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19 February 2025
U.S. Attorney Announces Guilty Plea in Unregistered Firearm CaseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – An Alamogordo man pleaded guilty pleaded guilty to possessing a modified shotgun that was used in the fatal shooting of Alamogordo Police Officer Anthony Ferguson on July 15, 2023.
According to court documents, on July 15, 2023, Dominic De La O, 28, possessed a modified 12-gauge shotgun with a barrel length of less than 16 inches and an overall length of less than 26 inches, making it subject to registration under federal law. De La O admitted that the modified shotgun was operable and not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. He also acknowledged that the firearm lacked the new serial number required by law for modified weapons.
On that date, De La O used the shotgun to shoot and kill Alamogordo Police Officer Anthony Ferguson during a traffic stop.
Jonah Apodaca was subsequently charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm after the ATF determined that he had provided the modified shotgun to De La O. Apodaca pled guilty to the charges on June 18, 2024, and was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison.
De La O will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. At sentencing, De La O faces up to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. In November 2024, a jury in New Mexico’s Twelfth Judicial District convicted De La O of murdering Officer Ferguson and a judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin, and Brendan Iber, Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement today.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from the Alamogordo Police Department, New Mexico State Police, and the Otero County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Y. Armijo and Ry Ellison are prosecuting the case.
Two Teens Indicted on Charges of Assault with Intent to Kill and Other Charges After Opening Fire Near High SchoolRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Saki Frost, 18, and Azhari Graves, 18, both of Washington, D.C., were indicted today on charges of assault with intent to kill while armed and other charges stemming from a shooting that occurred on May 3, 2024, near Dunbar High School. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. Both defendants are to be arraigned on February 20, 2025, before the Honorable J. Michael Ryan.
Frost and Graves were indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on charges of assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, and related firearms charges. Frost, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was charged as an adult under Title 16, and was also indicted on charges of assault with intent to murder while armed.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 9:53 am, on May 3, 2024, Graves and Frost opened fire on a sedan that was driving down Kirby Street, NW, near Dunbar High School. A witness to the shooting reported hearing machine gun fire. Surveillance video captures Frost and Graves running down an alleyway holding firearms prior to the shooting. Surveillance video also captures the shooting, in which an individual appearing to be Frost fires a gun toward the sedan. Surveillance footage also captures Graves after the shooting holding a firearm with the slide locked to the rear of the weapon, indicating that the weapon had been fired and the magazine emptied. Graves and Frost then fled the area in a vehicle. Later that day, MPD officers located the defendants’ vehicle and arrested Graves and Frost. Investigators recovered a total of 29 shell casings from the scene of the shooting and numerous fragments from the exterior of Dunbar High School, as well as classrooms inside the school. Investigators also observed at least six bullet strikes to the N Street side of Dunbar. During the shooting, one Dunbar student suffered a graze wound to the head from the gunfire.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Helfand and Christian Natiello of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Thibodaux Man Sentenced for Social Security TheftRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that NATHANIEL HOPKINS, JR. (“HOPKINS”), age 48, of Thibodaux, Louisiana, was sentenced on February 18, 2025 to 3 years of probation by United States District Judge Jay Zainey after previously pleading guilty to Theft of Government Funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641.
According to court documents, HOPKINS’s wife, was authorized to receive Social Security Administration (“SSA”) Title II – Retirement Survivor Insurance Benefits from 2003 until her death in April, 2014. From April, 2014 to January, 2024, HOPKINS illegally received benefits designated for his wife totaling approximately $144,176.43, after failing to notify SSA of his wife’s death. He also accessed $3,200.00 in COVID-19/CARES Act stimulus funds from his deceased wife’s bank account.
In addition to probation, HOPKINS was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $144,176.43 to the U.S. Social Security Administration and $3,200.00 to the U.S. Treasury along with a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera of the Financial Crimes Unit.
Suburban Chicago Man Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Prison for $1.5 Million Covid-Relief FraudRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal judge has sentenced a suburban Chicago man to more than five years in prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $1.5 million in small business loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Over a five-month period in 2021, FEROZ JALAL participated in a scheme to defraud banks and the U.S. Small Business Administration. The SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program allowed qualifying small businesses to receive low-interest, government-backed loans to cover a temporary loss of revenue during the Covid pandemic. As part of the scheme, Jalal submitted to lenders and the SBA at least a dozen applications for PPP loans on behalf of businesses that he and others purportedly owned. The applications contained false statements and misrepresentations concerning the purported entities’ employees, revenues, costs, and statuses of operations. In support of his applications, Jalal provided, among other things, fake IRS tax filings and bogus spreadsheets that purported to document the companies’ payroll expenses.
Jalal and co-schemers submitted fraudulent applications for PPP loans in amounts totaling $1.792 million, causing $1.644 million to be disbursed by lenders.
Jalal, 51, of Niles, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to bank fraud and money laundering charges. On Feb. 11, 2025, U.S. District Judge John F. Kness sentenced Jalal to five years and two months in federal prison and ordered him to pay more than $1.5 million in restitution to the SBA.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of Homeland Security Investigations. Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Hayes.
Anyone with information about attempted Covid-relief fraud can report it to the Department of Justice by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud at (866) 720-5721, or by filing an online complaint at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Subsidiary of Chinese State-Owned Entity to Pay $14.2M to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Paycheck Protection Program LoanRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Richard G. Frohling of the Eastern District of Wisconsin joins Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael D. Granston of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, in announcing that YAPP USA Automotive Systems, Inc., a corporation with its principal place of business in Michigan, has agreed to pay $14,208,496 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to obtain a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which it was not eligible.
Congress created the PPP in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the PPP, eligible businesses could receive forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Regulations provide various eligibility requirements for the PPP, including limitations on the number of employees and exclusions for certain types of businesses, like those that are owned by government entities. In their loan applications, borrowers were required to certify that they were eligible for the PPP and that the information they provided was accurate.
YAPP USA’s ultimate parent company is State Development and Investment Corp., Ltd, a company owned and controlled by the People’s Republic of China. Through common ownership and management, YAPP USA is affiliated with dozens of other companies worldwide. In applying for a first-draw PPP loan, YAPP USA represented that it was eligible for the PPP, and it received a first-draw PPP loan in the amount of $9,598,462, which the SBA later forgave. The United States alleged that YAPP USA was not eligible under the SBA rules for a PPP loan because YAPP USA, singly and together with its affiliates, employed more individuals than permitted by SBA’s size standard for its industry. The United States also contended that YAPP USA was not eligible because it is owned by a government entity.
YAPP USA will pay $14,208,496 to the United States to resolve these allegations.
YAPP USA cooperated with the United States’ investigation by identifying individuals involved in or responsible for the conduct and disclosing facts and documents gathered during YAPP USA’s own investigation. As a result, YAPP USA received credit under the department’s guidelines for taking disclosure, cooperation and remediation into account in False Claims Act cases.
“PPP loans were intended to help small businesses in the United States,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Granston. “The Department remains committed to pursuing those who violated the requirements of this taxpayer funded program.”
“Congress and the SBA designed the PPP to help small businesses and their employees during the pandemic, not large companies owned by foreign governments,” said Acting United States Attorney Frohling. “This settlement demonstrates that our office will continue to hold accountable those businesses and individuals who abused this vital program.”
“The favorable settlement in this case is the product of enhanced efforts byfederal agencies such as the Small Business Administration working with the Department of Justice, SBA’s Office of Inspector General and other Federal law enforcement agencies, as well as private individuals who uncover fraudulent conduct to recover the product of this fraud as well as penalties,” said SBA General Counsel Wendell Davis.
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam lawsuit was filed by GNGH2 Inc. GNGH2 Inc. will receive $1,420,849 in connection with this settlement.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, with assistance from the SBA’s Office of General Counsel and Office of the Inspector General.
Trial Attorney Lindsey Roberts of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Carter for the Eastern District of Wisconsin handled the matter, with assistance from Christopher J. McClintock of the SBA.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
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Subsidiary of Chinese State-Owned Entity to Pay $14.2M to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Paycheck Protection Program LoanRead the Press Release
YAPP USA Automotive Systems Inc., a corporation with its principal place of business in Michigan, has agreed to pay $14,208,496 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to obtain a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which it was not eligible.
Congress created the PPP in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the PPP, eligible businesses could receive forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Regulations provide various eligibility requirements for the PPP, including limitations on the number of employees and exclusions for certain types of businesses, like those that are owned by government entities. In their loan applications, borrowers were required to certify that they were eligible for the PPP and that the information they provided was accurate.
YAPP USA’s ultimate parent company is State Development and Investment Corp. Ltd, a company owned and controlled by the People’s Republic of China. Through common ownership and management, YAPP USA is affiliated with dozens of other companies worldwide. In applying for a first-draw PPP loan, YAPP USA represented that it was eligible for the PPP, and it received a first-draw PPP loan in the amount of $9,598,462, which the SBA later forgave. The United States alleged that YAPP USA was not eligible under the SBA rules for a PPP loan because YAPP USA, singly and together with its affiliates, employed more individuals than permitted by SBA’s size standard for its industry. The United States also contended that YAPP USA was not eligible because it is owned by a government entity. YAPP USA will pay $14,208,496 to the United States to resolve these allegations.
YAPP USA cooperated with the United States’ investigation by identifying individuals involved in or responsible for the conduct and disclosing facts and documents gathered during YAPP USA’s own investigation. As a result, YAPP USA received credit under the department’s guidelines for taking disclosure, cooperation and remediation into account in False Claims Act cases.
“PPP loans were intended to help small businesses in the United States,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael D. Granston of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department remains committed to pursuing those who violated the requirements of this taxpayer funded program.”
“Congress and the SBA designed the PPP to help small businesses and their employees during the pandemic, not large companies owned by foreign governments,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard G. Frohling for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. “This settlement demonstrates that our office will continue to hold accountable those businesses and individuals who abused this vital program.”
“The favorable settlement in this case is the product of enhanced efforts by federal agencies such as the SBA working with the Department of Justice, SBA’s Office of Inspector General, and other Federal law enforcement agencies, as well as private individuals who uncover fraudulent conduct to recover the product of this fraud as well as penalties,” said SBA General Counsel Wendell Davis.
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam lawsuit was filed by GNGH2 Inc; GNGH2 Inc. will receive $1,420,849 in connection with this settlement.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, with assistance from the SBA’s Office of General Counsel and Office of the Inspector General.
Trial Attorney Lindsey Roberts of the Justice Department’s Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Carter for the Eastern District of Wisconsin handled the matter, with assistance from Christopher J. McClintock of the SBA.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
St. Louis Area Doctor Sentenced, Ordered to Repay $742,000Read the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Wednesday sentenced a doctor who ran two urgent care centers in the St. Louis area to 35 months in prison for defrauding Medicare and Missouri Medicaid and ordered him to repay $742,528.
Dr. Sonny Saggar, 57, will also be on supervised release for three years after he leaves prison.
