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20 February 2025
U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe for the Southern District of Illinois departs from postRead the Press Release
FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – Rachelle Aud Crowe, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, who has served as the chief federal law enforcement officer in the district, has departed from the position, effective Feb. 18. She releases the following statement:
“It has been my honor to serve the Southern District of Illinois as the United States Attorney. Announcing my departure accompanies many emotions, but my heart is full of gratitude.
Working for the Department of Justice and leading an office of talented attorneys, dedicated legal staff and supportive administrative employees has been a lifelong dream. It was my privilege to guide the Department on matters of policy, procedure and management as a member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee and the Domestic Terrorism Executive Committee.
I have been fortunate to partner with the local, state and federal law enforcement officers to seek justice for victims and improve public safety. In addition to prosecuting hundreds of criminal cases, the office represented the government effectively in civil lawsuits and recovered millions of taxpayer dollars.
I will cherish the time I spent at the federal courthouses. I’m thankful to the district judges for their judicial oversight, it’s been my honor to work with and learn from them. The future for the office is bright, and I’m confident the employees will continue to exceed their high standard of excellence, integrity and functionality.
Thank you for the encouragement during my service.”
“From the beginning, USA Crowe has been a champion of the FBI mission,” said FBI Springfield Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson. “The combination of the FBI’s investigative efforts and the Southern District of Illinois’ commitment to uphold the law has brought justice for victims and made our communities a safer place to live.”
“It’s been a pleasure working alongside U.S. Attorney Crowe,” Drug Enforcement Administration St. Louis Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said. “She’s been a tremendous partner and we’re grateful for her service. Her commitment to helping remove the threat of drugs and those who distribute them across Southern Illinois has been invaluable.”
"U.S. Attorney Crowe has been a tremendous partner for the Illinois State Police," said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. "U.S. Attorney Crowe supported our Public Safety Enforcement Group and its work, bringing charges and winning convictions in numerous criminal cases, and was instrumental in holding people accountable and bringing them to justice."
“United States Attorney Rachelle Crowe has been an engaged and dedicated law enforcement partner, and we thank her for her dedication in the support of ATF’s mission in Southern Illinois,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Shannon Hamm. “ On behalf of the men and women of ATF, we wish nothing but the best for United States Attorney Crowe now and into the future.”
Ali M. Summers is the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. She joined the office as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2012.
Two Men and Woman Charged in Grand Jury Indictment Alleging Armed Robbery Spree of a Dozen Southern California BusinessesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury has returned a 12-count superseding indictment charging two San Fernando Valley residents and one Long Beach resident with committing armed robberies of smoke shops, donut shops, and convenience stores in Los Angeles and Orange counties during a two-week crime spree last year, the Justice Department announced today.
The following defendants were charged Wednesday by a federal grand jury with one count of conspiracy to commit interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), three counts of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of attempted Hobbs Act robbery:
- Antonio Lamar Bland, 36, of North Hollywood;
- Ronnie Tucker, 23, of Long Beach; and
- Abigail Luckey, 49, of North Hollywood.
Bland and Tucker also have been charged with one count of Hobbs Act robbery and four counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Bland also is charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition.
The defendants’ arraignment is expected in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles in the coming weeks. There is a May 6 trial date scheduled in this case. All three defendants have been in federal custody since last year.
“Members of the community should not have to think about being subjected to violence when they walk into a convenience store or business. The defendants’ pattern of violent conduct described in the indictment put innocent lives at risk,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph McNally. “Violent crime is a top priority for the US Attorney’s Office, and we are grateful for the teamwork of federal law enforcement and our local police departments to bring charges against these defendants.”
"Any time someone takes a gun into a place of business to rob it, victims are traumatized and there is a potential for tragic consequences," said Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. "If convicted, these individuals face significant prison time. Moreover, the FBI and our partners remain committed to pooling resources, intelligence, and skills that allow us to remain focused on one goal: keeping our communities safe."
“Investigators from the Burbank Police Department spent hundreds of hours investigating this robbery series,” said Burbank Police Chief Michael Albanese. “The Burbank Police Department is grateful for the assistance from our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office for their work in holding these individuals accountable for their actions. Our community is safer because of it.”
According to the superseding indictment, from January 29, 2024, to February 14, 2024, Bland, Tucker, and Luckey robbed 12 businesses in Los Angeles and Orange counties: one smoke shop in Tustin, nine 7-Eleven stores in North Hollywood, Burbank, Torrance, Van Nuys, Long Beach, Glendale, and Pasadena, and two donut shops in Los Angeles and Downey.
These commercial robberies typically occurred late at night and usually involved Bland and Tucker who entered each business wearing hooded sweatshirts and face masks. In several of the robberies, a getaway driver, Luckey, waited outside for Bland and Tucker to complete the robbery and fled the scene in a white four-door sedan owned by Luckey when they returned to the vehicle.
In the midst of the 12 robberies, on February 6, 2024, Bland and Luckey drove to Las Vegas and were legally married before returning to Southern California for their next robbery on February 8, 2024.
The armed robbery spree ended after Bland, Tucker and Luckey committed an attempted robbery of a donut shop in Downey during the early morning hours of February 14, 2024, court records show.
Once the subjects entered the donut shop, one yelled, “Open the cash register!” The employee noticed that one of the subjects, believed to be Bland, had what appeared to be a handgun tucked into his front waistband with the handle visible. Fearing that the subjects were going to harm him, the employee ran toward the rear kitchen area from behind the main sales counter. The subjects jumped the counter in pursuit of him. The employee retrieved his own firearm to defend himself. To deter the suspects from attacking him, he fired at least one shot, hitting a wall of the building.
After the employee fired, Bland and Tucker ran out of the store. Law enforcement witnessed the attempted armed robbery and, shortly afterward, pulled over a car containing Bland, Tucker and Luckey, and later retrieved a firearm from the vehicle.
In February 2024, Bland allegedly illegally possessed a firearm and ammunition. He is not legally allowed to possess them because of previous felony convictions in Los Angeles Superior Court for carjacking and possession of drugs in prison.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted of all charges, Bland, Tucker and Luckey would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each Hobbs Act robbery-related count. Bland and Tucker would face a statutory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison for each count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Bland would face up to 15 years in federal prison for each count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and being a felon in possession of ammunition.
The FBI and the Burbank Police Department are investigating this matter with assistance from the Tustin, Torrance, Long Beach, Glendale, Pasadena, Los Angeles, and Downey police departments.
Assistant United States Attorneys Diane Roldán of the General Crimes Section and J’me K. Forrest of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this case.
Tempe Man Sentenced to 47 Months in Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearms and Animal CrushingRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Eric Thomas Scionti, 36, of Tempe, was sentenced on Tuesday by United States District Judge John J. Tuchi to 47 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Scionti pleaded guilty to Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Prohibited Person and Animal Crushing in two separate cases on October 3, 2024.
On January 18, 2023, pursuant to a search warrant, federal agents seized six firearms and 1,826 rounds of ammunition from areas of a residence controlled by the defendant. Scionti had previously been convicted of multiple Arizona state felonies and was consequently prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition.
On September 29, 2023, federal agents received authorization to search records and information associated with Scionti’s email account. During that search, agents seized approximately 168 videos and 89 digital photographs depicting Scionti torturing and mutilating live pigeons.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigations in these cases. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecutions.
CASE NUMBER: CR-23-00600-PHX-JJT
CR-24-00890-PHX-JJT
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-019_Scionti# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Tampa Man with Prior Conviction for Trafficking in Cocaine Pleads Guilty to Possession of Cocaine with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Jose Pabon (45, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Pabon faces a minimum of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. This enhanced penalty is due to Pabon’s prior conviction for trafficking in cocaine in 2013. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on May 13, 2024, a detective with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office acting in an undercover capacity (UC) contacted Pabon’s co-conspirator by phone. The co-conspirator agreed to sell the UC a kilogram of cocaine for $21,000. The next day, through an exchange of calls and text messages, the co-conspirator and the UC agreed to meet to conduct the kilogram cocaine transaction at a location in Tampa. During the preceding communications, the co-conspirator told the UC that he was waiting on a source of supply to provide the kilogram of cocaine prior to being able to distribute it to the UC.
Prior to meeting with the UC, DEA agents observed the co-conspirator meeting Pabon. Surveillance footage from the transaction location showed Pabon and the co-conspirator having a short conversation outside Pabon’s vehicle. After this conversation, agents observed the co-conspirator retrieve an object from Pabon’s car, return to his own vehicle, drive across the parking lot to the UC’s location, and emerge from his vehicle holding a kilogram of cocaine. The cocaine was tested by the DEA laboratory and confirmed to be 1,012 grams of cocaine.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman.
Straw purchaser sentenced for unlawfully supplying firearms to illegal aliensRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 54-year-old Baytown resident has been ordered to prison for his role in firearms trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Eduardo Hernandez pleaded guilty Oct. 31, 2024.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Hernandez to serve 151 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about Hernandez’ activities, including his purchase of several firearms from a licensed dealer in the Houston area. He had also sent photos of the firearms to an individual in Michoacan, Mexico, to provide confirmation of the transaction. During his allocution, Hernandez apologized for his offense against the United States. In handing down the sentence, Judge Crane responded by commenting that the victim of this offense is really Mexico and how the people of that country suffer at the hands of cartel violence.
“Illegal aliens are prohibited from possessing firearms, period,” said Ganjei. “Hopefully Hernandez’s conviction and sentence will serve as a warning to others who would consider supplying guns to those illegally in the country.”
On Nov. 1, 2023, as part of an on-going criminal investigation involving the unlawful purchase, transfer and exportation of firearms and ammunition, authorities conducted a search of a residence. At that time, they discovered and seized multiple firearms from an individual unlawfully present in the United States who admitted the firearms were intended to be transported into Mexico.
The investigation revealed Hernandez had purchased two of the seized weapons - both rifles.
