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: Two New York man were sentenced today for conspiring to interfere with commerce by robbery in connection with a violent home invasion in Rangeley in 2016.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Andre Muller, 54, to 200 months in prison, and Robert Holland, 45, to 188 months in prison. Both men were also sentenced to three years of supervised release following their terms of imprisonment. Muller and Holland were found guilty on November 23, 2023, after a three-day jury trial in the U.S. District Court in Bangor.
According to evidence presented during the trial, in July 2016, Muller, Holland and four coconspirators developed a plan to steal controlled substances from a Rangeley residence. On July 26, 2016, Muller traveled from New York City with Hector Munoz, 57, of Florida and one other coconspirator, meeting up with Holland and a fifth man at a location just outside Rangeley. On July 28, 2016, two of the coconspirators, including Munoz, entered the Rangeley residence armed with knives with the intent to take the controlled substances. During the commission of the robbery, the robbery’s intended target shot and killed the second coconspirator. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is not identifying that conspirator because they were not charged.
Muller and Holland were initially convicted following a five-day jury trial that concluded August 10, 2022. Judge Torresen granted a motion for a new trial, however, based on evidence of juror prejudgment, and the second trial was held in November 2023.
Hector Munoz pleaded guilty to conspiring to interfere with commerce by robbery on January 15, 2020, and was sentenced to time served on January 12, 2024.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Maine State Police; the Rangeley Police Department; the U.S. Border Patrol; and the Carrabassett Valley Police Department investigated the case, with assistance provided by the Maine Office of the Attorney General.
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New Orleans Man Sentenced for Federal Gun Control and Federal Controlled Substances Acts ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – QUINDELLE ADDISON (“ADDISON”), age 48, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on March 26, 2025, by United States District Judge Ivan L. R. Lemelle, for violations of the Federal Gun Control Act and the Federal Controlled Substances Act, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
According to court records, on August 29, 2023, ADDISON, and four others, conspired to distribute, methamphetamine to an undercover Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) agent and another individual, at a Westbank, New Orleans apartment. The plan came to fruition when ADDISON sold the undercover ATF agent approximately seven grams of pure methamphetamine.
After this methamphetamine sale was completed, a co-defendant arranged for the undercover ATF agent and the other individual to return to the apartment the following day to purchase more drugs. When the undercover ATF agent and the other individual arrived at the apartment the next day, they were robbed at gunpoint. Other agents monitoring the deal soon responded. The robbers heard the law enforcement response, stopped the robbery, and everyone in the apartment tried to flee. The undercover ATF agent and the other individual went onto the third-floor apartment balcony and began climbing down to escape. During their climb, the agent fell and sustained severe injuries.
As a result of this criminal conduct, ADDISON and five co-defendants were indicted on eleven-counts related to the drug trafficking and armed robbery, and subsequently pled guilty. ADDISON pled guilty to the methamphetamine conspiracy, the distribution of methamphetamine, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and maintaining a drug involved premises. He was the last defendant to be sentenced.
Judge Lemelle sentenced ADDISON to 118 months imprisonment, a 4-year term of supervised release and a mandatory special assessment fee of $500.
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 track violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The investigation giving rise to the case was conducted primarily by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Louisiana State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department and Crimestoppers GNO. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David Haller, Senior Litigation Counsel and PSN Coordinator, and Nolan Paige, Chief of the Narcotics Unit.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Being Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that JULIUS AUGILLARD (“AUGILLARD”), age 39, of New Orleans, was sentenced on March 27, 2025, to seventy (70) months imprisonment, followed by three (3) years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, as to each count, after previously pleading guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
According to court documents, on February 20, 2023, AUGILLARD possessed a firearm on the 500 block of Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras festivities. After leading Louisiana State Troopers on a short pursuit from which AUGILLARD attempted to flee on foot, officers found a Smith and Wesson Model SD40VE, .40 caliber pistol on his person. Later, on December 31, 2023, AUGILLARD possessed an International Model PT609 PRO, nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol near the 200 block of Tremé Street, as he was trespassing at an apartment complex. AUGILLARD was apprehended by officers from the Housing Authority of New Orleans.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Louisiana State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Paul J. Hubbell of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
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.
New Kensington Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court to 72 months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Keith Hurst, 48.
According to information presented to the Court, from in and around August 2022 to in and around March 2023, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Hurst conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Hurst was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of cocaine that he distributed to others.
Assistant United States Attorney Arnold P. Bernard Jr. prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Hurst. Additional agencies participating in the investigation included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, and other local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
National Sales Director for New York-Based Mobile Diagnostic Company Pleads Guilty to Kickback SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New York-based national sales director pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to conspiring to offer and pay kickbacks to doctors in exchange for ordering medically unnecessary brain scans.
David Fuhrmann, 60, of Port Jefferson, N.Y. pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for July 10, 2025.
From at least June 2013 through at least September 2020, Fuhrmann conspired with others, including two managers for a mobile medical diagnostics company that performed transcranial doppler (TCD) scans, to enter into kickback agreements with various doctors. Fuhrmann and his co-conspirators agreed to offer and pay doctors kickbacks based on the number of TCD ultrasounds the doctors ordered. Some doctors were paid in cash and others by check. Fuhrmann and his co-conspirators created rental and administrative service agreements. On paper, these agreements made it appear as if doctors were compensated for the TCD company’s use of space and administrative resources based on fair market value and not based on the volume or value of referrals. These agreements were shams that hid the true nature of the arrangement of paying per test.
According to the charging documents, the scheme resulted in fraudulent bills of approximately $70.6 million to Medicare.
The charge of conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division, Boston Field Office; Kelly M. Lawson, Acting Regional Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Boston Regional Office; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard Locker and Mackenzie Queenin of the Health Care Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.
Nashville Man Charged with Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm After Allegedly Pointing a Stolen Rifle at PoliceRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Isaiah Taivon Newsom a/k/a Isaiah Taivon Porterfield, 25, of Nashville, has been charged by criminal complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee.
“Dangerous felons who possess firearms and put police officers at risk will face swift justice,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “We will not tolerate potential violence against first responders and will seek full accountability for those putting our first responders in danger.”
According to court documents, on March 25, 2025, detectives with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department were conducting covert surveillance near an address on Nashboro Boulevard. Detectives were parked in their unmarked police vehicles in several different areas of the apartment complex. One detective observed three people walk out of the breezeway near unit B, with one, later identified as Newsom, carrying what appeared to be a rifle.
As they walked through the apartment complex, Newsom walked about fifteen feet away from another detective’s unmarked vehicle, stood near a tree, raised the rifle to his shoulder and pointed it at the detective, who was still in his vehicle. As the detective relayed Newsom’s actions to the other detectives in the area and they discussed a plan of action over the radio, Newsom walked past the front of the detective’s vehicle towards the passenger side and again pointed the rifle at the detective.
As other detectives arrived in the area, Newsom moved towards the front of the detective’s vehicle and pointed the rifle directly at the detective. Although he was in an unmarked car, the detective was wearing a tactical vest with patches indicating he was a law enforcement officer, and he was equipped with a body worn camera. The detective activated his blue lights and a short burst of the siren, as he exited the vehicle and announced himself as a police officer. Newsom and the other two people then ran from the area. Detectives pursued Newsom on foot as he ran across a field and entered the wood line. Detectives set up a perimeter and, with the assistance of a K9 unit and the Metro Nashville Police Department aviation unit, took Newsom into custody.
Detectives searched Newsom’s flight path and located a Windham Weaponry, WW-15, .223/5.56 caliber rifle which was later found to have been reported stolen from a Williamson County Sheriff’s Office marked patrol vehicle. After being advised of his Miranda rights, Newsom admitted to detectives that he had possessed the rifle.
Newsom had previously been convicted of two counts of aggravated robbery and two counts of felony theft in Shelby County, Tennessee. Newsom served more than seven years in the Tennessee Department of Correction for his felony convictions.
If convicted, Newsom faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel M. Stephens 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.
A complaint is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Montville Man Who Made and Sold Firearms without a License Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that NICHOLAS DeFELICE, 33, of Montville, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, for operating an illegal firearm manufacturing business.
According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation revealed that beginning in approximately 2013, DeFelice manufactured and sold more than 200 firearms without a license to do so. DeFelice, through a business he called “DeFelice Defense,” sold his firearms to individual customers and to licensed firearms dealers, and also placed them on consignment at various commercial firearm dealers throughout Connecticut. As part of an undercover investigation, ATF agents purchased a firearm from DeFelice that he manufactured at their request.
