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11 March 2025
Houston Man Guilty of Cocaine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Today, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that ANACLETO SILVA-HERRERA (“SILVA-HERRERA”), age 38, a resident of Houston, Texas, pled guilty on February 26, 2025, before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine, and possession, with intent to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 846, 841(a)(1), and 841(b)(1)(A).
According to court documents, SILVA-HERRERA, and other co-conspirators, distributed and possessed with intent to distribute, multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine within the Eastern District of Louisiana. SILVA-HERRERA transported kilogram quantities of cocaine, and proceeds from the sale of narcotics, on behalf of a co-conspirator, a known Mexico-based source of supply.
On both counts, SILVA-HERRERA faces a minimum term of imprisonment of ten years, up to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000.00, at least five years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
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.
This investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration – New Orleans Field Division Office, and assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Border Patrol, the Gretna Major Crimes Task Force, the Kenner Police Department, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman of the Narcotics Unit.
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Highland Park Resident Indicted on 10 Counts of Drug, Firearm, and Motor Vehicle ChargesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Highland Park, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal narcotics, firearms, and motor vehicle laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
The 10-count Superseding Indictment named Keeshon Grier, 28, as the sole defendant.
According to the Superseding Indictment, from in and around October through November 2024, Grier possessed with the intent to distribute and did distribute quantities of mixtures and substances containing heroin, fentanyl, fluorofentanyl, metonitazene, cocaine, and crack cocaine. The defendant is also charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm and ammunition after having been convicted of multiple prior felonies, including on federal and state drug trafficking offenses. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon. The Superseding Indictment additionally charges Grier with the knowing possession of stolen vehicles that have crossed a state boundary.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 25 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $25 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney V. Joseph Sonson is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.
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.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Hartford Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTOPHER DANCY, 35, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to drug and firearm offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 18, 2022, Dancy was arrested for violating his state parole. A search of an apartment where he was staying revealed a loaded Glock model 45, 9mm pistol, approximately 20 grams of fentanyl mixed with xylazine, and items used to process and package narcotics for distribution.
On May 3, 2023, Hartford Police officers observed Dancy engaging in suspected drug activity in the area of Albany Avenue and Edgewood Street and seized a car that Dancy had occupied. On May 5, 2023, a search of the car revealed a loaded Glock model 26, 9mm pistol. Subsequent DNA testing of the pistol connected it to Dancy.
Dancy’s criminal history includes state drug and firearm convictions. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Dancy pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years. A sentencing date is not scheduled.
Dancy has been detained since June 5, 2023.
This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, and the Hartford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Dearington.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.
Hanford Site Subcontractor Sentenced for Stealing COVID-19 Relief Funding, Owner Pays $1.1 Million in Restitution and PenaltiesRead the Press Release
Richland, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard Barker announced today that BNL Technical Services, LLC (BNL), was sentenced for a fraudulent scheme to obtain COVID-19 relief funding. Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian ordered BNL to pay restitution in the amount of $493,865. The Court further sentenced BNL to one year of probation to ensure that the restitution is paid promptly and in full. Acting U.S. Attorney Barker further announced that BNL’s owner, Wilson Pershing Stevenson III, of Nashville, Tennessee, paid $1,105,498 as part of an affirmative civil fraud settlement in the case to resolve his individual liability arising from BNL’s receipt of COVID relief funding.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, between 2020 and 2021, BNL provided contract labor services to Hanford Site prime contractors. BNL’s labor costs and payroll continued to be paid by DOE throughout the pandemic, including when BNL employees were not able to physically work at the site and instead were teleworking or simply home in “ready” status.
In April of 2020, BNL applied for and received a $493,865 loan as part of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Congress created the PPP in March 2020 as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to provide funding to small businesses in order to mitigate the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for small and local businesses. PPP loans were fully guaranteed by the United States, and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) may grant a small business borrower forgiveness so long as the loan proceeds have been used for payroll and other eligible expenses.
BNL fraudulently sought and obtained PPP funding for BNL employees despite their pay and benefits already being covered by DOE contract funds and other federal sources including the Veterans Administration. Shortly after receiving the funds, BNL transferred and used more than $424,230 of the PPP proceeds on unauthorized expenditures.
In August of 2021, BNL, through its sole owner Wilson Pershing Stevenson III, requested and was granted forgiveness of the $493,865 PPP loan, by falsely and fraudulently certifying the loan proceeds had been used for eligible uses and business expenses between April and October of 2020.
“We are proud of our law enforcement partners, without which we could not have uncovered and successfully prosecuted this blatant and fraudulent misuse of PPP funds,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Rich Barker. “Our COVID-19 Strike Force continues to hold accountable those that fraudulently obtained and misused federal funds set aside to help small businesses in our community. I am so proud of our team of prosecutors, led by White Collar Chief Dan Fruchter, for building this Strike Force and holding accountable those who defrauded the United States.”
“The misuse of critical emergency funds intended for those personally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic defrauds taxpayers and deprives legitimate recipients of important assistance at a time it was needed most,” stated Lewe F. Sessions, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, Office of Inspector General, Department of Energy. “The Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General continues to pursue such fraudulent claims submitted by our employees and contractors.”
“This sentencing sends a message that the VA Office of Inspector General will diligently pursue those who would illegally line their pockets at the expense of the taxpayer,” said Special Agent in Charge Dimitriana Nikolov with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northwest Field Office. “The VA OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners as part of the COVID-19 Strike Force to investigate fraud against relief programs intended to support bona fide recipients.”
“Today’s sentencing is a testament to the OIG’s unwavering commitment to protecting our small business support programs and bringing fraudsters to justice,” said SBA OIG’s Western Region Special Agent in Charge, Weston King. “I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners for their diligence and pursuit of justice.”
This case was investigated by the Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General, Richland Field Office, the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General, and the VA Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorneys Tyler H.L. Tornabene and Dan Fruchter are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
4:23-cr-06014-SAB
Guatemalan National Sentenced to 12 Months After Unlawfully Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Guatemala national was sentenced today for unlawfully reentering the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Hilario Lucas Mendoza, 42, for Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Judge Hill ordered Mendoza to serve 12 months imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release.
According to court documents, Mendoza was arrested by the Tulsa Police Department for domestic assault and battery. While completing his intake during booking, officers discovered that Mendoza was in the United States illegally.
Court records show that from 2003 through 2006, Mendoza was arrested four times in Tulsa County for driving under the influence. In 2005, Mendoza was arrested for physically assaulting his girlfriend. In 2009, he was deported twice to Guatemala for unlawful reentry.
Mendoza will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris prosecuted the case.
Guatemalan National Sentenced for Illegally Entering the US After a Prior RemovalRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Guatemalan national pleaded was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for entering the United States after a prior removal.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Jorge Martinez-Urizar, 50, to time served. Martinez-Urizar had been detained since November. He will likely face deportation now that the case has concluded. Martinez-Urizar pleaded guilty on February 5, 2025.
According to court records, in November 2024, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent conducted a records check on Martinez-Urizar. The check showed that he had been removed from the country on three prior occasions, most recently in July 2005, and that he had not filed any applications or petitions granting him permission to reenter or remain in the United States lawfully. Martinez was removed in 2005 after serving a 70-month sentence in Oregon for assault in the second degree and unlawful use of a weapon.
ICE investigated the case.
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Gang-Affiliated California Man Sentenced to 9 Years for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A California man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for being a felon in possession of firearms.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Lonnel Diggs (aka Cash, Cashiiso Runzitup), 40, to nine years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Diggs pleaded guilty on August 19, 2024.
According to court records, in March 2022, Diggs, of Van Nuys, Calif., and a co-conspirator proposed to a couple who purchased crack cocaine from Diggs that they purchase firearms on the men’s behalf in exchange for cash and crack cocaine. The couple agreed and began traveling to gun shows and stores in Maine to make the straw purchases. At one of the gun shows, Diggs took photos of firearms and texted the images to the couple who then made the purchases and provided him with the firearms. Diggs was convicted in California for robbery in 2003 and for assault with a dangerous weapon on a peace officer in 2010 and is therefore precluded from possessing any firearms.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with assistance from the Lewiston Police Department.
STRAW PURCHASING: A straw purchase is an illegal firearm purchase where the actual buyer of the gun, being unable to pass the required federal background check or desiring to not have his or her name associated with the transaction, uses a proxy buyer who can pass the required background check to purchase the firearm for him/her.
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Gang Member Sentenced for Bank Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Central Falls man described in court documents as being a member of a dangerous Providence street gang and a driver of violence within that group, who recently completed a term of incarceration on a federal firearms charge, was sentenced today for bank fraud conspiracy, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Ryan DaCruz, 28, pleaded guilty in February to a charge of bank fraud conspiracy. He admitted to a federal judge that between February 2022 and May 2023, he opened bank accounts at four Rhode Island banks into which he deposited tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of checks that had been stolen from the U.S. Mail stream by confederates.
According to information presented to the court, the stolen checks, most of which were third party business checks, appeared to have been “washed” so that the payee names could be changed to Ryan DaCruz. The deposited funds were rapidly depleted through cash withdrawals and/or money transfers. As banks recognized the deposited items as fraudulent, banks closed the accounts. DaCruz would then open a new account at a different bank. The intended loss to banks totaled approximately $46.000.
DaCruz completed a federal sentence imposed in January 2024 for being a felon in possession of a firearm while being detained on the current charge of bank fraud conspiracy. He was sentenced today on the bank fraud conspiracy charge by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose to a term of incarceration of eighteen months to be followed by three years of supervised release.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John P. McAdams and Paul F. Daly, Jr.
The matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Providence Police Department.
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Four Brazilian Nationals Arrested for Allegedly Running Illegal Prescription Drug Ring; Allegedly Distributed Misbranded Drugs Imported from BrazilRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Four undocumented Brazilian nationals currently residing in Framingham have been arrested for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to import pharmaceutical-grade controlled substances and other misbranded drugs from Brazil and distribute them throughout the greater Framingham area.
Douglas Reis de Souza, 40; Dekny Marcos de Carvaleho Reis, 33; Dekmara de Carvalho Reis, 34; and Wandiscleia Ferreira de Souza Guimaraes, 41, all of Framingham, have been charged with one count each of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances. The defendants were arrested yesterday morning and, following initial appearances in federal court in Boston, were detained pending a hearing scheduled for March 13, 2025.
“For years, these defendants allegedly exploited a community’s trust to peddle black-market prescription drugs under the guide of legitimacy. They entered our country illegally and put countless individuals’ health and safety in danger, all for profit,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “If you or someone you know was impacted by this scheme, we urge you to come forward and report it to law enforcement. Our office and our law enforcement partners will not allow reckless, exploitative criminals to operate in the shadows.”