At the time of his arrest, Hernandez admitted to purchasing approximately 50 firearms from licensed dealers and private sellers and transferring those firearms to aliens unlawfully present within the United States. Hernandez also admitted having transported tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition to a home near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Hernandez was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
This case is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Texas Department of Public Safety - Criminal Investigations Division are conducting the OCDETF operation with the assistance of the Baytown Police Department. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roberto Lopez Jr., Lance Watt and Brittany Jensen are prosecuting the case.
Statement from Justice Department Chief of Staff Chad MizelleRead the Press Release
“Today the Department of Justice determined that multiple layers of removal restrictions shielding administrative law judges (ALJs) are unconstitutional.
Unelected and constitutionally unaccountable ALJs have exercised immense power for far too long. In accordance with Supreme Court precedent, the Department is restoring constitutional accountability so that Executive Branch officials answer to the President and to the people.”
St. John the Baptist Parish Man Guilty of Violating Federal Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
Correction: Continued investigation by agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) revealed that FREYRE-SOTO conspired with co-conspirators to conduct large-scale cocaine transactions utilizing a boat off the coast of the Gulf of America (Gulf of Mexico).
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – EDEL FREYRE-SOTO (“FREYRE-SOTO”), age 54, a resident of Laplace, Louisiana, pled guilty on February 18, 2025, to conspiracy to possess, and possession with intent to distribute, 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A) and 846, as well as possession, with intent to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A) before United States District Judge Darrel James Papillion, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
For each of the counts, FREYRE-SOTO faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years, up to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000, at least five years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court documents, on September 10, 2023, members of the St. John the Baptist Sheriff’s Office seized 69 kilograms of cocaine from FREYRE-SOTO at his residence in Laplace, LA. Continued investigation by agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) revealed that FREYRE-SOTO conspired with co-conspirators to conduct large-scale cocaine transactions utilizing a boat off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. On March 19, 2024, Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized 85 kilograms of cocaine from a co-conspirator’s residence in Laplace that had been smuggled in through the Grand Isle marina.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Sarver of the Narcotics Unit.
South Florida Lobbyist Guilty of Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
Correction: This press release was updated on February 25, to reflect that the sentencing hearing is set for May 14, at 11:00 a.m., rather than May 16. The May 16 date was an error.
MIAMI – Eston Eurel Melton III of West Palm Beach, Florida, has pled guilty to tax evasion, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7201.
Melton is a lobbyist specializing in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach County governments. According to court documents, Melton failed to pay approximately $1.2 million in taxes for tax years 2005 through 2014. By July 2019, his tax debt, including penalties and interest, was approximately $1.7 million. He evaded the Internal Revenue Service’s efforts to collect the taxes in multiple ways. First, to dissuade the IRS from seizing his residence, he represented to the IRS that he was attempting to sell the residence himself, but then undermined his realtor’s efforts to make the sale. Second, Melton owned a lobbying business, Global Projects, Inc. Melton signed approximately $67,000 in checks to himself from Global Projects and the checks were negotiated for cash. A close family member, identified in the court papers as Individual 2, then deposited the same or similar sums in cash into her account shortly Third, Individual 2 opened a lobbying business, Gryphon Partners, Inc., apparently competing with Global Projects. Gryphon Partners’ revenue rose while Global Projects’ fell, and many of Global Projects’ clients transferred to Gryphon Partners. Although Melton continued to provide almost all the lobbying services, Global Projects and Gryphon Partners paid him almost nothing after 2019, instead making all distributions to his family member. Fourth, Individual 2 bought a new home in West Palm Beach, where Melton and Individual 2 lived together. Individual 2 represented to the closing agent that Melton should not be on the deed because Individual 2 was buying the home with her own money. In fact, approximately two thirds of the cash to close was proceeds of Melton’s lobbying work at Global Projects and Gryphon Partners. Fifth, after December 2018, Melton had no checking account. Finally, Melton transferred four life insurance policies, with a total cash value of approximately $51,000, to Individual 2, as well as title to two cars.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for May 14, 2025, at 11:00 AM. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge Emmanuel Gomez of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Osborne for the Southern District of Florida is prosecuting the case. IRS-CI, Miami Field Office investigated it.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-80001.
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Serial Bank Robber Sentenced to 10+ Years in Federal Prison for Robbery Committed While on Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
A serial bank robber who robbed three banks while on supervised release for a prior bank robbery conviction was sentenced Thursday to more than 10 years in federal prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad Meacham.
Taurick Demon Walker, 43, was charged via criminal complaint in August 2023 and indicted the following month. He pleaded guilty in October 2024 to bank robbery and was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle to 105 months for the bank robbery plus 24 months for violating the conditions of his supervised release – which prohibited committing any felonies – for a total of 129 months in federal prison.
According to court records, Mr. Walker was convicted of bank robbery in March 2018 and sentenced to six years in federal prison. He served his time and was released in March 2023.
Just five months after his release, on Aug. 10, 2023, Mr. Walker entered a Regions Bank in Irving, passed a teller a note, and demanded “all your money now.” The teller handed over a wad of cash and Mr. Walker fled the scene.
Eight days later, on Aug. 18, Mr. Walker robbed two other banks: a Truist Bank in Dallas and a Wells Fargo in Garland. On both occasions, he approached a teller and pressed a note against the glass that read “Bank Robbery 20,000.”
Investigators were able to link Mr. Walker to both robberies using a network of FLOCK license plate readers.
In an interview with law enforcement, a family member told police she recognized a cowboy hat worn during one of the robberies as Mr. Walker’s.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Dallas, Garland, and Irving Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Withers prosecuted the case..
Saint Paul Man and Mounds View Woman Sentenced to Prison for Armed Carjacking in MinneapolisRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Saint Paul man has been sentenced to 51 months in prison, and a Mounds View woman will serve 41 months in prison for their respective roles in aiding and abetting a Minneapolis carjacking, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents, on October 6, 2023, Carvon Antonio Saine, 19, and his co-defendant Isis Martinaz Brent, a.k.a. Jayda Marie White, 20, approached an elderly victim who had just parked a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu on the street in South Minneapolis. Brent brandished a Carl Walther 9mm semiautomatic pistol and demanded the victim’s keys. During the carjacking, an associate of Brent’s forcefully snatched the victim’s bags, causing the victim to fall and suffer bodily injury on their hands and knees. The Malibu experienced mechanical issues and was later found abandoned. A short time later, Brent and Saine approached a second victim in a parking lot on Chicago Avenue South. Brent knocked on the window, demanded the victim’s keys, and again brandished the Walther semiautomatic pistol at the victim. The second victim was able to escape the attempted carjacking.
Saine and Brent were sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court before Judge John R. Tunheim, each on one count of aiding and abetting a carjacking.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minneapolis Police Department and the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Green prosecuted the case.
Sacramento Man Pleads Guilty to Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —Jordan Anthony Hughes, 24, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to production of child sexual abuse materials, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
According to court documents, in September 2022, Hughes knowingly used a child under the age of 12 to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of that conduct, in Sacramento. Hughes committed hands-on violations of the minor victim and took videos and pictures of that abuse. Hughes’ abuse of the child dated back to at least 2017. In addition, Hughes used the internet to convince other underage victims to send him images and videos depicting themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Hughes did this in part by posing as an underage male himself. Hughes also distributed images of child sexual abuse conduct, often under the guise of helping or teaching his victims how to perform certain sexual acts. At the time of his arrest, Hughes possessed voluminous child sexual abuse materials.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit of the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, which includes the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department as well as Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea J. Kenny is prosecuting the case.
Hughes is in custody and is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta on July 10, 2025. Hughes faces a mandatory statutory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
Sacramento Man Charged with Multimillion-Dollar Bank Fraud and Pandemic Loan Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a seven-count indictment last week against Akash Kumar Singh, 48, of Sacramento, charging him with four counts of bank fraud and three counts of money laundering, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. The indictment was unsealed following Singh’s arrest today.
According to court documents, Singh fraudulently obtained more than $3 million in Paycheck Protection Program loan funds intended to help small businesses maintain payroll and operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Singh obtained at least two PPP loans for a Sacramento software development company he purported to lead called Kryptoblocks. Singh falsely claimed that Kryptoblocks generated millions of dollars in revenue and paid millions of dollars in employee wages in 2019 and 2020. In reality, Kryptoblocks generated little to no revenues and employed no individuals in the United States during this time.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stefanki is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Singh faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million or of twice the amount of criminally derived property involved in each money laundering count. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This effort is part of a California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force operation, one of five interagency COVID-19 fraud strike force teams established by the U.S. Department of Justice. The California Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources in the Eastern and Central Districts of California and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces use prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
Russian and Uzbek Nationals Charged with Conspiracy to File False Voter Registration ApplicationsRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL — A Tampa grand jury has returned an indictment charging Dmitry Shushlebin, 45, a citizen of Russia living in Miami Beach, and Sanjar Jamilov, 33, a citizen of Uzbekistan living in St. Petersburg, with conspiring to submit fraudulent voter registrations and four counts of submitting fraudulent voter registrations. The indictment further charged Shushlebin with two counts of false statements. Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
According to court documents, Shushlebin and Jamilov conspired to submit 132 fraudulent voter registration applications to the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections in February and March 2023. These applications were submitted in names other than their own, in envelopes with return and address labels that were identically formatted, including containing the same typographical error, and bore various indicia of fraud including, among other things, repeating dates of birth and addresses and nearly sequential Social Security numbers. Change of address forms were also submitted to the U.S. Postal Service to route mail to the names and addresses on the fraudulent applications to three locations that Shushlebin and Jamilov allegedly controlled.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the FBI, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. This case began after a referral from the Florida Department of State, Office of Election Crime and Security.
Trial Attorney Leo J. Wise of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Marcet for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
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.