Saggar pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in August to one count of conspiracy. He admitted that while operating St. Louis General Hospital (SLGH) locations in downtown St. Louis and near Creve Coeur, he and his office manager hired assistant physicians (APs) to see patients but billed Medicare and Missouri Medicaid as if Dr. Saggar had seen them, even when he was out of town. APs are medical school graduates who have not completed a residency program. To legally practice medicine in Missouri, they are required to be closely supervised by a licensed physician under written collaborative practice arrangements (CPAs) that restrict the AP's ability to provide medical services and limit their practice areas to medically underserved rural or urban areas.
Dr. Saggar admitted hiring “numerous” APs from July 2018 to July 2023 to work at the SLGH locations, which he and office manager Renita Barringer advertised as both urgent and primary care facilities and as a “residency prep” program and a “stepping stone” for the APs. Dr. Saggar admitted that APs were not properly trained or supervised and that he and Barringer advised them to consult each other on their medical questions. One physician can legally supervise no more than six APs, so Dr. Saggar offered stipends of up to $480 per month to various physicians to induce them to sign up to be collaborating physicians, and then submitted CPA forms to the Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing Arts to falsely make it appear as if the APs were being properly supervised. He admitted that the Creve Coeur location is not medical underserved and thus APs are not permitted to work there.
Finally, Dr. Saggar admitted that in January of 2022, he hired a doctor who had been indicted in another case to be the sole collaborating physician at the Creve Coeur location but did not disclose to Medicaid that the co-conspirator was performing services there. That physician’s billing privileges with Medicaid had been suspended.
The conduct of Dr. Saggar and Barringer caused a loss to Medicare and Missouri Medicaid of $742,528.
"Today's sentencing underscores our commitment to ensuring that providers are held accountable for submitting fraudulent claims for financial gain and for deliberately concealing critical information about healthcare professionals,” said Special Agent in Charge Linda T. Hanley of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG, in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement agencies, will continue working together to safeguard the integrity of the Medicare and Medicaid programs."
“This crime went beyond bilking taxpayer funded healthcare programs. Dr. Sonny Saggar risked the well-being of patients with urgent medical needs. He knew his assistant physicians were not qualified to see patients without supervision,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. “To add further insult to injury, Dr. Saggar falsely claimed he was the one who saw the patients so he could bill Medicare and Medicaid.”
“Doctors are expected to follow a certain code of conduct and obey the laws and regulations put in place to protect their clients,” DEA St. Louis Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said. “Our investigation shows that Dr. Saggar broke with protocol and endangered lives with his negligence. As a result of his misconduct, he was arrested, surrendered his DEA Certificate of Registration, can no longer prescribe controlled substances and faces nearly three years in federal prison.”
Barringer, 51, pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy. She is scheduled to be sentenced on April 22.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Sestric is prosecuting the case.
Spring Hill Man Sentenced for Dog FightingRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL — Jose Miguel Carrillo, of Spring Hill, Florida, was sentenced yesterday to 84 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to violate the dog fighting prohibitions of the federal Animal Welfare Act and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court filings, Carrillo conspired with others to purchase, acquire, and breed dogs for use in dog fights. Carillo also staged dog fights at his home and traveled to dog fights in Massachusetts, Florida, and Connecticut.
A June 2023 search warrant was executed at Carrillo’s home and led to the seizure of 10 pit bull-type dogs, most of which were later adopted by new owners, as well as a firearm and ammunition. Carrillo also possessed dog fighting paraphernalia including a bloodstained dog fighting box, a skin stapler, syringes, and injectable veterinary medications.
“To its core, dog fighting is a cruel and criminal exploitation of animals for entertainment,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Today’s sentence sends a strong deterrent message that the Justice Department will vigorously prosecute these cases.”
“Exploiting and endangering the welfare of animals for personal gain is cruel and abhorrent,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Sara C. Sweeney for the Middle District of Florida. “Because of the hard work of our law enforcement partners, justice was served.”
“The Office of Inspector General is committed to working with all of our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners in pursuing individuals who choose to participate in animal fighting activities and engage in violations involving animal welfare, while also committing other serious offenses in our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG).
Photo of dogs at Carrillo’s home, from court documents in United State v. Jose Carrillo, number 8:23-CR-00222, in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Photo of a bloodstained dog fighting pit at Carrillo’s home, from court documents in United State v. Jose Carrillo, number 8:23-CR-00222, in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
To report animal fighting crimes, please contact your local law enforcement or the USDA-OIG’s complaint hotline at: usdaoig.oversight.gov/hotline or 1-800-424-9121.
The USDA-OIG; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Pasco (Florida) Sheriff’s Office and the Fitchburg (Massachusetts) Police Department investigated the case. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, Massachusetts State Police, New Hampshire State Police, Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Law Enforcement Division, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Senior Trial Attorney Matthew T. Morris of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Favorit and Tiffany Fields for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case. Trial Attorney Caitlyn Cook of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Wildlife and Marine Resources Section assisted with the transfer of the seized dogs to new owners.
Sacramento County Man Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Fraud in Connection with Medical Device SalesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Michael Andrew Scott, 38, of Fair Oaks, was sentenced Tuesday by Senior U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to 33 months in prison for fraud in connection with a medical device sales scheme, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. In addition, Scott was ordered to pay $376,044 in restitution to his victims.
According to court documents, between June 2018 and June 2022, Scott devised a scheme to defraud investors in his company, Trusted Medical Partnership. Scott told investors that either he or Trusted Medical Partnership received purchase orders from health care providers for medical devices but lacked the capital to fulfill the orders. Scott solicited and obtained loans from these investors, and, in exchange, promised them substantial returns in a relatively short time with zero risk.
In reality, Scott’s representations to these prospective investors were false because Scott did not have purchase orders from health care providers. To some of his victims, Scott sent purchase orders that he had doctored or fabricated in order to convince them to lend money. The health care providers listed on these purported purchase orders confirmed that the orders were fake altogether or altered to reflect inflated amounts or other false information. Trusted Medical Partnership was not a legitimate business — while incorporated in the State of California, it conducted no legitimate business transactions, paid no taxes, submitted no wage or employment-related records, and was suspended in December 2021 before Scott solicited investments on its behalf from some of his victims.
Scott’s victims lent him money on the basis of his false statements, including the fraudulent purchase orders, but received little to no returns on their investments. Instead, Scott spent the money on gambling at several local casinos (sometimes the same day he received the victims’ money), personal expenses, or payments to other, prior investors in order to keep the scheme running. Collectively, Scott defrauded at least 16 victims of almost $470,000.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dhruv M. Sharma prosecuted the case.
Red Bluff Man Charged with Sexual Exploitation of a Child & Distribution of Visual Depictions of a Minor Engaged in Sexually Explicit ConductRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Feb. 13, 2025, a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against Ricardo Gutierrez, 27, of Red Bluff, of charging him with two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and distribution of visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. The indictment was unsealed following Gutierrez’ arrest.
According to court documents, in April 2024, Gutierrez used four children to create at least two videos of the children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Additionally, between November 2023 and July 2024, Gutierrez distributed several videos and images of prepubescent children, including infants, involved in sexually explicit conduct to others.
This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitnee Goins is prosecuting the case.
If convicted of sexual exploitation of a child, Gutierrez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, restitution, and a $250,000 fine. If convicted of distribution of visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, Gutierrez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, restitution, and a fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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.
Recidivist Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Causing Fatal Fentanyl Poisoning of 66-Year-Old VictimRead the Press Release
Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that RAUL SILVA was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel to 12 years in prison for selling thousands of doses of deadly narcotics, including fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, and heroin, the use of which resulted in the July 2019 death of a 66-year-old woman (the “Victim”), to whom SILVA had sold drugs for years.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “Raul Silva made a career of endangering lives by distributing illegal narcotics, some of which were laced with deadly fentanyl and acetyl. Silva’s disregard for others eventually caused the tragic and untimely death of a 66-year-old woman, who overdosed on a laced dose supplied by Silva. I thank our career prosecutors and agency partners for their determination and vigilance in holding Silva, and dealers like him, accountable.”
As reflected in the Indictment, court filings, the evidence presented in court, and the Court’s determinations at the sentencing hearing:
Between February 2019 and July 2019, SILVA and his co-defendant conspired to sell to an undercover New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) officer, on eight separate occasions, more than 4,000 glassines containing varying combinations of fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, heroin, and other drugs. These repeated drug sales followed years of narcotics trafficking and other criminal activity by SILVA, which resulted in 14 prior criminal convictions, including 10 prior narcotics convictions dating back to 1987.
In addition, SILVA was the longtime drug supplier of the Victim, a 66-year-old woman residing in the Chelsea area of Manhattan. On July 11, 2019, SILVA met the Victim near her residence to sell her several glassines containing fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, and heroin. The Victim died in her apartment shortly thereafter, after consuming the narcotics sold to her by SILVA. The Victim’s body was discovered two days later by her daughter, who was completing her medical residency in Virginia at the time, and who traveled to the Victim’s apartment on the evening of July 13, 2019, after being repeatedly unable to reach her mother.
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In addition to the prison term, SILVA, 55, of New York, New York, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan L. Bodansky and Matthew Weinberg are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Owen Foley.
Providence Man Admits to Role in Bank Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Providence man has admitted to a federal judge that he participated in a conspiracy to defraud banks by creating and depositing tens-of-thousands of dollars’ worth of bogus checks, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Jarrod Smith, 43, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
Smith admitted to the court that he engaged in a fraud scheme that used information from stolen checks, primarily business checks, to create bogus checks that were then deposited into bank accounts of individuals that he or other members of the conspiracy recruited and enticed, often times via social media. Shortly after the checks were deposited, Smith or another member of the conspiracy withdrew the proceeds from the bank accounts. As part of the conspiracy, the person’s whose bank account was used was also paid for the use of their bank account.
Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on August 19, 2025. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christine Lowell and Taylor Dean.
The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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Previously Convicted Felon from McKeesport Indicted for Possession of Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating a federal firearms law, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Thomas Thornton, 48, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about December 19, 2024, Thornton possessed a firearm and ammunition after having been convicted of multiple prior felonies, including on federal drug trafficking and firearms charges. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney V. Joseph Sonson is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
President of Insurance Brokerage Firm and CEO of Marketing Company Charged in $161M Affordable Care Act Enrollment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed today charging Cory Lloyd, 46, of Stuart, Florida, and Steven Strong, 42, of Mansfield, Texas, in connection with their alleged participation in a scheme to submit fraudulent enrollments to fully subsidized Affordable Care Act insurance plans (ACA plans) in order to obtain millions of dollars in commission payments from insurance companies.
ACA plans offer tax credits to eligible enrollees. These tax credits, or “subsidies,” could be paid by the federal government directly to insurance plans in the form of a payment toward the applicable monthly premium. According to court documents, Lloyd and Strong conspired to enroll consumers in ACA plans that were fully subsidized by the federal government by submitting false and fraudulent applications for individuals whose income did not meet the minimum requirements to be eligible for the subsidies. Lloyd allegedly received commission and other payments from an insurance company in exchange for enrolling consumers in the ACA plans. In turn, Lloyd allegedly paid commissions to Strong in exchange for consumer referrals.
