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12 February 2025
Richard R. Barker to Serve as Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of WashingtonRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – Following the recent resignation of the Honorable Vanessa R. Waldref, and by operation of the Vacancies Reform Act, Richard R. Barker is now serving as the Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Acting United States Attorney Barker has over a decade of experience as a career prosecutor, serving as an Assistant United States Attorney since 2014. During his career, Barker has held the positions of First Assistant United States Attorney, Tribal Liaison, Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Coordinator, Digital Asset Coordinator, and Public Affairs Officer. From 2014 – 2019, Barker served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the nation’s capital, where he served as a dedicated homicide prosecutor. In early 2019, Barker joined the Eastern District of Washington, serving as an Assistant United States Attorney (“AUSA”) in the Spokane office.
Acting United States Attorney Barker has dedicated his career to serving victims of violent crime, while handling numerous homicide and violent crime cases. Late last year, Barker was lead counsel with AUSA Michael J. Ellis in the trial of Zachery Holt and Dezmonique Tenzsley for the double murder of two Tribal members and the attempted murder of a federal officer on the Colville Indian Reservation. In 2023, Barker successfully prosecuted Ronald Craig Ilg, who attempted to hire hitmen on the dark web to harm his wife and a former work colleague.
Throughout his career, Acting United States Attorney Barker also has handled several significant drug trafficking prosecutions. In 2023, Barker and AUSA Stephanie Van Marter prosecuted the “Fetty Bros” Drug Trafficking Organization, which was distributing hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills and other drugs into Eastern Washington and using extreme violence to insulate their organization. Barker later served as lead counsel in the removal of more than 161,000 fentanyl-laced pills and 80 pounds of methamphetamine from rural Washington. In his efforts to further address the fentanyl crisis, Barker worked closely with now former U.S. Attorney Waldref and the City of Spokane to create a Special U.S. Assistant Attorney position focused on prosecuting those responsible for illegal narcotics impacting the Spokane area.
As First Assistant United States Attorney, Barker has supervised the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s litigating units, which include the Criminal, Civil, and Appellate Divisions. As the Chief Deputy to the U.S. Attorney, Barker helped establish the District’s dedicated Appellate Division and worked closely with the Office’s administrative team to obtain additional DOJ resources for increasing public safety throughout Eastern Washington. Barker also played a pivotal role in opening the District’s Branch Office in Richland Washington, and he has been instrumental in the office’s efforts to increase resources for prosecuting cases on Native American Reservations. In early 2024, Barker played a key role in hiring the district’s first MMIP AUSA, who is fully dedicated to prosecuting cases of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People. For Barker’s dedication to working with Native American communities and improving public safety, he received a Department of Justice Director’s Award in 2024.
“I have loved serving as a federal prosecutor and working so closely with federal, state, local, and Tribal leaders to seek justice and protect our communities,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Barker. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington has an incredible team of attorneys and support staff, who are fully dedicated to protecting the citizens of Eastern Washington and our nation. It is truly inspiring to serve alongside such an excellent group of professionals, who have dedicated their careers to doing the right thing each and every day.”
Outgoing U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref stated, “Acting U.S. Attorney Barker is an exceptional leader, a gifted attorney, and a tireless advocate for justice. His unwavering dedication to protecting the communities of Eastern Washington is evident in everything he does. It has been an honor to work alongside him as my First Assistant, and I have no doubt that he will continue to serve with integrity, determination, and a deep commitment to upholding the law, as he takes on this new role as the chief law enforcement officer for the Eastern District of Washington.”
Acting United States Attorney Barker graduated with highest honors from Brigham Young University Law School. After graduation, Barker clerked for the Honorable J. Clifford Wallace on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Honorable G. Murray Snow on the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. Following his clerkships, Acting United States Attorney Barker worked in private practice for Davis Polk, LLP, in Washington D.C.
Outside the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Barker serves as an adjunct professor at Gonzaga University School of Law, where he has taught courses in Trial Advocacy and Conflicts of Law. Barker also serves as a Lawyer Representative to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Prison Term of 18 Years Handed to Man Who Sexually Abused 13-Year-OldRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Damion Brown, 33, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 18 years in prison and lifetime supervision, for sexually abusing the 13-year-old daughter of his long-time girlfriend in February of 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The defendant was convicted on May 7, 2024, by a Superior Court jury of ten felony charges, including first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree child sexual abuse following a multi-day jury trial. The Honorable Judge Anthony Epstein also ordered Brown to stay away and have no contact with the victim or her mother.
According to the government’s evidence, on February 24, 2023, the 13-year-old victim was home alone with the defendant, who was the victim’s mother’s live-in boyfriend. While the victim was changing clothes, the defendant came into her room and began hugging and kissing her and pushed her onto her bed. The defendant performed a number of sexual acts on the child, then left the room laughing. The victim immediately left the apartment and reported to her aunt, who called the police. The defendant was still in the apartment when police arrived.
Subsequent DNA testing determined that the defendant could not be excluded from the positive results of DNA found on the victim after the abuse.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Martin and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Victim Advocate Veronica Vaughn; former Forensic Child Interviewer Tracy Owusu; Paralegals ReShawn Johnson and Garcia Clarke; and Katina Washington-Adams, who assisted with witness travel, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Folse and Robert Platt, who prosecuted the case.
Prior sex offender pleads guilty to raping a 14-year-old and gun chargeRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Kelvin Hunt, 48, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa to production of child pornography, following a prior conviction, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 25 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Testani, who is handling the case, stated that in March 1995, Hunt was convicted in Monroe County Court of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree and sentenced to 2 to 6 years in prison. On February 2, 2024, he entered the home of a 14-year-old minor victim in Rochester, and forcibly raped her. Hunt then took the minor victim’s cell phone and took sexually explicit photos of her. After producing the pornographic images, Hunt forced the minor victim to another location, where he forcibly raped her again. On February 4, 2024, law enforcement located Hunt, took him into custody, and executed a search warrant on the hotel room he was staying in. Investigators seized a loaded semi-automatic handgun, and approximately 71 grams of heroin.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, and the United States Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 12, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Siragusa.
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Plaquemines Parish Man Sentenced for Federal Fentanyl and Heroin ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – RODERICK PARKER (“PARKER”), age 54, a resident of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, was sentenced February 6, 2025 to (9) nine months imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
PARKER previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with the intent to distribute, quantities of fentanyl and heroin, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents started investigating PARKER, and other co-conspirators in October 2019 as narcotics distributors in the New Orleans area. The investigation revealed that PARKER was regularly supplied with 25 to 50 heroin and fentanyl pills, and PARKER subsequently distributed those narcotics to his own customers.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office led the investigation. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Rachal Cassagne of the Narcotics Unit.
Pair admit stealing ski boat from St. Mary Lake property on Blackfeet Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A man and a woman today admitted they stole a ski boat and trailer from property on St. Mary Lake on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
The defendants, Tiffany Rae Morris, 37, of Shelby, and Levi Jacques Carl Johnson, 44, of Kevin, each pleaded guilty in separate hearings to theft within Indian Country. Morris and Johnson face a maximum of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for June 25. The defendants were released pending further proceedings.
In court documents, the government alleged that on June 9, 2024, Morris and Johnson stole a ski boat and trailer from the property of the victim, identified as John Doe. The property is on St. Mary Lake on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Doe reported the theft to law enforcement and posted about it on Facebook. An investigation identified Morris and Johnson as potential suspects, based on video surveillance. The following day, a landowner in the Cut Bank area notified law enforcement that a boat had been abandoned on his property and that he thought it was the stolen boat. John Doe responded to the scene and identified his boat. The boat’s identifying decals had been removed. In interviews with law enforcement, Morris and Johnson admitted to stealing the boat. After the theft was circulated on Facebook, the defendants wanted to return the boat but were afraid of being apprehended and abandoned it in the field. Johnson reported that the decals came off when he power-washed the boat. The boat was a 2007 Ski-doo Challenger 180, valued at more than $1,000.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, Glacier County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI conducted the investigation.
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Orleans Parish Man Guilty of Carjacking and Weapons ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on February 4, 2025, RICHARD CARR (“CARR”), age 29, a resident of Orleans Parish, pled guilty in connection with a carjacking and gun violations that occurred on January 12, 2023, in New Orleans.
Specifically, CARR pled guilty to carjacking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2119(1); brandishing a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(ii); and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Court documents revealed that on January 12, 2023, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officers were dispatched to Conti Street in response to an armed robbery/carjacking. The victim said he met CARR that day and drove with him to various areas in the city after which, CARR produced a firearm and demanded the victim’s cell phone and car keys for his silver Toyota CHR. On January 13, 2023, NOPD Officers observed the victim’s stolen silver Toyota CHR, minus the license plate , parked in front of a Franklin Ave gas station. Police then saw a male sleeping in the front seat with a firearm in on his lap. NOPD then secured the firearm, a Glock Model 43, nine-millimeter caliber pistol, and arrested CARR. CARR was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a previous felony conviction.
