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19 February 2025
Financial TV News Analyst-Turned-Fugitive Agrees to Plead Guilty to Federal Charge for Conning Investors Out of Millions of DollarsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former San Gabriel Valley resident – who was a frequent guest on financial television news programs then became a fugitive from justice after being accused of scamming investors – has agreed to plead guilty to defrauding his victims out of at least $2.7 million, the Justice Department announced today.
James Arthur McDonald Jr., 53, formerly of Arcadia, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of securities fraud, a felony that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
McDonald has been in federal custody since June 2024, when he was arrested in a residence in Port Orchard, Washington, after being a fugitive since November 2021, when he failed to appear before the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to testify after allegations arose that he had defrauded investors.
According to his plea agreement, at McDonald’s Washington state hideout, law enforcement found, among other things, a fake Washington, D.C., driver’s license bearing McDonald’s photograph and the name “Brian Thomas.”
“This defendant was entrusted by his clients to care for their money and he violated that trust by using it to enrich himself,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally. “Because of the work of the prosecutors in our office, the FBI, and IRS Criminal Investigation, he will be held accountable for stealing from others. We hope it will bring some solace to his victims.”
McDonald was the CEO and chief investment officer of two companies headquartered in Los Angeles: Hercules Investments LLC and Index Strategy Advisors Inc. (ISA). He frequently appeared as an analyst on the CNBC financial television news network.
In late 2020, McDonald lost tens of millions of dollars of Hercules client money after adopting a risky short position that effectively bet against the health of the United States economy in the aftermath of the U.S. presidential election. McDonald projected that the COVID-19 pandemic and the election would result in major selloffs that would cause the stock market to drop. When the market decline didn’t occur, Hercules clients lost between $30 million and $40 million. By December 2020, Hercules clients were complaining to company employees about the losses in their accounts, according to court documents.
In early 2021, McDonald solicited millions of dollars' worth of funds from investors in the form of a purported capital raise for Hercules but misrepresented how the funds would be used and failed to disclose the massive losses Hercules previously sustained. As part of the capital raise, McDonald obtained $675,000 in investment funds from one victim group on March 9, 2021. He misappropriated most of those funds in various ways, including spending $174,610 at a Porsche dealership and transferring $109,512 to the landlord of a home McDonald was renting in Arcadia.
McDonald also defrauded clients of ISA, his other firm, using less than half of the approximately $3.6 million he raised for trading purposes. Instead, McDonald frequently commingled ISA client funds with funds from his personal bank account, which he used to purchase luxury cars and to pay rent on his home, personal credit card charges, and Hercules operating expenses and to make Ponzi-like payments to ISA clients -- that is, paying some ISA clients using funds from other clients.
In total, McDonald caused losses of between approximately $2,745,892 and approximately $3,025,892, according to his plea agreement.
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation are investigating this matter.
In September 2022, the SEC filed a civil complaint charging McDonald and Hercules with violations of federal securities law. In April 2024, United States District Judge Percy Anderson found McDonald and Hercules liable and ordered that they pay several million dollars in disgorgement and civil penalties.
Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander B. Schwab and Nisha Chandran of the Corporate and Securities Fraud Strike Force are prosecuting this case.
Felon in Possession of Handgun and AR-15 Rifle in Nash County Sentenced to 10 YearsRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A Benson man was sentenced to 120 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl. On October 7, 2024, Keith Antonio Mcdougald, age 34, pled guilty to the offense.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Mcdougald was found in Nash County by the Nash County Sherriff’s deputies in a disabled vehicle on I-95 blocking all traffic. Mcdougald initially gave a false name to law enforcement and admitted to smoking marijuana in the vehicle. Inside of the vehicle, deputies located an AR-15 rifle loaded with a large capacity magazine containing 41 rounds of ammunition, a 10mm pistol and a loaded 10mm magazine, six grams of marijuana, a glass pipe, 22.87 grams of a mixture containing heroin, fentanyl, ANPP, and flourofentanyl (a fentanyl analogue) and 7.57 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin and ANPP. Mcdougald admitted to traveling to Virginia to purchase tires from someone through Facebook Marketplace and that he needed to take “something” with him in case the seller tried to rob him for the money.
Mcdougald was sentenced as a career offender and has four prior felony convictions including two counts of felony assault by strangulation, intimidation of a witness, and attempted obtaining property by false pretenses.
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-00203-FL.
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Federal Indictment Charges Suburban Chicago Man with Trafficking Firearms and DrugsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has indicted a suburban Chicago man for allegedly trafficking firearms and drugs.
An indictment returned Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges EFRAIN JACOBO, 42, of Prospect Heights, Ill., with federal firearm and drug offenses. He pleaded not guilty to the charges during his arraignment this morning in federal court. Jacobo is currently detained in federal custody.
According to the indictment and a criminal complaint previously filed in the case, Jacobo dealt six handguns, a rifle, ammunition, and narcotics in a series of transactions last fall in Joliet, Ill. The drugs in the deals included methamphetamines and cocaine. Unbeknownst to Jacobo, the individual to whom he sold the guns and drugs was an undercover law enforcement officer, the charges allege.
During the investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 150 kilograms of methamphetamines from a truck that had traveled from Texas to Bolingbrook, Ill. Law enforcement also seized fentanyl and cocaine from a storage facility used by Jacobo in Wheeling, Ill., and additional cocaine from Jacobo’s vehicle, the charges allege.
The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Sheila G. Lyons, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and Mike Rompa, Chief of the Bolingbrook, Ill. Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret A. Steindorf.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
0015_-_0000_-_indictment_as_to_efrain_jacobo_1_counts_1_2-6.pdf 0001_-_0000_-_complaint_signed_by_honorable_beth_w_jantz_as_to.pdfFederal Grand Jury in Louisville Indicts 3 Illegal AliensRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, returned indictments on February 19, 2025, charging 3 illegal aliens with federal criminal offenses.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of Homeland Security Investigations, Nashville, Police Chief Mike Canon of the Calvert City Police Department, and Sam Olson, Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Chicago, U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement made the announcement.
According to the indictments:
Juan Baltazar Felipe-Pedro, age 26, a citizen of Guatemala, was charged with reentry after deportation or removal. On or about January 23, 2025, Felipe-Pedro was an alien found in the United States after having been denied admission, excluded, deported, and removed from the United States on or about April 25, 2019. If convicted he faces a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison. This case is being investigated by HSI and ICE/ERO.
Jhoandiris Jimenez-Barrio, age 26, and Yirvel Yonaker Rios-Castro, age 20, citizens of Venezuela, were indicted for conspiracy to commit bank larceny and attempted bank larceny. On or about January 31, 2025, they conspired with each other and others to break into and steal money from an automated teller machine (ATM). They traveled to a bank in Calvert City, Kentucky and attempted to open an ATM to steal money. Homeland Security Investigations verified that Jimenez-Barrio and Rios-Castro are Venezuelan and entered the United States illegally. If convicted, the men face a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison. The case is being investigated by the FBI, Calvert City Police Department, and HSI.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
There is no parole in the federal system.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys A. Spencer McKiness, Seth Hancock, and Raymond McGee are prosecuting the cases.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Evansville Fentanyl Dealers Sentenced to a Combined Decade in Federal Prison for Manufacturing Counterfeit Drugs Using a Pill PressRead the Press Release
EVANSVILLE— Ethan Parker, 31 and Joshua Harvey 33, of Evansville, have been sentenced for their parts in a fentanyl trafficking scheme. Parker was sentenced to four years in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession and distribution of a tableting machine. Harvey was sentenced to 92 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents, between January 1, 2022, and April 4, 2022, Parker and Harvey conspired together to manufacture and distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl laced pills to individuals in and around the city of Evansville.
In the furtherance of the conspiracy, on multiple occasions in February and March of 2022, Harvey sold fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills in Evansville, Indiana, and Henderson, Kentucky. On March 23, 2022, Parker, communicating through an encrypted messaging application, agreed to sell Harvey 100 fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills for $350. On April 4, 2022, Harvey possessed approximately 31.9 grams of fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills with the intent to distribute them to dealers.
On August 25, 2021, Parker sold a blue pill press, along with an Alprazolam imprinting die, for $1,400, knowing that the pill press would be used to manufacture a controlled substance. The die could be used to manufacture counterfeit Alprazolam (Xanax). On April 4, 2022, Parker was found in possession of another pill press and pill imprinting dies of various shapes and imprints for use in the manufacture of fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills.
“Fentanyl dealers value their profits far more than the lives of our families and neighbors,” said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “We must fight to save lives by investigating and prosecuting criminals who exploit the epidemic of substance use disorder to satisfy their own greed. Our office, the DEA, and the Evansville Police Department are committed to holding fentanyl traffickers accountable for pushing deadly poison on our streets.”
“The charges against Mr. Parker and Mr. Harvey were necessary and justified. This case exemplified high level investigative work conducted by the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Drug Task Force in collaboration with the DEA Evansville HIDTA Task Force," said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Gannon. "Mr. Parker and Mr. Harvey were responsible for distributing significant quantities of fake pills containing fentanyl. In addition, the investigation led to the seizure of two pill presses capable of manufacturing fake Xanax pills and fentanyl pills. Taking two pill presses off the streets is a major win for our community. The DEA remains committed to working hand-in-hand with our partners to hold reckless drug dealers, who peddle poison to our communities, accountable for their actions and make our community safer.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Evansville Police Department investigated this case. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young. This prosecution is part of the Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program.
Acting U.S. Attorney Childress thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger, who prosecuted this case.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, depending on a person’s body size, tolerance, and past usage—a tiny amount that can fit on the tip of a pencil. Seven out of ten illegal fentanyl tablets seized from U.S. streets and analyzed by the DEA have been found to contain a potentially lethal dose of the drug.
One Pill Can Kill: Avoid pills bought on the street because One Pill Can Kill. Fentanyl has now become the leading cause of death for adults in the United States. Fentanyl is a highly potent opioid that drug dealers dilute with cutting agents to make counterfeit prescription pills that appear to be Oxycodone, Percocet, Xanax, and other drugs. Fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl are usually shaped and colored to look like pills sold at pharmacies. For example, fake prescription pills known as “M30s” imitate Oxycodone obtained from a pharmacy, but when sold on the street the pills routinely contain fentanyl. These pills are usually round tablets and often light blue in color, though they may be in different shapes and a rainbow of colors. They often have “M” and “30” imprinted on opposite sides of the pill. Do not take these or any other pills bought on the street – they are routinely fake and poisonous, and you won’t know until it’s too late.
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Ecuadorian Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Introduce Misbranded Prescription Drugs in the United StatesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Nelson S.T. Thayer, Jr., announced that Daniel Pinos, 30, of Ecuador, was sentenced today to one year of non-reporting probation and a $100 special assessment by United States District Court Judge John M. Gallagher for conspiracy to introduce misbranded drugs into interstate commerce.
Pinos pleaded guilty last week to a one-count information charging him with that offense.
Since in or about 2022, Pinos, an Ecuadorian dentist, made regular trips to the United States to provide dental care and prescription drugs in return for payment. Pinos did so even though he was not licensed to practice dentistry or prescribe drugs in the United States. Some of the drugs he dispensed while in the United States were shipped from Ecuador.
On September 10, 2024, law enforcement encountered Pinos and seized misbranded drugs and medical and dental equipment.
“In the U.S., we regulate health care and medications, to keep people safe,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Thayer. “Pinos understood that he wasn’t licensed to practice dentistry or provide prescription drugs here, but did so, nonetheless. This office and the FBI will continue to investigate such medical malfeasance and hold those who commit it accountable.”
“The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to protect our citizens and safeguard the integrity of our healthcare systems,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “We applaud the hard work of the Allentown Resident Agency and our partners in this case and in their efforts to keep our communities safe.”
The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Allentown Resident Agency and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John J. Boscia.
Dominican National Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison for Fentanyl Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that OVIDALIS JIMINEZ PUJOLS, 39, a citizen of the Dominican Republic last residing in New York, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to 48 months of imprisonment for a fentanyl trafficking offense.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in February 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration arranged the controlled purchase of two kilograms of fentanyl from a wholesale supplier of narcotics with multiple distribution points in the northeastern U.S. Jiminez Pujols and his co-defendant, Winifer Acosta Jiminez, were arrested on February 22, 2023, after they transported the two kilograms of fentanyl from New York to a meeting location in Milford, Connecticut.
Jiminez Pujols has been detained since his arrest on February 22, 2023. On November 26, 2024, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
Jiminez Pujols faces immigration proceedings when he completes his prison term.
Acosta Jiminez, who was released on $100,000 bond after federal arrest on January 31, 2024, removed her GPS monitoring equipment on July 31, 2024, and absconded. She is currently being sought by law enforcement.
As to Acosta Jiminez, Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated the Drug Enforcement Administration, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the West Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and Nathan J. Guevremont through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Detroit Man Sentenced to over Four Years in Federal Prison for Participating in Multi-State Pandemic Unemployment Insurance Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
DETROIT - A man from Detroit, Michigan was sentenced today for his role in a multi-state, million-dollar unemployment insurance fraud scheme aimed at defrauding the U.S. government and the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, of funds earmarked for unemployment assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck.
Joining in the announcement were Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Special Agent in Charge Charles Miller, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and Megan Howell, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
Tracey Dotson, 49, was sentenced to 51 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $900,000 in restitution in the sentence handed down by United States District Judge Matthew F. Leitman.
According to court records, Dotson and a co-defendant conspired to, and did, defraud the federal government and the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Maryland of roughly $1 million in funds intended to support individuals who had lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pair committed their crimes through the use of interstate wires and the unauthorized possession and use of social security numbers and other means of identification belonging to other individuals.
Dotson pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in April 2024. Dotson and his co-defendant, using stolen personal identification, filed hundreds of false unemployment claims with state unemployment insurance agencies in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Maryland in the names of other individuals without their knowledge or consent. The defendants then received hundreds of Bank of America prepaid debit cards in the names of those individuals loaded with roughly $1 million in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance funds at addresses in Michigan and Pennsylvania. Dotson, his co-defendant, and their accomplices then successfully unloaded more than $930,000 from the cards via cash withdrawals and purchases that included high-end jewelry, designer fashion accessories by Gucci and Louis Vuitton, drugs, at least one vehicle, and at least one firearm.
“Taxpayer unemployment assistance funds diverted to the pockets of criminals during the pandemic resulted in fewer resources that were available for those genuinely in need at that challenging time,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Julie Beck. “Our office is steadfast in its commitment to bringing those to justice who used a global health crisis as a means to illegally line their own pockets at the expense of taxpayers. “
"This sentence underscores the FBI's commitment to investigating complex financial crimes," said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. "We will not tolerate the greed and selfish conduct demonstrated by those who chose to defraud the unemployment insurance system, especially when we faced an unprecedented global pandemic. The FBI and our federal partners remain steadfast in holding criminals accountable and protecting government assistance programs. The pandemic may be in our rearview mirrors, but our investigations continue to move forward in the name of justice."
“Individuals who commit such blatant unemployment insurance fraud and identity theft of this magnitude deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” said Charles Miller, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. “Tracey Dotson and his co-conspirator took advantage of a program intended to help those in need get through a devastating global pandemic, exposed personal identity information of many, and caused immeasurable hardship to innocent victims. IRS Criminal Investigation remains committed to the pursuit of pandemic fraud and identity theft, together with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we will hold those who engage in similar conduct accountable.”
"Tracey Dotson and his co-conspirator defrauded multiple state workforce agencies by using stolen identities to obtain unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. As a result, he stole vital taxpayer resources intended for unemployed American workers in dire need of UI benefits. Today’s sentencing affirms the Office of Inspector General’s commitment to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and bring to justice those who exploit this critical benefit program,” said Megan Howell, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Carl D. Gilmer-Hill and Jessica A. Nathan. The investigation was conducted jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, and Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
DISTRICT OF NEBRASKA Grand Island Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute and Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Matthew Molsen announced that Robert Burkhardt, 56, of Grand Island, Nebraska, was sentenced February 19, 2025, in federal court in Omaha for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Burkhardt to 57 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Burkhard is released from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release
On January 30, 2024, co-conspirators Jolene Armentrout and Lonnie Mason flew from Omaha to Los Angeles, California, and purchased 25 pounds of methamphetamine. Meanwhile, Burkhardt drove Mason’s car from Omaha to Las Vegas, Nevada, with co-conspirator Stephanie Cummings. Burkhardt and Cummings met Armentrout and Mason in Las Vegas.