Rockland County Man Sentenced to over 21 Years in Prison for Distributing Fentanyl That Resulted in Six Poisonings, Including Multiple DeathsRead the Press Release
Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that JUSTIN TURNICK was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Philip M. Halpern to over 21 years in prison. TURNICK previously pled guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl. In his plea agreement, TURNICK took responsibility for distributing fentanyl that resulted in three fatal fentanyl poisonings and three non-fatal fentanyl poisonings of teenagers and young adults between February 2020 and April 2022 in Rockland County, New York.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “Justin Turnick’s actions didn’t just facilitate addiction—they fueled a crisis that has claimed lives and inflicted unimaginable suffering. The career prosecutors of this Office and our partners at the Drug Enforcement Administration and in local law enforcement remain resolute in our mission to combat the fentanyl epidemic and to seek justice for those who have suffered.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment, Court filings, and statements made in Court:
TURNICK engaged in the regular distribution of narcotics to members of his community in Rockland County, New York, including his friends, partners, and acquaintances. TURNICK knowingly distributed fentanyl — a deadly and highly potent opioid — in various forms, including fentanyl that had been packaged into pills, pure fentanyl, and fentanyl-laced powder.
TURNICK distributed fentanyl that resulted in three fatal and three non-fatal poisonings:
- On or about February 3, 2020, Gustaf Olsen died at age 19 as a result of fentanyl received from TURNICK.
- On or about July 11, 2020, Jonathan Shashoua died at age 22 as a result of fentanyl received from TURNICK.
- On or about January 5, 2021, an 18-year-old girl experienced a non-fatal poisoning as a result of fentanyl received from TURNICK.
- On or about July 30, 2021, Ione Koenig experienced a non-fatal poisoning as a result of fentanyl received from TURNICK.
- On or about July 31, 2021, Ione Koenig died at age 18 as a result of fentanyl received from TURNICK.
- On or about April 19, 2022, a 23-year-old man experienced a non-fatal poisoning as a result of fentanyl received from TURNICK.
* * *
In addition to the prison sentence, TURNICK, 26, of Congers, New York, was sentenced to 5 years of supervised release.
Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Clarkstown Police Department, and the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office. He also thanked the Ramapo Police Department, the Westchester County Police Department, the Yonkers Police Department, the Putnam County Sherriff’s Department, and the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office for their support and assistance in this matter.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan W. Allison and Kathryn Wheelock are in charge of the prosecution.
Rochester man pleads guilty to arsonRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Acting U.S. Attorney Joel L. Violanti announced today that Jermaine Fields, 38, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa to arson, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles E. Moynihan, who is handling the case, stated that on April 17, 2024, the Rochester Fire Department received an alarm call from the Abundance Co-Op Market on South Avenue in Rochester, for a fire in the men’s bathroom. When firefighters arrived, they entered the bathroom and smelled an odor of burning rubber, but there were no flames visible. Firefighters did observe burned debris with burn patterns on the floor and on the wall behind the toilet. Law enforcement reviewed security camera footage from the store, which depicted a person later identified as Fields, walking throughout the store and entering the men’s bathroom and then exiting. The store fire alarm activated seconds later. Fields was arrested several days later and charged with arson. Fields has also admitted to starting papers on fire in one of the stairwells at the Hall of Justice on Exchange Boulevard in Rochester on April 5, 2024.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Fire Department, under the direction of Chief Stefano Napolitano, the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 16, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Siragusa.
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Repeat Child Sex Offender Sentenced to More Than 22 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Chad Allen Pease (49, Fort Pierce) to 22 years and 7 months in federal prison for attempting to entice or induce a minor to engage in sexual activity and committing a felony offense involving a minor when required to register as a sex offender. A federal jury found Pease guilty on November 20, 2024.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on February 3, 2024, Pease began communicating with an undercover law enforcement officer (UC) whom Pease believed to be the father of a 13-year-old girl. Over the course of the conversation, Pease made plans to meet up with the UC and his “daughter” so that Pease could have sex with the child. Pease drove 18 miles to the meeting location and conducted counter-surveillance before fleeing the scene. Law enforcement identified Pease, reconstructed his activities that evening, and later arrested him at his residence.
Pease was previously convicted of a sex offense in 2008, after sending explicit photographs and traveling to have sex with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. He has been required to register as a sex offender ever since.
"This predator intentionally singled out a child, devised a plan, and executed it with the sole purpose of harming the most vulnerable in our community” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Pezzutti. “HSI investigators, alongside our partners, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, have successfully removed another predator from the streets.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard Varadan and Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Del Mastro.
Providence Woman Sentenced in Conspiracy to Smuggle Contraband Inside the Wyatt Detention CenterRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Providence woman who previously admitted to a federal judge that she provided contraband that made its way into the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, RI, was sentenced today to two years of federal supervised release, the first six months to be served in home detention with GPS monitoring, and fined $1,500, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Yahaira Cristina Contreras, 32, admitted that in early 2021, she conspired with others to provide 201 suboxone strips containing buprenorphine that made its way to a Wyatt Detention Center correctional officer and into the facility. Contreras admitted that she provided the contraband and that she transferred $3,000 from her bank account to another person’s account to facilitate getting the suboxone strips inside the Wyatt Detention Center.
Contreras’ sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose.
Former Wyatt Detention Center correctional officer Kaii Almeida-Falcones, 30, of Smithfield, pleaded guilty on June 10, 2024, to a charge of providing contraband to an inmate. He was sentenced on November 19, 2024, to six months in federal prison to be followed by twenty-four months of federal supervised release - the first six months to be served on home confinement.
The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ly T. Chin.
The matter was investigated by the FBI, the United States Marshals Service, the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General, and the Professional Standards Unit at the Wyatt Detention Center.
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Pelahatchie Man Sentenced to nearly Five Years in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Pelahatchie man was sentenced to 57 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Brad O’Neal Lee, 41, sold firearms to a pawn shop in Jackson, Mississippi. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives was alerted to the sale. Lee is a convicted felon, and therefore is prohibited by federal law from possessing any firearms or ammunition. Lee’s previous felony convictions on the date of the illegal possession were for residential burglary, false pretense, and uttering a forgery, for which he served several years in state prison.
Lee was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 6, 2023. He pled guilty on October 3, 2024.
Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.
The ATF investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Paxton Man Arrested for Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Paxton man has been arrested for allegedly reproducing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Barry Ward, 32, has been charged with reproduction of CSAM. Ward was arrested on Feb. 14, 2025 and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester, was ordered detained pending a further hearing scheduled for 2 p.m. today.
According to the charging document in October 2024, Ward was identified as a member in a Kik Messenger group used for sharing and discussing incestuous activities to include those involving minors. In private messages with undercover law enforcement, Ward allegedly stated he had a “private group” with other users who discussed the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. Ward was arrested on Feb. 14, 2025 following a search of his residence.Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274.
The charge of reproduction of child sexual abuse material provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Paxton Police Chief Mark Savasta made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danial E. Bennett of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
PDS Gang Leader Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Andre Alonte Willis, 33, of Washington, D.C., and a leader of the Push Dat Shit (PDS) street crew, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 240 months in prison on five felony convictions related to drug trafficking and firearms offenses in the District of Columbia.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean T. Ryan of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Field Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
On September 12, 2024, a jury convicted Willis, also known as “Boogie,” of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana; conspiracy to use, carry, and possess firearms and machine guns in furtherance of drug trafficking; illegal possession and transfer of a machine gun; possession with intent to distribute marijuana; and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Evidence at trial proved that Willis was a “big homie” in the D.C. street crew known as “Push Dat Shit” or “PDS,” and was the gang’s primary source of exotic strains of marijuana that he acquired from a variety of sources in California. FBI agents seized $150,000 in cash, along with a loaded handgun and marijuana packaged for distribution from Willis’ apartment when he was arrested.
PDS maintained gang territory on the 3300 – 3500 blocks of Wheeler Road, Southeast, and adjacent areas, and operated an open air drug market outside the Holiday Market. In approximately August 2018, PDS became allied with a neighboring street gang known as Jugg Gang, or “JG.” Between August 2018 and April 2023, members of the allied PDS/JG street crew sold drugs from Holiday Market and from “trap houses” that they maintained in apartment buildings surrounding that location.
As their drug business grew, PDS/JG became the target of drive-by shootings conducted by rival gangs – shootings they referred to as “spinning the block.” Beginning in approximately August 2019, a PDS/JG member began assembling and distributing fully automatic AR-Pistol assault rifles that he purchased as “kits” from online retailers. Such firearms are defined as “privately made firearms” by the ATF but are frequently referred to as “ghost guns” on the street. PDS/JG members used, carried, and possessed these “ghost gun” AR-Pistol machine guns in order to both defend their territory from rival gangs, but also to “spin the block” on rival gangs in order to deter and dissuade the rivals from entering PDS/JG territory. PDS/JG members “kept score” with rival gangs, and the points earned by “spinning the block” varied depending on the “importance” of the people that were injured or killed
In calculating Willis’ sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson included sentencing enhancements based on her finding that the conspiracy involved between 400 and 700 kilograms of marijuana, as well as her findings that Willis was a leader of more than five people in jointly-undertaken criminal conduct, and that he recklessly created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to others in the course of fleeing from the FBI to avoid arrest. Wills was also ordered to serve a five-year term of supervised release after completing his prison sentence.
This case was investigated by the FBI, ATF, and MPD. The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Nelson and Justin Song and Paralegal Specialist Melissa Macechko.
Owner of Unlicensed D.C. Row House Found Guilty in the Deaths of Two People in Fatal Kennedy Street FireRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – James G. Walker, 67, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today in Superior Court of the District of Columbia on two counts of second-degree murder, and 27 criminal building code violations, for the deaths of Fitsum Kebede and Yafet Solomen, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., Attorney General for the District of Columbia, Brian L. Schwalb, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division Anthony Spotswood, Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Chief John A. Donnelly, Sr.
Walker was indicted and arraigned on January 16, 2020, on two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of the lesser included charges of involuntary manslaughter and numerous criminal building code violations by Superior Court Judge Ronna L. Beck.
