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23 April 2025
Mingo County Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Child Pornography CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Cameron Drake Newsome, 25, of Williamson, was sentenced today to 15 years in prison, to be followed by 25 years of supervised release, for production of child pornography. Newsome must also pay $7,000 in restitution and register as a sex offender.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on or about November 1, 2019, Newsome used a cell phone to take two photographs of an approximately 3-year-old child in Williamson while the child was naked from the waist down and with the child’s genitals as the focal point of the images. Newsome admitted to taking the photographs and to storing them on an online file storage account. By storing those images in the online file storage account, Newsome transported the images in and affecting interstate commerce via the internet. Newsome further admitted that he stored numerous other images and videos in his online file storage accounts depicting minors, including prepubescent children, engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police Crimes Against Children Unit.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and 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 Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-111.
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Mid-level manager of northern border smuggling ring sentenced to prisonRead the Press Release
Seattle – A Santa Rosa, California resident, who is a citizen of India, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to five months in prison for Conspiracy to Bring in and Transport Certain Aliens for Profit, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Rajat Rajat, 27, and three others were indicted in connection with a scheme to smuggle non-citizens across the northern border for profit. The group was connected to two smuggling episodes in November and December 2023. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Tana Lin noted that Rajat played a critical role in the smuggling conspiracy arranging travel and paying coconspirators. Judge Lin said that as someone who had been smuggled into the country, Mr. Rajat perpetuated the cycle of exploitation inherent in the smuggling process.
“Mr. Rajat was a mid-level manager of this smuggling scheme, directing noncitizens where and how to cross the border, and even fronting some travel costs for them and for coconspirators,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to stop the illegal border crossings that undermine U.S. security.”
According to records filed in the case, the two smuggling events described in this case involved eight different citizens of India. On November 27, 2023, surveillance technology caught multiple people jumping a fence near the Boundary Village Apartments in Blaine, Washington. The fence is a quarter mile east of Peace Arch Park. Border Patrol agents near the apartments saw five people run to a white minivan. The vehicle was stopped by Border Patrol. Five citizens of India were in the van with California resident Bobby Joe Green, 68, as the driver.
When questioned, three of the non-citizens told U.S. Border Patrol agents that they saw defendant Sushil Kumar at Peace Arch Park prior to crossing the border illegally. The investigation revealed that Kumar and Rajat Rajat, who was employed as a truck driver, directed the non-citizens on where and how to cross the border. Rajat paid Green to transport the non-citizens from the border. Rajat asked for monetary payments from the non-citizens for being smuggled into the U.S.
Similarly, in December 2023, Rajat met three citizens of India in Peace Arch Park and allegedly directed them how to cross through the park and get into a car parked near the border. The car was stopped, and the non-citizens were interviewed. They indicated they had promised to make monetary payments to be smuggled into the U.S. Rajat was picked up near the border.
In asking for a prison sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court, “This was an organized, coordinated, transnational scheme that operated repeatedly, over an extended period of time. Mr. Rajat’s role in the organization was not one that can be considered minor. Rather, he was essential to its function. Mr. Rajat acted as a middle-level manager in the smuggling organization, paying his co-conspirators for their involvement, and directing their roles. Mr. Rajat actively promoted the scheme by purchasing flights for his “customers” and communicating directly with them, advising noncitizens on how and when to clandestinely enter the United States.”
Judge Lin ordered Rajat to serve three years of supervised release following prison, however she noted that he will likely be deported following his prison term.
In March 2025, Sushil Kumar, 36, of Santa Rosa was sentenced to six months in prison and three years of supervised release. Bobby Joe Green was sentenced to four months in prison and three years of supervised release. The fourth defendant Sneha, 20, a citizen of India who is in the U.S. on a student visa and goes by just her last name, is scheduled to go to trial in January 2026.
The charges contained in the superseding indictment of Sneha are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) and the U.S. Border Patrol.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jin Kim and Mike Dion and Special Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Collins.
Mexican national caught mid-burglary sentenced for immigration violationRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas –A Mexican national has been sentenced for illegally reentering the United States, announced Eastern District of Texas Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.
Heladio Ruchon Rocha-Tellez, 31, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry after removal and was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on April 22, 2025.
According to information presented in court, on December 19, 2023, local law enforcement responded to a burglary in progress at a Beaumont laundry mat. When officers arrived, they encountered Rocha-Tellez hiding behind the counter of the laundry mat with a large amount of cash hanging out of his pocket. A check of immigration records revealed that Rocha-Tellez was a Mexican national who had been previously removed from the United States in 2015 and twice in 2022.
In addition to the immigration charges, Rocha-Tellez was convicted of a state burglary charge in Jefferson County court and sentenced to 12 months in prison on November 19, 2024. Judge Crone ordered that the sentences run consecutively, and Rocha-Tellez will begin his federal prison sentence after completing his state sentence.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security and the Beaumont Police Department and prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tommy L. Coleman with the cooperation of the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.
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Mexican National Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison After Attempting to Traffic over 38 Kilos of Methamphetamine in UtahRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Fermin Castro-Tovar, 26, a Mexican national, living in the United States illegally, was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release, after he attempted to traffic over 38,000 grams of methamphetamine in the District of Utah and distributed approximately one pound of meth to undercover agents.The sentence, imposed by Senior U.S District Court Judge Ted Stewart comes after Castro-Tovar pleaded guilty on January 14, 2025, to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
According to court documents and statements made at Castro-Tovar’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, in May 2024, Castro-Tovar sold methamphetamine during a controlled purchase to agents with the Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force. On May 30, 2024, law enforcement seized 24,020 grams of methamphetamine at a storage unit associated to him. At Castro Tovar’s residence, agents seized approximately 3,401 grams of methamphetamine. At an apartment associated to Tovar, agents seized three additional bags of methamphetamine weighing approximately 4,388 grams, 4,139 grams and 2,890 grams. In total, Castro-Tovar possessed and intended to distribute 38,838 grams of methamphetamine. See prior release: Foreign National Accused of Attempting to Traffic Over 38 Kilos of Methamphetamine in Utah.
“Stopping deadly drugs from being distributed throughout our communities is a priority,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah. “We will continue to work with our state, local and federal partners to dismantle organizations that bring drugs into our country and threaten community safety.”
“The amount of methamphetamine in this case potentially amounts to hundreds of thousands of doses,” said Special Agent in Charge Mehtab Syed of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Illicit drugs have devastated too many lives in Utah. Public safety is at the forefront of everything we do, and the FBI's Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force will use every resource available to cut the supply at the highest levels.”
The case was investigated by the Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force, consisting of the FBI and the Davis Metro Narcotic Strike Force.
Assistant United States Attorney Seth Nielson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted 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 gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf.
Mexican National Indicted for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Javier Velasquez-Aguilar (41, Mexico) with illegal reentry by a deported alien. If convicted, Velasquez-Aguilar faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, on March 24, 2025, Velasquez-Aguilar was found to be in the United States after having previously been removed from on three prior occasions. Velasquez-Aguilar had not received consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO). It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.
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).
Mexican National Indicted for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Esteban Lopez-Juarez (40, Mexico) with illegal reentry by a deported alien with a prior felony conviction. If convicted, Lopez-Juarez faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, on March 16, 2025, Lopez-Juarez was found to be voluntarily in the United States after having previously been removed on five prior occasions. Lopez-Juarez had not received consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission. Additionally, Lopez-Juarez was previously convicted of illegal reentry in 2015 and 2016.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO). It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.
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).
Mexican National Arrested in Catoosa After Being Deported for Killing His BabyRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Mexican national who was residing in Catoosa was indicted for unlawfully reentering the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Carlos Ambriz Estrada, 53, is charged with Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien after having been previously removed in January 2006.
“After serving time in prison for killing his 38-day-old son, Ambriz Estrada was deported. That did not stop him from unlawfully returning to the United States and living in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Prosecutors are working in coordinated efforts with law enforcement to help keep the citizens in the Northern District safe from violent criminals like Ambriz Estrada.”
"This subject’s criminal record underscores the significant danger he represents to our community, particularly with the serious charge and conviction for killing his own child,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office acting Director Josh Johnson. “Our officers remain committed to enhancing public safety by apprehending and removing criminal aliens who violate immigration laws.”
According to court documents, in March, the Fugitive Operations Team with Immigration Customs Enforcement began investigating Ambriz Estrada due to his prior conviction of deliberate homicide in Montana and the possibility of him being present in the United States unlawfully. Law enforcement discovered that Ambriz Estrada was unlawfully living in Catoosa and that he did not have permission to re-enter the United States after being removed.
In 1994, Ambriz Estrada pleaded guilty to deliberate homicide. Montana law enforcement was dispatched to the hospital to investigate apparent child abuse. Ambriz Estrada and his wife brought their 36-day-old baby to the hospital for treatment.
The detective spoke with a doctor who confirmed that the baby had five broken ribs, detached retinas in both eyes, swelling of the head, bruises on the neck and abdomen, consistent with strangulation. The doctor reported that they believed the baby was strangled and without oxygen for some time, likely causing severe brain damage.
When being interviewed, Ambriz Estrada admitted that he was angry with his wife and took it out on the baby. That while the baby was crying, he squeezed the child’s throat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the baby lost consciousness. Afterward, he put the baby in a crib. The baby woke up crying one hour later, and Ambriz Estrada admitted to picking up the baby and shaking him. Ambriz Estrada told detectives the baby's breathing was irregular and appeared to have a seizure.
After two days in intensive care, the baby had no brain activity and was declared brain dead at 38 days old.
Ambriz Estrada was ordered to 40 years imprisonment and served nearly 10 years. After being released in 2006, Ambriz Estrada was deported.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ammon Brisolara is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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).