Mason and Cummings then flew back to Nebraska while Armentrout and Burkhardt drove to California from Las Vegas and picked up the 25 pounds of methamphetamine purchased by Armentrout and Mason. Armentrout and Burkhardt then drove the 25 pounds of methamphetamine back to Nebraska and arrived on February 4, 2024. Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle and located the 25 pounds of methamphetamine contained in a hidden compartment.
Cummings pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and sentencing is scheduled for April 9, 2025. Armentrout pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and is scheduled for sentencing on March 19, 2025. Mason pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and is scheduled for sentencing on May 7, 2025.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Omaha Police Department. 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.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A convicted felon has been sentenced for illegal possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Nashville Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Stankiewicz.
U.S. District Court Judge Madeline H. Haikala sentenced Herman Dewayne Steen, 35, to 60 months in prison. In November 2024, Steen pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to the plea agreement, Steen illegally possessed a firearm on two separate occasions. First, on December 14, 2022, Steen possessed a firearm at a bus station in Birmingham. A Birmingham Police officer responded to a call regarding Steen. This was the third time that day that the officer had responded to the same address regarding Steen. When the officer arrived, she was approached by a security guard who stated that Steen had a firearm. The officer took a loaded Glock 9mm pistol from Steen.
Second, on March 12, 2023, Steen went to the Jefferson County Jail to make a report that he had been assaulted in the Center Point area. While making the report, Steen complained of being dizzy and his head hurting. Birmingham Fire and Rescue responded; and during a pre-transport search, a sheriff’s deputy found a loaded Taurus .380 caliber pistol in Steen’s pocket.
The ATF investigated the case along with the Birmingham Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristy M. Peoples prosecuted the case.
Convicted Drug Trafficker Found Guilty of Distributing Fentanyl That Resulted in the Deaths of Two Hillsborough County MenRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that a federal jury has found Marquis Lamar McCullough (39, Tampa) guilty of two counts of distribution of fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. For both counts of distribution of fentanyl, the jury also found that the death of a person resulted from the use of the fentanyl that McCullough had distributed. McCullough, who was previously convicted of trafficking in cocaine, faces mandatory sentences of life imprisonment.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on April 22, 2021, deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) responded to the residence of K.K. to conduct a wellness check. They found K.K. dead when they entered his apartment, standing with his feet on the floor and his head and torso on top of the bathroom counter. Deputies found two baggies with small quantities of a substance, suspected to be heroin or fentanyl, in K.K.’s residence. Detectives reviewed K.K.’s cellphone and found communications with a woman who appeared to help K.K. purchase fentanyl the previous evening. The woman—who was a heroin user and not a dealer—was arrested on an unrelated charge and interviewed by detectives. She told them that K.K. could not get heroin from his usual source, so he asked her to buy heroin for him from her source, and she agreed to do it if she got to keep a bag for herself. The woman arranged a meeting with her supplier, “Slim,” and K.K. took her to meet Slim. With money provided by K.K., the woman bought several bags from Slim, provided most of them to K.K., and kept a couple of bags for herself.
On April 28, 2021, HCSO detectives conducted a controlled purchase during which detectives observed “Slim” deliver fentanyl and identified him as Marquis Lamar McCullough.
On May 6, 2021, the son of N.M. found his father dead, lying in his bed, and called 911 to report the death. HCSO deputies and detectives responded to the residence, and inside N.M.’s wallet they found a baggie with a small amount of a substance suspected to be heroin or fentanyl. While reviewing calls and texts on N.M.’s phone, a detective who had participated in the surveillance operation eight days earlier recognized that the last three calls placed by N.M. were to McCullough’s phone number, and the call and text history indicated that McCullough was N.M.’s supplier. Later that day, HCSO detectives planned for another purchase of heroin or fentanyl from McCullough, using N.M.’s cellphone to set up the meeting. When McCullough arrived at the meeting location, he tried to call N.M., but when his calls went unanswered, McCullough fled the area. An arrest team pursued his vehicle and took McCullough into custody.
The Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory determined that the substances found at the residences of K.K. and N.M., and the substances purchased from McCullough on April 28, 2021, all contained fentanyl. The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office investigated both deaths and determined that the use of fentanyl caused the deaths of K.K. and N.M.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Sinacore and Ross Roberts.
Centerville woman pleads guilty embezzling over half a million dollars from farm cooperativeRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Centerville woman pled guilty today to wire fraud relating to her embezzlement of $550,000 from her employer.
According to court documents, Paula Sue Leventhal, 64, was the Chief Executive Secretary to the Chief Executive Officer for a farmer-owned cooperative headquartered in Herndon. Leventhal’s duties included arranging travel for cooperative executives. Leventhal used credit cards issued by the cooperative to make travel arrangements, often using travel websites.
On Nov. 30, 2015, Leventhal created a merchant account on Square, a point-of-sale platform that small businesses and other merchants can use to accept credit and debit card payments. Square allows users to change the name of the merchant account that appears to the customer when making a payment.
From December 2015 through July 2022, Leventhal used cooperative-issued credit cards to send money to herself via Square by charging fraudulent transactions. Leventhal disguised the transactions by changing the merchant name associated with her Square account so the charges would appear as cooperative-authorized business expenses in bank statements. Leventhal often changed the merchant name associated with her Square account to mimic travel providers and other seemingly authorized businesses.
After the funds were available in the Square account, Leventhal would transfer the money to her personal bank accounts. From Dec. 14, 2015, until July 6, 2022, Leventhal used her Square account to fraudulently charge cooperative-issued credit cards 506 times for a total of $550,000 and transferred that amount from her Square account to her personal bank accounts in 373 increments.
Leventhal is scheduled to be sentenced on May 28 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Matt McCool, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. accepted the plea.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul III and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Hood are prosecuting the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Finnegan provided substantial assistance to the investigation.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-26.
Capital Region Man Indicted on Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Devere Williams, age 36, of Troy, New York, was charged last week by indictment for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Acting United States Attorney Daniel Hanlon and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
The charges filed against Williams carry a prison term of at least 5 year and up to life in federal prison, a fine of up to $1 million, and a supervised release term of up to 5 years. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
Williams was arraigned today in Albany before United States Magistrate Judge Paul J. Evangelista, and will continue to be detained pending a hearing on February 21. The FBI is investigating this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph S. Hartunian and Nicholas Walter are prosecuting this case.
California Man Sentenced for Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Troy Alexander Mendez, age 25, a resident of California, was sentenced today to 66 months in federal prison for distributing controlled substances. Acting United States Attorney Daniel Hanlon and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
As part of his guilty plea, Mendez admitted that, in August 2023, he sold and shipped over 300 grams of methamphetamine via the U.S. Postal Service to a customer in the Syracuse, New York area. Law enforcement intercepted the package and identified Mendez as the source of the shipment. At the sentencing hearing, the evidence established that Mendez also sold drugs on other occasions and possessed multiple firearms in connection with that drug activity.
Senior United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also imposed a 5-year term of supervised release to begin after Mendez is released from prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case, with assistance from the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Gillis prosecuted the case.
Bridgeport Man Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for Drug Robbery AttemptRead the Press Release
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ANDY MARTE, also known as “AD,” 31, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 51 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in a drug robbery conspiracy.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 28, 2023, Marte, Kareem Porter, and Tyrone Allen drove to a Bridgeport apartment building where they intended to carry out a robbery at an apartment they believed contained a substantial quantity of drugs and drug proceeds. Marte separately contacted Jermaine Bethel, who arrived to participate in the robbery. Marte instructed Bethel, Porter, and Allen, who had a crowbar, to carry out the robbery, while Marte remained in the car, with two handguns, to serve as a getaway driver. After failing to enter the apartment, Bethel, Porter, and Allen returned to the vehicle where they were encountered by law enforcement. Investigators learned of the scheme by monitoring Marte’s phone, which was subject to a court-authorized wiretap related to alleged drug trafficking activity. Officers searched the vehicle and its occupants and seized the two handguns and the crowbar.
Marte’s criminal history includes convictions for multiple firearms offenses and a violent robbery.
Marte has been detained since his arrest on April 28, 2023. On March 28, 2024, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery.
Porter, Allen, and Bethel pleaded guilty to the same charge. On October 28, 2024, Porter was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment. On December 2, 2024, Bethel was sentenced to 12 months and one day of imprisonment. Allen awaits sentencing.
This investigation was conducted by FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Weingarten and Karen Peck.
Bradenton Man Sentenced to over Seven Years in Federal Prison for Firearms and Narcotics OffensesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Terry Lavon McDonald, Jr. (32, Bradenton) to seven years and six months in federal prison for possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The court also ordered McDonald to forfeit a Smith & Wesson firearm and ammunition, which were used in the commission of the offense. McDonald pleaded guilty on November 22, 2024.
According to court documents, on October 5, 2023, deputies from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office executed a residential search warrant in Bradenton based on a series of controlled fentanyl purchases from another individual at the residence. At the time of the execution, McDonald was the sole occupant of a vehicle backed into the driveway. The vehicle was searched, and McDonald was found in possession of a loaded Smith & Wesson handgun, a digital scale, fentanyl, and cocaine. Prior to the offense, McDonald had been convicted of multiple felonies, including possession of cocaine with intent to sell or deliver, fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, and carrying a concealed firearm. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law. McDonald’s cellphone was recovered during his arrest and a search warrant was obtained for its contents. Multiple photographs were found in the cellphone depicting McDonald in possession of suspected firearms and narcotics, as depicted below.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.
This case is part of the 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 for occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Boston Man Sentenced to over 10 Years in Prison for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for bank robbery and escape charges.
Kim Daley, 55, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 125 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Daley was also sentenced to a five year concurrent sentence on the escape conviction. In April 2024, Daley pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery and one count of escape from custody. Daley was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2022.
In July 2017, Daley received a 100 month federal sentence followed by three years of supervised release for federal bank robbery convictions. On May 9, 2022, while serving the remainder of the custodial portion of that federal sentence at a Boston Residential Reentry Center (“RRC”), a facility in which he was lawfully confined at the direction of the Attorney General, Daley left the RRC with his belongings without permission and never returned. His whereabouts were unknown and he was classified as an escape on that date.
On June 20, 2022, Daley walked into a TD Bank in Cambridge, passed a note to the teller demanding all the money and robbed the bank of $560 in US currency. Bank surveillance captured Daley entering the bank, passing the note to the teller and then leaving the bank a short time later with cash. Within approximately 40 minutes of the robbery, Daley was arrested in Cambridge and found to have $560 in US currency on his person.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Christine Elow Cambridge Chief of Police made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Arizona Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute and Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Matthew Molsen announced that Carlos Loya-Rodriguez, 33, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced February 19, 2025, in federal court in Omaha for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Loya-Rodriguez to 70 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Loya-Rodriguez is released from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release. Loya-Rodriguez will also forfeit to the United States $61,195.00 in United States currency that was drug proceeds or used to facilitate his drug trafficking.
On January 2, 2024, law enforcement utilized an undercover agent to purchase 445.3 grams of actual methamphetamine from Loya-Rodriguez in Omaha.
On February 5, 2024, law enforcement officers saw Loya-Rodriguez leave his residence and enter into his vehicle. They watched Loya-Rodriguez commit traffic infractions and initiated a traffic stop. During the traffic stop, a K9 conducted a sniff of the vehicle and indicated to the presence of narcotics. Law enforcement searched the vehicle and located 419.9 grams of actual methamphetamine. Loya-Rodriguez was the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle. Also located in the vehicle was $20,225 in United States currency.
Also on February 5, 2024, law enforcement searched Loya-Rodriguez’s residence in Omaha, pursuant to a search warrant. Law enforcement seized 450 grams of actual methamphetamine, 344 grams of cocaine in multiple baggies, a scale with suspected drug residue, $40,970 in United States currency, and money wire receipts.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Omaha Police Department. 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.
Ariton, Alabama Man Sentenced to Prison for Gun Crime Committed While on Federal ProbationRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Ala. – Today, Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced that 48-year-old Bobby Wayne Williams, from Ariton, Alabama, received a 51-month prison sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for violating the terms of his federal probation. During the sentencing hearing on February 18, 2025, the judge also ordered that Williams serve an additional three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
According to Williams’ plea agreement and other court records, during the summer of 2024, Williams was on federal supervised release and residing in Dale County after completing a 63-month prison sentence from a previous federal gun conviction. In June of 2024, law enforcement obtained an arrest warrant for Williams stemming from allegations that Williams pointed a firearm at his ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend, then threatened to shoot them both. On August 14, 2024, a United States Probation Officer and deputies from the Dale County Sheriff’s Office conducted a home visit at Williams’ residence to execute the arrest warrant. Officers found Williams in possession of a handgun. Williams’ previous felony conviction prohibits him from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Possessing the firearm and committing a new crime also violated the terms of his supervised release.
The Dale County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Probation Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Russell T. Duraski prosecuted this case.
April Leon Named Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of LouisianaRead the Press Release
April M. Leon has been named as the Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana following the departure of Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. who had served as the United States Attorney since 2021. As Acting U.S. Attorney, Mrs. Leon serves as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Middle District of Louisiana, which covers a nine-parish region with a population of approximately one million people and oversees the investigation and litigation of all criminal and civil cases brought on behalf of the United States in the District.
Mrs. Leon stated, “I am honored to continue my commitment to public service as Acting United States Attorney and fulfill the mission of the Department by collaboratively working with our federal, state, and local partners.”
Mrs. Leon previously served as First Assistant United States Attorney, the second most senior official in the United States Attorney’s Office, and as an Assistant United States Attorney within the Special Matters Unit. She is a career prosecutor with over fifteen years of prosecutorial experience on both the federal and state levels.
Mrs. Leon received her Juris Doctor from Southern University Law Center. During her law school tenure, she was selected as a member of the moot court and mock trial competition teams. As a law student, she externed at East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney's Office as a Special Assistant Rule 20 Prosecutor and tried her first case as a prosecutor before graduating law school. Mrs. Leon is also a graduate, magna cum laude, of Howard University.
A Mexican National and a Utah Man are in Custody Facing Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah –A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today charging two men, a Mexican National illegally in the United States and a Utah man, after they were accused of distributing methamphetamine in the District of Utah.
Alphonzo Robert Bell, 42, of Midvale, Utah, and David Alejandro Jimenez-Angel, 24, of Jalisco, Mexico, were initially charged by complaint on February 2, 2025.
According to court documents, on February 4, 2025, law enforcement from the Unified Police Department (UPD) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted a buy operation using a confidential informant (CI). During the buy operation, the CI purchased eight ounces of methamphetamine from Bell using $2,800 in government funds. Bell provided a portion of the funds to Jimenez-Angel. The total weight of the methamphetamine was approximately 246 grams. Bell and Jimenez-Angel were detained immediately after the controlled buy. During the investigation, detectives seized a Taurus, model G3C handgun, 9mm caliber. Immigration authorities confirmed Jimenez-Angel is in the United States illegally.
Bell and Jimenez-Angel are charged with distribution of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting. Bell is also charged with distribution of methamphetamine, and felon in possession of a firearm. Bell’s initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for February 20, 2025. Jimenez-Angel’s initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for February 27, 2025, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated jointly by the Unified Police Department’s (UPD) Directed Enforcement Unit (DEU) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Williams of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah 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 gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
14 members of Bandidos motorcycle gang indicted for offenses including racketeering, assault and murderRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 22-count indictment has been unsealed in the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) following an operation targeting multiple members of an allegedly violent, transnational motorcycle gang in the Houston metropolitan area.
