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Thursday 2 July 2026
Former Florida Resident Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Appraisal FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Armando Martinez (51, Plano, TX) has been sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant, III, of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas to 20 years in federal prison for bank fraud. Martinez previously pleaded guilty. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents filed with the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Martinez, who had his Florida Appraiser’s license revoked, orchestrated and executed a bank fraud scheme directed at multiple financial institutions by taking over the identity and license number of a legitimate licensed appraiser. Martinez then purportedly conducted onsite appraisals for dozens of properties in Florida. In reality, Martinez paid others to go to the properties and take pictures for appraisals he completed. He then sent the appraisals to the victim lenders, using his computer after having fled the United States to the Dominican Republic. Based on the false and fraudulent appraisals, the financial institutions were fraudulently induced to approve and fund mortgage loans and pay Martinez appraisal fees. As a result of Martinez’s appraisal fraud, more than $65 million in mortgages are impaired or defective. These mortgages were either guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration or purchased and guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
This case was investigated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General and the United States Department of Housing and Development – Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.
Former Charleston County Magistrate Pleads Guilty to Possessing, Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. — James Benjamin Gosnell, Jr., 69, of Charleston, has pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).*
In summer 2025, agents with Homeland Security Investigations received a CyberTip from PayPal that showed payments made from PayPal accounts belonging to James Benjamin Gosnell, Jr. to a known CSAM vendor. Based upon that information, agents obtained a federal search warrant for Gosnell’s residence, which they executed on Sept. 16, 2025.
During the execution of the search warrant, Gosnell confessed to possessing CSAM, and gave agents a flash drive that he admitted contained hundreds of CSAM videos. Agents seized more than a dozen additional electronic devices and flash drives. Forensic analysis confirmed that Gosnell possessed thousands of CSAM files.
Further investigation revealed that in December 2023, Gosnell began communicating with a man in Florida named John Thorpe via text message and encrypted apps. Gosnell and Thorpe discussed their shared sexual preference for minors, primarily the violent sexual abuse of infants and toddlers. In the summer of 2024, Gosnell traveled to Thorpe’s home in Florida, where Gosnell distributed and shared a flash drive containing CSAM. Gosnell left the thumb drive of CSAM with Thorpe, who later sent it back to Gosnell in Charleston via FedEx.
“Gosnell, a public official and judicial officer, was a man entrusted with carrying out justice in the Charleston community yet was doing exactly the opposite,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “Thank you to our partners at HSI for their tireless pursuit of accountability in this case. And thank you to our community who came forward with tips and information to assist in protecting our children.”
“The evil actions uncovered in this case represent the worst form of criminal behavior—targeting the most vulnerable members of our society,” said Mark M. Zito, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Carolinas. “Homeland Security Investigations will relentlessly pursue those who engage in the exploitation of children, no matter their status or profession. Our commitment is unwavering: we will use every resource at our disposal to protect children, bring offenders to justice, and ensure they face the full consequences of their crimes.”
Gosnell faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, and up to a lifetime of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. He will be required to register as a sex offender for life. United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Gosnell after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Orville and Emily Limehouse are prosecuting the case.###
* The term “child pornography” is currently used in federal statutes and is defined as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a person less than 18 years old. While this phrase still appears in federal law, “child sexual abuse material” is preferred, as it better reflects the abuse that is depicted in the images and videos and the resulting trauma to the child.
Former Albuquerque Dentist Ordered to Pay $320,000 for Violating Controlled Substances and False Claims ActsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – The U.S. Attorney's Office announced today that a federal court has entered a $320,000.00 judgment against a former Albuquerque dentist to resolve allegations that he violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) by unlawfully issuing prescriptions after his professional licenses were revoked or expired.
William C. Gardner, DDS, was licensed to practice dentistry in New Mexico and held a state-controlled substances registration. Between July 17, 2020, and February 1, 2021, he allegedly continued to write prescriptions for patients despite the fact that his state dental license had been officially revoked and his state-controlled substances registration had expired. Because a valid state license is a mandatory prerequisite for federal prescribing authority, Dr. Gardner ceased to legally qualify as a practitioner under federal law.
The government's investigation revealed that Dr. Gardner allegedly used his unique DEA registration number and his office’s electronic medical records system to issue 94 unauthorized prescriptions, the vast majority of which were for Schedule II narcotics with a high potential for abuse. He reportedly misled federal authorities during a DEA site visit on January 29, 2021, claiming his licensing was "fine" even though he had unsuccessfully petitioned a federal court for an emergency temporary restraining order to block the state's revocation just three weeks prior.
Following an evaluation of the evidence, the court found Dr. Gardner responsible for 80 of the unlawful prescriptions and ordered him to pay a civil penalty of $4,000.00 per violation under the Controlled Substances Act, resulting in the $320,000.00 total judgment.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Mark Putnam, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s El Paso Division, made the announcement today.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s investigation and litigation were led by Assistant United States Attorney Sean M. Cunniff and Auditors Julie Chappell and Phillip Stella.
219 - Mem Op and Order (1).pdfFlorida Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Travelling Internationally to Sexually Exploit MinorsRead the Press Release
A Florida man was sentenced today to 30 years in prison and lifetime supervised release for the production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of victims as young as eight years old.
According to court documents, Vincent Anthony Principe, 55, of Arcadia, travelled to the Philippines over the course of several years and sexually abused four minors, including one as young as eight. He sexually abused children and documented the abuse on video. He then published the videos on a website devoted to child exploitation. He also possessed over 100 images of child sexual abuse material, including those depicting the exploitation of pre-pubescent children.
“The defendant’s vile acts not only caused serious harm through his sexual abuse of multiple minors, but he also inflicted added layers to that harm by memorializing the abuse and distributing it to other offenders,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “No child predator will find safe haven in the United States. The Department is committed to holding U.S. citizens accountable for harming children whether committed in the United States or internationally.”
“The vile actions of this child predator who exploited children while traveling internationally is reprehensible,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “Working closely with our law enforcement partners, we remain committed to investigating and prosecuting those who prey on children.”
“The Secret Service is committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society from exploitation and abuse,” said the Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Forrest of the U.S. Secret Service’s (USSS) Criminal Investigative Division. “This sentence reflects the seriousness of the defendant’s crimes and underscores our dedication to working with U.S. and international partners to ensure offenders are brought to justice, no matter where their crimes occur.”
Principe pleaded guilty to the charges on April 30.
The USSS conducted the investigation with support from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Queensland Police Service, and Europol.
Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Yolande Viacava for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Federal jury convicts Petersburg man for sex trafficking childrenRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Petersburg man today on charges of sex trafficking children; transporting a minor for prostitution; production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM); distribution of CSAM; sex trafficking by fraud or coercion; and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Marcus Keon Ruffin, 36, recruited women and girls, including minors, to work as commercial sex workers. Ruffin contacted his sex trafficking victims online or through other victims, offering them weekly income and, at times, an upfront payment, though evidence showed that he paid negligible amounts compared to what he promised victims. Ruffin paid for transportation, including by train or Lyft, for multiple minor victims to travel to the Richmond area to work in prostitution. Ruffin demanded that the victims provide him with nude or sexually explicit images and videos that he then distributed online to advertise them as sex workers.
During a traffic stop on November 30, 2024, Chesterfield police arrested Ruffin on a state firearms charge. During the arrest, officers located a handgun in Ruffin’s jacket. As a previously convicted felon, Ruffin cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
Ruffin faces up to life in prison when sentenced on Dec. 16. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI’s Richmond Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the FBI’s Boston Field Office, Amtrak Police Department, Virginia State Police, Harrisonburg Police Department, Henrico Police Division, Roanoke Police Department, Chesterfield Police Department, and Ewing (New Jersey) Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen H. Theisen and Brian R. Hood are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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. 3:25-cr-62.
Federal jury convicts Livingston County man of multiple counts of child pornographyRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Patrick J. Steinmetz, 40, of Springwater, NY, was convicted by a federal jury of two counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 60 years.
In March 2024, the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the report of a sexual assault between Steinmetz and a 16-year-old girl (Minor Victim 1-MV1), who is known to him. MV1 reported that Steinmetz sexually assaulted her multiple times over the course of approximately nine months. MV1 stated that she was sexually assaulted by Steinmetz every week, starting in the summer of 2023 when she was 15 years old.
During the course of the nine months that she was sexually assaulted, Steinmetz gave MV1 a cell phone to hide from her mother. According to MV1, Steinmetz used the cell phone to take photos and video recordings of MV1’s naked body as well as while he was sexually assaulting her. A forensic review of the cell phone recovered video of Steinmetz sexually assaulting MV1.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katelyn M. Hartford and Franz M. Wright. The verdict is the result of an investigation by the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, under the direction of Sheriff Thomas J. Dougherty and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Allen B. Davis II.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 20, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr., who presided over the trial of the case.
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Federal and local law enforcement disrupt methamphetamine ring tied to MexicoRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced to 300 months in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine as part of a drug trafficking network.
According to court documents, Ernest Lucas, 53, of Kansas City, Kansas, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.
In 2022, Chaz Hicks, 27, of Kansas City, Kansas, sold methamphetamine to undercover officers with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department multiple times, often with a firearm in his lap. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) began tracking Hicks’ movements and observed frequent visits to Ernest Lucas’ house on Ruby Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. Law enforcement noticed a travel pattern where the people stopping by Lucas’ house also went to a house on Mersington Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri.
ATF executed a search warrant at Lucas’ house and located 12 firearms, ammunition, over $11,000 in cash, and approximately 274 grams of methamphetamine. That same day, investigators searched the Mersington Avenue house and found approximately 102 pounds of methamphetamine, eight firearms, electronic scales and other drug paraphernalia.
Evidence downloaded from Lucas’ cellphone showed drug related conversations between him and Spencer Allen, 48, of Mound City and Jason Smith, 50, of Topeka.
“The Department of Justice is committed to eradicating transnational criminal organizations and their influence on American soil.” Said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “What may look like local gang and drug activity is often supplied by sources outside the country. The federal government is uniquely suited to stop networks like the one at issue in this case and disrupt international supply lines into our neighborhoods with the help from state and local partners. Additionally, the proceeds of this illegal activity can be forfeited to the U.S. Government under federal law as was the cash found in this case. This type of crime doesn’t pay and will ultimately land you in prison.”
"What began as a case on violence tied to the Southdale Blood Gang grew into a large-scale methamphetamine distribution investigation that wreaked havoc on Kansas City, Kansas," said Bernard "Butch" Hansen, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Kansas City Field Division. "Ernest Lucas was a prolific distributor supplied by sources in Mexico, moving hundreds of pounds of meth and dozens of firearms through this community, fueling violence and multiple overdose deaths. Lucas is a violent offender with a lengthy criminal history who chose to profit from addiction and bloodshed. The people of Kansas City should sleep well knowing this criminal will be behind bars for decades to come, and anyone considering the same path should be prepared to meet the same fate."
Hicks, Allen, Smith, and another codefendant, Abraham Gallegos, 46, of Olathe, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Hicks was sentenced to 200 months in prison. The other codefendants are awaiting sentencing.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case with assistance from the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department (KCKPD).
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Federal Way, Washington, woman pleads guilty to fraud scheme where she stole from members of the Korean communityRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 53-year-old Federal Way, Washington, woman pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to three counts of wire fraud and two counts of bank fraud in connection with her phony financial advisor scheme, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Jenni Yoon Jeong Lee held herself out to members of the Korean community as an investment advisor. In reality, the investments went into accounts controlled by Lee and were used for her personal expenses. In her statement of facts Lee states that she had a gambling addiction and used other people’s money for gambling. The FBI investigation revealed she defrauded at least 28 victims of over $3 million. Many of her victims are elderly and were relying on the funds for retirement. U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez scheduled sentencing for September 18, 2026.
According to records filed in the case, Lee created various business entities with names that made it seem they were financial investment companies. Lee opened and controlled bank accounts for these shell companies.
Lee held herself out as a financial advisor employed at the shell companies. She claimed both orally and in writing that she would place victim investments in funds that would guarantee a safe return, sometimes as high as 10%. She often represented that the principal was fully guaranteed so there was no risk associated with the investment.