Mexican Citizen Charged with Illegal Re-entry of Removed AlienRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A citizen of Mexico has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of illegal re-entry of a removed alien, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Daniel Alejandro Benzor Mora, 31, as the sole defendant. According to the Indictment, on March 19, 2025, Benzor Mora was found in western Pennsylvania after having been removed from the United States on or about January 3, 2024.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, combat illegal immigration, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Memphis Woman Sentenced in Healthcare Fraud Scheme and Schemes to Defraud COVID-19 Relief ProgramRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – A federal judge has sentenced Nakita Cannady, 49, to 14 months in federal prison to be followed by two years of supervised release for healthcare fraud and making false statements in connection with loan applications for the Covid-19 Relief Program. The final sentencing hearing was concluded on April 4, 2025, with the entry of an order by Senior United States District Judge John T. Fowlkes, Jr. directing the defendant to pay more than $500,000.00 dollars in restitution to the victims. Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Interim United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
According to the original federal indictment in the healthcare fraud case, Cannady owned and operated What About Us In-Home Healthcare, a home healthcare services business that purported to provide custodial healthcare services 24-hours a day, 7 days a week to mostly elderly patients. From May 29, 2017 through December 23, 2019, Cannady fraudulently billed Cigna Insurance for 24 hours a day of home healthcare when she knew the patients had only received 8 or 12 hours a day of home healthcare. Cannady was ordered to make restitution to Cigna Insurance in the amount of $193,508.10.
According to the second federal indictment, from June 17, 2020 through April 15, 2021, Cannady submitted six fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications for four purported businesses she controlled, specifically: What About Us Childcare, What About Us Foundation, What About Us Adult Daycare, and What About Us In-Home Healthcare. Cannady’s loan applications contained false information concerning the dates of operation, gross revenues, costs of goods sold, number of employees, and amount of payroll related to the businesses. Cannady was ordered to make restitution to the Small Business Administration in the amount of $346,882.13.
"Those who exploit health care programs for personal gain will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Nashville Field Office. "Health care fraud is a priority for the FBI, and we will continue to work with our partners to investigate those who prioritize greed over the well-being of others."
Interim United States Attorney Joseph C. Murphy, Jr. and Assistant United States Attorney Raney Irwin prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Cotten and former Assistant United States Attorneys Courtney Lewis and Murrell Foster also assisted in the prosecution of this case. The FBI Nashville Field Office – Memphis Resident Agency and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation investigated this case.
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For more information, please contact the media relations team at [email protected]. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Memphis Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Possession of a Machinegun and Possession of 121 Grams of Fentanyl with the Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Christopher Young, aka Christopher Minnis, 35, has been sentenced to 132 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release for possession of a machinegun, possession of 121 grams of Fentanyl with the intent to distribute, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Interim United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
According to the information presented in court, on December 9, 2021, officers with the Memphis Police Department observed the defendant near Cottonwood Road and Cherry Road driving erratically in a Black Chevrolet Corvette with fraudulent tags that had expired on October 14, 2021. When Young parked the car, the officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but Young fled on foot. Police gave chase, and Young was apprehended in his neighbor’s back yard. At the time of his arrest, Young had 121.81 grams of Fentanyl and a Glock 9mm caliber pistol with an extended magazine in his possession. The Glock also had an attached Machinegun Conversion Device (commonly referred to as a “switch”), which made the gun fully automatic. The gun was loaded with 1 round in the chamber and 23 rounds in the extended magazine.
On January 6, 2025, Young pled guilty before United States District Court Judge Thomas L. Parker. Young was sentenced on April 10, 2025 to 132 months in federal prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release.
There is no parole in the federal system.
Assistant United States Attorney Raney Irwin prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. The Memphis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated this case.
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For more information, please contact the media relations team at [email protected]. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Memphis Man Pleads Guilty to Charges Related to 2024 CarjackingRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – A Memphis man recently pled guilty to charges brought against him related to a carjacking committed in Memphis, Tennessee in May of 2024. Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Interim United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the guilty plea today.
According to the information presented in court, on May 16, 2024, Jaylen Simpson, 23, hid in a Memphis resident’s backyard and confronted the resident when he was outside his home. Simpson almost immediately shot the victim in the stomach before taking his car keys and driving off in the victim’s 2017 Kia Cadenza which had been parked in the driveway of the residence.
After the carjacking, officers with the Memphis Police Department located Simpson and the stolen vehicle and gave chase. Simpson eventually abandoned the Kia Cadenza and fled on foot. The MPD officers then apprehended Simpson and found a loaded semi-automatic pistol in his backpack.
On April 15, 2025, after a day of jury selection, Simpson pled guilty to the federal crime of carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury and of the separate crime of using a firearm during a crime of violence. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 16, 2025 and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for the discharge of the firearm up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Memphis Police Department Violent Crime Unit investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Ashleigh Atasoy, of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Hall, of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee, prosecuted the case.
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For more information, please contact the media relations team at [email protected]. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Massachusetts Woman Agrees to Plead Guilty to $19 Million Bank Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Feeding Hills, Mass. woman has agreed to plead guilty in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud commercial lenders by providing false and fraudulent rent rolls and forged lease agreements for properties located in Springfield, Mass.; East Longmeadow, Mass.; and Enfield, Conn.
Christine Gendron, 61, has agreed to plead guilty to an Information charging her with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court. In a related case, on April 22, 2025, Louis R. Masaschi pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud. United States Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled Masaschi’s sentencing for July 23, 2025.
According to court filings, Gendron was a certified public accountant who worked as the Financial Manager for JLL Realty Developers, LLC (JLLRD), a limited liability company for which her sister, Jeannette Norman, and brother-in-law, Masaschi, served as partners. Masaschi and, allegedly Norman, were partners in dozens of limited liability companies, including JLLRD, through which they owned primarily commercial and some residential property in Western Massachusetts, Connecticut and elsewhere. It is alleged that Gendron conspired with Masaschi and Norman to defraud various financial institutions and a commercial lender.
Specifically, Masaschi and, allegedly, Gendron and Norman provided materially false, fictitious and fraudulent financial information – including false rent rolls and forged lease agreements – to obtain loans for their companies. After receiving the loans, Masaschi, Norman and their companies allegedly made some or no payments and ultimately defaulted on the loans, causing substantial losses to the financial institutions and commercial lenders.
According to Gendron’s plea agreement, between May 2016 and November 2018, Masaschi, and allegedly Norman, fraudulently obtained or sought to obtain approximately $60,123,000 in loans and caused a total loss of $19,305,473.
The charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million or twice the gross gain or loss. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and James Crowley, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Maryland Man Admits to Leading Drug Trafficking Operation in Eastern PanhandleRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Lenin Erasmo Luna Mota, 52, of Hagerstown, Maryland, has admitted to leading a drug trafficking organization that sold large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in Berkeley County.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Luna Mota, also known as “Papi,” was one of the leaders of the drug trafficking conspiracy, using his business located in Hagerstown, Maryland, as a central hub for the drug sales.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
The FBI; the U.S. Marshals Service; Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the West Virginia Air National Guard; the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative (agencies included are the West Virginia State Police, Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department, Jefferson County Sherriff’s Department, Ranson Police Department, Charles Town Police Department, and Martinsburg City Police Department); West Virginia State Police; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Hagerstown Police Department; the National Resources Police Department; FBI-New York Safe Streets Task Force; the New York Police Department; the New Jersey State Police; the Washington County (Maryland) Drug Task Force; the Maryland State Police; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania investigated.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Man guilty of seven-year tax fraudRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A local man has admitted to filing fraudulent and false statements on his federal tax returns causing a quarter of a million in losses, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Joseph Patrick Butler admitted that between 2013 to 2020, he filed false joint Form 1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns and received inflated tax refunds to which he was not entitled. As part of the plea, Butler acknowledged creating shell companies that issued W-2 forms to himself, falsely reporting hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages and significant tax withholdings each year.
In reality, he earned no such wages, and no taxes had been withheld. Butler’s scheme resulted in a total tax loss of over $260,000 in fraudulent refunds.
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake will impose sentencing July 18. At that time, Butler faces up to three years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brad Gray and Shirin Hakimzadeh are prosecuting the case.
Long Island Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison Following Conviction at Trial for Defrauding Cryptocurrency Investors and Others of More Than $12 MillionRead the Press Release
Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that EUGENE WILLIAM AUSTIN, JR., a/k/a “Hugh Austin” (“AUSTIN”) was sentenced today to 18 years in prison. AUSTIN was convicted following a jury trial in September 2024 of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. The defendant’s son, BRANDON AUSTIN (“BRANDON”), was previously sentenced to four years in prison in connection with his role in the scheme. U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel imposed both sentences.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said: “For years, Hugh Austin was the leader of a fraud and money laundering scheme that stole more than $12 million from more than two dozen victims. Austin involved his own son in his crimes, working with him to rip off victims and spending investor money on personal expenses, like luxury hotels. Thanks to the work of the career prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners, Austin will now be held accountable for the harm he caused to individual investors and others.”
As reflected in the evidence presented at trial and other public filings:
AUSTIN was the leader of a scheme with his son BRANDON and others to steal money from entrepreneurs, investors, and other victims by fraudulently offering to, among other things: serve as a broker for sales of large quantities of cryptocurrency; provide short-term investments in cryptocurrency for purportedly high returns; and secure investors for startups and other small businesses from their network of high net worth individuals. AUSTIN also frequently sought personal loans from friends and acquaintances in connection with AUSTIN’s purported cryptocurrency and investment businesses, falsely promising to pay lenders back with interest. In each instance, investors and lenders lost their money. AUSTIN and BRANDON frequently spent investors’ funds on personal expenses, including airline travel, luxury hotels, restaurants, shopping, as well as nominal payments to victims to prolong the scheme. In total, AUSTIN and BRANDON have caused more than $12 million in losses to more than two dozen victims.
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In addition to the prison term, AUSTIN, 62, of Port Jefferson, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $6,062,564 and pay restitution in the amount of $12,662,564.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of Homeland Security Investigations.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Olga I. Zverovich, Matthew Weinberg, and Andrew K. Chan are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Chanel-Ashley Foster, Frank Mastroianni, and Christine Woods.