Current and former members of the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang and Mascareros Motorcycle Club are charged for their alleged roles in a criminal enterprise engaged in violent criminal activity in and around Houston. The Mascareros is a support club of the Bandidos.
Several of those are expected to make their initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Hanovice Palermo at 2 p.m. Feb. 20.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment Feb. 11 against 14 members and associates of the Bandidos outlaw motorcycle gang accusing them of various crimes, to include engaging in a conspiracy to commit racketeering activity and committing violent crimes in furtherance of the gang such as murder, attempted murder and assault. The indictment alleges 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.
“Ensuring the safety of the public is SDTX’s paramount concern,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “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.”
“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.”
The indictment alleges that 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 aka Big John, 32, Darvi Hinojosa aka 10 Round, 35, Bradley Rickenbacker aka Dolla Bill, 37, all of Katy; Michael H. Dunphy aka Money Mike, 57, Cleveland; Christopher Sanchez aka Monster, 40, Tomball; and Brandon K. Hantz aka Loco and Gun Drop, 33, Crosby; 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.
Pfeffer, Hinojosa, Rickenbacker and Sanchez each face up to life in prison if convicted, while Dunphy and Hantz each face up to 20 years on each of their counts upon conviction.
The indictment also charges David Vargas aka Brake Check and First Time, 33, 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, carrying, brandishing, discharging and possessing 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. Murder in aid of racketeering carries a mandatory life sentence or the death penalty, if convicted.
Further, Pfeffer and Rickenbacker are also charged with assault in aid of racketeering and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence along with Marky Baker aka Pinche Guero and Guero, 40, Ronnie McCabe aka Meathead, 56, and Jeremy Cox aka JD, 37, all of Houston; Roy Gomez aka Repo, 50, Richmond; and Marcel Lett, 56, Pearland. These charges are in relation to an alleged assault and robbery that resulted in the death of a rival. If convicted, they face up to life in prison.
Hinojosa is also charged along with John Sblendorio aka Tech9, 54, 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. Sblendorio and Hinojosa each face up to life in prison, if convicted.
In addition, Sean G. Christison, aka Skinman, 30, 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 imprisonment.
The FBI, Texas Board of Criminal Justice - Office of Inspector General, Texas Department of Public Safety and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation with the assistance of 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 the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District Police Department.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Byron H. Black and Kelly Zenón-Matos of the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case in partnership with Trial Attorneys Grace H. Bowen and Christopher Taylor of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division - Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
18 February 2025
Will Thompson Concludes His Service as United States AttorneyRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Will Thompson announced today that he has concluded his tenure as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, effective immediately.
“Serving as the United States Attorney has genuinely been a career highlight,” Thompson said. “Thinking that a boy who grew up in Boone County, West Virginia, would be able to serve his country in such a prestigious and vital role leaves me in awe. I am proud of the office’s work under my leadership and that my team has strengthened its relationship and reputation with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, as well as with the judiciary and general public.”
Thompson was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., on August 10, 2021. The United States Senate confirmed Thompson by voice vote on October 5, 2021. After taking his oath of office on October 13, 2021, Thompson led an office of 34 attorneys and 41 non-attorney personnel located in offices in Charleston, Huntington, and Beckley.
Thompson appreciates the role that former Senator Joe Manchin played in securing his nomination from President Biden, and the role that Manchin and Senator Shelley Moore Capito played in getting him confirmed by the United States Senate. Thompson also appreciates the relationships he built and strengthened with state officials and the district’s state prosecutors, sheriffs, and chiefs of police.
Thompson commends the Assistant United States Attorneys and support personnel who served with him. He appreciates the career people who there when he entered the office and the employees he hired during his tenure.
“The people of this office are the true backbone of federal prosecution and representation in this district,” Thompson said. “They all serve with dignity and respect for the rule of law. They are vital to the mission of the Department of Justice, which is to keep our communities safe.”
Thompson is most proud of three accomplishments while he was in office. The first is the significant decline in overdose deaths. He attributes that to his office’s change of strategy from targeting street-level drug dealers to mid- and upper-level drug distributors. This strategy has removed hundreds of pounds of this poison from communities throughout the district. His office has disrupted supply chains of fentanyl that were coming directly into the district from China and methamphetamine that was coming directly from the cartels in Mexico. As part of his plan to lower the overdose rates, Thompson also championed prevention and treatment opportunities across the district.
Thompson is also proud of his work in reducing violent crime and overall crime in the district. Thompson attributes this reduction to several factors. He improved communications and relationships with the office’s law enforcement partners. Thompson also worked with state and local partners to obtain federal grants to give them more resources to their jobs more. Finally, given that the majority of crimes in West Virginia are connected to the drug trade, the office’s revised strategy has helped reduce the crime rate.
The third accomplishment that Thompson is proud of is using his skills as a former trial court judge to instigate a vigorous review process of cases to ensure there were no evidentiary issues. Thompson met with law enforcement partners throughout the district and informed them of this new review process. He had his office work more closely with the officers to address the issues, assist with writing search warrants, and help with other search and seizure issues.
As United States Attorney, Thompson was the chief federal law enforcement officer in the southern half of West Virginia. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation, firearms, and narcotics. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.
The results of the revised approach to drug cases under Thompson include Operation Smoke and Mirrors, which dismantled a high-volume drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated in the Charleston area and yielded the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history.
Following the trail of methamphetamine in West Virginia back to Los Angeles, California, and the U.S. southern border, investigators seized well over 400 pounds of methamphetamine, 40 pounds of cocaine, 3 pounds of fentanyl, 19 firearms, and $935,000 in cash. The DTO was directly involved in price fixing in the methamphetamine trade by raising the price of methamphetamine coming into the United States from Mexico based on fluctuations in the currency conversion rate.
Four separate indictments led to the convictions of 31 defendants, including the DTO’s in-state leaders and California-based suppliers. Over 20 defendants have been sentenced to prison, including eight to terms of more than 10 years. Three low-level defendants were referred to the Alternative Treatment Court (ATC). Thompson also supported the ATC program, which provides a blend of treatment that focuses on drug and mental health treatment, and alternative sanctions to effectively address offender behavior, rehabilitation, and education and job skills training.
Thompson also led the prosecution of a Kanawha County man who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. The defendant set up a workshop in a rented St. Albans apartment were he made fake 30-milligram oxycodone pills. The defendant admitted that the fentanyl came from a source outside the United States and that the pill press came from China. Investigators seized over 10,000 pills and nearly $80,000 in this case.
Thompson’s office also obtained guilty verdicts against a Logan County physician for four counts of distribution of a controlled substance. The defendant had previously pleaded guilty to using a registration number in violation of federal law and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. His medical license and office are subject to forfeit to the government as a result of the latest convictions.
The office under Thompson also secured convictions against the majority of the defendants in prosecutions that dismantled a Huntington-area DTO responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl and a Beckley-area DTO that distributed methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine base, also known as “crack.”
While having the utmost respect for law enforcement officers, Thompson had zero tolerance for officers who break the law and violate people’s civil rights. In what Thompson considered the most critical civil rights case during his tenure, he personally participated in the investigation and prosecution of eight former West Virginia correctional officers who were charged and convicted in connection with a March 1, 2022, assault that resulted in the death of a Southern Regional Jail inmate and the subsequent cover-up. After four days of trial, the final defendant was found guilty on January 27, 2025.
A former Fayette County law enforcement officer was sentenced to 25 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $80,000 in restitution for sex trafficking a 17-year-old minor female and obstructing the resulting investigation. Following four days of trial, a federal jury found the defendant guilty on April 28, 2023, of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor via coercion, sex trafficking of a minor via coercion, and two counts of obstruction of justice.
A former Nicholas County deputy sheriff was convicted of the production of child pornography and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The defendant took two videos of the child victim, who was under the age of 12 and was sleeping on a couch. In the first video, he walked toward her and zoomed in on her buttocks. In the second video, he recorded his exposed penis and him masturbating near the sleeping girl. He then used Snapchat to distribute the videos to multiple users. When Snapchat shut down his account, he created another Snapchat account to distribute child pornography.
A former Logan police officer was sentenced to nine years in prison after a jury convicted him of using excessive force against an arrestee. At the trial, the jury heard evidence that he assaulted the victim in a bathroom, then dragged him into another room and rammed his head against a door frame, leaving the victim unconscious and lying in a pool of his own blood.
The office successfully prosecuted 18 individuals in connection with a scheme to traffic over 140 firearms from southern West Virginia to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over 50 of the firearms were recovered at crime scenes, primarily in Philadelphia, and were connected to two homicides, crimes of domestic violence, and other violent offenses. The ringleader was sentenced to 25 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
The Southern District of West Virginia became a national leader in prosecuting bankruptcy fraud under Thompson’s leadership. Among those cases, a Charleston developer was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $730,326.43 in restitution for falsifying bankruptcy records. The former chief executive officer of the entity that operated the West Virginia Courtesy Patrol was sentenced to five years of federal probation and ordered to pay $205,802.49 for fraudulent receipt of property from a debtor. A Putnam County man was sentenced to 30 days in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, including five months on home detention, and ordered to pay $24,662.56 in restitution for knowingly and fraudulently making a false declaration in a bankruptcy case.
The office successfully prosecuted other forms of white-collar crime under Thompson. A Kentucky businessman pleaded guilty on behalf of himself and two limited liability companies for their roles in the January 2018 discharge of oil into the Big Sandy River. The defendants were sentenced to terms of probation and also ordered to pay $1,856,957.92 in restitution. The LLC defendants cannot conduct or operate any business during their five-year terms of corporate probation.
Nine defendants were convicted in connection with multiple internet-based fraud schemes operated in the Huntington area that defrauded hundreds of individuals across the country. The schemes defrauded at least 200 victims, many of whom are elderly, of at least $2.5 million. The final convicted defendant was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, ordered to pay $904,126.96 in restitution, and participated in a digital awareness campaign to alert West Virginians to online fraud scams.
The office also secured 20 convictions related to COVID-19 benefits fraud under Thompson, with court-ordered restitution and a civil penalty in these cases exceeding $1,330,000.
Under Thompson’s leadership, the office secured a 15-count indictment charging a Kanawha County man with wire fraud, money laundering, and obstruction. The indictment alleges the defendant conceived and carried out two real estate-related investment fraud schemes that caused losses of between $395,000 and $434,501.42. The defendant’s mother pleaded guilty late last year to aiding and abetting the sale and offer of unregistered securities as a result of the investigation in this case.
The office also secured an 18-count indictment charging the former maintenance director for Boone County Schools with mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, and money laundering. The indictment alleges the defendant used his position to defraud the Boone County Board of Education out of approximately $3,400,000. To date, three other individuals have been charged as a result of this investigation.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Before taking office as United States Attorney, Thompson was a Circuit Court Judge in West Virginia’s 25th Judicial Circuit. He was appointed to that position in 2007 and re-elected in 2008 and 2016. Thompson presided over several treatment courts, including the first family treatment court in West Virginia. Before becoming a Circuit Court Judge, Thompson practiced law at the Cook and Cook law firm in Boone County. There, he focused on litigation, which included representing several hundred indigent clients in criminal defense and other matters. Thompson also previously served as President of Madison Healthcare, Inc. and as Vice President of Danville Lumber Company.
Thompson was born in Charleston and raised in Boone County, West Virginia. He earned a degree in civil engineering from West Virginia University and a law degree from West Virginia University College of Law.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
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Washington, D.C. Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Armed Robberies of Four Maryland Cell Phone StoresRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Today, U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced Xavier Jones, 26, of Washington, D.C., to 22 years in federal prison and three years of supervised release for his role in robbing four cell phone stores in Baltimore County, Howard County, and Prince George’s County, Maryland. Jones was also ordered to pay $74,141.26 in restitution.
Phil Selden, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office, and Chief Robert McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department.
According to the parties’ plea agreement, Jones and his co-conspirators brandished firearms during the robberies, threatened to kill employees and customers, physically moved victims throughout the stores, and pepper sprayed victims during one of the robberies.
The final robbery occurred on December 23, 2020, at an AT&T store in Owings Mills, Maryland. Co-conspirator Rico Dashiell, 26, of Fort Washington, Maryland, entered the AT&T store pretending to be a customer. After Jones and co-conspirator Donte Herring, 25, of Washington, DC, entered the store, Dashiell brandished a firearm announcing a robbery. Jones and Herring stole $48,767 worth of Apple and Samsung Galaxy devices, 76 in total.
Additionally, Dashiell directed an employee to open the store’s cash register before stealing $322. The perpetrators forced three victims into a room containing a safe and then proceeded to pepper spray them. The robbers then fled the store in a stolen Kia Niro with registration tags from another vehicle. During the course of their conduct, the robbers inadvertently took a 3SI GPS tracker which was in one of the stolen cell phone boxes. As the perpetrators fled, the tracker was activated. Law enforcement tracked the stolen vehicle to a single-family residence in Catonsville, Maryland where a friend of Jones lived. Aviation units observed and filmed the robbers outside of the residence unloading the stolen AT&T merchandise and taking the items into the residence. Law enforcement also found a stolen Dodge Caravan from a previous robbery at the residence.
The initial robbery happened on October 23, 2020, at a Verizon store in College Park, Maryland. Jones and a co-conspirator forced victims into a backroom before directing an employee to open a safe. The robbers then proceeded to steal $21,440.93 in mobile devices.
Then on December 8, 2020, Jones and a co-conspirator robbed the Russell Cellular Verizon store in Columbia, Maryland. Jones and a co-conspirator initially posed as customers before pulling a firearm on an employee. The robbers then moved the employee into a backroom, ordering him to open the safe. Jones and his co-conspirator stole $22,000.33 worth of mobile devices — including numerous iPhones — and $1,273, from the safe.
On December 17, 2020, Jones and Herring robbed another Russell Cellular Verizon store – this time in Halethorpe, Maryland. The perpetrators again initially posed as customers before brandishing firearms and pointing them at an employee. Herring ordered the employee to open a safe and then they proceeded to steal various electronic devices — including multiple boxes of Apple cellular phones, watches, and iPads — worth approximately $27,940. Additionally, Herring forced the employee to give him $1,313 from the cash register. They then fled in a stolen Dodge Caravan.
Dashiell previously pleaded guilty for his role in the robbery and was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. Herring was convicted at trial and has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.Acting U.S. Attorney Selden commended the FBI, Baltimore County Police Department, Howard County Police Department, and Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Selden also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Michael F. Aubin who are prosecuting the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Violations of the False Claims Act as the Result of Fraudulent Payment Protection Program Loans Settled in United States District CourtRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that the United States has obtained consent or default judgments in five civil fraud lawsuits alleging the individuals obtained loans for fictitious companies or fictitious self-employment under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). The defendants named in the lawsuits are Antoinette Kennedy, Andre Lane, Dieudonne Nlend, Tracey Thompson and Rashinda Harris. These defendants obtained forgiveness of their loans in violation of the False Claims Act. This litigation resulted in judgments in favor of the United States in the total amount of $138,413.72.
The PPP was an emergency loan program established by Congress in March 2020 under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act and administered by the Small Business Administration (“SBA”). The PPP was created to provide forgivable loans to support small businesses struggling to pay employees and other business expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. When applying for PPP loans, borrowers were required to certify that they were eligible for the requested loan and that the information provided in the loan application was true and accurate. To receive forgiveness, borrowers were required to submit signed loan forgiveness applications and documents containing certain information and certifications.
The case involving defendant Kennedy began in May 2024 when agents began investigating a fraudulent PPP loan received by her. Investigators with the Army Criminal Investigation Unit learned that Kennedy had no business, business income, or business expenses as she falsely stated on her application for the PPP loan. Their investigation further revealed that Kennedy had learned about a scheme on Instagram and obtained loans on her own behalf and prepared the false paperwork. The government filed a complaint to recover damages and civil penalties under the False Claims Act for PPP funds which Kennedy received which she was not entitled to. A default judgment was obtained by the United States against Kennedy in the amount of $48,813.72.