According to the government’s evidence, the defendant, James Walker, owned commercial property located at 708 Kennedy Street, N.W. Walker did not have a certificate of occupancy for the building and the structure was in violation of several fire safety codes. Walker operated the building as an illegal “rooming house.” Some of the building’s rooms were too small to be considered habitable space; some had no windows, and the defendant failed to install or maintain functional smoke alarms throughout the building, including the basement. The most egregious violation, however, was the failure to provide an unobstructed means to escape the property, which included erecting multiple security gates that required keys from both sides, the worst offense being a double-keyed security gate installed within the property that blocked access from the kitchen to the front door. Importantly, the defendant had received specific warnings on March 21, 2019, from the Metropolitan Police Department that the building was in violation of several building codes specifically related to fire safety and hazardous conditions. He was instructed to correct the conditions and have the building inspected for residential use. He did not.
On the morning of August 18, 2019, a fire erupted in the basement of 708 Kennedy Street. Three tenants were present at the time of the fire. 40-year-old Fitsum Kebede and 10-year-old Yafet Solomen were in the basement and were unable to exit the premises. They subsequently died from thermal burns and smoke inhalation. The government’s evidence was that the defendant’s knowledge of the danger posed by the conditions of the property and his conscious disregard of the extreme risk that death or serious bodily injury could occur were the but-for cause of the deaths of the decedents.
This case was jointly tried by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the District of Columbus Office of the Attorney General.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Martin, D.C. Attorney General Schwalb, ATF Special Agent in Charge Spotswood, MPD Chief Smith, and Fire and EMS Chief Donnelly, commended the work of the ATF Arson and Explosives Task Force that investigated the case, including MPD, ATF, and Fire and EMS. Finally, they acknowledged the work of Assistant United States Attorney Vinet Bryant, Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Cargill and Assistant Attorney General Keith Ingram who prosecuted the case.
Owner of School Equipment Company Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Fort Worth ISDRead the Press Release
The owner of a company that distributed school swag pleaded guilty to defrauding the Fort Worth Independent School District, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad Meacham.
Virenkumar Patel, the 33-year-old owner of VR Group Promotions, was indicted in January. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to three counts of wire fraud.
According to court documents, Mr. Patel admits that in the spring of 2021, the principal of a Fort Worth ISD high school told Mr. Patel she needed to purchase planners, notepads, and flash drives for the school. Knowing that the district required principals to obtain three quotes before agreeing to purchase such items, Mr. Patel fabricated to quotes from competitors, along with a quote from VR Group Promotions, which quoted the lowest price. Mr. Patel hand-delivered the quotes to the principal, who selected VR Group’s $18,287 quote.
In the winter of 2022, the principal of another Fort Worth ISD high school told Mr. Patel he needed to purchase flash drives. Mr. Patel again fabricated two competitor quotes, along with a quote from VR Group Promotions, which quoted the lowest price. The principal selected VR Group’s $5,250 quote.
In spring 2023, the principal of the first high school again contacted Mr. Patel, and told him that she needed to purchase headphones, wireless charges, and power banks for the school. Once again, Mr. Patel fabricated competitor quotes, and once again, the principal selected VR Group Promotion’s $9,245 bid.
Mr. Patel now faces up to 30 years in federal prison per count. His sentencing hearing has been set for June 6, 2025.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney P.J. Meitl is prosecuting the case.
Owner of Durable Medical Equipment Companies Charged in Nearly $30 Million Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The owner of Pharmagears, LLC (Pharmagears) and RR Medco, LLC (RR Medco) has been charged in connection with a nearly $30 million fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME), including orthotics such as back and knee braces.
Raju Sharma, 61, of Sharon, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Sharma was arrested this morning and later released on conditions following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston.
“As alleged, Mr. Sharma exploited vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries and defrauded the system of millions of dollars meant for legitimate medical care. His actions caused millions of dollars of waste on DME products beneficiaries did not need and did not want. He did this to enrich himself – and allow him to purchase luxury cars and high-end watches – all at the expense of the American people,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “This office will continue to hold accountable those who undermine the integrity of our healthcare system for personal gain. Fraudsters who think they can manipulate the system without consequence should take heed: we will investigate you, we will prosecute you, and we will hold you accountable to ensure that justice is served.”
“Today's arrest underscores HHS-OIG's commitment to protecting patients and taxpayers from fraudulent schemes that exploit our health care system and are motivated by pure greed,” stated Special Agent in Charge Roberto Coviello with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to investigate allegations that individuals and entities are profiting from deceiving and abusing federal health care programs.”
“Raju Sharma apparently thought he had hit upon a surefire moneymaker when he allegedly conspired with others to fraudulently bill Medicare for almost $30 million worth of durable medical equipment that was unwanted, unnecessary and useless to patients so he could purchase luxury vehicles and expensive watches for himself,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division. “Health care fraud isn’t some quick and easy way to bulk up your bank account. It’s a costly, consequential federal crime that strains the system and cheats the taxpayers who fund it. Anyone involved in, or entertaining, similar activity should know that the FBI will pursue anyone trying to steal from this country’s vital health care system.”
According to the charging documents, between February 2021 and February 2025, Sharma, on behalf of Pharmagears and RR Medco, entered into contracts with telemarketing companies that generated DME orders by targeting Medicare beneficiaries. Sharma then allegedly billed Medicare for this medically unnecessary DME, which Medicare beneficiaries often did not want or could not use and/or a medical practitioner ordered without having met or examined the beneficiary or were ordered by the fraudulent use of practitioners’ national provider identifiers without their knowledge or assent. It is alleged that these DME orders were also obtained in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute, because although Sharma agreed in the contracts to pay the marketing companies a flat fee for their services, Sharma in fact paid the marketing companies on a per-lead, or per-order, basis.
It is further alleged that Sharma worked with multiple other co-conspirators, including family and acquaintances, to open and operate additional DME companies in the same fraudulent manner. In total, the companies owned, operated, or connected with Sharma allegedly billed Medicare approximately $29.6 million for these fraudulent DME orders and were paid approximately $15.8 million. According to the charging documents, Sharma made substantial profits from this alleged fraud, which he used to purchase luxury goods, including two Ferraris, a Mercedes-Benz Model S and at least three Rolex watches. The Court issued seizure warrants for these luxury goods in connection with today’s charges.
The charge of conspiracy to commit health care fraud provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, supervised release for up to three years, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary 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, HHS-OIG SAC Coviello and FBI SAC Cohen made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Marshals and the Sharon Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Graber and Sarah Hoefle of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Oakland Resident Convicted of Dealing Firearms Without A License and Illegally Possessing Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
OAKLAND – Robert Davis was convicted of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license and firearms possession by a federal jury, announced Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Cicolani.
The jury found Davis, 31 of Oakland, California, guilty of selling for profit firearms that he purchased illegally in Texas. The jury also found that on a separate occasion Davis illegally possessed a firearm and ammunition as a felon. The jury acquitted Davis of an additional charge that Davis had possessed and shipped firearms. The verdicts followed a week-long jury trial before the Honorable Araceli Martínez-Olguín, U.S. District Judge.
Evidence at trial showed that Davis travelled back and forth between California and Texas, where he illegally bought firearms at gun shows. After purchasing the firearms, the defendant shipped the firearms back to the Bay Area where he advertised and sold them for profit, principally using Instagram. The evidence further showed that on December 22, 2021, law enforcement searched the defendant’s residence and found a loaded 5.7mm firearm in his home. Law enforcement also found more than 100 rounds of ammunition throughout the apartment as well as in Davis’s vehicle. Because Davis previously had been convicted of a felony, he was ineligible to possess the firearm and the ammunition.
Davis is currently in custody pending sentencing which has not yet been scheduled.
The maximum statutory penalty for the violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(1)(A) is five years in prison and a fine of $250,000, and the maximum statutory penalty violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) is ten years in prison and a fine of $250,000. However, any sentence will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evan Mateer and Jonah Ross are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kevin Costello, Mark DiCenzo, and Amala James. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the ATF, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, and Fort Worth (TX) Police Department.
Norman Gray, Founder and CEO of Biomedical Company, Sentenced for Defrauding Investors of More Than $13 MillionRead the Press Release
Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that NORMAN GRAY, the founder and CEO of a biomedical company (the “Biomedical Company”), who defrauded investors of over $13 million, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer to 10 years in prison. GRAY was convicted of wire fraud at trial on May 29, 2024.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “Norman Gray preyed upon people who wanted to invest in developing life-saving medicine for children with a rare and generally fatal disease. Gray gained his victims’ trust by lying about everything from his educational background and to his supposed access to off-shore trusts he could use to fund his company alongside the investors. He even submitted false patent applications, invented a fake mortgage company, and forged FBI background check records. Thanks to the work of the career prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners, Gray has now received just punishment.”
According to the Superseding Indictment, public filings, public court proceedings, the evidence presented at trial and in connection with sentencing:
At all relevant times, GRAY was the founder and CEO of the Biomedical Company, which is headquartered in Hamden, Connecticut. GRAY presented himself to investors (including “Victim-1” and “Victim-2”) and others as a billionaire scientist and successful entrepreneur with a Ph.D. from MIT at the helm of a company he was personally funding that was potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars. GRAY claimed to have previously created a successful medical equipment company (“Prior Company”) with over 1,000 employees, which was earning approximately $900 million in revenues before GRAY sold it to a foreign pharmaceutical company. GRAY claimed that he put the profits from the sale of the Prior Company into his offshore trust (“Offshore Trust”), which he claimed held more than $300 million, and which he was using to self-fund the Biomedical Company. In reality, GRAY did not have a Ph.D., had not created or sold a nearly billion-dollar company, did not have access to hundreds of millions of dollars to fund Biomedical Company, and, as of 2020, both he and the Biomedical Company were in significant debt.