On February 17, 2022, a search of DeFelice’s residence revealed two short barrel rifles, 67 other firearms, a silencer with no serial number, more than 28 high-capacity magazines, and other firearm parts.
DeFelice was arrested on July 12, 2023. On October 7, 2024, he pleaded guilty to possession of unregistered National Firearms Act firearms.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel J. Gentile.
Minnesota Man Sentenced for Advertising and Distributing Images of Child Sexual Abuse over the Dark WebRead the Press Release
A Minnesota man was sentenced yesterday to 21 years and 10 months in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) found in his apartment and for using the dark web to advertise and distribute CSAM images and videos.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Craig James Myran, 47, of Bemidji, was an active participant on a website only accessible through the dark web that was dedicated to discussing and trafficking CSAM. For years, he used an account with a unique username to make over a thousand posts in which he shared images of CSAM. In at least one post, Myran requested specific files of known CSAM from other users that he disturbingly referred to as his “holy grail.” In another post, he advertised over 100 images depicting the sadomasochistic sexual abuse of two prepubescent minors. On Dec. 8, 2022, FBI special agents executed a search warrant on Myran’s apartment in Bemidji, where they found a cell phone and numerous hard drives that contained evidence that he used the dark web to advertise, publish, and solicit CSAM. Agents also found thousands of other CSAM images.
According to the government’s sentencing memorandum, Myran’s sexual exploitation of minors was not limited to his activity on just one particular dark-web site. He was simultaneously an active participant on multiple other dark-web sites dedicated to trafficking in CSAM, and he previously made posts on the dark web about producing his own CSAM by screen-recording minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct during online webcam interactions. On Nov. 20, 2024, a federal jury convicted Myran on two counts of advertising child pornography, one count of distributing child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick for the District of Minnesota; and Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Minneapolis Field Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Green for the District of Minnesota 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 Justice Department. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Minnesota Man Pleads Guilty in “Cryptojacking” SchemeRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Joshua Paul Armbrust, currently of St. Paul, Minnesota, pleaded guilty for his role in an illegal “cryptojacking” scheme that caused significant financial losses, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents, in February 2020, Joshua Paul Armbrust, 44, formerly of Orr, Minnesota, resigned from his employment at Digital River, a Minnetonka-based global e-commerce and payment processing company. After leaving his job, between December 2020 and May 2021, Armbrust engaged in a cryptojacking scheme using accounts belonging to his former employer. Cryptojacking is a form of cybercrime where an unauthorized party uses someone else's computing resources to mine cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, by leveraging the victim's hardware, which can lead to reduced system performance, increased energy consumption, and higher operating costs.
As part of the scheme, Armbrust remotely accessed the company’s Amazon Web Services (AWS) account on multiple occasions without authorization and utilized AWS computers to mine Ethereum cryptocurrency. This unauthorized access resulted in substantial costs for the company, totaling over $45,000. The mined Ethereum was directed into a digital wallet and subsequently transferred to Armbrust’s Coinbase accounts. Armbrust then liquidated the mined Ethereum, totaling over $7,000, and transferred the proceeds to his Wells Fargo banking account.
“Cryptojacking is simply high-tech thievery,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “Cybercriminals like Armbrust—who use their technical skills to victimize others—will continue to see federal justice.”
Armbrust pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court before Judge Jerry W. Blackwell to one count of computer fraud. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley M. Endicott is prosecuting the case.
Mexican national pleads guilty to persuading a 10-year-old to produce child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Mexican national pled guilty to production of child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, Isidro Atxel Magana-Calderon, 25, contacted and communicated with a 10-year-old victim, identified as MV1, through TikTok. Magana-Calderon identified himself as “Axel.” MV1 provided Magana-Calderon with her cellphone number and they began communicating through text messages.
Magana-Calderon suggested a desire to engage in inappropriate contact and began requesting nude images of MV1. MV1 initially rejected Magana-Calderon’s requests. Magana-Calderon sent videos of sexual content to MV1 and continued to request that she provide nude images of herself. MV1 eventually relented to Magana-Calderon’s requests.
Further investigation revealed that Magana-Calderon engaged in sexually explicit conversations with at least one other minor living out of state.
Magana-Calderon is scheduled to be sentenced on July 15. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Christopher Heck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen S. Taylor is prosecuting 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. 2:25-cr-8.
Mexican National Sentenced to 10 Years’ Imprisonment for Methamphetamine ChargeRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that Salvador Ochoa-Cuevas, 44, of Jalisco, Mexico, was sentenced April 2, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, after having pled guilty to distribution of methamphetamine. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Ochoa-Cuevas to 120 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After completing his term of imprisonment, Ochoa-Cuevas will be subject to deportation to Mexico as he is not a United States citizen.
On March 26, 2021, a confidential source (CS) working with law enforcement placed a recorded phone call to Ochoa-Cuevas for the purpose of obtaining meth. During the phone call the CS and Ochoa-Cuevas agreed to meet near Highland Park at 25th and C streets in Omaha to complete the drug transaction.
That same day, the CS was outfitted with audio and video recording devices for the transaction. Surveillance was maintained on the CS as he arrived at Highland Park. Shortly thereafter, Ochoa-Cuevas arrived and delivered 388 grams of meth to the CS in exchange for $4,000. The recording device captured the transaction.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Omaha Police Department.
Medical group agrees to pay $2.8M to settle False Claims Act allegationsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Fairfax Radiological Consultants, PLLC formerly known as Fairfax Radiological Consultants, P.C. (FRC), of Fairfax, agreed to pay $2,881,260 to settle False Claims Act allegations that it falsely reported its payroll costs to receive full forgiveness of a $6.7 million Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.
The PPP offered loans to eligible small businesses for economic relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. PPP borrowers were required to provide their income and supporting documents to qualify for the loan amount and for later loan forgiveness.
In 2019, FRC employed over 500 individuals. Using its 2019 employee payroll, FRC was able to apply for a $6.8 million PPP loan in April 2020. At the time of its April 2020 PPP loan application, FRC employed less than 100 people.
In April 2021, FRC applied for forgiveness of the loan. The United States alleged that FRC falsely represented its eligible payroll costs for 98 employees in its loan forgiveness application, which enabled FRC to receive full forgiveness of the $6.8 million loan. The United States alleged that, in actuality, FRC was only entitled to loan forgiveness of $4,945,860.
The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gina Kim and auditor Peter Melaragni.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The civil claims settled are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.
Media Advisory: U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces National Crime Victims’ Rights Week EventsRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C – In commemoration of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW), Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar is announcing NCVRW observances planned in the Eastern District of North Carolina for the week of April 6-12, 2025. Members of the public and media are invited to attend.
On Monday, April 7th, a Pinwheel Event will be held in Wilmington to honor and support crime victims and their families.
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at The Harrelson Center, Plaza on Princess (410 Princess Street, Wilmington, NC 28401).
This event will feature a message of hope and inspiration from caretakers in a child exploitation case and is being held in partnership with A Safe Place.
On Tuesday, 8th the National Crime Victims’ Rights Ceremony will be held in Raleigh.
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the North Carolina State Bar Association (217 E. Edenton Street, Raleigh, NC 27601)
Registration is required for this event.
This event is sponsored by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts and the Interagency Council.
For additional information about this year’s NCVRW and how to assist victims in your own community, please visit the United States Attorney’s Office website. For more ideas on how to support victims of crime, visit OVC’s website at www.ovc.ojp.gov.
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McCurtain County Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Anna Marie Scoles, age 37, of Valliant, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to an Information of one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, punishable by no less than 5 years and up to 40 years in prison, and a fine of $5,000,000.00.
The Information alleged that on August 4, 2024, Scoles knowingly and intentionally possessed 5 grams or more of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, with the intent to distribute it.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Scoles will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard J. Lorenz represented the United States.
Maryland Man Sentenced for Role in “Boot” Distribution OperationRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Charles Edward Scott, 31, of Damascus, Maryland, was sentenced to 156 months in prison for his leadership of a drug conspiracy that sold the drug “boot” in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Scott, also known as “Whop Whop,” led a group of people selling Eutylone, also known as “boot,” in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties. Scott was storing large quantities of the drug and firearms in an apartment in Maryland, and with other known defendants, traveled to West Virginia to distribute. Scott has prior drug, firearms, and theft convictions.