Thompson and Harris were small business owners and allowed someone to assist them with the creating of their false PPP loan applications. Their applications exaggerated the amount of business income that each of them actually had. Both defendants were responsible for submitting false loan applications and received PPP loans to which they would have not been entitled to receive. Similarly, Lane was self-employed and submitted a false self-employment income claim. Lane’s application exaggerated his self-employment income. A settlement was reached with each of these three defendants, and consent judgments were obtained by the United States in the amounts of $23,516, $23,415, and $23,435, respectively.
During the investigation of Dieudonne Nlend, agents interviewed him, and he admitted to falsifying self-employment income amounts. Nlend told agents that he used the proceeds from the PPP loan to assist a family member with a medical issue in another country. A consent judgment in the amount of $19,234 was obtained by the United States against Nlend.
“The United States Attorney’s Office will use every tool at our disposal - to include civil litigation - to root out fraud, waste, and abuse of taxpayer money,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook. “We are proud to work with our law enforcement partners to hold these wrongdoers accountable.”
The resolutions obtained were the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Small Business Administration’s Office of Inspector General, and for certain defendants, the Department of Army Criminal Investigation Division. The cases were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa L. Theriot.
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Venezuelan National Indicted for Unlawfully Possessing A Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Alvis Alexander Briceno-Yajures (24, Venezuela) with unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by an illegal alien. If convicted, Briceno-Yajures faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, on July 30, 2024, Briceno-Yajures illegally possessed a firearm and ammunition while knowing that he was illegally or unlawfully in the United States.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the Daytona Beach Police Department, and the Holly Hill Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J. Del Mastro.
Utah Man Accused of Bank Robbery in CustodyRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Utah man was indicted by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City after he allegedly robbed two banks on two different days in Salt Lake County.
Robert Buckley Hardy, 47, of Salt Lake County, Utah, was originally charged by complaint on February 7, 2025, and taken into custody.
According to court documents, Hardy, entered a Chase Bank in Cottonwood Heights on January 30, 2025, at approximately 3:17 p.m. Hardy allegedly asked the bank teller if an appointment was necessary and was told no. Hardy then handed the teller a manila envelope with several documents and left the bank. The documents referenced several United States and government actions regarding money laundering, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and corruption. One document also stated, “assume that this is an active bomb threat.” One document read, “I need $2001 for it to be considered a felony and get the un-kompromised FBI bank robbery division to respond.”
Court documents allege, on February 6, 2025, Hardy entered a Chase Bank in Salt Lake City at approximately 2:04 p.m. Hardy allegedly told the teller it was a robbery and gave the teller various manila envelopes with documents inside and a typed note that read, “poor people steal because they are hungry. Rich people steal because they are greedy.” The note also said, “I need this evidence chain in the hands of the FBI bank robbery division and the local and federal police.” The note read, “please stuff at least $2001 into the bag for me. And make certain the FBI gets this.” The teller complied and gave Hardy $2001.00.
Surveillance footage from the investigation and a Utah Driver's License photo identified Hardy. Hardy was taken into custody without incident.
Hardy is charged with bank robbery. His initial appearance on the indictment is February 21, 2025, at 11:45 a.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
The case is being investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office.
Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah made the announcement.
Assistant United States Attorney Carlos A. Esqueda of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah 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 gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney’s Office announces departure of Kenneth L. Parker as U.S. AttorneyRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio announces the departure of Kenneth L. Parker as U.S. Attorney.
Effective as of Mr. Parker’s termination, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly A. Norris is serving as Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.
Mr. Parker was sworn in on November 23, 2021, as the 45th United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. Former President Joseph Biden nominated Parker on September 28, 2021, and the United States Senate unanimously approved his confirmation on November 19, 2021.
“It has been my highest honor to serve the people of the Southern District of Ohio as the United States Attorney. There is no better feeling than to come to the office every day knowing I, along with all the prosecutors, trial attorneys, and staff, work to protect the rights, safety, and interests of the public with excellence and integrity,” said former U.S. Attorney Parker.
Mr. Parker first joined the office in 1999 as an Assistant United States Attorney and has since also served as the District’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Deputy Criminal Chief and as the District’s Criminal Chief. As U.S. Attorney, he served on Attorney General Merrick Garland’s Advisory Committee, serving as co-chair of the Law Enforcement, Victims, and Community Outreach committee, as well as a standing member on the Violent and Organized Crime and Civil Rights committees.
As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Parker served as the chief law enforcement officer and oversaw the investigation and litigation of all criminal and civil cases brought on behalf of the United States. During his tenure, Mr. Parker emphasized efforts related to protecting vulnerable populations like children and the elderly. Under his leadership, the District created a civil rights referral initiative for members of the public to report potential civil rights violations directly to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, hosted a roundtable to combat sexual harassment in housing, and established three annual community and law enforcement awards programs. The district also continued significant public corruption investigations, focused on violent crime committed against United States Postal Carriers and educated the public on glock switches and ghost guns.
Parker led an office of approximately 135 career professionals, including 65 Assistant United States Attorneys and 60 support staff personnel. The district remained steadfast in protecting the Southern District of Ohio with the following notable accomplishments:
- Emphasis on opioid prosecutions contributing to a decrease in overdose deaths in Hamilton County;
- Increased the number of alleged drug traffickers to be extradited from Colombia for prosecution;
- In addition to civil and criminal penalties, more than $260 million was collected in fiscal year 2024 in assets connected to criminal activity. More than $20 million in additional assets is still pending forfeiture orders. In fiscal year 2024, the Southern District of Ohio ranked second out of all U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide in deposit amount.
- This past fiscal year the Financial Litigation program team held debtors accountable by recovering money for victims, collecting $8.1 million in criminal debts.
- Increased emphasis on the prosecution of postal robberies, machine gun conversion devices, ghost guns, and distributing narcotics within 1000 feet of a school throughout the district;
- Assisted the ATF and other law enforcement partners in establishing Crime Gun Intelligence Centers in Cincinnati and Columbus;
- Established a mock courtroom inside the Cincinnati office to allow attorneys and staff to further hone their skills as they prepare their cases in the district and appellate courts. The courtroom has electronic capabilities to connect to other offices throughout the district.
- Increased the visibility of the office through sustained community outreach and engagement efforts.
- Our office continues to successfully defend federal government agencies against frivolous lawsuits and has protected taxpayer dollars with its success in a number of matters including against the VA, United States Air Force, Defense Logistics Agency, and the Sixth Circuit Judicial Council.
- The district also saw an increase in its conviction rate to 91.9%, which is higher than the national average of 90.7% and that of other large districts. The district’s criminal and civil work included the following matters –
Violent/Firearms Crimes & Drug Trafficking
U.S. v.Goddard, et al. – Two Dayton men were convicted for their roles in the narcotics case that caused the 2019 death of Dayton Police Detective and DEA Task Force Officer Jorge DelRio. While attempting to prevent federal agents from seizing approximately half-a-million dollars in fentanyl and other drugs, Nathan Goddard, 44 was convicted of murdering Det. DelRio. He and Cahke Cortner, 44, were also convicted of multiple narcotics and firearms charges.
U.S. v. Darod and Jama – Two central Ohio men were convicted for committing crimes related to the July 6, 2023, shooting of a Columbus police officer. Faisal Darod and Aden Abdullahi Jama participated in a crime spree that involved the armed robberies of five high-end automobile dealerships, banks and gaming stores in and around Columbus and ended in a shootout with police officers on I-70.
U.S. v. Roberts, et al. – Sterling H. Roberts was convicted for fatally shooting his girlfriend’s ex-husband in front of the victim’s children. A jury convicted Roberts in March 2022 of traveling interstate in August 2017 to murder Robert Caldwell, the former husband of Roberts’then-girlfriend after cyberstalking the victim. Roberts’ girlfriend at the time, co-defendant Tawnney Caldwell, and brothers, Chance Deakin and Christopher Roberts, as well asChandra Harmon (Tawnney’s mother); and James Harmon (Tawnney’s stepfather) were each charged in March 2018 and were all convicted of crimes related to the cyberstalking and murder.
U.S. v. Bryant, et al. – As of June 2022, all 19 defendants convicted as racketeering conspirators in a T&A Crips gang case were sentenced in federal court. The racketeering conspiracy was first charged in 2018 and included five murders, at least 26 attempted murders, and other violent and drug-trafficking crimes.
U.S. v. Williams, Jr., et al. – A jury convicted a Columbus man in December 2024 of murdering three victims as part of a narcotics conspiracy to rob a local marijuana dealer of drugs and cash. Williams had others dismember and bury two of the bodies to dispose of evidence of his crimes.
U.S. v. Robles, et al. – A federal grand jury in Dayton indicted the Midwest Regional “boss” and 13 other members of the “outlaw motorcycle gang” known as the Thug Riders Motorcycle Club (TRMC). The indictment alleges that the TRMC operated a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in acts of violence like murder, arson and assault. Members also allegedly participated in extortion and identity fraud.
U.S. v. Merino, U.S. v. Kotchkoski, U.S. v. Mefford – In these cases, former Columbus police officers were convicted for trafficking narcotics. Marco Merino conspired to distribute more than eight kilograms of fentanyl and accepted bribes to protect the transportation of cocaine. John Kotchkoski also conspired to traffic more than eight kilograms of fentanyl and conspired with a confidential informant to traffic 40 kilograms of cocaine. Joel Mefford conspired to steal and traffic more than 15 kilograms of cocaine from crime scenes and the evidence room and committed money laundering.
U.S. v. Washington, et al. – Nearly two dozen defendants were charged in a large-scale drug and human trafficking ring in Columbus. Defendants were charged with distributing bulk amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, Xanax and Oxycodone within 1,000 feet of a Columbus elementary school. The case also involves an overdose death, sex trafficking and money laundering. As part of the case, law enforcement officials seized $1.7 million, 50 firearms and nine vehicles. To date, at least 21 of the defendants have been convicted and await sentencing.
U.S. v. Williams, Jr. – A Dayton man was sentenced in February 2023 to 250 months in prison for distributing fentanyl and cocaine that resulted in multiple fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the late hours of New Year’s Eve and into the early hours of New Year’s Day 2019.
U.S. v. Attaway & Johnson – Two Cincinnati men were convicted for crimes involving the murder of the owner of Madeira Beverage in February 2021 and multiple armed robberies. Willie James Attaway was convicted for murdering Roop C. Gupta and committing or attempting four other armed robberies on Feb. 8 and Feb. 9, 2021. Lamond Johnson also convicted and served as Attaway’s getaway driver during the two-day crime spree.
U.S. v. Blackshear, et al. – Five defendants from the Dayton area were convicted for participating in the summer 2019 kidnapping and subsequent death of Kwasi Casey, whose body was later found in a detached garage in Dayton.
U.S. v. Maye – A jury found Ricco Maye guilty on all 14 counts following a trial in Columbus in November 2024. The defendant led drug, sex trafficking and financial fraud conspiracies and then attempted to obstruct justice and tamper with witnesses. He was also convicted of coercing addicts into prostitution, overseeing a pandemic relief fraud scheme and tampering with witnesses.
U.S. v. Solomon, et al. – In August 2024, a jury in Columbus found two members of the Third World Mob gang guilty ofconspiring to traffic more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana. Third World Mob is a violent criminal organization in Columbus. The case also includes firearms and machine gun crimes. Lead defendant Menelik Solomon pleaded guilty for his role in the crimes.
U.S. v. King, et al. – Two Columbus men were convicted for the murder of Players Paradise internet café security guard Joseph Arrington and his wife Karen Arrington Chris King shot and murdered both the husband and wife while they were working. Justice B. Stringer drove co-defendants to and from the robbery resulting in murder.
U.S. Postal theft cases – Throughout this administration’s tenure, the district has prosecuted at least 20 defendants for crimes related to Postal robberies. Many of the cases include charges specifically for committing armed robbery against mail carriers. In other cases, defendants were charged with stealing USPS service keys or mail. Conspirators would steal any cash contained in the mail. They would also steal checks and “wash” or erase the original information to fraudulently convert the checks to deposit for themselves.
U.S. v. Holdbrook, et al. – Donte Holdbrook was one of 12 individuals convicted for conspiring to distribute narcotics and money laundering. His drug trafficking operation had ties to the Sinaloa Drug Cartel in Mexico.
U.S. v. Singh, et al. – In this case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Asset Forfeiture team secured one of the largest single cryptocurrency and cash seizures in DEA history, worth $150 million. Banmeet Singh ran a dark web narcotics conspiracy that moved hundreds of kilograms and tens of thousands of pills of controlled substances throughout the United States and established a multi-million-dollar drug enterprise. Singh created vendor marketing sites on dark web marketplaces such as Silk Road 1, Silk Road 2, Alpha Bay, Hansa and others, to sell controlled substances, including fentanyl, LSD, ecstasy, Xanax, Ketamine and Tramadol.
Civil Rights Offenses & Hate Crimes
Park National Bank settlement – The Justice Department announced in February 2023 an agreement to resolve allegations that Park National Bank (Park National), headquartered in Newark, Ohio, engaged in a pattern or practice of lending discrimination by “redlining” in the Columbus metropolitan area. The settlement required Park National to pay $9 million to ensure equal home loan opportunities and is part of the Justice Department’s nationwide Combating Redlining Initiative.
U.S. v. Eubanks – A Springfield, Ohio, man was convicted for crimes related to targeting and attacking at least eight Haitians residing in the area.
U.S. v. Genco – A Highland County, self-identified “Incel” was convicted for attempting to conduct a mass shooting of women. Genco plotted to commit the hate crime of shooting women at a university in Ohio.
U.S. v. Golobic – In January 2024, a federal jury convicted a former ICE deportation officer for depriving a woman under his supervision in the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program of her fundamental right to bodily integrity, by forcing her to engage in nonconsensual sex. Andrew Golobic, was found guilty on four counts including obstructing a sex trafficking investigation, deprivation of rights under color of law, witness tampering and destruction of records in a federal investigation.
U.S. v. Johnson – Darrin Johnson pleaded guilty in February 2024 to committing a federal hate crime by physically assaulting a victim based on the victim’s race. In August 2021, Johnson assaulted an Asian American victim on Calhoun Street at the University of Cincinnati and made racist comments toward the victim, including, “Go back to your country…You brought the kung flu here…You’re going to die for bringing it.”
U.S. v. Mitchell – Former Columbus Vice Detective Andrew Mitchell was convicted for crimes related to kidnapping sex worker victims in the Hilltop neighborhood under the guise of an arrest.
U.S. v. Mooney & Stansberry – Former Pike County Deputy Jeremy Mooney was convicted by a federal jury of two counts of violating a victim’s constitutional rights by pepper spraying and punching the victim in the head, while the victim was in the custody of the Pike County Sheriff’s Office and posed no threat to himself or others. The jury found that Mooney’s offenses involved the use of a dangerous weapon and resulted in bodily injury. Mooney’s supervisor, William Stansberry, Jr., was also charged and was sentenced to six months in prison followed by six months of home detention.
U.S. v. Brime – Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Brime was convicted for threatening to bring a bomb to a local reproductive health services facility.
Martin lawsuit agreement – Kevin Martin, an owner and manager of residential rental properties in and around Athens, Ohio, agreed in August 2024 to pay $170,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that he sexually harassed female tenants and housing applicants in violation of the Fair Housing Act. Under the consent decree, Martin agreed to pay $165,000 to former female tenants and applicants harmed by his harassment and a $5,000 civil penalty to the United States. The consent decree permanently bars Martin from managing residential rental properties, requires him to retain a property manager for properties he continues to own, and mandates training and the adoption of policies and procedures to prevent future discrimination.
Child Exploitation
U.S. v. Davis – Springfield resident Marcus Leon Davis was sentenced in May 2024 to 100 years in prison for creating and distributing child pornography by documenting his sexual abuse of children. Davis received the maximum sentence on each count as charged and will serve those sentences consecutively.