Beginning in 2016, GRAY also claimed to employees and investors in Biomedical Company, including Victim-1 and Victim-2, and in written investment materials, that a flagship medication being developed by Biomedical Company was approved for compassionate treatment in Saudi Arabia, where it was saving the lives of two specific children who were suffering from a rare and generally fatal disease known as MVID. Victim-2 sent $200,000 to GRAY to continue funding this supposed program. GRAY submitted treatment data from the supposed program in patent applications for the flagship drug. But the program did not exist.
Based on GRAY’s misrepresentations, between 2018 and 2020, Victim-2 invested approximately $7.6 million in the Biomedical Company through wire transfers into accounts controlled by GRAY. In May 2020, at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, GRAY fraudulently induced Victim-2 to invest into a joint venture with GRAY to purchase personal protective equipment (“PPE”) and resell it to hospitals and universities in the United States and Spain. GRAY provided Victim-2 with fabricated purchase orders from two New York-area hospitals purporting to show that he had close to $8 million of committed sales. Victim-2 sent three wire transfers totaling $1,751,342 to GRAY’s account. Ultimately, the PPE that GRAY purchased could not be sold, because it was defective or otherwise not fit for market, and Victim-2 lost the $1.75 million supposedly invested by GRAY into the PPE project.
In or about August 2020, GRAY induced Victim-1 to send him $250,000 as a purported investment in the Biomedical Company. Rather than purchase equity for Victim-1, GRAY used nearly all of Victim-1’s $250,000 payment to repay a loan that GRAY had taken out from a tenant in the same building where the Biomedical Company is headquartered in order to make payroll. In the ensuing weeks, GRAY extracted an additional $1,217,000 from Victim-1, representing that Victim-1’s funds would be invested in deals involving the procurement of PPE for two major universities in the tristate area who committed to close to $8 million in sales in essentially the same amounts as GRAY’s prior fabricated purchase orders sent to Victim-2. Notwithstanding the losses Victim-2 had already experienced through GRAY’s venture, GRAY falsely represented to Victim-1 that his prior PPE deals had turned a 40% profit within 90 days, that he already had purchase orders in hand for PPE worth nearly $8 million, and that, therefore, the risk was “virtually zero.” In reality, over the preceding months, GRAY had accumulated a vast inventory of unsellable PPE, the purported purchase orders were recycled fakes, and GRAY did not invest Victim-1’s funds in PPE. Instead, GRAY misappropriated Victim-1’s funds, in part, to purchase himself a nearly $1 million home, a $50,000 luxury SUV, and to pay down $200,000 of his and his family’s credit card debt.
As part of his scheme to defraud Victim-1, and as a means of dispelling Victim-1’s concern that an investment with GRAY might require Victim-1 to forego the purchase of a home, GRAY offered Victim-1 a mortgage from a purported boutique mortgage company of which he was the sole investor. GRAY directed Victim-1 to a purported mortgage broker that worked for this boutique mortgage company. In reality, both the mortgage company and the mortgage broker were completely fabricated by GRAY and did not exist. To further this aspect of the fraud on Victim-1, GRAY registered an internet domain in the name of the purported mortgage company and created an email address in the name of the invented mortgage broker contemporaneously with making his false representations to Victim-1. As GRAY’s fraud began to unravel in or about early November 2020, GRAY promised to return all of Victim-1’s money. Ultimately, GRAY never returned any money to Victim-1 and, after Victim-1 asked GRAY to provide her with the purported PPE purchase orders from the two universities, she never heard from GRAY again.
Victim-2 was a board member of the Biomedical Company at the time that GRAY defrauded Victim-1. Following Victim-1’s report of GRAY’s fraud to the board in November 2020, accompanied by publicly available evidence of GRAY’s prior criminal history, GRAY reassured Victim-2 that he had no criminal history beyond driving infractions. GRAY also produced to the board a fraudulent record purportedly from the FBI disclaiming any criminal history and falsely asserting that GRAY had a “top secret” clearance status renewed on November 14, 2016. After being reassured by GRAY that Victim-1’s allegations were meritless, Victim-2 provided approximately over $2.3 million in loans separate from his over $7.5 million of Vanessa investments and $1.75 million of PPE investments.
At trial, GRAY obstructed justice by attempting to introduce into evidence a false document supposedly drafted after GRAY’s fraud on Victim-1 was complete and purporting to memorialize an agreement by Victim-1 to “convert” her PPE investment into shares of Biomedical Company.
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In addition to the prison term, GRAY, 69, of Hamden, Connecticut, was sentenced to 3 years of supervised release. GRAY also was ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $1,467,000 and to forfeit his interest in the home and luxury vehicle discussed above. The Court also ordered restitution of $1,533,675 to Victim-1.
Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of Homeland Security Investigations. Mr. Podolsky also thanked the New Haven Police Department, as well as law enforcement authorities in the United Kingdom and Spain and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, for their assistance.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin A. Gianforti, Vladislav Vainberg, and Jessica Greenwood are in charge of the prosecution.
Murder and Other Charges Filed in March 6, 2019 Stabbing of Natina KiahRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Lamont Stephenson, 50, of Washington, D.C., was indicted on first degree murder while armed and cruelty to animals from a stabbing and strangulation that took place in Southeast Washington in March 2019, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Stephenson allegedly committed these offenses while on the run for the October 2014 killing of his then-fiancée and her dog. He has since pleaded guilty to the charges in the 2014 case and has been sentenced to more than 30 years of incarceration.
According to the indictment, the defendant is charged with stabbing Natina Kiah and strangling her cat to death in the early morning hours of March 6, 2019, Stephenson was brought to D.C. and arraigned on the charges on February 14, 2025, during a hearing before Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman.
In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Martin and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Merikas, who is investigating and prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
Mission man sent to prison for drug trafficking, againRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 56-year-old convicted felon has been ordered to prison for drug trafficking while on federal supervision, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Salvador Noyola pleaded guilty May 3, 2024.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Noyola to serve 188 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. On supervised release when he committed the crime, the court included 18 months as part of the sentence for violating that term. In handing down the sentence, Judge Crane warned Noyola, stating “You’ve got to get out of this business… I hope that you will find another way to make money.”
In December 2023, authorities arrested Noyola following a search at his residence.
At the time of the search, law enforcement seized over a kilogram of powdered cocaine.
Noyola will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
This case is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Texas Department of Public Safety - Criminal Investigations Division are conducting the OCDETF operation with the assistance of the Hidalgo County Sheriffs Office and the Mission and Alton police departments. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roberto Lopez Jr., Lance Watt and Brittany Jensen are prosecuting the case.
- Michigan Man Indicted on Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft Charges
Miami Tax Return Preparer Agrees to Permanent Injunction and DisgorgementRead the Press Release
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida issued a permanent injunction earlier this week against Miami tax return preparer Dieuseul Jean-Louis, which bars him from preparing or assisting in the preparation of federal income tax returns, working for or having any ownership stake in any tax preparation business, assisting others set up business as a preparer and transferring or assigning customer lists to any other person or entity.
The court also ordered Jean-Louis to disgorge $245,275 in ill-gotten gains he received from his return preparation business. Jean-Louis agreed to both the injunction and ordered disgorgement.
According to the complaint, Jean-Louis, doing business as DJL Multi-Services, prepared returns for customers that claimed, without their knowledge, various false or fabricated deductions and credits, including falsifying charitable and mortgage interest deductions, knowingly reporting fake or inflated business expenses and fraudulently claiming various credits like the Fuel Tax Credit and American Opportunity Credit. The complaint further alleged that Jean-Louis falsified customers’ income and filing statuses to increase the amount of the Earned Income Tax Credit, and that Jean-Louis has prepared thousands of tax returns for customers for over a decade.
The complaint also asserted that Jean-Louis furnished to his customers copies of returns that were different from the returns filed with the IRS, where the return filed with the IRS claimed a higher refund, which allowed Jean-Louis to retain the additional amount for himself without the customers’ knowledge.
The Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also offers guidance on the credentials and qualifications that taxpayers should seek from their return preparer.
In the past decade, the Justice Department’s Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Jean-Louis PI and Order.pdfMexican National with 12 Prior Occasions of Illegal Reentry into the United States and Three Prior Federal Convictions is Sentenced to Serve Four Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – GERONIMO ESTRADA-VILLA, 46, a Mexican citizen, has been sentenced to serve 48 months in federal prison for illegally entering the United States after deportation, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to public record, on October 5, 2024, a police officer with the Oklahoma City Police Department conducted a traffic stop of Estrada-Villa, the driver of the vehicle. Estrada-Villa did not possess a valid driver’s license and had an active state felony warrant. Public records reflect the warrant stemmed from Estrada-Villa allegedly violating the terms and conditions of a deferred sentence for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia in Oklahoma County District Court Case CF-2004-3202. The officer arrested Estrada-Villa and booked him in Oklahoma County jail, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers later took him into custody and determined that he was a Mexican citizen.
On October 15, 2024, a federal Grand Jury returned an Indictment against Estrada-Villa, charging him with reentry of a removed alien. On November 19, 2024, Estrada-Villa pleaded guilty to the charge before U.S. District Court Judge Jodi W. Dishman.
At the sentencing hearing on February 20, 2025, Judge Dishman sentenced Estrada-Villa to serve 48 months in federal prison. In announcing her sentence, the court noted the nature and circumstances of the offense, Estrada-Villa’s criminal history, and the need to deter him from illegally reentering the U.S. On at least 12 prior occasions, Estrada-Villa had illegally entered the U.S., voluntarily agreeing return to Mexico on seven of those occasions and being formally deported on five of those occasions. Judge Dishman also noted Estrada-Villa’s three prior convictions in federal court for illegal reentry into the U.S., which had resulted in federal prison sentences of 27 months, 37 months, and 40 months.
This case is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Hale prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Mexican National Guilty of Re-entry of a Deported AlienRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that JOEL BECERRA-CESARIO (“BECERRA-CESARIO"), age 38, a native of Mexico, pled guilty on February 18 2025 to illegal reentry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a) and 1326(b)(2).