Lee’s Summit Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Lee’s Summit, Mo., man plead guilty in federal court today for illegally possessing three shotguns.
Jacob A. Stockbridge, 31, plead guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lajuana M. Counts, to one count of being a felon in possession of firearms.
On November 20, 2022, Stockbridge was driving a Ford F150 truck when he struck another motorist at the intersection of W. 23rd Street and S. Crysler Avenue, Independence, Missouri. Stockbridge, as seen by witnesses and surveillance video, fled the wrecked F150 truck before emergency personnel arrived. Stockbridge left behind his wallet, containing his Missouri driver’s license, and his cell phone in the F150.
Police investigating the crash found in the F150’s backseat three shotguns: two Winchester Model 97, 12-gauge shotguns and a Beretta A391 Extrema 2, 12-gauge shotgun. All three shotguns were stolen. Prior to November 20th, Stockbridge had been found guilty of 10 felony offenses in the State of Missouri.
Under federal statutes, Stockbridge is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Independence, Missouri Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Kansas City Man Indicted for Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for illegally possessing a firearm.
Marcus J. Porras, 31, was charged in a single-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas, City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal complaint that was filed against Porras on April 14, 2025.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, on April 13, 2025, officers of the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department were dispatched to the area of Westport Road and Broadway Boulevard to meet private security officers who had detained Porras for fighting.
A security officer reported he was flagged down by patrons of the entertainment district regarding a fight inside an establishment within the Westport Entertainment District. The security officer reportedly observed multiple females and two males physically fighting. The females dispersed, and the two males continued to fight with one another. One of the males pointed at Porras indicating that Porras had a firearm.
Porras was taken into custody. The security officer retrieved a Glock 43, 9mm pistol near the area of the incident. The Glock 43 was loaded with one live 9mm round in the chamber. The security officer also recovered a magazine loaded with six live 9mm rounds.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Porras has prior felony convictions for robbery, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, and resisting an arrest, detention, or stop.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Jennings It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo. Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Justice Department Reaches Settlement with California Towing Company for Illegally Auctioning a Navy Lieutenant’s Car While He Was Deployed at SeaRead the Press Release
Note: View settlement here.
The Justice Department today announced that it reached an agreement with California towing company Tony’s Auto Center to resolve allegations that it illegally auctioned a deployed Navy Lieutenant’s car, in violation of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). Under the settlement agreement, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Jonathan Liongson will receive $7,500 in damages. The United States will also receive a $2,000 civil penalty, and Tony’s Auto Center must implement new policies to prevent future violations of the SCRA.
According to the United States’ complaint, in November 2022, before leaving for deployment aboard the USS Bunker Hill, Lieutenant Liongson placed personal items in his 2011 Mazda 6 and parked it at a friend’s house. While he was deployed at sea, Tony’s Auto Center towed the car and, about two months later, sold it at auction without first obtaining a court order, as is required by the SCRA.
“Members of our armed forces should not have to worry about their cars being auctioned off while they are deployed on missions defending our freedoms, liberties, and rights,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division. “This settlement should send a strong message to other towing companies that they should not take advantage of our servicemembers while they are keeping Americans safe.”
“The SCRA protects the rights of the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces, which allows them to devote their full attention to defending our country,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California. “While Lieutenant Liongson was at sea, he understood that his ship’s mission and the duration of their deployment could change at any moment. He accepted that reality in the fulfillment of his solemn oath. In turn, the SCRA provides grace and understanding about certain personal affairs. Lieutenant Liongson’s car should not have been auctioned off in his absence. We hope this settlement encourages all towing companies to review and improve their policies and ensure that the rights of all servicemembers are honored and respected.”
The SCRA is a federal law that provides a variety of financial and housing protections to members of the U.S. military. The law prohibits a towing company from auctioning off a vehicle owned by a servicemember unless it first obtains an order from a court allowing it to do so.
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe their SCRA rights have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at http://legalassistance.law.af.mil/.
The Justice Department’s enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section and U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country. Since 2011, the Department has obtained over $481 million in monetary relief for over 147,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. Additional information on the Department’s enforcement of the SCRA and other laws protecting servicemembers is available at www.servicemembers.gov.
Jury convicts illegal alien for unlawfully being in United StatesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A Guatemalan national has been found guilty of illegally reentering the country without authorization, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The jury deliberated for less than one hour before finding Leonardo Fernando Batz guilty as charged following a three-day trial.
On Nov. 23, 2023, authorities found Batz in Harris County. At that time, the investigation revealed he was not a citizen of the United States and had a previous removal order from an immigration judge.
Testimony revealed Batz had been previously removed in 2007 and in 2020.
The jury heard from a Border Patrol agent who described his encounter with Batz in the Rio Grande Valley in September 2019. Batz had illegally entered the United States by raft on the Rio Grande River and subsequently pleaded guilty.
A deportation officer also described how he rode with Batz when he was removed via plane from the United States to Guatemala in 2020.
The jury saw evidence including Batz’s Guatemalan passport, a travel pass the Guatemalan consulate had issued and various other documents from Batz’s alien file. A fingerprint expert also identified Batz as the same person documented in various deportation materials.
The defense attempted to question the trustworthiness of the government’s evidence. The jury did not believe those claims and found Batz guilty as charged.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt presided over trial and set sentencing for May 1, 2025. At that time, Batz faces up to two years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
He will remain in custody pending that hearing.
Immigration Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Valenti and Carrie Law prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Jury Convicts Mercer County Man of Sex Trafficking of ChildrenRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Harrodsburg, Ky., man was convicted on Tuesday by a federal jury in Lexington for sex trafficking of children.
After 45 minutes of deliberation, following a two-day trial, the jury convicted 42-year-old Larry Coffman of two counts of sex trafficking of children and committing a felony involving a minor while being required to register as a sex offender.
According to testimony at trial, in February 2023, Coffman solicited, recruited, and enticed two minor victims to engage in a sex act in exchange for something of value. At the time of the offenses, Coffman had been convicted of a prior sex offense and, as a result, was required to register as a sex offender.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Chief Scott Elder, Harrodsburg Police Department; and Sheriff Mike Coyle, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the conviction.
The investigation was conducted by HSI, Harrodsburg Police Department, and Madison County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth.
Coffman will appear for sentencing on July 28, 2025. He faces a minimum of 25 years and a maximum of life in prison. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing a sentence.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Jefferson County Man Admits Possessing Pipe BombRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Jefferson County, Missouri on Tuesday admitted possessing a pipe bomb.
Robert Hiler, 38, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of an unregistered destructive device.
Hiler admitted that on Sept. 11, 2023, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies were seeking another man who had several active felony warrants. They had a court-approved search warrant for Hiler’s house, and arrested their target in the woods behind the home. Deputies then obtained Hiler’s consent to search the home and found a pipe bomb on a grey bucket in a room adjacent to Hiler’s garage. Hiler admitted building the bomb and said he had planned to ignite it with a car battery.
Hiler is scheduled to be sentenced in July. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Ware and Mohsen Pasha are prosecuting the case.
Iowa Man Arrested on Federal Stalking ChargeRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – A Nevada, Iowa man made his initial appearance before a United States Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa today.
According to allegations in the criminal complaint, between January and April 2025, Tanner Dean Bandy, 28, engaged in a pattern of threatening conduct against a former romantic partner through text messages and voicemails. Two days prior to his arrest, on April 17, 2025, Bandy left a voicemail message discussing his intention to conduct a mass shooting at an Iowa State University commencement ceremony. On April 17, 2025, law enforcement searched Bandy’s residence and vehicle and located two firearms and ammunition. Bandy will remain detained in federal custody pending further proceedings.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigations, Iowa State University Police Department, and Story County Sheriff’s Office are investigating this case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Indictment Charges Maryland Man with Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Damarqus Moore, 33, of Suitland, Maryland, has been indicted on a federal firearms charge as part of the "Make D.C. Safe Again" initiative. The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Make D.C. Safe Again is a public safety initiative led by U.S. Attorney Martin that is surging resources to reduce violent crime in the District of Columbia. This initiative was created to address gun violence in the District, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenders, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.
Moore is charged in an indictment in federal court with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
According to court documents, on January 13, 2025, MPD officers observed an automobile with illegal window tint and no front license plate idling in the area of 5826 Dix Street NE, Washington, D.C. Officers soon realized that the license plate affixed to the rear of the automobile was registered to a separate automobile. Moore was placed under arrest and officers recovered MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy) tablets on Moore’s person. As officers searched the automobile for additional controlled substances, they quickly observed a firearm lodged in the steering column of the automobile. The recovered firearm was a .40 caliber firearm, loaded, with an obliterated serial number.
The defendant has been convicted of multiple felony offenses in the State of Maryland, including first degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon.
This case is being investigated by the ATF Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Illegal alien sentenced in multimillion-dollar elder fraud ringRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – The second ringleader in an international fraud scheme victimizing the elderly has been ordered to prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX).
Hardik Jayantilal Patel, 37, illegally resided in Lexington, Kentucky. He pleaded guilty Dec. 1, 2023.
U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen has now sentenced Patel to serve 46 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. Patel will also pay a combined $3,203,478 in restitution to 85 identified victims. In handing down the sentence, Judge Hanen noted the large number of victims and the significant harm Patel and his conspirators caused. Not a U.S. citizen, Patel is expected to face removal proceedings following the sentence.
“We have an obligation to protect our seniors from the predations of scammers,” said Ganjei. “SDTX will tirelessly pursue those that seek to profit by swindling the elderly.”
From March through November 2019, Patel led a team of domestic money mules aka “runners.” They laundered money tied to telemarketing fraud schemes originating from call centers in India. Most victims were elderly.
Scammers pretended to work for the U.S. government and claimed the victims were under investigation. They claimed the only way to clear their name was to send cash by mail. Runners in the United States would then pick up the packages and launder the cash.
At least three runners worked under Patel in 2019. He also collaborated with an associate, Sohil Usmangani Vahora, who managed his own team of four runners. Together, they coordinated efforts to launder fraud proceeds.