As alleged in the indictment, Lloyd and Strong targeted vulnerable, low-income individuals experiencing homelessness, unemployment, and mental health and substance abuse disorders, and, through “street marketers” working on their behalf, sometimes offered bribes to induce those individuals to enroll in subsidized ACA plans. Marketers working for Strong’s company allegedly coached consumers on how to respond to application questions to maximize the subsidy amount and provided addresses and social security numbers that did not match the consumers purportedly applying. As a result of being enrolled in subsidized ACA plans for which they did not qualify, some of these consumers experienced disruptions in their medical care.
The indictment alleges that Lloyd and Strong used misleading sales scripts and other deceptive sales techniques to convince consumers to state that they would attempt to earn the minimum income necessary to qualify for a subsidized ACA plan, even when the consumer initially projected having no income. Lloyd and Strong also allegedly conspired to bypass the federal government’s attempts to verify income and other information. Lloyd and Strong allegedly engaged in the scheme to maximize the commission payments they received from insurers, resulting in their companies’ receiving millions of dollars in commissions.
As alleged in the indictment, Lloyd and Strong’s scheme caused the federal government to pay at least $161,900,000 in subsidies.
Cory Lloyd and Steven Strong are each charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and two counts of money laundering. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States, and 10 years in prison for each count of money laundering.
Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Justin Fleck of the FBI 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 Special Agent in Charge Emmanuel Gomez of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Miami Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI, HHS-OIG, and IRS-CI are investigating the case.
Assistant Chief Jamie de Boer and Trial Attorney D. Keith Clouser of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
President Donald J. Trump Intends to Nominate Individuals to Key Posts at the Department of JusticeRead the Press Release
Today the Department of Justice is proud to announce President Trump’s intent to nominate John Eisenberg to serve as Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Brett Shumate to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division, and Patrick Davis to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legislative Affairs.
John Eisenberg (The National Security Division)
During President Trump’s first term, John served as the Legal Advisor to the National Security Council, Assistant to the President, and Deputy Counsel to the President for National Security Affairs. John has also served at the Department of Justice in several positions, including Associate Deputy Attorney General in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General and Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel. In addition to his government experience, John was also a partner at Kirkland & Ellis, where he focused on white-collar and internal-investigation matters as well as data-security issues.
John clerked for J. Michael Luttig of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court of the United States. He is a graduate of Yale Law School and Stanford University.
Brett Shumate (The Civil Division)
Brett presently serves as the Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division. Prior to rejoining the Department, Brett was a partner at Jones Day in Washington, D.C. He previously served at the Department as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Federal Programs Branch in the Civil Division.
Brett clerked for Judge Edith H. Jones of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University School of Law and Furman University.
Patrick Davis (The Office of Legislative Affairs)
This will be Patrick’s third stint with the Department of Justice. During President Trump’s first term, Patrick served in DOJ management as Deputy Associate Attorney General. Earlier in his career, he served as a trial attorney in the Federal Programs Branch of the DOJ’s Civil Division. On Capitol Hill, Patrick was the Deputy Chief Investigative Counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he led the Committee’s “Russiagate” investigation and was instrumental in the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. He later served as the Chief Investigative Counsel for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Patrick rejoined the Department of Justice as the Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legislative Affairs. Prior to his return to the Department, he served as Senior Counsel at the American Petroleum Institute.
Patrick is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Nebraska.
Pittsburgh Resident Pleads Guilty to Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, threats of force, fraud, or coercion, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Philip Walker, 39, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, from in and around November 2019 through in and around April 2022, in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Florida, and Texas, Walker conspired to recruit and entice persons—namely adult females—knowing and in reckless disregard of the fact that means of force, threats of force, fraud, coercion, or any combination of such means would be used to cause those persons to engage in commercial sex acts.
Judge Bissoon scheduled sentencing for May 29, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of up to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney DeMarr W. Moulton is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Narcotics Division, conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Walker.
This prosecution is part of Operation T.E.N. (Trafficking Ends Now), an umbrella coalition for law enforcement, community, and non-profit partners in the 25 counties in the Western District of Pennsylvania. This coordinated effort aims to end human trafficking through education and improved cooperation across agencies and service providers, thereby enhancing the office’s ability to empower victims of human trafficking to become thriving survivors.
Palmdale Man Indicted for Allegedly Producing Sexually Explicit Material Featuring Teenage GirlsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Palmdale man is scheduled to be arraigned today on a 12-count federal grand jury indictment alleging he coerced two minors into producing and sharing with him sexually explicit content of themselves and enticed one minor to have sex with him.
Darius Dasean Edwards, 21, of Palmdale, is charged with five counts of production of child pornography, five counts of receipt of child pornography, and two counts of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.
Edwards, who was employed by Palmdale’s Department of Parks and Recreation until his recent termination, was arrested this morning and is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
According to the indictment, from October 2023 until December 2023, Edwards engaged in sexual conversations with a then 16-year-old girl and requested her to produce and share with him child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of herself. Edwards received at least one video from this victim depicting CSAM.
In March 2024, Edwards communicated with a then 15-year-old girl and requested that she produce and share with him CSAM of herself. Edwards received at least one photo and three videos from this victim depicting CSAM.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
If convicted, Edwards would face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count of receipt of child pornography, a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison for each count of production of child pornography, and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum of life in prison for each count of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.
The FBI is investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Lyndsi Allsop with the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.
Oregon Man Pleads Guilty in Swatting and Bomb Threats Scheme That Targeted Jewish Hospitals in New York City and Long IslandRead the Press Release
Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Domagoj Patkovic pleaded guilty to conspiring to make threats concerning explosives and conveying false information concerning explosives. The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Ramon E. Reyes. When sentenced, Patkovic faces up to 15 years in prison. Patkovic was charged in August 2024.
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 guilty plea.
“As he admitted today, the defendant intentionally targeted Jewish hospitals and care centers in our District with bomb threats. In doing so, he needlessly endangered patients and staff and diverted critical law enforcement resources from their core mission of keeping our community safe,” stated United States Attorney Durham. “We will prosecute dangerous bomb threats and swatting schemes to the fullest extent of the law.”
Mr. Durham expressed his appreciation to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, the New York City Police Department, Nassau County Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon for their assistance on the case.
As set forth in the indictment and in court filings, beginning at least as early as May 2021, the defendant and others made anonymous phone calls in which they made violent threats, including threats to detonate explosive devices, to Jewish hospitals and care centers within the Eastern District of New York, among other targets throughout the United States.
The defendant himself made threats in at least six separate calls to hospitals and on a call with local law enforcement who had responded to a 911 notification from one of the hospitals. The defendant livestreamed the calls to others on an online social media and electronic communications service. On several occasions, local police responded to the scene and conducted bomb sweeps. On at least one occasion in September 2021, the hoax bomb threat resulted in a partial evacuation and lockdown of an entire hospital on Long Island. No explosive devices were ultimately found in any of the locations.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security & Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander A. Solomon, Laura Zuckerwise and Andrew D. Reich are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney James Donnelly of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Paralegal Specialist Wayne Colon.
The Defendant:
DOMAGOJ PATKOVIC
Age: 31
Portland, OregonE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-317 (RER)
Ohio Woman Sentenced to Prison for Insurance Claim FraudRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – Angela Frase, 60, of Sterling, Ohio, has been sentenced to 24 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster after pleading guilty to four counts of mail fraud for accepting insurance checks after she knowingly submitted false claims. Frase was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $327,072.
Frase pleaded guilty to devising a scheme that took place from July 2 to Aug. 23, 2019, to defraud a homeowner’s insurance company. According to court documents, the scheme began when Frase called fire emergency services on July 2, 2019, and again on July 3, 2019, to report a fire in her home. Fire marshals were unable to determine the cause of the fire at the time. The insurance company then housed Frase and her husband at an extended stay hotel. An investigation later conducted by insurance company experts determined no evidence of electrical failure as the cause of the fire.
On the morning of Aug. 6, 2019, the fire department responded to a natural gas leak at the Frase residence. Home remodeling employees entered the home to work on the damage caused by the fire but were forced to evacuate due to the strong smell of natural gas. The fire marshal later determined that the stove was turned on, filling the residence with explosive-causing levels of natural gas. Frase and her husband were the last people in the home prior to the discovery of gas and claimed to have locked the doors. There was no sign of forced entry.
On Aug. 6, 2019, at approximately 10:43 p.m., Frase left her extended stay hotel room, drove to her home on Spruce Street in Seville, Ohio, and started a fire. Investigators later learned through her cellphone location data that she remained in the area of her home from 10:54 p.m. until 11:39 p.m. and then returned to her hotel room. On Aug. 7, 2019, at approximately 12:36 a.m., the Sterling Fire Department and Wayne County Sheriff’s Office responded to the home in reference to a fire and explosion. The Ohio State Fire Marshal later determined the cause of the fire was incendiary in nature. In addition to starting the fire, Frase spray-painted what appeared to be racial disparities on her own garage and vandalized her neighbor’s vehicle.
On Aug. 11, 2019, between 9:30 and 10 p.m., Frase returned to her home and again spray-painted hate speech on her own garage. When a sheriff’s deputy responded and discovered the words, Frase told the deputy that she saw two suspicious individuals running through the field behind her property. Three days later, on Aug. 14, Frase called authorities again after she placed a stuffed doll painted black with a noose tied around its neck in her own mailbox. On Aug. 23, she once again contacted law enforcement to report that she found an envelope at her residence while walking around the property that had a racial slur written on it and inside was a plastic bag filled with an unknown white substance and the word “die.”
From Nov. 1, 2019 to June 17, 2020, the insurance company mailed four checks to Frase for property losses and damages which she accepted. She was later charged with four counts of mail fraud for attempting to swindle money from the homeowner’s insurance company through intentionally deceptive actions.
This case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division, Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, and Ohio’s Division of State Fire Marshal. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Zarzycki for the Northern District of Ohio prosecuted the case.
New Orleans Woman Guilty of Violating Federal Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Today, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that KIANNA SCOTT (“SCOTT”), age 24, a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty on February 18, 2025, before United States District Judge Darrel James Papillion to use of a communication facility in causing and facilitating the commission of the distribution, and possession with intent to distribute, of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine , in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 843(b).
According to court documents, SCOTT used a telephone to assist another known individual in the distribution, and possession with intent to distribute, narcotics within the Eastern District of Louisiana.
SCOTT faces a maximum term of imprisonment of (4) four years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to one year of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
This investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration – New Orleans Field Division Office, and assisted by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Saint Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Saint John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Harahan Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman of the Narcotics Unit.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Making False Statements to United States Small Business AdministrationRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – RENIC PALMER, JR. (“PALMER”), age 25, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced on February 13, 2025, before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier. PALMER previously pled guilty to making or using false writings or documents to the United States Small Business Administration (SBA), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001(a)(3), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
According to court documents, PALMER submitted false writings and documents to the SBA, to obtain a Payroll Protection Program (“PPP”) Loan. In his application, among other things, PALMER falsely represented that he was the owner of a merchant wholesale hair supply company formed in 2017, and that he was eligible for PPP funds. As a result of these false representations, PALMER obtained $20,832.00 from the SBA.