As to the carjacking and felon in possession charges, CARR faces a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and up to 3 years of supervised release. As to the charge for brandishing a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, CARR faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 7 years, up to a maximum of life imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to 5 years of supervised release, and a $300 mandatory special assessment fee.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Greg Kennedy of the Violent Crime Unit.
Ohio Man Admits to Firearms ViolationRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Rodney S. Knotts, age 55, of Ravenna, Ohio, has admitted to unlawful possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Knotts possessed eight (8) firearms in Ritchie County, WV. Knotts is prohibited from possessing firearms because of a prior felony drug conviction in Ohio.
Knotts is facing up to 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rhee is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Norwich Man Sentenced for Unlawfully Possessing a Short-Barreled RifleRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Benjamin Wheeler, age 20, of Norwich, New York was sentenced today to serve 8 months in federal prison for possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Craig. L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
As part of his guilty plea, Wheeler admitted that on August 6, 2024, he knowingly possessed a Spikes Tactical AR-15 style rifle at his apartment in Norwich, New York, knowing that the firearm had a barrel length of less than sixteen inches. The firearm was not registered to Wheeler in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
Senior United States District Judge David N. Hurd also sentenced Wheeler to a 3-year term of supervised release, to begin after his imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), New York Police Department (NYPD) and the New York State Police with assistance from the Chenango County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey J. L. Brown prosecuted the case.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – CORIS ADDISON (“ADDISON”), age 42, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on February 5, 2025, by United States District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle, after previously pleading guilty to violating the Federal Controlled Substances Act by participating, along with others, in a methamphetamine conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court records, one of ADDISON’s co-conspirators sold approximately seven grams of pure methamphetamine to an undercover Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) agent, and another individual, on August 29, 2023 at a Westbank, New Orleans apartment.
Another drug deal was set for the following day at the same apartment, but before the deal took place, two of ADDISON’s co-defendants robbed the undercover ATF agent, and the other individual, at gun point. To escape the danger, the undercover ATF agent, and the other individual, went onto the third-floor balcony of the apartment and began climbing down. The agent fell during his escape and sustained severe injuries. Although ADDISON did not participate in the robbery, he and others were later arrested at the apartment.
Judge Lemelle sentenced ADDISON to serve 80 months in prison, followed by a three-year term of supervised release, and payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The investigation was conducted primarily by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Louisiana State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department and Crimestoppers GNO. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David Haller, Senior Litigation Counsel and PSN Coordinator, and Nolan Paige, Chief of the Narcotics Unit.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Fentanyl and Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – KENNETH TURNER (“TURNER”), age 37, was sentenced on February 5, 2025 by U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk to 130 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B).
According to court documents, TURNER’s co-defendant made five distributions of fentanyl and methamphetamine to undercover agents as well as a confidential informant with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. TURNER supplied his co-defendant with the drugs and assisted in the storage, weighing and packaging of the drugs for distribution. The total scope of the conspiracy exceeded 420 grams of fentanyl and 370 grams of methamphetamine. When TURNER was arrested, he had more than $15,000 cash in his personal possession.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
New Haven Man Pleads Guilty to Narcotics Trafficking ChargeRead the Press Release
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that JOSHUWA DIAZ, 34, of New Haven, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to a narcotics trafficking offense.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Diaz was arrested on February 16, 2024, after a court-authorized search of his apartment on Orange Street in New Haven revealed approximately 75 grams of fentanyl, 278 grams of cocaine, 47 grams of crack cocaine, and a loaded P80 handgun with no serial number (“ghost gun”).
Diaz pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base (“crack”), and fentanyl, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Judge Oliver scheduled sentencing for May 7.
Diaz is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.
In April 2013, Diaz was sentenced in New Haven federal court to 78 months of imprisonment for distributing heroin.
This investigation has been conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven Task Force, which includes members from the DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Connecticut State Police and the New Haven, Waterbury, East Haven, Branford, West Haven, Ansonia, Meriden, Naugatuck, and Shelton Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Keefe.
New Hampshire Registered Sex Offender Sentenced for Attempting to Purchase a Gun in MaineRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A New Hampshire man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for making false statements to acquire a firearm.
Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Brandon Pinard, 33, to time served, approximately 9 months, followed by three years of supervised release. Pinard pleaded guilty on November 19, 2024.
According to court records, in May 2024, the Seabrook (N.H.) Police Department received a firearms denial notice showing that Pinard was denied a purchase of a long gun in Bath, Maine. When attempting to purchase the Daniel Defense DDM4 assault rifle, Pinard listed a Dover, N.H. address and checked “No” next to the question on the ATF Form 4473 that read, “Have you ever been convicted in any court, including a military court, of a felony, or any other crime for which the judge could imprison you for more than one year, or are you a current member of the military who has been charged with violations(s) of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and whose charge(s) have been referred to a general court-martial?” At the time of the attempted purchase, Pinard was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2013 conviction in Massachusetts for a felony sex offense. He had been a registered sex offender in Seabrook since relocating from Dover in November 2022.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with assistance from the Seabrook (N.H.) Police Department.
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Nashville Man Charged with being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm Following Robbery at the Mall at Green HillsRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Omari Rashad Moore, 30, of Nashville, has been charged by criminal complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm as part of a shooting incident near the Green Hills mall, announced Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee.
“Citizens in our community need to feel confident that they can go shopping at a mall without fearing gunfire,” said McGuire. “We are unwavering in our commitment to secure a safe city and hold those who would threaten that safety fully accountable for their actions.”
According to the complaint, on February 4, 2025, officers with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (“MNPD”) responded to the Mall at Green Hills in Nashville, in response to a possible robbery and shots-fired complaint. As the officers responded, 911 dispatch also received a complaint about a shooting near the I– 65 South and I–440 Interstate interchange in Nashville, which is about five miles driving distance from the Mall.
When MNPD officers arrived at the Mall, they found two .10 millimeter cartridge casings on the ground along with a high capacity magazine containing .10 millimeter ammunition near where the shooting and robbery had occurred. Officers could not locate a victim or suspect of the shooting at the Mall. About that time, MNPD officers arrived in the area of the I–65 South and I–440 Interstate interchange and saw a silver Tesla, which had been traveling away from the direction of the Mall, that had crashed into a tree. MNPD officers recovered two Louis Vuitton bags from inside the Tesla and located two men near the crash scene, who were later identified as Moore and SUBJECT 1. A bystander, who witnessed the aftermath of the crash, told MNPD officers that he/she had seen Moore approach a nearby guardrail on foot after the Tesla crashed. MNPD officers found a Glock Model: 29, Caliber: .10 millimeter pistol with the magazine missing near the guardrail.
SUBJECT 1 had multiple gunshot wounds and was transported to Vanderbilt Hospital by emergency medical services, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
MNPD Detectives reviewed security footage of the robbery and shooting at the Mall. It showed a man walking away from the mall carrying two shopping bags. As he approached his car, a silver Tesla drove up to and stopped near the man’s car. A man, later identified as Moore, got out of the Tesla with an object in his pocket that was consistent with the appearance of a handgun loaded with a high-capacity magazine. Moore approached the other man’s car, and they fought before the other man broke free and ran. Moore then leaned into the other man’s car, then ran back to the Tesla carrying the two shopping bags.
Moore has multiple prior felony convictions in Henderson County and Davidson County, Tennessee.
If convicted, Moore faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Hinkle is prosecuting the case.
A federal complaint is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Montgomery County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Enticing Minors to Engage in Sexually Explicit Conduct, Manufacturing and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Kevin Kelly Murray, 30, of Oreland, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick to 20 years in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for child exploitation and child pornography offenses.
In June 2022, Murray was charged by indictment with one count of use of an interstate commerce facility to entice a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, one count of manufacture and attempted manufacture of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to all three charges in October of last year.
As presented in court filings, on September 1, 2020, a user of the online chat service Omegle uploaded and shared videos depicting the sexual abuse and exploitation of prepubescent children. A content moderator for Omegle reported the activity to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (“NCMEC”), with NCMEC subsequently providing this report in the form of a cybertip to the Pennsylvania Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Records revealed that the unlawful content had been distributed online using an internet account registered to the defendant’s residence.
