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Friday 7 March 2025
Winslow Man Sentenced to 8 years in Federal Prison for Possession of Biological WeaponRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Winslow, Arkansas man was sentenced yesterday to 96 months in prison without the possibility of parole for Possession of a Biological Agent. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing, which was held in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, in January 2024, a concerned citizen made an anonymous tip to the Washington County Sherriff’s office that Jason Kale Clampit, age 44, was manufacturing and may have poisoned one of his family members with ricin. Thereafter, an investigation revealed that Clampit had, in fact, produced ricin at his residence in Winslow, Arkansas, for the stated purpose of setting traps for trespassers. The investigation likewise revealed that during the manufacturing process, Clampit inadvertently exposed himself to ricin, which made him extremely ill. On January 24, 2025, a federal search warrant was executed by both the Bentonville Bomb Squad and an FBI Bioweapon Specialist team, which resulted in the confiscation of several items associated with processing ricin, and suspected ricin byproducts. On that same day, Clampit was taken into custody. While in jail, he made statements on a monitored phone call in which he directed others to dispose of liquid ricin contained in a jar that was secreted in a camper on his property. After listening to the monitored call, FBI agents responded quickly, contacted the individual Clampit directed, and located, in a trash can, a jar containing processed ricin.
Clampit was indicted by a Grand Jury in the Western District of Arkansas in March 2024. He entered a plea of guilty in October 2024.
U.S. Attorney Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Bentonville Police Department, and the Arkansas Department of Corrections Division of Community Correction (probation and parole) all investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Roberts prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov.
Williamsport Man Sentenced to 108 Months in Prison for Child Exploitation CrimeRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Felix Trepanowski, age 24, a resident of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday to 108 months’ imprisonment by Chief United States District Court Judge Matthew W. Brann, for receipt of child pornography.
According to the Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, on May 21, 2024, FBI agents served a federal search warrant at Trepanowski’s residence in Clinton County, Pennsylvania. Pursuant to the warrant, agents seized and later analyzed his cell phone and computer. The forensic analysis uncovered approximately 2,420 images of child pornography on Trepanowski’s devices and showed that he received images of child pornography on multiple occasions between 2022 and 2024.
The investigation was conducted by FBI – Philadelphia Division, Williamsport RAC. Assistant United States Attorney Tatum Wilson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
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Vallejo Man Indicted for Illegally Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment Thursday against Jeffrey Caldwell, 36, of Vallejo, charging him with being a felon in possession of ammunition, Acting United States Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
According to court documents, Caldwell was arrested after a standoff with the Vallejo Police Department SWAT Team. The arresting officers found that Caldwell was in possession of a privately manufactured firearm and accompanying ammunition. Caldwell is prohibited from possessing ammunition due to more than ten prior felony convictions in California and Arizona, including for assault, burglary, and stalking. This case was the product of an investigation by the Vallejo Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Charles Campbell is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Caldwell faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
VA Firefighter Admits Scheme to Commit Workers’ Compensation FraudRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Department of Veterans Affairs firefighter admitted to a scheme to commit workers’ compensation fraud, U.S. Attorney John Giordano announced.
Richard Hyland, 61, of Westbury, New York, pleaded guilty to an Information charging one count of workers’ compensation fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1920 before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Hyland was employed as a firefighter by the Department of Veterans Affairs and worked at the Lyons VA Medical Center in Lyons, New Jersey. In 2014, Hyland suffered a back injury and began receiving workers’ compensation benefits. To continue receiving benefits, Hyland certified annually to the U.S. Department of Labor that he was not working or volunteering anywhere else.
These certifications were false. As early as March 2017, Hyland worked as a tow truck driver. He also worked as a long-haul truck driver and volunteered at his local fire department. From March 2017 through December 2024, Hyland fraudulently received $479,341.26 in workers’ compensation benefits.
The count of workers’ compensation fraud carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,00 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for July 11, 2025.
U.S. Attorney John Giordano credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Jonathan Mellone, and of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Chris Algieri, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph McFarlane of the Special Prosecutions Division in Camden.
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Defense counsel: Zach Intrater, Agnifilo Intrater LLP
hyland.information.pdfUtah Man Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding $3.4M from VictimsRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Misiona Patane, 60, of Lehi, Utah, was sentenced to 108 months’ imprisonment and a term of five years’ supervised release after he defrauded family and other acquaintances out of more than $3.4 million over a five-year span. Patane also forged legal documents, sent emails from sham email accounts, and pretended to be a private lawyer and an agent with the Utah Attorney General’s Office to further his scheme to defraud.
The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Howard C. Nielson, Jr., comes after Patane pleaded guilty in December 2023 to multiple counts of bank fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents and statements made at Patane’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, Patane admitted that beginning in April 2015 and continuing through May 2020, he defrauded two sets of victims for his own benefit, including a relative who suffered a traumatic brain injury and had a trust to allow for a lifetime of care. As part of the scheme, Patane opened and fully controlled bank accounts in victims’ names and in the name of a charitable organization he helped run. Patane abused his position of trust by diverting funds and personal tax returns to various bank accounts under his custody and control. Mr. Patane repeatedly stole from the charitable organization, funding extravagant travel, gambling habits, and other expenses.
In October 2016 through 2018, Patane stole large sums of money from a trust that was created to manage a vulnerable victim’s finances while he was under the care of a Utah court-monitored conservatorship. To obtain money from the trust, Patane lied about his identity, the cost of services and care, and other expenses for the victim. Additionally, Mr. Patane used the charity to launder money and payments to himself. From 2017 through 2018, Patane fabricated an audit of the charity and pretended to be a lawyer, academy administrator, and others to receive payments for fictitious fines related to care. From 2016 to 2019, approximately $2.5 million was spent, less than $150,000 of which was spent on care or services for the victim. In the span of only three years, the victim was left financially destitute.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Tanner Zumwalt and Seth Nielsen of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
United States Attorney’s Office Charges 46 Illegal Aliens with Various Offenses including Immigration Crimes, Drug Trafficking, Weapons Offenses, and Child PornographyRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Since January of this year, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan has charged 46 aliens who were unlawfully present in the United States with offenses including illegal reentry into the United States, drug trafficking, illegal possession of firearms, and child pornography offenses. These aliens’ home countries include Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Venezuela. Several had prior convictions for human smuggling, drug trafficking, drunk driving, assault, and theft. In many cases, the aliens had been returned to their home country numerous times but have continued to violate immigration laws by re-entering the United States.
Recent cases include:
Hector Bejerano-Bejerano, a native of Mexico, was located at a gas station in Novi, Michigan, when he was creating a nuisance to customers. He was arrested and identified by United States Border Patrol and found to have two prior federal immigration convictions, including one in which Bejerano-Bejerano was caught smuggling three other illegal aliens into the United States from Mexico. During this encounter, Bejerano-Bejerano fled from a Border Patrol Agent and assaulted him. According to court filings in that case, Bejerano-Bejerano was encountered by Border Patrol 18 times during 2021 alone.
Dulce Rubio-Rivera, a native of Mexico, was found in Detroit, Michigan, when agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Immigration and Customs Enforcement executed a federal search warrant at a house. Inside the house was Rubio-Rivera, along with drugs, a scale, ammunition and an AK-47 rifle. Rubio-Rivera pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 6.25 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine.
Luis Fernando Santillan-Valderrabano, a native of Mexico, was located in the passenger seat of a vehicle in Detroit. Santillan-Valderrabano was originally admitted into the United States on a special visa that permitted him to stay in the United States for only 72 hours and within 25 miles of the United States-Mexico border. However, five months later Santillan-Valderrabano was arrested and pleaded guilty to theft charges in Georgia. A year after that, he was again arrested and convicted in Nebraska for resisting arrest and felony theft. Santillan-Valderrabano was removed back to Mexico in 2009, but illegally returned and was arrested in 2010 in Ithaca, Michigan, for a driving offense. Santillan-Valderrabano was removed again but tried to sneak back into the United States in 2011, was caught, and federally prosecuted in Texas for illegal entry. Santillan-Valderrabano was removed a third time in 2011, but again tried to illegally enter the United States, was caught, federally prosecuted in Texas for illegal reentry, and removed in 2012. In 2021, he was arrested in Wixom, Michigan, for driving 86 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone. During this encounter with police, he used a fake name and date of birth and failed to appear for his court hearing after being charged with reckless driving, providing false identification, and not having a vehicle operation license.
Gustavo Placencia-Rosales, a native of Mexico who was unlawfully present in the United States, was arrested and charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to possess and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense. The complaint alleges that agents with the DEA have been investigating Placencia-Rosales for involvement in drug trafficking actitivies. Law enforcement initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle occupied by Placenia-Rosales, with three others, and recovered four brick-shaped packages that field tested positive as cocaine along with two firearms.
Luis Gerardo Rodriguez-Rey, a native of Columbia who was unlawfully present in the United States, was arrested and charged in a criminal complaint with being an alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition. According to the complaint, officers with the River Rouge Police Department were on routine patrol when they encountered Rodriguez-Rey traveling at a high rate of speed in a vehicle which did not have any exterior lights illuminated. A traffic stop was conducted and upon a search of his person and vehicle, officers recovered a Smith & Wesson pistol along with ammunition.
Luis Angel Alvarez-Alvarez, a native of Venuzuela, was arrested by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Border Patrol after agents stopped a vehicle that Alvarez-Alvarez was operating without a license plate. Alvarez-Alvarez had a prior final order of removal at the time of the arrest. During a search of his cellular device, officers discovered alleged child sexually abusive material. Alvarez was charged with production and possession of child pornography and remains in custody pending the disposition of his charges.
“The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan has a long-standing commitment to enforcing the immigrations laws of the United States, and that commitment is unwavering,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Julie Beck. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those individuals who are in our district unlawfully.”
“These cases represent a fraction of the criminal aliens we and our federal partners arrest every day across the Detroit Sector that’s making this country safer than it was just a few short months ago,” said Detroit Sector Chief Patrol Agent John R. Morris. “I could not be more proud of our agents for their enforcement efforts as well as their ability to form strong bonds with our local, state and federal partnerships such as we see exemplified here with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
“Keeping dangerous people and illicit drugs and weapons from infecting our communities is at the core of our comprehensive border security mandate,” said Director of Field Operations Marty C. Raybon. “The CBP Office of Field Operations is as committed as ever in protecting our homeland alongside our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners.”
“Our ICE Detroit officers will continue to secure our communities through the apprehension and arrest of criminal aliens and immigration violators,” said ICE ERO Detroit Field Office Director Robert Lynch. “Working with our law enforcement partners, we have been able to apprehend serious public safety threats from foreign sex offenders to drug traffickers and aliens in possession of illegal firearms.”
“As the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, our agents are prioritizing investigations into bad actors who exploit our immigration system,” said ICE HSI Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey. “From illegal aliens in possession of child sexually abusive material to dismantling human smuggling or trafficking rings, our ICE HSI team stands ready to safeguard the homeland alongside our partners.”
“The men and women of DEA work hard - day in and day out - to protect families from the dangers and violence associated with drug trafficking in our communities,” said DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Lawton. “In that vein, we have prioritized our drug investigations on those involving violent, illegal criminals responsible for flooding our neighborhoods with deadly and dangerous drugs. We will continue to work with the Department of Homeland Security and our federal partners with immigration enforcement efforts.”
“ATF, along with our Department of Justice partners, stand side by side with the Department of Homeland Security and other federal law enforcement partners in their efforts to enforce immigration laws and protect public safety,” said ATF Detroit Special Agent in Charge James Deir. “We remain committed to supporting coordinated enforcement actions to uphold the rule of the law and ensure the security of our communities.”
“Members of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office, in collaboration with federal law enforcement partners—including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Border Patrol (CBP), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), are actively investigating and apprehending individuals wanted for federal violations and those unlawfully present in the United States,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Michigan Division. “The FBI in Michigan remains steadfast in its mission to uphold the Constitution and ensure the safety and security of the American people.”
A complaint/indictment is merely a formal charge and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. It is the burden of the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
These cases were investigated by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys in the National Security Unit of the United States Attorney’s Office.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed More than 100 Border-Related Cases This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed more than 100 border-related cases this week, including charges of transportation of illegal aliens, reentering the U.S. after deportation, deported alien found in the United States, and importation of controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).
In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.
A representative sample of border-related arrests this week, includes:
- Mexican nationals Isay Edel Ramos-Chaparro and Omar Alvarado-Ignacio were arrested March 4, 2025, by El Centro-based U.S. Border Patrol agents and charged with crimes relating to their alleged attempt to cross illegally into the United States on motorcycles through a breach in the border fence in Mexicali. Both defendants had previously been deported after entering the United States illegally.