Judge Barbier sentenced PALMER to three years of probation, restitution of $20,832 to the SBA, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson commended the Special Agents of the Coast Guard Investigative Service for their work on this case. Assistant United States Attorney Andre J. Lagarde of the Public Integrity Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
New Orleans Man Guilty of Commodity Exchange Act ViolationRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced today that MICHAEL BRIAN DEPETRILLO, (“DEPETRILLO”), age 43, from New Orleans, pled guilty on February 18, 2025 to violating the Commodity Exchange Act, in violation of Title 7, United States Code, Section 13(a). DEPETRILLO faces up to ten (10) years imprisonment, up to three (3) years of supervised release, up to a $1,000,000.00 fine, plus the amount of any proceeds, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
According to court documents, DEPETRILLO was not properly registered as a Commodity Pool Operator (“CPO”) or an Associated Person (“AP”) of a CPO with the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). DEPETRILLO, through various companies including, Meteor, LLC; NOLA FX Capital Management, LLC; ELC Enterprise Solutions, LLC; and Argosapolis, LLC, acted as a CPO and AP of a CPO and embezzled client funds in violation of federal law. DEPETRILLO, while acting as an AP of unregistered CPOs, represented to victim investors that their funds would be pooled and invested in the NOLA FX FUND, that, in turn, would be used to trade foreign currency pairs on a leveraged, margined, or financed basis (“retail forex”).
DEPETRILLO told investors that pooling their funds would be beneficial to them. DEPETRILLO further represented, to certain investors, that either METEOR or NOLA FX CAPITAL managed the NOLA FX FUND. In at least one representation, however, DEPETRILLO identified “NOLA FX Capital,” not the NOLA FX FUND, as the pooled investment vehicle. DEPETRILLO lured investors by claiming he was investing their funds by trading in the foreign currency exchange, gold futures options, stocks, and cryptocurrency. Instead of trading as promised, DEPETRILLO misappropriated pool funds. DEPETRILLO then used these misappropriated pool funds to pay approximately $3,700,000 in “returns” to prior investors; approximately $575,000 on his own personal investments; approximately $425,000 on rent; approximately $200,000 on private air travel; and approximately $300,000 on online gambling, among other personal expenses. To conceal DEPETRILLO’s misappropriation, he created and issued fictitious account statements in the names NOLA FX FUND and NOLA FX CAPITAL. The fictitious account statements purported to show that: (1) DEPETRILLO had traded forex using pool participant funds, and (2) the NOLA FX FUND and NOLA FX CAPITAL had achieved significant trading returns for pool participants because of his profitable forex trading. In fact, DEPETRILLO never deposited pool participant funds into trading accounts belonging to NOLA FX FUND or NOLA FX CAPITAL, and he never achieved the trading returns represented on the false account statements. DEPETRILLO also did not set up the forex pool in the manner required by the regulations, did not receive pool participant funds in the name of the forex pool, and commingled pool participant funds with his own funds. DEPETRILLO took in approximately $9.2 million in investor funds from approximately 55 victim investors during a seven-year period.
Sentencing in this matter is scheduled for May 25, 2025, before United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”). The FBI is seeking information that may help identify potential victims of DEPETRILLO’s fraudulent scheme. FBI encourages the public to report any information to http://fbi.gov/depetrillovictims.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Kathryn McHugh of the Financial Crimes Unit and Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.
Nearly Two Dozen Trinitarios Gang Members Charged with RICO Conspiracy; State Leader Charged with Four MurdersRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Federal charges were unsealed today against two dozen leaders, members and associates of the Trinitarios gang – a violent transnational criminal organization. Twenty-two individuals have been charged with federal offenses, including racketeering conspiracy in connection with six murders and 11 attempted murders. Two individuals, who were juveniles at the time of the alleged criminal offenses, have been charged by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office with murder.
The charges unsealed today are the result of a multijurisdictional investigation that began in the aftermath of four murders as well as a series of attempted murders and shootings that took place in Lynn, Mass. in 2023, allegedly committed by the Trinitarios criminal enterprise.
According to court documents, Chapters of the Trinitarios were identified in in Lawrence, Lynn, Boston and Haverhill, Mass. Trinitarios members in these cities allegedly undertake efforts to dominate their communities by intimidating rival gangs and establishing control over certain neighborhoods. It is further alleged that the Trinitarios do not hesitate to utilize violence, including murder, in furtherance of the organization’s goals and purposes. According to the charging document, these gang rivalries develop through personal enmity and disrespect between members of the rival gangs, competition over drug territory and customers as well as violent acts (such as robberies, shootings and murders) that have been committed by the gangs against each other in the past. It is alleged that these rivalries have become deadly and multiple murders have been committed by Trinitarios gang members.
Specifically, the investigation allegedly identified that the Massachusetts Trinitarios have committed at least 10 homicides in Essex County over the past decade and are believed to be responsible for numerous attempted murders, shootings, kidnappings and robberies. Sixteen members of the Trinitarios criminal enterprise in Massachusetts have been charged with six of these murders – two of which took place in Lawrence in 2017 and two double murders in Lynn in 2023. The remaining four homicides are being prosecuted by the Essex District Attorney’s Office.
According to the charging documents, the Trinitarios are a hierarchical criminal organization, with positions that are known to exist at the state and local chapter level, whose members adhere to a code of conduct. Enmanuel Paula-Cabral, a/k/a, “Nelfew,” a/k/a “Gordo,” “Manny,” allegedly serves as the State Supreme of the Trinitarios for Massachusetts, responsible for the entirety of the gang’s criminal activities, coordination with other state leaders and communication with leadership of the Trinitarios in the Dominican Republic.
Paula-Cabral is also allegedly responsible for the Trinitarios Chapter operating in Manchester, N.H. as well the Trinitarios located in Maine, where the gang operates a lucrative drug-trade. Below the Supreme is a position referred to as the “Flag” or “Segundo,” which in Massachusetts is allegedly held by Ery Jordani Rosario, a/k/a “Racacha.”
Additionally, each individual Chapter allegedly has a “Cabinet” of leaders who are responsible for recruiting new members, providing discipline to members in violation of Trinitarios directives and collecting money into a communal account used to support illegal operations as well as incarcerated Trinitarios members and their families.
It is alleged that the Trinitarios employ a written “Magna Carta” that defines the structure and rules of the organization, as well as slogans, symbols, colors and practices. This includes a green logo that consists of two crossed machetes and embellishments of “The Green Nation” and “Trinitarios Hasta La Muerte,” which translated from Spanish means, “Trinitarios Until Death.” It is alleged that the Massachusetts Trinitarios have particularly embraced this logo and have created custom t-shirts bearing this logo and each member’s gang name printed in green.
The Massachusetts Trinitarios allegedly recruit new members among communities of legal immigrants and illegal aliens from the Dominican Republic – specifically juveniles in local high schools in Lawrence and Lynn. To curry favor with these new recruits, the Trinitarios allegedly appeal to their shared Spanish language and culture, Dominican patriotism and use the appearance of prosperity and brotherhood.
It is further alleged that members are generally initiated into the gang after a period of observation or probation and are often inducted following the completion of a “mission” – which is generally a substantial act of violence such as shootings, beatings, or fist fights with rival gang
members that were the same age or stature. According to the court documents, upon induction, new members are formally “blessed” into the organization during a formal ceremony, are administered oaths by the State Supreme and are awarded with ceremonial beaded necklaces. Younger members are allegedly tasked with lesser roles during many violent “missions,” including standing lookout during a shooting, holding or concealing weapons on behalf of full members and transporting weapons after their use in shootings.
According to the charging documents, the Trinitarios endeavor to project power over the internet and social media through. Specifically, the Trinitarios allegedly produce music and music videos featuring members in Trinitarios colors and clothing holding weapons, cash and other items, as well as lyrics that boast about violence, drugs and other criminal endeavors as warnings and threats to other rival gangs.
“As the court papers make clear, for well over a decade, Trinitarios gang members have engaged in brazen acts of murder, assault, and drug distribution — instilling fear in the communities of Lynn and Lawrence in particular. Today’s law enforcement operation has struck a significant blow against the leadership of the Trinitarios operating in Massachusetts — virtually dismantling an organization responsible for years of bloodshed, drug trafficking, and lawlessness,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “This enforcement action ends the Trinitarios reign of terror in Massachusetts. Today, our communities are safer with the removal of these alleged violent offenders from our streets, and where appropriate, from our country. This operation is a testament to the tireless collaboration among the dedicated members of our federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Such shameless and senseless acts of violence have no place anywhere; especially not in any city in Massachusetts. If you threaten the safety of our residents, we will find you, we will hold you accountable, and we will ensure that justice is served.”
“Today the message should be loud and clear: transnational criminal organizations and foreign-born malign actors committing violent acts in our communities will never have refuge in the United States. We are working every day with our state, local, and federal partners to tackle transnational crime from all angles with all of the resources available to us to make our streets safer,” said Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations in New England.
“This operation is another example of how the FBI and our law enforcement partners work together to dismantle large-scale, violent transnational criminal organizations that cause chaos and death in our communities. We believe those arrested today – leaders, members, and close associates of the Trinitarios - have allegedly shown a reckless indifference to human life in order to control their turf, push their poison, and make money. There is no question our streets are safer because of this takedown,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “The FBI’s North Shore Gang Task Force will continue to work on the public’s behalf to lock up these dangerous offenders who shatter folks’ sense of security and quality of life.”
“Gang violence, as well as illegal gun and drug trafficking, have no place in the Commonwealth,” said Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoff Noble. “Operations like this show the Massachusetts State Police is committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to find those responsible for these crimes, arrest them, and pursue justice. Getting these criminals off the street makes Massachusetts a safer place to live.”
“This investigation and the results represent the best of law enforcement partnerships. The residents of Essex County are safer today with the dismantling of this violent criminal enterprise,” said Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker.
“Today's operation marks the culmination of an extensive investigation, demonstrating the strength of our collaborative efforts to combat gangs and violent criminal activity. These significant arrests will undoubtedly prevent further harm to our community. I want to express my deepest gratitude to our officers and our State and Federal law enforcement partners, the Essex County District Attorney’s Office and the Office of the United States Attorney for Massachusetts for their relentless pursuit of justice and for their commitment to making our city safer,” said Lynn Police Chief Christopher P. Reddy.
“I commend the successful collaboration with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations,” says Manchester (N.H.) Police Chief Peter Marr. “By arresting multiple gang members involved in violent criminal activities throughout the region, we are reinforcing the commitment to making our community safer.”