On October 22, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Murray’s residence and found the defendant inside. After being advised of the reason for the search warrant, Murray admitted to possessing child pornography on his computer. Murray then consented to an interview at the local police station, where he confessed to police that he had accessed Omegle to both download and share child pornography. He further admitted to soliciting “preteen” girls over Omegle to undress themselves and perform sexual acts on themselves, at which point he would record their images/videos on his computer for his sexual gratification.
A forensic review of his electronic devices showed that from 2019 through 2020, the defendant used his cell phone and his computer to obtain at least 361 images and 93 videos of child pornography. Among the videos were several taken during Murray’s Omegle video chats with at least three different young girls, including Minor #1, who appeared to be approximately eight to ten years old. Chat records documented the defendant directing the child to engage in sexually explicit behavior. In response, Minor #1 engaged in the sexually explicit conduct and the defendant created three videos depicting the conduct.
“Murray preyed on children, grooming them for his own deviant purposes,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “He exposed these young girls to child pornography to normalize sexual behavior in their minds, convinced them to engage in explicit acts on camera, then saved the material for his repeated consumption. My office and our partners are working every day to prosecute predators like this, get justice for their victims, and keep all children safe from similar harm.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Abington Township Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Priya T. De Souza.
Mexican National Sentenced to over 8 Years in Prison for Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Dario Mata-Manzo, 33, a Mexican national residing in Fresno, was sentenced today to eight years and eight months in prison for distribution of methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
According to court documents, in June 2022, Mata-Manzo negotiated the sale of crystal methamphetamine for $1,200 per pound and subsequently delivered 8 pounds of the drug to undercover officers in Fresno. Court documents indicate that Mata-Manzo was connected to an interstate poly-drug trafficking organization.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, and the High Impact Investigation Team (HIIT), a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Initiative (HIDTA), which consists of personnel from the California Department of Justice, Fresno Police Department, Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, California Highway Patrol, Madera County Sheriff’s Office, Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, Kings County Sheriff’s Office, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar prosecuted the case.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
Mexican National Sentenced to Federal Prison for Distributing More than Eight Pounds of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Yakima, Washington – On February 10, 2025, United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke sentenced Santiago Rojas-Rangel (“Charapo”), age 51, of Mexico, to 151 months in prison on methamphetamine distribution charges. Judge Dimke also imposed 5 years of supervised release. When imposing the sentence, Judge Dimke noted Rojas-Rangel’s “complete and utter lack of respect for the law in this country.”
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, in early 2024 agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) developed information that Rojas-Rangel was selling methamphetamine in and around Yakima, Washington. Between February and May 2024, the DEA conducted several controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Rojas-Rangel totaling approximately 8 pounds. The purchase of the illegal drugs was carefully monitored and controlled by DEA agents.
Rojas-Rangel was previously convicted in Yakima County Superior Court on two counts of Delivery of a Controlled Substance, Methamphetamine in December 2019 for offenses that occurred in 2016. He was sentenced to a total of 44 months and 1 day of confinement. Rojas-Rangel has also previously been deported from the United States and illegally re-entered, before engaging in further drug trafficking in the Eastern District of Washington.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to prioritize the prosecution of dangerous repeat drug offenders,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Richard R. Barker. “Mr. Rojas-Rangel entered the United States illegally and then distributed large quantities of methamphetamine into the Yakima community. I am grateful for the dedication of our federal, state, and local partners and for the incredible team of prosecutors, who dedicate their careers to keeping our communities safe.”
“Methamphetamine traffickers prey on their communities for profit,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “The Drug Enforcement Administration and our partners work especially hard to ensure accountability for repeat drug offenders, like Mr. Rojas-Rangel, with this richly deserved prison sentence.”
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Letitia A. Sikes.
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Mexican National Previously Convicted of Sexually Assaulting a Minor Arrested in El PasoRead the Press Release
EL PASO, Texas – A Mexican national with a violent criminal record was arrested in El Paso on criminal charges related to his alleged illegal re-entry.
According to court documents, Jose Juan Garcia Tiro was determined upon arrest to be in the United States illegally. He had been previously removed from the country to Mexico on April 23, 2015. In 2007, Garcia Tiro was convicted in Ocean, New Jersey and sentenced to eight years in prison for sexually assaulting a prepubescent minor.
Garcia Tiro is charged with one count of illegal re-entry. He was ordered in a Feb. 10 hearing to be detained without bond. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The U.S. Border Patrol is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Aguayo is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Member of the 764 Criminal Enterprise Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy and Other ChargesRead the Press Release
Jairo Jaime Tinajero, 25, pleaded guilty yesterday in the Western District of Kentucky to the following charges contained in the superseding information: racketeering conspiracy, online enticement, three counts of production of child sexual abuse material, three counts of distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), five counts of interstate communications of threats, cyberstalking, and conspiracy to murder Jane Doe 1 in aid of racketeering. The terms of the plea agreement specify that both parties agree to the applicability of the terrorism sentencing enhancement (U.S.S.G. § 3A1.4 n. 4).
On Oct. 11, 2023, a grand jury in the Western District of Kentucky returned an indictment charging Tinajero with online enticement and production of child sexual abuse material. On Oct. 4, 2023, in the Eastern District of Arkansas, Tinajero was arrested on a criminal complaint that was filed in the Western District of Kentucky.
According to the court documents, Tinajero is a self-identified member of the 764 network. The 764 network’s accelerationist goals include social unrest and the downfall of the current world order, including the U.S. Government. Beginning in 2020, Tinajero started communicating with, and grooming, several minor victims to obtain sexually explicit content from them, including Jane Doe 1. In 2023, Tinajero began to threaten the safety of Jane Doe 1 and her family. Tinajero posted online in encrypted platforms associated with 764 and related groups a “Lorebook” – commonly used in 764 blackmail schemes — containing Jane Doe 1’s identifying information along with nude pictures of the minor.
Between July 2023 and September 2023, during multiple discussions over social media, Tinajero and a co-conspirator agreed that Tinajero should kill Jane Doe 1. Tinajero and the co-conspirator specifically discussed that Tinajero should murder Jane Doe 1 and dispose of Jane Doe 1’s body in a barrel of acid after the murder. Tinajero posted multiple messages on various social media websites stating that he planned to kill Jane Doe 1 with a firearm because Jane Doe 1 refused to provide additional child sexual abuse material.
On Aug. 26, 2023, Tinajero posted on Telegram, “Im determined to die” and “If I gotta kill her I can’t let her live and f**k with dudes and girls while I’m sick and miserable” and “Im gonna live stream it.” Tinajero also posted a picture of Jane Doe 1. On Sept. 2, 2023, Tinajero posted on Telegram, “I wanna kill them so bad just show up at their cribs and shoot 100 rounds in 5 seconds” and, on Sept. 3, 2023, posted “I didn’t wanna do anything bc I was scared of dying or prison but now I’m determined to die if I have to after getting rid of [Jane Doe 1] . . . .” Tinajero also began soliciting others to assist with attempting to kill Jane Doe 1.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erwin Roberts for the Western District of Kentucky and Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and James Donnelly of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case. The Violent Crime and Racketeering Section for the Criminal Division and the Eastern District of Arkansas provided assistance.
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Member of the 764 Criminal Enterprise Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy and Other ChargesRead the Press Release
Jairo Jaime Tinajero, 25, pleaded guilty yesterday in the Western District of Kentucky to the following charges contained in the superseding information: racketeering conspiracy, online enticement, three counts of production of child sexual abuse material, three counts of distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), five counts of interstate communications of threats, cyberstalking, and conspiracy to murder Jane Doe 1 in aid of racketeering. The terms of the plea agreement specify that both parties agree to the applicability of the terrorism sentencing enhancement (U.S.S.G. § 3A1.4 n. 4).
On Oct. 11, 2023, a grand jury in the Western District of Kentucky returned an indictment charging Tinajero with online enticement and production of child sexual abuse material. On Oct. 4, 2023, in the Eastern District of Arkansas, Tinajero was arrested on a criminal complaint that was filed in the Western District of Kentucky.
According to the court documents, Tinajero is a self-identified member of the 764 network. The 764 network’s accelerationist goals include social unrest and the downfall of the current world order, including the U.S. Government. Beginning in 2020, Tinajero started communicating with, and grooming, several minor victims to obtain sexually explicit content from them, including Jane Doe 1. In 2023, Tinajero began to threaten the safety of Jane Doe 1 and her family. Tinajero posted online in encrypted platforms associated with 764 and related groups a “Lorebook” – commonly used in 764 blackmail schemes — containing Jane Doe 1’s identifying information along with nude pictures of the minor.
Between July 2023 and September 2023, during multiple discussions over social media, Tinajero and a co-conspirator agreed that Tinajero should kill Jane Doe 1. Tinajero and the co-conspirator specifically discussed that Tinajero should murder Jane Doe 1 and dispose of Jane Doe 1’s body in a barrel of acid after the murder. Tinajero posted multiple messages on various social media websites stating that he planned to kill Jane Doe 1 with a firearm because Jane Doe 1 refused to provide additional child sexual abuse material.