U.S. v. Jackson – Nalah Jackson was convicted for kidnapping two twin five-month-old infants in December 2022. Jackson stole a car that was running at a Donatos Pizza on North High Street in Columbus; the infants were in the car. Jackson ultimately left one baby at Dayton International Airport the same night and one baby near a Papa Johns restaurant in Indianapolis the next day.
U.S. v. Morrison – Jeremiah Morrison was convicted for obtaining material on the dark web depicting the torture, mutilation and murder of children. He traded it for images and videos of sexual abuse of young children.
U.S. v. Porter, et al. – Larry Dean Porter, was convicted for running a a Scioto County child sex trafficking operation. In 2020, Porter and several of his family members and associates were charged in the case involving physical and sexual abuse of women and children in Scioto County that spanned numerous decades. Porterexchanged drugs obtained in Columbus and elsewhere for sexual access to the children of drug-addicted parents and guardians.
U.S. v. Kovacs – Former longtime Beavercreek police officer Kevin Kovacs was convicted for committing two counts of transporting and possessing child pornography. Kovacs spent the last six years of his police career as a D.A.R.E. officer in Beavercreek City Schools.
U.S. v. Wilson & Wilson – A Bexley husband and wife were convicted for their crimes related to the sexual abuse of minor children. Stephen Wilson and Jessica Wilson created child pornography videos and pictures of sexual abuse while exchanging text messages discussing the abuse. Stephen Wilson sexually abused at least three minors between the ages of 7 and 16. Stephen had video cameras inside his home, including his bedroom, and used those cameras to document and create videos and still images of the abuse. In one incident, Stephen drugged a minor victim with alcohol and ecstasy and raped the victim while she was semi-conscious-to-unconscious. He created a 22-minute video depicting that sexual assault.
U.S. v. Foley – In January 2024, former high school teacher Justin Foley was convicted for crimes related to secretly recording explicit videos of his students at school and possessing child sexual abuse material. Foley was employed as a chemistry teacher at Columbus Alternative High School at the time of his offenses. He used his cell phone and other digital media devices in a hidden manner to capture the genitalia of his female students under their skirts and shorts during the school day. He also secretly recorded victims at local department stores in central Ohio, public areas of downtown Delaware, Ohio, and various dressing rooms at different unidentified locations.
U.S. v. Roberts – Ty Brandon Roberts was convicted for victimizing children as young as 6 years old over a 15-year period. Roberts created images and videos of child pornography through the abuse. His case includes more than 175 victims.
U.S. v. Richards – In October 2024, Kelly Richards was convicted for sex trafficking and exploiting two teenagers. The defendant drugged, raped, abused, photographed and sold two teenage girls, holding them in his apartment for multiple days.
U.S. v. Williams – Raymond Williams was convicted for offering minor victims cash and gifts to entice them into performing and/or engaging in sex acts with him. Williams provided sex toys to one victim by hiding them in places at the downtown branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.
U.S. v. Gemienhardt & Daniels – Robert Gemienhardt and Carrie Daniels groomed minor victims, sexually abused the victims and created child pornography of the abuse. They sexually exploited children as young as 3 years old. Daniels and Gemienhardt, who was a registered sex offender in the state of Ohio, exchanged thousands of illicit text messages detailing their sexual fantasies about four separate minor victims.
Fraud Schemes & Public Corruption
U.S. v. Householder, et al. – Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder was convicted for leading a racketeering conspiracy that involved $60 million in bribes. He and former Ohio Republican Party Chair Matthew Borges were found guilty following a six-week trial that included more than 1,000 exhibits and 25 witnesses.
U.S. v. Jones & Dowling – Former FirstEnergy executives Charles Jones and Michael Dowling were indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2025. The two are charged in a racketeering conspiracy involving more than $60 million in schemes to bribe former Ohio House Representative Larry Householder and former PUCO Chairman Samuel Randazzo.
U.S. v. Harrison – A Dayton man who claimed to be an African prince was convicted at jury trial of 10 counts of various federal fraud crimes. Daryl Robert Harrison – falsely holding himself out to be a royal prince from the African national of Ghana – told investors he had direct connections with African trucking and mining companies, and that they could expect an investment return of 28 to 33 percent. He defrauded at least 14 victims of more than $800,000.
U.S. v. Pastor – Former Cincinnati city councilman Jeffrey Pastor plead guilty to honest services wire fraud. Pastor received a $15,000 cash bribe in return for his official action to advance development projects in the city.
U.S. v. Sittenfeld – Former Cincinnati city councilman Alexander “P.G.” Sittenfeld was convicted for bribery and attempted extortion by a government official. Sittenfeld was convicted following a jury trial in June and July 2022. According to court documents and trial testimony, Sittenfeld accepted $20,000 in bribe payments to his political action committee (PAC) from undercover FBI agents posing as corrupt businessmen working with a real estate developer.
U.S. v. Asante, et al. – Seven defendants were convicted for conspiring to launder more than $11.8 million of online romance scam proceeds. Other individuals created several profiles on online dating sites. They then contacted men and women throughout the United States and elsewhere, with whom they cultivated a sense of affection, and often, romance. After establishing relationships, perpetrators of the romance scams requested money, typically for investment or need-based reasons, and provided account information and directions for where money should be sent. In part, these accounts were in the names of the defendants, their family members and their companies.
U.S. v. Adkins – Jason Adkins was convicted for orchestrating a $50 million Ponzi scheme involving over-sized tires. Adkins resided in Jackson County and defrauded more than 50 investors from all over the country and the world. Adkins and others claimed that they bought and sold over-sized tires commonly known as off-the-road tires, which are used on earth moving equipment and/or mining equipment. Investors were told their money would be used to buy the tires at a steep discount, and that the tires would then be re-sold to a buyer at a much higher rate. Two other defendants have been charged and convicted connected to this scheme.
U.S. v. Thomas – Mark Alan Thomas, a former Belmont County attorney, was convicted for committing mail fraud related to stealing more than $882,000 from an elderly woman with dementia while purporting to act in her best interests under a Power of Attorney.
U.S. v. Misseldine – Ava Misseldine is a former bakery owner who was convicted for stealing the identity of a deceased baby and committing more than $1.5 million in pandemic relief fraud. She was sentenced in August 2023 to 72 months in prison. As part of her sentence, she will pay more than $1.5 million in restitution and forfeit her Utah home and profits from the recent sale of her Michigan home, both of which she bought with stolen government money.
U.S. v. Buckner, et al. – Lorin Buckner was the lead defendant convicted in a foreclosure rescue scheme that defrauded at least 780 financially distressed homeowners throughout the United States, including more than 100 individuals in the Southern District of Ohio. Buckner preyed on homeowners who had defaulted on their mortgages and convinced the victims to pay to take part in fraudulent programs on the promise it would save their homes.
U.S. v. He – Yi He was convicted for embezzling more than $26 million from his employer, a furniture company that provides furniture to retailers like Wayfair, Overstock, Kohls, Walmart and Ashley. Yi was solely responsible for payroll and payroll tax-related duties for the company. 7
Health Carousel global resolution – In March 2024, Health Carousel agreed to pay $9.25 million and pledged an additional $8 million for related healthcare projects to resolve civil and criminal investigations into the company’s visa sponsorship program. The global resolution resolves criminal fraud and civil False Claims Act allegations that Health Carousel submitted false visa immigrant applications and caused false statements to be made to government officials while recruiting nurses, physical therapists and other healthcare professionals to the United States.
National Security & Cybercrime
U.S. v. Xu – Xufirst Chinese government intelligence officer ever to be extradited to the United States to stand trial was convicted in federal court in Cincinnati. Xu targeted American aviation companies, recruited employees to travel to China, and solicited their proprietary information, all on behalf of China.
U.S. v. Shihab – Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab was convicted for attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization as part of a plot to murder former United States President George W. Bush. The defendant believed the former President was responsible for killing many Iraqis and breaking apart the entire country of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Shihab hoped to smuggle at least four Iraqis associated with ISIS into the United States with the goal of completing the assassination.
U.S. v. Almadaoji – Arrested by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, Naser Almadaoji was convicted of trying to travel to Afghanistan to join ISIS or ISIS- Khorasan (ISIS-K). The defendant intended to travel to Astana, Kazahkstan, where he planned to be smuggled into Afghanistan so that he could join and receive military training from ISIS-K in support of both that terrorist group and ISIS.
U.S. v. Uwadiae – In December 2024, Omoruyi O. Uwadiae was convicted for harassing, cyberstalking, extorting and stealing the identities of victims in multiple states including Ohio, Colorado and Washington. The defendant committed crimes targeting gay and bisexual men. He obtained sexually explicit photographs and videos from potential victims and then used the content to threaten them. Uwadiae threatened to distribute the explicit material widely on the internet and specifically to victims’ friends, family members, employers and others, and, on several occasions, he carried through with his threats.
U.S. v. Cook & Frost – Two men were convicted for conspiring to attack power grids throughout the United States to promote their white supremacy ideology. Cook and Frost engaged in a plot to attack the country’s energy infrastructure, damage the economy, and stoke division in American society in the name of white supremacy. “Revolution is our solution” was a recurring theme in the defendants’ communications to one another. The pair took concrete actions in furtherance of their plans.
Former U.S. Attorney Parker added: “I thank President Joseph Biden and Senators Sherrod Brown and Robert Portman for this incredible opportunity of service. My deepest gratitude goes to my entire office as well as our many law enforcement and community partners, who remain dedicated public servants. We have accomplished a great deal together and I am confident that the people in the Southern District of Ohio will continue to benefit from our collective efforts.”
The Southern District of Ohio serves more than five million residents in 48 of the 88 counties in Ohio and has offices located in Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton.
Former ATF Director Steven M. Dettelbach stated, “At ATF I saw first-hand that Ken Parker is a warrior in the fight against violent crime. His partnership with ATF and all our state and local law enforcement partners led to the formation of Crime Gun Intelligence Centers in both Columbus and Cincinnati. They have driven down the murder and violent crime all over those regions. He has led the fight to catch and punish those who deal in and use deadly and illegal machine gun conversion devices. More people in Ohio are alive today because Ken Parker was their U.S. Attorney.”
“Ken Parker has been an outstanding partner during his tenure as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. He prioritized protecting the public by taking on the most significant and impactful cases. I am grateful for his commitment to keeping communities throughout the country safe and his dedication to upholding the rule of law,” said former DEA Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene.
“I want to thank U.S. Attorney Ken Parker and his team for their strong partnership with the FBI,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola. “U.S. Attorney Parker demonstrates a strong commitment to justice and tirelessly works to protect our community and keep all citizens safe.”
“As U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker prepares to leave office, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the privilege of working alongside him,” said Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge. “His unwavering commitment to the safety of Ohio's residents and his steadfast dedication to holding accountable those who engage in criminal activity and cause harm to others has had a profound impact. U.S. Attorney Parker’s passion for our community, his vision for growth, and his role as a trailblazer for change has left a lasting legacy. I am particularly grateful for his invaluable support in the development and success of our Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC), which has enabled the Cincinnati Police Department to work seamlessly with our federal, state, and local partners to remove dangerous criminals from our streets and save lives. His love for Cincinnati and his collaboration with our department will not be forgotten. I am deeply thankful for his leadership, partnership, and all he has done to make our city safer.”
“USA Parker’s commitment to justice has left a lasting impact on the community by upholding the rule of law, keeping our communities safe and selflessly serving the public in pursuit of justice,” said Columbus Division of Police Chief Elaine R. Bryant. “I am grateful for the profound impact his partnership has had on the safety and well-being of the community and wish him nothing but the best in his well-deserved retirement.”
Newtown Police Chief Tom Synan stated: “USA Parker has been a proactive partner with law enforcement and the community. During his tenure he has been hands-on with the issues and the people he served, getting an in-depth understanding of the complexities our communities face from the person all the way to the resources needed on the federal level. He is part of the community finding innovative ways to enhance law enforcement efforts and improve the lives of the people he served.
“When it came to addiction, he understood it was more than a crime but a chronic mental, medical health condition. He has been a pioneer in drug supply interdiction as well addiction response. There are few that can find the balance of drug supply reduction and overdose death reduction, USA Parker did, and is part of the reason our region is seeing a significant reduction in overdose deaths. He opened the door to federal resources that allowed law enforcement to find and convict those bringing the poison of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs that hit our region so hard. He also collaborated bringing resources for those struggling with addiction, knowing just cutting off drug supply did not end addiction and they would need resources for care and treatment.
“Although the United States Attorney's position brings a set of responsibilities, the void Ken Parker as a person will leave is immeasurable. It was the man that made him a leader in our community. His compassion that took him the extra mile to serve others. His authentic curiosity to learn more about people and the issues they faced led to successful partnerships. It is a goal of those who serve the public to leave the world a better place than when they arrived. USA Parker's legacy will make our community better for generations to come.”
Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison stated: “For 25 years, U.S. Attorney Ken Parker has been an advocate for victims and for justice. Throughout his distinguished career with the federal government, he has been a respected attorney committed to the Constitution and the rule of law.
“His dedication extended beyond the courtroom, as he worked to connect with the community he served. And as U.S. Attorney, he showed a willingness and the leadership to work with defense attorneys and the Court to ensure everyone was treated fairly.
“I want to thank U.S. Attorney Parker for his work over the last two decades and wish him success in what he may pursue next.”
“Ken Parker has been an outstanding U. S. Attorney,” said U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. “I have worked with him for over twenty years. He is a very talented federal prosecutor. Ken represents a long tradition of federal prosecutions. He has prosecuted those who have violated federal law, but always in accord with the Constitution and ethical standards. Whenever Ken Parker made a statement in court, I could be sure it absolutely true. Ken has been a great asset to this district.”
“We are deeply grateful for the partnership we have built with U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker. His unwavering commitment to justice and support for the families of murdered children in Columbus, Ohio has been invaluable. Together, we have worked tirelessly to advocate for change and healing in our community. While we will miss his leadership, we are inspired to continue this vital mission in his honor," said Malissa Thomas-St.Clair, Founder and CEO of Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children.
Mitch Morris, Cincinnati Works Outreach & Mentoring Coordinator, stated: “U.S. Attorney Parker has contributed countless hours to Save Our Youth Kings & Queens, a nonprofit I created to show youth positive lifestyles and ultimately prevent gun violence. Attorney Parker has been a driving force in multiple ways, including conducting classroom visits, speaking to young people about gun and drug laws, and keeping our communities safe. He’s a regular presence at community events that support youth as well as adults, and his being there puts a human face on the legal system and provides a model of achievement that young people can strive for.
“U.S. Attorney Parker is a highly approachable, stellar community member. He does not shy away when there are shootings and homicides, and he also works to educate people before the crisis happens. As someone who has worked closely with U.S. Attorney Parker, I can say that his impact on Save Our Youth’s mission is meaningful now and will be truly measurable as young people grow into adulthood and follow his example.”
“Ken Parker is one of the most thoroughly decent and kind individuals with whom I have ever had the pleasure of knowing,” said Jefferson County Prosecutor Jane Hanlin. “His commitment to fostering solid and meaningful relationships between federal, state, and local law enforcement is unparalleled. He is warm, intelligent and insightful and we can only hope that all of our public servants possess the integrity that Ken demonstrates every day. He will be missed and we are lucky to have had him.”
“I have had the honor of knowing U.S Attorney Ken Parker from the time I took office as Butler County Prosecutor many years ago. He has dedicated himself and his office to the principle we share that justice always comes first in law enforcement, the courts and life itself. With his base in Cincinnati, the public will understand when I say he has never hit a foul ball, and he will be missed. Our shared profession is indebted to Ken for his leadership and consistent application of the law in his trust and I thank him for all he has accomplished,” stated Mike Gmoser, Butler County, Ohio Prosecuting Attorney.
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United States Attorney’s Office Announces Departure of Jaime EsparzaRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas announced today the departure of Jaime Esparza as U.S. Attorney.
Esparza was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December 2022. He came to the Western District of Texas after serving as the District Attorney for the 34th Judicial District of Texas, in El Paso, from 1993 to 2020.