Scott will serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Martinsburg Police Department; the Montgomery County, Maryland Police Department; the Virginia State Police, Montgomery County; and Maryland State Attorney’s Office investigated.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Find the related cases here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/16-indicted-conspiracy-charges-boot-distribution-operation
Maryland Man Sentenced for Fabricating Evidence in Federal InvestigationRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – John Austin Perkins, III, 45, of Hagerstown, Maryland, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for lying to federal agents in the hopes of early parole from a sentence he was serving for another crime.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Perkins was serving time for a parole violation in Maryland when he devised a scheme to obtain early release. He made false claims to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and forged three letters in which he impersonated his former cellmate who had been indicted on firearms charges. In the letters (and through his statements), the defendant perpetuated a hoax claiming his former cellmate planned to escape from prison and murder an ATF agent. The defendant engaged in this scheme to garner favor with federal agents and possibly obtain early release from prison. Perkins has prior convictions for theft, drug trafficking and battery.
Perkins will serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the United States Marshals Service investigated.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eleanor Hurney prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Filing More Than $1 Million in Fraudulent Unemployment Insurance ClaimsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Mervyn Fombe Abiko, 35, of Prince George’s County, Maryland, pled guilty to federal charges in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $1 million in unemployment benefits.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the plea with Postal Inspector in Charge Damon Wood, U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer, National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Special Agent in Charge Karl Mastantuno, U.S. Department of the Treasury – Office of Inspector General (OIG).
According to his guilty plea, from February 2020 through February 2021, Abiko and co-defendants Martin Tabe and Gladstone Njokem, along with others, conspired to impersonate victims to obtain money by submitting fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) benefits claims. Abiko and his co-conspirators collected the personally identifiable information (PII), without the victims’ knowledge or consent, and shared the PII amongst themselves and with others to facilitate fraudulent activities. The co-conspirators then used the victims’ PII to submit fraudulent applications for UI benefits in Maryland, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
Authorities traced at least $1,313,325 in UI benefits to Abiko’s conspiracy in which co-conspirators fraudulently applied for UI benefits using the names and PII of more than 183 victims. Law enforcement connected the dots of the scheme based on common IP addresses, mailing addresses and/or email addresses used for the fraudulent UI claims.
Co-defendants Martin Tabe, 35, of Bowie, Maryland, and Sylvester Atekwane, 34, of Hyattsville, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the fraud scheme.
Additionally, co-defendant Gladstone Njokem, 37, of Hyattsville, Maryland, pled guilty and was sentenced by the Honorable Richard D. Bennett on October 13, 2023, to 54 months in connection with the conspiracy.
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 USPIS, DOL-OIG, HSI, and Treasury-OIG for their work in the investigation. Additionally, Ms. Hayes recognized the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Maryland Department of Labor for their assistance. She also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean R. Delaney who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Marlborough Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Marlboro man pleaded guilty on March 25, 2025 in federal court in Boston to possessing and distributing child pornography.
Larry Stephen, 46, pleaded guilty to one count each of distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for June 26, 2025. In August 2023, Stephen indicted by a federal grand jury. He was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint on July 18, 2023.
According to the charging documents, authorities identified Stephen as an individual using a social media platform to receive and post child pornography. On June 7, 2023, a search warrant was executed at Stephen’s Marlboro residence where Stephen’s cell phone was seized. A preliminary examination of the cell phone revealed the presence of child pornography. Stephen repeatedly posted images and videos of child pornography videos on a social media platform.
Each of the two charges, possession of child pornography, and distribution of child pornography, provide for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Marlboro Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney’s David G. Tobin and Eric Hawkins of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274.
Man Who Mailed Fentanyl from Arizona to Iowa Sentenced to over Seven Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who mailed fentanyl powder, pills containing fentanyl, and “ice” methamphetamine from Arizona to Dubuque, Iowa, was sentenced today to 87 months in federal prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
Shawn Javier Lopez-Johnson, age 29, from Phoenix, Arizona, received the prison term after a November 1, 2024 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
From March 2023 through December 2023, Lopez-Johnson mailed re‑distribution quantities of controlled substances, including hundreds of fentanyl pills, from Arizona, to Dubuque, Iowa, to his co-conspirator, Alexander John Chapman who was previously sentenced for his role in the conspiracy. During this time, Lopez-Johnson mailed Chapman approximately $5,400 worth of fentanyl powder, pills containing fentanyl, and methamphetamine.
Lopez-Johnson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Lopez-Johnson was sentenced to 87 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. Lopez-Johnson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin, and it was investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force and the United States Postal Inspection Service, at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 24-CR-01003.
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Macon Man Sentenced to Prison for Robbing Credit UnionsRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A Macon resident who brandished a firearm during two bank robberies and an attempted bank robbery in 2022—causing victims to suffer panic attacks and stealing a total of $38,274—was sentenced to prison this week.
Felix Cordes, 58, was sentenced to serve 97 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $38,274 by U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell on April 2. Cordes previously pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery on Jan. 2. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Criminal offenders who instill fear in our community by conducting bank robberies will face consequences for their actions," said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker. “Our office is committed to working with law enforcement to bring the most dangerous criminals to justice.”
“Cordes terrified innocent employees and customers at three businesses throughout his crime spree,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “We are extremely grateful that no one was physically hurt or killed during these violent robberies and thankful that Cordes is off our streets receiving the sentencing he deserves.”
“Felix Cordes was a ruthless and relentless criminal who possibly could have killed innocent bank employees had he not been stopped by the diligent work of investigators,” said Bibb County Sheriff David Davis. “We are grateful that justice is served, and he will be held accountable for spreading mayhem in our community.”
According to the court documents and statements referenced in court, Cordes robbed MidSouth Community Federal Credit Union in Macon on April 2, 2022. Cordes attempted to disguise himself in overalls, a bandana and sunglasses. He approached the bank tellers on staff and brandished a handgun, ordering the tellers to “take the money out.” He went behind the counter, pulled cash out of two drawers, placed the money in a bag and left the scene. Some tellers experienced panic attacks from intimidation caused by Cordes. Cordes used some of the stolen money to purchase two cell phones at a Boost Mobile store.
With the aid of an accomplice, Cordes robbed the Central Georgia Regional Credit Union in Macon on May 2, 2022. Wearing blue latex gloves and brandishing a firearm, he stole cash from the bank. He attempted to commit a third robbery on May 24, 2022, at another MidSouth Community Federal Credit Union location in Macon. This attempt was unsuccessful because bank staff saw Cordes and an accomplice--both wearing masks--approach the bank with a silver handgun drawn. The staff was able to lock down the bank and thwart the robbery attempt; no money was stolen. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residence used by Cordes on April 6, 2022, and found a bandana matching the one seen on video during the first MidSouth Bank robbery video, blue latex gloves like those worn by Cordes during the second robbery, boxes corresponding to the cellphones purchased from Boost Mobile with the stolen money and a box of 9-millimeter ammunition. Cordes stole a total of $38,274 from the two credit unions.
This case was investigated by FBI and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom prosecuted the case for the Government.
Lowell Man Pleads Guilty to Directing the Robbery of a Mail CarrierRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Lowell man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Concord to aiding and abetting the robbery of a mail carrier, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
Tyler Savinon, 18, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting the robbery of a mail carrier. U.S. District Court Judge Samantha D. Elliott scheduled sentencing for July 9, 2025.
According to the charging documents and statements made in court, Savinon directed two co-conspirators to rob the mail carrier to obtain a proprietary key that would unlock blue mail collection boxes in the Nashua area. Investigators determined that Savinon had used the stolen key to access at least two collection boxes in Nashua—one on Dunstable Road and one on Spring Street.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than ten years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The United States Postal Inspection Service led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Nashua Police Department and the Lowell Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Z. Krasinski is prosecuting the case.
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Louisiana Chiropractor Convicted of Health Care Fraud and Unemployment Insurance FraudRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a Louisiana chiropractor yesterday for his role in health care fraud and unemployment insurance fraud schemes totaling millions of dollars.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Dr. Benjamin Tekippe, 40, of New Orleans, was a chiropractor and owner of Metairie Chiropractic & Rehab in New Orleans. Tekippe solicited patients with insurance from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana (BCBSLA) at schools, public events, and on social media to receive chiropractic massages, which he misleadingly advertised as “free.” Tekippe would then routinely bill BCBSLA for chiropractic services he did not perform. In total, Tekippe fraudulently submitted over $2.3 million in claims to BCBSLA for services not performed and was reimbursed approximately $740,000 by the insurance provider. The fraudulent claims sought payment for thousands of chiropractic services purportedly provided by Tekippe during periods when he was out of the office, traveling on vacation, or incarcerated for past arrests. The evidence also showed that in response to a medical records request from a BCBSLA auditor, Tekippe fabricated patient records and instructed his staff to write them in their own handwriting to make it falsely appear that the services had been performed as billed. Evidence at trial showed that Tekippe spent the fraud proceeds on, among other things, luxury goods and gambling.