On Aug. 26, 2023, Tinajero posted on Telegram, “Im determined to die” and “If I gotta kill her I can’t let her live and f**k with dudes and girls while I’m sick and miserable” and “Im gonna live stream it.” Tinajero also posted a picture of Jane Doe 1. On Sept. 2, 2023, Tinajero posted on Telegram, “I wanna kill them so bad just show up at their cribs and shoot 100 rounds in 5 seconds” and, on Sept. 3, 2023, posted “I didn’t wanna do anything bc I was scared of dying or prison but now I’m determined to die if I have to after getting rid of [Jane Doe 1] . . . .” Tinajero also began soliciting others to assist with attempting to kill Jane Doe 1.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erwin Roberts for the Western District of Kentucky and Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and James Donnelly of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case. The Violent Crime and Racketeering Section for the Criminal Division and the Eastern District of Arkansas provided assistance.
Member of Mexican Cartel and Prison Gang Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison in Methamphetamine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Mexican national has been sentenced to 300 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed methamphetamine throughout Minnesota and the surrounding region, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents, Charly Cruz-Jimenez, 40, was previously deported from the United States to Mexico in 2018 after serving a 74-month sentence for a first degree controlled substance violation imposed by the Hennepin County District Court. Beginning in at least October 2021—following his deportation to Mexico—Cruz-Jimenez organized and led a drug trafficking organization that distributed mass amounts of methamphetamine in Minnesota, while remaining safely outside of the jurisdiction of the United States in Matamoros, Mexico. Specifically, drug customers inside the United States contacted the defendant by electronic messaging applications and place orders for illicit drugs. Cruz-Jimenez then used a large network of “runners” inside the United States to store the drugs, make deliveries to his customers, and funnel money back to Mexico.
According to court documents, law enforcement began investigating Cruz-Jimenez after arresting one of his customers, Nicholas Horak. Investigators learned that the defendant had sold approximately 32-34 pounds of methamphetamine to Horak between October 2021 and March 2022. Officers obtained Cruz-Jimenez’s phone number from Horak’s phone and used his number to introduce an undercover (UC) police officer to him. Over the course of the next 16 months, the UC had repeated contact with Cruz-Jimenez and ordered drugs from him on 15 different occasions. In his communications with the UC, Cruz-Jimenez admitted that he was a member of the Sureños, a national prison gang with connections to organized crime in Mexico. He also admitted to being a member of the Gulf Cartel (Cartel del Golfo or CDG), a major drug trafficking cartel in Mexico. Cruz-Jimenez sent the UC photographs of himself fighting a war over territory with a rival cartel (Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación or CJNG). Included among the photographs was a photo of the defendant posing with a rifle in front of a bound and blindfolded captured member of the rival cartel. Cruz-Jimenez stated that he and his team had captured the man, that he was the “enemy,” and he was “confessing.”
In August 2023, Cruz-Jimenez illegally reentered the United States by crossing the Rio Grande into Texas. From Texas, the defendant continued to discuss methamphetamine deals with the UC and informed them that they would need to increase the quantity of purchases to multiple pounds in order to keep working together. Given the defendant’s return to the United States, investigators arrested him on the current indictment. Before his removal to the District of Minnesota, Cruz-Jimenez was charged and pleaded guilty to illegal reentry into the United States in the Southern District of Texas.
Cruz-Jimenez was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge Eric C. Tostrud on one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, the Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team (VCET), the Maplewood Police Department, the Mounds View Police Department, the New Brighton Police Department, the Roseville Police Department, the Saint Paul Police Department, and the White Bear Lake Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan H. Nelson and Bradley M. Endicott are prosecuting the case.
McAlester Resident Sentenced for Federal Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jeremy David Crawley, age 47, of McAlester, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 180 months in prison for one count of Drug Conspiracy.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Department, and the McAlester Police Department.
On September 4, 2024, Crawley pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, between 2019 and approximately December 2022, Crawley conspired with others to obtain and distribute over 100 pounds of methamphetamine.
“Today’s sentencing of Jeremy David Crawley reflects a win for all citizens of Eastern Oklahoma who value safe and drug-free communities,” said Eduardo A. Chávez, Special Agent in Charge of DEA operations in Oklahoma. “We will continue to work hand in hand with our law enforcement partners across the state to ensure justice is served.”
“Prior to being indicted, the defendant chose to quit selling and using methamphetamine—an admirable decision, but not one that erases the past nor lessens the impact of his actions. Methamphetamine is a scourge which destroys lives, families, and relationships. Justice demands accountability, and the sentence imposed by the Court holds the defendant responsible for his crimes,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Crawley will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Cornell represented the United States.
Massachusetts Resident Sentenced on Gun and Drug ConvictionsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kyle Taylor, age 29, of Malden, Massachusetts, was sentenced last month to 10 years in prison for distributing methamphetamine, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and conspiring to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), made the announcement.
When he pled guilty in September 2024, Taylor admitted that he sold multiple firearms and controlled substances to another person in Rensselaer County between September 2023 and January 2024. Taylor admitted that he had sold two firearms to this person on separate occasions in October 2023, and on both occasions also distributed controlled substances. In December 2023, Taylor and a co-conspirator sold this person over 400 fentanyl pills along with approximately 25 grams of fentanyl powder.
United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also imposed a 4-year term of post-incarceration supervised release.
ATF investigated this case with assistance from the Troy Police Department, the Brookline (Massachusetts) Police Department, and the Cambridge (Massachusetts) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph S. Hartunian prosecuted the case.
Mason City Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
A man who possessed methamphetamine with intent to distribute pled guilty today in federal court in Sioux City.
Todd Aaron Howard Hamilton Sutton, Jr., age 33, from Mason City, Iowa, was convicted of one count of possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of pure methamphetamine.
In a plea agreement, Sutton admitted that on July 27, 2024, he was the driver of a vehicle pulled over for a traffic violation in Cerro Gordo County. He was arrested for driving while barred and taken to the Cerro Gordo County Jail. While being booked into the jail, law enforcement found a plastic baggie containing methamphetamine on his person.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Sutton was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the guilty plea and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Sutton faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, and 4 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Fletcher and was investigated by the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR03037.
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Lee County Felon Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing Loaded FirearmRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Austin Charles Wesley (25, Lehigh Acres) today pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. Wesley faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on October 24, 2024, Wesley was pulled over for speeding by the Florida Highway Patrol on SR-82 in Lee County. During the traffic stop, law enforcement located a loaded Walther .22 caliber handgun concealed underneath Wesley’s clothing. As a multi-time convicted felon, who previously served sentences in Florida state prison for various crimes, Wesley is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Fort Myers Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon Eth.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Leader of Violent Armed Robbery Crew Sentenced to 32 Years’ Imprisonment for String of Six Store Holdups in February 2021Read the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Lawrence McKay, 37, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Gerald A. McHugh to 32 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for leading six violent armed robberies in the city and surrounding counties in February 2021, all targeting cell phone stores. Judge McHugh also ordered McKay to pay restitution to victims, including money toward medical bills, of more than $100,000.
In February of last year, McKay pleaded guilty to all six robberies with which he was charged and two counts of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
At each robbery, McKay had at least one co-conspirator with him, and together they would force employees at gunpoint to turn over the store’s merchandise and cash. During one of these robberies, McKay shot a store employee in the stomach, and in another, codefendant Brenton Holmes shot a store employee in the leg. Both employees survived.
Holmes pleaded guilty to participating in five of the robberies with McKay and was sentenced in May of last year to 30 years in prison.
Dana Toby pleaded guilty to participating in two of the robberies and was sentenced in September 2023 to 15 years in prison.
Demon McNeil and Dashonna Hoskins each pleaded guilty to participating in one robbery, with McNeil sentenced in June 2024 to eight years in prison and Hoskins in May 2024 to 50 months in prison.
“Lawrence McKay and his crew were a crime spree unto themselves, racking up six armed robberies in less than three weeks,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “In these holdups, they made store employees fear for their lives, threatening them at gunpoint, bringing them into back rooms, tying some up, and even shooting two victims. It was imperative to get McKay off the street before anyone else was harmed, or worse, at his behest. This sentence keeps him behind bars for decades and holds him accountable for the crimes he led. My office and our partners are committed to making our communities safer by focusing on the most violent offenders and bringing them to justice.”
“The brazen acts committed in this case instilled fear in our community and put our citizens at risk,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to working alongside our local, state, and federal partners to combat violent crime, protect our city, and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.”