Runners under both Patel and Vahora picked up hundreds of packages between 2019 and 2020 nationwide. These packages contained millions of dollars in cash that victims in multiple states had sent.
Patel was the last of seven to be sentenced in related cases in the SDTX. Vahora, 40, Des Plaines, Illinois, received more than 15 years in prison and was ordered to pay over $3.5 million in restitution.
Zaheen Malvi, 30, Heber Springs, Arkansas, initially worked as a runner in the scheme. He later assisted Vahora in managing two other individuals involved in the operation. He received a 54-month sentence and was ordered to pay more than $1.6 million in restitution.
Dhirenkumar Patel, 33, Richmond, Kentucky, was a runner who worked for Patel. He was ordered to serve 18 months in prison and pay $225,221 in restitution to his victims.
Three other runners received sentences ranging from 29-60 months.
With the exception of Vahora, who was a legal permanent resident, Patel and his co-conspirators were all illegally in the country when they committed their crimes.
Patel will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the FBI, Kentucky State Police and police departments in Heber Springs, Arkansas, and Frankfort, Kentucky. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Bauman and Kate Suh are prosecuting the case.
The SSA and its OIG consistently warns people of similar scams. Protect yourself!
Illegal Immigrant Sentenced for Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Honduran national was sentenced on April 21, 2025, for illegally reentering the United States after previously having been deported.
According to court documents, Saul Cruz-Argueta, 39, was encountered by agents from the United States Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement Removal Operations during labor site inspections. The agents discovered that he had previously been removed from the United States in 2016 and 2018. Cruz-Argueta has two prior convictions for Illegal Reentry, as well as convictions for Theft of Property and Possession of Marijuana.
At sentencing, Chief Judge Beaverstock imposed a time-served sentence and a 1-year term of supervised release upon his future release. Cruz-Argueta had been in custody since his arrest on March 7, 2025. Upon his release from prison, Cruz-Argueta is to be referred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings. Cruz-Argueta was ordered to pay $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Department of Homeland Security Investigations, ATF, DEA, and Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jimmy L. Thomas prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
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.
Hudson County Man Sentenced to 26 Years in Prison for Role in Four Robberies and Two Shootings in Jersey City, New JerseyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County man was sentenced today for his role in four robberies and two shootings in Jersey City, New Jersey, which took place the same night, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced today.
Rodney Williams, 33, of Jersey City, New Jersey pleaded guilty in December 2024 before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti in Newark federal court to an Indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, conspiracy to use and carry a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, Hobbs Act robbery, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, using and carrying a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Williams to 5 years of supervised release. Williams’ co-defendant, Siobhan Chandler, was sentenced on April 25, 2024 to 12 years’ imprisonment followed by 5 years’ supervised release for her role.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On the evening of November 14, 2021, Williams and Chandler committed multiple armed robberies and two shootings in Jersey City. The criminal activity began when Williams, acting alone, robbed a store while he pointed his gun at the clerk and demanded money. The clerk handed money to Williams who then fled.
A short time later, Williams, now with Chandler, robbed a gas station, where Williams pointed his gun at two attendants and demanded money. When the attendants did not immediately comply, Williams shot one of the attendants in the chest. Williams and Chandler then fled.
Williams and Chandler later entered another store, and Williams again pointed his gun at a clerk and demanded money. The clerk handed money to Williams and he and Chandler fled.
Williams and Chandler then entered a nearby restaurant, and Williams again pointed his gun at the cashier and demanded money. When the cashier did not immediately comply, Williams shot the cashier in the chest. The cashier then handed money to Williams, after which Williams and Chandler fled.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited officers of the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Acting Chief Kearns, and the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office with the investigation leading to today’s sentence. She also thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shontae D. Gray and Eli Jacobs of the Criminal Division in Newark.
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Defense counsel: John C. Whipple, Esq. and Adam M. Elewa, Esq.
Honduran National Indicted for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Honduran national residing in Woburn, Mass. has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for illegally reentering the United States after deportation.
Saul Arce, 38, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Arce was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on March 20, 2025.
According to the charging document, Arce was deported from the United States on May 15, 2013. It is alleged that sometime after his May 2013 removal, Arce illegally reentered the United States without permission.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant will also be subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Honduran National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Honduran national has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Douglas Mejia-Romero, 44, was indicted yesterday on one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.
According to the charging document, Mejia-Romero was previously deported on May 15, 2020. It is alleged that sometime after this removal, Mejia-Romero unlawfully reentered the United States.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant will also be subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
High-ranking Tren de Aragua member in custody on terrorism and international drug distribution chargesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - A five-count superseding indictment has been unsealed charging a Venezuelan national and alleged high-ranking member of the designated foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua (TdA).
Jose Enrique Martinez Flores aka “Chuqui,” 24, is charged in the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) with conspiring to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization as well as conspiracy and distribution of cocaine in Colombia intended for distribution in the United States.
“TdA is not a street gang – it is a highly structured terrorist organization that put down roots in our country during the prior administration,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today’s charges represent an inflection point in how this Department of Justice will prosecute and ultimately dismantle this evil organization, which has destroyed American families and poisoned our communities.”
“For the past few years, foreign gangs like TdA have more or less been able to enter our country with impunity, coming here to distribute deadly drugs and terrorize American citizens. That ends now. This Department of Justice is committed to uprooting this terrorist gang, dismantling its criminal operations, and either imprisoning its members or removing them from the country. SDTX is proud to lead this fight,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.”
“TdA is a direct threat to our national security, to our communities, and to Americans,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Together with our law enforcement partners, the FBI continues in our pursuit to eliminate this violent terrorist organization from our streets, and today's announcement makes it clear that these criminals, especially the leaders of these cartels, have no place in our country.”
“This joint Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) - FBI operation - alongside partners in the U.S. and Colombia - is further evidence that we must continue to focus our efforts on members of TdA who continue to pump poison into our communities,” said DEA Acting Administrator Derek Maltz. “This is another example of DEA’s tenacity to hunt these networks down, wherever they operate, and crush their evil grip on American lives.”
Colombian authorities arrested Flores in Colombia March 31 pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant the United States had requested. He remains in custody in Colombia pending further proceedings.
A federal grand jury in Houston returned the superseding indictment April 8.
According to the allegations, Flores is charged with one count of conspiring to provide material support to TdA in the form of personnel (including himself) and services and one count of providing material support to TdA. The indictment also alleges one count of international drug distribution conspiracy based on his involvement in the distribution of five kilograms of cocaine or more and two substantive counts of international drug distribution.
The Department of State designated TdA as a foreign terrorist organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist Feb. 20.
According to information presented to the court, Flores is a high-ranking TdA leader in Bogota, Colombia, and is part of the inner circle of senior TdA leadership.
Flores also allegedly caused the delivery of approximately five kilograms or more of cocaine for international distribution, proceeds that were used to further TdA’s criminal goals.
If convicted, he faces up to life in prison and a possible $10 million fine.
The FBI and DEA conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Colombian National Police and the Colombian Attorney General’s Office (Fiscalía General de la Nación). The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia, provided significant assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal J. Alaniz of the SDTX are prosecuting the case along with Deputy Director David C. Smith from the Department of Justice’s Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV).
JTFV was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and now expanded to target TdA and is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country. Those include SDTX; Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Northern District of Ohio; Districts of New Jersey, Utah, Massachusetts, Nevada and Alaska; Eastern District of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of Virginia; Southern District of California; and the District of Columbia, as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI; DEA; Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Forearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; and Federal Bureau of Prisons have been essential law enforcement partners with JTFV.
This case is also a part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
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 Tren de Aragua Member in Custody on Terrorism and International Drug Distribution ChargesRead the Press Release
A five-count superseding indictment has been unsealed today charging a Venezuelan national and alleged high-ranking member of the designated foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua (TdA).
Jose Enrique Martinez Flores also known as “Chuqui,” 24, is charged in the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) with conspiring to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization as well as conspiracy and distribution of cocaine in Colombia intended for distribution in the United States.
“TdA is not a street gang – it is a highly structured terrorist organization that put down roots in our country during the prior administration,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today’s charges represent an inflection point in how this Department of Justice will prosecute and ultimately dismantle this evil organization, which has destroyed American families and poisoned our communities.”
“For the past few years, foreign gangs like TdA have more or less been able to enter our country with impunity, coming here to distribute deadly drugs and terrorize American citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the SDTX. “That ends now. This Department of Justice is committed to uprooting this terrorist gang, dismantling its criminal operations, and either imprisoning its members or removing them from the country. SDTX is proud to lead this fight.”
“TdA is a direct threat to our national security, to our communities, and to Americans,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Together with our law enforcement partners, the FBI continues in our pursuit to eliminate this violent terrorist organization from our streets, and today's announcement makes it clear that these criminals, especially the leaders of these cartels, have no place in our country.”
“This joint Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)-FBI operation — alongside partners in the United States and Colombia — is further evidence that we must continue to focus our efforts on members of TdA who continue to pump poison into our communities,” said DEA Acting Administrator Derek Maltz. “This is another example of DEA’s tenacity to hunt these networks down, wherever they operate, and crush their evil grip on American lives.”
Colombian authorities arrested Flores in Colombia March 31 pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant the United States had requested. He remains in custody in Colombia pending further proceedings.
A federal grand jury in Houston returned the superseding indictment April 8.
According to the allegations, Flores is charged with one count of conspiring to provide material support to TdA in the form of personnel (including himself) and services and one count of providing material support to TdA. The indictment also alleges one count of international drug distribution conspiracy based on his involvement in the distribution of five kilograms of cocaine or more, and two substantive counts of international drug distribution.
The Department of State designated TdA as a foreign terrorist organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist Feb. 20.
According to information presented to the court, Flores is a high-ranking TdA leader in Bogota, Colombia, and is part of the inner circle of senior TdA leadership.