According to court documents, BECERRA-CESARIO, an illegal alien with a prior felony drug conviction, was found in Kenner, La. on October 20, 2023. He had previously been deported to Mexico on May 15, 2014. His prior drug conviction in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Kansas was for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and resulted in a 135-month prison sentence.
At the sentencing hearing scheduled for May 27, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey, BECERRA-CESARIO faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Spiro G. Latsis of the General Crimes Unit oversees the prosecution.
Mexican Man Found Guilty of Illegal Reentry After DeportationRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Celso Diaz-Martinez, age 52, of Mexico of Illegal Reentry After Deportation following a day-long jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on February 18, 2025.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of two years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, one year of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Diaz-Martinez was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2024.
Evidence at trial established that Diaz-Martinez is not a U.S. citizen and had been deported from the United States on four prior occasions. Diaz-Martinez was found in Meade County, South Dakota, in November of 2024. He had not obtained consent for re-entry into the United States from the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Meade County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anna Lindrooth and Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.
A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Members of illegal alien rip crew convicted in armed robbery conspiracyRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Two Honduran brothers who had been illegally residing in Houston after numerous removals have been found guilty of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and related offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The jury deliberated for approximately five hours before convicting Edwin Olivares-Calderon, 51, and Marcos-Olivares Calderon, 42. The seven-day trial included testimony from two confidential informants and 10 law enforcement officials and approximately 100 exhibits.
“With today’s guilty verdict, there are two fewer violent criminals operating in Houston, and that means a safer community for everyone” said Ganjei. “The Southern District of Texas thanks the jury for their service.”
Both men were members of the Los Tumbadores rip crew, an armed robbery group of Honduran illegal aliens that focused on targeting drug traffickers, alien smugglers and illegal game room operators.
The jury heard that the Olivares-Calderon brothers attempted to rob approximately 27 kilograms of cocaine between March 11, 2016, and March 21, 2016, first from a tire shop on Crosstimbers and then from a BMW that had just crossed the U.S.-Mexican border in Hidalgo.
The brothers had been using a tracker to surveil a vehicle that was believed to be transporting cocaine. Law enforcement then identified that vehicle and on March 19, 2016, recovered 27 kilograms of cocaine from underneath the center console. Marco Olivares-Calderon and others later attempted to locate the vehicle they believed was loaded with drugs.
Upon the arrest of Marco Olivares-Calderon, authorities discovered a loaded firearm behind the glove compartment in the dashboard of his car.
The defense attempted to convince the jury there was insufficient evidence that they were at the identified locations, and if they were present, that they did not plan to engage in any criminal activity. The jury did not believe those claims.
U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett presided over trial and set sentencing for May 22. At that time, the bothers face up to 20 years for the armed robbery conspiracy. Edwin also faces up to two additional years for illegal reentry after removal, while Marcos could receive up life imprisonment and 15 years, respectively, for his convictions of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine and being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. They will remain in custody pending that hearing.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Houston Police Department conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection, Citizenship and Immigration Services and Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office. 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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Laurence Goldman and Anh-Khoa Tran prosecuted the case.
Man Who Robbed National Chain Stores in San Antonio Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced in federal court to 78 months in prison after his plea of guilty to Hobbs Act Robbery.
According to court documents, James Anthony Kirkwood, 70, robbed six national chain stores around San Antonio between Jan. 28 and 31, 2023, using an Airsoft gun, which employees believed to be a real handgun. Over those three days, Kirkwood robbed two Dollar General stores, two Dollar Trees, a PetSmart and a Big Lots. At the time of the robberies, Kirkwood was on state parole for aggravated robbery. He was arrested Feb. 13, 2023 and pleaded guilty in July 2024.
Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the San Antonio Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William Calve prosecuted the case.
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Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Armed Kidnapping of Ride Share DriverRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Miguel Alejandro Pastran Hernandez, 24, was sentenced today to 144 months in federal prison for kidnapping a rideshare driver at gunpoint and forcing the victim to drive the defendant from Texas to South Florida.
Chief Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga sentenced the defendant to 60 months as to Counts 1 and 2, kidnapping and carjacking, and imposed the mandatory 84-month term of imprisonment for Count 3, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, to be served consecutively.
On or about Aug. 16, at around 10:30 p.m., Victim 1 was working as a driver for a ride sharing application near Arlington, Texas, when Victim 1 picked up Pastran Hernandez. Victim 1 drove Pastran Hernandez to his destination, which was a gas station that appeared to be closed. After a short time, Victim 1 heard the click of a gun being chambered and saw Pastran Hernandez holding what appeared to be a firearm. Victim 1 offered to give Pastran Hernandez the victim’s possessions and leave the vehicle, but Pastran Hernandez told Victim 1 that he was going to tie the victim up and put the victim in the back of the vehicle.
Instead of tying up Victim 1, Pastran Hernandez ordered Victim 1 to drive to Florida. Pastran Hernandez used a mobile application on his cellphone to see where law enforcement was located along the drive and instructed Victim 1 to avoid those areas. Pastran Hernandez told Victim 1 that he had other guns in the car, inside his luggage. While driving from Texas to Florida, Pastran Hernandez discovered that Victim 1 had a blue handgun in the vehicle. The firearm was unloaded, with the ammunition stored separately in the vehicle. Pastran Hernandez loaded the ammunition into the firearm and kept it on his person for the duration of the kidnapping. During the journey, Pastran Hernandez brandished that firearm at Victim 1 so that Victim 1 would follow his commands.
On or about Aug. 18, Pastran Hernandez and Victim 1 arrived in Miami Beach, Fla., where Pastran Hernandez surveilled the residence of another potential victim (Victim 2). Pastran Hernandez told Victim 1 that Victim 2 was a social media influencer, and that Pastran Hernandez intended to kidnap Victim 2 or someone in Victim 2’s family for a $3,000,000 ransom.
On or about Aug. 19, Pastran Hernandez made Victim 1 drive to a store in Hialeah, Fla., to buy supplies for the kidnapping of Victim 2. Pastran Hernandez held onto Victim 1’s car keys, while Victim 1 used the restroom. Around that time, police officers arrived at the store and Pastran Hernandez fled the area on foot.
Law enforcement located Pastran Hernandez at a park in Hollywood, Fla. a few hours later. On Pastran Hernandez’s person, inside a cross-body bag, was Victim 1’s blue handgun. The firearm was loaded and had a bullet in the chamber.
Inside Pastran Hernandez’s backpack, which was in Victim 1’s car, law enforcement later discovered multiple Airsoft or BB guns, knives, a black mask, hat, sunglasses, binoculars, walkie-talkies, zip-ties, and other items.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge Justin E. Fleck of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Hannah prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20380.
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Long Island Investment Advisor Charged in Superseding Indictment with Attempted Obstruction of Justice, Bank Fraud Conspiracy, Wire Fraud Conspiracy and Money Laundering Conspiracy ChargesRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, a superseding indictment was filed that added two counts against Adam Kaplan for attempted obstruction of justice in connection with a grand jury investigation in the Eastern District of New York and during his pretrial release on fraud charges. The superseding indictment also added additional charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud against Adam Kaplan for conduct, including while on pretrial release, as well as an additional charge of money laundering conspiracy against Adam Kaplan and Daniel Kaplan. In July 2023, Adam Kaplan and Daniel Kaplan, investment advisors with a financial services firm (Financial Services Firm), were charged in a 16-count indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, investment advisor fraud and money laundering in connection with a scheme to defraud at least 50 victims of more than $5 million. The defendants, who are twin brothers, will be arraigned on the superseding indictment at a later date.
John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the charges.
“As alleged in the superseding indictment, before his arrest, and while he was aware of a grand jury investigation into his crimes, Adam Kaplan attempted to threaten and injure victims and witnesses and bribe law enforcement,” stated United States Attorney Durham. “But his disregard for the law and court-ordered rules didn’t stop there, he also repeatedly and flagrantly violated his conditions of pretrial release. This Office will not tolerate attempts by defendants to undermine the criminal justice process and will prosecute them to the full extent of the law.”
Mr. Durham thanked the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Chicago office, for its work on the case.
"Adam Kaplan allegedly ordered threats be made to his victims and attempted to bribe authorities to disrupt a federal investigation into the brothers’ misconduct,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy. “Kaplan’s alleged actions reflect remorselessness as he continued to make concerted efforts to protect his multimillion-dollar fraud scheme even following his initial arrest. The FBI will never tolerate individuals who prey upon populations for personal wealth, and then resort to extreme measures to conceal their egregious wrongdoings.”
As set forth in court filings and the underlying indictment, between May 2018 and November 2022, Adam Kaplan and Daniel Kaplan defrauded at least 50 clients of the Financial Services Firm, including some elderly and disabled victims, of at least $5 million. Between January 2023 and September 2024, Adam Kaplan and a co-conspirator defrauded additional individuals of approximately $1 million and also conspired to defraud a financial institution.
The superseding indictment charges that, between April 2023 and September 2024, while aware of a federal grand jury investigation into the brothers’ conduct, Adam Kaplan attempted to influence, obstruct and impede the underlying investigation, including through attempts to threaten, injure and pay off witnesses, and destroy evidence. Specifically, Adam Kaplan (i) ordered an associate to create a fake email from a victim so that Adam Kaplan could use the fake email as evidence at trial and to impeach that victim’s credibility; (ii) engaged in a months’ long fraudulent scheme to steal money from victims; and (iii) attempted to tamper with, threaten and pay off witnesses, including telling his associate that a victim needed “to fear,” that a victim should be “peeing blood / missing teeth and another visited / scared,” that a victim should be sent skull and crossbones imagery, and that his associate should “put [a victim’s] phone on fire . . . Seriously, please blow it up.” After his arrest, while on release on a multimillion-dollar bond, Adam Kaplan (i) attempted to bribe a Department of Justice official; (ii) continued his fraudulent schemes and continued to pay off witnesses; and (iii) committed credit card fraud. To perpetuate these crimes, Adam Kaplan used multiple burner phones to avoid detection and monitoring by law enforcement, used aliases, attempted to break into others’ email accounts and attempted to destroy evidence.