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department, with assistance from the Lower Merion Township Police Department, Bristol Township Police Department, Norristown Police Department, and Warminster Township Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda R. Reinitz, Amanda McCool, and Anthony Carissimi.
Lakeland Convicted Felon Charged with Possessing Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced today the filing of a criminal complaint charging Taqiy Lewis (27, Lakeland) with possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. If convicted, Lewis faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.
According to the criminal complaint, on December 24, 2020, M.C., a 70-year-old woman, was outside her Lakeland home with her family, including young children. At approximately 5:30 p.m., Lewis and others engaged in a shootout just outside M.C.’s residence. M.C. was struck twice and killed. A.L., a thirteen-year-old child, was also shot and wounded.
More than two years later, on February 9, 2023, during an unrelated investigation, ATF special agents and officers from the Lakeland Police Department recovered a Kahr CM9 9mm pistol while executing a search warrant. Forensic testing using the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) confirmed that this firearm was the one used to kill M.C. and injure A.L. Further investigation revealed that six casings collected from the crime scene, two spent projectiles recovered from a home, and a bullet recovered from M.C.’s body were all fired by Lewis and the Kahr CM9 pistol he possessed. At the time of the shooting, Lewis was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lakeland Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Juvenile Charged with August 2024 Armed CarjackingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Aniq-Kai Covington, 16, of Washington, D.C., was charged as an adult (under Title 16) on February 11, 2025, in Superior Court with armed carjacking in connection with an August 13, 2024 incident in Southeast D.C. The charge was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to documents filed in court, on August 13, 2024, at approximately 9:15 p.m., police officers were dispatched to the 2700 block of 31st Street S.E., where they located the victim of an armed carjacking. The victim told the officers that at least two suspects approached the victim, who was sitting in their vehicle waiting for a family member. One suspect approached the victim’s driver’s side door and pointed a firearm at the victim, ordering the victim to get out of the vehicle. Another suspect attempted to open the victim’s passenger door. The victim complied and got out of the car. The first suspect then demanded money and took the victim’s wallet and cell phone, before the suspects fled northbound on 31st Street, SE in the victim’s car. The victim borrowed a phone from a family member and called 911.
The victim’s vehicle was located in the 2500 block of High Street S.E., stationary and unoccupied, just before 9:30 p.m., approximately 15 minutes after police were dispatched to the scene of the carjacking. The victim’s vehicle was forensically processed, and a latent fingerprint recovered from the interior passenger’s side door handle was later determined to belong to Covington.
Covington was presented in court yesterday and ordered detained. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 14, 2025.
The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Winer is prosecuting the case.
These charges are merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Hunting Outfitter Pays $500,000 to Resolve Allegations Related to the Cow Creek Fire in Ouray County, ColoradoRead the Press Release
DENVER—The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced today that Jackson Outfitters, LLC, a hunting outfitter based in Placerville, Colorado, has agreed to pay $500,000 to resolve allegations that it is liable for the ignition of a wildland fire, which became known as the Cow Creek Fire and which burned 850 acres on the Uncompahgre National Forest in Ouray County, Colorado, in October 2019.
The United States alleges that the Cow Creek Fire was caused by a wood-burning stove located inside a wall tent in the Green Mountain Camp, which is owned and operated by Cow Creek Outfitters, an affiliate of Jackson Outfitters. At the time of the incident, the Green Mountain Camp was occupied by a party that had booked a self-guided elk hunt through Cow Creek Outfitters. Jackson Outfitters operates its business in the National Forest under a Special Use Permit, which states that Jackson Outfitters has an affirmative duty to protect the land, property, and other interests of the United States—including fire suppression costs—from damage.
The United States alleges that the Cow Creek Fire started at Green Mountain Camp when embers and other ignited material exited a stovepipe attached to the wood-burning stove and landed on the ground, igniting dry vegetation. The Cow Creek fire ultimately burned approximately 850 acres of National Forest System lands. The United States incurred significant suppression costs fighting the fire. The United States alleges that by not ensuring that the wood-burning stove was equipped with a functional, properly-installed spark arrestor, Jackson Outfitters breached its duty to ensure that its activities did not result in an escaped fire.
“Outfitters must ensure that the equipment they use in National Forests is safe and protects public lands for all of us,” said Acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell. “We appreciate that this resolution was cooperative and reimburses the United States for costs incurred in fighting the fire.”
The claims against Jackson Outfitters are allegations, and in agreeing to settle this matter, the company did not admit to any liability.
This matter was investigated by U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations and was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Ross.
Hughes County Resident Sentenced for Federal Firearm CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Lucas James Mitchell, age 37, of Lamar, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 22 months in prison for one count of illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Muscogee Creek Nation Lighthorse Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On July 29, 2024, Mitchell pleaded guilty to one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition. According to investigators, on November 25, 2023, Mitchell knowingly possessed one .22 caliber, semi-automatic pistol and 24 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition after having been previously convicted a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Mitchell will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Robinson represented the United States.
Honolulu Woman Charged with Distributing Methamphetamine from Her ResidenceRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson announced that Phitsmai Khamkhay, 58, of Honolulu, Hawaii was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with distributing more than fifty grams of methamphetamine, a Schedule II federally controlled substance, from her residence on three separate occasions in 2022. A detention hearing in federal court is scheduled for February 18, 2025.
According to the facts stated in the complaint, in April, May, and June 2022, Khamkhay arranged for the sale of approximately 680 grams of methamphetamine. She distributed the drugs from her home in Honolulu, Hawaii, and was surveilled by law enforcement during three controlled purchases involving a confidential source. During an interview with law enforcement, Khamkhay elected to waive her Miranda rights and admitted that, on several occasions, she purchased multiple pounds of methamphetamine from numerous individuals on Oahu and distributed multiple pounds of methamphetamine to numerous individuals on Oahu and Kauai.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. In the case of conviction, any sentence would be imposed by a United States District Judge based on the statutory sentencing factors and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Agency. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tom Muehleck and Rebecca A. Perlmutter.
Honduran National, Previously Deported 6 Times, Arrested for Illegal Re-EntryRead the Press Release
AUSTIN, Texas – A Honduran national with previous removals and criminal convictions was transferred into federal custody in Austin on criminal charges related to his alleged illegal re-entry.
According to court documents, Melvin Armando Funes-Canales, was located in the Williamson County jail on or about July 16, 2024, where he had been detained for alleged possession of a controlled substance. An investigation revealed Funes-Canales had been previously removed from the U.S. to Honduras on or about Oct. 9, 2020, and had also been deported on five other occasions. Additionally, Funes-Canales was previously convicted of burglary, grand theft and illegal re-entry.
Funes-Canales is charged with illegal re-entry. If convicted, Funes-Canales faces up to 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Harding is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Head of Commercial Real Estate Investment Firm Pleads Guilty in $62.8M Fraud Scheme Targeting Atlanta Financial Center InvestorsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Elchonon “Elie” Schwartz pleaded guilty today to wire fraud for executing a massive investment fraud scheme that caused more than 800 investors to send approximately $62.8 million to Schwartz, which he then diverted for his own use. Approximately $54 million dollars in investments were intended for the Atlanta Financial Center, a planned commercial real estate complex on Peachtree Road.
“Seeking to do nothing more than pad his own bank accounts and buy expensive luxury items, Elie Schwartz betrayed hundreds of investors who sought the opportunity to invest in these commercial real estate projects,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “This office is committed to protecting investors from individuals, like Schwartz, who defraud donors out of their hard-earned money and seek to prioritize their own greed at the expense of legitimate investors.”
“Although investment fraud schemes are not violent crimes, they are just as destructive as they can destroy the livelihoods of entire families. Schwartz admitted to this complex scheme out of pure greed and will now face the steep consequences,” said Sean Burke, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the charges, and other information presented in court: Elie Schwartz ran a successful commercial real estate investment firm. Beginning in May 2022, he solicited investments through CrowdStreet Marketplace in connection with a large commercial real estate complex in Atlanta, Georgia (“Atlanta Financial Center”), and ultimately raised approximately $54 million from approximately 654 investors for this venture. Later, beginning in November 2022, Schwartz again solicited investments through CrowdStreet concerning a mixed-use building in Miami Beach, Florida (“Lincoln Place”), and ultimately raised approximately $8.8 million from approximately 167 investors for this development. In total, Schwartz raised approximately $62.8 million from investors through CrowdStreet for the investments in the Atlanta Financial Center and Lincoln Place. The CrowdStreet investor funds were deposited into a segregated bank account for each investment.