“The DEA is committed to ensuring that anyone prescribing and selling prescription medication is a registrant and they are in compliance with the required regulations, which are enforceable through the Controlled Substances Act said Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. “Failure to do so increases the potential for diversion and jeopardizes the public health and public safety of our communities. DEA pledges to work with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to ensure these rules and regulations are followed.”
“Prescription drugs play a vital role allowing individuals to control symptoms, treat illnesses, and improve overall health. The illegal and improper dispensing of prescription drugs to vulnerable individuals without the concurrence from a medical professional or a licensed pharmacist is a deadly combination. The actions of the defendants arrested undermine that trust and endanger the community as they facilitated the distribution of dangerous narcotics to individuals for personal financial gain. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue the mission of eradicating illegal drugs from the U.S. Mail and protecting all those who use it,” said Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division.
According to the charging documents, Reis de Souza held himself out to be a legitimate pharmacist to the Portuguese-speaking community in the greater Framingham area, doing business as “Droga Reis” (Portuguese for “Drug King”). In support of his operation, Reis de Souza allegedly distributed the following business card, which has been translated from Portuguese:
Douglas Reis, Pharmacist
[REDACTED PHONE NUMBER]
Remedies from Brazil
Service 24 H
Call me on Whats[App] and I can help you
Don’t miss your work day
Pharmacist with over 22 years of experience
Indication of medicines for adult and pediatric use
Contraceptive pills and injectables
Injectable cocktail to treat muscular and orthopedic problems
Perforation of ear cells.Reis de Souza allegedly imported pharmaceutical-grade drugs, including controlled substances from various locations in Brazil and then re-sold them to customers. It is alleged that at least 24 packages sent from Brazil to Reis de Souza’s drug trafficking organization were seized during the investigation which began in October 2023 – all of which were found to contain illegally imported pharmaceutical-grade controlled substances.
It is alleged that Reis de Souza employed Carvaleho Reis, Dekmara de Carvalho Reis and Wandiscleia Ferreira de Souza Guimaraes to process, fill and deliver orders for controlled substances and other prescription drugs that customers paid Reis de Souza for. In total, over the course of the investigation, Reis de Souza’s drug trafficking organization allegedly distributed 154 tablets of Codeine; 60 tablets of Tramadol; 280 tablets of Clonazepam; and 450 tablets of Morphine via controlled purchases or the mail.
This morning, search warrants were executed at an apartment allegedly used by Reis de Souza and his co-conspirators as a black-market doctor’s office. There, law enforcement allegedly observed an examination/consultation area, used syringes ostensibly used to inject “patients,” as well as large quantities of controlled substances and non-controlled prescription and/or misbranded drugs:
At no time did Reis de Souza possess any license authorizing him to dispense these drugs. It is alleged that Reis de Souza collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits as a result of the drug trafficking scheme.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The defendants are subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
If you were a customer of Reis De Souza, or his d/b/a “Droga Reis,” and you suffered any adverse events, please contact [email protected].
U.S. Attorney Foley, DEA Acting SAC Belleau and USPIS INC Larco-Ward made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations; Customs and Border Protection; and the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Panich of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former deportation officer sentenced to 12 years in prison for federal crimes related to depriving victims’ civil rightsRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A former ICE deportation officer was sentenced in U.S. District Court here to 144 months in prison for crimes related to using his position to solicit and coerce sex from vulnerable women under his supervision.
Andrew Golobic, 53, of Cincinnati and Mason, Ohio, abused his position to deprive the civil rights of a woman under his supervision in the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program. ATD allows certain asylum seekers and other immigrants who ICE has determined pose a low risk to public safety to remain in their communities while their immigration cases are pending.
Following a jury trial in January 2024, Golobic was found guilty on four of seven counts – obstructing a sex trafficking investigation, deprivation of rights under color of law, witness tampering and destruction of records in a federal investigation.
The jury found that Golobic deprived a woman under his supervision in the ATD program of her fundamental right to bodily integrity by engaging in unwanted, forced or coerced sexual activity.
The defendant was employed as a deportation officer with ICE from 2006 to 2020 and was assigned to the ICE office in Blue Ash, Ohio. He was assigned to the ATD program from approximately 2015 to 2020.
In his role, Golobic had discretion over the degree of freedom and movement afforded to participants under his supervision. He had the authority to decide the type of monitoring, frequency of reporting and level of supervision, as well as the authority to recommend that ATD participants who violated conditions of the program be detained or deported.
To cover up his crimes, Golobic misled investigators, destroyed evidence and tampered with witnesses. Notably, after being approached by agents from FBI and the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General in June 2020 as part of this investigation, Golobic deleted evidence from his cellphones.
The sentence was imposed on March 10 by Senior U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General (DHS-OIG) investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Ebunoluwa A. Taiwo and Ashley N. Brucato represented the United States in this case.
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Former U.S. Marine Pleads Guilty to Submitting False Purple Heart ApplicationRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former United States Marine pleaded guilty today in federal court in Springfield, Mass. to submitting a false Purple Heart application to the United States Marine Corps through his local Congressman.
Paul John Herbert, 54, of Shelburne Falls, Mass., pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for June 17, 2025. In September 2023, Herbert was indicted by a federal grand jury.
“Military veterans deserve the respect of every citizen for their service to our country. Veterans know well that the Purple Heart honors those brave service members who were injured or killed in the line of duty. Mr. Herbert knew that he did not deserve this widely recognized and respected award, but that did not stop him from lying about a traumatic brain injury and stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in disability benefits, intended to take care of veterans truly in need.” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Claiming valor for a false injury is an affront to all the members of the military who serve our country with courage and honor.”
“Today’s guilty plea holds this defendant accountable for falsifying his service record to steal funds intended for our nation’s deserving veterans,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Algieri with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office. “The VA Office of Inspector General will continue to aggressively investigate those who would represent themselves as something they are not in order to exploit VA programs and services.”
“The Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the law enforcement component of the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General, will continue to partner with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the Department of Justice to protect the interests of those who selflessly serve our country,” said Patrick J. Hegarty, Special Agent in Charge of the DCIS Northeast Field Office. “We are committed to investigating individuals who falsely represent themselves as decorated veterans and steal benefits intended for our nation’s servicemembers.”
Beginning on Oct. 13, 2010, Herbert submitted numerous false statements to the VA concerning IED-related injuries in support of a claim for disability compensation. Based upon these false claims, between January 1, 2010 and March 1, 2023 the VA overpaid Herbert $344,040.
On Oct. 24, 2018, Herbert issued a request to his Congressman to assist with the application for a Purple Heart. The request contained a notarized letter from Herbert, that falsely stated he had been injured by a roadside explosion.
The charge of making a false statement provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. 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.
U.S. Attorney Foley, VA-OIG SAC Algieri and DCIS SAC Hegarty made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.
Former Pharmacy Tech is Sentenced for Using His Role to Order Drugs for Unlawful DistributionRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – Curtis Green, 35, of Cleveland, has been sentenced to 36 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent after pleading guilty to possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute.
According to court documents, between Dec. 30, 2022 and April 9, 2023, the defendant used his position as a certified pharmacy technician for a hospital in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, to order controlled substances during the course of his employment. Under the guise of ordering on behalf of the hospital, he ordered them for his own unlawful distribution. During this time, Green was found to possess 103 grams of oxycodone and 77.5 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, all schedule II controlled substances.
During a federal search warrant execution of Green’s residence on April 9, 2023, agents seized $72,880 in cash. An additional $2,025 was seized from the defendant on the following day.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Mayfield Heights Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Margaret A. Sweeney.
Former Benicia Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for $3.2 Million Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —Euan David MacGregor, formerly known as David Joseph Bean, 54, of Iowa City, Iowa, was sentenced by Senior Judge John A. Mendez to 41 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release for defrauding his former employer out of over $3.2 million, Acting United States Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. In addition, MacGregor was ordered to pay $3,217,456.41 in restitution to his victim.
According to court documents, between approximately November 2014 to January 2020, Euan MacGregor, then known as David Bean, used his position as a Chief Administrative Officer to execute a scheme to defraud his employer.
According to court documents, MacGregor defrauded his former employer in two ways. First, he diverted at least 122 checks made payable to his employer to bank accounts that he controlled. MacGregor did this by creating a shell corporation that had a business name similar to the name of his employer and depositing the checks into bank accounts that he opened in the name of the shell corporation. MacGregor then presented false financial information to the company’s president and shareholders, causing them to believe they had received the monies he diverted. In addition, MacGregor falsely represented to his employer that he was outsourcing his employer’s bookkeeping work to a third party, a company named Essential Business Services. In reality, Essential Business Services was another shell company that MacGregor created and controlled. MacGregor’s false representations caused his employer to pay Essential Business Services thousands of dollars each month for bookkeeping services that it did not perform. MacGregor used the money he fraudulently obtained to pay for personal expenses for him and his family, including mortgage payments, the payment of credit cards, educational expenses, travel, and the purchase or lease of vehicles.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Shelley D. Weger is prosecuting the case.
Foreign-Owned Company to Pay Nearly $2 Million to Resolve Improper Paycheck Protection Program LoanRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck announced today that Monofrax LLC, which is located in Falconer, New York, has agreed to pay $1,977,119 to resolve allegations that it improperly obtained a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for which it was not eligible.
Congress created the PPP in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to American businesses suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the PPP, eligible small businesses could receive forgivable loans guaranteed by the SBA. Regulations provided various eligibility requirements for the PPP, including limitations on the number of employees and restrictions for foreign-owned companies.
In 2021, Monofrax obtained a second draw PPP loan through a Michigan bank. At the time of its loan application, Monofrax was ultimately owned and controlled by a private equity firm registered in Germany. Through common ownership and management, Monofrax was affiliated with multiple other companies worldwide. The United States contends that Monofrax was ineligible for the second draw loan because, together with its affiliates, it had more than 300 employees, in violation of the PPP rules in effect at the time Monofrax obtained the funds.
“PPP loans were intended to help small businesses in the United States, and not large companies owned by foreign entities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Julie A. Beck for the Eastern District of Michigan. “This settlement demonstrates our office’s continued commitment to hold accountable those businesses and individuals who obtained COVID-19 relief funds that they didn’t deserve.”
This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Gentner from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, with assistance from the SBA’s Office of General Counsel.
Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Federal Courthouse Security OfficersRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A former resident of Sarasota, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of assaulting federal officers, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Steven M. Seitz pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Robert J. Colville.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on July 9, 2024, Seitz entered the Joseph F. Weis Jr. U.S. Courthouse in downtown Pittsburgh looking for the Central Intelligence Agency and refused several requests from Courthouse Security Officers to leave the building. When officers attempted to escort Seitz from the building, Seitz unlawfully and forcibly assaulted, resisted, and opposed the officers, which resulted in bodily injuries to at least two of the officers.
Judge Coville scheduled Seitz’s sentencing for July 10, 2025. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Seitz remains detained pending sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Nicole A. Stockey is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Protective Service and United States Marshals Service conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Seitz.