The charge of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity (also known as “racketeering conspiracy” or “RICO conspiracy”) provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act conspiracy) provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
U.S. Attorney Foley, HSI SAC Krol, FBI SAC Cohen, MSP Colonel Noble, Essex DA Tucker, Chief Reddy and Chief Marr made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and the Andover, Boston, Lawrence, Peabody and Salem Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
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APPENDIX
DEFENDANTS – U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
First NameLast NameStreet Name(s)AgeRoleChargeJustinAlbaTuto; Mimi25Discipline (“Disciplina”) - Lynn ChapterRICO Conspiracy with MurderDarwinBatistaEl Py21Member - Lynn ChapterRICO Conspiracy with MurderJanoyBatistaEl Viejo34Member - Lynn ChapterRICO ConspiracyAaronDiaz LiranzoSosa26Leader #1 - Lynn ChapterRICO ConspiracyLuisEnrique SantanaChiquito; Young LS30Member - Lynn ChapterRICO ConspiracyDavidGarciaBambino23Member - Lynn ChapterRICO Conspiracy with MurderIsraelGarcia VasquezMenol; Menor23Member - Lynn ChapterRICO ConspiracyLuisJeffrey SantanaSopita27Primera Number One - Manchester ChapterRICO ConspiracyJamesJimenez 25Member - Lynn ChapterRICO Conspiracy with MurderEryJordani RosarioJordani; Racacha32Second-in-Command (“Flag;” “Seundo”)RICO ConspiracyWestynLantiguaWes; Muddy; Wes Trippy24Member - Lynn ChapterRICO ConspiracyMichaelMilianoTrucho22Member - Lynn ChapterRICO Conspiracy with MurderEnmanuelPaula-CabralNelfew; Gordo; Manny; Few33State Supreme LeaderRICO Conspiracy with MurderCarlos JavierRamirez CornielleKreepy16Menore (juvenile)RICO with MurderKelvin LiranzoRomanWoopty25Member - Lynn ChapterRICO Conspiracy with MurderWarlyRuiz 30Member - Lynn ChapterRICO Conspiracy with MurderTomySanchez TejedaManito Bello35Leader #3 - Lynn ChapterRICO Conspiracy with MurderAngelSantosBiggie; Big Boy25Security Officer (“Securidad”)RICO Conspiracy with MurderAbelSeverino ReyesRiko; Indio21Member - Lynn ChapterRICO Conspiracy with MurderElvisTrujilloHonduras27Member - Lawrence ChapterRICO Conspiracy with MurderYefersonVallecillo CambarIlluminati23Member - Lynn ChapterRICO Conspiracy with MurderWilvingLopezBolu24Member - Lynn ChapterRICO ConspiracyDEFENDANTS – ESSEX COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
First NameLast NameStreet Name(s)AgeRoleChargeLeonardoEspinozaPinina15Menore (juvenile)MurderRobertSeverinoPetete25Member - Lawrence ChapterMurderDEFENDANTS – U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE (PREVIOUSLY UNSEALED CHARGES)
First NameLast NameStreet Name(s)AgeRoleChargeEricRosarioManiactico; MT26Member - Lawrence ChapterHobbs Act RobberyRobertSantanaPiccarine29Member - Lawrence ChapterHobbs Act RobberyRosnelPolancoJai26Member - Lawrence ChapterHobbs Act RobberyRicardoBratini-PerezRico from the Sin26Member - Lynn ChapterDrug OffensesMissouri Couple Arrested for Abducting and Sexually Abusing a 13-Year-Old that They Groomed OnlineRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A married couple from Springfield, Missouri, was arrested recently and charged with transporting a minor in interstate commerce with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
Justin Johiah Curtright, 40, and Christin Marie Curtright, 32, groomed the 13-year-old victim over the internet, traveled from Missouri to pick her up from her home in Virginia, then repeatedly sexually assaulted her in their van and at their Springfield, Missouri apartment until she was rescued by police.
According to the federal criminal complaint filed last week, in May 2024 the victim met Justin Curtright on Discord, an online group chat platform, where the two talked for hours. The victim initially used an alias and claimed she was 18 years old. Justin Curtright soon began talking in sexual overtones and eventually sent the victim a sexually explicit video of himself.
The next morning, Justin added the victim to a private Discord channel that included him and his wife, Christin Curtright. From that point, the three talked extensively, both online and by phone. The victim eventually admitted she was only 13 years old.
The Curtrights also engaged in sexually explicit acts on-camera while video chatting with the victim. Justin would frequently pretend to be the victim’s father.
At some point near the end of June, the Curtrights devised a plan to drive to southern Virginia to abduct the victim and take her to their Springfield apartment. On the morning of July 24, 2024, as planned, the Curtrights met the victim near her home in Virginia. The victim got in the Curtrights’ vehicle, and they transported her back to Missouri.
During the trip back to Missouri, the Curtrights each took turns sexually assaulting the victim while the other drove. Once they reached their apartment, they continued their sexual abuse and exploitation of the victim for several more days.
On July 27, 2024, officers with the Springfield Police Department went to the Curtrights’ apartment, where they found the victim hiding in the back of a closet in the Curtrights’ bedroom. The victim had a debit card and false ID that Justin Curtright gave her, which represented her as Justin’s 15-year-old daughter.
Springfield officers seized the Curtrights’ phones, which held recordings of the Curtrights’ video chats grooming and sexually exploiting the victim, as well as images of the victim being abused during the drive to Missouri.
If convicted, the Curtrights face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum punishment of life in prison.
Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, made the announcement today.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Springfield Police Department, and various local law enforcement agencies investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Drew O. Inman is prosecuting the case for the United States.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Mexican National Who Supervised a Drug Trafficking Organization Operating in Oroville, Washington, Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that on February 19, 2025, United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Erubey Arciga Medrano, age 35, of Michoacan, Mexico, to 180 months in federal prison on drug trafficking charges. Judge Rice also imposed 5 years of supervised release. When he imposed the sentence, Judge Rice noted the large amount of drugs and firearms involved in this case.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, in January 2023, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) identified Medrano as the leader of a drug trafficking organization flooding portions of the Eastern District of Washington, including the Oroville area and the Colville Indian Reservation, with methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Between January 2023 and March 2023, BIA, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Washington State law enforcement and Colville Tribal law enforcement conducted a series of controlled drug buys from Medrano and others selling drugs on his behalf.
On April 19, 2023, BIA, DEA, the North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force, and other Federal, State, Local, and Tribal law enforcement, executed a series of federal search warrants at a number of homes in rural Okanogan County, near Oroville, Washington. In total, investigators seized approximately 161,000 fentanyl-laced pills (to include Mexi-blues and rainbow-colored pills), approximately 80 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 6 pounds of heroin, and more than 2 pounds of cocaine. The BIA, DEA, and their partners also seized approximately 12 firearms.
“The volume of drugs and firearms seized during this operation is staggering. I am so grateful for the incredible law enforcement team, which came together to conduct this operation and remove these drugs from Eastern Washington communities,” stated Acting United States Attorney Richard Barker. “Because of the joint efforts of federal state, local, and Tribal law enforcement – which were led in this case by the BIA’s Division of Drug Enforcement – Eastern Washington is safer today. Many of these drugs were destined for Native American communities, including in Eastern Washington and Montana. I am confident that lives were saved as a result of the incredible work that was done in this case.”
“The impact of this individual and his drug trafficking organization on numerous tribal members, their communities, and surrounding areas - between the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington to the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana - cannot be quantified. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) expresses its gratitude for the robust partnerships with various law enforcement agencies that contributed to the successful conclusion of this investigation,” Deputy Associate Director of the BIA Division of Drug Enforcement, Tom Atkinson, stated. “This achievement exemplifies the BIA's unwavering commitment to dismantling organizations that exploit Indian Country and to safeguarding all residents of our native lands.”
“Drug traffickers like Mr. Medrano profit from the pain they cause selling poison to our neighbors,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Division. “We at the Drug Enforcement Administration, and our partners, work tirelessly to protect our community and this case highlights the lengths we will go to ensure people trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine are held accountable for the suffering they cause.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force. The investigation team was assisted by the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Okanogan County Sheriff, Colville Tribal Police Department, and the Kalispel Tribal Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker and Assistant United States Attorney Nowles H. Heinrich.
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Mexican Man Charged with Illegal Re-Entry of a Removed AlienRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that CESAR RUIZ-AGUILAR (“RUIZ-AGUILAR”), age 38, was charged on February 13, 2025 with illegal reentry of a previously removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).
According to the charging document, RUIZ-AGUILAR was found in the United States on February 1, 2024, having reentered the United States without authorization from the Attorney General of the United States, after being previously deported on March 13, 2010 and May 17, 2017.
He faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two (2) years, followed by up to one (1) year of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that a bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations and Tangipahoa Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon M. Maestri of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Memphis Man Sentenced to 270 Months for Sex Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that MACEO ROBERTS (“ROBERTS”), age 25, from Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced on February 12, 2025 before United States District Judge Susie Morgan for conspiring to commit sex trafficking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1594(c).
According to court documents, in about Summer 2020, ROBERTS told his co-conspirators, Dominique Peeples and Jeremy Talbert, that he was making a lot of money acting as a pimp, and offered to teach them how to be pimps, as well. After Peeples and Talbert agreed, ROBERTS “gave” Minor Victim 2, a minor female born in 2003 who had previously performed commercial sex acts under ROBERTS’s direction, to Peeples. Thereafter, Minor Victim 2 introduced Talbert to Minor Victim 3, a minor female born in 2003, who began performing commercial sex acts under Talbert’s direction.
During Summer 2020, ROBERTS, Peeples, and Talbert travelled throughout the southern United States, including the New Orleans area, with multiple females, including Minor Victim 2, Minor Victim 3, and Adult Victim 1, for the purpose of having the females engage in commercial sex acts. ROBERTS taught Peeples and Talbert techniques to oversee and advertise a prostitution operation, including the amount to charge. ROBERTS also reminded them to keep all of the proceeds. During this time period, including while in New Orleans, Adult Victim 1 engaged in commercial sex acts at the direction and supervision of ROBERTS, while Minor Victim 2 worked for Peeples and Minor Victim 3 worked for Talbert.
In about October 2020, ROBERTS assumed control over Minor Victim 3, and required her, not only, to work approximately fifteen hours per day performing commercial sex acts, but also to give him all the money she earned. ROBERTS beat Adult Victim 1 in front of Minor Victim 3 to show Minor Victim 3 the consequences for not following his instructions. ROBERTS also provided drugs and alcohol to the victims to control their behavior.
In about October 2020, Talbert recruited Minor Victim 1, a fourteen-year-old female, to engage in commercial sex acts under his direction. In about late October 2020, ROBERTS, Peeples, Talbert, Adult Victim 1, Minor Victim 1, and Minor Victim 2 travelled to New Orleans, where they stayed for several months. During this time, ROBERTS, Peeples, and Talbert supervised the commercial sex work of Adult Victim 1, Minor Victim 2, and Minor Victim 1, respectively. ROBERTS imposed rules and quotas that Adult Victim 1 had to follow and, when she did not meet those quotas or expressed reluctance, ROBERTS threatened to beat and shoot her.