As part of the investment solicitation process, Schwartz executed agreements with CrowdStreet that stated, among other terms, that the funds raised from CrowdStreet investors would be held in segregated bank accounts controlled by Schwartz. In the documentation that was provided to CrowdStreet investors, Schwartz represented that he would only “use any proceeds from this Offering, net of any organizational and offering expenses, to fund” the investment in each property and that Schwartz had a fiduciary duty to safeguard the funds and prohibit commingling or use of the money that did not benefit each investment.
But contrary to the representations he made to CrowdStreet investors, and before either the Atlanta Financial Center or Lincoln Place transaction closed, Schwartz misappropriated and converted CrowdStreet investor funds for his own use. Beginning in June 2022, and continuing through June 2023, Schwartz transferred nearly all of the $62.8 million raised through CrowdStreet for the Atlanta Financial Center and Lincoln Place investments out of the segregated bank accounts. He then diverted these funds to his personal bank account, personal brokerage account, and accounts for other unrelated commercial real estate investments affiliated with, and controlled by, him.
Schwartz used the funds raised from the CrowdStreet investors to, among other things, pay for payroll expenses for his commercial real estate businesses, purchase luxury watches, and invest in stocks and options in his brokerage account. Ultimately, in mid-July 2023, the corporate entities that Schwartz formed to receive funds from CrowdStreet investors for their investments in the Atlanta Financial Center and Lincoln Place both filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Schwartz, 46, of New York, New York, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 19, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement provided valuable assistance in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly K. Connors and Trial Attorney Matthew F. Sullivan of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys David O’Neal and Christopher Huber provided substantial assistance in the investigation and prosecution.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 84 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Yesterday, Hamed A. Martin, 42 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly Brady after pleading guilty to distributing methamphetamine, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
Martin was sentenced to 84 months in prison followed by 4 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in July 2022, Martin distributed methamphetamine on several occasions. A search warrant executed at his residence in August 2022, resulted in the recovery of a firearm along with evidence of drug distribution.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Fort Wayne Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which includes the FBI, the Indiana State Police, the Allen County Sheriff’s Department, and the Fort Wayne Police Department. Also assisting in the investigation were the Drug Enforcement Administration and the DEA’s North Central Laboratory. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey R. Speith.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was also 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.
Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 180 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Yesterday, Jonathon Buck Eason, 37 years old, of Fort Wayne Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly Brady after pleading guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
Eason was sentenced to 180 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, on October 22, 2022, Fort Wayne police officers responded to a 911 call for assistance. Upon arrival, they spoke to an individual who reported being battered and threatened with a firearm by Easton. When Officers located Easton at his residence, they recovered a firearm from his pocket. Based on a prior felony conviction, Easton was prohibited from possessing the firearm.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with assistance from the Fort Wayne Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey R. Speith.
This case was also 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.
Fort Myers Man Pleads Guilty to Pizza Shop Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Shadarien Lamarr Ward (22, Fort Myers) today pleaded guilty to interference with commerce by robbery, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Ward faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on the evening of September 1, 2024, Ward robbed a pizza shop near downtown Fort Myers at gunpoint, pistol-whipping an employee in the process. After grabbing the cash register drawer and approximately $700 in cash, Ward fled the area on foot. Though he was hooded and masked during the robbery, Ward was later identified by law enforcement after an extensive review of surveillance cameras in the area that tracked him to a nearby motel.
Ward, a registered sex offender, was wearing a GPS monitor at the time of the robbery as part of his state sex offender probation, which helped law enforcement retrace his steps leading up to and immediately following the robbery. Although he cut off his GPS monitor and absconded from supervision following the robbery, Ward was located and arrested at a North Fort Myers motel soon thereafter.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Fort Myers Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon Eth.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Former Riverside School Counselor Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Child Sexual Exploitation Crimes, Including Hiding Cameras in BathroomsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former counselor at a private school in Riverside County was sentenced today to 360 months in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and placing a hidden camera inside bathrooms to film boys using the toilet and showers.
Matthew Daniel Johnson, 34, of Bryan, Texas, was sentenced by United States District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett, who scheduled a restitution hearing for May 28. Upon his eventual release from prison, Johnson will be placed on lifetime supervised release. Johnson has been in federal custody since October 2024.
Law enforcement searched Johnson’s home in March 2020 and seized several videos featuring minor boys engaged in sexual activity. The videos depicted victims under the age of 12 and some as young as 3 to 5 years old.
During the search of his residence, Johnson admitted to law enforcement that he had hidden a pen-shaped recording device in a toilet paper holder inside of a school bathroom, across the hall from his office as a school counselor at La Sierra Academy in Riverside.
Another video file depicted Johnson adjusting a recording device inside a different bathroom at a Junior High School Bible Camp where he was working as a chaperone of children attending the camp. The video file subsequently captured minor boys using the toilet and the shower.
Johnson further admitted to using and employing a minor victim in January 2020 for the purpose of creating a visual depiction of the victim engaging in sexual conduct.
The Fontana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Riverside Police Department, and the FBI investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Sonah Lee of the Riverside Branch Office prosecuted this case.
Former Prison Guard Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Smuggle Drugs into Virginia PrisonRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Virginia man was sentenced yesterday for conspiring to distribute controlled substances and launder drug proceeds with co-conspirators in Massachusetts and Virginia.
Kenneth J. Owen, 24, of Charlotte Court House, Va., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 21 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In September 2024, Owen pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute MDMA and buprenorphine and two counts of money laundering conspiracy.
In December 2019 and January 2020, Owen conspired with Sathtra Em, a Lowell resident, and Michael Mao, an inmate at the Buckingham Correctional Center in Dillwyn, Va., to smuggle MDMA and buprenorphine in the form of Suboxone and generic Suboxone sublingual films into the prison. At the time, Owen was working as a correctional officer at Buckingham.
As part of the conspiracy, Em mailed the drugs to Owen’s residence and paid him $1,600 in bribes to deliver the drugs and other contraband to Mao in the prison. Mao then sold the smuggled drugs to other inmates at Buckingham and Em collected the drug debts on behalf of Mao in the same Cash App accounts she used to pay the bribes to Owen. Owen used a Cash App account with the name “Carlos” to receive the bribes from Em, and he cashed out the funds to his bank account within minutes of receiving them.
Em and Mao previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy. In August 2024, Em was sentenced to 21 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Mao was sentenced to 121 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, in November 2024.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Special assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations and the Virginia Department of Corrections. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak, III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Amrhein of the Asset Forfeiture Unit, prosecuted the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Former Navy Detective Sentenced to 15 Months for Using Unreasonable Force and Making a False StatementRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Jonathan Christopher LaRoche, a former detective with Naval Base San Diego Criminal Investigations Division, was sentenced in federal court today to 15 months in prison in connection with his use of a carotid restraint on a handcuffed Navy sailor to the point of unconsciousness and later grabbing the man by the throat and pushing his head against a wall.
LaRoche pleaded guilty in July 2024 to Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law in connection with the November 2023 incident of excessive force. He also admitted that he intentionally concealed his prior record of excessive force at the El Cajon Police Department in order to be hired as a detective by the Navy.
During the hearing, the Navy sailor – identified in court records only as G.D. – told the court that LaRoche had subjected him to “unimaginable pain, trauma, and brutality” and left him “feeling violated, discarded, and dehumanized.”
Before imposing sentence, U.S. District Judge John A. Houston told LaRoche that he “got a pass after three [excessive force] incidents with a local law enforcement agency” and then “lied your way into this job and set yourself up to harm someone else.” Judge Houston observed that the excessive force used by LaRoche against G.D. was “extraordinary conduct for someone with your law enforcement experience” and called it “disgusting, violent, and extremely disturbing.”
The defendant was ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons by April 21, 2025.
“The victim in this case was handcuffed, defenseless, and posed no threat—yet a sworn officer chose to violate his rights through violence,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “This office will hold accountable anyone who chooses to abuse their power at the expense of another’s rights.”
“Mr. LaRoche betrayed his oath as a law enforcement officer when he used excessive force on a sailor who was handcuffed and defenseless,” said Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Carter of the NCIS Southwest Field Office. “NCIS remains committed to fully investigating criminal behavior that threatens the safety of our warfighters and their families.”
As required by his plea agreement with the United States, LaRoche resigned from his position with the Criminal Investigations Division prior to the sentencing hearing. He is prohibited from seeking or applying for any position of employment with any law enforcement agency in the future.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Askins in coordination with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
DEFENDANT Case Number 24cr1431-JAH
Jonathan Christopher Laroche Age: 41 Spring Valley, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
False Statement – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1001
Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine
Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law (misdemeanor) – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 242
Maximum penalty: One year in prison and $100,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
Former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan Convicted on Federal Conspiracy and Bribery ChargesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal jury in Chicago today convicted former Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives MICHAEL J. MADIGAN on conspiracy and bribery charges for using his official position to corruptly solicit and receive personal financial rewards for himself and his associates.