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Louisville Felon for Illegally Possessing a Firearm and Distributing Heroin and MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville returned an indictment on October 16, 2024, charging a local man with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, U.S. Marshal Gary B. Burman of the Western District of Kentucky, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to the indictment, Joseph Abbott, 39, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine. On September 5, 2024, Abbott possessed a Glock, model 22, .40 caliber handgun and ammunition. Abbott was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.
On January 12, 2015, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Abbott was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree (heroin) 2 grams or more and tampering with physical evidence.
On June 11, 2010, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Abbott was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree (cocaine) while in possession of a firearm, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon (2 counts), promoting contraband in the first degree, illegal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree (cocaine) (2 counts), receiving stolen property over $300 (2 counts), and tampering with physical evidence.
On March 27, 2006, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Abbott was convicted of illegal possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) and receiving stolen property over $300 (2 counts).
The defendant made his initial court appearance this week before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. A detention hearing is scheduled for March 12, 2025. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is being investigated by the US Marshals Service with assistance from the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia P. Gomez is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Essex County Man Sentenced to 85 Months in Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. An Essex County, New Jersey, man with a previous felony conviction was sentenced to 85 months in prison for illegally possessing firearms and ammunition, U.S. Attorney John Giordano announced.
Ramad Moultrie, 23, of Newark, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti in Newark federal court to an Indictment charging him with two counts of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Aug. 2, 2021, members of the Newark Police Department responded to a shooting at the Grace West Manor Complex on Irvine Turner Boulevard, where they located two victims with gunshot wounds. Surveillance video recorded Moultrie waving members of a crowd, including small children, out of his way before firing a gun towards the two victims. Three .45 auto caliber casings were recovered from the area where Moultrie discharged the firearm. A .45 caliber handgun, a 9 mm handgun, ammunition, and drugs were recovered when Moultrie was arrested at his residence.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Moultrie to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney John Giordano credited special deputies of the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Juan Mattos Jr.; and officers of the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Director Emanuel Miranda, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Specht of the Special Prosecutions Division.
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Defense counsel: Christopher D. Adams, Newark, N.J.
Eight guilty in wide-ranging scheme to monopolize industry serving transmigrantesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Another individual has pleaded guilty in a long-running and violent conspiracy which involved price fixing, extortion and money laundering.
Jose de Jesus Tapia Fernandez, 47, Brownsville, admitted to conspiracy to commit money laundering. He joins seven others who have entered guilty pleas for their various roles in a scheme to monopolize the transmigrante forwarding agency industry in the Los Indios border region near Harlingen and Brownsville.
Those convicted include the leader in the conspiracy - Carlos Martinez aka Cuate, 38, Mission – who had previously admitted to conspiracy to fix prices and allocate the market for transmigrante forwarding agency services and one count of conspiracy to monopolize the same market as well as interference with commerce by extortion, conspiracy to do so and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Transmigrantes are individuals who transport used vehicles and other goods from the United States through Mexico for resale in Central America. Transmigrante forwarding agencies are U.S.-based businesses that provide services to transmigrante clients, including helping those clients complete the Mexican customs paperwork required to export vehicles into Mexico.
“Price fixing harms both the public and the business community,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas. “Schemes like this artificially drive up prices, forcing consumers to pay more than they ordinarily would. At its core, such market collusion is nothing more than theft from consumers.”
“These guilty pleas bring to justice individuals who used violence and extortion to fix prices and monopolize the market for essential services that Americans rely on to earn a living,” said Director of Criminal Enforcement Emma Burnham of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division will continue to use every tool at its disposal to protect the public by prosecuting violent criminals – including those who aim to corrupt America’s free markets.”
“Today’s pleas reflect the relentlessness of the federal government’s pursuit of transnational criminal organizations that exploit international trade and the U.S. economy,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio. “This violent scheme was fueled by greed that undermined the safety and economic security of the border region; HSI has prioritized significant resources to protect the U.S. and our legitimate trade.”
“These defendants tried to rule through fear, using threats, violence and intimidation to eliminate competition,” said Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Their guilty pleas send a clear message that price fixing and market allocation are serious crimes, and we will hold those accountable who put profits over the law and fair commerce.”
The co-conspirators fixed prices and monopolized the market for transmigrante forwarding agency services by requiring participants in the transmigrante industry to pay money into a “Pool” and dividing revenues among themselves. Market participants who were not part of the conspiracy had to join and pay into the Pool. Pool members enforced the rules by monitoring whether forwarding agencies were charging the agreed-upon prices, including by posting prices publicly on social media and monitoring whether agencies were paying into the Pool as required.
Some involved in the scheme also conspired to force forwarding pay other extortion fees, including a “piso” for every transaction processed in the industry as well as a fine for operating in the market outside of Pool rules. Conspirators perpetrated acts of intimidation, coercion and violence in furtherance of the antitrust and extortion conspiracies.
Martinez was responsible for at least $9,500,000 in extortion payments.
Martinez and Tapia Fernandez also laundered extortion proceeds. Cash obtained from the extortion conspiracy was deposited into bank accounts Martinez and his family controlled. Those deposits were made to conceal and disguise the nature, source, ownership and control of the proceeds.
Pedro Antonio Calvillo Hernandez, 51, Mission, Roberto Garcia Villareal, 60, San Benito, Sandra Guerra Medina, 70, Rancho Viejo, and Mireya Miranda, 58, La Feria, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to fix prices and allocate the market for transmigrante forwarding agency services and one count of conspiracy to monopolize the same market. Calvillo, Villareal and Carlos Yzaguirre, 61, Mission, also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion, while Juan Hector Ramirez Avila, 35, Brownsville, pleaded guilty to one count of structuring a financial transaction to evade reporting requirements.
As part of his plea, Martinez has agreed to forfeit four real properties and $375,000 in seized U.S. currency, pay a fine and full restitution to extortion victims.Guerra, Miranda, Calvillo and Villareal have also agreed to pay fines as part of their plea agreements.
Three others charged – Rigoberto Brown, 40, Brownsville; Miguel Hipolito Caballero Aupart, 72, Brownsville; and Diego Ceballos-Soto, 50, Mexico – are fugitives and warrants remain outstanding for their arrests. Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to contact HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423).
Conspiracies to allocate the market, fix prices or monopolize in violation of the Sherman Act carry up to 10 years in federal prison and a maximum $1 million possible fine. Conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion in violation of the Hobbs Act and money laundering conspiracy carry possible prison terms of up to 20 years and maximum fines of $250,000 and $500,000, respectively, while structuring a financial transaction to evade reporting requirements carries up to five years in addition to a $250,000 maximum fine.
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS), U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, HSI and FBI conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander L. Alum is prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorneys Brittany E. McClure, Anne Veldhuis and Michael G. Lepage of the Antitrust Division and VCRS Trial Attorney Christina Taylor.
Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit http://www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
Eight Individuals Plead Guilty to Wide-Ranging Scheme to Monopolize Transmigrante Forwarding Industry, Fix Prices, Extort Competitors, and Launder MoneyRead the Press Release
The U.S. Department of Justice today announced that eight defendants have pleaded guilty for their conduct in a long-running and violent conspiracy to monopolize the transmigrante forwarding agency industry in the Los Indios, Texas, border region near Harlingen and Brownsville, Texas. The three remaining defendants to the superseding indictment remain at large as fugitives. Transmigrantes are individuals who transport used vehicles and other goods from the United States through Mexico for resale in Central America. Transmigrante forwarding agencies are U.S.-based businesses that provide services to transmigrante clients, including helping those clients complete the customs paperwork required to export vehicles into Mexico.
“The Criminal Division is committed to holding violent criminal organizations accountable in whatever markets in which they operate,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Transnational criminal organizations that use violence to dominate industries will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“These guilty pleas bring to justice individuals who used violence and extortion to fix prices and monopolize the market for essential services that Americans rely on to earn a living,” said Director of Criminal Enforcement Emma Burnham of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division will continue to use every tool at its disposal to protect the public by prosecuting violent criminals – including those who aim to corrupt America’s free markets.”
“Price fixing harms both the public and the business community,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas. “Schemes like this artificially drive up prices, forcing consumers to pay more than they ordinarily would. At its core, such market collusion is nothing more than theft from consumers.”
“These defendants tried to rule through fear, using threats, violence and intimidation to eliminate competition,” said Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Their guilty pleas send a clear message that price fixing and market allocation are serious crimes, and we will hold those accountable who put profits over the law and fair commerce.”
“Today’s pleas reflect the relentlessness of the federal government’s pursuit of transnational criminal organizations that exploit international trade and the U.S. economy,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio. “This violent scheme was fueled by greed that undermined the safety and economic security of the border region; HSI has prioritized significant resources to protect the U.S. and our legitimate trade.”
According to documents filed in the U.S. District Court in Houston, defendants Carlos Martinez also known as “Cuate,” Pedro Antonio Calvillo Hernandez, Roberto Garcia Villareal, Sandra Guerra Medina, and Mireya Miranda pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to fix prices and allocate the market for transmigrante forwarding agency services in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act, and one count of conspiracy to monopolize the same market in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act. The conspirators fixed the prices for transmigrante forwarding agency services and created a centralized entity known as the “Pool” to collect and divide revenues among the conspirators, limit competition from other agencies, and increase prices for their services. Market participants who were not part of the conspiracy had to join and pay into the Pool. Pool members enforced the rules of the Pool by monitoring whether forwarding agencies were charging the agreed-upon prices, including by posting prices publicly on social media, and monitoring whether agencies were paying into the Pool as required.
Martinez, Calvillo, Villareal, and Carlos Yzaguirre pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion. Martinez also pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by extortion. The defendants conspired to force forwarding agencies to pay money to the Pool and to pay other extortion fees, including a “piso” for every transaction processed in the industry as well as a “fine” for operating in the market outside of Pool rules. The conspirators perpetrated acts of intimidation, coercion, and violence in furtherance of the antitrust and extortion conspiracies. Defendant Martinez was responsible for at least $9.5 million in extortion payments.
Martinez and Jose de Jesus Tapia Fernandez also pleaded guilty to a money laundering conspiracy, through which they laundered extortion proceeds. Cash obtained from the extortion conspiracy was deposited into bank accounts controlled by Martinez and his family, and those deposits were made to conceal and disguise the nature, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds. Juan Hector Ramirez Avila pleaded guilty to one count of structuring a financial transaction to evade reporting requirements.
Martinez agreed to forfeit four real properties and $375,000 in seized U.S. currency, to pay a fine, and to pay full restitution to extortion victims. Guerra, Miranda, Calvillo, and Villareal have also agreed to pay fines as part of their plea agreements.