Lee got the victims to write checks to one of the shell companies for ‘investment,’ or she induced the client to fund a self-directed IRA at a legitimate financial services company and to then give Lee access to manage the account. Lee would sometimes provide the financial services company with a promissory note to make it appear the client was loaning money to one of Lee’s shell companies. In this way she gained control of the investor funds.
In all Lee took in at least $3 million. Some money was paid back to investors in the style of a Ponzi scheme, making the actual loss amount above $1.5 million. Of that, at least $900,000 was spent at casinos.
The three counts of wire fraud are for specific transfers of funds from self-directed IRA accounts. The two counts of bank fraud are for depositing client checks into one of the shell corporation accounts. These counts are representative acts of the alleged scheme.
The charges are punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
The case is being investigated by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sean H. Waite
Federal Recidivist from Perry Pleads Guilty to New Drug Trafficking CrimesRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – Nicholas Michael Freeman, 48, of Perry, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of cocaine, crack cocaine, and 5 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This repeat offender clearly did not learn his lesson from his prior stint in federal prison, so my office will send him back behind bars to ensure he can’t continue to peddle deadly drugs on our streets. We will continue to aggressively prosecute any and all drug dealers operating in the Northern District of Florida to deliver on the promise of Operation Take Back America that our citizens deserve to live in safe, drug-free communities.”
Court documents reflect that a Perry Police Department officer speaking with a group of individuals around a burn barrel observed the defendant manipulating a plastic jeweler’s baggie commonly used for street sales of narcotics, containing what the officer believed to be a pill. The officer handcuffed the defendant, removed the baggie from his pocket and determined that the suspected pill was actually a piece of crack cocaine. The defendant was arrested and officers searched the fanny pack he had been wearing, finding 57 small baggies containing methamphetamine, 99 small baggies containing crack and powder cocaine, and 25 small baggies and 9 large sandwich style bags containing synthetic cannabinoids.
The defendant faces at least 10 years in prison and a maximum potential sentence of life imprisonment for his current charges. This represents an enhanced sentence because the defendant was previously convicted in 2013 of Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Cocaine Base and sentenced to 84 months in federal prison.
The case involved an investigation by the Perry Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 3, 2026, at 2:00 pm, in the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before United States District Judge Robert L. Hinkle.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Elk Grove Man Arrested for Making Threats to Use Fireworks to Damage Generators Supplying Federal Buildings in Sacramento on the Fourth of JulyRead the Press Release
Criminal Complaint:
mcdaniel_criminal_complaint.pdfSACRAMENTO, Calif. — On July 1, 2026, federal authorities arrested Trevon McDaniel, aka “The_wild_wolfspider,” 19, of Elk Grove, for making threats concerning an attempt to damage or destroy buildings or property by means of fire or explosives, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, McDaniel came to the attention of law enforcement because of an investigation into a plot to carry out attacks against federal property and officials, including an attack at a June 14, 2026, Ultimate Fighting Championship event on the South Lawn of the White House and additional coordinated attacks.
McDaniel communicated directly with one of the principal conspirators in the UFC plot, Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez. After Alvarez’s arrest in Nebraska, investigators reviewed data from Alvarez’s cellphone, which contained TikTok messages between Alvarez and the account “the_wild_wolfspider” from April 17 to June 7, 2026. The FBI later identified the account as McDaniel’s.
McDaniel posted a video on TikTok in which he was dressed in a superhero mask and costume. In this video, he made statements about using fireworks against generators supplying federal buildings in Sacramento.
A search of McDaniel’s residence led to the seizure of a costume matching those seen in his TikTok videos, his cellphone, two mini‑batons, and a baton holster.
McDaniel made his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremy D. Peterson. McDaniel was ordered detained.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation with assistance from the Sacramento Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot Wong and Kimberly Sokolich are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, McDaniel faces a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Eight Illegal Alien Tren de Aragua Members from Venezuela Charged with Kidnappings that Resulted in Death, Racketeering Involving Murder, and Other Violent Offenses in Texas and Illinois Following Homeland Security Task Force InvestigationsRead the Press Release
Note: A copy of the indictment in the Northern District of Texas can be found here. A copy of the complaint and affidavit in the Northern District of Illinois can be found here.
The Department of Justice announced charges filed in the Northern Districts of Illinois and Texas against eight alleged members of designated foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua (TdA) for murders, kidnappings, and firearms offenses. All eight defendants charged in these Homeland Security Task Force operations are illegal aliens believed to be from Venezuela who illegally enter the United States between December 2021 and April 2024. One defendant charged in Northern Texas is now in custody in Colombia for unrelated charges.
“Eight TdA members illegally entered the United States between 2021 and 2024 and are alleged to have committed horrific crimes, including murdering a father in front of his teenage daughter,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This should never have happened in the first place, but under the Biden administration, open-border policies left the doors wide open, and hundreds of suspected and convicted Tren de Aragua terrorists poured into this country. In the 18 months since President Trump stopped this madness, designating Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization, we have charged nearly 350 of its members and associates with egregious violent crimes – murders, sex trafficking, kidnapping – along with weapons and drug trafficking, robbery, and widespread financial crimes. This work requires an all government, all law enforcement approach, which is precisely what has happened under the leadership of President Trump.”
TdA is a violent transnational criminal organization that originated as a prison gang in Venezuela in the mid-2000s. TdA has expanded its criminal network throughout the Western Hemisphere and established a presence in the United States. TdA’s criminal activities include a variety of violent and criminal offenses, including drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, commercial sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, theft, fraud, and extortion. TdA members also commit murder, assault, and other acts of violence to enforce and further the organization’s criminal activities.
As alleged in court documents, in the United States, TdA is organized into subsets or cells based on geographic area of operation. Each regional cell typically has one or more leaders who are responsible for, among other things, managing the criminal enterprise’s activities in the territory, collecting money from other members and associates to finance gang activities and crimes, directing day-to-day management of the region, and planning and ordering acts of violence against rival gang members, associates, and other victims. The leaders of these subsets or cells report to, receive directives from, and distribute criminally-derived assets and proceeds to TdA leaders throughout the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America.
Since Jan. 20, 2025, the Department has federally charged over 300 members and associates of TdA across 28 districts.
“President Trump‘s historic leadership designating Tren de Aragua as a Foreign Terrorist Organization has given this FBI and our law-enforcement partners the tools we need to wipe out their operations,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Now, every single day across this country, we are decimating their presence in America - dismantling and disrupting over 2,700 violent gangs, a 365% increase, with a 500% increase in Tren de Aragua arrests since 2024. Today, thanks to tremendous work from FBI Chicago, FBI Dallas, and our partners as part of the FBI’s nationwide violent crime initiative Summer Heat 2.0, eight more alleged TdA members who entered the United States under the previous administration have been indicted or arrested and will face justice for their crimes.”
“The complaint against these three TdA members should leave no doubt that the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office is going to aggressively pursue transnational criminal organizations and hold their members and associates accountable for their violent criminal acts,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois. “We will continue to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of TdA, which very deservedly has been designated by President Trump and his Administration as a terrorist organization. Our shared goal is crystal clear: to disrupt and dismantle TdA and not allow it to gain a foothold in the United States or Chicagoland. This Fourth of July weekend, as we celebrate the 250th birthday of the greatest nation on earth, many families in the Chicago area will celebrate with loved ones because the whole of federal government in Chicago is taking violent crime seriously and in a way that hasn’t been seen in years. The result is that the scourge of violence that has gripped Chicago for too long is beginning to see relief.”
“On this 250th anniversary of the birth of our great nation, I am reminded of how lucky we are to enjoy the many freedoms that our country provides. Which is why, as U.S. Attorney, I am laser focused on ensuring that North Texans can enjoy freedom and safety in all our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas. “This indictment of TdA gang members is a significant step to ensure that this dangerous transnational gang does not oppress, intimidate or harm our fellow North Texans. Let this serve as a warning to all TdA members: you will not gain a stronghold in the Northern District of Texas.”
“Violent transnational gangs like Tren de Aragua pose a significant and ongoing threat to the safety of our communities,” said Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “This indictment is a testament to the dedication of our agents and the strength of our partnership through the Homeland Security Task Force. By working closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement, HSI continues to disrupt violent criminal organizations and protect communities across the United States.”
Case summaries are below:
Northern District of Illinois
On June 29, three alleged members of the transnational criminal organization, TdA, were charged in the Northern District of Illinois with participating in a conspiracy to kidnap and murder a man in Chicago.
The criminal complaint charges Josue Pacheco Torres, 26, Julian Pachano, 19, and Kleiver Monasterio Briceno, also known as “Goofy,” 20, with kidnapping conspiracy and committing a kidnapping that resulted in death. The three defendants are believed to be Venezuelan nationals. Pachano was arrested late last night, while Torres was arrested early yesterday morning. Monasterio Briceno was already in law enforcement custody.
According to the complaint, the defendants conspired to kidnap a man who was walking near Meyering Park on the South Side of Chicago on May 18. The victim was forced into a car and initially driven to a Chicago apartment. The defendants and other co-conspirators later transported the victim — while his wrists were bound together behind his back — to an abandoned building in Chicago, the complaint states.
The following night, the victim’s mother contacted Chicago Police to request a wellness check at the abandoned building. The mother told police that she had been directed to the building by an individual with whom the mother had been communicating on the online messaging application WhatsApp. According to the complaint, Chicago Police entered the building and found the victim deceased inside the bathroom of an abandoned unit. The victim, who was discovered facedown with his wrists bound behind his back, had been shot multiple times and had also suffered blunt force injuries to his head, arms, neck, hands, and torso, the complaint states.
According to the complaint, the conspiracy to kidnap and murder the victim was carried out in connection with the defendants’ involvement in TdA. Since 2024, law enforcement in Chicago has been investigating acts of violence, including murders and shootings, involving suspected members of TdA and its splinter faction, Anti-Tren.
Additionally, at the time of the murder, Pacheco Torres was wearing an ankle monitoring bracelet as a condition of his pretrial release in a criminal prosecution pending in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois.
The charges and arrests were announced by U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois, Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino of HSI Chicago Field Office. The Chicago Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Chicago Field Office provided valuable assistance in this investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sushma Raju, Simar Khera, and Michael Spitulnik for the Northern District of Illinois and Joint Task Force Vulcan Trial Attorneys Jun Xiang, Katelan Doyle, and Andrew K. Chan are prosecuting this case.
Photo of TdA defendants and a coconspirator kidnapping victim in Chicago, from the criminal complaint.Northern District of Texas
On June 30, a grand jury in the Northern District of Texas returned charges against five alleged members of TdA. All five defendants are citizens and nationals of Venezuela.
The defendants Hector Asdrubal Garcia Zuniga, also known as “Murry” and “Munra,” 36; Carlos Luis Zambrano Bolivar, 27; Jhonny Jesus Martinez Serrano, 31; Jhonatan Nahin Toro Gonzalez, 23; and Ehiker Alexander Morales Mendoza, also known as “El Ingeniero” and “El Negro,” 39, were indicted on racketeering charges involving murder, kidnapping, and other violent offenses.
Each defendant is charged with racketeering conspiracy for allegedly conspiring and agreeing with one another, and with others, to conduct and participate directly and indirectly in the conduct of the affairs of the TdA enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity, which consisted of multiple acts involving murder, kidnapping, robbery, and bank fraud. Each defendant is charged with kidnapping in aid of racketeering for allegedly kidnapping three individuals on or about August 24, 2024, for the purpose of maintaining and increasing position in TdA. Garcia Zuniga, Zambrano Bolivar, and Martinez Serrano are also charged with murder in aid of racketeering for allegedly aiding and abetting each other in committing the murder of one of the individuals who was kidnapped on or about August 24, 2024. Additionally, Zambrano Bolivar is charged with using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and causing death through the use of a firearm.
The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas, Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the FBI Dallas Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard of HSI Dallas Field Office, and Chief of Police Kevin McCoy of the Farmers Branch, Texas Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy Fugate and Caroline Poore for the Northern District of Texas and Joint Task Force Vulcan Trial Attorneys Jacob Operskalski, Kelly McGann, Stefani Hepford, and Josie Thomas are prosecuting this case.
If convicted, the defendants in both the Northern District of Illinois and the Northern District of Texas face up to life in prison. Pacheco Torres, Monasteria Briceno, Garcia Zuniga, Zambrano Bolivar, and Martinez Serrano also face the possibility of the death penalty.