In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tekippe submitted weekly certifications falsely claiming that he was unemployed when he was billing for chiropractic services purportedly performed during his claimed unemployment. Through this scheme, Tekippe received $12,952 in unemployment insurance benefits to which he was not entitled.
Tekippe was convicted of six counts of health care fraud and one count of wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 17 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the wire fraud count and 10 years in prison on each health care fraud count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson for the Eastern District of Louisiana; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Jason Meadows of the Department of Health and Human Service Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Dallas Region, Baton Rouge Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Kelly Z. Walters and Samantha Usher 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 9 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.
Local man & woman plead guilty to drug, money laundering crimesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A local man and woman pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court here today to drug and money laundering crimes related to assisting two Chillicothe brothers traffic drugs from Mexico and Arizona.
Todd Michael Fulkerson, 42, of Columbus, admitted to conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.
In February 2024, Fulkerson traveled to Arizona at the request of Caleb Barillaro, 30, who was acquiring kilogram quantities of the drugs to resell through street-level drug dealers in Chillicothe and the surrounding areas. The men drove separate vehicles to Arizona, and Fulkerson accompanied Caleb on the trip to provide security. Fulkerson was recruited for this role based on his military experience.
In Arizona, Caleb purchased two kilograms of fentanyl and five kilograms of cocaine for $94,000 in cash. Caleb put the drugs in a cooler and placed ice on top of the drugs to conceal them before putting the cooler in Fulkerson’s car.
Law enforcement surveilled the two vehicles traveling in tandem back towards Ohio from Arizona.
The two stopped at a gas station near the Indiana and Ohio border. Caleb discovered that the melting ice in the cooler had ruined some of the kilograms of drugs. He became upset and took the cooler to his car. Caleb feared he was being surveilled by law enforcement as he traveled from the gas station, and he discarded the drugs along the side of the road.
Fulkerson faces up to 20 years in prison for his role in transporting the drugs.
Lazae Lett, 24, of Chillicothe, admitted to laundering drug proceeds to Sinaloa, Mexico, to help Dillon Barillaro, 31, obtain more drugs through a source of supply there. She sent several approximately $2,000 money orders via Western Union money orders from Walmart and two Kroger locations in Chillicothe.
Dillon Barillaro provided the illicit money to Lett and instructed her on recipient names and payment amounts. Dillon Barillaro drove Lett to the Walmart and Kroger locations to conduct financial transactions in immediate succession.
Lett faces up to 20 years in prison.
The Barillaro brothers have each pleaded guilty to federal narcotics crimes punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison and await sentencing.
Congress sets minimum and maximum statutory sentences. Sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors at future hearings.
Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Andrew Lawton, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Detroit Field Office; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Chillicothe Police Chief Ron Meyers announced the guilty pleas offered today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King. Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Pakiz and Damoun Delaviz are representing the United States in the related cases.
These investigations were originally designated as part of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs). The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Leader of Export Control Evasion Scheme Sentenced to 70 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
Oleg Sergeyevhich Patsulya, a Russian national, was sentenced today to 70 months, or nearly six years, in prison for his role in a conspiracy to export controlled aviation technology to Russia and to launder money in connection with the illegal export scheme. In December 2024, Patsulya’s co-conspirator, Russian national Vasilii Sergeyevich Besedin, was sentenced to two years in prison for his role in the scheme.
In April 2024, Patsulya, 46, of Miami-Dade County, Florida, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to export items from the United States without a license in violation of the Export Control Reform Act and conspiracy to commit international money laundering. At today’s sentencing hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Dominic W. Lanza for the District of Arizona. found that Patsulya was an organizer and leader of the conspiracy and that the money laundering scheme – which employed numerous shell companies, offshore accounts, and multi-layered transactions – was sophisticated in nature, which led to the application of sentencing enhancements.
In handing down Patsulya’s 70-month sentence, Judge Lanza emphasized the seriousness of the offense, Patsulya’s leadership role in planning and carrying it out, and the fact that Patsulya committed these crimes not long after being granted the privilege of a visa to enter the United States. “It’s hard to imagine a bigger betrayal of the United States than what you did,” Judge Lanza said. The proceedings also established that Patsulya currently lacks legal status to be present in the United States.
According to court documents, beginning in or about May 2022, Patsulya and Besedin conspired with each other and several others to obtain orders for various aircraft parts and components from Russian buyers – primarily commercial airline companies – and then fulfill those requests by acquiring the parts from the U.S. suppliers and unlawfully exporting the parts to Russia. The defendants admitted to knowing the items were controlled and required a license from the Department of Commerce to export.
As part of the scheme, the defendants conspired to export multiple shipments of a carbon disc brake system used on Boeing 737 aircraft. When they contacted various U.S. suppliers in efforts to obtain the brake system, Besedin and Patsulya provided false information that the parts were intended for countries other than Russia. The United States was able to detain, prior to export, multiple shipments made by the defendants containing units of the brake assembly technology.
As part of their guilty pleas, Besedin and Patsulya admitted that they attempted to conceal the illegal exports and avoid detection by law enforcement, including by making false representations about the identities of their true customers and using straw buyer-companies located overseas to obscure the origin of revenue. For example, on Sept. 8, 2022, Besedin and Patsulya traveled to Arizona to close a deal with a U.S. company, in which the defendants sought to purchase units of the brake assembly technology. During their discussions with the company, the defendants misrepresented that the aircraft parts were going to be exported to Turkey, when they were in fact destined for Russia. The defendants made false statements to the company both orally and in signed export compliance forms. In connection with this transaction, the defendants received money from a Russian airline company to make the purchase. The funds were transferred to Patsulya’s American bank account from a Turkish bank account that had previously received the money from Russia.
In total, throughout the conspiracy, American bank accounts associated with MIC P&I LLC, Patsulya’s company, received at least $4,582,288.51 sent from Russian airline companies through Turkish bank accounts to purchase aircraft parts and components intended for unlawful export. As part of his plea and sentence, Patsulya is required to forfeit assets, including a luxury car and personal boat, in the amount of $4,582,288.51.
Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine for the District of Arizona, Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, and Special Agent in Charge Richard Fitzpatrick of the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Phoenix Field Office made the announcement.
The BIS Phoenix Field Office and the FBI Phoenix Field Office investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by the BIS Boston Field Office, the FBI Miami Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations Phoenix Field Office, Customs and Border Protection-Phoenix Field Office, and the U.S. Marshals Office in Miami.
Trial Attorney Christopher M. Rigali of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney William G. Voit for the District of Arizona prosecuted the case.
This case was coordinated through the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states. The Strike Force leverages tools and authorities across the U.S. government to enhance the criminal and administrative enforcement of export control laws.
Leader of Armed Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 28 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – The leader of an armed drug trafficking organization based in Middle Georgia was sentenced to serve 28 years in prison for supplying large quantities of methamphetamine in the community.
Julian Derwayne Coker, aka “Red,” aka “Bread Red,” 44, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 336 months in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release and a $10,000 fine by U.S. District Judge Marc T. Treadwell on April 2. Coker previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Oct. 22, 2024. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Armed drug trafficking organizations endanger the safety of our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker. “This case demonstrates the collaboration between law enforcement at all levels to dismantle criminal organizations and hold their members accountable.”
“The streets are safer, and Georgians can sleep a little easier knowing that the leader of this drug trafficking organization is locked up and his days of peddling drugs in our community are over,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI remains committed to combatting drug trafficking and taking armed violent criminals off the streets through joint efforts with our law enforcement partners.”
“Drug trafficking organizations disrupt society and poison our communities with violence and illegal drugs,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “Their actions threaten the safety of the citizens of Georgia, and the GBI and our partners will not allow these organizations to go unchecked. This case is an example of this commitment to protect the communities of Georgia and hold criminals accountable.”