- On March 6, 2025, Jason Kristopher Lowe attempted to enter the United States from Mexico via the San Ysidro Port of Entry driving a BMW X5, bearing California plates. Lowe was arrested when two individuals, both of whom admitted to being citizens of China without lawful documents allowing them to enter the United States, were found inside a secret compartment in the undercarriage of the BMW.
- Fernando Medina Rodriguez, Gustavo Camacha Medina and Carlos Cardenas Medina – all drivers of separate tractor-trailers attempting to cross into the U.S. from Mexico at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry – were arrested on March 4, 2025, on drug importation charges. According to a federal complaint, all three were sent to secondary inspection around the same time, where Customs and Border Protection officials found hidden compartments containing a total of approximately 171 pounds of cocaine.
Federal law enforcement has focused immigration prosecutions on undocumented aliens who are engaged in criminal activity in the U.S., including those who commit drug and firearms crimes, who have serious criminal records, or who have active warrants for their arrest. Federal authorities have also been prioritizing investigations and prosecutions against drug, firearm, and human smugglers and those who endanger and threaten the safety of our communities and the law enforcement officers who protect the community.
The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Charges over 225 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct in Arizona This WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During this week of enforcement operations from March 1, 2025, through March 7, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona has brought immigration-related criminal charges against 227 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 92 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 120 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 12 cases against 15 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance, and federal prosecutors also charged one defendant for assaulting a Border Patrol agent.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Gerardo Tejada-Calleja: On March 3, 2025, the United States charged by criminal complaint Edwin Santiago Marquez Flores with Assault on a Federal Officer in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(a), and Improper Entry by an Alien in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(1). On March 2, 2025, a United States Border Patrol agent responded to a report of suspected illegal aliens in the area of Vamori, Arizona. When an agent approached the area, Tejada-Calleja was found hiding under a tree, attempting to evade apprehension. Tejada-Calleja ran down a wash upon seeing the agent. After a brief pursuit, Tejada-Calleja and another individual were found hiding under a tree and some brush. During attempts to apprehend the two individuals, the agent reached for his radio to let other agents know he needed assistance. Tejada-Calleja grabbed the agent’s gun belt area and his radio in an attempt to rip it out of the agent’s hands. During the assault, Tejada-Calleja wrapped his arms around the agent, taking him down to the ground backwards and onto his back. Tejada-Calleja and the other individual were able to evade apprehension again until they were subsequently captured and taken into custody. Case No. 25-4720 MJ.
United States v. Jimenez-Aguilar: Edgar Guadalupe Jimenez-Aguilar, an illegal alien living in Phoenix, was indicted last week for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens in violation of 8 U.S.C. §§ 1324(a)(1)(A)(v)(I), (a)(1)(A)(ii), (a)(1(B)(i), and Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 8411(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B)(i). Jimenez-Aguilar was identified by Border Patrol as an operator of a stash house and alien transporting coordinator. On October 3, 2024, officers with the Tohono O’odham Police Department stopped a vehicle and determined four passengers, including two in the trunk of the vehicle, were aliens unlawfully present in the United States. Officers learned that the driver had been recruited on social media, had participated in multiple prior smuggling ventures, and had been to Jimenez-Aguilar’s stash house to unload the aliens. On January 28, 2025, agents stopped a Jeep Grand Cherokee in Mesa and identified the driver as Jimenez-Aguilar via his Sonoran driver’s license. Inside the vehicle, agents located approximately 297 grams of black tar heroin. CR-25-00284-PHX-DJH.
A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
CASE NUMBER: 25-4720 MJ
CR-25-00284-PHX-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-031_March 7 Immigration Enforcement# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes ReportRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies.
In the one-week period ending March 7, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:
- 52 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
- 8 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
- 23 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
In one significant case, Isaias David Jose and Tomas Mateo Gaspar were charged with hostage taking and harboring illegal aliens after the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office executed a search warrant at a residence in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Agents found 10 illegal aliens in the residence, including the victim, who told agents he had been held in a locked room and told that if his family did not pay an $18,000 ransom he would be turned over to the “Mexican mafia.” The victim’s family reported the threat to the FBI, resulting in the search warrant and rescue of the victim. Additional illegal aliens found in the residence confirmed that they too had been threatened and locked in the residence.
In another significant investigation, criminal complaints were filed charging Jose Ruiz-Gamez, Uzziel Carmona-Lopez and Donaciano Carmona-Lopez, with being an alien in possession of a firearm following a traffic stop by an officer from the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo Police Department. During the traffic stop, the officer located two firearms. All three men are Mexican nationals illegally present in the United States.
In a third case, Roberto Rodrigo Velazquez-Lopez was charged by criminal complaint after he fled from a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint with four illegal aliens in the vehicle, including two individuals concealed in the trunk.
These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the District of New Mexico. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The District of New Mexico consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses.
U.S. Attorney's Office and U.S. Border Patrol Charge Illegal Alien in High-Speed Checkpoint Evasion and Smuggling CaseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A man illegally present in the United States has been charged in federal court with high-speed flight from an immigration checkpoint and conspiracy to transport illegal aliens.
According to court documents, on the morning of March 2, 2025, Roberto Rodrigo Velazquez-Lopez allegedly drove a sedan with Texas license plates through a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 25 in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, ignoring agents' commands to stop. Instead, the vehicle continued northbound at high speed, reaching approximately 110 miles per hour before yielding near mile marker 40.
Upon arrest, Velazquez-Lopez admitted to being illegally present in the United States and to having two individuals concealed in the trunk of the vehicle. A total of four illegal aliens were found in the vehicle.
In a post-Miranda interview, Velazquez-Lopez stated he was instructed to transport illegal aliens from El Paso, Texas to Albuquerque, New Mexico to pay off a debt. He also admitted to previously transporting illegal aliens on four occasions.
Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector, made the announcement today.
U.S. Border Patrol investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jackson Dering is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney's Office Secures Sentencing for Felony Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Deming man was sentenced to 39 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on April 21, 2024, when Catron County Sheriff's Office deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Wilfrido Saenz, 27. During the stop, deputies found a hypodermic needle containing methamphetamine residue on Saenz's person. A subsequent search of his vehicle revealed a loaded handgun in the center console.
Saenz, who was on supervised release for a previous federal conviction of transporting illegal aliens, admitted to knowingly possessing the firearm and ammunition despite being a convicted felon.
Upon his release from prison, Saenz will be subject to two years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Jason T. Stevens, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso, made the announcement today.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case with assistance from the Catron County Sheriff's Office and United States Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyson R. Hehr is prosecuting the case.
Two who Trespassed Historical Site at National Park SentencedRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Roxanne McKnight, 39, and Dusty Spencer, 43, of Durango, Colorado, were sentenced today after they trespassed onto a fenced-off historical site at Canyonlands National Park and disturbed artifacts on display.
McKnight was sentenced to a one-year ban from federal public lands in Utah and one year of probation. Spencer was sentenced a two-year ban from federal public lands in Utah and two years’ probation.
In addition to their bans, a U.S. Magistrate Judge ordered McKnight and Spencer to pay fines and restitution totaling $1,500. The sentence comes after the defendants pleaded guilty to possessing or disturbing cultural or archaeological resources, and walking on or entering archeological or cultural resource, Class B misdemeanors.
According to court documents and statements made at McKnight’s and Spencer’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, on March 23, 2024, McKnight and Spencer, entered a fenced-off area of Canyonlands National Park where they then handled numerous historic artifacts preserved in the Cave Springs Cowboy Camp. The artifacts include an antique horse tack and cabinetry. This historic camp was protected by fencing and clear warnings prohibiting visitors from entering the area, which McKnight and Spencer disregarded.
Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the National Park Service (NPS).
Assistant United States Attorneys Luisa Gough and Tanner Zumwalt of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
Two Sentenced to Life Plus 60 Years in Brutal Revenge Kidnappings and Murders That Occurred Three Days After Christmas 2017Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Marcel Vines, 28, and Malique Lewis, 27, both members of the violent Clay Terrace crew, were sentenced today in U.S. District Court to life plus 60 years in prison for the kidnappings and murders of two innocent victims in retaliation for a slaying in which the victims were not involved.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County (MD) Police Department.
Following a four-week trial Vines, aka “Baby Boy” or “B.Y.,” and Lewis, aka “Freak,” each were found guilty by a federal jury on August 19, 2024, of kidnapping resulting in death; conspiracy to commit kidnapping; unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon; two counts of kidnapping while armed; two counts of first degree murder while armed—felony murder with aggravating circumstances; first degree murder while armed (premeditated) with aggravating circumstances; and five counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to the government’s evidence at trial, Lewis and Vines conspired with a third co-defendant to kidnap and kill Armani Nico Coles and Kerrice Lewis, who has no relation to defendant Lewis, out of a desire for revenge.
Earlier that day, a friend of Armani Coles and Kerrice Lewis had shot and killed the defendants’ friend, Ronzay Green. The defendants knew who killed Green and decided to retaliate against that man, travelling across the city to his neighborhood to look for him. At around 2 p.m., just three hours after Green’s death, they drove past a gas station where Kerrice Lewis was pumping gas into her blue Lexus. Vines recognized her and the defendants followed her as she drove away.
At 2:45 p.m., at an AutoZone parking lot in the 900 block of Longfellow Street Northwest, the defendants kidnapped Kerrice Lewis. Armed with an assault rifle and a .45 caliber firearm, Lewis and Vines held Ms. Lewis in the backseat of her own vehicle at gunpoint to lure the man they believed had killed their friend.
Unsuccessful, the defendants then used Ms. Lewis’ phone to lure Armani Coles to a location near First and Kennedy Streets Northwest, believing Mr. Coles could lead them to the man responsible for Green’s slaying. At approximately 6 p.m., the defendants kidnapped Nico Coles. They forced Mr. Coles into the backseat of Ms. Lewis’ car and forced Ms. Lewis into the trunk of her own car. As the defendants drove Ms. Lewis’ vehicle towards their Clay Terrace neighborhood, they encountered traffic on Interstate 295 in Maryland.
When the defendants hit traffic on I-295, at approximately 6:20 p.m., Mr. Coles attempted to flee. The defendants shot him in the abdomen and the back—one gunshot wound from the .45 and one gunshot wound from the Draco—and then shoved his body out of the car, dragging his face along the highway asphalt as they continued to drive, ultimately pushing him onto the highway, and leaving him there to die.
An hour later, the defendants drove Ms. Lewis’ vehicle, with Ms. Lewis still confined in her trunk, to an alley behind the 800 block of Adrian Street Southeast. The defendants then opened the trunk, shot Ms. Lewis at least 13 times, and set her remains and her vehicle on fire, before fleeing the scene.
Analysis of the ballistic evidence from both scenes indicated that the same two firearms, a .45 caliber and a 7.62 mm caliber, were used to kill both victims. Additionally, law enforcement recovered fingerprints from an item that was pushed out of Ms. Lewis’ car along with Mr. Coles’ body. Analysis of those fingerprints identified two prints as belonging to Vines. The night after the murders, Lewis was captured on video at a McDonald’s drive-through, driving Mr. Coles’ missing vehicle. Shortly after the murders, Lewis also made statements, via text, bragging about them by sending news articles about the murders, and saying, “we ain’t done.”
Lewis and Vines were both arrested on January 5, 2018, on unrelated charges. Shortly thereafter, Lewis was charged by Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office with the murder of Mr. Coles. In August 2018, Lewis and Vines were charged in D.C. Superior Court with both murders. The case was removed to federal court on May 23, 2019. Both defendants have been in custody since their arrest in January 2018.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, with additional assistance provided by the United States Marshals Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberley Nielsen, George Eliopoulos, and Colleen Kukowski of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
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Two Mobile Defendants Sentenced to Prison for Massive Counterfeit Check Fraud Scheme Targeting the U.S. MailRead the Press Release
According to court documents, Brian Christopher Williams III, 25, and Kalaijha Tomeco Ranier Lewis, 29, schemed to defraud various federally insured banks and credit unions between November 2021 and June 2023. To carry out the fraud scheme, Williams recruited Lewis, who worked at the post office on Saint Joseph Street in Mobile, to steal hundreds of high-value business checks and sell them to Williams. In turn, Williams and other coconspirators sold the stolen checks via an illicit online marketplace hosted on a Telegram channel called “Work Related.” Fraudsters who purchased the stolen checks later counterfeited and negotiated many of them, causing substantial financial losses to multiple victims. In total, the value of the stolen checks posted to the “Work Related” channel exceeded $17 million.