In January 2021, ROBERTS beat Adult Victim 1 so badly that she required hospitalization in a New Orleans area facility. After Adult Victim 1’s hospital discharge, ROBERTS and Peeples told Adult Victim 1 and Minor Victim 2 that they would bring them home to Memphis. Instead, ROBERTS and Peeples drove them to Houston and forced them to engage in commercial sex acts until they finally escaped. ROBERTS and Peeples then returned to Memphis to look for Adult Victim 1 and Minor Victim 2 to punish them for escaping. ROBERTS located Adult Victim 1, hiding in a hotel bathtub, and choked her. He also threatened Minor Victim 2.
Additionally, in about late January 2021, ROBERTS met and began recruiting Adult Victim 2 to perform commercial sex acts under his direction. Adult Victim 2 did so until about April 2022. During that time, ROBERTS repeatedly beat, threatened, and victimized Adult Victim 2, including in November 2021 at a New Orleans area hotel. In about April 2022, shortly before his arrest, ROBERTS punched Adult Victim 2 so hard that he shattered her front teeth.
U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan sentenced ROBERTS to 270 months’ imprisonment. Judge Morgan ordered that this sentence be run consecutively to any sentence imposed on a pending case for attempted murder and robbery in Marion County Superior Court in Indianapolis, Indiana. Judge Morgan imposed a fifteen year term of supervised release following imprisonment. ROBERTS was ordered to pay $666,000 in restitution to the victims. ROBERTS must also participate in the sex offender registration and notification program. In addition, Judge Morgan imposed a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
Peeples and Talbert previously pleaded guilty to sex trafficking offenses. Peeples’s sentencing is set for April 9, 2025, before Judge Sarah S. Vance, and Talbert’s sentencing is set for March 12, 2025, before Judge Lance M. Africk.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Memphis Police Department with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Carboni of the Financial Crimes Unit and Jordan Ginsberg, Supervisor of the Public Integrity Unit.
McKees Rocks Resident Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court on February 18, 2025, to a charge of child exploitation, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Brandon Jennings, 38, pleaded guilty before Senior United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti to one count of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, in and around March 2021 and July 2021, Jennings possessed 926 images and 803 videos depicting the sexual exploitation of minors, some of whom were prepubescent.
Judge Flowers Conti scheduled sentencing for June 25, 2025. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney V. Joseph Sonson is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Allegheny County Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Jennings.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
McAllen man sentenced to over 33 years for sexually abusing minorsRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 29-year-old local resident has been sentenced for enticement of a minor and production of child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Christian Hanks pleaded guilty Oct. 15, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez has now sentenced Hanks to 400 and 360 months for enticement and production of child pornography convictions, respectively. The court ordered the sentences will run concurrently. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted the repeat nature of the offenses and the degree of manipulation involved in them. Judge Alvarez also indicated Hanks’ behavior was consistent with that of a sexual predator. He was further ordered to serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison terms. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Hanks will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
“As the court found, the defendant’s behavior in this case was particularly abhorrent, and deserving of a significant sentence” said Ganjei. “Children deserve to grow up in a safe community, free from the predations of individuals like Hanks. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that similar predators are uncovered and prosecuted.”
“The conviction and sentencing of this individual today highlights our steadfast dedication to safeguarding our children,” said Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) Deputy Special Agent in Charge Mark Lippa. “With the sentence of production of child pornography, ICE-HSI sends a strong message that such reprehensible behavior will not be tolerated. We must remain united in our efforts to protect the safety and well-being of every child.”
Hanks recorded himself sexually abusing a minor victim in December 2023. The investigation revealed years of communication between himself and the minor regarding further sexual abuse, and requests to abuse the minor and other minor children.
The investigation also revealed Hanks had engaged in grooming behavior with another minor victim in the Western District of Louisiana to entice her to engage in sexual conduct with him. The investigation revealed he also engaged in sexual intercourse with the second minor victim.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations in Texas and Louisiana conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cahal P. McColgan and Earl M. Campbell prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Lowell Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Methamphetamine PillsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lowell man pleaded guilty on Feb. 14, 2025 to trafficking methamphetamine pills supplied by three fellow Asian Boyz gang associates.
Bill Phim, a/k/a “Bonez,” 36, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine, and two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for May 14, 2025.
A long-term investigation proved that Asian Boyz gang members and associates had access to a plentiful supply of homemade methamphetamine pills marketed as the pharmaceutical product, Adderall. These pills were similar in shape, size, and appearance to genuine Adderall. On 12 different dates in 2022, Phim sold these counterfeit “Adderall” pills to an undercover agent. In total, Phim sold the undercover agent over 10,000 pills for more than $36,000.
Phim’s supplier for the first five pill deals with the undercover agent was Asian Boyz gang member, Erickson Dao. Between February and May 2022, Dao gave Phim the pills from his home in Lowell shortly before Phim was planning to meet the undercover agent for the sales. After the deals, Phim either returned to Dao’s house to split the cash paid by the undercover agent, or he used an electronic payments service to send Dao his share of the drug proceeds.
For the next five deals, Phim conspired with Asian Boyz gang associate, Brian Gingras, to source the pills. Between May 2022 and September 2022, Gingras met Phim prior to the planned deals with the undercover agent to deliver the pills personally. The investigation revealed that Gingras was stashing the pills in a nearby storage unit.
For the final two pill sales with the undercover agent, alleged Asian Boyz gang member Marcus Holder allegedly delivered pills to Phim in Lowell immediately before Phim met the undercover agent, on Sept. 30, 2022, and again on Oct. 18, 2022.
The charges of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine. The charges of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million.
In January 2025, both Gingras and Dao pleaded guilty. Gingras is scheduled to be sentenced on April 15, 2025. Dao is scheduled to be sentenced on May 13, 2025. Holder has pleaded not guilty and his case is pending trial.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley, Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division and Superintendent Gregory C. Hudon of the Lowell Police Department made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Billerica, Haverhill, North Andover and Salem Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak, III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.
This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant in the case is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Leader of Large-Scale Drug Trafficking Organization Pleads Guilty in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Boston man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Concord to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and cocaine in New Hampshire, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
Juan Ramon Soto Baez, 55, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, namely, cocaine and fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliott scheduled sentencing for May 29, 2025. On April 26, 2023, the defendant was charged along with 20 other defendants. To date, 10 defendants involved in the conspiracy have been convicted.
According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, the defendant was the leader of a Massachusetts-based drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine in New Hampshire, particularly Manchester, between September of 2019 and April of 2023. The organization was run like a business, operating “dispatch” telephone lines where customers could call in to order narcotics. The defendant or a trusted member of the conspiracy working for him would take customer orders on the phone, and then he would either deliver the order himself or send a runner to conduct the drug sale at an arranged meeting location.
During the timeframe of the conspiracy, law enforcement agents observed and recorded the defendant and his co-conspirators selling fentanyl and cocaine on nineteen occasions. On the day of the defendant’s arrest, a search of a residence associated with the conspiracy yielded $15,000 and drug ledgers. A search of a vehicle used by the drug trafficking organization yielded roughly 94 grams of fentanyl and 196 grams of cocaine packaged in small baggies for distribution.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least three (3) years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande is prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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Lake Station Man Sentenced to 360 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND – Matthew A. Bugielski, 26 years old, of Lake Station, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Gretchen S. Lund after pleading guilty to Sexual Exploitation of Children, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
Bugielski was sentenced to 360 months in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution to the victim of the offense.
According to documents in the case, on or about June 19, 2023, Bugielski produced a sexually explicit image of a minor by employing, using, and inducing the minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct. Further, Bugielski distributed that sexually explicit image to others over the internet. On occasions separate from June 19, 2023, Bugielski distributed other images and videos of child sexual abuse materials over the internet to others.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Indiana State Police, the Indiana State Police Digital Forensics Unit, the Roanoke Police Department, the Huntington County Sheriff’s Office, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Lake Station Police Department, and the New Chicago Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily Morgan.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Jury Convicts Winnebago Woman for Second Degree MurderRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that on February 7, 2025, a jury found Michelle Lee Marr, 49, of Winnebago, Nebraska, guilty of second-degree murder and tampering with documents or evidence after an almost five-day federal trial in Omaha, Nebraska. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher presided over the trial. Marr faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for the second-degree murder charge and a maximum 20 years in prison for the tampering with documents or evidence charge.
On March 12, 2022, Marr contacted Winnebago EMS to report the victim was not waking up and requested an ambulance respond to her residence. EMS transported the victim to Twelve Clans Unity hospital. Due to the severity of his injuries, the victim was taken by helicopter to Mercy One Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa. The medical treatment team at Mercy determined the victim had brain trauma and swelling. Nurses also noted significant amounts of makeup applied to the victim’s face, which revealed bruising when removed, as well as numerous bruises on the victim’s body. On March 13, 2022, the victim succumbed to his injuries. A subsequent autopsy determined the victim’s cause of death to be blunt force trauma and the manner of death to be homicide. The pathologist testified the victim’s injuries were consistent with inflicted trauma as opposed to trauma which might result from some type of fall.
Marr claimed to have been passed out from approximately 5:00 PM on March 11, 2022, until finding the victim on March 12, 2022. Social media evidence and evidence from Marr’s phone, found during the investigation, contradicted Marr’s claims. During the trial, witnesses testified to observing previous incidents of Marr physically assaulting the victim.
Marr will be sentenced on June 5, 2025, at 10:00 AM, before Judge Buescher in Omaha.
This case was prosecuted in federal court because the offense was a felony and occurred on the Winnebago Indian Reservation in Nebraska.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Jury Convicts Valrico Man of Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that a federal jury has found Tryon Metteria Byrd IV (45, Valrico) guilty of conspiring to distribute, and distributing, methamphetamine and cocaine. Byrd faces a minimum penalty 5 five years, up to 40 years, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 14, 2025.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Byrd and his co-conspirators distributed methamphetamine and cocaine out of three residences in St. Petersburg. Byrd sold directly to undercover detectives from the St. Petersburg Police Department from a residence owned by his family.
Byrd’s co-conspirators, Eric L. Lemon, Eric Lekent Lemon Jr., and Dominic Giannantonio pleaded guilty and have been sentenced for their roles in the drug conspiracy. Lemon was sentenced to 21 years and 6 months in federal prison, Lemon Jr. was sentenced to 4 years and 3 months’ imprisonment, and Giannantonio was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in prison.
This case was investigated by the St. Petersburg Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David P. Sullivan.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Jamaican Citizen Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering the United States After His 2016 DeportationRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Nelson S.T. Thayer, Jr., announced that Marlon Hodges, aka “Michael Stewart,” 50, a citizen of Jamaica, entered a plea of guilty yesterday before United States District Court Judge Anita B. Brody to one count of illegal reentry after deportation.
In February of last year, federal authorities became aware that Hodges was present in the United States after having been deported in 2016.