The following codefendants have been sentenced:
Rodney Sentell Hardin, aka “Rod,” 45, of Roberta, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 135 months in prison on Jan. 8 after he previously pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine on Oct. 9, 2024;
Lisa Nanette McNeer, 48, of Gray, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 151 months in prison on Jan. 8 after she previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Oct. 22, 2024;
Cedric Wimbush, 47, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 106 months in prison on Feb. 26 after he previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Nov. 25, 2024;
Jonathan Kelly McBride, 49, of Warner Robins, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 96 months in prison on Feb. 26 after he previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Oct. 23, 2024;
Melvin Bates, 78, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison on Feb. 26 after he previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Nov. 19, 2024;
Erin Marie Jones, 45, of Forsyth, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 48 months in prison on Sept. 5, 2024, after she previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on June 5, 2024;
Fred Roberts, 66, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 12 months and one day in prison on Feb. 26 after he previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Nov. 19, 2024; and
Carr Dodson, 51, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 12 months in prison on March 5 after he previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Oct. 30, 2024.
The following codefendants have pleaded guilty and will be sentenced on May 13:
Johnathan Pieri, 31, of Macon, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Nov. 19, 2024;
Mitchell Robinson, 53, of Macon, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Dec. 11, 2024; and
Vanessa Wright, 37, of Perry, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Nov. 19, 2024.
According to court documents and statements made public in court, the FBI began investigating Coker’s drug trafficking organization (DTO) in 2022, which led to multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Coker and Hardin and other investigative actions. Sales of illegal drugs occurred on Feb. 13, 2022, and March 24, 2022, with Hardin selling methamphetamine he obtained from Coker to a confidential source.
Coker sold methamphetamine to a confidential source five times between June and September 2022 at locations in Macon. Wiretaps revealed that Coker was supplying methamphetamine to Hardin and other individuals. Agents executed multiple search warrants on Nov. 15, 2022, including at Coker’s residence on Forsyth Road. Agents found methamphetamine in pill and crystal forms stashed in an air fryer and a bag in the kitchen. The crystal methamphetamine weighed 11,166.01 grams and ranged in purity from 96% to 100%; the pressed pill methamphetamine weighed 79.87 grams. Agents found a 9mm pistol inside of a jacket embroidered with Coker’s alias “Bread Red” and seized $13,891. In all, Coker’s DTO is responsible for the distribution of dozens of kilograms of methamphetamine. Coker has a criminal history, including a prior federal controlled substance distribution conviction.
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 the FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Lancaster County Trio Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Charles McKinley Griffin, 55, Tika Michelle Griffin, 48, and Kirk Nathan Evans, 54, all of Lancaster, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Charles and Tika Griffin owned and operated a business called Transformation Services. Transformation Services purported to provide behavioral health services to Medicaid beneficiaries. Transformation Services worked together to recruit beneficiaries from disadvantaged backgrounds, sign the beneficiaries up as clients, and to then submit bills and records to the State of South Carolina for behavioral health services that were never rendered. The conspirators also provided services by unlicensed counselors in violation of the law. Through this scheme Transformation Services defrauded the state Medicaid program of at least $246, 335.12.
The Transformation Services scheme came after Charles Griffin was barred from serving as a provider in the Medicaid program following an investigation into a similar potential scheme through a different entity. Following that action by the state, Transformation Services was established with Tika Griffin, Charles Griffin’s spouse, as the president of Transformation Services, and with Charles Griffin given no formal role in the organizing documents.
Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. They also face a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, and three years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. United States District Judge Mary G. Lewis accepted the guilty pleas and will sentence each defendant after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case was investigated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud (VAMPF) unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliott Daniels and Scott Matthews are prosecuting the case.
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Justice Department to Surge Resources to Indian Country to Investigate Unresolved Violent CrimesRead the Press Release
BAY CITY – The Justice Department today announced that it will surge FBI assets across the country to address unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country, including crimes relating to missing and murdered indigenous persons.
FBI will send 60 personnel, rotating in 90-day temporary duty assignments over a six-month period. This operation is the longest and most intense national deployment of FBI resources to address Indian Country crime to date. FBI personnel will support field offices in Albuquerque; Denver; Detroit; Jackson, Miss.; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Portland, OR.; Seattle; and Salt Lake City. The FBI will work in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions.
FBI personnel will be assisted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, and they will use the latest forensic evidence processing tools to solve cases and hold perpetrators accountable. U.S. Attorney’s Offices will aggressively prosecute case referrals.
“Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high. By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with US Attorneys and Tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“The FBI will manhunt violent criminals on all lands – and Operation Not Forgotten ensures a surge in resources to locate violent offenders on tribal lands and find those who have gone missing,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.
“For too long the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous persons has devastated Tribal communities,” said Acting United States Attorney Julie Beck. “Our office stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our local, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who perpetrate violence against Native Americans.”
Indian Country faces persistent levels of crime and victimization. At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, FBI’s Indian Country program had approximately 4,300 open investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations.
Operation Not Forgotten renews efforts begun during President Trump’s first term under E.O. 13898, Establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. This is the third deployment under Operation Not Forgotten, which has provided investigative support to over 500 cases in the past two years. Combined, these operations resulted in the recovery of 10 child victims, 52 arrests, and 25 indictments or judicial complaints.
Operation Not Forgotten also expands upon the resources deployed in recent years to address cases of missing and murdered indigenous people. The effort will be supported by the Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which places attorneys and coordinators in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the United States to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered indigenous people.
Justice Department to Surge Resources to Indian Country to Investigate Unresolved Violent CrimesRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – The Justice Department announced that it will surge FBI assets across the country to address unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country, including crimes relating to missing and murdered indigenous persons.
FBI will send 60 personnel, rotating in 90-day temporary duty assignments, over a six-month period. This operation is the longest and most intense national deployment of FBI resources to address Indian Country crime to date. FBI personnel will support field offices in Albuquerque; Denver; Detroit; Jackson, Miss.; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Portland, Oreg.; Seattle; and Salt Lake City. The FBI will work in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions.
FBI personnel will be assisted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, and they will use the latest forensic evidence processing tools to solve cases and hold perpetrators accountable. U.S. Attorney’s Offices will aggressively prosecute case referrals.
“Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high. By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with US Attorneys and Tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“The FBI will manhunt violent criminals on all lands – and Operation Not Forgotten ensures a surge in resources to locate violent offenders on tribal lands and find those who have gone missing,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.
“My office is committed to meeting the needs of—and pursuing justice for—our Tribal communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “We are grateful for this much-needed surge of resources, which will enhance the public safety of our Tribal communities throughout Minnesota.”
“We are committed to prioritizing the reduction of crime and the protection of communities in Indian Country,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “The additional resources from Operation Not Forgotten along with our continued partnership with local, state, federal, and tribal agencies will bolster the efforts of our dedicated personnel to bring cases closer to resolution.”
Indian Country faces persistent levels of crime and victimization. At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, FBI’s Indian Country program had approximately 4,300 open investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations.
Operation Not Forgotten renews efforts begun during President Trump’s first term under E.O. 13898, Establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. This is the third deployment under Operation Not Forgotten, which has provided investigative support to over 500 cases in the past two years. Combined, these operations resulted in the recovery of 10 child victims, 52 arrests, and 25 indictments or judicial complaints.
Operation Not Forgotten also expands upon the resources deployed in recent years to address cases of missing and murdered indigenous people. The effort will be supported by the Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which places attorneys and coordinators in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the United States to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered indigenous people.
Justice Department to Surge Resources to Indian Country to Investigate Unresolved Violent CrimesRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it will surge FBI assets across the country to address unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country, including crimes relating to missing and murdered indigenous persons.
FBI will send 60 personnel, rotating in 90-day temporary duty assignments over a six-month period. This operation is the longest and most intense national deployment of FBI resources to address Indian Country crime to date. FBI personnel will support field offices in Albuquerque; Denver; Detroit; Jackson, Miss.; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Portland, Oreg.; Seattle; and Salt Lake City. The FBI will work in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions.
FBI personnel will be assisted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, and they will use the latest forensic evidence processing tools to solve cases and hold perpetrators accountable. U.S. Attorney’s Offices will aggressively prosecute case referrals.
“Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high. By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with US Attorneys and Tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“The FBI will manhunt violent criminals on all lands – and Operation Not Forgotten ensures a surge in resources to locate violent offenders on tribal lands and find those who have gone missing,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.
“Operation Not Forgotten provides critical resources to support the ongoing efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and partners to address violent crime, including missing and murdered indigenous people, in Tribal communities throughout Oregon,” said William M. Narus, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
“FBI Portland welcomes additional resources to assist in conducting investigative and enforcement efforts throughout the state of Oregon,” said FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Olson. “Our men and women are dedicated to serving our communities with the assistance of our partners, and we will continue to do so with the same vigor and dedication as we have in the past.”