Flores also allegedly caused the delivery of approximately five kilograms or more of cocaine for international distribution, proceeds that were used to further TdA’s criminal goals.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine.
The FBI Houston Field Office and DEA conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Colombian National Police and the Colombian Attorney General’s Office (Fiscalía General de la Nación). The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia, provided significant assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal J. Alaniz of the SDTX are prosecuting the case along with Deputy Director David C. Smith from the Department of Justice’s Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV).
JTFV was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and now expanded to target TdA and is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country. Those include SDTX; Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Northern District of Ohio; Districts of New Jersey, Utah, Massachusetts, Nevada and Alaska; Eastern District of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of Virginia; Southern District of California; and the District of Columbia, as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI; DEA; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Forearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; and the Federal Bureau of Prisons have been essential law enforcement partners with JTFV.
This case is also a part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Hawaii Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking Three Adult Women and One MinorRead the Press Release
Isaiah McCoy, 38, of Honolulu, Hawaii, was convicted yesterday of multiple counts of sex trafficking by a federal jury in the District of Hawaii. Specifically, the jury convicted McCoy of four counts of sex trafficking three adults and one minor, two counts of obstructing a sex trafficking investigation, seven counts of interstate and foreign travel or transportation in aid of racketeering enterprises, and one count of interstate travel for prostitution purposes.
“This successful conviction represents this Justice Department’s commitment to putting those who prey on the innocent behind bars,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Human trafficking — which flourished under the prior administration — is a scourge on our country that the Trump Administration will eradicate.”
“Today’s conviction vindicates the rights of multiple women and girls who the defendant terrorized over several years within the District of Hawaii,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The defendant specifically targeted each victim’s unique vulnerabilities and used false promises, brute physical force, and psychological manipulation to compel the victims to engage in commercial sex for his own profit. There is no place in a civilized society for the defendant’s atrocious conduct, and the Justice Department is committed to standing up for vulnerable human trafficking victims and holding their traffickers accountable.”
“The conviction of Mr. McCoy is a testament to HSI's zero tolerance for those who engage in sex trafficking in Hawaii,” said Special Agent in Charge Lucy Cabral-DeArmas of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Hawaii. “McCoy is a predator who left countless victims in his path while he sought to enrich himself at their expense. HSI will aggressively pursue those, like McCoy, who seek to exploit vulnerable women and girls and mute their voices while believing they will not be held accountable.”
The evidence presented at the 12-day trial demonstrated that McCoy compelled victims to commit hundreds of commercial sex acts between 2019 and 2021. McCoy made promises of a romantic relationship, a luxurious lifestyle, and financial security to women and girls struggling with low self-esteem, a difficult upbringing, or financial trouble. McCoy’s promises ended up hollow and false, designed to provide him with the opportunity to learn about a victim’s vulnerabilities while misrepresenting himself as caring and empathetic. McCoy’s feigned romantic interest and claimed wealth led him to emotionally manipulate his victims.
After luring the victims into his orbit with his false promises, McCoy turned violent and abusive if the victims did not provide him with enough money or otherwise violated one of his many rules. The evidence presented at trial demonstrated that some of McCoy’s rules included requiring the victims to call him “Daddy” or “Zeus,” requiring the victims to share their cell phone location, and requiring the victims to provide him an update on the amount of money earned through commercial sex work. McCoy required his victims to work all hours of the day and night even when they were sick, hungry, or did not want to engage in commercial sex acts. If not, McCoy would physically assault his victims and leave them battered and bruised.
Evidence presented in court detailed the extensive violence to which McCoy subjected his victims. For example, McCoy repeatedly burned one of the victims with cigar butts when she did not provide him with enough money. On other occasions, McCoy threw victims to the ground before repeatedly stomping on their head, stomach, or hands with his feet. McCoy even smashed a victim’s head against a car door before carrying her unconscious body through a hotel lobby and into an elevator. McCoy inflicted violence against multiple victims that caused them to seek treatment at local hospitals. All of McCoy’s actions contributed to the creation of a climate of fear where the victims felt they had no way out because McCoy promised them that he had eyes and ears everywhere monitoring the victims’ every move.
McCoy required the victims to turn over all the proceeds from his commercial sex business to himself because he felt that the money belonged to him. McCoy then spent the money on high-end designer shoes, belts, clothing, and other accessories. In contrast, although McCoy would intermittently buy designer items for the victims as “rewards,” the victims were ultimately left with nothing.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 18. McCoy faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison as well as mandatory restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
HSI investigated the case, with assistance from the Honolulu Police Department.
Trial Attorneys Maryam Zhuravitsky and Elizabeth Hutson of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Hattiesburg Man Sentenced to Nearly Three Years in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, MS – A Hattiesburg man was sentenced to 35 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Scotty James Conley, 40, of was found by the Forrest County Sheriff’s Office to be in possession of a firearm after responding to a complaint of a residential disturbance. Conley has a prior felony conviction from 2008 for sexual battery of a minor under 14 years of age. As a convicted felon he is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Conley was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 10, 2023. He pled guilty on January 27, 2025.
Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The FBI and Forrest County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen prosecuted the case.
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).
Guatemalan Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine in Dubuque, IowaRead the Press Release
A Guatemalan man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced today to more than 12 years in federal prison. Jose Eleazar Aceves‑Garcia, age 30, from Guatemala, received the prison term after a November 20, 2024 guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute at least 500 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and 50 grams of actual (pure) methamphetamine.
In a plea agreement, Aceves-Garcia admitted that between January 2019 and January 2022, he distributed at least 400 pounds of ice methamphetamine to a co‑conspirator in the Dubuque area. His fingerprints were on two packages, which contained a total of more than seven pounds of ice methamphetamine, that he mailed to the co-conspirator in Dubuque. Aceves-Garcia also distributed a kilogram of heroin to the co-conspirator.
Aceves-Garcia was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Aceves-Garcia was sentenced to 151 months’ imprisonment and must serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Aceves-Garcia is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force, Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, Dubuque Police Department, Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics Laboratory.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 23-CR-1022. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Guatemalan Man Indicted for Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Guatemalan man has been indicted illegally reentering the United States after deportation.
Jose Garcia, 39, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Garcia was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in March 2025 and was released on conditions.
According to the charging documents, Garcia was deported from the United States on Jan. 5, 2006. It is alleged that sometime after his removal, Garcia unlawfully reentered the United States. Immigration and Customs Enforcement became aware of Garcia’s unlawful presence in the United States following arrests on July 30, 2022, Sept. 8, 2023 and Jan. 29, 2024.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Sullivan of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
Guatemalan Man Charged with Illegal Re-entry into U.S.Read the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A citizen of Guatemala has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of illegal re-entry of a removed alien, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Juan Manuel Secaida, 35, as the sole defendant. According to the Indictment, on April 1, 2025, Secaida was found in western Pennsylvania after having been removed from the United States in January 2020.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Kelly M. Locher is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Coraopolis Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, combat illegal immigration, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Grove Woman Sentenced for Strangling 70-Year-Old Neighbor to DeathRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Kellie Lee Crawford, 57, for Voluntary Manslaughter in Indian Country. Judge Frizzell ordered Crawford to 180 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, in September 2021, Crawford was drinking with her 70-year-old neighbor, Richard Strade. Crawford was under the influence of methamphetamine and unreasonably believed that Strade was attempting to assault her sexually. She admitted to repeatedly striking Strade in the head with a cookie jar lid and a plastic hanger before strangling him to death.
Crawford is a citizen of the Potawatomi Nation and will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The FBI, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations, and the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey Todd prosecuted the case.
Genetic Testing Marketing Companies Genexe, LLC and Immerge, Inc. and Two Executives Agree to Pay $6 Million to Resolve Allegations of Fraudulent Medicare ClaimsRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced today that Genexe, LLC, Immerge, Inc., Jason Green, and Jason Gross have agreed to pay $6 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act and other statutes by participating in schemes meant to fraudulently cause Medicare to pay claims for genetic testing that was medically unnecessary and tainted by kickbacks.
Genexe, LLC, which did business as Genexe Health, is a Delaware limited liability corporation with a principal address in Greenwood Village, Colorado. Genexe publicly described itself as “a one-stop shop” for genetic and pharmacogenetic profiling and marketed itself as “involved in every aspect of the patient screening process, from the collection of samples to laboratory processing.” It conducted business in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, among other locations. Genexe is no longer operating.
Immerge, Inc., also known as Immerge LLC, controlled and is the parent company of Genexe. It was incorporated in Colorado and Delaware, with a principal address in Greenwood Village, Colorado. It publicly described itself as “one of the leading outsourced sales and marketing companies, providing customized sales and marketing solutions to Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders in the Energy, Telecom, Wireless and Solar industries to efficiently increase our clients’ revenue and market share through industry leading systems and processes.” Immerge operated Genexe as one of its marketing companies. Immerge is no longer operating.
Jason Green and Jason Gross were, respectively, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Genexe and Immerge, with ownership interests in both Genexe and Immerge.
Genetic tests are medical laboratory tests designed to identify specific inherited mutations in a patient’s genes. Genetic mutations or variations may affect a patient’s risk of developing certain diseases or the patient’s response to medications. Genetic tests related to a patient’s hereditary predisposition for cancer are commonly referred to as “CGx” tests. Pharmacogenomic genetic tests related to identifying how a patient’s genes affect a response to drugs are commonly referred to as “PGx” tests.
Genetic testing can involve obtaining a DNA sample from a patient using a genetic test kit, sometimes by obtaining a patient’s saliva using a cheek (buccal) swab to collect sufficient cells to provide a genetic profile. The DNA sample may then be submitted, along with a requisition form, to a laboratory for analysis, such as a CGx or PGx test. The requisition form typically included information about the patient, the swab being submitted, and the referring physician or other medical provider. That provider or another authorized person must confirm on the form that the genetic test was medically necessary.
To be covered under Medicare Part B, a clinical laboratory test, such as a genetic test, must be ordered by a physician (or a qualified nonphysician practitioner) who is treating a beneficiary for a specific medical problem and who uses the results in the management of that problem. The test must be related to the beneficiary’s illness or injury (or symptom or complaint).