These cases are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTFs Chicago and Dallas comprise of agents and officers from the FBI, HSI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives ATF, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), U.S. Secret Service (USSS), U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), HIDTA, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern Districts of Illinois and Texas.
These cases are also part of Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV). JTFV was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and now expanded at the direction of the Attorney General to target TdA. JTFV is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina; Western District of Virginia; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of Texas; Western District of Oklahoma; Northern District of Indiana; District of Nevada; and District of Arizona; as well as the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, and the Office of Judicial Attaché and DEA partners in Bogotá, Colombia. Additionally, the FBI, HSI, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons are essential law enforcement partners with JTFV.
A complaint and indictment are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Eight Illegal Alien Tren De Aragua Members from Venezuela Charged with Kidnappings That Resulted in Death, Racketeering Involving Murder, and Other Violent Offenses in Texas and Illinois Following Homeland Security Task Force InvestigationsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice announced charges filed in the Northern Districts of Illinois and Texas against eight alleged members of designated foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua (TdA) for murders, kidnappings, and firearms offenses. All eight defendants charged in these Homeland Security Task Force operations are illegal aliens believed to be from Venezuela who illegally enter the United States between December 2021 and April 2024. One defendant charged in Northern Texas is now in custody in Colombia for unrelated charges.
“Eight TdA members illegally entered the United States between 2021 and 2024 and are alleged to have committed horrific crimes, including murdering a father in front of his teenage daughter,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This should never have happened in the first place, but under the Biden administration, open-border policies left the doors wide open, and hundreds of suspected and convicted Tren de Aragua terrorists poured into this country. In the 18 months since President Trump stopped this madness, designating Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization, we have charged nearly 350 of its members and associates with egregious violent crimes – murders, sex trafficking, kidnapping – along with weapons and drug trafficking, robbery, and widespread financial crimes. This work requires an all government, all law enforcement approach, which is precisely what has happened under the leadership of President Trump.”
TdA is a violent transnational criminal organization that originated as a prison gang in Venezuela in the mid-2000s. TdA has expanded its criminal network throughout the Western Hemisphere and established a presence in the United States. TdA’s criminal activities include a variety of violent and criminal offenses, including drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, commercial sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, theft, fraud, and extortion. TdA members also commit murder, assault, and other acts of violence to enforce and further the organization’s criminal activities.
As alleged in court documents, in the United States, TdA is organized into subsets or cells based on geographic area of operation. Each regional cell typically has one or more leaders who are responsible for, among other things, managing the criminal enterprise’s activities in the territory, collecting money from other members and associates to finance gang activities and crimes, directing day-to-day management of the region, and planning and ordering acts of violence against rival gang members, associates, and other victims. The leaders of these subsets or cells report to, receive directives from, and distribute criminally-derived assets and proceeds to TdA leaders throughout the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America.
Since Jan. 20, 2025, the Department has federally charged over 300 members and associates of TdA across 28 districts.
“President Trump‘s historic leadership designating Tren de Aragua as a Foreign Terrorist Organization has given this FBI and our law-enforcement partners the tools we need to wipe out their operations,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Now, every single day across this country, we are decimating their presence in America - dismantling and disrupting over 2,700 violent gangs, a 365% increase, with a 500% increase in Tren de Aragua arrests since 2024. Today, thanks to tremendous work from FBI Chicago, FBI Dallas, and our partners as part of the FBI’s nationwide violent crime initiative Summer Heat 2.0, eight more alleged TdA members who entered the United States under the previous administration have been indicted or arrested and will face justice for their crimes.”
“The complaint against these three TdA members should leave no doubt that the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office is going to aggressively pursue transnational criminal organizations and hold their members and associates accountable for their violent criminal acts,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois. “We will continue to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of TdA, which very deservedly has been designated by President Trump and his Administration as a terrorist organization. Our shared goal is crystal clear: to disrupt and dismantle TdA and not allow it to gain a foothold in the United States or Chicagoland. This Fourth of July weekend, as we celebrate the 250th birthday of the greatest nation on earth, many families in the Chicago area will celebrate with loved ones because the whole of federal government in Chicago is taking violent crime seriously and in a way that hasn’t been seen in years. The result is that the scourge of violence that has gripped Chicago for too long is beginning to see relief.”
“On this 250th anniversary of the birth of our great nation, I am reminded of how lucky we are to enjoy the many freedoms that our country provides. Which is why, as U.S. Attorney, I am laser focused on ensuring that North Texans can enjoy freedom and safety in all our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas. “This indictment of TdA gang members is a significant step to ensure that this dangerous transnational gang does not oppress, intimidate or harm our fellow North Texans. Let this serve as a warning to all TdA members: you will not gain a stronghold in the Northern District of Texas.”
“Violent transnational gangs like Tren de Aragua pose a significant and ongoing threat to the safety of our communities,” said Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “This indictment is a testament to the dedication of our agents and the strength of our partnership through the Homeland Security Task Force. By working closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement, HSI continues to disrupt violent criminal organizations and protect communities across the United States.”
Case summaries are below:
Northern District of Illinois
On June 29, 2026, three alleged members of the transnational criminal organization, TdA, were charged in the Northern District of Illinois with participating in a conspiracy to kidnap and murder a man in Chicago.
The criminal complaint charges Josue Pacheco Torres, 26, Julian Pachano, 19, and Kleiver Monasterio Briceno, also known as “Goofy,” 20, with kidnapping conspiracy and committing a kidnapping that resulted in death. The three defendants are believed to be Venezuelan nationals. Pachano was arrested late last night, while Torres was arrested early yesterday morning. Monasterio Briceno was already in law enforcement custody.
According to the complaint, the defendants conspired to kidnap a man who was walking near Meyering Park on the South Side of Chicago on May 18. The victim was forced into a car and initially driven to a Chicago apartment. The defendants and other co-conspirators later transported the victim — while his wrists were bound together behind his back — to an abandoned building in Chicago, the complaint states.
The following night, the victim’s mother contacted Chicago Police to request a wellness check at the abandoned building. The mother told police that she had been directed to the building by an individual with whom the mother had been communicating on the online messaging application WhatsApp. According to the complaint, Chicago Police entered the building and found the victim deceased inside the bathroom of an abandoned unit. The victim, who was discovered facedown with his wrists bound behind his back, had been shot multiple times and had also suffered blunt force injuries to his head, arms, neck, hands, and torso, the complaint states.
According to the complaint, the conspiracy to kidnap and murder the victim was carried out in connection with the defendants’ involvement in TdA. Since 2024, law enforcement in Chicago has been investigating acts of violence, including murders and shootings, involving suspected members of TdA and its splinter faction, Anti-Tren.
Additionally, at the time of the murder, Pacheco Torres was wearing an ankle monitoring bracelet as a condition of his pretrial release in a criminal prosecution pending in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois.
The charges and arrests were announced by U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois, Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino of HSI Chicago Field Office. The Chicago Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Chicago Field Office provided valuable assistance in this investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sushma Raju, Simar Khera, and Michael Spitulnik for the Northern District of Illinois and Joint Task Force Vulcan Trial Attorneys Jun Xiang, Katelan Doyle, and Andrew K. Chan are prosecuting this case.
Northern District of Texas
On June 30, 2026, a grand jury in the Northern District of Texas returned charges against five alleged members of TdA. All five defendants are citizens and nationals of Venezuela.
The defendants Hector Asdrubal Garcia Zuniga, also known as “Murry” and “Munra,” 36; Carlos Luis Zambrano Bolivar, 27; Jhonny Jesus Martinez Serrano, 31; Jhonatan Nahin Toro Gonzalez, 23; and Ehiker Alexander Morales Mendoza, also known as “El Ingeniero” and “El Negro,” 39, were indicted on racketeering charges involving murder, kidnapping, and other violent offenses.
Each defendant is charged with racketeering conspiracy for allegedly conspiring and agreeing with one another, and with others, to conduct and participate directly and indirectly in the conduct of the affairs of the TdA enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity, which consisted of multiple acts involving murder, kidnapping, robbery, and bank fraud. Each defendant is charged with kidnapping in aid of racketeering for allegedly kidnapping three individuals on or about August 24, 2024, for the purpose of maintaining and increasing position in TdA. Garcia Zuniga, Zambrano Bolivar, and Martinez Serrano are also charged with murder in aid of racketeering for allegedly aiding and abetting each other in committing the murder of one of the individuals who was kidnapped on or about August 24, 2024. Additionally, Zambrano Bolivar is charged with using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and causing death through the use of a firearm.
The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas, Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the FBI Dallas Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard of HSI Dallas Field Office, and Chief of Police Kevin McCoy of the Farmers Branch, Texas Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy Fugate and Caroline Poore for the Northern District of Texas and Joint Task Force Vulcan Trial Attorneys Jacob Operskalski, Kelly McGann, Stefani Hepford, and Josie Thomas are prosecuting this case.
If convicted, the defendants in both the Northern District of Illinois and the Northern District of Texas face up to life in prison. Pacheco Torres, Monasteria Briceno, Garcia Zuniga, Zambrano Bolivar, and Martinez Serrano also face the possibility of the death penalty.
These cases are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTFs Chicago and Dallas comprise of agents and officers from the FBI, HSI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives ATF, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), U.S. Secret Service (USSS), U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), HIDTA, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern Districts of Illinois and Texas.
These cases are also part of Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV). JTFV was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and now expanded at the direction of the Attorney General to target TdA. JTFV is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina; Western District of Virginia; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of Texas; Western District of Oklahoma; Northern District of Indiana; District of Nevada; and District of Arizona; as well as the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, and the Office of Judicial Attaché and DEA partners in Bogotá, Colombia. Additionally, the FBI, HSI, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons are essential law enforcement partners with JTFV.
A complaint and indictment are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
torres_et_al_complaint.pdfDuplin County Career Meth Dealer Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced David Kyle Rivenbark, 42, to 10 years in federal prison for selling methamphetamine. On March 16, 2026, Rivenbark pleaded guilty to conspiring to selling meth.
“Instead of seeking lawful, productive ways to earn a living, this criminal chose what he thought was easy money,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “But peddling poison into our communities is an easy way to spend a decade behind bars. If you choose to deal drugs in the Eastern District of North Carolina, rest assured a prison cell awaits with your name on it. Drugs kill. Prison awaits. Do right.”
Duplin County Sheriff’s Deputies began investigating Rivenbark in April 2025 following information a tip that he was selling meth in Wallace. The Sheriff’s Office, partnering with the DEA and ATF, used surveillance and multiple controlled purchases of meth in April and May 2025. Law enforcement determined that Rivenbark sold over 2 pounds of methamphetamine over the course of a year.
Rivenbark had a checkered history of criminal conduct with State criminal convictions for Possession with Intent to Sell drugs in 2018 and selling Meth in 2019. Rivenbark’s prior criminal history made him a career offender in federal court, which led to a mandatory minimum of 10 years imprisonment.
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. ATF, DEA, and the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. 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. 7:25-CR-00109-FL-KS.
Dual Lebanese-Syrian national sentenced to prison for his role in a narco-terrorism conspiracyRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A dual Lebanese-Syrian national was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for narco-terrorism conspiracy and 20 years in prison for conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, to be served concurrently.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Antoine Kassis, 59, is a Lebanon-based drug trafficker who used his high-level access to the Syrian government under the Assad regime to traffic cocaine and weapons. Kassis laundered the proceeds of his drug trafficking through the organization of a Colombian co-conspirator. Even after the fall of the Assad regime, Kassis had access to weapons previously provided to the Assad regime by foreign governments, including Russia and Iran.
Since April 2024, Kassis and co-conspirators, who were based in Colombia and Mexico, agreed to supply military-grade weapons diverted from the Assad regime in Syria to the National Liberation Army (ELN), in exchange for hundreds of kilograms of cocaine. The ELN is a terrorist group based in Colombia dedicated to the violent overthrow of the democratically elected Government of Colombia. The U.S. Secretary of State designated the ELN as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organization.
Kassis stated that he was a cousin of former Syrian President Beshar Al-Assad, and that he was working directly with General Maher Al-Assad, the brother of the former Syrian President, and other top military officials in Syria on the deal. Kassis reportedly paid the government $10,000 per kilogram of cocaine imported through the Port of Latakia. Other evidence at trial supported that the Assad regime raised revenue through charging a checkpoint tax on illicit substances passing through its territory, as well as through the manufacture and distribution of Captagon, a Schedule I controlled substance.