As U.S. Attorney, Esparza led the handling of more than 41,000 federal criminal prosecutions—including immigration, drugs, firearm, white collar, and violent crime—and more than 10,000 civil cases in this southern border district. He made it a priority to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations, including gangs, cartels and smuggling organizations. He also led and elevated outreach programs to educate the public on the dangers of fentanyl and machinegun conversion devices, and to bring awareness to domestic violence issues, among others.
Under Esparza’s leadership, the civil section defended the United States in numerous civil actions and sought and obtained civil penalties against numerous individuals and entities under the False Claims Act. Additionally, his team of asset recovery lawyers obtained millions of dollars in restitution for victims and forfeited millions of dollars in property that were used to commit crimes or were obtained with proceeds of crime.
The Western District of Texas is comprised of 93,000 square miles, 68 counties, covers 660 miles of U.S./Mexico border, and has divisional offices in El Paso, Del Rio, Waco, San Antonio, Austin, Pecos-Alpine, and Midland-Odessa. Its civil and criminal attorneys practice in District, Magistrate, and Bankruptcy Courts throughout the District, as well as in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Under the Vacancy Reform Act, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman now serves as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas.
Leachman has been with the Western District of Texas for more than 30 years and has served in numerous roles, including as Senior Litigation Counsel, Chief of the Criminal Division, Chief of the El Paso Division, and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Appellate and Major Crimes sections.
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United States Attorney’s Office Announces Departure of Darcie N. McElwee as U.S AttorneyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced today the departure of Darcie N. McElwee as U.S. Attorney following termination by the new administration.
Under the Vacancies Reform Act, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig M. Wolff is now the Acting U.S Attorney for the District of Maine. As Acting U.S. Attorney, he is the chief federal law enforcement official in the state of Maine.
Wolff is a career prosecutor who became an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2002. He has served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney and Senior Litigation Counsel, and prior to joining the District of Maine he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Maryland for four years.
Wolff received an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a law degree from the University of Virginia. Before joining the Department of Justice, he clerked for U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz in the District of Maryland and worked as an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of an international law firm.
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United States Attorney’s Office Announces Departure of Adair Ford Boroughs as U.S. AttorneyRead the Press Release
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews is now Acting U.S. Attorney
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina announced today the departure of Adair Ford Boroughs as U.S. Attorney following termination by the new administration.
Under the Vacancies Reform Act, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews is now the Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. As Acting U.S. Attorney, Andrews is the chief federal law enforcement official in the state of South Carolina.
Andrews is a career federal prosecutor who first joined the Department of Justice through the Attorney General’s Honors Program in 2009. In addition to serving as First Assistant, Andrews previously served as Deputy Criminal Chief over the White Collar and General Crimes Section, District Ethics Officer, and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney handling a wide range of criminal, civil, and appellate matters. Andrews received an undergraduate degree from Davidson College, a master’s degree from the George Washington University, and a law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Before joining the Department of Justice, Andrews clerked for U.S. District Judge Margaret Seymour of the District of South Carolina, and Chief Justice Jean Toal of the South Carolina Supreme Court.
Boroughs was sworn in as United States Attorney in July of 2022, following a nomination by President Biden and confirmation by the U.S. Senate. As United States Attorney, Boroughs oversaw a staff that included approximately 140 attorneys and support personnel. During her tenure, Boroughs prioritized enforcement of federal civil rights laws and partnering with local, state, and federal law enforcement to address violent crime. The office secured five federal hate crime convictions and hosted seven United Against Hate events around the state in partnership with FBI Columbia to educate the public on the existence of a federal hate crime statute and encourage the reporting of hate crime incidents. Boroughs prioritized the prosecution of offenders driving violence in South Carolina communities and recognized the value of local partners in identifying these offenders. Under her tenure, the office announced multi-defendant indictments and takedowns disrupting gun trafficking rings, illegal narcotics operations, and gang violence. She also oversaw multiple human trafficking, child exploitation, and white-collar prosecutions, including the recent indictment and extradition of a Nigerian national for a sextortion scheme resulting in the death of a 17-year-old Gavin Guffey.
“It has been the honor of my career to return to the Department of Justice and to serve alongside the men and women of the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said Adair Ford Boroughs, “The career men and women of this office work tirelessly day in and day out to meet the Department’s mission–to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights. It has been my honor to support them in this critical and patriotic work however I could for as long as I could. To my colleagues, our law enforcement partners, and our South Carolina community, thank you for trusting me with this work.”
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United States Attorney’s Office Announces Departure of Roger B. Handberg as U.S. AttorneyRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announces the departure of Roger B. Handberg as U.S. Attorney.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara C. Sweeney will serve as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Handberg was a career federal prosecutor. He joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2002, and he served in various senior positions within the office, including as Criminal Chief (North), Chief of the Orlando Division, and Senior Litigation Counsel. During his career with the office, U.S. Attorney Handberg specialized in the investigation and prosecution of public corruption and white-collar crime cases. As part of his practice, he successfully prosecuted more than $500 million in fraud cases.
In December 2021, U.S. Attorney Handberg was appointed as United States Attorney by order of the Attorney General, and he was reappointed by the Chief Judge of the United States District Court in April 2022. President Joseph R. Biden nominated U.S. Attorney Handberg for the position in September 2022, and he was confirmed by the United States Senate in December 2022.
Under his leadership, the U.S. Attorney’s Office increased its number of criminal cases by more than 60% over the past three fiscal years. That includes increases in each of the five offices:
- Ocala 124% increase
- Orlando 90% increase
- Jacksonville 87% increase
- Fort Myers 51% increase
- Tampa 35% increase
These increases have been in every type of prosecution:
- Violent crime 77% increase
- Child exploitation 70% increase
- Immigration 69% increase
- White collar 53% increase
- Drug trafficking 33% increase
U.S. Attorney Handberg prioritized each of these categories of prosecutions. “During my more than three years as Untied States Attorney, I made it a priority to engage with the community, to hear directly from the people that my office served to learn about their priorities and what is important to them, and to let them know about the great work that is being done by law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Handberg. “As part of those efforts, I made more than 100 speeches and presentations to local organizations, bar associations, and chambers of commerce, and at other gatherings and press conferences. From my many conversations with members of the community and law enforcement leaders, I tried to focus the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office on the matters of most pressing concern.”
With respect to violent crime, one of U.S. Attorney Handberg’s first actions was increasing the number of prosecutors in the office focused on violent crime and firearms cases. Over the past three fiscal years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has federally charged more than 750 defendants with firearms violations, with more than 300 of those defendants being charged in the 2024 fiscal year. That is the largest number of firearms violations ever charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a single year. The following are some of the significant violent crime and firearms cases that were prosecuted during U.S. Attorney Handberg’s tenure:
Seven defendants charged with offenses stemming from 4 years of dealing in drugs and an armed robbery spree that culminated in a double homicide
- More than 50 defendants prosecuted as part of the Polk County Violent Crime Task Force established by Sheriff Grady Judd after a shooting in Lakeland
- Three defendants indicted for the contract killing of a 17-year-old Hernando County high school student to prevent her testimony in court
- Two defendants charged with committing a drive-by shooting on I-95, brought in connection with a largescale drug trafficking and firearms trafficking investigation
Firearms trafficker sentenced to more than 13 years in federal prison for trying to send firearms to Mexican drug cartel members
- Defendant sentenced to consecutive life sentences for double homicide and armed robbery of a Florida couple
- 160 firearms and violent crime cases prosecuted with the Tampa Police Department and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in 2022
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has continued to be a leader in the prosecution of child exploitation and sex trafficking offenses. Over the past three fiscal years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged more than 340 child exploitation and sex trafficking cases, including more than 130 cases in fiscal year 2024. That is the highest number of child exploitation prosecutions charged in a single year in the office’s history. Significant cases include:
The first three “AI” cases brought in the District’s history involving defendants who produced and distributed AI-generated child sexual abuse material, who used a cellphone application to create and possess synthetic or “AI” images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and who possessed AI generated images that appeared to depict minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct
- Sanford foster parent sentenced to 170 years in federal prison for exploiting least 18 children under his care and for using them to produce depictions of child sexual abuse
- Bradenton defendant sentenced to life in federal prison for sexually abusing two minor victims for six years
During that same timeframe, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has prosecuted more than 600 immigration cases. Significant prosecutions include:
Two defendants plead guilty for attempting to smuggle 25 migrants to Brevard County from the Bahamas as part of a conspiracy responsible for the smuggling of more than 90 migrants, some of whom were employed by one of the defendants to do construction work
- Five defendants indicted for operating shell companies to “rent” workers’ compensation to work crews that unlawfully employed illegal aliens and for cashing approximately $292 million in payroll checks and failing to pay more than $52 million in payroll taxes
- Concrete company owner pleads guilty to harboring more than 50 illegal aliens who worked at his company
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged more than 500 white collar cases over the past three fiscal years, with more than $1 billion in restitution being ordered to be paid to victims during that time period. Those cases include:
Administrator of webhosting domain indicted for engaging in a ransomware scheme that resulted in the payment of more than $100 million in ransoms
- Defendant indicted for a $70 million Medicare fraud scheme involving the payment of kickbacks and bribes to obtain doctors’ orders for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment
- Two defendant plead guilty to more than $14 million in COVID test kit fraud and to more than $5 million in COVID testing fraud
- Former Jacksonville Electric Authority CEO sentenced to four years in federal prison for conspiracy to steal and embezzle approximately $40 million
Over 100 defendants federally charged with COVID fraud
- Defendant sentenced to 24 years in federal prison for $57 million investment fraud
- Four defendants charged with engaging in bank fraud and money laundering conspiracies involving more than $128 million in criminal proceeds
- Prosecution of more than 60 cases against public officials, government employees, and others who breached the trust that was placed in them or who conspired with them, including former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg and six others convicted of bribery, honest services fraud, or fraud offenses as part of the Greenberg investigation
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged more than 1,100 defendants with drug trafficking offenses and seized more than $3 billion in narcotics. Fentanyl trafficking in particular has been a top priority. The number of defendants being federally prosecuted in those cases has more than doubled, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement partners have seized more than 80 million fatal dosage units of fentanyl. Significant cases include:
16 Chinese nationals and 13 Chinese companies indicted in 2023 and 2024 for their role in trafficking in the precursor chemicals that cartels use to manufacture fentanyl
- Former Deputy Sheriff and DEA Task Force Officer plead guilty to conspiring to distribute narcotics, defrauding the United States, and tax evasion
- Colombian National Police Officer indicted for role in cocaine trafficking conspiracy
- Fentanyl trafficker sentenced to life in federal prison for causing fatal overdose
- Four charged in fentanyl overdose death of a University of South Florida student
- Defendant responsible for the largest methamphetamine seizure in the history of DEA in Orlando sentenced to 19 years in federal prison
- Port Richey brothers plead guilty to trafficking 100 kilograms of fentanyl
U.S. Attorney Handberg increased the size of the office’s National Security Section and added dedicated national security prosecutors to three offices. He also created a Civil Rights Unit in the Civil Division. These efforts resulted in the doubling of the number of national security prosecutions over the past three fiscal years and an increased focus on civil rights enforcement. Significant matters include:
More than 25 defendants charged for making true threats or committing hate crimes
- Defendant sentenced to four years in federal prison for conspiring to act as an agent of the People’s Republic of China in the United States
- Two Florida steel traders sentenced to 72 months and 21 months in federal prison for money laundering and Russia-Ukraine Sanctions violations
Jordan national pleads guilty to threatening to use explosives and destroying an energy facility
Defendant sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for unlawfully exporting technical data of critical U.S. military technology
Two Florida men sentenced to 60 months and 36 months in federal prison for a racially-motivated hate crime for violent assault of a Black man
Establishment of a 20-member Servicemembers and Veterans Working Group to safeguard the rights of servicemembers and veterans from discrimination and unfair treatment and the publication of a Manual to collect valuable legal information and resources in a centralized location
The first redlining settlement in the history of Florida
During his tenure, U.S. Attorney Handberg increased the number of attorneys in the Civil Division to be able to handle one of the largest defensive caseloads in the country and to prioritize affirmative civil enforcement cases. In addition to ensuring excellent representation of the United States in defending civil cases, these efforts resulted in the filing of a nationwide lawsuit alleging that Walgreens knowingly filed millions of prescriptions that lacked a legitimate medical purpose and the settlement or entry of judgments of more than $500 million in claims involving government funds that had been lost due to fraud or other misconduct. Significant affirmative civil enforcement cases include:
- A Kentucky businessman and his companies have judgments of more than $370 million entered against them for a laboratory testing scheme that targeted the Medicare program
Walgreens agrees to pay $106.8 million to resolve allegations it billed the Government for prescriptions never dispensed
A businessman agrees to pay over $27 million for Medicare fraud in connection with cancer genomic tests
A healthcare organization agrees to pay $24.5 million to settle allegations of unnecessary testing, improper remuneration to physicians and a false statement in connection with COVID-19 relief funds
- A hospital operator agrees to pay $20 million to settlement allegations relating to impermissible Medicaid donations
A healthcare company to pay $19.85 million to settle allegations relating to medically unnecessary inpatient behavioral health services
- Florida research hospital agrees to pay more than $19.5 million to resolve liability relating to self-disclosure of improper billing
Chronic disease management provider to pay $14.9 million for allegations related to the submission of false claims to Medicare
- An automotive group agrees to pay $9 million to settlement allegations relating to Paycheck Protection Program Loan
- Florida companies ordered to pay $7.6 million in redress and penalties in connection with the marketing of smoking cessation products
- Federal court issues temporary restraining order prohibiting Tampa-area clinic from distributing opioids and other prescription drugs
Recovering funds to return to crime victims has been a top priority of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Asset Recovery Section completed the forfeiture of more than $65 million in 2022 and more than $19 million in 2023, most of which will be returned to crime victims. In 2022 and 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office returned to crime victims more than $68 million that had been forfeited in those and prior years.
Under U.S. Attorney Handberg’s leadership, the Middle District of Florida has become the top District in the country among non-border districts in charging defendants in federal court according to statistics compiled by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts for fiscal year 2024.
“As someone who was born and raised in this District, I can think of no higher honor than getting the chance, first, to serve as a federal prosecutor in this office and, then, as the United States Attorney,” said U.S. Attorney Handberg. “During my more than two decades with the office, I have worked with incredible public servants at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Through our work with the excellent local, state, and federal law enforcement partners who serve this District and our country, we have prosecuted and litigated cases that have served to protect the public, to reduce crime, to do justice for victims and the community, and to hold accountable those who have violated the law. I am grateful for my colleagues at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and for our law enforcement partners for their dedication and commitment and for everything that they do, day in and day out, to keep everyone in the Middle District of Florida and the United States safe. It has been a privilege to have served as a federal prosecutor in my hometown and to have worked side-by-side with my law enforcement partners for the past 22 years.”
United States Attorney Natalie K. Wight Concludes Service to the United States Department of JusticeRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.-- The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon announced today the departure of United States Attorney Natalie K. Wight.
Ms. Wight was informed of her termination in a communication from the White House. As a Presidential appointee, Ms. Wight is subject to removal from office at the discretion of the sitting President. The White House thanked her for her service to the United States.
A twenty-year veteran of the United States Department of Justice, Ms. Wight was recruited directly into the Attorney General's Honors Program in 2003.
With the support of Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, Ms. Wight was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on June 6, 2022, and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 9, 2022.
"I am proud of the Office's dedication to protecting Oregon's youth, supporting law enforcement, and maintaining strong agency partnerships," said former U.S. Attorney Wight. During her tenure, Ms. Wight focused on outreach to schools by educating students on the dangers of fentanyl, warning of online exploitation, and applauding the care and compassion of Oregon's student leaders. This year, the district hosted its third Junior Justice Summit where student ambassadors from local high schools collaborated with civic leaders, public servants, and members of the law enforcement community to identify and achieve common goals to help keep kids safe and our neighborhoods thriving.