Medicare does not cover the costs associated with testing that are not reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of illness or injury or to improve the functioning of a malformed body member. It is a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute to knowingly and willfully solicit, receive, offer, or pay any remuneration in return for referring an individual for the furnishing or arranging for the furnishing of any item or service for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under a federal health care program.
The United States’ claims arise from Genexe, Immerge, Green, and Gross’s alleged conduct in knowingly and improperly causing false claims to be submitted to Medicare for CGx and PGx tests that were not medically necessary and that were procured through kickbacks. Specifically, the United States contends that during the period from July 2018 through December 2019:
- Genexe, Immerge, Green, and Gross participated in a kickback scheme involving a network of medical laboratories and telemedicine healthcare providers. The laboratories billed Medicare for fraudulent genetic testing, which was regularly reimbursed at rates exceeding $6,000 per test. Genexe revenues were a portion of the amounts reimbursed to the laboratories by Medicare.
- Genexe was a marketing company that entered into agreements with telemedicine healthcare providers and medical laboratories to develop, expand, and promote their genetic testing services throughout the United States.
- Genexe conducted marketing campaigns that offered genetic testing to Medicare beneficiaries, among others, purportedly at no cost to the patients.
- Genexe hired and paid independent contractors (IBOs) who acted as genetic screening technicians to recruit Medicare beneficiaries to sign up for medically unnecessary genetic testing.
- On behalf of Genexe, the IBOs, most of whom had no medical training, would collect DNA specimens (usually from cheek swabs of saliva) from Medicare beneficiaries at locations such as stores, shopping malls, healthcare fairs, churches, retirement centers, skilled nursing facilities, and similar locations.
- On behalf of Genexe, the IBOs would also collect Medicare beneficiaries’ protected health care information on a requisition form and label the specimen.
- IBOs would then ship the packaged DNA specimens to Genexe’s parent company, Immerge, in Colorado.
- Genexe would obtain physician orders for the genetic tests for the packaged specimens before they were sent to a medical laboratory for testing.
- Genexe had agreements with telemedicine companies and medical laboratories to obtain physician orders for the genetic tests. In some cases, the telemedicine company had existing arrangements with medical laboratories, while in others, the medical laboratory had existing arrangements with physicians.
- Once the physician order was obtained, Genexe sent the specimens to a medical laboratory for testing.
- The medical laboratory would test the specimen and bill Medicare, and in some cases, the medical laboratory obtained the services of another laboratory to perform the testing and bill Medicare.
- Once Medicare paid the medical laboratory, Genexe would receive a portion of the Medicare reimbursement funds from the laboratory.
- Initially, Genexe was paid about $800 per swab, but later was paid amounts ranging from $1,000 to $2,000, depending on the type of genetic test.
- In sum, Genexe, Immerge, Green, and Gross would pay remuneration to IBOs for referrals of Medicare beneficiaries and to medical providers for prescriptions for CGx and PGx testing, obtain Medicare patient information and swabs by having Medicare beneficiaries complete genetic test kits, and would obtain prescriptions for CGx or PGx testing for those beneficiaries by paying illegal kickbacks to medical providers or telemedicine providers. Genexe, Immerge, Green, and Gross also received illegal kickbacks in exchange for sending the completed CGx and PGx testing swabs and prescriptions to medical laboratories for processing and billing.
“Genetic testing fraud preys on the fears of patients, and it wastes taxpayer dollars by spending limited funds on medically unnecessary or nonexistent tests,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “This settlement shows we will work with our law enforcement partners to investigate fraud, waste, and abuse in federal healthcare programs and will use every tool available to recover improperly paid taxpayer funds.”
“Medical professionals should only order testing which would benefit individual patient care, not for personal gain,” said Maureen Dixon, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners will continue to evaluate and pursue allegations of kickbacks resulting in medically unnecessary services.”
The settlement also resolves claims against Genexe, Immerge, Green, and Gross in lawsuits filed under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties, called relators, to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. Those lawsuits include United States ex rel. Shimi v. Genexe, LLC, et al., No. 19-CV-3660 (E.D. Pa.), and United States ex rel. Covington v. Genexe, LLC, et al., No. 23-CV-2915 (E.D. Pa.). As part of today’s resolution, four relators will collectively receive approximately $1.3 million.
The matter is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mark J. Sherer and Auditor Denis J. Cooke.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of civil liability.
Franklin County Woman Accused of Disability FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from Franklin County, Missouri has been indicted and accused of committing $174,000 in disability fraud over more than 14 years.
Starr Lumos, also known as Starr Rodrigue, 54, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on April 16 with one count of theft of government money and one count of concealing information from the Social Security Administration, namely her right to a benefit payment.
She turned herself in Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The indictment says that from Oct. 1, 2009, to March 1, 2024, Lumos concealed and failed to disclose her full physical abilities and ownership, work and income at multiple businesses, reaping $174,391 in disability payments.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely an accusation and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The theft of government money charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the concealment charge is punishable by up to five years in prison. Both also carry a potential fine of up to $250,000.
The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, Cooperative Disability Investigations Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting the case.
Former Wampum Resident Pleads Guilty to Producing Material Depicting the Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A former resident of Wampum, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of Production of Material Depicting the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Thomas Hyatt-Baney, age 21, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that on June 25, 2023, from 12:30 p.m. ET to 12:37 p.m. ET, Hyatt-Baney, using his iPhone, produced three video clips depicting the sexual exploitation of a toddler.
Judge Wiegand scheduled sentencing for August 28, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the Court continued Hyatt-Baney’s detention.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Pennsylvania State Police and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Hyatt-Baney.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former U.S. Army Intelligence Analyst Sentenced for Selling Sensitive Military Information to Individual Tied to Chinese GovernmentRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A former U.S. Army intelligence analyst was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for conspiring to collect and transmit national defense information, including sensitive, non-public U.S. military information, to an individual he believed was affiliated with the Chinese government.
Korbein Schultz, 25, of Wills Point, Texas, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiring to collect and transmit national defense information, unlawfully exporting controlled information to China, and accepting bribes in exchange of sensitive, non-public U.S. government information.
“This defendant swore an oath to defend the United States — instead, he betrayed it for a payout and put America’s military and service members at risk,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Justice Department remains vigilant against China’s efforts to target our military and will ensure that those who leak military secrets spend years behind bars.”
“This sentencing is a stark warning to those who betray our country: you will pay a steep price for it,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The People’s Republic of China is relentless in its efforts to steal our national defense information, and service members are a prime target. The FBI and our partners will continue to root out espionage and hold those accountable who abandon their obligation to safeguard defense information from hostile foreign governments.”
“Those who collaborate with America’s foreign adversaries put our country, and those who defend it, at grave risk and we will do whatever it takes to hold them accountable for their crimes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee. “We will proudly stand in support of our men and women in uniform and work diligently to protect them from people like the defendant who would sell them out for a few bucks.”
“Protecting classified information is paramount to our national security, and this sentencing reflects the ramifications when there is a breach of that trust,” said Brigadier General Rhett R. Cox, Commanding General of the Army Counterintelligence Command. “This Soldier’s actions put Army personnel at risk placing individual gain above personal honor. Army Counterintelligence Command, in close collaboration with the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Intelligence Community, remains steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding our nation’s secrets and urges all current and former Army personnel to report any suspicious contact immediately.”
According to court documents, between May 2022 until his arrest in March 2024, Schultz engaged in an ongoing conspiracy to provide dozens of sensitive U.S. military documents — many containing export-controlled tactical and technical information — directly to a foreign national residing in the People’s Republic of China. Despite clear indications that this individual, who is referenced in the Indictment as Conspirator A, was likely connected to the Chinese government, the defendant continued the relationship in exchange for financial compensation. In exchange for approximately $42,000, Schultz provided documents and data related to U.S. military capabilities, including:
- His Army unit’s operational order before it was deployed to Eastern Europe in support of NATO operations;
- Lessons learned by the U.S. Army from the Ukraine/Russia conflict applicable to Taiwan’s defense;
- Technical manuals for the HH-60 helicopter, F-22A fighter aircraft, and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile systems;
- Information on Chinese military tactics and the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force;
- Details on U.S. military exercises in the Republic of Korea and the Philippines;
- Documents concerning U.S. military satellites and missile defense systems like the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD).
- Tactics for countering unmanned aerial systems in large-scale combat operations.
Conspirator A first contacted the defendant through a freelance web-based work platform shortly after the defendant received his Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance. Masquerading as a client from a geopolitical consulting firm, Conspirator A solicited the defendant to produce detailed analyses on U.S. military capabilities and planning, particularly in relation to Taiwan and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
As the relationship progressed, Conspirator A’s demands grew increasingly specific and sensitive — requesting technical manuals, operational procedures, and intelligence assessments. Conspirator A made explicit his interest in materials that were not publicly available and encouraged the defendant to seek out higher levels of classification, emphasizing “exclusiveness” and “CUI and better.” Schultz agreed to obtain higher levels of classified information for Conspirator A in exchange for money.
The defendant, fully aware of the grave national security implications, used his position and access to restricted databases — including closed U.S. government computer networks — to download and transmit at least 92 sensitive U.S. military documents.
The case also revealed attempts by the defendant to recruit his friend and fellow Army intelligence analyst into the conspiracy. At the time, Schultz’s friend was assigned to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), which is the combatant command that covers China and its regional areas of influence. Schultz and Conspirator A discussed the need to recruit another person into their scheme who had better access to classified material. They agreed that such recruitment needed to be done in a “nice and slow fashion.”
The FBI’s Nashville Field Office investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command and the Department of Defense.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Kurtzman for the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorneys Adam Barry and Christopher Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.
Former U.S. Army Intelligence Analyst Sentenced for Selling Sensitive Military Information to Individual Tied to Chinese GovernmentRead the Press Release
A former U.S. Army intelligence analyst was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for conspiring to collect and transmit national defense information, including sensitive, non-public U.S. military information, to an individual he believed was affiliated with the Chinese government.