In June 2023, investigators began surveillance at the Saint Joseph Street post office in Mobile. On several occasions, agents saw Lewis manipulating the windowed envelopes of checks to see the amounts listed inside while she sorted mail. On June 23, 2023, agents confronted Lewis after capturing her on video stuffing a large stack of stolen checks into her pants before the end of her work shift. Lewis confessed that for several months, she stole business checks for Williams, who paid her $2,000 to $3,000 for each stack of stolen checks that she brought him.
That same day, agents arrested Williams at a gas station in Mobile, where he had arrived to purchase the stolen checks from Lewis. Agents seized more than $10,000 in cash from Williams’s pocket, which Williams admitted was proceeds of his fraud scheme. Agents also searched Williams’s car, seizing a loaded .40 caliber Glock pistol equipped with an extended magazine, ammunition, marijuana, and stolen checks valued at more than $417,000. Williams confessed to selling stolen checks to a coconspirator in Birmingham who marketed the checks for sale on Telegram.
Agents executed warrants to search cell phones and social media accounts belonging to Williams and Lewis, each of which contained extensive communications regarding the scheme. For example, on June 1, 2023, Williams messaged Lewis, “I need a load today!!!!!,” to which Lewis responded, “I done seen 7 [checks] since 6am.” Days later, Williams messaged Lewis about meeting up to purchase high-value stolen checks, emphasizing, “I need like 20k, 15k, 30k and up, majority of this whole damn load low asf, 1000-1600 are lows.”
Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Williams and Lewis to serve 100 months and 60 months in federal prison, respectively. Following their release from prison, Williams and Lewis will each serve five-year terms of supervised release, during which time they will receive mental health evaluation and treatment, and will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Chief Judge Beaverstock ordered the defendants to pay $234,246.63 in victim restitution and a total of $300 in special assessments. The court also forfeited $10,773.53 in cash seized from Williams to the United States.
Acting U.S. Attorney Keith A. Jones of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement and thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama for its significant partnership and coordination in the investigation and prosecution of this case.
The United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated the case with significant assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Birmingham.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Roller and Scott Gray prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Two Luzerne County Residents Charged with Drug Trafficking and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Craig Lee Hickson, age 34, of Plymouth, Pennsylvania, and Rasheeda Kelly, age 46, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, were indicted on March 4, 2025, by a federal grand jury on drug trafficking and a firearms violations.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that on February 21, 2025, in Luzerne County, Hickson and Kelly conspired and attempted to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine. The indictment also alleges that Kelly possessed several firearms as a felon prohibited from possessing firearms.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Three New Jersey Men Indicted for Their Roles in Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A federal grand jury in the District of New Jersey returned a 12-count indictment against three New Jersey men yesterday for their alleged roles in a drug trafficking organization that distributed fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine in Newark, U.S. Attorney John Giordano announced.
George Lopez, 50, of Newark, New Jersey, Reinaldo Cruz, 45, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, and Joel Hernandez, 28, of Parlin, New Jersey, are each charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl. In addition, George Lopez was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, two counts of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon, and one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Reinaldo Cruz was charged with two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and one count of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon. Finally, Joel Hernandez was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to the indictment and other documents previously unsealed in the District of New Jersey, Reinaldo Cruz and Joel Hernandez distributed controlled substances on behalf of the drug trafficking organization (“DTO”) in and around Essex and Union Counties, New Jersey, specifically from several drug distribution locations. George Lopez, in turn, provided advice and connections regarding sources of supply of controlled substances from jail while he and his wife received cash from the DTO. Lopez and Cruz are associates of the Latin Kings street gang.
During the investigation, law enforcement intercepted wire and electronic communications, used mobile and fixed surveillance, conducted controlled purchases and seizures of narcotics, and analyzed telephone records. The investigation has revealed that the DTO distributed more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, 5 kilograms of cocaine, and 40 grams of fentanyl.
The methamphetamine and cocaine conspiracy count carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine. The fentanyl conspiracy count and methamphetamine and cocaine possession count against George Lopez each carries a mandatory minimum penalty 5 years in prison, maximum potential penalty of 40 years in prison, and a $5 million fine. The remaining drug possession counts each carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The illegal possession of firearms and ammunition counts each carry a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime counts each carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence imposed.
U.S. Attorney Giordano credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz in Newark, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor William A. Daniel and Chief Harvey A. Barnwell, and the Elizabeth Police Department, under the direction of Chief Giacomo Sacca, with the investigation leading to the charges. U.S. Attorney Giordano thanked the Union County Police Department, under the direction of Officer in Charge, Captain John DaSilva, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks Jr., Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel, the Essex County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Amir D. Jones, Hudson County Department of Corrections, under the direction of Director Becky Scott, the Cranford Police Department, under the direction of Chief Matthew R. Nazzaro, the Bloomfield Police Department, under the direction of Chief George Ricci, the New Jersey State Police SWAT Team, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan, the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda, the Hudson County Regional SWAT Team, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez, and the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Juan Mattos Jr., for their assistance.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eli Jacobs of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit and John Mezzanotte of the Economic Crimes Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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lopez_cruz_hernandez.indictment.pdfThirty-Seventh Feeding Our Future Defendant Pleads Guilty with Obstruction of Justice Enhancement for Witness Tampering AttemptRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Lakeville man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud for his role in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents, from April 2020 through January 2022, Abdinasir Mahamed Abshir, 33, claimed to be operating a child nutrition site in Mankato, Minnesota, a mid-sized city in Southwestern Minnesota. Abshir ran his food site, Stigma-Free Mankato, under the sponsorship of Feeding our Future. Shortly after creating the Stigma-Free Mankato site, the defendant falsely claimed to be serving meals to 3,000 children a day, seven days a week, from J’s Sambusa, a small restaurant in North Mankato. Abshir also created a shell company called Horseed Management, and claimed it was a meal vendor for the Stigma-Free Mankato food site. Between November 2020 and November 2021, Abshir and his co-conspirators falsely claimed to have served approximately 1.6 million meals to children through Stigma-Free Mankato.
To accomplish their scheme, Abshirand his co-conspirators prepared and submitted fake meal counts, invoices, and attendance rosters. Rather than use fraudulently obtained money to serve meals or feed children, Abshir and his co-conspirators fraudulently misappropriated much of it. Abshir transferred millions of dollars from Horseed Management to himself and other co-conspirators, which included transferring fraud proceeds to a shell company the defendant created called Calikamin Enterprise. Abshir used fraudulent proceeds to purchase a 2021 Range Rover, which has been seized and will be forfeited to the United States.
According to court documents, Abshir paid more than $100,000 in bribes and kickbacks from Horseed Management to Abdikerm Eidleh, a Feeding Our Future employee, in exchange for sponsoring and facilitating Stigma-Free Mankato’s fraudulent participation in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. In exchange, Feeding Our Future received nearly $420,000 in administrative fees for sponsoring the Stigma-Free Mankato site’s participation in the program. In December 2021, Abshir paid $5,750 to a GoFundMe account for Feeding Our Future created by Aimee Bock.
In total, Stigma-Free Mankato received over $5.4 million in payments from Feeding Our Future based on fraudulent claims.
In addition, on February 18, 2025, Abshir attempted to obstruct or impede the administration of justice when he communicated with a cooperating witness in the trial of his co-defendants in United States v. Aimee Bock and Salim Said. Specifically, in the hallway outside Courtroom 13W in the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Abshir approached a witness who was about to testify in the trial. After learning that the witness was about to testify that day, Abshir requested that the witness come with him to the bathroom to have a conversation.
Abshir pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge Nancy E. Brasel. In his plea, he acknowledges that an enhancement will apply to his Sentencing Guidelines because he obstructed justice when he attempted to tamper with a witness. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
The case is the result of an investigation by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Matthew S. Ebert, Harry M. Jacobs, and Daniel W. Bobier are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.
Texas Man Formerly Employed by Ohio Company Convicted of Damaging Source Code and Deleting DataRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND — A federal jury in Cleveland convicted a Texas man today for writing and deploying malicious code on his former employer’s network.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Davis Lu, 55, of Houston, was employed as a software developer for the victim company headquartered in Beachwood, Ohio, from November 2007 to October 2019.
Following a 2018 corporate realignment that reduced his responsibilities and system access, Lu began sabotaging his employer’s systems. By Aug. 4, 2019, he introduced malicious code that caused system crashes and prevented user logins. Specifically, he created “infinite loops” (in this case, code designed to exhaust Java threads by repeatedly creating new threads without proper termination and resulting in server crashes or hangs), deleted coworker profile files, and implemented a “kill switch” that would lock out all users if his credentials in the company’s active directory were disabled. The “kill switch” code — which Lu named “IsDLEnabledinAD”, abbreviating “Is Davis Lu enabled in Active Directory” — was automatically activated upon his termination on Sept. 9, 2019, and impacted thousands of company users globally. Lu named other code “Hakai,” a Japanese word meaning “destruction,” and “HunShui,” a Chinese word meaning “sleep” or “lethargy.”
Additionally, on the day he was directed to turn in his company laptop, Lu deleted encrypted data. His internet search history revealed he had researched methods to escalate privileges, hide processes, and rapidly delete files, indicating an intent to obstruct efforts of his co-workers to resolve the system disruptions. Lu’s employer suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses as a result of Lu’s actions.
“Mr. Lu was calculating in his intent to inflict damage to a company that provides products and services to businesses and organizations that span a variety of industries and fields,” said Acting United States Attorney Carol M. Skutnik of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio. “Together with our colleagues from the Criminal Division and the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will prosecute those who intend to disrupt business operations, especially, if it has the potential to inflict greater harm on national and international levels. We will hold perpetrators accountable and pursue justice against vindictive employees who break federal laws.”
“Sadly, Davis Lu used his education, experience, and skill to purposely harm and hinder not only his employer and their ability to safely conduct business, but also stifle thousands of users worldwide,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen. “The FBI and its cadre of exceptionally qualified agents and analysts will continue to identify, find, and investigate individuals who seek to carry out deliberate and destructive actions against businesses or organizations for retaliatory or malicious purposes.”
The jury convicted Lu of causing intentional damage to protected computers, for which he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A sentencing date has not been set. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Cleveland Division investigated the case.
Senior Counsel Candina S. Heath of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel J. Riedl and Brian S. Deckert for the Northern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.
Texas Man Convicted of Sabotaging his Employer’s Computer Systems and Deleting DataRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Cleveland convicted a Texas man today for writing and deploying malicious code on his former employer’s network.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Davis Lu, 55, of Houston, was employed as a software developer for the victim company headquartered in Beachwood, Ohio, from November 2007 to October 2019. Following a 2018 corporate realignment that reduced his responsibilities and system access, Lu began sabotaging his employer’s systems. By Aug. 4, 2019, he introduced malicious code that caused system crashes and prevented user logins. Specifically, he created “infinite loops” (in this case, code designed to exhaust Java threads by repeatedly creating new threads without proper termination and resulting in server crashes or hangs), deleted coworker profile files, and implemented a “kill switch” that would lock out all users if his credentials in the company’s active directory were disabled. The “kill switch” code — which Lu named “IsDLEnabledinAD”, abbreviating “Is Davis Lu enabled in Active Directory” — was automatically activated upon his termination on Sept. 9, 2019, and impacted thousands of company users globally. Lu named other code “Hakai,” a Japanese word meaning “destruction,” and “HunShui,” a Chinese word meaning “sleep” or “lethargy.” Additionally, on the day he was directed to turn in his company laptop, Lu deleted encrypted data. His internet search history revealed he had researched methods to escalate privileges, hide processes, and rapidly delete files, indicating an intent to obstruct efforts of his co-workers to resolve the system disruptions. Lu’s employer suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses as a result of Lu’s actions.
The jury convicted Lu of causing intentional damage to protected computers, for which he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A sentencing date has not been set. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Supervisory Official Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Carol M. Skutnik for the Northern District of Ohio, and Special Agent in Charge Gregory D. Nelsen of the FBI Cleveland Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Cleveland Field Office investigated the case.
Senior Counsel Candina S. Heath of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel J. Riedl and Brian S. Deckert for the Northern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Admits Dogfighting ChargeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man pleaded guilty Friday and admitted hosting dogfights in his home and training dogs to fight.
Terrell Williams, 52, admitted hosting dog fights in a wooden “box” setup in the basement of his Riverview, Missouri, home on two occasions in July and August of 2021. Williams also admitted breeding and owning multiple bull terriers or terrier mixes between Sept. 5, 2020, and May 1, 2022, that were used for fights. On June 22, 2022, FBI agents conducted a court-approved search of Williams’ home and seized eight bull terrier mixes and three Yorkshire terriers, as well as equipment used to train and condition dogs, including weighted vests, body-enhancing chemicals and a canine treadmill. Multiple dogs appeared to be aggressive towards humans and other dogs, anxious or fearful. Dogs also bore scars consistent with dog bites or dog fighting.