Kassis traveled from Lebanon to Kenya to meet a weapons inspector from the ELN, then signed a contract to import a shipping container full of fruit from Colombia to the Port of Latakia, Syria, intending that the container would contain 500 kilograms of cocaine. Kassis intended to oversee the distribution of the cocaine in the Middle East while his co-conspirators would launder the proceeds on his behalf. Evidence at trial demonstrated that his co-conspirators moved nearly $100,000,000 in less than 18 months, and did so for organizations such as the Sinaloa Cartel, Hamas, and others.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit investigated the case with assistance from Bogota Country Office; Cartagena Resident Office; Accra Country Office; Rabat Country Office; Nairobi Country Office; Amman Country Office; Istanbul Country Office; Panama City Country Office; Mexico City Country Office; and Madrid Country Office.
The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs worked with Kenyan authorities to secure the arrest and May 2025 extradition from Kenya of Kassis. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Colombia’s Cuerpo Técnico de Investigación, Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission and Ghana Police Service, Morocco’s General Directorate for National Security, and Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations also provided significant assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony T. Aminoff and Kristin S. Starr prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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-51.
Deportation ordered for illegal aliens after federal court sentencing proceedingsRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, Georgia: Multiple defendants illegally inside the United States were sentenced in federal district court for the Southern District of Georgia.
The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker, and announced by Margaret E. ‘Meg’ Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. They include:
- Olicer Elio Morales-Roblero, 34, of Guatemala, was sentenced to seven months in prison followed by immediate deportation after pleading guilty to Illegal Re-entry after Removal or Deportation. Morales-Roblero was identified as an illegal alien while in Effingham County, Georgia, in May 2026. Upon completion of his prison term, Morales-Roblero will be transferred to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation proceedings.
- Ernesto Campistrano-Hernandez, 37, of Mexico, was sentenced to time served followed by immediate deportation after pleading guilty to Illegal Re-entry after Removal or Deportation and transferred to ICE custody. Campistrano-Hernandez was identified as an illegal alien during a February 2026 traffic stop by Chatham County Sheriff’s Office.
- Cruz Marroquin-Najera, 29, of Guatemala, was sentenced to time served followed by immediate deportation after pleading guilty to Illegal Re-entry after Removal or Deportation and transferred to ICE custody. Marroquin-Najera was identified as an illegal alien in March 2026 during a traffic stop in Chatham County.
Illegal Re-entry after Removal or Deportation is a charge applied to an illegal alien present in the United States after at least one prior removal.
“Illegal aliens that have no respect for the rule of law will be continue to be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “We are committed to working alongside our local law enforcement partners to identify, capture, and remove illegal aliens who repeatedly disregard our nation’s laws.”
These cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, Chatham County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant United States Attorneys L. Alexander Hamner, Jennifer J. Kirkland, Matthew A. Breedon, and Makeia R. Jonese.
Defendant Who Was Extradited from Guatemala Pleads Guilty for Involvement in 2022 Mass Casualty Alien Smuggling EventRead the Press Release
A Guatemalan man pleaded guilty today for his involvement in a 2022 mass casualty alien smuggling event in San Antonio, Texas, that resulted in 53 deaths and 11 aliens injured.
“Miranda-Orozco was an important organizer in a complex alien smuggling organization that prioritized profits and endangered people,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This case highlights that immigration offenses and alien smuggling have far-reaching impacts. Here, 53 people lost their lives. Targeting those involved in these dangerous crimes and aggressively prosecuting them remains one of the highest priorities of the Department. The Criminal Division and our partners will continue to ensure border security, the orderly administration of our immigration laws, and the protection provided by those laws.”
“Sixty-four people suffered through sweltering Texas heat in the back of a smuggling trailer, leaving less than a dozen survivors clinging to life, all because smugglers like Miranda-Orozco decided profits were worth more than human lives,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “This guilty plea is another step toward justice for every one of those 64 and their families, and it sends a clear message that no matter where you attempt to hide, this office, the greater Department of Justice, and our law enforcement partners across the government, will find you and hold you accountable.”
“Together, we have ensured that Orozco will face justice for the unimaginable pain and suffering he inflicted on so many people in the name of greed,” said Executive Associate Director John Condon of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “Our efforts will undoubtedly prevent further loss of life at the hands of this criminal and will help ensure vulnerable individuals are protected from the dangers of human smuggling.”
According to court documents, Miranda-Orozco conspired with other human smugglers to facilitate the travel of multiple aliens from Guatemala through Mexico, and ultimately, to the United States. Miranda-Orozco organized and facilitated the smuggling of multiple aliens for illegal entry into the United States who ended up dying or injured in the back of a tractor trailer that was found in San Antonio on June 27, 2022. The tractor trailer was loaded with 64 aliens and investigators later determined that it had traveled approximately 156 miles from Laredo, Texas, to San Antonio in 90-degree Fahrenheit heat without functioning air conditioning in the trailer. First responders pronounced 48 aliens dead at the scene and five aliens later died at the hospital, totaling 53 deceased. Among the deceased were six juveniles and at least one pregnant woman. Two of Miranda-Orozco’s clients, both illegal aliens from Guatemala, died in the tractor trailer mass casualty incident. According to court documents, Miranda-Orozco admitted that he arranged for the aliens’ transportation and accommodations throughout Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States.
Photo depicting size of trailer. Image of claw marks inside trailer.In August 2024, Miranda-Orozco was arrested in Guatemala pursuant to a U.S. request for his extradition. His arrest was part of a large-scale takedown during which Guatemalan law enforcement executed multiple search and arrest warrants across Guatemala. He was extradited from Guatemala in March 2025.
Miranda-Orozco pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring an alien into the United States resulting in death; aiding and abetting bringing an alien into the United States resulting in death; and aiding and abetting bringing an alien into the United States resulting in serious bodily injury. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 8 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
HSI San Antonio led U.S. investigative efforts, working in concert with HSI Guatemala’s invaluable team members, and the HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. HSI received substantial assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center/Operation Sentinel; U.S. Border Patrol; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the San Antonio Police Department; the San Antonio Fire Department; and the Palestine Police Department. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Guatemala to secure the arrest and extradition of Miranda-Orozco and, along with the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT), provided crucial assistance in this matter.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Alexandra Skinnion of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney/JTFA prosecutor Jose Luis Acosta for the Western District of Texas, with assistance from HRSP Historian/Latin America Specialist Joanna Crandall.
The Justice Department thanks its Guatemalan law enforcement partners, who were instrumental in arresting Miranda-Orozco, and the Guatemalan Attorney General’s Office and Anti-Human Smuggling Unit for making the extradition possible.
The investigation and indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Acting Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including HSI and Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 464 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 414 U.S. convictions; and more than 360 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
DOJ and FTC Issue Fiscal Year 2025 Hart-Scott-Rodino Annual ReportRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division and Federal Trade Commission released their 48th Annual Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Report. This report summarizes the agencies’ merger enforcement efforts and provides fiscal year 2025 data on the Premerger Notification Program, which alerts the agencies to transactions that may substantially lessen competition in violation of federal law.
Enacted by Congress in 1976, the HSR Act gives the DOJ and the FTC the opportunity to investigate and challenge mergers that are likely to harm consumers before injury occurs. The report explains that in fiscal year 2025, companies notified the agencies of 2,006 transactions under the HSR Act, of which approximately 31.8% were valued at more than $1 billion.
The DOJ and the FTC took 18 merger enforcement actions to maintain competition in critically important markets, including healthcare, technology, energy, defense, consumer goods and services, labor and manufacturing.
The DOJ brought ten of these actions: two in which the DOJ initiated litigation, two were resolved by the DOJ filing settlement papers simultaneously with the complaints in U.S. district courts, two that the parties abandoned before litigation commenced as a result of antitrust concerns raised during the DOJ’s investigation, and four that were restructured after the DOJ raised concerns about the threat they posed to competition.
DACA Illegal Alien Who Previously Molested a Toddler Sentenced for Immigration FraudRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Jeffry Jose De Pena, 39, an illegal alien born in the Dominican Republic, to 7 months in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release. On March 11, 2026, De Pena pleaded guilty to immigration fraud.
“We will not let child molester spiders take advantage of our society’s most precious treasures, our children.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “This DACA illegal alien will no longer cheat to prey on the citizens of Eastern North Carolina. He better stay out.”
On February 20, 2023, in Wake County, North Carolina Superior Court, a grand jury returned three indictments against De Pena which collectively charged him with having committed five counts of indecent liberties with a child and seven counts of first-degree sex offense with a child by an adult from January 1, 2007, through January 1, 2012. On March 21, 2024, a jury convicted De Pena for the crimes of indecent liberty with a child and first-degree sex offense with a child by an adult. The victim was a 3-year-old toddler. He was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of between 25 and 35 years and ordered to register as a sex offender.
De Pena confessed to knowingly making a materially false statement under penalty of perjury when he submitted his Form I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) in December of 2021. He responded “NO” to the question: “Have you EVER engaged in, ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in any of the following:…[a]ny kind of sexual contact or relations with any person who was being forced or threatened? CIS approved the application on January 5, 2022. Immigration officials did not know about his crimes prior to approving his application.
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced the defendant. ICE ERO investigated the case as part of Operation False Haven - an ongoing initiative purpose-built to target child molesters and other egregious felons who fraudulently obtain immigration benefits. Upon completion of his prison sentence De Pena will be transferred to ICE custody for removal from the U.S.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. 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. 5:25-CR-00288-FL.
Crownpoint Couple Face Federal Charges After Child Killed in Alleged Drunk-Driving CrashRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Crownpoint couple is facing federal charges after allegedly driving intoxicated with three children, causing a crash that killed one child and injured two others.
According to court records, on February 24, 2026, Urias Koll Pablo, 22, and Jamie Jaye Cook, 21, both enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, drove through Crownpoint, New Mexico, with three children after consuming alcohol throughout the day. The two allegedly purchased liquor, continued drinking while traveling, alternated as drivers, and ultimately crashed a borrowed pickup truck while none of the children were restrained. As a result of the crash, one child died from blunt head trauma, a second suffered critical injuries, and the third was also injured.
Investigators found multiple empty alcohol containers at the scene. At the hospital, Cook’s blood alcohol level was 0.20. Pablo’s was 0.25. Both defendants were previously arrested in connection with a 2025 DUI-related incident. Cook was charged with child endangerment, while Pablo was charged with DUI and child endangerment.
Pablo and Cook are federally charged with child abuse resulting in death, child abuse resulting in great bodily harm and child abuse. They will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, they face no less than 12 and up to 18 years in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allysa Gambarella is prosecuting the case.
An indictment or criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Chinese National Indicted for Running Sex Trafficking Operation in BostonRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New York woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly running a sex trafficking operation out of several residential brothels located in Allston and Brighton, Mass.
Zengzeng Liu, a/k/a “Bella,” 40, of Flushing, N.Y., was indicted on one count of knowingly persuading an individual to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution and three counts of use of facilities of interstate or foreign commerce in aid of racketeering enterprises. The defendant was arrested yesterday in the Eastern District of New York and will appear in federal court in Boston on July 8, 2026 at 11 a.m.
According to the charging documents, beginning no later than August 2025, Liu, a Chinese national and lawful permanent resident of the United States, allegedly managed an international sex trafficking operation that recruited women – primarily foreign nationals from Japan, Vietnam, China and the Philippines – to travel to the Greater Boston area to engage in commercial sex acts for buyers at residential brothels in Allston and Brighton. Liu allegedly determined when and where the women would perform commercial sex acts, coordinated appointments with sex buyers, collected a commission from the proceeds and used foreign national middlemen to recruit women for the operation. It is further alleged that Liu used fraud, deceit and altered or forged documents to obtain and maintain apartments used as residential brothels.
As alleged, Liu advertised women on commercial sex advertising websites and directed prospective sex buyers to contact a phone number allegedly controlled by Liu. During undercover communications, Liu allegedly negotiated prices for commercial sex acts, directed buyers to the brothel locations and, in later communications, required prospective buyers to undergo a vetting process by providing identifying information, including photographs of work identification, before appointments would be arranged.