Rigoberto Brown and Miguel Hipolito Caballero Aupart, and Diego Ceballos-Soto were also charged in the superseding indictment and remain fugitives. Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
Conspiracies to allocate the market, fix prices, or monopolize in violation of the Sherman Act carry a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and a maximum $1 million fine for an individual. Conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion in violation of the Hobbs Act carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a maximum $250,000 fine. Money laundering conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a maximum $500,000 fine. Structuring a financial transaction to evade reporting requirements carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, HSI, and the FBI are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Brittany E. McClure, Anne Veldhuis, and Michael G. Lepage of the Antitrust Division, Trial Attorney Christina Taylor of VCRS, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander L. Alum for the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
Dominican Republic National Charged with Illegally Re-Entering the United StatesRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Joan Tavarez
Bueno, 33, of the Dominican Republic, was charged with illegally entering the United States after being previously removed.
According to court documents, on March 10, 2025, Tavarez Bueno was the passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by law enforcement after Homeland Security Investigations received information that a possible non-citizen was traveling from St. John by ferry and arriving at the Red
Hook Ferry Terminal in St. Thomas. Agents observed an individual matching Tavarez Bueno’s description exiting the Red Hook Ferry Terminal and entering a vehicle parked at the terminal.
Agents later stopped the vehicle and detained Tavarez Bueno. A records check confirmed that
Tavarez Bueno was in the United States illegally and had been removed previously from the United
States on February 13, 2024. If convicted, Tavarez Bueno faces up to two years in prison.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the National Park
Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Payne.
United States Attorney Smith reminds the public that a criminalcomplaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Dominican National Faces 10+ Years in Prison for Massachusetts-to-Bangor Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Dominican national pleaded guilty to two counts in U.S. District Court in Bangor today for his role in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy.
According to court records, from August 2023 to June 2024, Alexis Mariano De Leon (aka Leon Leon), 28, and coconspirators transported quantities of fentanyl from Massachusetts to Maine for distribution. The investigation showed that an individual known as “Leon Leon” was using a Facebook account and other means to arrange for fentanyl to be transported to the Bangor area. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) arranged for several controlled buys and in June 2024 arranged a traffic stop of De Leon’s vehicle near Pittsfield with the assistance of the Maine State Police. More than a kilogram of a substance containing fentanyl was recovered from the vehicle. Investigators recovered additional evidence from De Leon’s Massachusetts residence, including a press for compressing powder into brick form.
De Leon faces 10+ years in federal prison, a maximum fine of $10 million, and five years to life of supervised release. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The DEA investigated the case with assistance from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Maine State Police.
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Designer Drug Distributer Sentenced to 36 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Shelvin Jovan Barnes, 33, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 36 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute illegal designer drugs. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Heck of Homeland Security Investigations, Washington Division.
Barnes, aka “Nuke,” pleaded guilty on December 6, 2024, to possession with intent to distribute ADB-BUTINACA, attempted possession with intent to distribute N,N-dimethylpentylone; and unlawful possession of a firearm (intrafamily offense). In addition to the 36-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Loren L. AliKhan ordered Barnes to serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, the government’s investigation into Barnes began as part of a broader investigation into the shipment of narcotics and precursor chemicals from China. HSI seized a package on May 8, 2024, addressed to a residence on the 300 block of L Street, Southeast. The package contained 122 grams of N,N-dimethylpentylone or “dipentylone,” also known as “Boot.” Before delivering the package, law enforcement removed the dipentylone and replaced it with a sham substance.
After an undercover agent delivered the package to Barnes’ residence, law enforcement executed a search warrant and recovered several bags of bulk mixtures containing powder and rock-like substance. Some of these gallon-sized bags were marked with the word “Booka”, which Barnes admitted was similar to the synthetic drug “K2.” Subsequent lab testing found that there was approximately 1,195 grams of ADB-BUTINACA, kept in various zip-lock bags labeled with the weight of the drugs.
In addition to the drugs, agents also recovered several items often associated with drug manufacturing, including a digital scale, protective gear such as industrial gas masks and rubber gloves, a 35-pound box of tea leaves, and 16 gallons of Acetone. Agents also recovered a loaded Beretta 9mm pistol with 15 rounds of ammunition under the mattress in Barnes’ bedroom, along with several boxes containing more powder and rock-like mixtures. At the time of his arrest, Barnes was on probation stemming from a misdemeanor assault case and had been ordered not to possess a firearm just weeks prior to being arrested.
This case was investigated by ICE Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C. High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) team. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Iris McCranie and Trial Attorney Ernesto Alvarado.
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DeForest Cocaine Trafficker Sentenced to 3 Years PrisonRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Braulio Martinez Salazar, 31, DeForest, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 3 years in federal prison for attempting to distribute cocaine. Martinez Salazar pleaded guilty to this charge on December 16, 2024.
In late 2022 and early 2023, investigators with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating a cocaine trafficking organization operating in the DeForest and Madison area. Through intercepted phone calls and surveillance of Martinez Salazar, investigators learned that he was picking up a half kilogram of cocaine on June 1, 2023, to deliver to a customer of the organization in the Madison area. When Martinez Salazar was in route to meet the customer, he was stopped by a Dane County Sheriff’s deputy. During the stop, a narcotics dog alerted on the car and officers found the ½ kilogram of cocaine hidden in the car. From the investigation, officers believe the drug trafficking organization was distributing kilograms quantities of cocaine.
In choosing a sentence, Judge Peterson balanced Martinez Salazar’s lack of criminal history or prior arrests with the fact that he was part of a substantial drug conspiracy that caused harm to the community. Judge Peterson concluded that the quantity of drugs involved in the case warranted a significant sentence.
The charge against Martinez Salazar was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Dane County Narcotics Task Force, and Madison Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Anderson and William M. Levins prosecuted this case.
The investigation was conducted and funded by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a multi-agency task force that coordinates long-term narcotics trafficking investigations.
Dartmouth Woman Sentenced to Prison for Embezzling from Multiple EmployersRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dartmouth woman was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from two different employers.
Jasmyne Botelho, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 20 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Botelho was also ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture orders of $443,122.59. In September 2024, Botelho pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud. Botelho was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024.
Between September 2017 and April 2020, Botelho stole at least $280,000 from one employer. Specifically, Botelho directed payments purportedly intended for the company’s vendors to bank accounts she controlled and used company funds to make payments on personal credit cards and an auto loan. To hide her scheme, Botelho falsified the employer’s books and records to make it appear as though the payments had in fact been sent to legitimate vendors rather than to Botelho.
Between May 2022 and December 2023, Botelho improperly inflated her payroll from a second employer by more than $160,000. She concealed her scheme by manipulating this employer’s payroll and accounting software to hide her inflated payroll and phony “reimbursements” she paid herself.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen A. Kearney of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
Council Bluffs Man Sentenced to 96 Months in Federal Prison for Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Council Bluffs man was sentenced today to 8 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon.
According to public court documents, Jesus Everardo Medina, 40, possessed a loaded, stolen pistol in his waistband in July 2024. In 2018, Medina was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa and was discharged from his term of supervised release in December 2022.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Medina will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Council Bluffs Police Department.
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.
Council Bluffs Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Federal Prison for Meth ChargesRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Council Bluffs man and Guatemalan native was sentenced today to 192 months in federal prison for distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to public court documents, Wilton Omar Garcia-Castillo, 19, distributed 500 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in June 2024. Two days later, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Garcia-Castillo’s Council Bluffs residence and located 27 pounds of methamphetamine along with a loaded firearm, an extended firearm magazine, digital scales, and more than $4,000.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Garcia-Castillo will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Iowa Department of Public Safety–Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Council Bluffs Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigations, and Iowa State Patrol.
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.
Convicted Connecticut Child Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Entice and Use an 11-Year-Old Child in Florida to Produce Photos of Her Own Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Andrew Thomas Bull (37, Tolland, CT), also known as Andrew Thomas Picard, has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing photos of her own sexual abuse. Bull faces a minimum sentence of 25 years, up to 50 years, in federal prison and a possible lifetime term of supervised release. Bull was convicted of importation and illegal possession of child pornography in 2013 in Connecticut. On May 25, 2023, FBI agents arrested Bull at his home in Connecticut. He was later transported to Jacksonville for prosecution. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 9, 2025.
According to court documents, on November 15, 2022, an FBI agent (UC) in the Jacksonville area was conducting an online undercover operation to identify adults seeking to meet and engage in sexual activity with children. The UC posted a text message in a public chatroom on a social media application (app) indicating that the UC had access to an 11-year-old “child.” Later that same day, user “brdr1066,” subsequently identified as Bull, contacted the UC directly using the app’s private online text messaging feature. Bull asked the UC to confirm the age and sexual experience of the “child.” Bull sent the UC explicit photos of himself to show to the “child.” During text conversations on the app between November 2022 and May 2023, Bull confirmed his desire to have sex with the “child,” and he sent the UC photos depicting young children being sexually abused. Bull solicited the UC to take and send to Bull explicit photos of the “child.”
On May 25, 2023, FBI agents arrested Bull and executed a search warrant at his Connecticut residence. A search of Bull’s cellphone revealed that it contained, among other things, at least 15 videos and 40 photos depicting children being sexually abused, including an infant.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville and New Haven, Connecticut. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys D. Rodney Brown and Kelly S. Milliron.
This case was brought 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 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, locate, and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Connecticut Man Sentenced to 37 Months for Fentanyl and Crack Cocaine Trafficking in Burlington, VermontRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The Acting United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Jahking Allah, also known as “Stop Sign,” 45, of Quaker Hill, Connecticut, was sentenced on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to 37 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Allah had previously pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl and crack cocaine.
According to court records, Allah sold cocaine base to a cooperating subject in Burlington on two dates in January 2024. Then, on January 19, law enforcement executed a search warrant at 195 St. Paul Street, Apt. A, where Allah was staying. Within the apartment, law enforcement found seven handguns, three of which had previously been reported stolen. This seizure was among the largest number of pistols that the Burlington Police Department has recovered during a single search warrant execution. Also within the apartment were numerous quantities of cocaine base and fentanyl, and multiple digital scales.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the Burlington Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Cate. Allah was represented Assistant Federal Public Defenders Emily Kenyon and Steve Barth.
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.
Concord Man Sentenced for Trafficking Methamphetamine and Illegally Possessing Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Concord man was sentenced yesterday in federal court for committing drug and firearms offenses in New Hampshire, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
Wayne Smith, 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Paul Barbadoro to 84 months in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release. On November 25, 2025, Smith pled guilty to three counts of distribution of controlled substances, namely methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, namely methamphetamine and fentanyl, one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition in furtherance of drug trafficking, and one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person.
“The defendant chose to arm himself with a gun in furtherance of his drug dealing,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack. “Let this lengthy sentence serve as a warning to others who choose to do the same in New Hampshire.”