Madigan, 82, of Chicago, was convicted on ten counts against him, including one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, four counts of using interstate facilities to promote unlawful activity, three counts of wire fraud, and two counts of bribery. The jury acquitted Madigan on four counts of using interstate facilities to promote unlawful activity, two bribery counts, and an attempted extortion count. U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey declared a mistrial on six other counts for which the jury did not reach a unanimous verdict – one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of wire fraud, one count of bribery, one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, and one count of using interstate facilities to promote unlawful activity.
The jury returned its verdicts against Madigan after a four-month trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. Each wire fraud count is punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, while each bribery count is punishable by up to ten years. The maximum for conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and each count of using interstate facilities to promote unlawful activity is five years.
Judge Blakey also declared a mistrial as to all six deadlocked counts against a co-defendant, MICHAEL F. MCCLAIN, 77, of Quincy, Ill. McClain was charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of wire fraud, one count of bribery, one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, and one count of using interstate facilities to promote unlawful activity.
Evidence at trial revealed that Madigan, who served as House Speaker and occupied a number of other political roles, conspired with others to cause the utility company Commonwealth Edison to make monetary payments to Madigan’s associates as a reward for their loyalty to Madigan, in return for performing little or no legitimate work for the business. The true nature of the payments was to influence and reward Madigan in connection with specific legislation ComEd sought in the Illinois General Assembly.
Madigan was also convicted of scheming to accept legal work unlawfully steered to his private law firm and his son by an Alderman of the Chicago City Council, in exchange for Madigan’s assistance in inducing the Governor of Illinois to appoint the Alderman to a compensated State Board position.
The verdicts were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amarjeet S. Bhachu, Diane MacArthur, Sarah E. Streicker, and Julia Schwartz.
Florence Doctor Sentenced for Distributing Oxycodone in “Sex for Scripts” SchemeRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, S.C. — David Carlos Rodriguez, Jr., 50, of Florence, was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to distributing Oxycodone outside the scope of medical practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.
Evidence presented to the court showed that Rodriguez provided 15 prescriptions for Oxycodone over an eight-month period to a patient who felt pressured to engage in sexual activity with the doctor to obtain the pills. In total, Rodriguez distributed more than 600 Oxycodone pills to the patient during the eight months. At one point, one of the prescriptions Rodriguez had written the patient was rejected by a pharmacy because the patient was taking Suboxone, and a patient should not be taking both Suboxone and Oxycodone. When Rodriguez was notified of the pharmacy’s refusal to fill the Oxycodone prescription, he responded by requesting the patient send him pictures of various body parts. He then sent a new Oxycodone prescription to a different pharmacy. Rodriguez pleaded guilty in August 2024.
“Medical providers should be a place of safety and healing, not criminal exploitation,” said U.S. Attorney Adair Ford Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. “This sentence underscores our commitment to prosecuting those who abuse the vulnerable regardless of their profession.”
Jae W. Chung, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division stated, “DEA investigators did remarkable work in uncovering this doctor’s unlawful acts. The DEA will continue to aggressively pursue healthcare providers who distribute outside the scope of medical practice and without a medical purpose.”
United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III sentenced Rodriguez to 57 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the South Carolina Department of Public Health. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Flynn and Lauren Hummel are prosecuting the case.
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Felon sentenced after hiding firearm under child’s mattressRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 34-year-old Laredo felon has been ordered to federal prison for possessing ammunition and firearms, one of which he hid under his son’s mattress, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Miguel Angel Ferreyro Jr. pleaded guilty June 20, 2024. He was also convicted in 2022 of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. As such, he was unable to possess weapons or ammunition per federal law. He was still on his term of supervised release when he was arrested on this case.
U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen has now ordered Ferreyro to serve 37 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
In imposing the sentence, the court commented about him leaving firearms in his child’s bedroom, calling it “crazy” and “insane.” He further noted the circumstances were “fraught with the risk of danger.”
Authorities arrived at Ferreyro’s residence Feb. 14, 2024, after learning there was a gun hidden there. At that time, they recovered three firearms, approximately 184 rounds of ammunition as well as three 30-round high-capacity rifle magazines and one rifle scope. They found one of the firearms, a Palmetto State Armory, Model Halloween-15, multi-caliber pistol, under the mattress of his 12-year-old son’s bed.
The rest of the items were found in the minor’s closet.
Forensic examination of Ferreyro’s cell phone revealed he instructed another one of his minor children to hide two of the firearms, one of which was loaded.
Ferreyro has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bryan Oliver and Ann Booth prosecuted the case.
Federal jury convicts Florida man of attempting to coerce minor for sex in Missoula undercover investigationRead the Press Release
MISSOULA — A federal jury today convicted a Florida man of attempting to coerce a minor for sex after he was arrested in Missoula in an undercover investigation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
After a three-day trial that began on Feb. 10, the jury found the defendant, Stevenson Metelus, 36, of Margate, Florida, guilty of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. Metelus faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison, a $250,000 fine and at least five years to a lifetime of supervised release.
U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for June 24. Metelus was released pending further proceedings.
“Metelus was a truck driver passing through Montana when he used social media to attempt to coerce a minor to have sex with him. The problem for him was he was unwittingly talking to an undercover law enforcement officer. This is the kind of critical work our office and our law enforcement partners are doing across the state to keep kids safe. Our work will continue, and it can only be done effectively due to the diligence, brilliance, and dedicated service of the people in our office and our law enforcement partners,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
The government alleged at trial and in court documents that in October 2023, an FBI special agent, using a persona identified as Child 1, posted on MegaPersonals an advertisement for prostitution services in Missoula, listed the age of Child 1 as “99” and a phone number at which to contact Child 1. Metelus responded to the ad on Nov. 16, 2023 and asked Child 1 what her “specials” were. Metelus spoke with Child 1, eventually negotiating a price and sexual acts to engage in with her. Child 1 noted she was a minor girl. Ultimately, Metelus asked Child 1 to meet him in his truck when he arrived, but Child 1 said she had a room at the hotel and would leave the door open for him. Child 1 then said that she could meet him at a nearby gas station when he expressed concern about the plan. The undercover FBI agent had confidential source call Metelus and, acting as Child 1, spoke briefly with him. The confidential source again told Metelus that she was a minor. The parties then confirmed their plans to meet. Shortly thereafter, Metelus texted Child 1 that he had arrived at the gas station, where law enforcement arrested him. Metelus eventually admitted to law enforcement his intention was to meet Child 1 for commercial sex.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force, Missoula Police Department and Missoula County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
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.
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Federal Inmate Sentenced to One Year for Possessing Methamphetamine in PrisonRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Marco Cota-Tamaura, 44, Oxford, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to one year and one day in federal prison for possessing methamphetamine in prison. Cota-Tamaura pleaded guilty to this charge on December 2, 2024.
On March 22, 2024, Cota-Tamaura was serving a prison sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Oxford, Wisconsin (FCI Oxford). During a drug test that day, he tested positive for methamphetamine and then prison staff found him in possession of methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is prohibited in federal prisons.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Conley expressed disappointment that Cota-Tamaura abused his placement at FCI Oxford after achieving a reduced security level during his current prison term. He noted that Cota-Tamaura’s possession of methamphetamine presented a grave risk to inmates and guards, and that this justified adding a year to Cota-Tamaura’s current sentence.
The charge against Cota-Tamaura was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Ayala prosecuted this case.
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Louisville Man for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, returned an indictment on February 4, 2025, charging a local man with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge A.J. Gibes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to the indictment, Emmett Morris, 28, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on July 29, 2024. Morris was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.
On January 14, 2022, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Morris was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree less than 10 dosage units of opiates, trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree under 2 grams of methamphetamine and convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
On January 21, 2016, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Morris was convicted of facilitation to murder, receiving a stolen firearm and 3 counts of robbery in the second degree.
On February 6, 2025, Morris made an initial court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. He remains in federal custody pending trial. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is being investigated by the LMPD and the ATF.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua R. Porter is prosecuting this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Federal Grand Juries in Bowling Green and Paducah Indict 5 Individuals for Immigration OffensesRead the Press Release
Bowling Green and Paducah, KY – Federal grand juries in Bowling Green and Paducah, Kentucky, returned indictments on February 11th and 12th, 2025, charging 5 individuals with illegal reentry after deportation or removal.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of Homeland Security Investigations, Nashville, and Sam Olson, Field Office Director for ERO Chicago, U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement made the announcement.