"I want to thank our Oregon communities and our exceptional public servants for helping to keep Oregon a safe and beautiful place to live," said former U.S. Attorney Wight. "I am excited to watch the office's continued success working with federal, state, county, local, and tribal agencies serving the people of Oregon. I am immensely proud to have worked side by side with such dedicated Oregonians."
As United States Attorney, Ms. Wight was selected to serve on the Attorney General's Advisory Committee (AGAC) as the Ninth Circuit representative. The AGAC advises the Attorney General and senior Department of Justice leadership on critical legal issues impacting the districts in each circuit. Ms. Wight served as liaison for the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Civil Division while on the AGAC. She also served on the national subcommittees for Controlled Substances, Violent Crime, Child Exploitation, and Native American Issues.
There are thirty-six counties and nine tribal reservations in the District of Oregon. The U.S. Attorney's Offices in Portland, Eugene, and Medford employ career attorneys and professional staff who are responsible for conducting all criminal prosecutions, collection of debts owed to the federal government, and civil litigation in the district involving the United States.
As provided for under the Vacancies Reform Act, the First Assistant U.S. Attorney now serves as the Acting U.S. Attorney.
United States Attorney Gary M. Restaino Completes His Service to the Department of JusticeRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced that United States Attorney Gary M. Restaino has completed his service to the Department, effective yesterday.
Mr. Restaino was informed of his termination in a communication from the White House. As a Presidential appointee, Mr. Restaino is subject to removal from office in the discretion of the sitting President. The White House thanked him for his service to the United States.
“Getting the opportunity to lead an Office in which I have worked for many years has been energizing,” said U.S. Attorney Restaino. “I am grateful to President Biden for the appointment, to Senators Kelly and Sinema for their support of my nomination, and to Attorney General Garland for his stewardship of the Department of Justice. And most of all I am thankful for our people here in Arizona – the dedicated prosecutors, victim advocates and administrative professionals at the United States Attorney’s Office, as well as the agents, analysts, and accountants at our federal law enforcement agencies – who work collaboratively and collegially with state and local partners and leaders of underserved communities to make Arizona a better and safer place.”
Since 2021 the Office has continued its strong efforts at border security, enhanced violent crime prosecutions and increased civil rights prosecutions and interventions.
Border Security
- In fiscal year 2024 the District led the nation in criminal consequences for illegal entry and reentry into the United States.
- Prosecutors engaged in victim-centric prosecutions of alien smugglers, including a defendant who sexually assaulted a migrant and leaders extradited from Mexico and from Honduras who threatened, harassed and robbed aliens in their care.
- Our team dismantled transnational criminal organizations trafficking fentanyl and other poisons into the United States.
- Working with federal partners, the Office has disrupted firearms trafficking organizations through: interdictions at ports of entry; increasing cooperation with Mexico; seizures en route to Canada; undercover sting operations; long-term straw purchasing investigations tied to border interdictions; and in a case alleging an attempt to incite regime change in South Sudan via attempts to export grenade launchers and Stinger missiles.
Violent Crime Prosecutions
- Indian Country prosecutors secured a first-degree murder conviction arising out of a missing persons case from the Navajo Nation.
- Federal partners in Tucson reimagined federal firearms prosecutions through a Public Safety Partnership.
- The District secured a second-degree murder conviction against a man who shot and killed a Deputy United States Marshal.
- Our team developed consistency and rigor in prosecuting threats of violence conveyed against President Biden, President Trump, election officials, law enforcement agents, university students, and victims of “swatting” incidents.
Civil Rights
- The District secured convictions (and a 438-month sentence) for arson and interference with the free exercise of religion against a man who burned two churches in Douglas, Arizona.
- Prosecutors vindicated the rights of a minor who was sexually assaulted by a Customs and Border Protection Officer by obtaining convictions for kidnaping and deprivation of rights.
- The Office and its colleagues in the Civil Rights Division reached a settlement with the Arizona Department of Corrections to improve accommodations for inmates with vision limitations and therefore to increase opportunities for positive reentry.
- Our team intervened in an election lawsuit to ensure that Arizona voters have access to ballot drop boxes free from intimidation.
- Lawyers and advocates from around the District participated in many United Against Hate outreach events to increase reporting of hate crimes and bias incidents.
Mr. Restaino became United States Attorney in November 2021 after 20 years of service as a federal employee, including two years in the Peace Corps in Paraguay and 18 years as an Assistant United States Attorney here in Arizona. During his tenure, Mr. Restaino served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, advising Attorney General Garland on matters of policy, procedure, and management, and also elevating the voices of the U.S. Attorney community in Washington. In addition, for nearly 90 days in the spring and summer of 2022, and at the direction of President Biden, Mr. Restaino served the women and men of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as their Acting Director, pending the confirmation of the agency’s nominee.
Pursuant to the Vacancy Reform Act, career prosecutor and First Assistant United States Attorney Rachel C. Hernandez currently serves as the Acting United States Attorney for the District.
The United States Attorney’s Office represents the interests of the United States in criminal and civil cases in federal court in Arizona, coordinates the efforts of its federal law enforcement partners, advocates for the rights of victims, and enhances and strengthens communities through dialogue, outreach, and engagement. The Office currently has approximately 180 Assistant United States Attorneys and approximately 160 additional administrative professionals spread between two large offices in Phoenix and Tucson, and two smaller branch offices in Yuma and Flagstaff.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-018_Departure of United States Attorney Gary M. Restaino
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana announces departure of U.S. Attorney Jesse LaslovichRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana today announced the departure of U. S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich, effective yesterday.
Mr. Laslovich has served as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the District of Montana since being sworn into office on June 2, 2022. President Joe Biden nominated Mr. Laslovich for the position on Jan. 31, 2022, and the U.S. Senate confirmed him on May 17, 2022.
As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Laslovich oversaw all federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigation on behalf of the U.S. government. The district has offices in Helena, Great Falls, Missoula, Butte, and Billings.
“It has been the honor of my life to serve as the United States Attorney for the state that raised me. I am profoundly grateful to the talented and hard-working people in this office, as well as our federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners who strive every day to uphold the rule of law, keep people safe, and steadfastly defend the interests of the United States of America. I have never been prouder to have served with them, and I will always be rooting hard for their continued safety and success,” Mr. Laslovich said.
During Mr. Laslovich’s tenure, the U.S. Attorney’s Office focused on prosecuting drug trafficking and violent and sexual abuse crimes occurring on Montana’s six Indian Reservations that are within federal jurisdiction for major crimes; building strong partnerships with other federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement agencies; addressing violent and firearms crimes in communities across the state through initiatives like Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF); and protecting civil rights for all Montanans. The office continued its work to protect children from online and in person sexual predators, abusers, and traffickers, and to catch fraudsters, especially those who prey on elderly and vulnerable persons.
Mr. Laslovich also emphasized the importance of strong working relationships with numerous law enforcement agencies at the local, state, tribal and federal levels. Mr. Laslovich and office representatives met regularly with tribal leadership to discuss various issues. The office also worked closely with other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners and organizations to strengthen trust, communications, and cooperation in working toward the shared goal of keeping people safe and holding offenders accountable.
In Indian Country, the U.S. Attorney’s Office worked with tribal and federal law enforcement partners to shut down trafficking rings attempting to set up bases on Montana reservations and enlist residents to distribute drugs transported from outside Montana. One of those cases involved dismantling a large, multi-state drug trafficking organization that was based on Crow Indian Reservation property known as Spear Siding and distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl to three other Montana Indian reservations and communities from suppliers in Washington and a Mexican cartel. The case resulted in federal convictions in Montana of 27 persons and was one of the largest federal drug trafficking investigations in Montana.
Additionally, a recent six-month-long enforcement initiative led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, in cooperation with Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Reservation, led to indictments of multiple individuals on drug crimes. The enforcement action was aimed at identifying hot spots and devoting law enforcement resources to communities facing rising rates of drug-related violent crime and overdose deaths.
During the last three years, federal prosecutors remained committed to making communities across Montana safer by identifying and prosecuting the most dangerous offenders through initiatives like PSN and OCDETF. In Great Falls, a multi-agency investigation into a large fentanyl trafficking ring led to a coordinated take down of suspects and convictions of 10 individuals.
During Mr. Laslovich’s tenure, prosecutions of individuals on federal firearms crimes increased significantly. The average number of defendants charged with illegal possession of a firearm averaged 111 cases a year from 2022 through 2024, compared with an average of 83 cases per year from 2014 to 2021. And the number of defendants charged with carrying a firearm in relation to a crime of violence or drug trafficking also increased to an average of 56 cases a year from 2022 to 2024 from an average of 40 cases per year from 2014 to 2021.
Additionally, Mr. Laslovich oversaw the launch in Montana of United Against Hate, a Justice Department initiative focused on improving the prevention of hate crimes and hate incidents by building relationships at the local level. Laslovich and the office’s civil rights coordinator and prosecutor held a series of community meetings across the state with law enforcement partners, community and faith organizations, tribal communities, and citizens to discuss identifying and reporting hate crimes and to learn about available resources. Further, the office successfully prosecuted a Basin man on federal hate and firearms crimes after he fired an AK-style assault rifle at the residence of a woman, who identified as lesbian, and was home at the time. The defendant was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
The office’s civil team continued its work defending the United States in litigation, collecting debts owed to the federal government, and investigating fraud. As part of that work, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reached a civil settlement agreement in 2024 between the federal government and St. Peter’s Health, in Helena, in which St. Peter’s agreed to pay $10,844,201 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims for payments to federal health care programs for services performed by an oncology doctor.
Prior to becoming U.S. Attorney, Mr. Laslovich served as regional vice president for SCL Health Montana-Wyoming since 2017. From 2009 to 2016, Mr. Laslovich was chief legal counsel in the office of the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance, where he prosecuted securities fraud cases. During 2011 and 2012, Laslovich also served as a special assistant U.S. attorney on securities cases in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana. He previously worked in the Montana Attorney General’s Office. Mr. Laslovich began his legal career at Datsopoulos, MacDonald & Lind, P.C. in Missoula and taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Montana School of Law for two semesters.
As one of the youngest Montanans ever elected to the Montana Legislature, Mr. Laslovich first served in the House of Representatives from 2001 through 2004 and then in the Senate from 2005 to 2010, representing Anaconda-Deer Lodge, Granite, and Powell counties.
Mr. Laslovich received his J.D. from the University of Montana School of Law in 2006 and his B.A., with high honors, from the University of Montana in 2003.
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U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky Collects over $104 Million in Fiscal Year 2024Read the Press Release
Louisville, KY- U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky announced today that the United States Attorney’s Office collected $104.8 million in Fiscal Year 2024, which includes $9,239,721.20 in criminal restitution, $95,604,774.97 in civil actions, and $2,441,761 through asset forfeiture.
The Office also worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $23,133,763.62 in matters pursued jointly by these offices.
“Due to extraordinary teamwork in our district in both our Criminal and Civil Divisions, last year federal crime victims received more than $9 million in compensation for their financial losses, and federal agencies recouped more than $95 million in fraudulently-obtained funds and delinquent civil debt,” said U.S. Attorney Bennett. “I am extremely proud of our Office’s dedication to track down every possible dollar from perpetrators, fraudsters, and those who refuse to pay their federal obligations. Through outstanding collection efforts, our Office has provided meaningful recoveries to crime victims and the federal taxpayers we serve.”
Last year, the Western District of Kentucky recovered significant criminal restitution for victims, including those injured by crop insurance fraud, employee-related theft, and health care fraud.
Of the over $95 million collected through civil actions, most of the recoveries were collected through actions brought pursuant to the False Claims Act, which permits the United States to recover up to three times the amount of money fraudulently obtained from government programs. The District’s civil recoveries also include $2.5 million for federal agencies in state and federal foreclosures.
U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the Department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts, fines, and assessments owed to the federal government and criminal restitution owed to victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and assessments are paid to the Department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and assistance programs.
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U.S. Attorney's Office Collects nearly $3.5 Million in Debts Owed to Federal Victims of Crime and the United States in Fiscal Year 2024Read the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell announced today that the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota collected $3,496,288.47 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2024. Of this amount, $1,584,408.91 was collected in criminal actions and $1,911,879.56 was collected in civil actions. The District of South Dakota office worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices elsewhere in the country and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $775,964.79. Excluded from these totals are significant recoveries obtained at the end of Calendar Year 2024, such as the $12.7M settlement to resolve alleged False Claims Act violations relating to improper financial relationships between Dunes Surgical Hospital and two physician groups, and the $1.4M paid toward restitution in a pandemic fraud prosecution.
“Ensuring the collection of federal debt restores justice to victims of crime and reinforces the integrity of our governmental institutions,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell.
In addition to filing 14 new garnishment actions, the Financial Litigation Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office closed 44 civil and criminal restitution cases where the federal debt or victims were paid in full. For example, in a civil case involving the Farm Service Agency (FSA), the Financial Litigation Unit recovered $52,561.75 from a borrower who sold calves in violation of his loan agreement with a local bank. In a criminal case arising from a wire fraud conviction, the same Financial Litigation Unit recovered $36,773.79 from an inheritance the defendant received while in custody, thus providing a substantial recovery to the victims of the defendant’s wire fraud.
United States Attorney’s Offices, along with the Department of Justice’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the United States and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the Department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.
Two Peoria Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – Two Peoria, Illinois, men, Isaiah L. Holland, 29, and Tyrone Anthony Curtis, 23, were sentenced on February 14, 2025, to multiple years of imprisonment following their convictions for federal robbery and firearm offenses.
Holland previously pleaded guilty to committing a robbery involving United States currency and using a firearm during a crime of violence, while Curtis pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a felon.
U.S. District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley sentenced Holland to 12 months’ imprisonment for the robbery and 84 months’ imprisonment for the firearms offense. The judge ordered that the sentences are to be served consecutively for a total of 96 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The judge sentenced Curtis to 33 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
At the sentencing hearings in front of Judge Hawley at the federal courthouse in Peoria, the government presented evidence that Holland robbed another individual at gunpoint during an arranged sale of handguns and two machinegun conversion devices (also known as switches). Curtis set up the sale. During the transaction, Holland pulled a firearm from his backpack, racked the firearm, and robbed the would-be buyer of the $4,100 that was intended as payment for the weapons, in addition to taking that person’s wallet and car keys.
Holland and Curtis were later stopped by law enforcement. During the stop, law enforcement agents discovered a Glock Model 19, 9mm pistol, loaded with 18 rounds of ammunition in the magazine and one in the chamber, in Holland’s backpack. They also found a loaded Canik, Model TP9SA, 9 mm pistol under Curtis’s seat. Both weapons are being forfeited to the government.
A complaint was filed in federal court in January 2024 against both defendants, followed by an indictment in February 2024. Both defendants have been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since their arrests.
The statutory maximum penalties for a robbery involving United States currency are not more than 25 years’ imprisonment and $250,000 fine. Use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence carries a sentence of seven years to life imprisonment, to be served consecutively to the sentence for the violent crime. A term of supervised release of up to five years may be imposed on each of those counts. The penalties for possessing a firearm as a felon are not more than 15 years’ imprisonment, to be followed by up to three years of supervised release.
The Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force, comprised of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Peoria Police Department; the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department; the Illinois Department of Corrections; and the Illinois State Police investigated the case.
The case against Holland and Curtis 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.
Three Aryan Brotherhood Prison Gang Members Convicted of Rico Conspiracy and Murder in Aid of RacketeeringRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Following a four-week trial before U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston, three members of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang were found guilty of racketeering activity that included murder, drug trafficking, fraud, and robbery, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
A federal jury found California State Prison inmate John Stinson, 70, guilty of one count of conspiracy to conduct the affairs of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity.
The jury found California State Prison inmate Francis Clement, 58, guilty of conspiracy to conduct the affairs of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity and five counts of murder in aid of racketeering for the murders of Allan Roshanski, Ruslan Megomedgadzhiev, Michael Brizendine, James Yagle, and Ronnie Ennis.