According to court documents, victims consistently described receiving instructions through the WeChat messaging application from a “female boss” they knew as “Bella,” whom they identified as the organizer of their appointments but had never met in person. Victims allegedly traveled through locations including New York, China, Canada and the Philippines before arriving in Boston to work for the operation. Victims further stated that they collected payments from sex buyers but expected only a portion of the proceeds, with the remaining funds allegedly collected by couriers and ultimately forwarded to Liu.
The court documents describe that during searches of the Allston brothel location, law enforcement encountered women from Japan who had recently arrived in Boston and reported performing commercial sex acts for several days. It is further alleged that nearly $35,000 in cash was recovered from an Allston location, along with condoms, lubrication, surveillance cameras and cellular telephones. Surveillance footage from the Allston location also allegedly captured dozens of suspected sex buyers entering and leaving the apartment over multiple weekends, with the location allegedly generating tens of thousands of dollars in revenue during those periods.
According to court documents, during a search of the Brighton brothel location, law enforcement encountered women from Japan and Vietnam who reported that they had been engaging in commercial sex acts for several days after arriving at the apartment and were not permitted to leave the location. One victim allegedly displayed bruising on her knees, legs and feet and reported sustaining those injuries while performing commercial sex acts for sex buyers. Law enforcement allegedly recovered nearly $70,000 in cash from the Brighton location.
The charging documents further allege that financial records and other evidence revealed Liu used a Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition benefits card to purchase groceries while she was operating the commercial sex business.
In total, approximately $105,000 in cash was seized during the investigation. Based on surveillance, financial records and other evidence, it is estimated that Liu’s sex trafficking operation allegedly generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds over the last 11 months.
If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking, please contact [email protected].
The charge of knowingly persuading an individual to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charges of use of facilities of interstate or foreign commerce in aid of racketeering enterprises each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; and Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by FBI New York and the New York Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Pohl and Brian A. Fogerty of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the court documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Capital Region Man Sentenced to 180 Months for Distributing and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Michael Klugo, age 46, of East Greenbush, New York, was sentenced July 1, 2026 to 180 months in prison and 15 years of supervised release for distributing and possessing child pornography.
First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III 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, Klugo admitted that in June 2024, he used an end-to-end encrypted messaging application to distribute an image of child pornography. In addition, in or about June 2024, he possessed approximately 6 videos and 100 images of child pornography on his cellular phone. Klugo also admitted that in or about July 2024, he possessed approximately 2 videos of child pornography in an online storage account.
In addition to the imprisonment and supervised release terms, United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also ordered Klugo to pay a total of $55,356 in restitution to victims. Klugo also will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III said, “Thanks to the incredible work of the FBI, New York State Police, Colonie Police Department, and the Rotterdam Police Department, this defendant has been brought to justice. Working together through Project Safe Childhood, federal, state, and local law enforcement are empowered to go after those who seek to harm our children and bring justice to victims across the Northern District.”
“This sentence represents the FBI’s unwavering commitment to working with the outstanding partners on our Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force to investigate and hold accountable any individual who exploits our children. Together, we will continue to leverage every resource necessary to ensure every victim is delivered the justice they deserve.” Said Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI – Albany.
This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department, Rotterdam Police Department, and the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney A.J. Vickey prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
California Man Pleads Guilty to Harassment in Connection with Ransom DemandRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Derrick Callella, 42, of Hawthorne, California, pleaded guilty today to two counts of Harassment Using a Telecommunication Device. Sentencing is scheduled for September 10, 2026, before United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker.
In his plea, Callella admitted that he called and sent text messages to a missing person’s family on Feb. 4, 2026, which asked about a bitcoin transfer. Callella acknowledged that he knew an earlier ransom demand had been made. Callella also admitted that his actions were meant to harass the family by seeking information about the investigation into the missing person’s disappearance.
A conviction for Harassment Using a Telecommunication Device carries a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both, and one year of supervised release.
The FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson office is conducting the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 26-CR-00940-TUC-JCH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-116_Callella# # #
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 Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Boston Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for cocaine trafficking charges, following a series of arrests targeting gangs in the Brockton and Randolph areas. The charges stemmed from the search of a luxury apartment in Dorchester, where over a kilogram of cocaine and two loaded guns were recovered.
Adonis Graham, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy to 46 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In April 2026, Graham pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. His co-defendant, Giovany Fouyolle, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and was sentenced in June 2026 to 10 years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release.
Fouyolle and Graham were arrested on Dec. 17, 2025, after search warrants were executed at numerous residences and stash houses associated with the Brockton-based Harvard Street Gang and their Randolph-based affiliates. One of the places searched was a unit at the Imprint Apartments in Dorchester, which Fouyolle used as a stash location. Approximately 1,170 grams of cocaine, along with two loaded guns and $2,000 cash in bare kitchen cabinets, were located in the apartment.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations, Boston Field Division; the Abington, Acushnet, Ashland, Boston, Braintree, Bridgewater, Brockton, Chelsea, East Bridgewater, Medford, Quincy, Randolph, Raynham, Stoughton, Taunton and West Bridgewater Police Departments; Plymouth and Suffolk County Sheriff’s Departments; Massachusetts Department of Correction; and the Plymouth, Norfolk and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Cutshall and Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
Arcadia Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Travelling to Sexually Exploit MinorsRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, FL — Vincent Anthony Principe (55, Arcadia) was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kyle C. Dudek to 30 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime supervised release, for the production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of victims as young as eight years old. Principe must also register as a sex offender. Principe pleaded guilty on April 30, 2026.
According to court documents, Principe traveled to the Philippines over the course of several years and sexually abused four minors, including one as young as eight. He sexually abused children and documented the abuse on video. He then published the videos on a website devoted to child exploitation. He also possessed over a hundred images of child sexual abuse material, including those depicting the exploitation of pre-pubescent children.
“The vile actions of this child predator who exploited children while traveling internationally is reprehensible,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “Working closely with our law enforcement partners, we remain committed to investigating and prosecuting those who prey on children.”
“The defendant’s vile acts not only caused serious harm through his sexual abuse of multiple minors, but he also inflicted added layers to that harm by memorializing the abuse and distributing it to other offenders,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “No child predator will find safe haven in the United States. The Department is committed to holding U.S. citizens accountable for harming children whether committed in the United States or internationally.”
“The Secret Service is committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society from exploitation and abuse,” said the Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Forrest of the U.S. Secret Service’s (USSS) Criminal Investigative Division. “This sentence reflects the seriousness of the defendant’s crimes and underscores our dedication to working with U.S. and international partners to ensure offenders are brought to justice, no matter where their crimes occur.”
The USSS conducted the investigation with support from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Queensland Police Service, and Europol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Yolande Viacava and Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Alien from Slovakia Charged with Illegally Voting in a Federal Election and Making False Statements while Applying for U.S. CitizenshipRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A resident alien in New Jersey was arrested and charged with illegally voting in a federal election and making false statements while applying for United States citizenship, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced today.
Marian Charitun, 62, of Middlesex County, was charged by criminal complaint with voting by an alien in a federal election, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 611; and procurement of citizenship or naturalization unlawfully, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1425(a). He had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In order to register to vote and vote in federal elections, a person must be a United States citizen. Charitun was not a citizen of the United States when he registered to vote in New Jersey. On his voter registration form, however, Charitun falsely certified and attested that he was a United States citizen. After his application to register was approved, Charitun, still without United States citizenship, voted in the November 8, 2022 midterm election that was held in part for the purpose of electing a Member of the United States House of Representatives.
Then, after illegally voting in a federal election, Charitun applied to become a United States citizen by submitting an application for naturalization (an “N-400”). An N-400 requires the applicant to swear under penalty of perjury that the information provided in the application is complete, true, and correct. However, Charitun falsely claimed in his N-400 to have never registered to vote or to have voted in any federal elections.
If convicted, the count of voting by an alien in a federal election carries a maximum penalty of 1 year in prison. The count of unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy; Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas; and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, with the investigation.
This case was brought under the United States Attorney’s Office’s Election Integrity Task Force, a coalition of federal law enforcement partners focused on preserving and protecting the integrity of elections conducted in the District of New Jersey.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin D. Bleiberg of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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charitun.complaint.pdfA Second Leader of Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 96 Months for Fentanyl Analogue Distribution and Money Laundering ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County man and one of the leaders of a drug trafficking organization responsible for the importation and distribution of hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl analogues was sentenced yesterday to 96 months and 19 days in prison, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer and Assistant Attorney General A. Duva announced.
“This sentence drives home a simple message: leaders of drug‑trafficking networks will be identified, investigated, and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. For years, Action directed an operation that pumped deadly fentanyl analogues into neighborhoods across New Jersey, putting our citizens at risk. This result reflects the weight of that threat and this Office’s continued resolve to dismantle criminal enterprises that profit from endangering the public.”
- U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer
“Placing another defendant behind bars in this case reflects Homeland Security Investigations’ focus on stopping the flow of fentanyl and other harmful illicit drugs into our neighborhoods,” said HSI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas. “Working alongside our federal, state, and local partners, HSI Newark not only dismantled a significant trafficking organization, but also disrupted the illicit financial networks that sustained it, including the money laundering scheme at its core. We will continue to pursue the criminal organizations responsible for America’s drug crisis, targeting both their distribution pipelines and their financial infrastructure, and ensuring every participant is held accountable.”
Defendant Michael Action, 51, of Bloomfield, New Jersey previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark federal court to drug trafficking conspiracy and money laundering. Judge Wigenton imposed the sentence yesterday in Newark federal court. The other leader of the organization, Thomas Padovano, and co-conspirator William Panzera, were previously sentenced to 234 months and 144 months in prison, respectively. Six other co-conspirators have pleaded guilty in the case and are awaiting sentencing.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From approximately January 2014 through September 2020, Action, Padovano and other members of the drug trafficking organization agreed to import and distribute various controlled substances and controlled substance analogues, including fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, methylone, and ketamine. Action received packages and shipping barrels laden with drugs, which arrived through commercial package delivery services and air freight from China. Action distributed some of the drugs in bulk, and delivered some to Padovano for storage in a dilapidated trailer in Newark, where Padovano and one or more co-conspirators pressed the fentanyl analogues into counterfeit pharmaceutical pills and distributed them. Action additionally engaged in financial transactions that involved expenditure of the drug proceeds.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Wigenton sentenced Action to 5 years of supervised release on count one and 3 years supervised release on count two, to run concurrently. Additionally, the court ordered a $5 million forfeiture money judgment against Action.
U.S. Attorney Frazer and Assistant Attorney General A. Duva made the announcement. U.S. Attorney Frazer credited the special agents of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) – Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas, with the investigation. He also thanked HSI in Philadelphia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Newark Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Newark Police Department, and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office for their assistance.
The government is represented by Senior National Security Counsel Sammi Malek and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Hasapidis-Sferra of the Criminal Division in Newark and Trial Attorney Stephen Sola, Chief of the Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit of the Justice Department’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture (MNF) Section. Financial Investigator Kathryn Montemorra of MNF supported the investigation.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Newark comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, IRS and local law enforcement officers with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.
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Defense counsel: Ernesto Cerimele, Esq.
Wednesday 1 July 2026
Wisconsin Man Pleads Guilty to Selling and Smuggling Firearms to Saudi ArabiaRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A 61-year-old man pleaded guilty in federal court for selling firearms and related parts without a license to buyers in Saudi Arabia, shipping the prohibited items, and then lying to federal inspectors about it.
Mark Buschman, of Viroqua, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Smuggle Goods from the United States before U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr., who accepted his plea.
According to the indictment, from about February 2019 to December 2024, Buschman ran an illegal export operation that shipped U.S acquired firearms out of the country. After obtaining the firearms and their related parts in the U.S., he advertised the items for sale on eBay and other online marketplace-style websites. Buschman’s advertising generated sales leads from buyers in Saudi Arabia and he eventually sold and shipped the items to them. Throughout the course of the conspiracy, Saudi Arabian-based buyers paid the defendant approximately $305,614.
Court documents indicate that serial numbers from some of the firearms and firearms parts were removed before Bushman shipped the items. He then hid the firearms and firearm parts inside household appliances and tools such as toasters, coffee makers, space heaters, fans, and landscaping hedge trimmers before he packaged the items for shipment. Buschman did not declare that the shipments contained firearms or their parts when sending to freight forwarders located in Ohio, New Jersey, Oregon and elsewhere.