"Yesterday’s sentencing serves as a powerful reminder that our efforts to protect New Hampshire’s communities from the dangers of illicit drugs remain unwavering,” said Colonel Mark Hall of the New Hampshire State Police. “The men and women of the State Police are dedicated to keeping our residents and visitors safe, and we will continue to hold those who endanger public safety accountable. This conviction reflects the relentless work of our State Troopers and the justice system’s commitment to ensuring that drug dealers face the consequences of their actions."
Between August 22, 2023, and September 6, 2023, Smith sold methamphetamine on three occasions, totaling over 80 grams. On September 12, 2023, Smith was arrested as he prepared to make another sale. On September 14, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant and recovered approximately 348 grams of methamphetamine, approximately 199 grams of fentanyl, a Ruger pistol, and pistol ammunition.
The New Hampshire State Police led the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Strelzin prosecuted the case.
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Cleveland Man Pleads Guilty to Driving to New York to Sexually Exploit 14-year Old GirlRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – David P. Greulich, 61, of Cleveland, has pleaded guilty to driving more than 400 miles across state lines to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, to child exploitation, to transporting visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and to possession of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), also referred to as child pornography.
According to court documents, in February 2024, Greulich started communicating with a 14-year old victim living in Jefferson County, New York, on the Snapchat cellphone application. After chatting through the app’s messaging function for several weeks, the defendant drove from his home in Cleveland to New York and picked up the victim from her home on April 20, 2024. He then took her to a hotel where he kept her for two days while he violently and sexually abused her which he recorded on a digital device. Greulich drove across state lines from Ohio to New York a second time on May 11, 2024, to again engage in illicit sexual conduct with the same victim. He took video and photographs of the victim which he later emailed to himself.
During a federal search warrant execution of Greulich’s home in Cleveland, investigators obtained several electronic devices which were found to contain CSAM, including a cellphone with more than 100 images of the victim by herself as well as with the defendant. Upon further investigation, an additional 14 sexually explicit video files of the victim were found in his personal cloud storage account.
Sentencing has been scheduled for June 23, 2025. The maximum sentence varies per count. The defendant faces a maximum combined term of imprisonment of 180 years.
A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Cleveland Office, with assistance from the Jefferson County (New York) Sheriff’s Office, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret A. Kane and Segev Phillips.
Clayton Man Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Assistance Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Darnell William King, age 42, pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to the indictment and information presented in court, King entered into separate conspiracies to commit Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) fraud and to use stolen identities to obtain personal lines of credit from various private lenders in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
“The Paycheck Protection Program was an essential tool used to support the economy against an unforeseen international health crisis and provide much needed relief for small businesses,” Acting United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar stated today. “Instead, King saw the PPP as an opportunity to commit serious fraud, and is being held responsible for his crimes because of the good work of IRS-CI and our other federal and state partners.”
“The defendant caused immeasurable hardship to innocent victims and businesses by stealing identities and using them to borrow money he never intended to repay,” said Special Agent in Charge Donald “Trey” Eakins, Charlotte Field Office, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. “IRS Criminal Investigation, along with our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney's Office, remain vigilant in finding, investigating and prosecuting those individuals who seek to willfully defraud the United States Treasury and blatantly disregard the victims of their schemes.”
According to the indictment, King and others recruited “mules” to obtain fraudulent personal loans. King created fake driver’s licenses and other identity documents using a true photo of the mule and stolen personally identifying information belonging to unknowing victims. The mules then used the fake identity documents and other forged business records to obtain personal loans based on applications for credit that King or others had previously submitted online. The mule would then deliver the loan proceeds to King or his co-conspirators and would receive kickbacks anywhere between $100 and $2,000. In a second conspiracy, King and other conspirators applied for a PPP loan in King’s name with falsified bank and tax records claiming that King had been working as an Uber driver before the pandemic, resulting in the disbursement of over $15,000 in funds guaranteed by the Small Business Administration. Finally, during the execution of a search warrant in Clayton seeking evidence related to the identity theft conspiracy, law enforcement discovered King in possession of a firearm with a high-capacity drum magazine, even though King is a previously convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms.
“This extensive investigation, known as Operation Overload, uncovered a sophisticated criminal enterprise that fraudulently utilized thousands of North Carolina driver licenses, resulting in financial crimes that impacted individuals across multiple states,” said Captain Vaughn of the North Carolina DMV License & Theft Bureau. “Bureau commends its inspectors, intelligence analysts, and all partner agencies for their hard work and collaboration. Their efforts underscore the importance of interagency cooperation in combating complex fraud schemes and safeguarding the identities of North Carolina residents.”
Sentencing will occur later this year before United States District Judge Richard E. Myers, II.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II accepted the plea. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations; the Wake County Sheriff’s Office; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles License & Theft Bureau. The Clayton Police Department and other local agencies have also aided over the course of the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Beraka and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley H. Foxx prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5-24-CR-00156.
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Bristol Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison for Role in Vehicle Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RYAN TESTA, 48, of Bristol, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his participation in a multistate identity theft and vehicle theft scheme that defrauded dozens of individuals and businesses out of more than $1 million.
According to court documents and statement made in court, beginning in approximately September 2020, Testa’s co-conspirator, Tyshon Walker, obtained personal information stolen from residents of Connecticut and other states and used it to apply for vehicle loans at dealerships in Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Rhode Island for luxury and performance vehicles, motorcycles, an all-terrain vehicle, and a boat. Once the loan was approved by the dealership using the identity theft victim’s information, Walker would send “runners,” to pick up the vehicle utilizing a fictitious driver’s license that included the identity theft victim’s information and a photograph of the runner. The vehicle was then transported back to Connecticut for resale on Facebook Marketplace.
In early 2023, Walker and his wife, Stephanie Perez, recruited Testa to be a runner. Between March and May 2023, at the direction of Walker and Perez, Testa used stolen identities to acquire at least nine vehicles with a total value of more than $500,000.
Testa has been detained since May 16, 2023, after he was arrested in Pennsylvania in connection with the attempted theft of a vehicle connected to this scheme. On February 27, 2024, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Walker and Perez pleaded guilty to related charges. On March 6, 2025, Perez was sentenced to 14 months of imprisonment. Walker awaits sentencing.
This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force, the Bridgeport Police Department, the Hopkinton (R.I.) Police Department, the Westtown – East Goshen Regional (Pa.) Police Department, and the Washington Township (N.J.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and Heather M. Cherry.
Bibb County Jail Escapee Sentenced to Life in Prison for Armed Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A Macon man who broke out of the Bibb County Jail in 2023 as he was awaiting federal sentencing for armed drug trafficking and who was later captured in Augusta, Georgia, allegedly possessing kilograms of fentanyl and methamphetamine plus firearms was sentenced to life plus five years in prison today.
Johnifer Dernard Barnwell, aka “Whoop,” aka “Malixe,” 38, was sentenced to serve life in prison after he was found guilty at trial of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine and heroin; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and cocaine base; and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on Oct. 2, 2023, in Case No. 5:22-CR-00009. In addition, Barnwell was sentenced to serve the statutory maximum of five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of escape from custody in Case No. 5:23-CR-62-001 on July 18, 2024. U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal handed down the sentences on March 11. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Despite his attempts to escape justice, Johnifer Barnwell has been held accountable for his criminal actions,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker. “Law enforcement officers risked their lives to ensure that a repeat felon was brought to justice and to prevent the distribution of some of the deadliest drugs in our state. I commend them, and our federal prosecution team, for their bravery and the excellent work in this case.”
“Gangs wreak havoc on local residents, engaging in violence and peddling dangerous drugs that devastate communities and families," said Senior Supervisory Special Agent Robert Gibbs of FBI Macon. "As this case demonstrates, cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement is vital to dismantling violent criminal enterprises and keeping our communities safe."
“The successful resolution of this case demonstrates the importance of our professional partnerships,” said U.S. Marshal Stephen D. Lynn. “Each agency played a specific and vital role in helping to bring Johnifer Barnwell to justice.”
“This sentence illustrates the penalty that repeat and dangerous felons face when they continue to cause havoc in our community,” said Bibb County Sheriff David Davis. “We can be grateful for the investigative work of the Bibb County investigators and our federal partners in bringing Johnifer Barnwell to justice after his jail escape and his attempt to return to a life of crime.”
According to court documents and statements referenced in court, Barnwell was tried and convicted on Oct. 2, 2023, of armed drug trafficking in Case No. 5:22-CR-00009. For more information about that case, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/jury-convicts-macon-residents-armed-fentanyl-meth-heroin-trafficking. At the time, Barnwell was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service (USMS) to await sentencing and was housed at the Bibb County LEC, a facility contracted by USMS to house federal inmates. Barnwell escaped from the Bibb County LEC on Oct. 16, 2023, with the assistance of several individuals. For more information on that case, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/convicted-armed-drug-trafficker-pleads-guilty-bibb-county-jail-escape and https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/macon-woman-who-assisted-bibb-county-jail-break-sentenced-prison.
Barnwell was captured in Augusta on Nov. 12, 2023, by FBI and Bibb County Sheriff’s Office deputies. He was alone in the house and was allegedly in possession of an AK-47 rifle with a loaded magazine; a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with 14 rounds; a .45 caliber pistol with a loaded magazine; an extended capacity magazine; a drum magazine; 23,000 grams of methamphetamine; and more than 3,200 grams of fentanyl.
The case was investigated by FBI, USMS and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom prosecuted the case for the Government.
Beresford Man Sentenced to over 33 Years in Federal Prison for Receipt and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Beresford, South Dakota, man convicted of Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on March 10, 2025.
Theodore John Jungbauer, age 61, was sentenced to 33 years and four months in federal prison. When released, he will be on supervised release for life. He was also ordered to pay $33,000 in restitution to several victims of the child pornography he possessed and distributed and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Once released from federal prison, Jungbauer will be required register as a sex offender.
Jungbauer was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2023. He pleaded guilty on November 12, 2024.
The conviction stemmed from Jungbauer receiving and distributing child pornography over the dark web from December 13, 2021, through August 24, 2023. While living in South Dakota, Jungbauer’s illegal online activity came to the attention of law enforcement in Australia. Australian officials contacted Homeland Security Investigations when they discovered Jungbauer was trying to share his library of child pornography over the dark web. His library included 3,695 files (images and videos) of child sexual abuse materials.
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 South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case.
Jungbauer was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Asbestos Removal Training Center Owner Sentenced for Making False Statements to the EPA and RI Health DepartmentRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – The owner of an asbestos abatement training center who falsified documents attesting individuals paid for, attended, and successfully completed an Environmental Protection Administration (EPA)-approved abatement training program when, in fact, no one attended the classes was sentenced today to two years’ probation, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
On multiple occasions, between 2021 and 2023, Jose Virgilio Fernandez, owner of Rhode Island Safety Environment Training Center, submitted documents to the Rhode Island Department of Health falsely certifying that participants attended all days of instruction and achieved passing examination scores.