Indian Country faces persistent levels of crime and victimization. At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, FBI’s Indian Country program had approximately 4,300 open investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations.
Operation Not Forgotten renews efforts begun during President Trump’s first term under E.O. 13898, Establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. This is the third deployment under Operation Not Forgotten, which has provided investigative support to over 500 cases in the past two years. Combined, these operations resulted in the recovery of 10 child victims, 52 arrests, and 25 indictments or judicial complaints.
Operation Not Forgotten also expands upon the resources deployed in recent years to address cases of missing and murdered indigenous people. The effort will be supported by the Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which places attorneys and coordinators in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the United States to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered indigenous people.
Justice Department to Surge Resources to Indian Country to Investigate Unresolved Violent CrimesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced that it will surge FBI assets across the country to address unresolved violent crimes in Indian country, including crimes relating to missing and murdered indigenous persons.
FBI will send 60 personnel, rotating in 90-day temporary duty assignments over a six-month period. This operation is the longest and most intense national deployment of FBI resources to address Indian Country crime to date. FBI personnel will support field offices in Albuquerque; Denver; Detroit; Jackson, Miss.; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Portland, Oregon; Seattle; and Salt Lake City. The FBI will work in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions.
FBI personnel will be assisted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, and they will use the latest forensic evidence processing tools to solve cases and hold perpetrators accountable. U.S. Attorney’s Offices will aggressively prosecute case referrals.
“Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high. By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with US Attorneys and Tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“The FBI will manhunt violent criminals on all lands – and Operation Not Forgotten ensures a surge in resources to locate violent offenders on Tribal lands and find those who have gone missing,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington is committed to seeking justice on behalf of victims of violent crime,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Richard R. Barker. “Working side-by-side with Tribal leaders, as well as federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement, my office is prepared to devote the resources that are necessary to ensure the safety and security of everyone that calls Eastern Washington home.”
Indian Country faces persistent levels of crime and victimization. At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, FBI’s Indian Country program had approximately 4,300 open investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations.
Operation Not Forgotten renews efforts begun during President Trump’s first term under E.O. 13898, Establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. This is the third deployment under Operation Not Forgotten, which has provided investigative support to over 500 cases in the past two years. Combined, these operations resulted in the recovery of 10 child victims, 52 arrests, and 25 indictments or judicial complaints.
Operation Not Forgotten also expands upon the resources deployed in recent years to address cases of missing and murdered indigenous people.
The effort will be supported by the Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which places attorneys and coordinators in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the United Stated—including the Eastern District of Washington—to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered indigenous people.
“For far too long, American Indian and Alaska Native people have faced unacceptably high levels of violence,” said MMIP AUSA Bree R. Black Horse. “Targeted efforts like Operation Not Forgotten and the MMIP Regional Outreach Program will help ensure that violent crimes in Indian country will be timely investigated and resolved, which will improve public safety throughout Tribal communities.”
José Adolfo “Fito” Macías Villamar, Leader of Los Choneros Transnational Criminal Organization, Indicted in Brooklyn Federal Court on International Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
A seven-count indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging José Adolfo Macías Villamar, also known as “Fito,” with international cocaine distribution conspiracy; international cocaine distribution; using firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking; smuggling firearms from the United States; and straw purchasing of firearms conspiracy. Since at least 2020, he has been the leader of Los Choneros, one of Ecuador’s most violent drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations. The defendant is not in U.S. custody.
John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Derek Maltz, Acting Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); L.C. Cheeks, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Newark Field Division, Atlantic City Satellite Office (ATF); and Jonathan Carson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field Office (OEE), announced the charges.
“As alleged, the defendant was a ruthless leader and prolific drug trafficker for a violent transnational criminal organization. By leading the Los Choneros’ network of assassins and drug and weapon traffickers and importing potentially lethal quantities of cocaine into the United States, the defendant has caused great harm to his own country and the United States, which was the destination for the vast majority of Los Choneros’ cocaine shipments,” stated United States Attorney Durham.
Mr. Durham praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA’s Andean Region – Quito, Country Office, Special Operations Division-Bilateral Investigations Unit and Latin America/Caribbean Section, Joint Interagency Task Force South; U.S. Southern Command; the Government of Ecuador; the New Jersey State Police Casino Gaming Bureau; and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations Atlantic City. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance in this matter.
“The indictment of José Adolfo Macías Villamar marks a significant strike against the violent networks that flood our communities with dangerous drugs like cocaine — a clear message that no one fueling this deadly trade is beyond the reach of justice. This case highlights the tireless efforts of DEA, alongside our partners in the United States and Ecuador,” stated DEA Administrator Maltz. “We will continue to work across borders to dismantle the supply chain of violent, criminal networks, which underscores the ongoing need for vigilance and collaboration in the fight against drug trafficking and cartel violence.”
“This investigation and charges are a testament to the combined efforts of law enforcement and underscores the resolve of ATF and our federal, state, and local partners. Drug trafficking and the heinous crimes associated with violent criminal organizations have an insidious impact on the public and tear apart the fabric of our communities. We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal, across the U.S. and around the globe, to combat violence, drug distribution, and the illegal sale and possession of firearms to safeguard the safety and well-being of all,” stated ATF Special Agent in Charge Cheeks.
“This indictment alleges the defendant and Los Choneros illegally smuggled firearms from the United States in furtherance of their violent drug trafficking operations,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Carson of the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field Office. “The Office of Export Enforcement will continue its efforts alongside its law enforcement partners to pursue those who violate export laws, wherever they may be, worldwide.”
As alleged in the indictment, from at least 2020 to 2025, Macías Villamar was the principal leader of Los Choneros, one of the most violent and powerful transnational criminal organizations in Ecuador. Los Choneros, in partnership with the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, controlled key cocaine trafficking routes through Ecuador and operated a large-scale network responsible for the shipment and distribution of multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America through Central America and Mexico to the United States and elsewhere. The vast majority of drugs trafficked by Los Choneros were imported into the United States.
As the principal leader of Los Choneros, Macías Villamar employed members of the organization to carry out serious acts of violence on the organization’s behalf. At Macías Villamar’s direction, Los Choneros committed violent acts towards law enforcement, Ecuadorian politicians, attorneys, prosecutors and civilians. Los Choneros obtained many of their firearms and weapons by illegally trafficking and exporting them from the United States. As alleged, the defendant specifically employed individuals who purchased firearms, firearms components and ammunitions on Los Choneros’ behalf in the United States and then illegally smuggled them to Ecuador.
Moreover, in furtherance of their drug trafficking operation, Los Choneros relied on “sicarios,” or hitmen, as well as corruption and bribe payments, to ensure protection and loyalty to Los Choneros. These “sicarios” regularly used military-grade weapons, like machine guns, AK-47 assault rifles and grenades to perpetrate violence, including murder, torture and kidnapping. Macías Villamar and the Los Choneros organization have also been sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to life in prison.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section, and as part of the work of the Office’s Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force. Assistant United States Attorneys Chand Edwards-Balfour and Lorena Michelen are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
JOSÉ ADOLFO MACÍAS VILLAMAR (also known as “Fito”)
Age: 45
EcuadorE.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 25-CR-114 (FB)
25cr114_indictment_redacted.pdfImporter and Distributer of Wholesale Quantities of Fentanyl Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ronnie Rogers, 69, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy that imported and redistributed wholesale quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine in the District of Columbia.
The plea agreement was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Division, FBI Special Agent Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Rogers pleaded guilty to a three-count Information charging him with conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue, and 100 grams or more of heroin; conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and cocaine base; and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden scheduled a sentencing hearing for July 21, 2025. Rogers is eligible for a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison to a maximum of life.
According to the plea agreement, between July 2021 and November 2023, Rogers coordinated with his co-conspirators to traffic fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and cocaine base in the District of Columbia and elsewhere. This included over 12 kilograms of fentanyl (including carfentanil, which is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl), over 1967 grams of fentanyl analog (p-Fluorofentanyl, which is also more lethal than fentanyl), over 236 grams of heroin, over 500 grams of cocaine, and less than 28 grams of cocaine base.
On November 29, 2023, law enforcement executed search warrants at Rogers’ various residences.