Buschman is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 9, 2026. He faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. As part of his guilty plea, Buschman agreed to forfeit $180,000 in criminal proceeds. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation leading to the indictment was conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cleveland Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Cleveland Office (of the Pittsburgh Division), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). Elements of the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also assisted HSI. The Vernon County Sheriff's Office and the La Crosse County Sheriff's Office assisted with the execution of the arrest and search warrants.
The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Shepherd, Jerome J. Teresinski, and Henry DeBaggis for the Northern District of Ohio. Trial Attorney Christopher Cook of the Department’s National Security Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan of the Western District of Wisconsin U.S. Attorney’s Office, assisted during the investigation of this case.
Twice Deported Guatemalan National Living in Hartford Admits Illegally Reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JONY GALEANO LOPEZ-GARCIA, also known as Yoni Lopez Garcia, 27, a citizen of Guatemala last residing in Hartford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to unlawful reentry of a removed alien.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in November 2017, Lopez-Garcia was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona. He was deported to Guatemala in December 2017 and warned that he could not return to the U.S. for a period of five years. Lopez-Garcia subsequently reentered the U.S. in January 2018. He was convicted in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas of illegally entering the U.S. In February 2018, he was deported to Guatemala and warned that he could not return to the U.S. for a period of 20 years. Lopez-Garcia subsequently unlawfully reentered the U.S.
On November 27, 2025, Hartford Police arrested Lopez-Garcia under the name Yoni Lopez Garcia and charged him with assault first degree, conspiracy to commit assault first degree, assault third degree, carrying a dangerous weapon, threatening second degree by physical threat, and other offenses. He was released on bond in his state case.
On April 27, 2026, the U.S. District Court in Hartford issued a criminal complaint charging Lopez-Garcia with unlawful reentry. He was located and arrested by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations on April 28, 2026, in Hartford, and has been detained since his arrest.
At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Lopez-Garcia faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.
This matter has been investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Texas Man Indicted for Sex Trafficking, Obstruction, and Felon in Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – BRIAN KEITH HICKS (“HICKS”), age 27, was charged in an unsealed four-count Indictment, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. Count 1 charges HICKS with Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1591(a)(1), (a)(2), and (b)(1). Counts 2 and 3 charge HICKS with being a Felon in Possession of Firearms, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1), 924(a)(8), and 2. Count 4 charges HICKS with Obstructing the Enforcement of Sex Trafficking Laws, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1591(d).
According to the indictment, between May 2025 and the present, HICKS trafficked an adult female from Texas and California, to engage in commercial sex acts in Louisiana and elsewhere. On or about February 16, 2026, and April 15, 2026, HICKS knowingly possessed multiple firearms, even though he was previously convicted of attempted sex trafficking of a child, and of compelling prostitution of a victim under 18. In addition, between April 22, 2026, and the present, HICKS obstructed the investigation of the sex trafficking charge in Count 1.
For Count 1, HICKS faces a minimum of ten (10) years up to a maximum of life imprisonment, followed by a term of supervised release of five (5) years to life and a requirement to register as a sex offender. For Counts 2 and 3, HICKS faces a maximum penalty of fifteen (15) years of imprisonment, followed by three (3) years of supervised release. For Count 4, HICKS faces a maximum penalty of twenty-five (25) years of imprisonment, and five (5) years of supervised release. Each count also carries a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee and a fine of up to $250,000.
U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the New Orleans Police Department in investigating this case. Assistant United States Attorney and Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force Leader Maria M. Carboni of the Public Integrity Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Tennessee Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Transporting a Minor Across State Lines Multiple Times to Engage in Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE, MS – Terry DeWayne Macon, 29, of Grand Junction, Tennessee was sentenced today to 360 months in prison by Chief United States District Judge Debra M. Brown for transporting a minor across state lines to engage in sex. He had been found guilty by a federal jury in December 2025.
Additionally, his jail sentence will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. He will be required to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Macon met a Mississippi teen online in July of 2024. Over the next month, Macon drove from Tennessee to Mississippi on three occasions where he picked up the minor and returned with her to Tennessee. Macon later admitted that he had engaged in sex acts with the minor. At the time of the transport and sex acts, Macon was 27 years old, and the victim was 14 years old.
Members of Mississippi’s FBI Child Abduction Response Team, including a Jackson RA (NV Division) CARD member and Task Force Officers, worked with Corinth Police Department and other local investigative agencies from Tennessee, located the victim with Macon at a residence in Grand Junction, Tennessee, and were able to safely return her home.
Macon was found guilty at trial on all counts of transporting a minor in interstate commerce with the intent to engage in unlawful sexual activity. Macon was serving a term of federal supervised release at the time of the offenses. At a revocation proceeding held following the verdict, Judge Brown sentenced Macon to 24 months for the violations of release, which will run concurrent to the 30-year sentence imposed in the sex offense case.
United States Attorney Scott Leary stated, “Those who would abuse children are among the most abhorrent of criminals. To the degree that such sociopaths can receive a message, know that if you live in Mississippi our law enforcement officers will work tirelessly to hunt you down and put you in jail, which is exactly what happened in this case. Law enforcement did an amazing job in saving this child. We have true heroes working for the people of Mississippi.”
Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jackson Field Office Robert Eikhoff stated, "There is no place in our communities for those who prey on children. Macon's depraved actions robbed a minor of their innocence. The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain committed to identifying, investigating, and bringing to justice every individual who seeks to exploit or abuse children. We will continue pursuing these offenders and holding them accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
Corinth Police Department Chief Landon Tucker said, “We are proud to support our federal partners and do our part to help bring this case to a successful conclusion. Thank you to the FBI, the TFO’s and the prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oxford for their time and hard work on this case.”
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Addison and Parker King.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Second Former Trading Firm Executive Sentenced to 24 Years in Federal Prison for Defrauding Coloradans and Clients Worldwide of $179 MillionRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Michael Shawn Stewart, 63, of Scottsdale, Arizona, was sentenced to a total of 288 months in federal prison and $93,273,838.16 in restitution after being found guilty by a federal jury in May 2024 on 14 counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Co-defendant, Bryant Edwin Sewall, 59, formerly of Little Elm, Texas, was sentenced to 23 years in federal prison in November 2024 after being convicted on the same counts.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Stewart and Sewall were owners and executives of companies operating on various Caribbean islands under the names Mediatrix Capital and Blue Isle Markets. As part of the scheme, Stewart and Sewall provided false and fraudulent information about an algorithm-based foreign currency exchange (“ForEx”) trading program to potential investors and to salespeople they were using to solicit investors. For example, Stewart and Sewall falsely represented that Mediatrix had a history of successful ForEx trading going back to 2013 with no months of losses when, instead, Mediatrix did not exist until 2014, and its trading history included many months of net losses. Mediatrix promised its investors “100% Transparency,” “100% Liquidity” and “World Class Returns.”
Additional evidence at trial showed that, after luring investors into the scheme, Stewart and Sewall fraudulently induced them to stay by manipulating account statements to show only positive trades while intentionally hiding massive losses that substantially reduced those investors’ accounts. By the end of the scheme, Stewart and Sewall had promised investors over $179 million but had only $9.8 million in their accounts, a gap that they internally referred to as “the hole.” Even as they lost approximately $32 million in trades, Stewart and Sewall rewarded themselves with approximately $28 million in performance fees. They also used their brokerage, Blue Isle, to fraudulently convert investor money into over $45 million in markup fees. They spent the money on real estate, boats, cars, jewelry, and other luxuries.
“Stewart and Sewall stole millions of dollars from unsuspecting clients so they could give themselves lives of luxury. Instead, they bought themselves decades in federal prison and have been ordered to pay $93 million to the people of whom they took advantage,” said United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly. “To others who think they might want to get rich by defrauding their clients, we look forward uncovering your scheme and bringing you to justice.”
“Mr. Stewart and his co-defendant orchestrated an elaborate foreign currency investment fraud scheme causing significant financial harm to unsuspecting victims; they misled investors with calculated lies about profit potential while diverting the money for personal gain,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Amanda Koldjeski. “The FBI remains committed to pursuing justice for individuals targeted by financial criminals.”
A third partner involved with Mediatrix and Blue Isle — Michael Young — previously pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission and was sentenced to one year and one day in prison in 2024.
United States District Judge William J. Martinez presided over the sentencing.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Denver Field Office conducted the investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Bryan Fields and former Assistant United States Attorney Anna Edgar handled the prosecution.
Case number: 21-cr-00034-WJM
Salvadoran National Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Salvadoran national, whose green card has been revoked, pled guilty to sexually exploiting a 16-year-old girl (MV1) and filming the encounter.
Bryan Arias-Chicas, 23, a citizen of El Salvador, pled guilty yesterday to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Arias-Chicas was charged via information in October 2025. Gustavo Quintero was charged via indictment in December 2025 for his conduct with respect to MV1. Quintero was additionally charged with assaulting a federal law enforcement officer in February 2026. Dania Orellana-Gamez, Arias-Chicas’s girlfriend, was charged in April 2026 with witness tampering for threatening MV1. The charges against Quintero and Orellana-Gamez remain pending.
According to court documents and other evidence, on May 7, 2025, in Albemarle County, Arias-Chicas and Quintero encountered a young female (MV1) walking down the street. Arias-Chicas and Quintero approached MV1 and offered to buy her alcohol.
MV1 agreed and hung out with Arias-Chicas in a parking lot behind a tractor trailer while Quintero went to purchase high alcohol content drinks for MV1. MV1 quickly drank both drinks and, when she became too drunk to stand upright on her own, began to support herself using the trailer.
Throughout the night and into the next morning, Arias-Chicas, Quintero, and two other men, including Individual 1, took MV1 to multiple locations. On the morning of May 9, 2025, Arias-Chicas, Quintero, and Individual 1 took MV1 to Individual 1’s house in the City of Charlottesville, where they each had sex with MV1.
While Arias-Chicas had sex with MV1, and engaged in other sexual activity with her, he used his cell phone to take multiple videos and pictures of MV1 that depict MV1 naked and engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and HSI Special Agent in Charge Eric Weindorf made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Albemarle County Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Scheff is prosecuting the case.
Rocky Ford Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Drug Distribution, Firearms CrimesRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Mario Rocha, 27, of Rocky Ford, Colorado, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to three counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm.
According to the plea agreement, following a tip from an informant, the FBI began investigating Rocha. Upon obtaining a search warrant for his residence, FBI agents found 4,772 grams of fentanyl (an estimated 47,720 pills), 1,236 grams of methamphetamine, 1,169 grams of cocaine, 17 firearms (including a sawed-off shotgun), and a live pipe bomb.
“I am grateful that this violent criminal will be off the streets of southern Colorado for a long time,” said United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly. “Our office is proud to work with our federal, state, and local partners in every corner of our state to get these violent drug dealers off the streets and into prison where they belong.”
“This drug dealer was a menace to everyone he contacted. The FBI worked with the Rocky Ford Police Department to get his illegal weapons and deadly drugs off the streets. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also part of the team that effected the arrest of Rocha during Operation Summer Heat 2025,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Amanda Koldjeski. “The community is safer now that he will be in federal prison for 20 years.”
United States District Judge Philip A. Brimmer presided over the sentencing.
The FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task force handled the investigation in cooperation with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Rocky Ford Police Department.
The Violent Crime Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado handled the prosecution.
Case Number: 25-cr-00265-PAB-01
Rockford Man Sentenced to 6 ½ Years for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Kendrick Payton, 31, Rockford, Illinois, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 6 ½ years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl. Payton pleaded guilty to this charge on April 15, 2026. The prison term will be followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
Between December 18, 2024, and February 18, 2025, Payton sold heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine multiple times in Beloit, Wisconsin. Payton sold more than 150 grams of fentanyl over the course of four controlled buys.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson found Payton’s criminal history concerning. He commented that Payton was not ready to stop dealing drugs without court intervention. Judge Peterson also noted that Payton had been involved in criminal conduct since his childhood.
The charges against Payton were the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Rock County Sheriff’s Office, and the Winnebago County, Illinois Sherriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Glinzak prosecuted this case.