Korbein Schultz, 25, of Wills Point, Texas, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiring to collect and transmit national defense information, unlawfully exporting controlled information to China, and accepting bribes in exchange of sensitive, non-public U.S. government information.
“This defendant swore an oath to defend the United States — instead, he betrayed it for a payout and put America’s military and service members at risk,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Justice Department remains vigilant against China’s efforts to target our military and will ensure that those who leak military secrets spend years behind bars.”
“This sentencing is a stark warning to those who betray our country: you will pay a steep price for it,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The People’s Republic of China is relentless in its efforts to steal our national defense information, and service members are a prime target. The FBI and our partners will continue to root out espionage and hold those accountable who abandon their obligation to safeguard defense information from hostile foreign governments.”
“Those who collaborate with America’s foreign adversaries put our country, and those who defend it, at grave risk and we will do whatever it takes to hold them accountable for their crimes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee. “We will proudly stand in support of our men and women in uniform and work diligently to protect them from people like the defendant who would sell them out for a few bucks.”
“Protecting classified information is paramount to our national security, and this sentencing reflects the ramifications when there is a breach of that trust,” said Brigadier General Rhett R. Cox, Commanding General of the Army Counterintelligence Command. “This Soldier’s actions put Army personnel at risk placing individual gain above personal honor. Army Counterintelligence Command, in close collaboration with the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Intelligence Community, remains steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding our nation’s secrets and urges all current and former Army personnel to report any suspicious contact immediately.”
According to court documents, between May 2022 until his arrest in March 2024, Schultz engaged in an ongoing conspiracy to provide dozens of sensitive U.S. military documents — many containing export-controlled tactical and technical information — directly to a foreign national residing in the People’s Republic of China. Despite clear indications that this individual, who is referenced in the Indictment as Conspirator A, was likely connected to the Chinese government, the defendant continued the relationship in exchange for financial compensation. In exchange for approximately $42,000, Schultz provided documents and data related to U.S. military capabilities, including:
- His Army unit’s operational order before it was deployed to Eastern Europe in support of NATO operations;
- Lessons learned by the U.S. Army from the Ukraine/Russia conflict applicable to Taiwan’s defense;
- Technical manuals for the HH-60 helicopter, F-22A fighter aircraft, and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile systems;
- Information on Chinese military tactics and the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force;
- Details on U.S. military exercises in the Republic of Korea and the Philippines;
- Documents concerning U.S. military satellites and missile defense systems like the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD).
- Tactics for countering unmanned aerial systems in large-scale combat operations.
Conspirator A first contacted the defendant through a freelance web-based work platform shortly after the defendant received his Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance. Masquerading as a client from a geopolitical consulting firm, Conspirator A solicited the defendant to produce detailed analyses on U.S. military capabilities and planning, particularly in relation to Taiwan and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
As the relationship progressed, Conspirator A’s demands grew increasingly specific and sensitive — requesting technical manuals, operational procedures, and intelligence assessments. Conspirator A made explicit his interest in materials that were not publicly available and encouraged the defendant to seek out higher levels of classification, emphasizing “exclusiveness” and “CUI and better.” Schultz agreed to obtain higher levels of classified information for Conspirator A in exchange for money.
The defendant, fully aware of the grave national security implications, used his position and access to restricted databases — including closed U.S. government computer networks — to download and transmit at least 92 sensitive U.S. military documents.
The case also revealed attempts by the defendant to recruit his friend and fellow Army intelligence analyst into the conspiracy. At the time, Schultz’s friend was assigned to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), which is the combatant command that covers China and its regional areas of influence. Schultz and Conspirator A discussed the need to recruit another person into their scheme who had better access to classified material. They agreed that such recruitment needed to be done in a “nice and slow fashion.”
The FBI’s Nashville Field Office investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command and the Department of Defense.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Kurtzman for the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorneys Adam Barry and Christopher Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.
Former Memphis FCI Correctional Officer Sentenced to Federal Imprisonment for BriberyRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – A federal judge has sentenced Bryan Miller, 32, a former correctional officer with the Memphis Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) to federal prison for bribery. Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Interim United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
According to the information presented in court, beginning in December 2022, Miller began smuggling contraband into FCI Memphis while employed as a correctional officer for that facility. Over a four-month period, he had received $19,500.00 as payment for his unlawful activities.
In January 2024, Miller pled guilty to a one count information alleging that, as a public official, he accepted money in exchange for smuggling contraband items, including narcotics, into FCI Memphis, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 201(b)(C). On April 10, 2025, United States District Judge Mark S. Norris sentenced Miller to a total of 12 months and 1 day of federal imprisonment, to be followed by two years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was prosecuted by Deputy Criminal Chief Michelle Kimbril-Parks and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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For more information, please contact the media relations team at [email protected]. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Former High School Teacher Found Guilty of Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN, MS – A federal jury convicted a Booneville man for possessing child sexual abuse materials after hearing evidence for three days in a trial before Senior District Judge Glen H. Davidson in Aberdeen, Mississippi.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Andrew Murphy, 36, a former high school science teacher, was found guilty today for possessing child pornography. Sentencing has been scheduled for July 28, 2025, at the U.S. Courthouse in Aberdeen, Mississippi.
Over two days of testimony, the government presented evidence to establish that Murphy collected images of child exploitation material, child nudity, child erotica, and images of children engaged in sexual activity, using a peer-to-peer network online.
The statutory penalties are up to ten years imprisonment, five years to life on supervised release, and registration on the sex offender registration.
“The case presented to the jury by AUSAs Parker King and John Herzog clearly established the guilt of this teacher who possessed images that demonstrated his sexual interest in children,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “I cannot overstate the importance of our partnership with the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, the FBI, and our local law enforcement partners, such as the Prentiss County Sheriff’s Department, in protecting children, and this partnership will continue to do just that.”
“For every image of child pornography there is a child who is a victim and who will relive his or her abuse over and over again while that image circulates. We are committed to holding all predators who exploit Mississippi children accountable, and particularly those that hold positions of trust and care for our children,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “I appreciate the strong partnership our office has with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI. Together, we are dedicated to serving justice for the victims in this case and all others.”
"Safeguarding our society's future begins with protecting children in our community from predatory individuals like, Andrew Murphy,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the FBI Jackson Field Office. “Murphy held a position of trust and violated that trust that our communities had in him with these heinous crimes against our youth; it will not be tolerated. The FBI maintains a steadfast commitment, in working alongside our federal, state, and local partners, to protect the innocence of our minors, and aggressively investigate predators, like Murphy, to hold them accountable and make sure they are brought to justice."
The case was investigated and conducted by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Parker S. King and John Herzog are prosecuting the case.
The case against Andrew Murphy was brought as part of the Project Safe Childhood nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Former Florida Highway Patrol Trooper and DEA Task Force Officer Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Drugs, Defrauding the United States, and Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Joshua Grady Earrey (46, Jacksonville) to nine years in federal prison for multiple federal offenses including one count of conspiring to distribute narcotics, one count of conspiring to defraud the United States, and one count of possessing firearms and ammunition while addicted to illegal narcotics. As part of the sentence, Earrey also agreed to forfeit or abandon the money, firearms, and ammunition involved in these offenses. He entered a guilty plea on April 4, 2024.
According to court documents, while employed as a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper and designated Task Force Officer with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Earrey and a co-conspirator engaged in extensive corrupt activity from 2021-2023. These acts included the theft of money and illegal drugs that were seized as evidence during criminal investigations; providing illegal drugs (including fentanyl and cocaine) to others to distribute on their behalf; and providing ammunition to an individual that Earrey knew to be a convicted murderer in exchange for opiates. Earrey and his co-conspirator stole more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana from evidence and provided the drugs to others to sell on their behalf. They covered up the theft by submitting falsified paperwork showing that the marijuana had been destroyed. Similarly, they stole a kilogram of cocaine from evidence and then gave it to a drug dealer to sell for them.
“Law enforcement officers who operate as though they are above the law betray the badge and the citizens they swore to protect," said FBI Jacksonville Acting Special Agent in Charge Hubert Reynolds. “This case exemplifies the FBI's commitment to holding public servants accountable if they violate the very laws they promised to uphold.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service -- Criminal Investigation, with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton. The United States Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection wish to thank the Florida Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their cooperation during this investigation.
Former Executive Director of Non-Profit Serving Oakland Youth Pleads Guilty to Embezzling over $500,000 from OrganizationRead the Press Release
OAKLAND – Howard Solomon, also known as Solomon Howard, pleaded guilty today to one count of mail fraud and one count of tax evasion in connection with embezzling from his former employer, the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), a non-profit organization that serves low-income youth in East Oakland neighborhoods and communities through a variety of programming, including after-school boxing lessons.
Solomon, 38, of Oakland, Calif., who served as the Executive Director of EOBA from late 2016 until 2021, was charged by information in February 2025. In pleading guilty, Solomon admitted to a multi-year mail fraud scheme in which he embezzled at least $549,000 from his former employer.
According to court documents and the plea agreement, after being added in September 2016 as an authorized signatory on EOBA bank accounts at Wells Fargo Bank, Solomon transferred EOBA funds out of the Wells Fargo accounts into accounts he controlled at other banking institutions. He also deposited charitable contributions to EOBA into the accounts he controlled, some of which were business accounts and others of which were his personal accounts. Solomon acknowledged that he took these actions without informing or seeking authority from EOBA board members or any other person affiliated with EOBA.
As one example, Solomon admitted that he deposited into a personal account a $50,000 donation that EOBA received in October 2019. The $50,000 donation was made to EOBA in connection with a December 2019 appearance by Stephen Curry and Ayesha Curry on the Ellen DeGeneres Show for a segment known as “Ellen’s Greatest Night of Giveaways,” during which the Currys delivered various gifts to EOBA, including a $50,000 check from the show.