At his apartment on the 1200 block of Massachusetts Avenue, NW, law enforcement recovered an array of narcotics that included a large baggie containing 494.8 grams of mixture of heroin, fentanyl, and carfentanil; another baggie with 704.8 grams of carfentanil, an envelope containing 115.91 grams of fentanyl; another baggie containing 201 grams of fentanyl; and baggies containing 1,785 grams acetaminophen and 18 grams of fentanyl. In addition, officers recovered a Smith & Wesson SD-40 firearm, a Glock 43 pistol, a Rugar LCP pistol, $23,000 in cash, and an assortment of drug packaging materials and scales.
At Roger’s residence on the 6500 block of Gateway Boulevard, in District Heights, Maryland, law enforcement recovered more narcotics and weapons including two baggies containing 151 grams of fentanyl; plastic bags containing 2.4 grams of xylazine and 1.8 grams of heroin; baggies containing bundles of smaller bags containing 7.7 grams of fentanyl, heroin, xylazine, 1.4 grams of carfentanil, and 2.8 grams of acetaminophen, 20 small baggies containing 5.1 grams of fentanyl, heroin and xylazine; and bags containing 97.3 grams of heroin and fentanyl, 45.4 grams of cocaine base, and 14.2 grams of fentanyl with xylazine. Officers also recovered a Smith &Wesson .357 revolver, a Springfield XD 9mm firearm, a Canik TP9 pistol, assorted ammunition and magazines and $1,524 in cash.
At another residence utilized by Rogers located on the 2100 block of Pineview Court, Waldorf, Maryland, law enforcement recovered a FedEx parcel containing 1,013 grams of fentanyl.
This operation 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.
This case is being investigated by the DEA Washington Division, the FBI Washington Field Office, the Alexandria Police Department, and the Metropolitan Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Washington Field Division, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, U.S. Bureau of Prisons, Montgomery County Police Department, Prince George’s County Police Interdiction Unit, Charles County Sheriff’s Office, Arlington County Police, Montgomery County Department of Police, Virginia State Police, Loudoun County Sherriff’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland (Greenbelt), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Eliopoulos and Matthew Kinskey of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Section.
23cr394
Illegal Alien Sentenced for Reentry ViolationRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Mario Caseiro-Antonio, 37, a Mexican national, was sentenced to 14 months in prison for reentry of a removed alien.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Caseiro-Antonio was stopped by law enforcement and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. After his arrest, officers determined he was in the country illegally and had been removed from the United States twice before.
Caseiro-Antonio will serve one year of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Salem prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Customs and Immigration Enforcement and the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Hospital, Medical Imaging Services Company, and Others to Pay $3.1 Million to Resolve False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
EL PASO, Texas – The United States has reached agreements with several individuals and entities to resolve allegations of improper billing for medical imaging services at a surgical hospital in El Paso. Desert Imaging Services, L.P., In Tandem Solutions Group, LLC, and Leroy Candelaria agreed to pay the United States $693,913; Donald Burris and Vox Intus, LLC agreed to forfeit $325,000; and East El Paso Physician’s Medical Center, LLC, doing business as Foundation Surgical Hospital of El Paso, agreed to entry of a consent judgment in the amount of $2,081,739.
The United States alleged that the settling parties engaged in an illegal kickback and pass-through billing scheme in which Desert Imaging used Foundation Surgical Hospital’s National Provider Identifier (NPI) to submit claims for medical imaging services. Although the patients who received these services had no connection with the hospital, billing the claims as hospital outpatient services allowed Desert Imaging to obtain a higher rate of reimbursement from Federal healthcare programs. In exchange for letting Desert Imaging use its NPI, Foundation Surgical Hospital retained 17% of payments on the claims.
The settlements announced today resolve a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The qui tam lawsuit is captioned United States and Texas ex rel. Motts v. East El Paso Physician’s Medical Center, et al., Case No. EP-18-CV-348-LS (W.D. Tex.).
Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Parnham and former Assistant United States Attorney Eddie Castillo handled this matter on behalf of the government.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
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High Ranking MS-13 Leader and Fugitive Wanted for Multiple Murders Found and Arrested in Long IslandRead the Press Release
Last night, a high-ranking leader of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, was arrested in New York for his alleged role in a conspiracy responsible for 11 murders.
Joel Vargas-Escobar, also known as Momia, was indicted the District of Nevada and charged with racketeering conspiracy that involved 11 murders. Vargas-Escobar is also charged with two counts of murder-in-aid of racketeering and associated firearms charges. Vargas-Escobar – who previously had been deported to El Salvador and illegally re-entered the United States – had been a fugitive from justice for nearly four years.
“The American people are safer following the arrest of yet another MS-13 leader thanks to the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and Joint Task Force Vulcan,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This terrorist entered our country illegally and is accused of orchestrating 11 murders — under President Trump’s leadership, we will not rest until this terrorist organization is completely dismantled and its members are behind bars.”
“The arrest of yet another violent and dangerous MS-13 leader is a major win for our FBI agents, law enforcement partners, and safer American streets,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Our agents and analysts are continuously coordinating across multiple field offices and investigating with our valued partners to keep this work going — and we will not stop until that work is done.”
According to court documents, MS-13 is a national and transnational gang composed largely of individuals of Salvadoran or other Central American descent. MS-13 has more than 10,000 members regularly conducting gang activities in at least 10 states and Washington, D.C., with thousands more conducting gang activities in Central America and Mexico. MS-13 operates through the use of intimidation and violence, including murder, and enriching members and associates through criminal activities, including breaking into houses and stealing firearms, jewelry, cash, and other items of value, and selling narcotics. MS-13 is organized by subsets known as “cliques,” and each clique typically has one or more leaders, commonly referred to as “shot callers.”
Vargas-Escobar and his co-defendants are allegedly part of MS-13’s command and control structure in Las Vegas and California and exercised significant leadership roles in the organization’s operations. The indictment charges members of the “Parkview” clique of MS-13 with committing 11 murders over about a year in Nevada and California. According to the indictment, many of the victims were allegedly kidnapped by MS-13 members and taken to remote locations in the mountains and desert where they were tortured and killed.
Vargas-Escobar was the alleged leader of the Parkview clique of MS-13 in Las Vegas and personally ordered two of the charged murders. He was deported to El Salvador in 2018 but illegally re-entered the country.
The arrest operation was coordinated by the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division in Washington, D.C., with support from the FBI’s Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and New York field offices, the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada, and Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV).
JTFV, which was created in 2019 to destroy MS-13 and now expanded to target Tren de Aragua, is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including the Southern District of New York; the Eastern District of New York; the District of New Jersey; the Northern District of Ohio; the District of Utah; the District of Massachusetts; the Eastern District of Texas; the Southern District of Florida; the Eastern District of Virginia; the Southern District of California; the District of Nevada; the District of Alaska; the Southern District of Texas; and the District of Columbia, as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI; DEA; HSI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; and the Federal Bureau of Prisons have been essential law enforcement partners with JTFV.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America and an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Vargas-Escobar appeared this morning for his initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge James M. Wicks of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York – Central Islip. He was ordered detained and will be transferred to the District of Nevada for trial. If convicted, Vargas-Escobar faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Christopher Taylor and Justin Bish from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melanee Smith and Steven Rose for the District of Nevada, with substantial assistance from Joint Task Force Vulcan Deputy Director Jeremy Franker, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
High Ranking MS-13 Leader and Fugitive Wanted for Multiple Murders Found and Arrested in Long IslandRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS — Last night, a high-ranking leader of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, was arrested in New York for his alleged role in a conspiracy responsible for 11 murders.
Joel Vargas-Escobar, also known as Momia, was indicted the District of Nevada and charged with racketeering conspiracy that involved 11 murders. Vargas-Escobar is also charged with two counts of murder-in-aid of racketeering and associated firearms charges. Vargas-Escobar – who previously had been deported to El Salvador and illegally reentered the United States – had been a fugitive from justice for nearly four years.
“The American people are safer following the arrest of yet another MS-13 leader thanks to the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and Joint Task Force Vulcan,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This terrorist entered our country illegally and is accused of orchestrating 11 murders — under President Trump’s leadership, we will not rest until this terrorist organization is completely dismantled and its members are behind bars.”
“The arrest of yet another violent and dangerous MS-13 leader is a major win for our FBI agents, law enforcement partners, and safer American streets,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Our agents and analysts are continuously coordinating across multiple field offices and investigating with our valued partners to keep this work going — and we will not stop until that work is done.”