Williams pleaded guilty to a dogfighting charge, which is punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 6.
As part of his plea, Williams agreed to give up the seized dogs and the training equipment.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
St. Francis Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Arson and Burglary of a HomeRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced two St. Francis, South Dakota men in a case that involved charges of Arson and Third-Degree Burglary.
Michael Valandra, Jr., age 28, and Donald Aquallo, Jr., age 26, were indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024.
On July 24, 2024, Valandra pleaded guilty to Arson. On October 29, 2024, Valandra was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
On December 2, 2024, Aquallo pleaded guilty to Third-Degree Burglary. On March 5, 2025, he was sentenced to one year and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crimes Victim Fund.
On the evening of January 5, 2024, Valandra and Aquallo broke into an unoccupied residence in St. Francis. Valandra intentionally set multiple fires within the residence, with the intent to burn it down. The two men then fled the scene on foot. The owner of the residence noticed the fire and called 911, but the residence was completely destroyed. Multiple security cameras in the neighborhood recorded Valandra and Aquallo approaching the residence and then running away shortly before the fire was visible. The offense occurred within the Rosebud Indian Reservation.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Valandra and Aquallo were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service at the conclusion of their individual sentencings.
Southern District of Texas charges more than 200 this week alone in relation to border enforcement effortsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Nearly 200 new cases have been filed in the last week related to immigration and border security, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Of those, almost 100 are charged with illegally re-entering the country with the majority having felony convictions such as narcotics, violent crimes and prior immigration offenses. Over 80 face charges of illegally entering the country, 12 cases involve various instances of human smuggling, and the remainder relate to other immigration crimes.
Relevant cases also featured this week include a new indictment charging a dozen illegal aliens with assaulting officers. All 12 men allegedly aided and abetted the assault of two corrections officers at the East Hidalgo Detention Center in La Villa. If convicted, they face up to eight years in federal prison.
Also charged this week are two South Texas bakery owners who were indicted for harboring illegal aliens. At the time of a consensual worksite enforcement action Feb. 12 at Abby’s Bakery and Dulce’s Café, law enforcement allegedly identified several employees and others who were in the United States illegally or in the country under B1/B2 visas without having the right to work. The bakery owners were alleged to have housed these illegal alien workers in an adjacent room with six mattresses on the floor.
Several individuals have also been sentenced for various border-related crimes against the United States, such as a leader of an organization who smuggled aliens through Corpus Christi and was ordered to forfeit $1 million.
Marvin Reyes led the organization which was based out of Houston. The investigation revealed he and others were coordinating the movement of illegal aliens through the Border Patrol checkpoints located near Sarita and Falfurrias as well as by airplane. Reyes also arranged private flights for illegal aliens from Weslaco to Houston. He was ordered to serve 108 months in prison. At the hearing, the court heard additional information including how the conspiracy had stretched over three years with over 200 aliens transported.
Another criminal will serve 69 months in prison after illegally smuggling dozens of people into the United States on two separate occasions. Joe Adam Escobedo drove a tractor trailer to the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint on two occasions in 2024 with a total of 49 illegal aliens from the countries of El Salvador, Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala and Honduras.
A 27-year-old Los Fresnos man was also sentenced for attempting to smuggle an illegal alien further into the country after feeling from authorities. Carlos Del Angel Bocanegra approached the Border Patrol checkpoint near Kingsville driving a Chevy Tahoe with an adult passenger and four juveniles visibly present. When authorities discovered an illegal alien concealed under a passenger row seat, Bocanegra then immediately fled and led law enforcement on a chase down the highway. He will now serve 24 months in prison.
Jesus Alberto Castro-Garza has prior felony convictions for injury to a child, assault family violence impeding breath, evading with a vehicle and human smuggling. He was first removed from the country in 2019 and has illegally returned three times. He was last removed Nov. 21, 2023. Caastro-Garza must now serve 106 months in federal prison for again illegally re-entering the United States.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX). Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The SDTX remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Shreveport Man Found with a Firearm, Ammunition and Narcotics Sentenced to over 21 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Shreveport man has been sentenced by United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. for possessing a firearm during the furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Quintell Dewayne Gladney, 45, was sentenced to 262 months (21 years, 10 months) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to information presented in court, on May 26, 2020, officers with the Shreveport Police Department performed a traffic stop on a vehicle being driven by Gladney. The officer approached the vehicle and began a conversation with Gladney and noticed what appeared to be a firearm in his waist band. Officers learned that Gladney was a convicted felon and asked Gladney to step out of the vehicle, but he refused. The officers then opened the door and removed Gladney from the vehicle for officer safety. A pat down search revealed that he did in fact have a loaded FN Herstal Model Five Seven 5.7x28 pistol in his waist band.
In addition, officers found over $3,000 in cash in Gladney’s pockets, and several small bags of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana which were packaged for distribution in the vehicle. Over 41 rounds of 5.7x28 caliber ammunition were also found inside the vehicle. Gladney pleaded guilty on July 31, 2023, and admitted to illegally possessing the firearm.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Shreveport Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert F. Moody.
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San Jose Immigration Lawyer Extradited from the Kyrgyz Republic to Face Charges of Large-Scale Visa FraudRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – Danhong “Jean” Chen, also known as Maria Sofia Taylor, was extradited from the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States and will appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen in federal district court in San Jose this afternoon. This is the first extradition from the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States on federal criminal charges.
Chen, 60, who previously resided in Atherton, Calif., and her business partner and ex-spouse, Jianyun “Tony” Ye, were indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2019. The 14-count indictment alleges the defendants committed visa fraud and related crimes to obtain immigration benefits for more than 100 foreign investors through the government’s employment-based immigration fifth preference, or “EB-5,” visa program. In 2021, Ye pleaded guilty to visa fraud and obstruction and was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison. He has since served that sentence and been released from custody.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a civil complaint in October 2018 against Chen and others alleging that Chen improperly solicited investments and committed other violations of law. According to court documents, immediately after the SEC filed its civil enforcement complaint, Chen left the United States and was at large until she was arrested in the Kyrgyz Republic at the request of the United States.
Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani, and SEC Office of the Inspector General (SEC OIG) Inspector General Deborah Jeffrey made the announcement.
According to the indictment, Chen was the sole partner at the Law Offices of Jean D. Chen in San Jose, which held itself out as specializing in immigration law. Chen prepared and submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) fraudulent documents that contained false signatures and falsely described how applicants would qualify for the EB-5 program.
Under the EB-5 program, foreign nationals could obtain permanent United States residency, commonly known as “green card” status, by investing in qualifying businesses in the United States. Alien investors who comply with program requirements initially receive a grant of conditional permanent residency status for a two-year period. After two years, the alien investor can petition for permanent residency. To obtain permanent residency status, the applicant’s investment must amount to $500,000 if made in certain geographical areas with low employment rates; if the investment is not in a designated low-employment area, the investment must amount to a minimum of $1,000,000. In addition, under the EB-5 program, individuals seeking investments for businesses may establish “regional centers” to promote investment opportunities to EB-5 applicants within designated geographic areas. The Law Offices of Jean D. Chen, operated by Chen, represented clients who invested a total of approximately $52,000,000 into projects under the EB-5 program.
The indictment alleges Chen fraudulently obtained immigration benefits through the EB-5 program on behalf of her clients by, among other actions, falsifying documents to hide the true ownership and nature of a regional center. Specifically, in 2014, Chen purchased the Golden State Regional Center and other entities and, almost immediately after the purchase, transferred ownership to a straw owner without that individual’s knowledge. Chen filed papers with USCIS requesting that the government continue to recognize Golden State Regional Center as a regional center qualified to promote EB-5 investment within the South Bay.
The indictment also charges Chen with obstruction of justice related to investigations being conducted by the SEC and the FBI, including by demanding that an individual provide false answers to SEC investigators and directing an individual to delete emails relevant to the SEC’s and FBI’s investigations into the visa fraud.
Chen is charged with 10 counts of visa fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a), one count of obstruction of justice in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1505, one count of obstruction of justice in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(3), and one count of aggravated identity theft in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A. An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Chen faces a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of $250,000 on each count of visa fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a); five years and a maximum fine of $250,000 on the count of obstruction of justice under 18 U.S.C. § 1505; 20 years and a maximum fine of $250,000 on the count of obstruction of justice under 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(3); and a minimum sentence of two years to run consecutively to other felony convictions and a maximum fine of $250,000 on the count of aggravated identity theft under 18 U.S.C. § 1028A. Any sentence following a conviction would 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 Lloyd Farnham is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Susan Kreider. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the SEC OIG. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in the Kyrgyz Republic to secure the arrest and extradition of Chen to the United States, and the U.S. Department of Justice appreciates the cooperation and assistance provided by the Kyrgyz Republic’s General Prosecutor’s Office.
San Bernardino Church Pastor and Ex-Political Candidate Arrested for Alleged Wire Fraud Schemes Targeting Friends, NonprofitRead the Press Release
RIVERSIDE, California – A pastor at a San Bernardino church and one-time political candidate for the San Bernardino City Council has been arrested on an 11-count federal grand jury indictment alleging he committed several con jobs targeting long-time friends and a nonprofit corporation tied to another church, swindling them out of a total of more than $230,000, the Justice Department announced today.
Terrance Owens Elliott, 60, a.k.a. “Tony Elliott,” of Crestline, is charged with 11 counts of wire fraud.
Elliott was arrested Thursday and is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in Riverside.
The Family Trust
According to the indictment that a grand jury returned February 26, from October 2019 to February 2023, Elliott – representing himself as working in the San Bernardino city government and being involved with the San Bernardino Police Department – defrauded several long-time friends out of approximately $150,263 by convincing one friend – identified in the indictment as “M.C” – to put her inheritance money into a trust for her own benefit. Elliott convinced this victim to allow him to establish and administer that trust, claiming that she would lose her Medicare and Social Security benefits if she directly received the inheritance.
Elliott prepared a trust agreement that appointed himself as a co-trustee. The trust provided that its money was to be used for the M.C.’s financial needs during her lifetime and permitted that her funeral expenses were to be paid from the trust with any remaining property being passed to her children upon her death.
Elliott then opened a bank account in the trust’s name listing only himself as a trustee and gave the bank a fraudulently modified copy of the trust agreement that purported that he had the sole power to make payments from the trust’s bank account.
He then wrote checks and made online transfers to a church – identified in the indictment as “Church A” – that weren’t permitted under the trust agreement. He also used the money from that trust’s bank account to purchase postal money orders that were used to pay the church’s rent. Elliott further used the account to pay for his personal expenses, including the repair of a Chevrolet truck, Nike sneakers, a piano, clothing, and an extended warranty for a motorcycle.
Elliott also obtained access to M.C.’s account at a different bank to make approximately $27,164 in unauthorized transfers of some of her monthly Social Security payments to the church.
When the victim’s family asked Elliott about the trust account or asked for bank statements, he lulled them into compliance by getting upset and telling them that everything was under control.
When M.C. died, Elliott tricked another victim – identified as “W.H.” – into paying approximately $8,615 for the victim’s funeral expenses, falsely claiming that he needed authorization from a judge before money in the trust bank account could be released.
Through this scheme, Elliott defrauded four victims – including M.C. and W.H. – out of at least approximately $150,263.
The Corporation
In a separate scheme, from June 2021 to February 2023, Elliott advised victim W.H. on selling a house when renters occupied the property. After W.H. sold the house, Elliott called him and suggested the victim’s corporation loan M.C.’s trust $65,000, falsely claiming this would help the victim to avoid having to pay a capital gains tax from the house’s sale.
Elliott prepared a loan contract between a corporation W.H. had set up and M.C.’s trust, which they signed. Elliott told W.H. that Elliott would transfer $65,000 from the corporation to the trust account and that the trust would repay the loan with 10% annual interest. Elliott convinced the victim to give him several signed blank checks from the bank account of W.H.’s corporation.
Instead of honoring the contract, Elliott used one of the blank checks to make an unauthorized transfer to Church A – without W.H.’s knowledge or consent. Although Elliott ultimately transferred $49,000 to the trust, he never repaid any part of the $65,000 loan. Instead, he spent the bulk of the money on his own personal expenses.
Nonprofit Litigation
Finally, from September 2018 to June 2021, Elliott used his relationships with Church B and its board of directors to help manage the church’s litigation expenses and other costs involving a different church – identified in the indictment as “Church B” and a nonprofit.
Elliott lied to the nonprofit and Church B’s board of directors that the nonprofit owed money to W.H.’s corporation for services rendered related to litigation against them. He caused the nonprofit to issue approximately 32 checks to W.H.’s corporation, which Elliott later deposited in a corporation-related bank account that Elliott controlled.