As reflected in charging documents and information provided to the court, Fernandez falsely stated in signed documents that twenty individuals, whose names he provided, attended and successfully completed a five-day, 40-hour program the week of May 22, 2023. In fact, the only person who attended was an EPA agent acting in an undercover capacity who attended for two hours on the first day of classes.
The Toxic Substances Control Act, implemented by the EPA, requires that workers who perform asbestos abatement attend and pass an EPA-approved asbestos training program which, in Rhode Island, is overseen by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH).
Fernandez pleaded guilty on October 1, 2024, to a federal charge of making false statements. In addition to being sentenced to probation, U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., ordered Mr. Fernandez to complete ethics training prior to engaging further in providing asbestos abatement training programs or courses.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John P. McAdams with the assistance of EPA Regional Criminal Enforcement Counsel Man Chak Ng.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Criminal Investigation Division with the assistance the Rhode Island Department of Health.
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Arkansas man guilty of transporting illegal aliens in wheel well and fuel tankRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 48-year-old man from Jonesboro, Arkansas, has been convicted of unlawfully transporting four illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The jury deliberated for less than 30 minutes following a less than two-day trial before finding Noel Mercado guilty on two counts of alien smuggling.
On the evening of Jan. 5, Mercado drove to the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint in a Ford F350 pickup truck. After a K-9 alerted to the vehicle, authorities referred him for further inspection.
An x-ray scan revealed at least two individuals in the truck’s wheel wells – found bolted inside modified wheel well compartments. Law enforcement also discovered two more individuals in the auxiliary fuel tank below the truck bed.
All four were illegal aliens from the countries of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala with no authority to be in the United States.
At trial, Mercado claimed he had travelled to the Rio Grande Valley to trade baseball cards and other collectibles. He testified he had no idea any of the four individuals were concealed inside the truck he was driving. The jury did not believe his claims and found him guilty as charged.
“As the Department cracks down on human smuggling and illegal immigration, we can expect smugglers to get more desperate, and thus more creative,” said Ganjei. “I would like to thank the jury for their service.”
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales presided over the trial and set sentencing for June 11, at which time Mercado faces up to five years in federal prison for each count of conviction as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Lamont and Ashley Pruitt prosecuted the case.
Allston Man Charged with Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Allston man has been arrested and charged for allegedly trafficking methamphetamine, as well as ketamine and Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) – more commonly known as the “date rape drug” – out of his Allston home.
Peter Schiepers, 32, was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The defendant was arrested this morning and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, was detained pending a hearing set for March 14, 2025.
According to the charging documents in November 2024, law enforcement received information that Scheipers was supplying methamphetamine in and around the Boston area. Between November 2024 and February 2025, a cooperating source conduced multiple controlled purchases allegedly from Scheipers.
Specifically, it is alleged that on Nov. 25, 2024, Schiepers sold the cooperating source one ounce of methamphetamine and one vial of Butanediol (BDO), a GHB analogue. During the transaction, Schiepers allegedly discussed his background in cybersecurity and his use of anonymizing tools to mask his IP address when shipping drugs in the mail. Schiepers also allegedly directed the cooperating source to only communicate with him via the encrypted messaging application, Signal.
Schiepers allegedly conducted another drug transaction out of his Allston residence on Dec. 16, 2024, during which he allegedly sold the confidential source 111 grams of 100% pure methamphetamine and approximately one gram of ketamine.
In January 2025, it is alleged that Schiepers conducted a third transaction for another ounce of methamphetamine and one liter of BDO. Schiepers allegedly told the cooperating source that he received the BDO in Chinese shampoo bottles and that he also used an application that allowed him to anonymously send some shipments to hotels and convenience stores nearby.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Stephen D. Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston Police Department and the United States Postal Inspectors. Assistant U.S. Attorney John O. Wray of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.All Four Chinatown Walgreens Conspirators Have Pleaded Guilty in a Series of Inside-Job RobberiesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Michael Robinson, 34, and Kemanye Williams, 25, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to their roles in a series of seven inside-job robberies of the Walgreens drug store in the District’s Chinatown neighborhood.
The pleas were announced United States Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Michael Robinson, who was a store manager at the Walgreens, and Williams each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery) and using, carrying, possessing, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and aiding and abetting. In addition, Williams pleaded guilty to a second count of using a firearm during a crime of violence.
Two other co-conspirators entered pleas last month. Gianni Robinson, 27, pleaded guilty on February 28 to conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery) and using, carrying, possessing, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and aiding and abetting. London Teeter, 21, who was also employed at the Walgreen’s as a store manager, pleaded guilty February 13, to her role in the inside-job robberies.
The four defendants are each eligible for up to 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine when they are sentenced. The Honorable Jia M. Cobb scheduled a June 10 sentencing date for Michael Robinson. Kemanye Williams, Gianni Robinson, and London Teeter will be sentenced on June 12.
According to court documents, the four co-conspirators devised a scheme to carry out armed robberies of the Walgreens store in Chinatown nearly once a month, beginning in July 2023, when either Michael Robinson or Teeter were working. As a store managers, Michael Robinson and Teeter knew the timing of cash transfers within the business. The co-conspirators would also relay information to each other on how many armed security guards were present in the Chinatown Walgreens and how much cash was in the Manager’s Office at any given time.
When Michael Robinson was on duty, he gave the inside information to his nephew, Gianni Robinson, who then relayed it to Williams so that Williams could more easily rob the Walgreens.
The robberies occurred on July 18, 2023, August 2, 2023, September 2, 2023, November 10, 2023, December 4, 2023, January 9, 2024, and February 11, 2024. In their plea agreements, the co-defendants admitted that they stole and split at least $28,983.
In each robbery, Williams entered the Chinatown Walgreens wearing clothing selected to disguise his identity. Williams brandished a firearm at employees of the Walgreens, and at Special Police Officers assigned to guard the store, and then demanded business proceeds located in the Manager’s Office. Williams forced employees into the manager’s office or accessed the manager’s office using a code provided by Michael Robinson or Teeter. Williams then robbed the employees and fled through a rear exit.
Michael Robinson and Teeter took turns pretending to be the “victim” manager on duty, knowing that the robberies would be captured on internal surveillance.
Michael Robinson later admitted that he and Teeter reviewed internal surveillance footage of the robbery that occurred on August 2, 2023, and later discussed over text message as to how to make future robberies look more authentic. Michael Robinson asked Williams to assault him during the robberies to make the robberies look more real.
In response to the robberies, the Chinatown Walgreens hired armed Special Police Officers to protect the business.
On February 12, 2024, law enforcement searched the residence where Gianni Robinson and Teeter lived. Officers recovered a loaded Glock 45 pistol loaded with 16 rounds of 9mm ammunition from the bedroom floor.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force with assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin F. Song and Sarah Martin, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Svetoslavov of the Federal Major Crimes Section.
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10 March 2025
llegal Alien Sentenced for Large-Scale Phone ScamsRead the Press Release
OXFORD, MS – An illegal alien from India was sentenced on March 7, 2025 to five years in prison followed by five years of supervised release and ordered to pay more than $104,000 in restitution for committing wire fraud in connection with scamming victims.
According to court documents, Nooruddin Bhai Nasruddin, 52, was involved in a wire fraud conspiracy where the callers contacted victims and notified them that their bank accounts and/or social security numbers were compromised. The callers instructed the victims to withdraw the cash, which would be picked up by an alleged “federal agent,” which was in realty Nasruddin. The caller provided the victim with a special code to give to the “federal agent” (Nasruddin).
In May of 2024, Victim #1 in North Carolina received notification from a caller co-conspirator that Ticketmaster had a data breach, and Victim #1 was in the group of compromised accounts. The caller co-conspirator told the victim that the money in the victim’s bank account was not safe and instructed the victim to first deposit thousands of dollars into a Bitcoin (digital currency) machine, which the caller co-conspirator said was controlled by the government. In reality, the money went to the fraudsters. Then, the caller told the victim to withdraw all the money into the bank account and provide the money and a special code to a federal agent, who in reality was co-conspirator, Nasruddin. The victim withdrew the cash and gave it and the special code to Nasruddin, who was posing as a federal agent.
In August 2024, Victim #2 in Oxford, Mississippi, was contacted by the caller co-conspirator, posing as member of the Federal Trade Commission. The caller co-conspirator stated that the victim’s social security number and bank account was compromised. The caller co-conspirator instructed the victim to withdraw the money and give it to the federal agent for safekeeping. The caller co-conspirator also instructed the victim to send a picture of the money to the caller co-conspirator. Nasruddin (posing as the federal agent) showed up to pick up the money and was arrested by the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department.
U.S. District Judge Debra M. Brown sentenced Nasruddin to serve 60 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $104,000 in restitution to his victims.
Following the sentencing, both state and federal leaders acknowledged the importance of this investigation and prosecution to the State of Mississippi and condemned the defendant’s fraudulent actions.
“The United States of America will never tell citizens over the phone to withdraw their hard-earned money and send it to the government in cryptocurrency or for safekeeping. Too many fraudsters take advantage of the trust that Americans have in their government and government agencies. Those that abuse that hard earned trust will be prosecuted, and in this case marked for removal from our country as well.” U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner said. “The Lafayette County Sheriff and HSI did truly outstanding work in responding as quickly as they did in this case, and we appreciate the partnership that brought some measure of justice to this defendant.”
“This case highlights law enforcement partnerships addressing the criminal illegal alien issues in our communities,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune. “Our communities are safer today with this criminal being held accountable for his actions.“
“The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office is proud to have a great working relationship with our State and Federal Agencies,” added Sheriff Joey East of the Lafayette County, Mississippi Sheriff’s Department. “They eagerly jumped in and assisted our office with this investigation of fraud against our citizens. Our number one priority is and always will be the safety of our citizens in Lafayette County.”
The Department of Homeland Security and the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clyde McGee and John Herzog prosecuted the case.
Western District of Texas U.S. Attorney Announces More Than 150 Immigration Cases Filed in Final Week of FebruaryRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 153 immigration-related criminal cases between Feb. 24 and March 3. The following defendants are among those charged during this week:
A Mexican national was arrested in El Paso on criminal charges related to his alleged illegal re-entry. Jaime Perez Salinas was allegedly located without immigration documents that allowed him to be or remain in the country legally. Salinas has been removed from the U.S. twice before, the most recent removal being Dec. 27, 2024. He was convicted in 2018 and sentenced to 60 months in prison for distribution of 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. If convicted of the illegal re-entry charge, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
Honduran national Oscar Adrian Vasquez-Peraza was arrested after he was allegedly found approximately 1.69 miles west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry without immigration documents allowing him to be or remain in the U.S. legally. Vasquez-Peraza was convicted in January 2021 for robbery in Houston and deported to Honduras in June 2022.