On March 6, 2024, the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Border Enforcement Security Task Force conducted an enforcement operation to locate the defendant. At approximately 10:30 a.m., Hodges was seen leaving a residence on the 5500 block of Walton Avenue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and walking to a corner store on South 56th Street.
When investigators entered the store and approached the defendant, he stated that his name was Marlon Hodges and that he did not have identification. Hodges was immediately arrested and searched, and found in possession of a fraudulent Pennsylvania driver’s license bearing his photograph and the name Michael Stewart. A fingerprint check subsequently confirmed Hodges’ identity.
Investigators checked the defendant’s criminal and immigration histories and determined that, in February 2005, Hodges was convicted of first-degree assault in Orange County, New York, and sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment. That March, U.S. immigration officers issued Hodges a Notice to Appear in Immigration Court for being an alien convicted of an aggravated felony, that is, a conviction for a crime of violence for which the sentence imposed was one year or longer.
In January 2006, an immigration judge in Fishkill, New York, ordered Hodges removed from the United States to Jamaica. Upon his release from prison, Hodges was removed from the United States to Jamaica via ICE Air Operations on April 28, 2016. He illegally reentered the United States at an unknown place on an unknown date.
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on May 27.
The case was investigated by the HSI Border Enforcement Security Task Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney S. Chandler Harris.
Illegal Alien Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – An illegal alien has been sentenced for illegal possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Steven N. Schrank.
U.S. District Court Judge Madeline H. Haikala sentenced Joel Armando Martin-Martin, 24, of Guatemala, to 24 months in prison. In November 2024, Martin-Martin pleaded guilty to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on August 5, 2024, a Homewood Police Department officer conducted a traffic stop on Martin-Martin. The officer smelled marijuana and asked Martin-Martin to exit the vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed a loaded DTI AR-style rifle, 11 magazines fitted for the rifle, ammunition, a loaded Springfield 9mm magazine, and 3 spent shell casings.
HSI investigated the case along with the Homewood Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Camp prosecuted the case.
Houma, La Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced today that CURTIS WILLIAMSON JR. (“WILLIAMSON JR.”), age 41, of Houma, LA, pled guilty on February 13, 2025 before Chief U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to Possession with Intent to Distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A). Judge Brown scheduled sentencing for May 22, 2025.
According to the indictment, after receiving a complaint of WILLIAMSON JR. trafficking narcotics, a search warrant was executed on his residence where multiple kilograms of methamphetamine were discovered in large bags in his bedroom closet.
Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.
Honolulu Man Sentenced to 151 Months in Prison for Child Exploitation of Multiple MinorsRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson announced that Jonathan Farr, 31, of Honolulu, was sentenced today in federal court by U.S. District Judge Shanlyn A.S. Park to 151 months of imprisonment followed by 30 years of supervised release for receipt of child pornography. Farr will also be required to pay $3,000 in restitution to two minor victims and register as a sex offender when he is released. Farr previously pled guilty on February 14, 2024.
In his plea agreement, Farr admitted that from approximately June 2019 through May 2020, he used the internet to contact two minor females and engaged in sexually explicit conversations with them. Farr also solicited and received images and videos of the minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including masturbation videos.
In Court at sentencing, the government explained that Farr not only groomed the minors over time and solicited sexually explicit images and videos, `but also distributed those videos to others, including to other minors. Farr also discussed purchasing flights for the minors to travel to Hawaii or for him travel to the mainland where they were located. According to information provided to the Court, Farr’s predatory conduct included additional victims beyond the two minors who were victimized as part of the federal charges. Farr admitted to law enforcement and told other minor victims that he had hands-on sexual contact with at least three minor females and another minor, all located in Hawaii.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crimes Against Children Section. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca A. Perlmutter prosecuted the case.
Honduran National with Sex Assault Conviction Sentenced to 20 Months in Prison for Illegally Reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSE PAVON-FERMIN, 40, a citizen of Honduras, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 20 months of imprisonment for illegally reentering the United States after being deported.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2018, Pavon-Fermin was convicted in state court of sexual assault in the third degree and unlawful restraint in the first degree. For these offenses, he was sentenced to 10 years in jail, suspended after serving four and one-half years, and 10 years of probation. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life. In June 2021, after serving his state sentence, Pavon-Fermin was deported and removed from the U.S.
Pavon-Fermin reentered the U.S. and, on January 31, 2023, was arrested in Norwalk and charged with breach of peace, criminal trespass, and interfering with an officer. He was released on bond, but his rearrest was ordered in April 2023 when he failed to appear in state court. He never registered as a sex offender.
On October 4, 2023, Pavon-Fermin was charged by indictment with illegal reentry and failure to register as a sex offender. He was arrested on March 7, 2024, in Rustburg, Virginia, and has been detained since his arrest. On November 14, 2024, he pleaded guilty to illegal reentry.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the United States Marshals Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neeraj N. Patel and Alexis L. Beyerlein.
High Ranking Raleigh Crip Gang Member Sentenced to over Five YearsRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced today to 71 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after trafficking firearms. On November 3, 2023, Dwight Daniel Hinton, age 34, pled guilty to the offense.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Hinton was trafficking firearms in New York through another Crip gang member. Hinton would use a straw purchaser to purchase firearms from local licensed dealers and then sell them illegally. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives utilized a confidential informant to purchase three firearms from Hinton. One of those firearms was an AR-15 rifle, with a high-capacity magazine, a brass catcher, and could be converted into a machinegun.
While in custody, Hinton was recorded discussing a $20,000 murder for hire scheme he was offered by another gang member. After Hinton pled guilty, and while awaiting sentencing, Hinton assaulted an inmate in the Pamlico Correctional Institute and then assaulted another inmate in the Pitt County Detention Center. Hinton was found to be in possession of a homemade “shank” weapon while in custody, awaiting sentencing.
Hinton has eight prior felony convictions including multiple counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, breaking and/or entering, robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, and common law robbery.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Sandling and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Aria Q. Merle prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-00202-FL.
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Hartford Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking, Gun Possession OffensesRead the Press Release
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LUIS DeJESUS, 30, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 132 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for narcotics distribution and firearm possession offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, DeJesus’s criminal history includes felony convictions in state court for criminal possession of a firearm and burglary in the third degree.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2022, members of the Connecticut State Police’s Statewide Narcotics Task Force – North Central Office conducted a series of controlled purchases of narcotics from DeJesus. DeJesus was arrested on state charges on December 16, 2022, and, on that date, a court-authorized search of his Hartford residence revealed approximately 460 grams of fentanyl, approximately 90 grams of crack cocaine, nearly a kilogram of marijuana, drug processing and packaging materials, a loaded Glock 45 9mm handgun, a loaded 9mm magazine, and $52,579 in cash.
The case was adopted for federal prosecution and, on March 7, 2023, a grand jury returned an indictment charging DeJesus with one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of cocaine, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
After his federal arrest, DeJesus was released on a $100,000 bond and into home confinement at residence of a family member on Warren Street in Hartford. On November 20, 2023, DeJesus was again arrested after law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence. As investigators entered the residence, DeJesus threw fentanyl out of a window. A search of the residence revealed an additional quantity of fentanyl, a small quantity of cocaine, and drug processing and packaging materials. In total, DeJesus possessed more than 490 grams of fentanyl on that date.
On February 20, 2024, the grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging DeJesus with an additional count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
DeJesus has been detained since November 20, 2023. On October 17, 2024, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Resident Office and the Connecticut State Police’s Statewide Narcotics Task Force – North Central Office, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Reed Durham.
Guatemalan National and Malden Man Arrested for Distributing CocaineRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Two men have been arrested for allegedly conspiring to distribute cocaine.
Erick Sandoval-Perez, 43, a Guatemalan national living in Malden, was charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Christhian Castillo, 32, also of Malden, was charged with distribution and possession with intent to distribute 500 or more grams of cocaine and conspiracy to commit that offense. Sandoval-Perez and Castillo had initial appearances and a detention hearing in federal court in Worcester, and were ordered held pending further proceedings.Sandoval-Perez and Castillo allegedly worked together to sell cocaine on several occasions to an undercover law enforcement officer. On Feb. 12, 2025, Sandoval-Perez allegedly arranged to sell a kilogram of cocaine to an undercover. Castillo was arrested when he allegedly handed the kilogram of cocaine to the undercover, and Sandoval-Perez was arrested nearby.
According to court records, Sandoval-Perez, is a Guatemalan national who was previously deported from the United States and allegedly re-entered illegally.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1,000,000. The charges of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 500 or more grams of cocaine, and conspiracy to commit that offense, carry a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, supervised release of at least four years and a fine of up to $5,000,000. Sandoval-Perez is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of an imposed sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Chief Ryan Malatos of the Leominster Police Department; and Chief Brian W. Coyne of the Clinton Police Department made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Malden Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Guatemalan National Sentenced to 14 Months Imprisonment for Illegally Reentering the United States a Year After DeportationRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Enrique Diaz-Perez, age 38, a Guatemalan national, was sentenced to serve 14 months federal prison yesterday for illegally reentering the United States after previously being convicted of illegal reentry in 2024. Acting United States Attorney Daniel Hanlon and Thomas P. Brophy, Field Office Director, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, (ICE-ERO) Buffalo, NY made the announcement.
As a part of his earlier plea, Diaz-Perez admitted that he was removed from the United States in 2009 following his conviction in Massachusetts for assault with a dangerous weapon. Diaz-Perez was again removed from the United States in February 2024, following his conviction in federal court in Syracuse for illegal reentry. On August 27, 2024, Diaz-Perez was located in Syracuse and arrested. At the time, Diaz-Perez was working in Little Falls, New York. Diaz-Perez will be subject to deportation again at the conclusion of his prison sentence.
In addition to the 14-month federal prison sentence, Diaz-Perez was also sentenced to a consecutive 4-month term of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release from his prior illegal reentry offense.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security-ICE-ERO investigated the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck prosecuted the case.
Fredericksburg drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years in prison for distribution of fake oxycodone pills containing fentanylRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Fredericksburg man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to receive and distribute thousands of fentanyl pills.
According to court documents, Khalil Elijah Williams, 25, obtained counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl from out-of-state suppliers and redistributed them in Virginia. The pills were imprinted “M30” to appear as legitimate oxycodone, but instead contained fentanyl. Williams then distributed those pills to his co-conspirators, including Alhagi Gassim Conteh, 30, of Alexandria, and others.
Williams obtained the fentanyl from co-conspirators who shipped packages containing thousands of counterfeit pills from Arizona and other states. For example, in August 2024, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) in Phoenix seized a parcel destined to Williams at an apartment in Woodbridge. USPIS inspectors in Arizona obtained and executed a search warrant and seized approximately a kilogram of counterfeit pills from the parcel. USPIS seized another shipment of counterfeit pills shipped from Phoenix that month that contained approximately 1,077.28 grams (gross weight) of fentanyl, or approximately 10,000 counterfeit pills. This shipment was also destined for Williams.