Federal prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice involving drugs and guns are part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Remainder of Antifa Cell Members in North Texas Sentenced for Terrorist Attack on ICE FacilityRead the Press Release
Remainder of Antifa Cell Members in North Texas Sentenced for Terrorist Attack on ICE Facility
Seven Additional Defendants Sentenced Before One-Year Anniversary of Attack to a Combined 182 Years in Prison
Today, before the one-year anniversary of their attack, seven North Texas Antifa Cell operatives were sentenced for their roles in rioting, using weapons and explosives, providing material support to terrorists, obstruction, and the attempted murder of an Alvarado police officer at the Prairieland Detention Center on July 4, 2025, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
This is the second round of sentencing for the defendants affiliated with Antifa following President Donald J. Trump’s executive order designating the group as a Domestic Terrorist Organization in September 2025.
Last week, the ringleader, Benjamin Hanil Song, was sentenced to 100 years in prison.
Today, the balance of the Prairieland terrorists received a combined sentence of 106 years in prison:
- Ines Soto was sentenced to 50 years in prison;
- Joy Gibson was sentenced to 15 years in prison;
- Rebecca Morgan was sentenced to 15 years in prison;
- Lynette Sharp was sentenced to over 9 years (110 months) in prison;
- John Thomas was sentenced to over 9 years (110 months) in prison;
- Seth Sikes was sentenced to 6 years in prison; and
- Nathan Baumann was sentenced to 22 months in prison.
To date, 15 Prairieland terrorists have received a combined sentence of over 556 years in prison.
“The attack on the Prairieland Detention Center, almost a year ago to the day, was not only a vicious attack on a building but also an attack on the men and women from our North Texas communities who work there. The sentences imposed to date for the 15 Antifa cell members were just and deserved,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas. “I continue to praise the prompt action of first responders and our law enforcement partners that night, along with the tireless work of the prosecutors in my office who made sure that the Prairieland terrorists were held accountable. Terrorist acts committed by any individual will not be tolerated. We will continue to hold others accountable who perpetrate such violence and fund these ANTIFA groups in the Northern District of Texas.”
“The sentences imposed on these defendants emphasize the seriousness of the violent acts committed against our law enforcement partners,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “We would like to thank all the law enforcement agencies that contributed to the outcome of this investigation. Our collective goal remains safeguarding the security of our communities in North Texas.”
“The violent extremists who launched the cowardly, ambush attack on the Prairieland Detention Center nearly one year ago did so in a feeble attempt to inspire chaos and anarchy in our communities, and to undermine the rule of law,” said Homeland Security Investigations Dallas Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard. “Instead, the law enforcement community banded together in the aftermath of the attack to conduct a thorough, transparent criminal investigation to hold these domestic terrorists accountable for their actions and to show the American people that the pillars of justice on which our system of government was founded on 250 years ago still stand strong.”
The sentences follow guilty pleas and a 12-day trial that began on Feb. 23, 2026, where jurors heard testimony from 46 witnesses, including cooperating defendants Sikes, Thomas, Baumann, and Sharp. The last trial defendant, Ines Soto, was the cell head of ANTIFA DFW, which operated under the front: “Emma Goldman Book Club”.
Testimony and other evidence at trial established that the defendants were members of a North Texas Antifa Cell, part of a larger militant enterprise made up of networks of individuals and small groups primarily ascribing to an ideology that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and the system of law. An expert testifying in the government’s case told the jury that ANTIFA’s coordinated efforts involve obstructing Federal law through organized riots, violent assaults, and armed confrontations with law enforcement officers, increasingly targeting agents and facilities related to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement in opposition to the agency’s deportation actions.
Evidence at trial revealed that most of the ANTIFA Cell involved in the Prairieland attack looked to Benjamin Song as a leader. Song acquired firearms that he distributed to co-defendants and recruited members at gun ranges and combat sessions he conducted, as well as from various ideologically aligned groups. For example, defendants Ines Soto, Elizabeth Soto, and Savanna Batten were part of a group that created and distributed insurrectionary materials called “zines,” according to trial evidence.
Trial testimony reflected that, late at night on July 4, 2025, at least eleven of the defendants rioted and attacked the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, which the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was using to house illegal aliens awaiting deportation. The defendants dressed in “black bloc”—dark clothing with head and face coverings that concealed their identities—designed to hide each individual’s identity but also to aid and abet those members engaged in illegal acts by making members indistinguishable from one another to law enforcement. Evidence introduced at trial revealed that the defendants brought eleven firearms, body armor, and eleven military-grade first aid kits with tourniquets and other items to treat gunshot wounds to the scene of the attack. Many of these items were introduced by the government as exhibits. Additionally, DNA and fingerprint evidence linked many of the defendants to the items at the scene, and evidence obtained on phone locations supported that those who participated in the attack all turned off their phones or placed them in Faraday bags to prevent tracking on the night of the attack.
After ANTIFA Cell members arrived at the detention facility, they began shooting off and throwing fireworks (explosives) at the facility and vandalizing vehicles and a guard shack on Prairieland property:
Witnesses testified that an Alvarado police officer responded to the scene after correctional officers called 911. When the officer began issuing commands to defendant Nathan Baumann, Benjamin Song can be heard on police bodycam video yelling, “get to the rifles!” and then he opened fire on the officers, striking the Alvarado police officer in the neck as the unarmed correctional officers ducked and ran for cover. Police arrested most of the Antifa Cell shortly after the attack, many near the scene. Benjamin Song escaped and remained at large with the help of others until his capture on July 15, 2025.
Trial evidence demonstrated that collectively, this ANTIFA Cell acquired over 50 firearms in the Fort Worth/Dallas area prior to July 4. During trial, the government introduced numerous chats of the members, who used an encrypted messaging app to coordinate with each other that had auto-delete functions, permanently deleting some Antifa Cell members’ communications. They also used monikers in group chats to hide their identities, and some of the planning chats included only trusted participants. The chats introduced at trial revealed that members in this limited group conducted reconnaissance and discussed what to bring to the riot, including firearms, medical kits, and fireworks:
Witnesses who testified during the government’s case included the Alvarado police officer who was shot in the neck by Song, detention officers present that night who also took cover from rapid fire, multiple additional responding officers, numerous investigative agents, and cooperating codefendants, including Sikes, Baumann, Sharp, Thomas, and Kent. Among other things, Kent testified that the night before the attack at a “gear check,” Song proposed to free the detainees at the Prairieland detention facility and told the group that they should wear “black bloc” and bring rifles, because he (Song) wasn’t going to be arrested. Evidence at trial also revealed that some of the defendants attended a peaceful daytime protest at Prairieland on July 4—without the gear they brought that night—and that they reported back to other defendants details regarding security at the facility:
Ines Soto was sentenced for the following offenses:
• Riot, with the intent to commit an act of violence, involving conduct such as shooting and throwing fireworks and explosives, slashing tires on a government vehicle, spraying graffiti on property and vehicles, destroying a closed-circuit camera, shooting at officers, and dressing in black bloc.
• Providing Material Support to Terrorists, including property, services, training, communications equipment, weapons, explosives, personnel (including themselves), and transportation.
• Conspiracy to Use and Carry an Explosive, and Using and Carrying an Explosive, during a riot.
Defendants Sikes, Baumann, Sharp, and Thomas were sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark T. Pittman for the Northern District of Texas. When imposing the sentences, Judge Pittman said, “It’s fine to disagree with the government and we have an absolute right to protest, but not to put people in danger. If this is what is considered a peaceful protest, then I’d hate to see what they’d consider to be not peaceful. And what is so unique about the Prairieland Detention Center is that it is in the middle of a neighborhood with families and children. This could have been an absolute slaughter had not the officer’s miracle bullet jammed Song’s rifle.”
Defendants Ines Soto, Gibson, and Morgan were sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’ Connor for the Northern District of Texas. When imposing the sentences, Chief Judge O’ Connor said, “The defendants’ violence and terrorism is an assault on Democracy. The defendants’ planning, staging, and execution of the attack led to the attempted murder of an officer who ironically is not even involved in enforcing immigration law.”
The sole count of providing material support to terrorists brought in the information against Baumann, Gibson, Kent, Morgan, Sharp, Thomas, and separately, Sikes’s information, mirrors the material support offense in the charges presented to the jury at trial.
The final defendant, Susan Kent, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 6, 2026.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Dallas Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations Dallas, ATF, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Alvarado Police Department, and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Office (ICE ERO).
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Gatto, Shawn Smith, and Matt Capoccia for the Northern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to over 5 Years in Federal Prison for Assaulting Tribal Police Officers within the Cheyenne River ReservationRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that Judge Eric Schulte, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a man from Rapid City, South Dakota, convicted of Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer. The sentencing took place on June 30, 2026.
Brian Bear Heels, age 41, was sentenced to five years and five months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Bear Heels was indicted in August 2025. He pleaded guilty on March 11, 2026.
On April 15, 2025, within the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation, Bear Heals fled from several tribal law enforcement officers and intentionally used his vehicle to hit three separate law enforcement vehicles multiple times, causing significant damage to all three vehicles.
This case was investigated by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.
Bear Heels was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Polk County Felon Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison for Assaulting Deputy U.S. Marshal with a FirearmRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – Myles Andrew Strickland (36, Bartow) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kyle Dudek to 21 years and 5 months in federal prison for assaulting a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon, using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Strickland was found guilty on November 20, 2025, following a jury trial. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Strickland was a convicted felon and fugitive wanted on a state arrest warrant out of Polk County. A U.S. Marshals Service task force located Strickland in Lee County. When confronted, Strickland led authorities on a foot chase. During the chase, Strickland turned to face a Deputy U.S. Marshal who had been pursuing him and racked the slide of the firearm he was carrying inside of a jacket, thus preparing the firearm to fire. Strickland was then struck by gunfire from pursuing law enforcement, but a bullet hole in his jacket and a spent cartridge casing showed that Strickland had discharged his firearm.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Winter.
Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Pair of CarjackingsRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Matthew Hill, 30, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 144 months in prison and five years of supervised release by United States District Judge Mark S. Kearney for committing two carjackings in a six-week span.
The defendant was charged by indictment in December 2024 and pleaded guilty this January to two counts of carjacking and one count of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
As detailed in court filings, on August 8, 2023, Hill stole a 2012 Chevy Impala from two people in Philadelphia, after faking an interest in buying the car via Facebook Marketplace. When he and the victims met, the defendant asked for a test drive. As Hill got into the Impala, he pulled out a black handgun and pointed it at the victims, told them not to follow him, and then sped off with the car.
On September 18, 2023, the defendant carjacked a 2006 Dodge Durango from its owner, again after feigning interest in buying the car via Facebook Marketplace and requesting a test drive. Just after he began to drive with the victim in the passenger’s seat, Hill pulled a black handgun from his hoodie, pointed it at the victim’s neck, told him to get out, and then quickly drove away.
Twelve days later, the defendant was arrested by an officer with the Philadelphia Police Department (“PPD”) while driving the stolen Durango.
This case was investigated by the PPD and the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric D. Gill.
Peoria Felon Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for Two Counts of Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois, man, Felipe L. Hernandez, 32, was sentenced on June 26, 2026, to 120 months of federal imprisonment, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, for two counts of distribution of methamphetamine. The sentence for each count is to be served concurrently.
At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley, the evidence showed Hernandez delivered methamphetamine on two occasions between June 11th and July 23, 2025, and then delivered a look-alike substance on a third sale. Hernandez was arrested on September 17, 2025, and found to be in possession of additional narcotics. In total, Hernandez was accountable for the unlawful distribution of 28 grams of methamphetamine, 66.9 grams of methamphetamine (actual), .5 grams of oxycodone (actual), and 9.8 grams of cocaine base, resulting in 1,432.34 kilograms of converted drug weight.
Hernandez was indicted for one count of distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of 50 grams of more methamphetamine. He entered a guilty plea in February 2026 and has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest. Hernandez had prior criminal convictions that included armed robbery and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon.
The statutory penalties for distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine are 5 to 40 years imprisonment, followed by at least 4 years of supervised release and a possible fine of up to $5,000,000. Penalties for the distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine are 10 years to life imprisonment, 5 years of supervised release sentence and a possible fine of up to $10,000,000.
The U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) Springfield Resident Office, Peoria Police Department, and Peoria Metropolitan Enforcement Group (“PMEG”) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Hernandez 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.