If you were a client of Adam Kaplan or Daniel Kaplan and would like to file a complaint, please visit www.iC3.gov. Please reference “Adam Kaplan” or “Daniel Kaplan” in your complaint.
The charges in the superseding indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Adam Toporovsky and Paul Scotti are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Janelle Robinson.
The Defendants:
ADAM S. KAPLAN
Age: 35
Great Neck, New YorkDANIEL E. KAPLAN
Age: 35
Great Neck, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-293(S-1) (JMA)
Lebanon County Man and Diesel Vehicle Repair Shop Indicted for Violations of Clean Air Act and Conspiring to Defraud the United States and Violate the Clean Air ActRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Roy Ladell Weaver, age 41, of Jonestown, PA, and Pro Diesel Werks, LLC, were indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to impede the lawful functions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and to violate the Clean Air Act, and individual violations of the Clean Air Act.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges between 2013 and March 12, 2024, Weaver, owner of Pro Diesel Werks, LLC, doing business as Pro Diesel Werks, and Pro Diesel Werks, along with multiple co-conspirators, disabled the hardware emissions control systems on the diesel vehicles of Pro Diesel Werks customers (a practice referred to as a “delete” or “deleting”), defeating the systems’ ability to reduce pollutant gases and particulate matter being emitted to the atmosphere. It is further alleged that Weaver, Pro Diesel Werks, and their co-conspirators also tampered with the emissions diagnostic systems on the vehicles to prevent the diagnostic system software from monitoring the emission control system hardware deletes (a practice referred to as a ‘tune” or “tuning).
The case was investigated by the EPA’s Criminal Investigations Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Williams, Special Assistant United States Attorney Patricia C. Miller, and Environmental Crimes Section Trial Attorney Ronald A. Sarachan are prosecuting the case.
The maximum total penalty under federal law for these offenses is nine years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Law Enforcement Seizes Range Rover and over $4 Million in Health Care Fraud Proceeds from Miami Couple Charged with Health Care Fraud and Money Laundering ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Magaly Travieso, 53, of Miami, Fla., was charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, and Yudorki Ramirez, 52, of Miami, Fla., was charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to the allegations, Travieso was an advanced practitioner registered nurse and the owner of ProMed Healthcare, L.L.C., a medical clinic that purportedly provided back and shoulder braces, physical therapy, psychosocial rehabilitation, and other mental health therapy services to beneficiaries with commercial insurance, Medicare, and Medicare Advantage Plans, and to Medicaid recipients. From approximately March 2019 through at least January 2023, Travieso allegedly conspired with others to submit over $20 million in fraudulent claims for reimbursement, of which ProMed received over $10 million.
Once those health care fraud proceeds were deposited into ProMed’s bank accounts, Travieso and her former spouse, Ramirez, allegedly used the fraud proceeds for their personal use and benefit. For example, allegedly, Travieso spent approximately $75,000 in proceeds on the purchase of a 2021 Land Rover Range Rover in the name of ProMed and approximately $750,000 in proceeds on the purchase of her residence in Miami, Florida. Similarly, Ramirez allegedly spent approximately $141,923.02 of proceeds on the purchase of his residence in Miami. Ramirez also allegedly transferred approximately $2,068,904.55 of health care fraud proceeds to his investment accounts. In June 2024, pursuant to seizure warrants, law enforcement seized Travieso’s Range Rover and over $4 million in health care fraud proceeds from bank accounts belonging to Travieso and Ramirez.
Hayden P. O’Byrne, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge Justin E. Fleck from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Miami Field Office, Acting Special Agent in Charge Isaac Bledsoe of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier for the Florida Office of the Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) made the announcement.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Miami Field Office, Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Egozi is prosecuting the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster is handling asset forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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Law Enforcement Cooperation Between United States and Mexico Results in Mexican Takedown of Cartel-Linked Alien SmugglersRead the Press Release
Last night, extensive bilateral cooperation between the United States and Mexico resulted in the Mexico Attorney General’s Office “Fiscalía General de la República” (FGR) conducting a significant enforcement operation to dismantle a prolific transnational alien smuggling organization operating in Juarez, Chihuahua, along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The targeted alien smuggling organization, a group based in Juarez, Mexico, utilizes smuggling corridors centered in the Anapra, Chihuahua / Santa Teresa, New Mexico area, employs Mexican nationals, many of whom are current and former members of various Mexico-based cartels, and is alleged to be responsible for illegally smuggling large numbers of individuals, including children, from Central America into El Paso, Texas. The criminal organization is also alleged to have kidnapped aliens seeking to enter the United States illegally and extorted their families for money before completing their smuggling journey. The enforcement operation included the execution of two arrest warrants in Mexico for alleged alien smugglers Brian Alan Torres Gonzalez and Soledad Morales Nava. Torres and Morales are Mexican citizens and will be prosecuted in Mexico in part with evidence provided by the United States.
“On her first day in office, the Attorney General directed the Department of Justice to prioritize efforts to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and empowered Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) to increase their contributions to this fight,” said Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s action by Mexican authorities is the latest example of how JTFA provides critical contributions to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department, and its law enforcement partners, to target human smugglers and enhance coordination in transnational law enforcement efforts to better combat these criminal organizations.”
U.S. authorities provided assistance to the Mexico Attorney General’s Office through coordination under JTFA, which, since its creation in 2021, has marshalled the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to enhance U.S. enforcement efforts against the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Colombia, and Panama. Attorney General Pamela Bondi has elevated JTFA to the Office of the Attorney General, to be jointly supervised by the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. The task force focuses on disrupting and dismantling smuggling and trafficking networks that abuse, exploit, and endanger migrants, pose national security threats, or are involved in organized crime. JTFA comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the border, along with dedicated prosecutor support by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section; the Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training; the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; the Office of Enforcement Operations; the Office of International Affairs; and the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 350 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of human smuggling; more than 300 U.S. convictions; more than 245 defendants sentenced, including significant jail sentences imposed; and substantial seizures and forfeitures of assets and contraband including millions of dollars in cash, real property, vehicles, firearms and ammunition, and drugs.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) El Paso assisted foreign investigative efforts in the United States, working in concert with the U.S. Border Patrol. Support from ICE HSI-Mexico City was critical in providing coordination between American and Mexican law enforcement agencies. The Justice Department — including the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas in El Paso, HRSP, and the Office of the Judicial Attache in Mexico City — provided significant assistance in this matter.
Lackawanna man pleads guilty to defrauding MedicaidRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Acting U.S. Attorney Joel L. Violanti announced today that Munef Fadhel, 37, of Lackawanna, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to health care fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, who is handling the case, stated that between June 2017, and December 2020, Fadhel defrauded the Medicaid program. Fadhel was an owner of Great Lake Transportation, Inc., a transportation company that provided rides to Medicaid beneficiaries. While working at Great Lake Transportation, he knowingly submitted multiple false and fraudulent records seeking transportation reimbursement for trips. Fadhel submitted claims for shared rides which he certified as individual rides in order to claim a higher reimbursement amount. This resulted in a loss to Medicaid in excess of $95,000.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, and the New York State Department of Financial Services, under the direction of Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 19, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Sinatra.
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Kissimmee Man Sentenced to Ten Years for Attempting to Meet A Minor to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Julie Sneed has sentenced Pooran Ramjattan (61, Kissimmee) to 10 years in federal prison for attempted enticement to meet a minor to engage in sexual activity. Ramjattan pleaded guilty on November 21, 2024.
According to court documents, on May 1, 2024, an undercover agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation posed online as a 13-year-old girl. Ramjattan contacted the undercover agent’s account and, after learning the child’s age, engaged in a sexually explicit conversation. Ramjattan then arranged to meet the “child” at a predetermined location in Orange County to engage in sexual activity. When Ramjattan arrived at the meeting location, he was arrested by law enforcement.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Orlando Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaley Austin-Aronson.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Kershaw County Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Gun and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Cameron Jones, 26, of Camden, has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a felon and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that on April 1, 2022, an officer with the Camden Police Department was patrolling a local park due to recent violence in the area. When the officer approached the park, Cameron Jones began to run from the officer while holding his waistband. The officer chased Jones and saw Jones throw items into some bushes. The officer eventually caught Jones. While Jones was detained, officers with the Camden Police Department and Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office went back to the area where Jones threw items into the bushes and found a tan pistol with a drum magazine and 24.11 grams of cocaine. Additionally, Jones had over $3,700 in cash in his pockets. Further investigation revealed that Jones' DNA was on the firearm and that he had previously posted pictures with the firearm on social media.
The court also heard information that on Dec. 19, 2023, FBI agents and officers with the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office and Camden Police Department arrested Jones after he was indicted by a grand jury for his conduct on April 1, 2022. After his arrest, the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant on his home and found, multiple handgun magazines, marijuana, methamphetamine, and 18 machine gun conversion devices (also known as Glock switches), and a magazine matching the firearm from April 1, 2022.
Jones has a prior conviction for distribution of cocaine which prohibits him from possessing a firearm or ammunition and was a known member of a gang at the time of his arrest.
United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson sentenced Cameron Jones to 93 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office, and the Camden Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Sanford are prosecuting the case.
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Jamestown man going to prison for his role in narcotics conspiracyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. –Acting U.S. Attorney Joel L. Violanti announced today that Kyle Lewis, 33, of Jamestown, NY, who was convicted of narcotics conspiracy, was sentenced to serve 84 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who handled the case, stated that Lewis sold heroin and fentanyl, which he received from co-defendants Holly Berenguer, Richard Philbrick, and Joseph Zaso. He used electronic media to carry out his drug trafficking activities, including Facebook and CashApp. In March, June, and July of 2022, investigators conducted five controlled purchases of narcotics from Lewis.
Defendants Berenguer, Philbrick, and Zaso were previously convicted and are awaiting sentencing.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson, the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division, and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone.