Solomon used the embezzled funds and donations to pay for personal expenses that had no connection to his job, including vacation expenses, a Ford Explorer, and Amazon purchases for personal use.
Solomon also admitted to tax evasion by failing to disclose the money he embezzled from EOBA as income and misstating expenses associated with two alleged businesses that Solomon claimed lost money on his tax filings for the years 2017 through 2021. In total, Solomon caused a tax loss to the IRS of approximately $287,185.
Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge of the Oakland Field Office Linda Nguyen made the announcement.
Solomon’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 14, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gain of the fraud, and restitution of at least $549,132 to the East Oakland Boxing Association for the mail fraud count under 18 U.S.C. § 1341, and five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and restitution of at least $287,185 to the IRS for the tax evasion count under 26 U.S.C. § 7201. Any sentence will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas R. Green is prosecuting this case with the assistance of Amala James and Alycee Lane. This prosecution is the result of an investigation by IRS-CI.
Former Employee Admits Smuggling Drugs into Missouri PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former employee of a Missouri state prison on Wednesday admitted smuggling drugs and knives into prison.
Steven M. Reminger, 53, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of attempting to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances.
Reminger was an electronics technician at the Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri at the time of his crimes. After a number of inmate drug overdoses, inmates told officials that Reminger was smuggling drugs into the prison. One told a Missouri Department of Corrections investigator that Reminger had drugs mailed to a Post Office box in Farmington, Missouri under a fake name.
A U.S. Postal Inspection Service inspector learned that Reminger had obtained the Post Office box on Nov. 8, 2021, and received about 12 packages between Nov. 13, 2021, and May 24, 2022. After Reminger picked up the final parcel on May 25, 2022, Postal Inspectors took him to a police station and interviewed him. They also opened the package, discovering $4,000 in cash as well as fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, K2, THC edibles, marijuana, knives and cell phones that were contained in four vacuum-sealed packages. Reminger said the $4,000 was his pay for bringing the packages into the prison. He acknowledged that it was “possible” the packages he brought in contained something that contributed to the inmate overdoses, but said “ignorance is bliss” and added that he never opened the packages within the parcels or asked what was inside of them. Reminger admitted being “deliberately ignorant” to the contents of the packages.
Reminger said he made no more than $50,000 from the smuggling scheme. He turned over $15,000 in cash that he had at home to investigators. He used some of the rest of the money to buy a dune buggy and two trailers.Reminger is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24. Each charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine.
The Missouri Department of Corrections Office of Professional Standards, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Missouri State Highway Patrol are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Rebar is prosecuting the case.
Former Clerk/Treasurer for Lewis County town charged federally with wire fraud for more than $930,000 in theftRead the Press Release
Seattle – The former Clerk-Treasurer for the City of Morton in Lewis County is now charged federally with wire fraud in connection with her nine-year scheme to steal nearly $1 million from city coffers, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Tamara (Tammy) Clevenger served as the Clerk-Treasurer for Morton from 2012-2022. In 2024, an audit by the Washington State Auditor uncovered years of embezzlement totaling $937,584. Clevenger is expected to enter a plea to the wire fraud charge next month.
“I commend the State Auditor’s Office for their good work on this case,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “It is critical that all of our government entities have multiple safeguards in place to prevent the theft of hard-earned taxpayer dollars.”
According to the charging information, Clevenger allegedly used a variety of ways to steal funds. Between November 2015 and December 2021, she stole at least $311,727 of cash that citizens had brought in to pay for city services. In some instances, she would write a check from one city account to another to conceal the theft of the cash. She also made unauthorized cash withdrawals with the Morton ATM card.
Between February 2013 and December 2021, Clevenger allegedly stole at least $625,857 by writing checks to herself and depositing them in her bank account. Clevenger would allegedly use checks that had been pre-signed by the mayor for use in emergency situations. Clevenger allegedly used fake vendor invoices to make it appear the checks had been written for a service rendered to the city. Clevenger’s actions used interstate wires to commit the fraud with the transfer of funds between various bank accounts. One example is the transfer of $5,808 in funds from Washington to Umpqua bank servers located outside the state.
Following the audit, the City of Morton established new procedures so that no single person had control of the various banking functions.
The FBI and IRS worked with the Washington State Auditor’s Office on the criminal financial investigation.
The charges contained in the information are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. However, use of a criminal information, the sworn statement of the prosecutor, is an indication that there have been discussions with the defendant and their counsel of an agreement to resolve the case.
Wire fraud is punishable by up to twenty years in prison.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda McDowell.
Former CIA official pleads guilty to acting as a foreign agent and mishandling classified materialsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Florida man pled guilty today to, while being a public official at the CIA, acting as a foreign agent required to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act and removing classified material, classified up to the SECRET//NOFORN level, from authorized locations without authority and with the intent to retain such material at an unauthorized location.
According to court documents, in 2014, Dale Britt Bendler, 68, of Miami, began working as a full-time contractor at the CIA with a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance. Before he was a CIA contractor, Bendler spent over 30 years working for the CIA as an intelligence officer and retired as a member of the Senior Intelligence Service in 2014. Beginning in July 2017 and continuing through at least July 2020, while a full-time CIA contractor and TS/SCI clearance holder, Bendler worked with a U.S. lobbying firm and engaged in unauthorized and hidden lobbying and public relations activities on behalf of foreign national clients. As described in the plea agreement, Bendler’s undisclosed lobbying activities included an attempt to use his position and access at the CIA to influence a foreign government’s embezzlement investigation of one of Bendler’s foreign national clients and a separate attempt to use his position and access at the CIA to influence the U.S. government’s decision as to whether to grant a U.S. visa to another of Bendler’s clients, who was alleged to be associated with terrorism financing. In exchange for his unauthorized outside activities, Bendler was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars.
During the course of Bendler’s unauthorized lobbying and public relations activities, Bendler also abused his access to CIA resources and personnel by, among other things, searching classified CIA systems for any information related to his private lobbying clients, improperly storing and disclosing non-public, sensitive, and classified U.S. government information to people not authorized to receive such information, and lying to the CIA and the FBI about his status as a foreign agent and his unauthorized lobbying and public relations activities. The CIA terminated Bendler’s contract and access in September 2020.
In addition to pleading guilty, Bendler consented to the forfeiture of $85,000. Bendler is scheduled to be sentenced on July 16 and faces up to seven 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; Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division; and Steven J. Jensen, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. accepted the plea.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon D. Kromberg for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Adam P. Barry and Senior Trial Attorney Heather M. Schmidt of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. Chief Jennifer K. Gellie of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section provided substantial assistance in this investigation in her prior role as a trial attorney.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-109.
Former CIA Official Pleads Guilty to Acting as a Foreign Agent and Mishandling Classified MaterialsRead the Press Release
Dale Britt Bendler, 68, of Miami, Florida, pleaded guilty today to, while being a public official at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), acting as a foreign agent required to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act and removing classified material, classified up to the SECRET//NOFORN level, from authorized locations without authority and with the intent to retain such material at an unauthorized location.
As described in the plea agreement, starting in 2014, Bendler began working as a full-time contractor at the CIA with a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance. Before he was a CIA contractor, Bendler spent over 30 years working for the CIA as an intelligence officer and retired as a member of the Senior Intelligence Service in 2014. Beginning in July 2017 and continuing through at least July 2020, while a full-time CIA contractor and TS/SCI clearance holder, Bendler worked with a U.S. lobbying firm and engaged in unauthorized and hidden lobbying and public relations activities on behalf of foreign national clients. As described in the plea agreement, Bendler’s undisclosed lobbying activities included an attempt to use his position and access at the CIA to influence a foreign government’s embezzlement investigation of one of Bendler’s foreign national clients and a separate attempt to use his position and access at the CIA to influence the U.S. government’s decision as to whether to grant a U.S. visa to another of Bendler’s clients, who was alleged to be associated with terrorism financing. In exchange for his unauthorized outside activities, Bendler was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars.
During the course of Bendler’s unauthorized lobbying and public relations activities, Bendler also abused his access to CIA resources and personnel by, among other things, searching classified CIA systems for any information related to his private lobbying clients, improperly storing and disclosing non-public, sensitive, and classified U.S. government information to people not authorized to receive such information, and lying to the CIA and the FBI about his status as a foreign agent and his unauthorized lobbying and public relations activities. The CIA terminated Bendler’s contract and access in September 2020.
In addition to pleading guilty, Bendler consented to the forfeiture of $85,000. Bendler faces a maximum penalty of seven years in prison – two years for acting as a foreign agent while being a public official and five years for mishandling classified material. Bendler is scheduled to be sentenced on July 16.
Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division and Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Adam P. Barry and Senior Trial Attorney Heather M. Schmidt of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon D. Kromberg of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case. Chief Jennifer Kennedy Gellie of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section provided substantial assistance in this investigation in her prior role as a trial attorney.
Former Army Soldier Sentenced to More Than 24 Years for Producing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A former Army soldier was sentenced today to more than 24 years (292 months) in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release for the production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Jason Charles Manuelito, 27, pled guilty to the offense on June 11, 2024.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Manuelito was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) after CID received multiple cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that someone using an IP address on the military base was uploading child pornography, otherwise known as child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The individual uploaded illegal images and videos to Kik social media application, Google, and Dropbox. Investigators determined that the IP address belonged to Manuelito.
A military search and seizure authorization was executed for Manuelito’s person and his barracks. Digital devices were seized and analyzed, and investigators found numerous conversations between Mauelito and children where he would encourage the child to send specific images of their genitals and engaging in sexual acts. Manuelito would, often times, send explicit images of his genitals to the children. There were approximately nine victims identified and interviewed and many others unidentified. Some of the victims were as young as 11 years old when Manuelito was enticing them to self-produce child sexual abuse material and share it with him. In a recorded interview with law enforcement, Manuelito admitted he had been involved in online relationships with minors. During the course of those online relationships both he and the victim would engage in sexualized conversations and then exchange illicit images.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. Army Criminal Investigation Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-00200.
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