Rene Garibay-Robledo was arrested on Feb. 25 in San Antonio during a traffic stop on criminal charges related to his alleged possession of a firearm as an illegal alien. Garibay-Robledo is a Mexican national who allegedly presented FBI agents and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers a Mexico ID and allegedly stated he lacked legal status to be in the United States. Additionally, the criminal complaint alleges Garibay-Robledo stated that he had one firearm—a pistol—at his house. During the execution of a federal search warrant at Garibay-Robledo’s home, three handguns, a semi-automatic CZ Scorpion EVO 3, approximately 450 rounds of mixed caliber ammunition, and 6.8 grams of a substance that tested positive for cocaine were seized. Garibay-Robledo faces up to 15 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, if convicted.
A criminal complaint filed in San Antonio alleges that Kevin Raul Corniel-Rodriguez is a Venezuelan national affiliated with the Tren De Aragua (TDA) Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) organization. Corniel-Rodriguez was arrested by the San Antonio Police Department on Dec. 24, 2024, for assault of a pregnant person and unlawful carry of a weapon. State charges were dismissed on Feb. 25. Corniel-Rodriguez was released into federal custody and charged with one count of illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
On Feb. 28, Simon Alexander Mendez, of Austin, was arrested near Eagle Pass during a U.S. Border Patrol Checkpoint vehicle inspection. USBP agents allegedly discovered an illegal alien in the trunk of the vehicle Mendez was driving. A criminal complaint alleges Mendez was transporting the illegal alien from Eagle Pass to San Antonio. He was previously convicted for the same offense in 2021, when he was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison with credit for time served for conspiring to transport two illegal aliens to Austin. On that occasion, Mendez’s human smuggling attempt was prevented by USBP agents in Uvalde.
On Feb. 27, Mexican national Pedro Luis Colmenero-Rangel was arrested by USBP near Carrizo Springs. Colmenero-Rangel had been previously removed from the U.S. through Brownsville in 2019. Prior to his deportation, he was convicted in the Southern District of Texas and sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison for his role in an alien smuggling conspiracy.
These 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), 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 additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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.
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Violent pimp who trafficked women through the west, beating and threatening them, sentenced to 15 years in prisonRead the Press Release
Seattle – A California man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 180 months (15 years) in prison for two federal felonies related to his sex trafficking of adult female victims, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Winston Cornell Burt aka “Dice Capone,” 32, of Hemet, California, was arrested November 6, 2022, after he brutally assaulted a 20-year-old woman and engaged in a rolling gun battle as she fled in a van driven by a man who picked her up from the middle of Aurora Avenue in north Seattle. The sentence will run concurrent with a 176-month sentence imposed in King County Superior Court.
At today’s sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge John H. Chun said, “This was horrific criminal conduct – outrageous conduct. He treated (the victims) terribly – and that is an understatement.” Judge Chun ordered Burt to be on 15 years of supervised release following prison.
“Winston Burt is a manipulative and predatory person who has supported a luxurious lifestyle for himself with the prostitution profits of his victims,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “His conduct – badly beating women in his control and engaging in a rolling gun battle when one person tried to escape – put our community at risk. Throughout his adult life, Burt has exhibited nothing other than disregard for the law and a complete lack of respect for women.”
In October 2024, Burt pleaded guilty to the federal charges of Sex Trafficking through Force, Fraud, and Coercion and Unlawful Possession of Firearms. In King County Superior Court, he pleaded guilty to three counts of Assault 2; Drive-by Shooting; Unlawful Imprisonment; and Assault-3.
According to records filed in the case, Burt self-identifies as a “pimp” who led a sex trafficking enterprise through California, Arizona, and Washington. The young women were required to provide all the money they earned in prostitution to Burt. Three women had his name tattooed on their faces – a sign of “ownership.”
On November 2, 2022, Burt assaulted the 20-year-old victim in this case by kicking her, punching her, and pistol whipping her after she indicated she wanted to stop working for Burt. The assault occurred at an Airbnb in south Seattle. Three days later, on November 5, 2022, Burt assaulted the victim again and forced her to strip to her underwear. The victim tried to escape from the rental home by jumping out a third story window. The defendant and two women working for him forced her into a car and drove towards a motel on north Aurora Avenue. Burt was armed with a gun, but the victim was able to get out of the car and ran into traffic on Aurora wearing only her underwear. Burt and his other female sex workers tried to force the victim back into the car, but the victim stayed in the middle of the roadway until finally she was picked up by a driver who saw her in distress.
Even after the victim was driven away in a van, Burt gave chase on Aurora Avenue and fired shots at the van with the victim inside. The driver was eventually able to evade Burt and called the Washington State Patrol for assistance.
Ultimately law enforcement responded to the scene and got the victim to Harborview Medical Center for treatment.
“As this case so horrifically illustrates, human trafficking is a violent crime and, more than that, constitutes modern day slavery,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “Even after the victim took extreme measures to try to escape, including jumping from a third-story window, Mr. Burt cruelly chased, assaulted, and shot at her and the driver who stopped to help her. He engaged in all this violence for what could be the most egregious of purposes: to return to unlawful captivity a human being he viewed, in effect, as his property. The FBI and our federal, state, and local partners will continue to pursue consequences for violent offenders befitting their crimes, and justice for their victims.”
Burt was arrested on November 6, 2022, as he was attempting to leave the Airbnb in south Seattle. In the car police recovered more than $41,000 in cash, and a firearm. At the time of his arrest Burt was wearing a $29,000 diamond necklace and a watch appraised for $85,000.
Law enforcement determined that Burt had used some of his illegal income to purchase a home in Arizona. When that home was searched, they recovered an additional firearm, methamphetamine and nearly $25,000 in cash.
Burt will forfeit both firearms and more than $72,000 in cash.
In asking for the 15-year sentence and 25 years of supervised release to follow, prosecutors wrote to the court, “Burt is a sex trafficker who used physical, mental, and emotional coercion to prey upon and control his victims for his own financial benefit. He forced his victims to walk the “track” and arrange dates with sex buyers, thus making them vulnerable to rape, assaults, or arrest. He also required the victims to follow his “rules,” which included tattooing his name on their faces and earning him at least $2,000 per day through commercial sex. Despite being a prohibited person, Burt routinely carried firearms and used them to further threaten and control his victims.”
Speaking to the court by phone today, the victim said Burt “gets a thrill from violence and hurting people. I was one of the lucky ones who got away.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, and Seattle Police Department with assistance from the Washington State Patrol (WSP). FBI Phoenix also assisted.
Senior Deputy King County Prosecutor Alexandra Voorhees worked closely with Assistant United States Attorney Kate Crisham on this case.
Valentine Woman Sentenced for Methamphetamine Conspiracy and Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that Venetia A. Torres, age 44, of Valentine, Nebraska, was sentenced on March 7, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for her role in a methamphetamine drug conspiracy. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Torres to 192 months on the drug offense and 180 months for being a felon in possession, to be served concurrently. There is no parole in the federal system. After Torres is released from prison, she will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
On May 9, 2023, U.S. Postal Inspection Service searched a USPS Priority Mail parcel mailed from Beaumont, California, to an address in Broomfield, Colorado. The package contained 1,075 grams gross weight of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. The same sender also sent a USPS Priority Mail parcel to Valentine, Nebraska. The package weighed 2 lbs. 13 oz. with a fictious return address and recipient based on addresses.
On June 7, 2023, Venetia Torres approached a postal contractor attempting to retrieve the package. Approximately two weeks prior, Torres attempted to retrieve a package addressed to a particular trailer mailbox even though USPS records showed no one currently assigned this mailbox.
On June 8, 2023, USPIS went to the North Platte Processing and Distribution Facility and located the subject parcel that led to Torres’s arrest. The parcel contained suspicious characteristics. A federal search warrant was obtained, and the contents revealed to be approximately 4.5 pounds of methamphetamine.
On Friday June 9, 2023, codefendant, Aaron Torres, accompanied by his minor brother, arrived at the post office and asked for and received the package containing methamphetamine. Both were detained and questioned by officers.
Defendant Venetia Torres, mother to both Aaron Torres and the minor sibling, arrived at the police department and admitted knowledge of the methamphetamine package and of two previous meth packages on May 22, 2023, and May 3, 2023. In Venetia’s vehicle officers found a Hi-Point .45 caliber handgun, which she admitted knowing was in the vehicle. Venetia Torres is prohibited from possessing firearms due to having prior felony convictions.
The narcotics were sent to a forensic laboratory for testing and confirmed as 1,700 grams of methamphetamine with 98% purity.
On December 6, 2024, codefendant Aaron Torres pled guilty to drug conspiracy. Sentencing has been set for March 14, 2025.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service
Utah Man Sentenced to Maximum Prison Term for Assaulting a U.S. Forest Service WorkerRead the Press Release
St. George, Utah – United States District Court Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen sentenced a Beaver County man to 364 days incarceration, followed by one year of supervised release after he assaulted a U.S. Forest Service (USFS) employee.
Kristopher Edward Boger, 52, of Beaver, Utah, was charged by superseding indictment with assault on an employee of the United States with a dangerous weapon in August 2024. In December 2024, he was found guilty of simple assault following a jury trial. Boger’s brother, Jeremiah Boger, was found not guilty of assault on an employee of the United States.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on May 10, 2023, a U.S. Forest Service engineer was on federal forest land examining the conditions of a USFS road that had been damaged due to frequent work truck traffic, making the road almost unusable. The USFS engineer observed attempted repair of the road by Jeremiah Boger, which was not consistent with a prior recommendation and remained deficient. As a result, the USFS engineer contacted Jeremiah, Kristopher and the contractor.
According to statements and testimony at trial, the meeting turned violent when Jeremiah pushed the USFS engineer. Almost immediately after, Kristopher struck the USFS engineer on the side of his head/face with a hard hat. Kristopher then put his hands around the USFS engineer’s neck, started to choke him, and said “I’m going to kill you…” The contractor intervened and pulled Kristopher off the USFS engineer. Kristopher then drew his handgun and fired it. The engineer and contractor then fled the scene and called 911.
In imposing the statutory maximum sentence for simple assault, Judge Allen noted the seriousness of the offense and that it was fortunate no one died as a result of the deadly altercation.
"No one should fear for their life while doing their job to ensure road safety for travelers,” said Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah. “Choosing violence is never the answer and our office along with our law enforcement partners will continue to prosecute crimes that threaten public safety in our communities.”
The case is being investigated jointly by the United States Forest Service and the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorneys Brady Wilson and Christopher Burton of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures Guilty Plea in To’Hajiilee Murder CaseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A To’Hajiilee man pled guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the beating and abandonment of a man in June 2020, which directly resulted in that man’s death.
According to court documents, on June 24, 2020, Antonio Chaco, 41, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, engaged in a verbal argument with John Doe outside Doe’s trailer home in To’Hajiilee. Without sufficient provocation or justification, Chaco struck John Doe in the face and proceeded to punch and kick Doe until Doe was unconscious.