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Inmate Sentenced to Two Additional Years of Prison for Possession of ContrabandRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A former resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to two years of imprisonment on his conviction of possession of contraband in prison, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence on Lafon Ellis, 30, who is currently incarcerated at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center.
According to information presented to the Court, throughout 2023, Ellis repeatedly possessed contraband and otherwise violated the law through his conduct while imprisoned at the Allegheny County Jail. On February 17, 2023, a search of Ellis’s cell revealed a Schedule I controlled substance commonly referred to as K2. On May 3, 2023, a search of his cell revealed a piece of paper that subsequent testing revealed to be K2. He also had 16 intact Suboxone strips and 57 partial Suboxone strips. On August 9, 2023, a search of Ellis’s cell revealed eight sheets of K2. A search of his cell on December 10, 2023, revealed marijuana, K2, and Suboxone. Additionally, Ellis was the subject of about two dozen other misconduct reports, most of which related to Ellis refusing to obey valid orders, threatening employees, engaging in physical altercations with employees, fighting with other inmates, threatening to kill a correctional officer, and possessing a nail that he was fashioning into a weapon.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the United States Marshals Service and Allegheny County Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Ellis.
Indictment Adds Murder and Other Charges Against Maryland Man Accused of Shooting a DCHA OfficerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Victor Scott Terrill, 41, of Landover, Maryland, was charged in a 10-count superseding indictment, filed yesterday in U.S. District Court, with first-degree murder while armed and related counts, announced U.S. 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.
The new charges stem from the February 23, 2024, fatal shooting of a man identified as R.C., and the nonfatal shooting of another man, while Terrill was on pre-trial release in a D.C. Superior Court matter.
Terrill was initially arrested on February 29, 2024, for the shooting of a District Housing Authority Police Officer at a Southeast apartment building in Washington’s Navy Yard neighborhood. He was subsequently charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer (felony) while armed and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, and related offenses for that conduct. A Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun, recovered in a trashcan following his arrest, was also linked to the February 23 murder and nonfatal shooting.
With respect to the fatal shooting, Terrill is charged with one count of first-degree murder while armed (premeditated), one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. With respect to the nonfatal shooting of the other man, Terrill is charged with one count of assault with intent to kill while armed, one count of assault with significant bodily injury while armed, and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Terrill is further charged with committing these offenses while on pretrial release in a Superior Court matter.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office's Violent Crimes Task Force and the MPD. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ariel Dean, Justin Song, Meredith Mayer-Dempsey and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Horan for the District of Columbia.
A criminal indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Indian National Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Defrauding Elderly Victims of Nearly $6 MillionRead the Press Release
AUSTIN, Texas – An Indian national was sentenced in a federal court in Austin today to 97 months in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to court documents, Moinuddin Mohammed, 34, engaged in a conspiracy to launder proceeds of a scheme to defraud elderly victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold. Mohammed was a courier who picked up the cash and gold from vulnerable elderly people. The international conspiracy originated from India and involved the impersonation of government officials in order to convince the victims to turn over millions of dollars from their retirement and savings accounts.
Multiple victims were contacted by a person claiming to be the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, who told the victims that they were under investigation or at risk of financial loss. The victims were told that they would need to deposit cash, gold or other items of financial value in order to resolve the investigation or prevent the loss. One victim was defrauded of more than $300,000, another was defrauded of approximately $151,500, and a third victim lost a total of approximately $470,000 to the fraud scheme. Nationwide, investigators identified 21 victims who lost a total of nearly $6 million to the scheme.
In addition to his imprisonment, Mohamed will pay full restitution in the approximate amount of $960,000, forfeits $20,000 in cash that was seized by investigators, and forfeits a money judgement in the amount of $16,000.
“The significant sentence of this courier for an international fraud scheme sends a strong message that we will investigate and prosecute those at every level of the organization,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “Mohammed illegally used the likeness of government officials to prey on and victimize the vulnerable, elderly people in our community, and fraudsters like him will be held accountable.”
“Mohammed targeted some of our most vulnerable elderly citizens in an effort to line his own pockets and the pockets of foreign fraudsters,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp for the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office. "The FBI continues to see an uptick in financial scams targeting our elderly population and we work every day to bring awareness to our victims and justice to those who perpetuate these devastating schemes. We want to thank our U.S. Attorney’s Office for aggressively pursuing justice for those who fell victim to this scammer. Cases like this are a priority for the FBI and we encourage anyone who has been a victim of a financial scam to contact your local FBI office or go to www.IC3.gov. We also encourage the public to review the FBI's last report on Elder Fraud to educate yourselves and protect those you love.”
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Henneke prosecuted the case.
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Indian National Indicted for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that on February 6, 2025, ASHISH KAPOOR, a/k/a “Romy Kapoor,” (“KAPOOR”) age 28, a national of India, was indicted for Possession of Child Pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(4)(B) and (b)(2).
If convicted, KAPOOR faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to 250,000.00, a period of supervised release up to life, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
According to the indictment, on or about December 20, 2024, KAPOOR possessed digital videos and computer images containing visual depictions of prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security, the United States Customs and Border Protection, and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maria Carboni of the Financial Crimes Unit.
Illinois Woman Pleads Guilty to Marriage Fraud and PerjuryRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Kalee Ann Huff, 27, of Fairbury, Illinois, pleaded guilty today to marriage fraud and perjury.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 3, 2021, Huff married a foreign national in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. Huff admitted that she agreed to marry the foreign national in exchange for $10,000, as part of a plan to keep him in the United States as his immigration visa was about to expire. Huff further admitted that she and the foreign national planned to divorce once he obtained lawful permanent resident status, commonly known as a Green Card.
Huff also admitted that she was pressured to enter the fake marriage scheme by two members of her family with whom she was living in Greenbrier County, because the family needed money to pay for household expenses. One of the two family members, brother-in-law Joseph Sanchez, pleaded guilty on January 29, 2025, to participating in an immigration marriage fraud conspiracy. Sanchez admitted to helping to arrange the fake marriage, with the understanding that half of the $10,000 would be paid upon the marriage being final and the other $5,000 would be paid once the foreign national received his Green Card. Huff admitted that only $5,000 of the promised amount was ever paid and that she never directly received or spent the money.
On October 17, 2021, Huff signed a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Form I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Huff listed her address as an apartment in White Sulphur Springs. Huff admitted that address was the foreign national’s and that she never lived there, and that he caused to be filed a falsified lease agreement with immigration officials listing her as a co-tenant of the apartment.
On March 8, 2023, Sanchez drove Huff and the foreign national to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The purpose of the trip was for Huff and the foreign national to attend an interview with U.S. immigration officials and trick those officials into believing the marriage was entered into in good faith and that the relationship between Huff and the foreign national was genuine. The scheme was unsuccessful, and the foreign national’s application was denied. Huff admitted that the foreign national coached her on how to lie about their relationship and marriage in advance of the interview.
On August 8, 2023, immigration officers confronted Huff about the fake marriage scheme, and she signed a statement admitting that she knowingly entered into the marriage for the purpose of evading U.S. immigration laws. Huff also told the officers that the foreign national had threatened her by stating she would go to prison if she did not continue helping him obtain a Green Card.
On December 10, 2024, Huff appeared before a federal grand jury in Charleston, pursuant to a subpoena and a cooperation provision in the marriage fraud case against her. Huff admitted that she committed perjury during her grand jury testimony when she answered questions falsely about material facts relating to the government’s investigation.
Huff is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Sanchez, 33, of Fairbury, Illinois,is scheduled to be sentenced on May 30, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the cases.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 5:25-cr-20 and 2:25-cr-23.
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Illegal alien sentenced for drug trafficking in South TexasRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 44-year-old Mexican national illegally residing in Mission has been ordered to prison for trafficking cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Jorge Alberto Galindo-Vargas pleaded guilty June 28, 2024.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Galindo-Vargas to serve 210 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. During the hearing, Galindo-Vargas spoke to the court noting that he had previously received a large sentence for drug trafficking at the age of 17. In handing down the sentence, in response to Galindo-Vargas statements, Judge Crane stated “Unfortunately, you’re in the cocaine business again, and that’s going to cost you another chunk of your life.”
“Illegally entering the United States is bad enough; illegally entering the United States in order to traffic drugs is even worse,” said Ganjei. “Galindo-Vargas will now have 17 years to think about his poor choices as he awaits his eventual deportation.”
On Nov. 1, 2023, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop. Upon inspection, authorities discovered 12 kilograms of cocaine inside an ice chest inside the vehicle.
Galindo-Vargas will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
This case is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.
Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Texas Department of Public Safety - Criminal Investigations Division are conducting the OCDETF operation with the assistance of the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office and the Mission and Alton police departments. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roberto Lopez Jr., Lance Watt and Brittany Jensen are prosecuting the case.
Illegal Aliens Charged with Methamphetamine and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Paducah, KY – A federal criminal complaint and arrest warrant were issued this week charging two illegal aliens with aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. One of the defendants was also charged with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge A.J. Gibes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of Homeland Security Investigations Nashville, Sam Olson, Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Chicago, U.S. Immigration Customs, and Chief Jason Newby of the Hopkinsville Police Department made the announcement.
According to court records, on August 28, 2024, a search warrant was executed at a residence in Hopkinsville where Carlos Daniel Davalillo-Silva, 26, and Paola Alexandra Rodriguez, 32, both citizens of Venezuela, had been staying. The search yielded approximately 3 pounds of methamphetamine that the pair intended to distribute. Rodriguez was also found to be in possession of two firearms. Silva and Rodriguez were charged with aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Rodriguez was also charged with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
Homeland Security Investigations verified that Silva and Rodriguez are Venezuelan and entered the United States illegally.
The defendants are in state custody and will make initial court appearances before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky at a later date. If convicted, they each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life 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 DEA – Paducah Post of Duty, the ATF – Bowling Green Post of Duty, HSI, ICE/ERO, and the Hopkinsville Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Leigh Ann Dycus, of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office, is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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