The jury found California State Prison inmate Kenneth Johnson, 63, guilty of conspiracy to conduct the affairs of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity and two counts of murder in aid of racketeering for the murders of Allan Roshanski and Ruslan Megomedgadzhiev.
According to court documents and evidence produced at trial, between 2015 and 2023, AB members and associates engaged in racketeering activity, committing multiple acts involving murder, conspiracies to murder, fraud, robbery, and drug trafficking crimes. Using smuggled-in cellphones, Stinson, Johnson, and Clement directed various criminal acts while controlling the membership of the AB. Stinson was a leader of the AB and had significant authority over the enterprise, including resolving disputes among members and approving the murder of current or former members. Johnson and Clement ordered murders of individuals in the Los Angeles area of California.
Additional individuals charged in the case and still pending trial include the following:
- Jayson Weaver, 47, scheduled for trial in April 2026.
- Waylon Pitchford, 47, scheduled for trial in April 2026.
- Andrew Collins, 42, scheduled for trial in April 2026.
- Evan Perkins, 38, scheduled for trial at a pending date.
- Justin Gray, 39, scheduled for trial in September 2025.
The charges against the remaining defendants are only allegations, and those individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was the product of an extensive long-term investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Office of Correctional Safety (CDCR), United States Marshals Service, Los Angeles County Sheriff Department, Pomona Police Department, Torrance Police Department, San Diego Police Department, San Diego Sheriff Department, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, and Kern County District Attorney’s Office, the California Department of Justice and California Highway Patrol Special Operations Unit, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC), the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, the Clovis Police Department, and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Stephanie Stokman and James Conolly and Department of Justice attorney Jared Engelking are prosecuting the case.
Stinson, Clement, and Johnson are scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Thurston on May 19, 2025. Defendants Johnson and Clement face mandatory life sentences based upon their convictions for murder in aid of racketeering. Defendant Stinson faces a maximum sentence of life in prison based upon his RICO conspiracy conviction.
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 U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
Sylmar Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Using Instagram to Advertise and Distribute Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A San Fernando Valley man was sentenced today to 120 months in federal prison for using Instagram to advertise sexually explicit images of high school girls without their permission, to distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and to threaten victims who objected to his behavior.
Alejandro Garcia Aranda, 23, of Sylmar, was sentenced by United States District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr., who also ordered him to pay $45,000 total restitution to 15 victims. In sentencing Garcia Aranda, Judge Blumenfeld emphasized the “cruel,” “callous,” and “monstrous” nature of the offense.
Garcia Aranda pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one count of distribution of child pornography. He has been in federal custody since July 2024.
In April and May of 2020, Garcia Aranda used the Instagram handle “valleyhoezzz818” with the self-proclaimed goal of “[e]xposing all valley hoes with their @’s” to target local girls who attended schools in the San Fernando Valley.
Using Cash App, PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle, Garcia Aranda received payments from customers who wanted to obtain sexually explicit content of the victims that he had advertised and offered to sell on the Instagram account. After receiving and confirming payment, using the Instagram account, Garcia Aranda then sent a direct message to customers and provided a link to a zip file containing the CSAM.
When victims discovered that sexually explicit materials depicting them were being advertised and disseminated by Garcia Aranda and requested that he stop and remove them, Garcia Aranda attempted to extract further additional sexually explicit material from them, including by threatening to post additional photographs.
Garcia Aranda admitted to knowingly distributing CSAM – three sexually explicit videos and one sexually explicit image involving children – in May 2020. Garcia Aranda further admitted to possessing more than 600 images of CSAM.
The FBI investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Kathy Yu prosecuted this case.
St. Louis County Man Accused of Child Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Northwoods, in St. Louis County, Missouri, has been accused of child sex trafficking.
Rodarius Servick, 50, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Thursday on one count of child sex trafficking and one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. He appeared in court and pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
The indictment accuses Servick of recruiting, enticing, harboring, transporting or providing a minor for a commercial sex act between August 19, 2024, and Sept. 13, 2024, and transporting that minor across state lines for the purpose of prostitution on August 19.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
A motion seeking to have Servick held in jail until trial says law enforcement learned on Sept. 13, 2024, of a runaway juvenile that was being trafficked. Detectives found an advertisement with her picture online, and the St. Louis County Police Department conducted an undercover operation that recovered the girl days later.
The FBI, the St. Louis County Police Department and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division'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.
Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Ampless Ray Lilly, 52, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from on or about February 20, 2023, through on or about April 23, 2024, Lilly knowingly received approximately 2,900 images and 1,100 videos containing child pornography on his mobile phone while accessing the internet from his Huntington residence. Lilly admitted that the child pornography he downloaded included depictions of prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and depictions of minor children subjected to sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence. Lilly further admitted that he distributed images and videos containing child pornography through the internet.
Lilly is scheduled to be sentenced on June 5, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Lilly is a registered sex offender as a result of his guilty plea to first-degree sexual assault in Lincoln County Circuit Court on January 22, 1993. During the time period of the current offense, Lilly began serving a five-year term of probation imposed on November 13, 2023, after he pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on August 14, 2023. A petition to revoke that probation has been filed and is currently pending.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Gabriel Price is prosecuting the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-15.
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Seven Chilean Nationals Charged Following Nationwide Burglaries of Several Professional AthletesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the unsealing of a criminal complaint charging Pablo Zuniga Cartes (24, Chile), Ignacio Zuniga Cartes (20, Chile), Bastian Jimenez Freraut (27, Chile), Jordan Quiroga Sanchez (22, Chile), Bastian Orellano Morales (23, Chile), Alexander Huiaguil Chavez (24, Chile), and Sergio Ortega Cabello (38, Chile) with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
According to the complaint, the individuals were members of a South American Theft Group that burglarized the homes of professional athletes around the country. These individuals targeted high-profile athletes in the National Football League (“NFL”) and National Basketball Association (“NBA”), all of whom were away or playing in professional games at the times of the burglaries. These individuals stole valuables worth over $2 million.
On October 5 and 7, 2024, in the Kansas City area, the homes of two Kansas City Chiefs football players were burglarized and jewelry, watches, cash, and other luxury merchandise was taken. The October 7 burglary occurred while the team played in Kansas City, Missouri.
As detailed in the complaint, in Tampa on October 21, 2024, the home of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player was burglarized while the team played in Tampa. Jewelry, designer watches, a luxury suitcase, and a firearm were stolen.
On November 2, 2024, the Wisconsin home of a Milwaukee Bucks player was burglarized during a game in Milwaukee. A safe containing several watches, chains, personal items, jewelry, and cash was stolen, along with a designer suitcase and designer bags. The total value of property stolen was approximately $1.484 million.
The below photograph depicts Pablo Zuniga Cartes, Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, Bastian Jimenez Freraut, and a fourth individual posing with the stolen safe and jewelry taken shortly after the theft:
On December 9, 2024, the Cincinnati home of a Cincinnati Bengals player was burglarized while the team played Arlington, Texas. Designer luggage, glasses, watches, and jewelry valued at about $300,000 was stolen. Sergio Ortega Cabello rented a vehicle used in the burglary.
Between the late afternoon on December 19, 2024, and the early morning of December 20, 2024, the Tennessee home of a Memphis Grizzlies player was burglarized while the team played in Memphis, Tennessee. Jewelry, watches, and luxury bags valued at about $1 million were stolen.
A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, United States Customs and Border Patrol, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Hamilton County (Tennessee) Sheriff’s Office, the Shelby County (Tennessee) Sheriff’s Office, the Dallas (Texas) Police Department, the Indian Hill (Ohio) Police Department, the Leawood (Kansas) Police Department, the River Hills (Wisconsin) Police Department.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious transnational criminal organizations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Baeza and Special Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Haynes.
Criminal ComplaintRomanian Man Guilty of Access Device Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Simpson announced that DORU ADAMESC, a/k/a “Petru Golban,” (“ADAMESC”), age 32, a national of Romania, pled guilty on February 13, 2025 before Chief United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown, to conspiracy to commit access device fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(b)(2).
According to court documents, on May 19, 2024 and May 20, 2024, ADAMESC, and a co-conspirator, purchased items at retail establishments so that they could approach the credit card reading machines. ADAMESC’s co-conspirator then distracted the cashiers while ADAMESC covertly installed card skimmers on the credit card reading machines. ADAMESC was arrested on June 5, 2024, when he returned to one of the stores to attempt to retrieve a skimming device. A search of his vehicle resulted in the seizure of two large magnets, commonly used to activate the Bluetooth capabilities on skimming devices. ADAMESC’s cellular phones were seized; one phone contained a photo of approximately 60 gift cards spread out on a counter. Such gift cards are typically re-encoded with stolen card numbers in order to make fraudulent purchases or withdrawals.
Law enforcement officers also seized six credit card skimmers before ADAMESC was able to retrieve them. These skimmers captured approximately 421 credit, debit, and Electronic Benefit Transfer (“EBT”) cards.
ADAMESC faces up to 7.5 years imprisonment, up to 3 years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee. Sentencing before Chief Judge Brown has been scheduled for May 22, 2025.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Special Agents of the United States Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General; Special Agents with the United States Secret Service; Deputies with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office; Deputies with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office; Deputies with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office; and Officers of the New Orleans Police Department, in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Maria M. Carboni of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance.
Cruz Mario Lara Larios, age 38, was sentenced on February 14, 2025, to 10 years in federal prison, five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Lara Larios was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024. He pleaded guilty on November 22, 2024.
On March 17, 2024, Lara Larios was the driver and sole occupant of a vehicle on Interstate 90 near Spearfish, South Dakota. Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on Lara Larios’ vehicle for speeding. During the traffic stop officers located nearly 24 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the vehicle, which Lara Larios had been transporting from Washington to South Dakota with the intention of distributing some or all of the methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Highway Patrol and the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET). UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the South Dakota Highway Patrol and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Lara Larios was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following the sentencing.
Port Charlotte Man Sentenced to Fifteen Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child Sexual Abuse VideosRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Demario Desmond Fenton (21, Port Charlotte) to 15 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for production of videos depicting the sexual abuse of a child. This sentence will run consecutive to any state sentence imposed. Fenton must also register as a sex offender. He entered a guilty plea on April 24, 2024.
According to court documents, between July and August 2023, Fenton used or persuaded a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Fenton also produced videos of the minor being sexually abused.
On November 15, 2023, a search warrant was executed at Fenton’s home and his laptop and electronic storage devices were seized. Fenton agreed to speak with law enforcement and admitted to sexually abusing the minor and recording that abuse. The subsequent forensic examination of Fenton’s electronic devices revealed videos of the minor’s sexual abuse.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
This is another case 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.
Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Gun Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Michael Adrian Nieto (31, St. Cloud) has pleaded guilty to dealing in firearms without a license. Nieto faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, Nieto, a sworn law enforcement officer, repeatedly purchased and resold firearms to individuals. Among others, Nieto supplied firearms to Ernesto Vazquez, a key member of a criminal conspiracy that smuggled hundreds of firearms to the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Haiti. In addition, to benefit the conspiracy, Nieto corruptly used police databases to provide sensitive and confidential information to Vazquez.
Between June 6, 2022, and September 4, 2024, Nieto purchased at least 58 firearms. Many of the firearms were identical and were purchased together or close in time to one another. On October 17, 2024, FBI and ATF agents executed a federal search warrant at Nieto’s residence. At the time of the search warrant, 12 firearms were still in his possession.
On October 17, 2024, Nieto was interviewed by FBI and ATF agents. He admitted to repeatedly buying and reselling guns to individuals, including Vazquez, despite knowing that Vazquez was transferring these guns to third parties, in violation of federal law. Nieto also admitted that Vazquez had provided him with illegal items, including a machinegun conversion device.
Vazquez previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic firearms. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 25, 2025.
“The St. Cloud Police Department has worked closely with the Department of Justice to assist them in their investigation regarding former officer Michael Nieto. In the wake of the recent DOJ findings, we are conducting our own in-depth investigation into the matter.” said St. Cloud Police Chief Douglas Goerke. “SCPD pledges to take immediate action should an officer act in a manner that could break a community’s trust, no matter their rank or tenure with the department.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Noah P. Dorman.
Operation Smoke and Mirrors Update: Charleston Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Role in Methamphetamine Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Tres Avery Davis, 36, of Charleston, was sentenced today to 14 years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl. Davis admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated in the Charleston area.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 7, 2023, Davis delivered approximately 2,000 blue pills containing fentanyl to a Kemp Avenue residence in Charleston. Law enforcement seized the pills at the residence on March 9, 2023. Davis admitted that he intended to distribute at least some of these pills to other people.
Davis is among 31 defendants convicted of federal crimes as a result of Operation Smoke and Mirrors, a major drug trafficking investigation that has yielded the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history. Law enforcement seized well over 400 pounds of methamphetamine as well as 40 pounds of cocaine, 3 pounds of fentanyl, 19 firearms and $935,000 in cash.
Davis dealt directly with a fentanyl supplier and personally acquired fentanyl pills for redistribution as part of his role in the DTO. Davis also recruited a co-conspirator to act as a courier to transport fentanyl pills from Columbus, Ohio, to Charleston, West Virginia.
Davis also distributed methamphetamine as part of his role in the DTO. He was responsible for 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine that were seized from a location in Charleston, and performed several methamphetamine transactions during the course of the investigation. Davis admitted that he sold methamphetamine in one-half pound to one pound quantities.
Davis has a long criminal history that includes more than a dozen prior convictions for such offenses as being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, distribution of cocaine base, possession of a controlled substance, and domestic battery.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard Counter Drug program, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe prosecuted the case.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-31.
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New Orleans Man Indicted for Crack Conspiracy and Federal Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – STEVE BANKS (“BANKS”), age 49, of New Orleans, was indicted on February 14, 2025, for violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act and the Federal Gun Control Act, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
BANKS is charged in Count 1 with possession, with the intent to distribute, 280 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing crack, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A). Count 2 charges BANKS with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). Count 3 charges BANKS with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c)(1)(A) and 924(c)(1)(A)(i).
As to the drug trafficking charge in Count 1, BANKS faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000, and at least 5 years of supervised release. For Count 2, BANKS faces a maximum sentence of 15 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release. For Count 3, BANKS faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years, up to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 5 years of supervised release.
According to the indictment, beginning at a time unknown but prior to September 2024, and continuing to on or about October 21, 2024, BANKS conspired with others to distribute crack in the Eastern District of Louisiana. On October 21, 2024, BANKS possessed, with the intent to distribute, 280 grams or more of a mixture containing crack, and three guns, including a Zastava Model ZPAP85, 5.56 millimeter semi-automatic rifle, a Glock Model 22, 40 millimeter semi-automatic pistol, with a loaded extended magazine, that had been reported stolen, and a Glock Model 17Gen5, nine millimeter semi-automatic pistol.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that the indictment is merely an allegation and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Rachal Cassagne of the Narcotics Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
New Orleans Man Guilty of Being Felon in Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JARROD CARTER (“CARTER”), age 29, a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty on February 13, 2025, before Chief United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown, to violating the Federal Gun Control Act, by being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
According to court records, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officers received a complaint about several unidentified black males on Mandeville Street in New Orleans, brandishing firearms and distributing narcotics. A Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force Officer (TFO) from NOPD observed a male subject, later identified as CARTER, walking on the sidewalk with a black AR-15 style rifle in his hand and a backpack. The TFO attempted to contact marked units with the NOPD to detain him, but no units were available, and CARTER left.
The following day, January 3, 2023, the TFO again observed CARTER standing in the same area. CARTER was carrying the same backpack he carried the previous day. The TFO saw that the backpack had the same shape as a rifle.
Shortly thereafter, NOPD officers stopped and searched CARTER, locating a loaded, Taurus .40 caliber handgun with an obliterated serial number in his waistband. CARTER was then arrested and when the officers searched his backpack, they found a loaded, Springfield AR-15 style rifle. CARTER was a previously convicted felon that and was prohibited from possessing firearms.
Chief Judge Brown set sentencing for May 8, 2025. On each count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, CARTER faces up to15 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller, Senior Litigation Counsel and PSN Coordinator.