Elliott did not use the money from the checks for the nonprofit’s benefit and defrauded it out of approximately $23,300.
In total, Elliott allegedly caused his victims approximately $238,563 in losses.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Elliott would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count.
The FBI is investigating this matter. Based on evidence, investigators believe it is possible that Elliott has additional victims yet to be identified. If you have any information, please contact the FBI at (310) 477-6565 or tips.fbi.gov.
Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin J. Weir of the Riverside Branch Office is prosecuting this case.
San Antonio Man Sentenced to More Than 16 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced in federal court to 200 months in prison for one count of distribution of child pornography.
According to court documents, Gianni Versace Del Prado, 28, was identified as using both Telegram and X (formerly known as Twitter) to distribute child sexual abuse material. He created a chat room on Nov. 28, 2022 dedicated to the distribution of child pornography and discussions about the sexual abuse of children and between Dec. 1 2022 and April 30, 2023, posted approximately 81 files depicting the sexual abuse of children. On April 30, 2023, he sent 93 child pornography files directly to an undercover FBI employee engaged in an investigation to identify individuals who were sexually exploiting children.
On June 6, 2023, FBI agents executed a federal search warrant at Del Prado’s residence and seized electronic devices. He was arrested the following day and pleaded guilty to the distribution of child pornography on May 29, 2024. Following the 200 months in federal prison, Del Prado will serve 25 years supervised release. U.S. District Judge Jason Pulliam also ordered Del Prado to pay two victims $5,000 each in restitution.
“This sentence serves as both punishment for Del Prado’s crimes committed against children and as a deterrent for anyone else considering engaging in the trafficking of child sexual abuse material,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “This office will continue to prioritize and prosecute individuals like this defendant, and I thank our partners at the FBI for their integral investigative work on these cases.”
“Protecting children is a top priority for the FBI. Every member of our communities—and especially our children—deserve to feel safe from predators like Del Prado,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp for the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office. “We want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their work and partnership in seeking justice on behalf of the victims in this case.”
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Salvadoran National Indicted for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Jose Humberto Caceres-Martinez (25, El Salvador) with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Caceres-Martinez faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison.
According to court documents, Caceres-Martinez is a citizen and national of El Salvador. He was previously removed from the United States on August 20, 2019. On February 17, 2025, Caceres-Martinez was found in the United States again after he allegedly fled the scene of a vehicular accident in Brevard County. Caceres-Martinez did not receive the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security for the United States to apply for readmission to United States.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaley Austin-Aronson.
Rhode Island and Manchester Residents Plead Guilty in Connection with their Leadership Roles in a Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Two defendants have pleaded guilty in federal court in Concord for their roles as dispatchers in a drug conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
Melissa Rey Ramos, 36, of Manchester, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, namely, fentanyl and cocaine. Antonio Aguasvivas, 29, of Rhode Island, pleaded guilty on February 27, 2025 to the same charge. U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliott scheduled Aguasvivas’ sentencing for June 10, 2025, and Rey Ramos’ sentencing for June 25, 2025. On April 26, 2023, the defendants were both charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, along with 19 other defendants. To date, 13 defendants in this conspiracy have been convicted.
According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, both defendants played a lead role in a Massachusetts-based drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine in New Hampshire, particularly Manchester. The organization used a dispatch operation to sell drugs. Customers called a phone line to purchase narcotics and would speak to a dispatcher who would then put the customer in touch with a drug runner. The drug runner then delivered the narcotics to the customer. The defendants were dispatchers for the phone line. Rey Ramos was the lead dispatcher between June and September 2022. Aguasvivas took over in October 2022 and served as dispatcher until March 2023. During this timeframe, law enforcement observed and recorded five sales of fentanyl and cocaine in Manchester conducted by Rey Ramos, and nine sales of fentanyl and cocaine conducted by Aguasvivas. In total, law enforcement seized roughly 175 grams of fentanyl and roughly 75 grams of crack cocaine distributed or intended for distribution by the two defendants during the timeframe of the conspiracy.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least three (3) years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande is prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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Registered sex offender going to prison for more than 15 years on new child pornography chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Christopher Rucker, 45, of Cheektowaga, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography with a prior sex offense, was sentenced to serve 188 months in prison and lifetime supervised release by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin M. Higgins, who handled the case, stated that in March 2022, the New York State Police (NYSP) conducted a search warrant at Rucker’s residence, during which they seized a laptop computer and a cell phone. The laptop and cell phone both contained images and videos of child pornography. Subsequent investigation determined that between October 1 and December 28, 2021, Rucker downloaded approximately 1300 images of child pornography. Some of the images depicted prepubescent minors, as well as violence against children and the sexual abuse of an infant or toddler.
Rucker is a registered Level 2 sex offender, following two convictions in 2002 on Sodomy in the 2nd Degree and Using and Interstate Facility to Persuade/Induce a Child to Engage in Sexual Activity.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Coons, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Amie Feroleto.
Public Service Announcement: Victim Identification in New Hampshire Gift Card SchemeRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Homeland Security Investigations, in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire, is seeking to identify potential victims of a sophisticated gift card fraud scheme for victim restitution purposes.
In December 2023, Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and the Concord, New Hampshire Police Department (CPD) began investigating a sophisticated gift card fraud scheme that is perpetuated by criminal organizations in China. This network has established a base of operations in New Hampshire due to the State’s tax-free retail environment and is responsible for millions of dollars in consumer losses.
Co-conspirators identified in this region work together in a highly coordinated fashion to purchase high-end electronics utilizing stolen gift cards. These stolen gift cards are acquired though several fraudulent schemes, including elder-fraud, gift card tampering, and network intrusions. Once the electronics are purchased, they are re-packaged and shipped internationally where they are sold. For more information on this general fraud scheme, please visit: https://www.ice.gov/about-ice/hsi/news/hsi-insider/tackling-gift-card-fraud.
Potential fraud victims who had gift card funds stolen or used without authorization between October 1, 2023 and January 11, 2024, especially if the stolen funds originated from Apple, Walmart, Target, and BestBuy gift cards, are asked to provide the gift card number(s) and receipt or proof of purchase to [email protected]. Please also include the victim’s name and contact phone number. The victim’s gift card number will be run against a database of known gift cards stolen in this conspiracy. If matched, the victim will be contacted for next steps in the restitution process. This filing period will be open until June 30, 2025.
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Portsmouth felon sentenced to 15 years in prison for federal drug-trafficking and firearms crimesRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, Steven Frederick James, 51, was a source of supply of firearms and narcotics in the Hampton Roads area.
On Jan. 3, 2024, James was the source of two firearms sold from James’ vehicle during a controlled buy in an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). During the investigation, ATF learned that James was using three residences to traffic narcotics.
In late February 2024, law enforcement used a confidential source to conduct a controlled purchase of an amount of cocaine from James through a third party. In early March 2024, law enforcement used a confidential source to conduct another controlled purchase of cocaine, this time directly from James.
On March 29, 2024, law enforcement conducted searches of three residences associated with James. During a search of an apartment in Newport News, as well as James' 2012 BMW, investigators recovered two loaded handguns and two cellphones. At an apartment in Newtown Arch, investigators recovered a safe that belonged to James. From the safe and elsewhere in the apartment, law enforcement recovered a kilogram of cocaine, four bags containing 83.74 grams of cocaine, a bag containing 47 tablets of methamphetamine, a loaded handgun, and three digital scales.
During a search of an apartment in Portsmouth, where James was staying at the time, investigators recovered two handguns, ammunition, firearms magazines, a digital scale, boxes of Narcan, and a safe containing $5,000. James was interviewed and taken into custody.
James has previous felony convictions, including, among others, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, drug trafficking related offenses, eluding police, and failing to appear in court.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Ramin Fatehi, Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. The Chesapeake Police Department, Portsmouth Police Department, Newport News Police Department, Virginia Beach Police Department, and Norfolk Police Department assisted in the investigation.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham M. Stolle, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-118.
Philadelphia Man Convicted at Trial of Committing Three Armed Carjackings in Less Than an HourRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Nelson S.T. Thayer, Jr., announced that Symair Carson-Williams, aka “Lil Meer,” 19, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was convicted on Thursday at trial of conspiracy to commit carjacking, three counts of carjacking, and three counts of using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, for his role in a carjacking spree in the city in early 2024.
Carson-Williams was charged by indictment with those offenses in May of last year.
As proven at trial, the defendant was part of a group that conspired to commit three armed carjackings in Philadelphia in less than one hour. Video surveillance footage, cell phone data, forensic evidence, items recovered from one of the stolen vehicles, and victim testimony linked Carson-Williams to the carjackings.
Carson-Williams and his three co-conspirators first stole a blue 2019 Honda CR-V from the 1800 block of Lansing Street in Philadelphia during the overnight hours of January 27, 2024.
Approximately 90 minutes later, just before 5 a.m., they drove the stolen CR-V to the Sunoco gas station located on the 5300 block of North 5th Street and pulled up next to a 67-year-old man putting air in his car’s tires. Two of the offenders jumped out of the CR-V, both armed with handguns, wearing black clothing and black balaclava masks, and demanded that the victim give up the keys to his 2011 BMW 328i. One of the offenders put a gun to the back of the man’s head and forced him to the ground. When the victim told the males that the key was in the car, one of the carjackers entered the BMW and the other male returned to the Honda CR-V. Both vehicles fled the scene.
At approximately 5:15 a.m., a 34-year-old man parked his gray 2013 Chevrolet Equinox on the 3300 block of Shelmire Avenue. Two of the carjackers suddenly ran up to the driver’s side of his car and pointed guns at him. As they held the victim at gunpoint, the stolen Honda CR-V drove up. The gunmen ordered the victim to lay on the ground with his face down, and threatened to shoot him if he got up. The offenders then stole the victim’s vehicle and personal possessions, including his wallet, money, watch, and power tools.
Finally, at approximately 5:45 a.m., the stolen blue CR-V pulled up next to a 54-year-old man pumping gas at the Conoco station on the 5700 block of Rising Sun Avenue. Two of the offenders, both armed with handguns, approached the victim and pointed the guns at his face. After forcing the victim to the ground at gunpoint, one of the carjackers got behind the wheel of the victim’s Honda Accord, and the other male reentered the CR-V. Both vehicles fled in the same direction.
The defendant will be sentenced on a date to be determined and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 21 years in prison.
“Symair Carson-Williams and his co-conspirators thought nothing of terrorizing three innocent victims who’d just been going about their morning,” said Acting United States Attorney Thayer. “People in this city shouldn’t have to live in fear every time they get behind the wheel. That’s why this office and our partners on the Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force are using every tool we have to prosecute the criminals responsible, get them off the street, and make the community safer.”
“Carson-Williams and his criminal associates terrorized innocent Philadelphians with this triple-carjacking spree using a stolen car, threatening their victims’ lives with guns to their heads – this young man now faces a mandatory minimum 21 years in federal prison,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “Using ATF’s unique forensic and investigative tools with our Carjacking Task Force partners we are bringing criminals like this to justice and making Philadelphia’s streets safer.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the ATF and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorneys Branwen McNabb O’Donnell and Brian Doherty.
One of Atlanta Police Department’s Most Wanted Fugitives Sentenced for Multiple Counts of Felon in Possession of Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Jordan Pack has been sentenced for two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and one count of unlawful possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.
“Pack continued to possess firearms and commit violent offenses after being previously convicted of a violent felony,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “This case is another example of the effective law enforcement partnerships in our district that enable the successful prosecutions of dangerous repeat offenders like Pack.”
“This sentence reflects ATF commitment to ensure that those with a history of crime are held accountable”, said Special Agent in Charge Benjamin Gibbons. Convicted felons possessing firearms presents a danger to the community and ATF along with our law enforcement partners will work hard to remove them from our community.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the charges, and other information presented in court: In October 2008, Jordan Pack was convicted of Armed Robbery (involving a firearm) in the Superior Court of Douglasville, Georgia. He was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment, with 10 years to serve in custody and the remainder to be served on probation. He was released from prison in April 2018.
On October 22, 2021, officers responding to a motor vehicle collision in Dacula, Georgia, arrested Pack for giving false identifying information to a police officer. A crossbody satchel that Pack was wearing at the time of his arrest contained live .38 caliber ammunition, and officers later learned that, after the accident, Pack had discarded a .38 caliber Taurus revolver under a nearby vehicle. Upon recovering the revolver, officers discovered that the firearm was loaded with the hammer cocked.