Pensacola Outlaws Motorcycle Club Member Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Pensacola, Florida – Gregory E. Simonds Jr., 43, of Pensacola, Florida, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for arson by means of an explosive causing personal injury. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This successful prosecution is the result of the close coordination between our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, who swiftly identified and caught this dangerous criminal so my office could bring him to justice. Through Operation Take Back America, the Department of Justice is devoting its full might toward protecting our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, like this defendant, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute anyone who threatens the safety of our citizens.”
Court documents reflect that on February 15, 2025, during an altercation with a group of individuals associated with the Pagans Motorcycle Club in the parking lot of Emerald Coast Harley Davidson on Beal Parkway in Fort Walton Beach, the defendant set off an explosive that damaged the adjacent Jimmy John’s restaurant building and injured one of its employees. Although the defendant drove away from the scene, he was quickly identified and arrested by law enforcement. In his car, officers recovered four more explosive devices, two guns, narcotics and drug paraphernalia, and an Outlaws Motorcycle Club vest. During a subsequent search of his residence, federal agents seized additional explosive devices, explosive making material and equipment, and other evidence that the defendant was making and selling explosives.
“This case could certainly have ended much differently. When someone chooses to use an explosive device in a public place, they put innocent lives at risk,” said Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden. “I’m proud of the outstanding work of our investigators, in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, ATF, and FDLE, in building a case that led to this sentence.”
The sentence was the result of a joint investigation by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Osage Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A man who downloaded hundreds of photos and videos of child pornography pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Damon Wesley Powers, age 44, from Osage, Iowa, was convicted of one count of receipt of child pornography.
Evidence at a prior hearing showed that law enforcement officers searched Powers’s house in Osage in June 2025. Agents found child pornography on his phone, including depictions of prepubescent children. Powers had also stored hundreds of additional photos and videos of child pornography in a cloud‑based account. In an interview with law enforcement officers, Powers admitted that he had sent and received child pornography.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Powers remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Powers faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Cyber Crime Bureau, the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, and the Osage Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 26-CR-2015.
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Omaha, Nebraska Man Sentenced to over 22 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine in Sioux FallsRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced an Omaha, Nebraska, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on June 29, 2026.
Anthony Robinson, 37, was sentenced to 22 years and five months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Robinson was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in October 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 6, 2026.
The investigation in this matter revealed that Robinson trafficked methamphetamine from Omaha to Sioux Falls. He was a source of supply for multiple other co-conspirators who re-distributed the methamphetamine in the Sioux Falls area. Throughout the conspiracy, investigators seized approximately 20 pounds of methamphetamine associated with Robinson. Investigators believe Robinson was responsible for trafficking approximately 40 pounds of methamphetamine during his involvement in the conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.
Robinson was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Newport Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Newport man has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island to federal charges of enticement of a minor, attempted enticement of a minor, and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Kyle Patrick Tormey, 41, pleaded guilty on June 30, 2026, before U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., to three counts of an indictment charging him with enticement of a minor, attempted enticement of a minor and possession of CSAM.
Torney was initially charged by way of a federal criminal complaint in April 2024. He will be sentenced on September 29, 2026. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to court documents, Tormey repeatedly communicated with a minor female on various social media platforms, persuading her to provide him with photographs of herself and to meet with him to engage in sexual activity in exchange for payment. During the investigation, law enforcement executed federal search warrants and recovered electronic communications and images that formed the basis for the possession of CSAM charges.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Milind M. Shah.
The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and West Warwick Police Department with assistance from the Newport Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Nampa Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
BOISE – Steven Isaac Vasquez, 26, of Nampa, Idaho, was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today.
“Protecting Idaho’s children is a top priority for my office, and we are grateful to work with so many dedicated partners who share the same goal. Together, we ensure that sexual offenders are held accountable for their egregious actions and that victims get the justice they deserve,” said U.S. Attorney Davis
According to court records, the investigation began when the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (“ICAC”) received a CyberTip report from a social media platform. A CyberTip is a report submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (“NCMEC”). NCMEC gathers leads and tips regarding suspected online crimes against children and forwards them to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. Law enforcement determined that a social media account, later identified as belonging to Vasquez, had been used to upload videos of child sexual abuse material. ICAC determined the videos depicted Vasquez sexually abusing a seven-year-old child. The investigation revealed that Vasquez had used his cellphone to record the videos and then posted them to his social media account. ICAC later obtained a search warrant for his online account and located the videos he had produced.
“This 30-year sentence gets one more predator off Idaho’s streets,” said Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador. “Protecting Idaho families is the foundation of everything we do in our office. I’m grateful to U.S. Attorney Bart Davis and our law enforcement partners for their work seeing this case through to justice for the family and victim.”
Chief U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford also ordered Vasquez to serve a lifetime term of supervised release following his prison sentence. Vasquez will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of his conviction.
U.S. Attorney Davis commended the work of the Idaho ICAC Task Force, the Nampa Police Department, the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, the Middleton Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, and the Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office, which led to the charge. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kassandra McGrady prosecuted the case.
These cases were 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. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Missouri man headed to prison for sex meetup with “minor” who was actually an FBI agentRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Missouri man was sentenced to 120 months in prison after traveling across state lines to have sex with who he thought was an underage girl but was really an undercover federal agent.
According to court documents, Tommie Earnest Giles, 53, of Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.
On July 23, 2025, and July 24, 2025, Giles, used a social media platform to chat with a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent posing as a 14-year-old female living in Kansas. When the agent purported to be 14 years old, Giles responded that he was 53. Giles then directed the conversation to become sexual in nature and attempted to persuade a person who he thought to be a minor to engage in sexual activity with him. When Giles traveled from his home in Kansas City, Missouri, to Kansas for a meetup with a “minor”, the FBI arrested him. Giles told law enforcement he had believed he was talking to an actual 14-year-old girl, and that he traveled to the residence to have sex with a minor.
“These undercover operations are proactive measures to find and arrest child predators,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “Mr. Giles was thoroughly convinced he was communicating with a 14-year-old girl so it’s unsettling to think what could have happened had this been a child instead of an FBI agent. Parents need to be aware that child predators are lurking on the internet and should take measures to protect their children and know of their internet activity.”
“The unfortunate reality is predators exist within our communities. Operations like this one reflect the FBI’s commitment to ensuring we identify those who exploit children and make sure these predators face justice. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to protect children, purse offenders, and keep our communities safe,” stated Chris Ormerod, FBI Kansas City Special Agent in Charge.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Audrey McCormick prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.###
Michigan Man Sentenced to 60 Months for Role in Arizona-Based Drug Conspiracy in Homeland Security Task Force CaseRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Mark Craythorn Thompson, 63, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced on June 25, by United States District Judge Rosemary Márquez to 60 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Thompson previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl.
As part of this conspiracy, Thompson picked up a package in Detroit, Michigan on September 28, 2023, that contained 997.3 grams of powdered fentanyl. The package had been shipped to Michigan from Arizona in the U.S. Mail, and Thompson intended to deliver the fentanyl to individuals in the Detroit metro area.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
HSTF Arizona-Tucson comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Border Patrol, the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Marshals Service, IRS-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service, and various local and state law enforcement agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Petermann, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 23-CR-2465-TUC-RM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-115_Thompson# # #
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 Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Mexican citizen sentenced to prison for illegally reentering the U.S.Read the Press Release
MISSOULA – A Mexican national who was in the United States after having been convicted twice for illegal reentry was sentenced today to 10 months in prison, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Rodolfo Jaime Yanez-Contreras, 43, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to one count of reentry after having been removed from the United States.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Yanez-Contreras was in the country illegally after having been deported from Texas five times between 2000 and 2017.
Yanez-Contreras was detained by law enforcement on Dec. 23, 2025, during a search of the Bozeman residence where he was staying. The Missouri River Drug Task Force and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation were serving a search warrant and encountered Yanez-Contreras among those at the residence.
Law enforcement learned Yanez-Contreras had previously been removed from the United States in 2000, 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2017. With his last two removals, Yanez-Contreras was convicted of felony reentry.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney prosecuted the case. U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Mexican National Sentenced to Two Years for Immigration and Identity Theft OffensesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Juan Jaramillo Vazquez (50, Mexico), a/k/a Juan Vazquiz, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven to two years in federal prison for illegal reentry by a deported alien and aggravated identity theft. Vazquez pleaded guilty on March 27, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, Vazquez was found to be voluntarily present in the United States after having been previously removed from the United States three times in 2012. Vazquez had not received the consent of the Attorney General or Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission. Vazquez is a citizen of Mexico. Vazquez also fraudulently used a victim’s Social Security number to gain employment and tax benefits, fraudulently representing himself to an employer and the Social Security Administration.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ilyssa M. Spergel and Tiffany Fields.
Mexican National Sentenced to Prison for Drugging and Smuggling Unaccompanied Alien Children into the United StatesRead the Press Release
A Mexican national was sentenced today to five years in prison for smuggling children into the United States from Mexico.
According to court documents, Manuel Valenzuela, 35, and other members of an alien smuggling organization brought unaccompanied alien children between the ages of five and 13 illegally into the United States from Juarez, Mexico, sometimes using candy laced with THC to sedate them during smuggling events. The drivers and their co-conspirators would then present U.S. documents to inspecting officers falsely claiming the documents belonged to the children, and that they were the parents of the children. Once inside the United States, the children were then transported to El Paso. During one smuggling event, one of the children was taken to a local hospital and diagnosed with THC poisoning.
A photo of THC gummies recovered by agents during secondary inspection at the port of entry. A photo of Manuel Valenzuela entering the United States shortly before the attempted smuggling of several alien children.“Needing to sedate children with THC under the guise of giving them candy, shows just how heinous crimes like this are,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Smuggling unaccompanied children into the country, pretending to be their parents, and then lying to U.S. immigration officials shows the lengths to which criminals like this will go to smuggle children across our borders. The Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners will put an end to this conduct. Protecting children and keeping our borders safe go hand-in-hand.”
“We fight every day in the Western District of Texas to ensure that the people and organizations responsible for heinous crimes like this are brought to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Criminal organizations like this one would be well advised to think twice before engaging in this type of crime. Our message to them is this: we will find you, we will secure a conviction, and we will ensure you are removed from society for as long as possible.”
“Drug traffickers who exploit children as part of their criminal schemes show total disregard for human life and safety,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan G. McRae of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso. “Using THC-infused candy to facilitate the smuggling of children across the border into the United States is reprehensible and cruel and puts vulnerable minors at serious risk. HSI will relentlessly pursue transnational criminal organizations responsible for these heinous tactics and bring them to justice.”
Valenzuela pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens, three counts of bringing aliens without authorization for financial gain, and one count of aiding and abetting on Nov. 10, 2025.
HSI El Paso and U.S. Border Patrol led investigative efforts, with substantial assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. and Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force.
Trial Attorney Bethany Allen of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Hines for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
The investigation and indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including HSI and Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 464 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 414 U.S. convictions; and more than 360 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
Massachusetts Couple Sentenced to Prison for Importing Misbranded Drugs from China and Selling Them to Customers in U.S. for Performance Enhancing PurposesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Massachusetts couple have been sentenced in federal court in Boston for conspiring to introduce misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud and mislead.
Chenguang Gong, 43, and Yalan Tang, 45, both of Belmont, Mass., were each sentenced by U.S. District Court Richard G. Stearns to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. In January 2026, the defendants pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to introduce misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud and mislead.
From at least 2016 through 2020, Gong and Tang imported misbranded drugs from China, using multiple post office boxes, falsified addressees and other deceptive conduct to avoid detection. After receiving the drugs from China, Gong and Tang repackaged the materials and sold them to customers—falsely labeling their products as “For Research Purposes Only,” when, in fact, Gong and Tang knew and understood that their customers would ingest or inject the drugs for performance enhancing purposes. The performance enhancing drugs sold by Gong and Tang included drugs commonly used by bodybuilders and athletes to enhance muscle growth and strength, improve cardiovascular performance and improve endurance. Other drugs sold by Gong and Tang improved cosmetic appearance, prevented or slowed symptoms of aging, improved cognitive function and improved sexual performance.
Over the course of their scheme, Gong and Tang’s gross sales exceeded $2.5 million and Gong and Tang earned profits of more than $600,000.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Fernando McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office made the announcement today. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Looney and Deputy Chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit Leslie Wright prosecuted the case.