Once Doe was immobilized on the ground, Chaco wrapped Doe in a carpet, placed him in the back of an SUV, and drove him to a remote location within the Navajo Nation. At this secondary site, Chaco continued to assault Doe before leaving him there, badly beaten and without any means of survival in the wilderness—no water, food, phone, or shade.
Police located John Doe’s skeletonized corpse in the To’Hajiilee wilderness on July 4, 2020. It was later determined Doe’s cause of death was homicidal violence including blunt-head trauma.
Area in To’Hajiilee where John Doe was discovered.
Chaco will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. At sentencing, Chaco faces up to life in prison.
Chaco is also under federal indictment for assaulting a federal detention officer at the Cibola County Correctional Facility on November 5, 2024. If convicted of that crime, Chaco faces up to 20 years in prison. That case is pending trial.
Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones and Brittany DuChaussee are prosecuting these cases.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Announce Canadian Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Destruction of Energy Facilities in Both North Dakota and South DakotaRead the Press Release
BISMARCK – District of North Dakota Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl, and District of South Dakota United States Attorney Alison Ramsdell announced that on March 10, 2025, United States District Court Judge Daniel M. Traynor sentenced Cameron Monte Smith, age 50, a citizen of Canada, to serve 150 months in federal prison for two counts of destruction of an energy facility, one act in the District of North Dakota and one act in the District of South Dakota, to be served consecutively, totaling 25 years, and to serve three years supervised release. Smith was also ordered to pay $2,124,974.38 in restitution to the victims.
On September 11, 2024, Smith pleaded guilty to the two offenses where he admitted to damaging the Wheelock Substation, located near Ray, N.D., in an amount exceeding $100,000, in May of 2023. The Wheelock substation is operated by Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative and Basin Electric Power Cooperative.
Smith also admitted to damaging a transformer and pumpstation of the Keystone Pipeline located near Carpenter, South Dakota, in an amount exceeding $100,000, in July of 2022. Smith damaged the Wheelock substation and the Keystone Pipeline equipment by firing multiple rounds from a high-power rifle into the equipment resulting in disruption of electric services to the North Dakota customers and resulting in disruption of the Keystone Pipeline in South Dakota.
“This sentence serves as a reminder that the Department of Justice will use all its resources to investigate and aggressively prosecute any attack on our critical civilian infrastructures,” said Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl, Acting US Attorney for the District of North Dakota. “Our law enforcement partners and career prosecutors in the Districts of North and South Dakota deserve recognition for working shoulder to shoulder to bring this defendant to justice, thereby protecting our citizens’ access to essential energy services.”
"This substantial sentence reflects the commitment of the Department of Justice, the United States Attorney's Offices for North Dakota and South Dakota, and our numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to relentlessly investigate, prosecute, and hold to account persons, wherever they are from, who intentionally seek to disrupt or destroy our nation's critical energy infrastructure,” said Alison J. Ramsdell, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota. “This sentence should stand as a stark warning to anyone seeking to interfere with our critical infrastructure—law enforcement will stop at nothing to track you down and bring you to justice."
“As a Canadian, Mr. Smith was barred from possessing firearms and ammunition in the United States,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Travis S. Riddle, of the St. Paul Field Division. “There are, of course, exceptions to the prohibition of non-U.S. citizens possessing firearms for things like hunting or other shooting sports, but Mr. Smith chose to illegally possess a firearm and ammunition to attack U.S. infrastructure, which simply cannot be tolerated. We are satisfied with the sentencing in relation to his guilty plea. And, as always, we are appreciative of our partners and prosecutors who helped to bring this case to a successful conclusion.”
“Smith orchestrated and carried out targeted attacks on critical energy infrastructure in North and South Dakota using a high-powered rifle, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and leaving homes and businesses without power," said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. "Attacks on our critical infrastructure threaten the security and daily lives of all Americans. The FBI remains laser-focused on protecting the essential infrastructure our communities rely on, and will continue to work with our partners to pursue and hold accountable those who resort to violence."
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Williams County (ND) Sheriff’s Office, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Clark County (SD) Sheriff’s Department, and the Beadle County (SD) Sheriff’s Department, and is being prosecuted by North Dakota Assistant U.S. Attorneys David D. Hagler and Jonathan J. O’Konek, and District of South Dakota Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Jehangiri, with the assistance of Trial Attorneys Jacob Warren and Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
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U.S. Attorney's Office Secures 14-Year Sentence for Arizona Drug TraffickerRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – An Arizona man was sentenced to 14 years in prison for drug trafficking and firearms offenses following his arrest at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in New Mexico in 2023.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on April 27, 2023, David Maldonado, 44, entered a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on U.S. Highway 70, west of Alamogordo, New Mexico. A Border Patrol canine alerted to the presence of illegal substances in Maldonado's vehicle.
Upon further inspection, agents discovered multiple illegal substances in Maldonado's backpack, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, psychedelic mushrooms, and marijuana. Agents also found a handgun, which was later determined to be stolen, and 69 rounds of ammunition. Maldonado, who was previously convicted of numerous felonies, is prohibited from possessing firearms.
Upon his release from prison, Maldonado will be subject to five years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Towanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration El Paso Division, made the announcement today.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case with assistance from U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Davon Aragon Martinez is prosecuting the case.
Two Venezuelan Nationals Charged with Possession of Fraudulent Permanent Resident and Social Security CardsRead the Press Release
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged two people from Venezuela with fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents.
Dicla Emirlania Perez Rodriguez, 33, and Emileth Noheni Briceno Rodriguez, 39, both citizens of Venezuela, were found to possess fraudulent permanent resident cards, also known as green cards.
According to court documents, on Feb. 17, 2025, the two women had been traveling with others and were discovered asleep in a parked vehicle outside a convenience store in Warren, Ohio. Warren City Police Officers were dispatched to the store after an employee could not awaken anyone in the vehicle. While on the scene, officers discovered that the vehicle registration plate did not match the vehicle, nor was the registered owner with the vehicle. Officers brought the two women, and the others in the vehicle, to the police station for questioning where a Spanish translator could facilitate communication with the defendants.
Upon further investigation, a database query on the number that appeared on a permanent resident card possessed by Briceno Rodriguez was linked to a Chinese national. A query on the permanent resident card possessed by Perez Rodriguez was found to be linked to a Cuban national.
Additionally, both defendants possessed Social Security cards in their names. However, upon further inspection, the numbers listed on each card were, in fact, issued to other individuals whose names did not appear on the cards.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal records, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Warren City Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David M. Toepfer.
Two Tulsans Sentenced for Running Illegal Dark Web Cryptocurrency PharmacyRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Two Tulsans were sentenced for selling illegal drugs on the dark web that were purchased from China, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Aaron Michael Thomas, 42, for Introduction of Misbranded Drug into Interstate Commerce, Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises for the distribution of Pregabalin, and Possession of Child Pornography. Judge Hill ordered Thomas to 78 months imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release.
According to court documents, in 2022, the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service opened an investigation into an illegal vendor selling drugs on the dark web. The vendor was suspected to be one of the largest illegal prescription drug vendors in the country. Drugs were being sold without the requirement of a prescription, and paid for via cryptocurrency. They were packaged with misleading and false labeling and did not have warnings or directions for safe use.
Law enforcement discovered the packages were being shipped by Thomas and his co-defendant, Darren Doil Means, from their home in Tulsa. Undercover agents successfully made three undercover purchases. In October 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant where agents seized more than 270 pounds of 21 different drugs or active pharmaceutical ingredients, including pregabalin and xylazine.
Thomas and Means had a room outfitted as a packaging and distribution center for their operation. Agents also found encapsulating devices for making drug capsules and misleading drug labels. The electronic devices recovered showed that Thomas illegally purchased all of the drugs from vendors in the People’s Republic of China and that he took deliberate steps to avoid detection by U.S. Customs when shipping the drugs into the United States. Additionally, the agents discovered numerous images of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Means, 59, pled guilty to Introduction of Misbranded Drug into Interstate Commerce and Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises. In January 2025, Judge Hill sentenced Means to three years of probation.
Thomas will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – Office of Criminal Investigations; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the FDA Office of Chief Counsel, Consumer Protection Branch; the Tulsa Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; and the FBI Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan E. Michel, Aaron M. Jolly, and Reagan V. Reininger prosecuted the case.
Two Peoria Men Sentenced for Drug and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – Kelvin Eugene Patterson, Jr., 39, of Peoria, Illinois, was sentenced on March 4, 2025, to twelve years of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for his role in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana. Patterson also must pay a fine of $26,140, which is separate from monies forfeited in the case.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Patterson with drug and firearm charges in May 2023. The grand jury later returned a superseding indictment adding Patterson’s partner, Marcus L. Burnside (a.k.a. “Pooty”), 30, also of Peoria, to the charges.
In June 2024, Burnside pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Patterson pleaded guilty to the conspiracy count in November 2024.
Burnside was sentenced on October 23, 2024, to a total of 120 months’ imprisonment, consisting of two consecutive 60-month sentences for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The court also ordered that Burnside serve four years of supervised release following his imprisonment.
At the sentencing hearing before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm, the government presented evidence that the two men engaged in a conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, marijuana from March 2021 through April 2023. At the time, Patterson maintained a loft apartment on Main Street in Peoria that he and Burnside used for the purpose of storing and distributing marijuana. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement observed several individuals leaving the building, who were stopped and searched, and various quantities of marijuana were seized. In total, Patterson and Burnside were responsible for the distribution and possession of 310 kilograms (683 pounds) of marijuana.
Also at Patterson’s sentencing hearing, Judge Mihm noted that Patterson’s above-guideline sentence was justified given the severity of the conduct involved in this conspiracy.
The judge also required both Patterson and Burnside to forfeit items recovered by law enforcement during a raid of the Main Street apartment, including a Glock model 30, .45 caliber handgun; $23,860.00; and a money counter.
The statutory penalties for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana are five to forty years’ imprisonment, and up to a $5 million dollar fine, followed by at least four years of supervised release. The penalties for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking are five years to life imprisonment, served consecutive to other sentences, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release.
The Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force, comprised of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Peoria Police Department; the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department; Illinois Department of Corrections; and the Illinois State Police, with the assistance of the Internal Revenue Service, investigated the case.
The case against Burnside and Patterson 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.
Twelve-Time Convicted Felon Facing up to Life in Federal Prison for Possession of A Loaded FirearmRead the Press Release
Ocala, FL – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Danny Baldwin (53, Tavares) with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Baldwin faces a minimum term of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison.
According to the indictment, Baldwin has 12 prior state felony convictions, including second-degree murder, arson, and aggravated assault with a firearm. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law. On May 22, 2024, Baldwin was in possession of a loaded firearm. Baldwin’s prior violent criminal record qualifies him for a sentencing enhancement as an Armed Career Criminal.
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 Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Eustis Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Belkis H. Callaos.
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.