Later, on June 17, 2022, Atlanta Police Department (APD) officers responded to the scene of a shooting at a single-family home in Northwest Atlanta. A female resident of the home advised that, following a domestic dispute, Pack had threatened to shoot her. He then retrieved a firearm from his vehicle, fired multiple shots into the air, and fled the scene. Both the victim and her young child were present in the home at that time. Officers recovered five spent .45 caliber shell casings from the driveway of the home.
On August 10, 2022, officers with the APD fugitive unit located Pack at an apartment complex in Southwest Atlanta. Pack was working at the location as an armed security guard (under the alias “William Tate”) and in possession of a Tokarev 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun. During a search of Pack incident to his arrest, officers recovered a .45 caliber Highpoint semi-automatic pistol which was loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition in a high-capacity magazine, a pair of brass knuckles, a pocketknife, a canister of bear mace, and a large machete. In addition, during a search of Pack’s vehicle, officers seized the Tocarev shotgun, two magazines, 14 rounds of 12-gauge shotgun shells, and several .45 caliber cartridge casings.
On March 6, 2024, Chief District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr. sentenced Jordan Pack, also known as “William Tate,” 35, of Atlanta, Ga., to 66 months of incarceration, followed by three years of supervised release. Pack pleaded guilty to the charges on November 12, 2024.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Atlanta Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Joshua May, and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jesika French and Norman Barnett, 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 violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Notorious Violent Mexican Cartel Leader Sentenced to Life Plus 30 Years in Prison for International Drug Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
A U.S.-Mexican dual national and co-founder of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) — an international drug trafficking organization — was sentenced today in the District of Columbia to a term of life in prison plus 30 years to run consecutively for his role in a major drug trafficking conspiracy and ordered to forfeit over $6 billion of drug trafficking proceeds.
“This defendant helped build Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion into a brutal terrorist organization that pumps poison onto our streets and commits horrific acts of violence,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Thanks to the DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section of the DOJ’s Criminal Division, he will now spend his life behind bars.”
“Today’s sentencing is a victory for the dedicated men and women in federal law enforcement who have made it their lives’ work to dismantle and degrade the cartels in Mexico,” said Acting Administrator Derek S. Maltz of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “Menchito was not only extremely violent, he was also one of the earliest architects of fentanyl trafficking that led to the deadliest chapter of the synthetic opioid crisis, and responsible for flooding the country with methamphetamine. This country is undoubtedly safer now that he will spend the rest of his life in federal prison. Let this be a warning to members of CJNG, its associates, and the other cartels that DEA’s work is far from over. Americans are depending on us to continue to fight evil and dismantle the cartels.”
According to court documents, Ruben Oseguera-Gonzalez, known as El Menchito, 34, led the CJNG for nearly seven years in Mexico and oversaw the importation of multi-tonnage quantities of drugs into the United States. In addition to other CJNG operations, Oseguera-Gonzalez is responsible for trafficking more than 50 metric tons of cocaine and supervising drug labs that produced more than 1,000 metric tons of methamphetamine in Mexico. In 2013, Oseguera-Gonzalez was one of the first contributors to the fentanyl epidemic in the United States, pledging to “do it big” and build an empire from counterfeit oxycontin pills laced with fentanyl.
According to court documents, along with his father, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho and who remains a fugitive, Oseguera-Gonzalez founded the CJNG, which is based in Jalisco, Mexico, and is arguably the most prolific and most violent cartel in Mexico today. For instance, Oseguera-Gonzalez backed CJNG’s criminal drug trafficking empire with an arsenal of weapons and by committing and directing heinous acts of violence. He brutally killed five people who owed him drug money and personally shot a rival cartel member and a subordinate. He carried firearms, including a rifle and grenade launcher that bore his moniker, which he used to threaten Mexican law enforcement upon his arrest. Oseguera-Gonzalez also directed the 2015 attack on a Mexican military helicopter that was pursuing Oseguera-Gonzalez and his father, the top leader of the CJNG. The helicopter was shot down, allowing Oseguera-Gonzalez and his father to evade capture while killing at least nine Mexican service members and permanently disfiguring at least one other. Additionally, according to statements made in court and trial testimony, Oseguera-Gonzalez ordered the murder of more than 100 people, some of which he murdered himself.
The DEA Los Angeles Field Division investigated the case with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance with securing the February 2020 extradition of Oseguera-Gonzalez and facilitating important evidence. The Criminal Division’s Office of Enforcement Operations provided significant assistance. The Justice Department thanks Mexican authorities for their assistance with this important prosecution.
Trial Attorneys Jonathan Hornok, Lernik Begian, and Douglas Meisel, and former Trial Attorneys Kaitlin Sahni and Kate Naseef of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section prosecuted the case.
This effort was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Northern Kentucky Man Sentenced for Extraterritorial Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky. – A Walton, Ky., man, Robert Maxwell Werner, 46, was sentenced on Friday to 30 years in prison, by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning, for extraterritorial production of child pornography.
According to his plea agreement, Werner is a U.S. citizen who was living in the Philippines from February 2021 through November 2021. During this time, Werner became the customer of a Filipino individual who would sell access to dozens of minor victims for in-person or livestreamed sexual acts. For several months, Werner paid this individual for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and multiple in‑person meetings with minor males in the Philippines. Specifically, Werner admitted to engaging in sexually explicit conduct with at least one minor for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct between July 2021 and November 2021, while in the Philippines. Werner further admitted to transporting that sexually explicit material into the United States.
Under federal law, Werner must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 20 years.
Supervisory Official Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Paul McCaffrey for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, announced the sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit, with substantial assistance from the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth and Trial Attorney Rachel Rothberg, with the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department of Justice, are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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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Nigerian citizen, extradited from the U.K., arraigned on indictment for wire fraud involving stolen tax informationRead the Press Release
Seattle – A Nigerian citizen who was arrested and extradited from the U.K. on an indictment in the Western District of Washington was arraigned today in U.S. District Court in Seattle, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Onomen Uduebor, 38, is charged in a three-count indictment related to a scheme to steal and use income tax data for fraud. The 2019 indictment was unsealed today for Uduebor’s first appearance. Uduebor entered a plea of ‘not guilty’ and trial is scheduled before U.S. District Judge James L. Robart on May 12, 2025.
“This defendant allegedly participated in a conspiracy that involved tricking companies around the United States, including a Tukwila-based company, into providing W-2 information on their employees. Then the conspirators filed fake tax returns in the employees’ names, claiming large refunds and causing chaos for those whose Social Security numbers had been stolen,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller.
According to the indictment, between February 2016 and April 2017, the conspirators created false emails that appeared to come from a company executive asking the Human Resources Department for the W-2 data. The conspirators manipulated the email so that any reply would go to an email address that they controlled. The conspirators then used the information from the W-2s to file more than 300 bogus tax returns claiming more than $1 million in tax refunds. The conspirators targeted companies across the U.S. in this scheme.
Uduebor is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
The wire fraud charges are punishable by up to twenty years in prison. Aggravated Identity Theft is punishable by a mandatory minimum two years in prison to run consecutive to any sentence imposed on the wire fraud counts.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Miriam Hinman. Uduebor was arrested in the United Kingdom in September 2023. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance with the extradition process.
Nigerian National Extradited for Multi-Million Dollar Mortgage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A resident of Abuja, Nigeria made his initial appearance in a federal court in Miami, where he is accused of playing a key role in a fraud scheme in which he fraudulently obtained loans in connection with the fraudulent purchases of approximately 20 residential properties in Florida. This plot resulted in the loss of about $8 million to U.S. financial institutions, the Justice Department announced today.
Okechukwu Josiah Odunna, 60, faces charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution. Odunna was arrested on Sept. 24, 2024, by Nigerian authorities pursuant to a U.S. extradition request. Nigerian authorities extradited Odunna to the Southern District of Florida on March 6, after he waived extradition. He has remained incarcerated since his arrest. Odunna is scheduled to appear at his pretrial detention and arraignment hearings on March 11 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman.
According to the indictment, between December 2005 to approximately May 2008, Odunna and his co-conspirators devised a scheme to defraud and to obtain money by making false representations and material omissions to U.S. banking institutions. As part of the scheme, Odunna and his co-conspirators would, among other things: submit false and fraudulent loan applications and documents to financial institutions relating to purchases of residential properties, resulting in lenders loaning out more money than they otherwise would. These false statements to the lenders included false names of the persons who would be borrowing the money to purchase the properties, falsely inflated sale prices that were much higher than the true prices and false details regarding the receipt and disbursement of funds in connection with the purchases of the properties.
Odunna, who was a licensed attorney at the time, was also one of the directors of Direct Title and Escrow Services, Inc. (DTES). Odunna was the settlement agent in approximately 20 fraudulent closings of property purchases. To disguise the fraud, Odunna and his co-conspirators provided sellers and lenders with two different settlement statements, which included false information and omitted information regarding the sale price, the identity of the purchaser, and the receipt and the disbursement of funds.
Odunna’s co-conspirators, charged in the same indictment, included Karl Oreste, Marie Lucie Tondreau and Kelly Augustin. Oreste pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 100 months in prison. Tondreau, who was the former Mayor of North Miami, was convicted at trial. She was sentenced to 65 months in prison. Augustin remains a fugitive.
If convicted, Odunna faces up to 30 years in prison on the conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution charge and up to 30 years in prison on the wire fraud affecting a financial institution charge. Each count also carries the possibility of a fine and supervised release upon completion of any prison sentence. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office, and Commissioner Russell C. Weigel, III, of the Florida Office of Financial Regulation (OFR), made the announcement.
The FBI Miami and OFR are investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Odunna. The United States also thanks the FBI International Operations Division, Africa Unit Legal Attaché Office, Abuja, Nigeria, Ministry of Justice, Central Authority Unit, Nigeria, and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nigeria for their valuable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana Maria Martinez is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove is handling asset forfeiture.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 14-cr-20349.
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New Mexico Man Sentenced to More than 27 Years in Prison for Advertising and Selling Child Pornography OnlineRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A New Mexico man was sentenced yesterday on two felony charges related to his online child sexual exploitation activities, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.
U.S. District Court Judge Anna M. Manasco sentenced Wesley Alan Crownover, II, 37, to 330 months in prison, followed by a life term of supervised release. In August 2023, Crownover pleaded guilty to one count of advertising child pornography and one count of sale of child pornography. These convictions will require Crownover to register as a sex offender in accordance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
According to the plea agreement, Crownover was a member of 10 separate online groups dedicated to users who have a sexual interest in children. Within some of these groups, Crownover marketed his child pornography collection comprising of thousands of images and videos for sale. When contacted by an FBI undercover agent in one of the online groups, Crownover sold 30 videos containing child sexual abuse material for $25.
A federal complaint and arrest warrant were obtained in the Northern District of Alabama, and a search warrant for Crownover’s residence was obtained from the District of New Mexico. When the warrants were executed, Crownover was not on the premises. Nonetheless, he saw law enforcement at his residence and fled the state. Crownover was a fugitive from justice for only a few months before he was located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and arrested by the United States Marshals Service.
FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case along with the assistance of FBI Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Leann White and Kristen Osborne prosecuted the case.
If you suspect or become aware of possible sexual exploitation of a child, please contact law enforcement. To alert the FBI Birmingham Office, call 205-326-6166. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at www.cybertipline.org.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 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 and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
New Jersey man sentenced to prison as part of $50 million Ponzi scheme involving off-the-road tiresRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A New Jersey man was sentenced in U.S. District Court here today to 18 months in prison for his role in a nationwide, off-the-road tire sale fraud scheme that resulted in tens of millions of dollars of losses.
Ahmet Neidik, 65, of Fort Lee, New Jersey, pleaded guilty in January 2024 to conspiring to commit wire fraud. Before his guilty plea, Neidik allegedly fled to Turkey and then returned to the United States.
Neidik was the co-owner of, and ran the daily operations for, purported transportation, logistics and importing/exporting businesses. Some of the proceeds of the scheme were sent to businesses controlled by Neidik. Neidik would then wire money to the bank accounts of co-conspirators.
John K. Eckerd, Jr., 61, of Dallas, was one of the leaders of the multi-state conspiracy. He pleaded guilty in December 2024 to conspiring to commit wire fraud and tax crimes and admitted responsibility for at least $14 million involved in the scheme. Based on his plea agreement, Eckerd will be sentenced to 36 to 109 months in prison.
Conspiring with previously convicted and sentenced defendant Jason E. Adkins, 47, of Jackson, Ohio, Eckerd and others orchestrated a $50 million Ponzi scheme that defrauded more than 50 investors.
From 2012 until at least in or around late 2018, Eckerd represented himself to potential investors as an entrepreneur and businessman with expertise in the market for off-the-road tires. Off-the-road tires are over-sized tires that are used on earth moving equipment and/or mining equipment. Eckerd had control of or access to many corporations allegedly used as part of the scheme.