“No matter where a violent MS-13 fugitive hides or how long it takes our skilled law enforcement partners will find them,” said United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “We will aggressively prosecute this defendant for his alleged role in a racketeering conspiracy involving murders in Nevada and California and seek justice for victims.”
“The FBI is fully dedicated to utilizing all available resources to partner with local, state, and federal agencies in disrupting and dismantling criminal organizations that pose a threat to the communities we serve,” said Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI Las Vegas Division. “Every family has the right to reside in a community free from fear and gang violence. We encourage the public to provide information that can assist us in this critical mission. Do not suffer in silence; law enforcement is prepared to support victims and promote safer communities for everyone.”
According to court documents, MS-13 is a national and transnational gang composed largely of individuals of Salvadoran or other Central American descent. MS-13 has more than 10,000 members regularly conducting gang activities in at least 10 states and Washington, D.C., with thousands more conducting gang activities in Central America and Mexico. MS-13 operates through the use of intimidation and violence, including murder, and enriching members and associates through criminal activities, including breaking into houses and stealing firearms, jewelry, cash, and other items of value, and selling narcotics. MS-13 is organized by subsets known as “cliques,” and each clique typically has one or more leaders, commonly referred to as “shot callers.”
Vargas-Escobar and his co-defendants are allegedly part of MS-13’s command and control structure in Las Vegas and California and exercised significant leadership roles in the organization’s operations. The indictment charges members of the “Parkview” clique of MS-13 with committing 11 murders over about a year in Nevada and California. According to the indictment, many of the victims were allegedly kidnapped by MS-13 members and taken to remote locations in the mountains and desert where they were tortured and killed.
Vargas-Escobar was the alleged leader of the Parkview clique of MS-13 in Las Vegas and personally ordered two of the charged murders. He was deported to El Salvador in 2018 but illegally reentered the country.
The arrest operation was coordinated by the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division in Washington, D.C., with support from the FBI’s Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and New York field offices, the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada, and Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV).
JTFV, which was created in 2019 to destroy MS-13 and now expanded to target Tren de Aragua, is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including the Southern District of New York; the Eastern District of New York; the District of New Jersey; the Northern District of Ohio; the District of Utah; the District of Massachusetts; the Eastern District of Texas; the Southern District of Florida; the Eastern District of Virginia; the Southern District of California; the District of Nevada; the District of Alaska; the Southern District of Texas; and the District of Columbia, as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI; DEA; HSI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; and the Federal Bureau of Prisons have been essential law enforcement partners with JTFV.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America and an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Vargas-Escobar appeared this morning for his initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge James M. Wicks of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York – Central Islip. He was ordered detained and will be transferred to the District of Nevada for trial. If convicted, Vargas-Escobar faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Christopher Taylor and Justin Bish from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melanee Smith and Steven Rose for the District of Nevada, with substantial assistance from Joint Task Force Vulcan Deputy Director Jeremy Franker, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Hammond Woman Sentenced to 84 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Debra L. Moore, 54 years old, of Hammond, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Gretchen S. Lund after pleading guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and distributing methamphetamine, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
Moore was sentenced to 84 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, Moore and her son, co-defendant Erik Patrick Grant, conspired to distribute methamphetamine between November 2022 and July 2023. While Grant was detained at the Porter County Jail, Moore assumed control of her son’s methamphetamine dealing operation, selling the drug on multiple occasions. Moore was arrested at a motel in Schererville, Indiana, where law enforcement recovered methamphetamine, a digital scale, and baggies.
On December 3, 2024, co-defendant Grant was sentenced to 168 months imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Toth.
Guatemalan man arrested, charged with illegal reentryRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Wilson Oswaldo Galvan-Lope, 25, a citizen of Guatemala, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with illegal reentry, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Testani, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on March 24, 2025, Homeland Security Investigations special agents were conducting surveillance on an Orange Street residence in Rochester, targeting Galvan-Lope, an illegal alien under investigation for being a found in the United States after being deported. As a truck exited the driveway of the residence, agents noticed that the driver appeared to resemble of the photograph of Galvan-Lope. They conducted a vehicle stop near the intersection of Whitney Street and Lyell Avenue. Through routine questioning of identity documents and record checks, the agents determined that Galvan-Lope and two passengers in the vehicle had no immigration status in the United States. All three were taken into immigration custody. Galvan-Lope was previously ordered deported from the United States in May 2023.
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.
Galvan-Lope made an initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Colleen D. Holland and was ordered detained.
The criminal complaint is the result of of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan.
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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Grand Jury Returns IndictmentRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. - A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictment today. You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and a person named as defendant in an indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Madison Man Charged With Distributing Methamphetamine
Rumont Kirkpatrick, 47, Madison, Wisconsin, is charged with distributing methamphetamine. The indictment alleges that on January 9, 2024, Kirkpatrick distributed 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
If convicted, Kirkpatrick faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The charge against him is the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chad Elgersma and Louis Glinzak are handling the case.
Fourteen Individuals Charged with Conspiracy Involving Straw Purchases of 18 Belt-Fed Firearms and .50 Caliber RiflesRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Timothy Courchaine, United States Attorney for the District of Arizona, announces a 20-count indictment against 14 individuals from Arizona, for Conspiracy to Submit a Material False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm and related charges. The indictment was unsealed today.
The indictment alleges that between July 15, 2023, and December 23, 2023, 13 individuals were paid to buy belt-fed rifles and Barrett .50 caliber semi-automatic rifles from licensed firearms dealers in and around Phoenix and Yuma for David Moreno Quevedo. As part of the conspiracy, these individuals lied on the Firearms Transaction Record, known as ATF Form 4473, claiming that they were purchasing the rifles for themselves. The charged conspirators include:
- David Moreno Quevedo, 26, of El Mirage;
- Mario Alberto Ayala, Jr., 23, of Maricopa;
- Randy Obed Valenzuela Chinchillas, 24, of Phoenix;
- Aidee Espinoza, 29, of Phoenix;
- Todd Robert Nuttall, 52, of Gilbert;
- Earl Marlow Burch, 49, of Mesa;
- Wyatt Michael Fernandez, 26, of Tempe;
- Jorge Luis Roman, 28, of Mesa;
- Dylan Morgan Burch, 21, of Eloy;
- Shawna Marie O’Shea, 56, of Tempe;
- Damaris Davila Moreno, 22, of Phoenix;
- Noelia Valenzuela Gomez, 25, of Chandler;
- Melissa Osorio Talamante, 31, of San Tan Valley; and
- Michael Andrew Wingate, 31, of Mesa.
A conviction for the crime of Conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. A conviction for the crime of Material False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years, a $250,000 fine, or both.
An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcus W. Shand, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-25-00432-PHX-MTL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-048_Quevedo, et al# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Four South Carolina Defendants Sentenced for Civil Rights Crimes Targeting HispanicsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — Three South Carolina men and one woman have been sentenced for violent crimes targeting Hispanics in Columbia, South Carolina. Charles Antonio Clippard, 27, was sentenced to 420 months in prison; Michael Joseph Knox, 29, was sentenced to 303 months in prison; Gabriel Brunson, 21, was sentenced to 100 months in prison; and Sierra Fletcher, 34, was sentenced to 200 months in prison.
All four defendants previously pleaded guilty to carjacking, conspiracy, firearms, and criminal civil rights charges in connection with the string of armed robberies. According to court documents, beginning in January 2021 and continuing through February 2021, the four defendants conspired to target Hispanic victims for armed robberies. The group would wait for their victims at gas stations and grocery stores and then follow them to their homes or other locations to rob their victims at gunpoint. All four defendants admitted their involvement in a Jan. 30, 2021, armed robbery and carjacking targeting a Hispanic victim after following him from a gas station to his home. In another series of robberies on Jan. 30, 2021, three members of the group carjacked one victim, and invaded the home of another group of victims. The group stole cash, cellphones, driver’s licenses, and credit cards from multiple victims.
“The defendants hunted victims based on their ethnicity and terrorized an entire community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Brook B Andrews for the District of South Carolina. “Their acts of bias-motivated violence have no place in South Carolina. These four defendants will spend a total of 85 years in federal prison as a result of law enforcement coordination at the federal, state, and local level. We are all committed to making sure the Palmetto State remains a safe place for everyone.”
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mac Warner of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Brook Andrews and Acting Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis of the FBI Columbia Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Columbia Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, Town of Lexington Police Department and Columbia Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Garner for the District of South Carolina and Trial Attorneys Katherine McCallister and Andrew Manns of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.
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