Between March and August 2024, Williams sold counterfeit pills totaling approximately 910.51 net grams to Conteh and others in transactions arranged by law enforcement. For example, on July 1, 2024, Williams sold 2,500 fentanyl pills at a location in Fredericksburg.
Conteh was arrested On April 12, 2024, and pled guilty on July 16, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl. On Oct. 22, 2024, Conteh was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
On Aug. 14, 2024, law enforcement conducted enforcement operations that resulted in the arrest of Williams and the recovery of two handguns and miscellaneous ammunition from his residence.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ibrar A. Mian, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin S. Starr and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher M. Carter prosecuted the case.
Assistance was provided by the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-236.
Fourteen Members and Associates of Violent Transnational Motorcycle Gang Indicted on RICO and Murder ChargesRead the Press Release
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An indictment was unsealed today in the Southern District of Texas charging 14 members and associates of the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang for their alleged roles in a criminal enterprise engaged in murder, robbery, arson, narcotics distribution, and witness intimidation in and around Houston.The indictment accuses the defendants of various crimes, including engaging in a conspiracy to commit racketeering (RICO) activity and committing violent crimes in furtherance of the gang such as murder, attempted murder, and assault. The indictment alleges that the Bandidos are a self-identified “outlaw” motorcycle organization with a membership of approximately 1,500 to 2,000 in the United States and an additional 1,000 to 1,500 members internationally, including in Mexico.
“Today’s indictment is an important step in eliminating the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang,” said Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Bandidos declare war on rivals — and they wage that war on our streets. Criminal behavior like this has no place in America, and the Department of Justice is fully committed to bringing peace back to our communities.”
“Ensuring the safety of the public is Southern District of Texas’ paramount concern,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas. “The indictment here not only alleges shocking crimes of violence, but also alleges that these offenses were committed openly and wantonly, where any innocent member of the public could have been hurt or killed.”
According to court documents and statements in court, beginning in 2019, a violent turf war erupted between the Bandidos and B*EAST, a rival outlaw motorcycle gang in the Houston area. As part of this turf war, Bandidos national leadership allegedly put out a “smash on site” order to commit physical assaults, including murder, against B*EAST members. The turf war has resulted in gunfire exchanged on public roadways and in public establishments with innocent civilians present, according to the charges.
John M. Pfeffer, also known as Big John, 32, Darvi Hinojosa, also known as 10 Round, 35, and Bradley Rickenbacker, also known as Dolla Bill, 37, all of Katy, Texas; Michael H. Dunphy, also known as Money Mike, 57, of Cleveland, Texas; Christopher Sanchez, also known as Monster, 40, of Tomball, Texas; and Brandon K. Hantz, also known as Loco and Gun Drop, 33, of Crosby, Texas, are charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering activity. Pfeffer, Dunphy, Hinojosa, Rickenbacker, and Sanchez are further charged with multiple counts of assault in aid of racketeering. Pfeffer, Hinojosa, Rickenbacker, and Sanchez are also charged with using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, while Sanchez faces charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Hantz is also charged with arson.
If convicted, Pfeffer, Hinojosa, Rickenbacker, and Sanchez each face a maximum penalty of life in prison, while Dunphy and Hantz each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each of their counts.
The indictment also charges David Vargas, also known as Brake Check and First Time, 33, of Houston, with murder in aid of racketeering; using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence resulting in death; attempted murder in aid of racketeering; and using a firearm during and in relation to the attempted murders. All those charges relate to the killing of a rival and the shooting of two others. If convicted, Vargas faces a mandatory penalty of life in prison or the death penalty.
Further, Marky Baker, also known as Pinche Guero and Guero, 40; Ronnie McCabe, also known as Meathead, 56; and Jeremy Cox, also known as JD, 37, all of Houston; Roy Gomez, also known as Repo, 50, of Richmond, Texas; and Marcel Lett, 56, of Pearland, Texas, are charged along with Pfeffer and Rickenbacker with assault in aid of racketeering and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. These charges are in relation to an alleged assault and robbery that resulted in the death of a rival. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Hinojosa is also charged along with John Sblendorio, also known as Tech9, 54, of Houston, with conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, assault in aid of racketeering, and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in connection with the shooting of a rival gang member. Hinojosa is also charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and three counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. If convicted, Sblendorio and Hinojosa each face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
In addition, Sean G. Christison, also known as Skinman, 30, of Katy, is charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
For all defendants, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI, Texas Board of Criminal Justice — Office of Inspector General, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation, with assistance from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office; Houston and Pasadena Police Departments; Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission; LaMarque and Katy Police Departments; U.S. Marshals Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District Police Department.
Trial Attorneys Grace H. Bowen and Christopher Taylor of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Byron H. Black and Kelly Zenón-Matos for the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
This investigation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. 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 Justice Department’s OCDETF webpage.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Justice Department’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about PSN, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Fort Myers Woman Sentenced for $300,000 Va Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber has sentenced Laurie Ann Roszelle (65, Fort Myers) to one year and one day in federal prison for wire fraud. As part of her sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $338,364.66, the proceeds of the fraud. Roszelle pleaded guilty on December 5, 2024.
According to court documents, in 2005, following her mother’s death, Roszelle began appropriating Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) survivor’s benefit payments to which her mother had been entitled. Roszelle forged her mother’s signature on multiple documents and sent them to the VA to ensure the continued flow of payments. When the VA discovered the mother’s death and shut off benefits in 2024, Roszelle called the VA claiming that her mother was still alive and asking that benefits be restarted. In another call, Roszelle impersonated her mother’s voice. When agents from the VA Office of Inspector General visited Roszelle’s residence, Roszelle claimed that her mother was living with her and made a series of fabricated statements about her mother seeing a physician regularly, being mobile, and otherwise being alive and in good health. Over the course of this 19-year scheme, Roszelle fraudulently obtained $338,364.66 in stolen benefits.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Winter.
Fort Myers Convicted Felon Sentenced for Possessing Firearm, Trafficking MarijuanaRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber has sentenced Warren Gregory Edwards (34, Fort Myers) to two years and six months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing marijuana with intent to distribute. The court also ordered Edwards to forfeit the Smith & Wesson firearm involved in the offense. Edwards pleaded guilty on December 5, 2024.
According to court documents, Edwards was stopped by deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for driving without a seatbelt. The deputies smelled marijuana, searched the car, and located a Smith & Wesson handgun and numerous bags of marijuana. The majority of the marijuana was in a large, clear plastic bag, and nearby were several new, empty, smaller bags. Also present in the vehicle was a scale and cup with marijuana residue. Edwards, who is prohibited from possessing a firearm based on his convictions for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and felon in possession, admitted to ownership of the marijuana and firearm.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Winter.
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.
Former Newport Beach Doctor Pleads Guilty to Possession of Hundreds of Images and Video of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A former Newport Beach gynecologist pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) across multiple personally owned devices.
Mark Albert Rettenmaier, 72, of Laguna Hills, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography. He is free on $600,000 bond.
According to his plea agreement, on June 7, 2020, Rettenmaier uploaded 15 images of CSAM to an Adobe cloud-based storage system. At least four of the images Rettenmaier uploaded depicted two minors, one under the age of 12, engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
On July 22, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant of Rettenmaier’s residence and seized his cellphone and a laptop. Upon review of the cellphone, law enforcement identified at least two additional images of CSAM. Review of the laptop revealed at least one video and 209 images of minors engaged in sexual activity.
Rettenmaier admitted that he knowingly downloaded the images and video of CSAM from the internet and stored them on his personal devices.
United States District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett scheduled an August 6 sentencing hearing at which time Rettenmaier will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count. Prosecutors have agreed to recommend that Rettenmaier be sentenced to no more than five years in federal prison.
Rettenmaier will also be required to pay a mandatory minimum of $3,000 restitution to each of six victims named in this case, for a total of at least $18,000.
The FBI investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Melissa Rabbani of the Orange County Office is prosecuting this case.
Floridian Sentenced for Role in Money Laundering OperationRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Ocala, Florida, has been sentenced to time served, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on his conviction for money laundering conspiracy, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Charles Wilson Stout, 66, who had served approximately six months of imprisonment for his crime.
According to information presented to the Court, Stout engaged in a money laundering conspiracy from in and around April 2022 until in and around June 2022. The Court was advised that a Washington, D.C.-based university was the victim of a business email compromise that resulted in the fraudulent transfer of more than $603,000 from a bank account located in the Western District of Pennsylvania into a separate bank account owned by Stout.
To obfuscate the source of the fraudulent funds, Stout and his co-defendant, David Kakra Mensah, created a shell company and transferred portions of the fraudulently obtained proceeds into a cryptocurrency account that Mensah owned. In addition to participating in the business e-mail compromise, Mensah was also involved in a romance fraud scheme in which he obtained and moved money through individual victims living in Pennsylvania, Oregon, and elsewhere. Mensah previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment.
Assistant United States Attorneys Mark V. Gurzo and Kelly M. Locher prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Stout.
Florida Man Sentenced for Dog FightingRead the Press Release
Jose Miguel Carrillo, of Spring Hill, Florida, was sentenced yesterday to 84 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to violate the dog fighting prohibitions of the federal Animal Welfare Act and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court filings, Carrillo conspired with others to purchase, acquire, and breed dogs for use in dog fights. Carillo also staged dog fights at his home and traveled to dog fights in Massachusetts, Florida, and Connecticut.
A June 2023 search warrant was executed at Carrillo’s home and led to the seizure of 10 pit bull-type dogs, most of which were later adopted by new owners, as well as a firearm and ammunition. Carrillo also possessed dog fighting paraphernalia including a bloodstained dog fighting box, a skin stapler, syringes, and injectable veterinary medications.
“To its core, dog fighting is a cruel and criminal exploitation of animals for entertainment,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Today’s sentence sends a strong deterrent message that the Justice Department will vigorously prosecute these cases.”
“Exploiting and endangering the welfare of animals for personal gain is cruel and abhorrent,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Sara C. Sweeney for the Middle District of Florida. “Because of the hard work of our law enforcement partners, justice was served.”
“The Office of Inspector General is committed to working with all of our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners in pursuing individuals who choose to participate in animal fighting activities and engage in violations involving animal welfare, while also committing other serious offenses in our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG).
Photo of dogs at Carrillo’s home, from court documents in United State v. Jose Carrillo, number 8:23-CR-00222, in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Photo of a bloodstained dog fighting pit at Carrillo’s home, from court documents in United State v. Jose Carrillo, number 8:23-CR-00222, in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.To report animal fighting crimes, please contact your local law enforcement or the USDA-OIG’s complaint hotline at: usdaoig.oversight.gov/hotline or 1-800-424-9121.
The USDA-OIG; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Pasco County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office and the Fitchburg (Massachusetts) Police Department investigated the case. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, Massachusetts State Police, New Hampshire State Police, Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Law Enforcement Division, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Senior Trial Attorney Matthew T. Morris of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Favorit and Tiffany Fields for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case. Trial Attorney Caitlyn Cook of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Wildlife and Marine Resources Section assisted with the transfer of the seized dogs to new owners.