Co-conspirators solicited millions of dollars from investor-victims under false pretenses. Investors were told their money would be used to buy off-the-road tires at a steep discount, and that the tires would then be re-sold to a buyer at a much higher rate. Investors were promised a high percent rate of return on investment, generally within 180 days.
Defendants rarely bought or sold tires, and when they did, they used the same tires as the basis for multiple deals, promising multiple investors that they each owned the same tires.
Defendants corresponded with the potential investors face-to-face, as well as through a combination of phone calls, text messages, and, on occasion, emails. They used private planes to showcase their inventory and appear wealthy and successful. Defendants also provided investors with elaborate, fraudulent paperwork regarding the purported deals. The co-conspirators requested large investments and loans, most to be funded through wire transfers.
To give potential investors confidence in the tire deals, Eckerd and Adkins offered the services of a purportedly neutral third party to arrange shipment of the tires and/or hold investment funds in escrow until certain conditions were met in completing the deal. Neidik allowed Eckerd and Adkins to represent to investors that he was the neutral third party, and on some occasions, entered into escrow agreements with the investors.
As part of his sentence, Neidik will pay $370,000 in restitution for his part of the scheme. He was also fined $250,000.
Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation; and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorneys S. Courter Shimeall, Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and David J. Twombly are representing the United States in this case.
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New Jersey Man Sentenced to 40 Months in Prison for Stealing COVID-19 Unemployment Benefits; Others Previously SentencedRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A New Jersey man was sentenced to 40 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to illegally obtain over $570,000 in COVID-19 unemployment benefits, U.S. Attorney John Giordano announced.
Jose Tavares, 37, of Englewood, New Jersey, was convicted on Oct. 28, 2024, on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud after a five-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch. Judge Kirsch imposed the sentence in Trenton federal court. Tavares’ conspirators, Yanira Abreu, 43, of Keasbey, New Jersey, and Christopher Valerio, 34, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, were each sentenced previously by Judge Kirsch in the same scheme.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From July 2020 through February 2021, Tavares, Valerio, Abreu and others submitted fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance benefits to the New York Department of Labor (NYDOL) through fictitious online profiles that they created using personally identifiable information, including names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of other individuals without their consent. Once the NYDOL processed and approved the fraudulent applications, Tavares and his conspirators obtained debit cards with the illegally obtained funds totaling over $570,000, which they used for personal gain, including vacations, luxury retail purchases, and cosmetic surgery.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Kirsch sentenced Tavares to 3 years of supervised release and ordered Tavares to pay in $570,077 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Giordano credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel in Newark; Special Agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone, and postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Postal Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division, with the investigation that led to the sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Stark and Benjamin D. Bleiberg of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Defense Counsel for Tavares: Jeffrey Simms, Esq. and Roberto Espinosa, Esq., of New Jersey.
Defense counsel for Valerio: Kevin Roe, Esq., of New Jersey.
Defense counsel for Abreu: John Russo, Esq., of New York.
tavares.indictment.pdfNew Jersey Man Admits to Concealing Material Support and Resources to ISISRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Morris County man today admitted to having concealed his efforts to provide material support and resources to ISIS, U.S. Attorney John Giordano, Sue Bai, Head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division, and FBI-Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly announced.
Kyse S. Abushanab, 27, of Budd Lake, New Jersey pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden in Newark federal court to a one-count information charging him with concealing material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
“The crime that Kyse Abushanab admitted to today threatened the safety of Americans both here and abroad,” said U.S. Attorney John Giordano. “Kyse Abushanab gathered and distributed training materials on the making and use of bombs and explosives to ISIS supporters. He concealed these activities through various means, including using encrypted messaging platforms. Abushanab’s activities are a stark reminder that terrorist organizations like ISIS are intent on compromising the safety of Americans around the world. We and our law enforcement partners are fully committed to disrupting these activities to restore safety and security.”
“At a time when terrorist attacks are fresh in the minds of Americans everywhere, this thwarted effort should serve as a warning to all ISIS and violent extremist ideologists everywhere,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Reilly said. “The FBI Newark Joint Terrorism Task Force will work tirelessly to stop you and your misguided ideology before you harm innocent victims.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Between in or around March 2021 and in or around January 2022, Abushanab compiled resources, including information pertaining to the manufacture and use of weapons of mass destruction, with the aim of providing members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (“ISIS” or “the Islamic State”), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and its supporters with a repository of information and resources to help carry out ISIS’s mission. This material included, among other things, videos and documents showing step-by-step instructions on how to make suicide belts or vests, detonators and timers, improvised bombs, and other explosives and incendiary devices. In an effort to evade detection by law enforcement, Abushanab took steps to conceal his efforts to assist ISIS by, among other things, using encrypted applications, untraceable email accounts, and a secured cloud storage space to gather and store information on how to make a variety of weapons of mass destruction.
The charge of concealment of provision of material support carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for September 24 2025.
U.S. Attorney Giordano credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Reilly, and the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James M. Gannon, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sammi Malek of the National Security Unit in Newark, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division.
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Defense counsel: Robert C. Scrivo, Esq. and Andrew Gimigliano, Esq.
abushanab.information.pdfMultiple Members of Transnational Criminal Organization ‘18th Street’ Sentenced for Roles in Various Violent Crimes Committed During Their Gang InvolvementRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Elvis Mauricio Maradiaga, 23, of Bladensburg, Maryland, was sentenced today to 108 months in federal prison for his participation in a violent, transnational criminal enterprise known as the 18th Street gang. Maradiaga was one of the last of 11 other defendants sentenced for crimes related to their involvement in 18th Street. His sentencing marks the conclusion of a sprawling, multi-year investigation into the gang’s criminal activities throughout DMV-area and abroad.
In sum, in February 2023, a grand jury returned an indictment against 12 of the 18th Street members, charging them with participating in a years’ long racketeering conspiracy as well as with murders, attempted murders, and kidnapping. Of the 12 charged defendants, six proceeded to trial in April and May 2024 before the Honorable Trevor N. McFadden, were found guilty by a jury of nearly every offense with which they were charged, and were each sentenced to life imprisonment. Five defendants pleaded guilty and received sentences ranging from 96 to 480 months in prison.
The sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, ICE Deputy Director Russ Hott of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The 18th Street organization engages in a variety of criminal activities abroad and throughout the United States, including in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. Its activities include acts of murder, kidnapping, assault, robbery, witness intimidation, and firearms and narcotics trafficking to fuel the gang’s violent operations. The gang is active throughout Central and South America, particularly in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. It uses violence to maintain control over specific geographical areas.
“The sentencing of these violent criminals should send a clear message: transnational gangs like 18th Street have no place in our communities and we will not tolerate the brutality, fear, and lawlessness they spread,” said U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. “Through relentless cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement, we are dismantling these dangerous organizations piece by piece. Our commitment to public safety is unwavering, and we will continue to pursue and prosecute those who threaten our neighborhoods with violence and crime.”
According to court documents, members of 18th Street are required to commit acts of violence to further the interests of the gang and to maintain or increase their status within it. These violent acts are often directed against rival gang members, 18th Street members who violate gang rules or otherwise disrespect the gang, and persons who are suspected of cooperating with law enforcement. Additionally, 18th Street members sell and transport narcotics, weapons, and other contraband to generate money to support the gang and its criminal activities. Some of the proceeds of this criminal activity are wired to members of the gang’s leadership in other countries. 18th Street members control geographical areas and use violence to maintain their control.
18th Street – which was founded in Los Angeles and now includes up to 50,000 members – is organized into “cliques,” or smaller groups operating within specific cities or regions under the umbrella rules of 18th Street. Such cliques include the Tiny Locos Sureños (TLS), Los Crazy Brothers (LCB), and the Revolucionarios.
This investigation began in 2019 and covered the full breadth of criminal activity 18th Street was involved in within the greater D.C. metropolitan area. Ultimately, numerous 18th Street gang members were arrested as part of the investigation and either pled guilty or were found guilty at trial in May 2024. Regarding these sentences in particular, the charges focused on the shooting and attempted murder of C.H. on May 21, 2021, within the 5700 block of 14th Street NW, Washington, DC; the kidnapping and execution of Carlos Ramos Martinez on July 14, 2021, in a wooded area off the side of I-95 in Elkton, MD; and the murder of Danis Alcides Salgado Mata on December 19, 2021, in Rockville, MD as well as the attempted murders of his mother and stepfather. The sentences also included defendants who pled guilty to participating in a racketeer influenced and corrupt organization (RICO) related to their involvement and knowledge of kidnappings, robberies, weapons trafficking, and narcotic trafficking committed at the behest of the gang.
A final defendant, Milton Benjamin Guevara-Villatoro, has been extradited from El Salvador and is pending trial on two indictments related to his alleged involvement in a shooting at the Petworth Metro Station on September 17, 2019, and the murder of Carlos Ramos Martinez.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The case was investigated by the Northern Virginia Safe Streets Task Force, the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement Removal Operations, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and the Montgomery County, Maryland Police Department. The District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and the Montgomery County, Maryland State’s Attorney’s Office provided valuable assistance.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jack F. Korba, Will Hart, and Sitara Witanachchi and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gilead Light and Christopher Marin.
18th STREET DEFENDANTS
NAME
AGE
AKA
CLIQUE
CHARGES/SENTENCES
Jose Santos Alvarado-Velasquez,
Takoma Park, MD
24
“Vago”
Los Crazy Brothers
Sentenced November 21, 2024, to life in prison for conspiracy to participate in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO-Conspiracy), Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering (VICAR)- Murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death, kidnapping resulting in death; and sentenced to 120 months for discharge of a firearm – crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm – illegal alienGerlin Neptali Diaz-Lopez
Washington, D.C.
23
“Sicario”
Tiny Locos Sureños
Sentenced October 11, 2024, to life in prison Imprisonment for RICO-conspiracy, VICAR-Murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death, kidnapping resulting in death; and sentenced to 120 months for discharge of a firearm – crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm – illegal alienJose Anselmo Ibarra-Cristales
Beltsville, MD
24
“Chemo”
Los Crazy BrothersSentenced September 27, 2024, to 20 years in prison for RICO-conspiracy; and life in prison for VICAR-murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death, kidnapping resulting in deathCarlos Rolando Martinez-Mora
Hyattsville, MD
25
“Crosty”
Los Crazy BrothersSentenced November 14, 2024, to two consecutive life sentences for RICO-conspiracy, VICAR-murder x2, conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death, and kidnapping resulting in deathBradley Andree Martinez-Mora
Hyattsville, MD
22
“Joker”
Los Crazy BrothersSentenced December 23, 2024, to 20 years in prison for RICO-conspiracy; and a life sentence for conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in deathJexon Madrid-Flores
Boston, MA
23
“Spooky”
Tiny Locos SureñosSentenced October 11, 2024, to 20 years in prison for RICO-conspiracy; and life in prison for conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death; also sentenced to 20 years for
VICAR-assault with a dangerous weapon (ADW); 204 months for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence; 120 months for VICAR-attempted murder; and 80 months for aggravated assault while armed
Bryan Delfino Vasquez-Izara
Washington, DC
22
“Smokey”
Tiny Locos SureñosSentenced October 4, 2024, to 96 months for RICO-conspiracy; and 12 months for carrying a pistol without a licenseElvis Mauricio Maradiaga
Bladensburg, MD
23
“Smokey”
Los Crazy BrothersSentenced March 7, 2024, to 108 months for RICO-ConspiracyCarlos Giovani Linares Boteo
Hyattsville, MD
28“Tiny”
Los Crazy BrothersSentenced August 1, 2024, to 216 months imprisonment for RICO-conspiracyCesar De la O Rodriguez
Washington, DC
21“Lunatico”
Tiny Locos SureñosSentenced January 21, 2025, to 40 years in prison for RICO-conspiracy; and 10 years for conspiracy to commit VICAR-murderEmerson Aguirre-Morales[1]
Washington, DC
21“Mota”
Tiny Locos SureñosSentenced February 3, 2025, to 102 months for VICAR-attempted murder
[1] Aguirre-Morales was initially charged by Information in 22-cr-218 as a juvenile. As part of his guilty plea, he agreed to be charged as an adult.
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23cr43
22cr190
22cr218
[1] Aguirre-Morales was initially charged by Information in 22-cr-218 as a juvenile. As part of his guilty plea, he agreed to be charged as an adult.
Missouri Couple Indicted for Abducting and Sexually Abusing 13-Year-Old They Groomed OnlineRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, VA. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging Justin Johiah Curtright, 40, and Christin Marie Curtright, 32, a married couple from Springfield, Missouri. This indictment follows the couples’ arrest and preliminary hearing last month on a federal criminal complaint. The complaint alleged that the Curtrights groomed a 13-year-old victim over the internet, traveled from Missouri to pick her up from her home in Virginia, then repeatedly sexually assaulted her in their van and at their apartment until she was rescued by police.
The indictment charges: coercion and enticement of a minor, which carries a 10-year mandatory minimum prison sentence; conspiracy and transportation of a minor in interstate commerce to engage in criminal sexual activity, which also carries a mandatory 10-year minimum prison sentence; and three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, which each carry 15-year mandatory minimum prison sentences. If convicted, the Curtrights face a maximum punishment of life in prison.
According to court documents, in May 2024 the victim met Justin Curtright on Discord, an online group chat platform, where the two talked for hours. The victim initially used an alias and claimed she was 18 years old. Justin Curtright soon began talking in sexual overtones and eventually sent the victim a sexually explicit video of himself.
The next morning, Justin added the victim to a private Discord channel that included both him and his wife, Christin Curtright. From that point, the three talked extensively, both online and by phone. The victim eventually admitted she was only 13 years old.
The Curtrights also engaged in sexually explicit acts on camera while video chatting with the victim. Justin would frequently pretend to be the victim’s father.
At some point near the end of June, the Curtrights devised a plan to drive to Virginia to abduct the victim and take her to their Springfield apartment. On the morning of July 24, 2024, as planned, the Curtrights met the victim near her home in Virginia. The victim got in the Curtrights’ vehicle, and they drove her back to Missouri.
During the trip back to Missouri, the Curtrights each took turns sexually assaulting the victim while the other drove. Once they reached their apartment, they continued their sexual abuse and exploitation of the victim for several more days.
On July 27, 2024, officers with the Springfield Police Department went to the Curtrights’ apartment, where they found the victim hiding in the back of a closet in the Curtrights’ bedroom. The victim had a debit card and false ID that Justin Curtright gave her, which represented her as Justin’s 15-year-old daughter.
Springfield officers seized the Curtrights’ phones, which held recordings of the Curtrights’ video chats grooming and sexually exploiting the victim, as well as images of the victim being abused during the drive to Missouri.
Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, made the announcement today.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Springfield Police Department, and various local law enforcement agencies investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorneys Drew O. Inman is prosecuting the case for the United States.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
Mission Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Abusive Sexual Contact with a ChildRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact with a Child. The sentencing took place on March 4, 2025.
David Paxton, age 72, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Paxton was indicted for by a federal grand jury in October 2022. He pleaded guilty on January 3, 2024.
The conviction stemmed from conduct that occurred between August 24, 2017, and July 31, 2021, in Todd County, South Dakota. On at least one occasion during that period, Paxton sexually molested a child who was then between the ages of five and eight years old. The offense occurred within the Rosebud Indian Reservation.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Paxton was allowed to self-report to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service by June 2, 2025.
Minnesota Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine in Indian Reservations in South DakotaRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange has sentenced a Mountain Lake, Minnesota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on February 24, 2025.
Francisco Javier Mendez, age 40, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Victims Fund.
Mendez was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in June 2024. He pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance on November 22, 2024.
On June 18, 2023, Mendez was the passenger in a vehicle involved in a traffic stop in Thayer County, Nebraska. During the traffic stop, officers discovered Mendez had a bag containing approximately 1,359 grams of methamphetamine concealed on his person. Later, Mendez told law enforcement he and the driver of the vehicle were returning to South Dakota after having purchased the methamphetamine from a source of supply in Wichita, Kansas, and were intending to distribute it on the reservations in South Dakota. Mendez stated that he and the driver had made the same trip 2-3 weeks earlier, during which they had purchased an additional three pounds of methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Joyce prosecuted the case.
Mendez was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Mexican National Involved in Smuggling and Labor Trafficking Scheme Sentenced to 3 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that PORFIRIA MARIBEL RAMOS SANCHEZ, 47, a citizen of Mexico last residing in Vernon, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 36 months of imprisonment for her involvement in a scheme to smuggle aliens into the U.S., harbor them at Hartford area residences, force them to work, and threaten to harm them in various ways if they failed to pay exorbitant fees, interest, and other living expenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, beginning in September 2022, the FBI and Hartford Police interviewed several Mexican nationals who disclosed that they were smuggled from Mexico into the U.S. and transported to Hartford. The investigation revealed that victims typically arranged with Ramos’s mother, Maria Del Carmen Sanchez Potrero, and others in Connecticut and Mexico, to cross the border into the U.S. in exchange for a fee of between $15,000 and $20,000 that each would need to pay once they were in the U.S. In most cases, the victims were required to turn over a property deed as collateral before leaving Mexico. They were then smuggled across the border and transported to Hartford area residences, often at a substantial risk of bodily injury or death.
After the victims arrived in Connecticut, they were told that they would have to pay approximately $30,000, with interest, and that they would have to pay Sanchez, Ramos, and their co-coconspirators for rent, food, gas, and utilities. The co-conspirators created false documents for the victims, including Permanent Residence cards and Social Security cards, and helped the victims find employment in the Hartford area. In addition to their own jobs, some victims were required to perform housework and yardwork without compensation and without having their debt reduced.
Victims were rarely provided with an accounting of their debt. If victims failed to make regular payments, or in amounts that the co-conspirators expected, they were sometimes threatened, including with threats to harm family members in Mexico, to take property in Mexico that had been secured as collateral, to reveal victims’ immigration status to U.S. authorities, and to raise their interest payments.
To date, investigators have identified 19 victims of this scheme. Multiple victims were minors, and at least two were smuggled into the U.S. unaccompanied by a relative or legal guardian.
Ramos has been detained since her arrest on October 5, 2023. On October 4, 2024, she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to encourage and induce, bring in, transport, and harbor aliens.
Judge Dooley ordered Ramos to pay restitution of $574,608. As a condition of her plea agreement, in partial satisfaction or her restitution obligation, Ramos and her husband agreed to sell a house they owned at 74 Burnside Avenue in East Hartford, which was used to facilitate this criminal offense. However, in violation of her plea agreement, Ramos did not inform the government of the pending sale and sold the house in November 2024 to a relative of her husband for $75,000 less than its appraised value.
Ramos faces immigration proceedings when she completes her prison term.
Sanchez pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hartford Police Department, U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angel Krull and Shan Patel.
Mexican Felon, Previously Convicted of Sexual Contact with a Child, Arrested in El PasoRead the Press Release
EL PASO, Texas – A Mexican national was arrested in El Paso on criminal charges related to his alleged illegal re-entry.
According to court documents, Clemente Galvez-Alapisco, 47, of Sinaloa, has been deported twice before, most recently June 28, 2022 after he was convicted for indecency with a child. He was also convicted of illegal re-entry in July 2019 and sentenced to five months and 11 days confinement.
If convicted, Galvez-Alapisco faces up to 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The U.S. Border Patrol is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Aguayo is prosecuting the 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.
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Men Accused of Embezzling $1.4 Million from St. Louis County RestaurantRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men have been accused of embezzling more than $1.4 million from the restaurant that employed them for years.
Matthew Braasch and Mark Erney were each indicted on Feb. 20, 2025, with two counts of wire fraud. Erney turned himself in Friday and pleaded not guilty. Braasch did the same on February 25.
The indictment says both men were high-level employees of a restaurant in Grantwood Village, in St. Louis County, Missouri, and told company managers that they would only use company credit cards for necessary business expenses. They instead used them for personal purchases, it says. Braasch spent $81,965 at Target, over $31,000 at the Vineyard Vines clothing store, $39,634 at Amazon and over $10,000 on local hotel stays for an acquaintance, the indictment says. He also spent $1,600 on a golf outing, $2,460 to store his RV, $5,425 on St. Louis Cardinals tickets and $2,681 for a vacation at Disney World, the indictment says.
Erney spent $155,696 on personal expenses from Amazon, more than $37,000 at other local bars and restaurants, $5,600 for two couches and $3,943 at a supplier of men’s health products.
The indictment says that due to the embezzlement, the restaurant lacked money to buy food and pay state taxes, including liquor taxes, and Braasch and Erney took out loans to cover the shortfall. Braasch also posed as a restaurant manager when state investigators tried to collect back taxes to keep the real managers in the dark, the indictment says.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The FBI, with assistance from the Missouri Department of Revenue, Criminal Tax Investigation Bureau, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Marlborough Man Arrested for Possession of Four Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Marlborough man has been arrested on cocaine trafficking charges.
Ricardo Guzman, a/k/a “Killin” 38, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Guzman was arrested on March 5, 2025 and appeared in federal court on March 6, 2025.
According to the charging documents, on Jan. 6, 20205, a source allegedly purchased 499 grams of cocaine from Guzman in Marlborough, Mass. This purchase was audio and video recorded.
On March 5, 2025, the source allegedly arranged to purchase three kilograms of cocaine from Guzman in exchange for $75,000. It is alleged that Guzman was observed leaving the building where he resided with an unknown male carrying two large approximately five-gallon plaster buckets and placing them in a truck bed. The two men drove the truck a short distance when Guzman was observed getting out and entering his own vehicle, a red Volkswagen. Allegedly Guzman, alone in his vehicle, drove to a parking lot near the location where he planned to meet the source in Marlborough, Mass. Guzman’s vehicle was followed to this location by the truck. Once at the parking lot, Guzman was taken into custody and approximately half of a kilogram (500 grams) of suspected cocaine was found on his person. According to court documents, a search of the truck resulted in the seizure of approximately three and a half kilograms of suspected cocaine in the buckets in the truck bed.
The charge of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and up to life and a fine of up to $1,000,000. The charge of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine provides for a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four of supervised release and up to life and a fine of up to $5,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division and the Hudson, Marlborough and Stoneham Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Mackenzie Duane of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case 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.
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.
March Federal Grand Jury 2025-A Indictments AnnouncedRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the March Federal Grand Jury 2025-A Indictments.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Natividad Castillo Avena. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Avena, 38, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Dec. 2024. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy M. Mackenzie is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-064
Adan Alberto Bazaldua-Pichardo. Fraud and Misuse of Visas and Permits. Bazaldua-Pichardo, 37, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully and knowingly possessing a fake social security card to gain entry or employment in the United States. The Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Greenough is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-061
Jose Ricardo Borrayo-Gomez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Borrayo-Gomez, 36, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in July 2023. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Jolly is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-062
Carlos Daniel Calderon-Ponce. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Calderon-Ponce, 49, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in July 2024. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel-lyn A. McCormick is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-063
Aldrin Jhovani Solis Castellanos. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Castellanos, 37, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Aug. 2024. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Jolly is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-073
Joseph John Ronald Chavoya. Unlawful Possession of a Machine Gun. Chavoya, 40, of Tulsa, is charged with knowingly and unlawfully possessing a machine gun. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyson McCoy is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-075
Jose Darvin Chicas-Castro. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Chicas-Castro, 35, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Dec. 2011. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michele Hulgaard is prosecuting the case.
25-CR-065Adrian Lasean Foster. First Degree Burglary in Indian Country. Foster, 24, of Muskogee and a member of the Cherokee Nation, is charged with breaking into an occupied home with intent to commit a crime. The Tulsa Police Department is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Ihler is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-076
Julio Gonzalez-Ramirez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Gonzalez-Ramirez, 42, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Sep. 2012. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Augustus Forster is prosecuting the case.
25-CR-066Luis Enrique Guereca-Castrellon. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Guereca-Castrellon, 67, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Mar. 2020. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ammon Brisolara is prosecuting the case.
25-CR-067Jose Alberto Hernandez-Casimiro. Fraud and Misuse of Visas and Permits. Hernandez-Casimiro, 37, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully and knowingly possessing a fake legal permanent resident card to gain entry or employment in the United States. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ammon Brisolara is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-068
Jose Abraham Joya. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Joya, 38, a Salvadoran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Dec. 2019. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Harris is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-069
Felipe Jesus Mendoza-Lopez. Alien Unlawfully in the United States in Possession of a Firearm. Mendoza-Lopez, 41, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm, knowing he was an alien illegally in the United States. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office and the Broken Arrow Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Bailey is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-070
Alexander Enemias Ortiz-Gonzalez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Ortiz-Gonzalez, 22, a Guatemalan national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in June 2023. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Augustus Forster is prosecuting the case.
25-CR-071Juan Reyes-Ochoa. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Reyes-Ochoa, 33, a Guatemala national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Oct. 2023. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-072
Joshawa Wayne Wildcat. Assault of a Spouse by Strangling and Attempting to Strangle in Indian Country. Wildcat, 33, of Tulsa and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is charged with strangling his spouse. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Weems is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-077