According to the indictments:
Julio Rodriguez Aguilar, age 33, a citizen of Honduras, was charged in Bowling Green with reentry after deportation or removal. On or about February 4, 2025, Aguilar was an alien found in the United States after having been denied admission, excluded, deported, and removed from the United States on or about July 8, 2016, October 26, 2018, and August 8, 2022. If convicted he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. This case is being investigated by HSI, ICE/ERO.
Antonio Pu-Us, age 39, a citizen of Guatemala, was charged in Bowling Green with reentry after deportation or removal. On or about January 6, 2025, Pu-Us was an alien found in the United States after having been denied admission, excluded, deported, and removed from the United States on or about April 24, 2014, and October 1, 2014. If convicted he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. This case is being investigated by HSI, ICE/ERO.
Edgar Agustin-Gil, age 35, a citizen of Mexico, was charged in Bowling Green with reentry after deportation or removal. On or about January 10, 2025, Agustin-Gil was an alien found in the United States after having been denied admission, excluded, deported, and removed from the United States on or about October 4, 2017. If convicted he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. This case is being investigated by HSI, ICE/ERO.
Jose Mayorga-Basurto, age 29, a citizen of Mexico, was charged in Bowling Green with reentry after deportation or removal. On or about January 28, 2025, Mayorga-Basurto was an alien found in the United States after having been denied admission, excluded, deported, and removed from the United States on or about May 30, 2015, and June 7, 2015. If convicted he faces a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison. This case is being investigated by HSI, ICE/ERO.
Deyvi Humberto Cruz-Guerra, age 30, a citizen of Guatemala, was charged in Paducah with reentry after deportation or removal. On or about November 30, 2024, Cruz-Guerra was an alien found in the United States after having been denied admission, excluded, deported, and removed from the United States on or about May 20, 2013, and October 8, 2021. If convicted he faces a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison. This case is being investigated by HSI, ICE/ERO.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
There is no parole in the federal system.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Dahl, Mark J. Yurchisin II, and Raymond McGee are prosecuting the cases.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Fayette County registered sex offender pleads guilty to sexually exploiting child, sharing sexual abuse material on dark webRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A registered sex offender pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court here today to sexually exploiting a minor and possessing child pornography.
Brian J. Roberts, 44, of Washington Court House, admitted to sharing child pornography of infants and toddlers and sexually abusing a young boy.
According to court documents, federal agents began investigating Roberts as a result of his activity across various dark web sites dedicated to the sexual abuse of children.
Roberts sexually exploited an approximately 3-year-old boy he had access to from November 2022 until August 2023 and uploaded videos and photos of the abuse. For example, one video titled Preview.mp4 showed more than three minutes of Roberts sexually abusing the child and ended with the words “NEXT TIME…POTTY FUN!”
The defendant uploaded 195 images to one dark web site, more than 100 of which focused on child sexual abuse of babies and toddlers as young as three weeks old.
Roberts was a twice-convicted sex offender at the time of his online conduct. He has prior convictions in Madison and Clark counties and, at the time of his arrest, had an active warrant in Highland County for telecommunications harassment toward a family member of the 3-year-old boy based on his alleged attempts to contact the child.
Sexually exploiting a minor is a federal crime punishable by 15 to 30 years in prison and possessing child pornography carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison. If the Court finds that Roberts’s prior conviction qualifies as a predicate offense, he will face 25 to 50 years in prison and 10 to 20 years in prison respectively.
Congress sets minimum and maximum statutory sentences and sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors at a future hearing.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Angie M. Salazar, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Detroit, announced the guilty plea entered today before Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.
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Eight Venezuelan Nationals Charged with Offenses Related to their Roles in a Transnational Commercial Sex EnterpriseRead the Press Release
A four-count indictment was unsealed yesterday in the Middle District of Tennessee charging eight defendants with various offenses arising from their respective roles in a transnational commercial sex enterprise.
According to court documents, the defendants, all of Venezuela, Yilibeth del Carmen Rivero-De Caldera, 51; Kleiver Daniel Mota-Rivero, 35; Yuribetzi Del Valle Gomez Machuca, 39; Wilmarys Del Valle Manzano Solorzano, 22; Frankyanna Del Valle Romero-Rivero, 30; Endrik Alexander Morales-Rivero, 25; Jesus Enrique Castillo Rodriguez, 24; and Ariannys Beatriz Gutierrez-Carrillo, 24, operated an illegal commercial sex and sex trafficking enterprise out of Nashville motels from July 2022 through March 2024.
According to the indictment, once the defendants facilitated the victims’ arrival in the United States, the defendants utilized online commercial sex websites to post advertisements for the victims and then used the internet and their cellular phones to direct commercial sex buyers to engage in commercial sex with the victims at the motels before collecting the proceeds from that commercial sex for the defendants’ benefit.
“This indictment demonstrates our commitment to stop human trafficking whenever and wherever we find it, and to hold those involved accountable” said Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee. “We are coming after transnational criminal organizations like TdA, but this case shows that we will also do whatever it takes to stop those who would traffick women and girls no matter who is behind their suffering.”
“The success of this operation to stop Tren da Aragua operating in our communities is a significant step forward in our ongoing battle against human trafficking and transnational organized crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Nashville. “This investigation exemplifies the importance of collaboration among local, state, and federal agencies in ending these crimes in our communities while leaving a trail of suffering in their wake.”
“We will not allow TdA – or any criminal organization – to get a stronghold in Tennessee,” said Director David Rausch of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. “We are thankful for our local, state, and federal partners who joined us in investigating this case, and we stand prepared to continue aggressively investigating human trafficking in our state, holding traffickers and buyers accountable and helping victims take their first steps toward becoming survivors.”
“Human trafficking is among the most heinous crimes the FBI encounters,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “This devastating crime exploits vulnerable members of communities nationwide, including those in Tennessee. The FBI and our partners are committed to rescuing victims, investigating and prosecuting traffickers, and supporting survivors.”
“While the focus of this investigation centers around human trafficking, Tren de Aragua is involved in all manner of criminal activity, to include the sale of narcotics and dangerous drugs,” said Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA)’s Louisville Division. “The dedicated men and women of DEA will continue to work side by side with our federal, state and local partners to rid our communities of the transnational criminal gangs, like TdA.”
“The trafficking of human beings is abhorrent to all of us, it’s a modern-day form of slavery,” said Chief John Drake of the Metro Nashville Police. “I want to be very clear, our police department will always make human trafficking an investigative priority regardless of where the suspects are from and will work with our partners for an intentional and coordinated law enforcement response.”
A grand jury in the Middle District of Tennessee previously returned the four-count indictment charging all eight defendants for their respective roles in facilitating the recruiting of young women from impoverished parts of Venezuela and other South and Central American countries, then facilitating their transportation across the U.S. southern border and across state lines to engage in commercial sex in the Nashville area.
Three of the defendants — Yilibeth del Carmen Rivero-De Caldera, Kleiver Daniel Mota-Rivero, and Yuribetzi Del Valle Gomez Machuca — are additionally charged with a sex trafficking conspiracy for conspiring to use force, fraud, and coercion to compel the women into engaging in commercial sex acts for the defendants’ profit that include invoking alleged ties to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) and its reputation for violence.
The indictment further charges defendant Kleiver Daniel Mota-Rivero with one count of possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.
Mother and son defendants Rivero-De Caldera and Mota-Rivero are charged with conspiring to impose a coercive debt scheme upon the victims to compel them to continue engaging in commercial sex acts until the defendants deemed their debts repaid. Defendants Rivero-De Caldera and Mota-Rivero previously were arrested and detained on state charges relating to their conduct.
If convicted of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, the defendants face a maximum penalty of life in prison. A conspiracy to commit interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and a conspiracy to commit interstate and foreign travel or transportation in aid of racketeering enterprises carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
If convicted of possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, Mota-Rivero also faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, and additional federal, state, and local Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) partners who coordinated related law enforcement operations across multiple jurisdictions. OCDEFT identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke K. Schiferle for the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorneys Lindsey Roberson and Jessica Arco of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888 which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Eight Venezuelan Nationals Charged with Offenses Related to their Roles in a Transnational Commercial Sex EnterpriseRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – A four-count indictment was unsealed yesterday in the Middle District of Tennessee charging eight defendants with various offenses arising from their respective roles in a transnational commercial sex enterprise.
According to court documents, the defendants, all of Venezuela, Yilibeth del Carmen Rivero-De Caldera, 51, Kleiver Daniel Mota-Rivero, 35, Yuribetzi Del Valle Gomez Machuca, 39, Wilmarys Del Valle Manzano Solorzano, 22, Frankyanna Del Valle Romero-Rivero, 30, Endrik Alexander Morales-Rivero, 25, Jesus Enrique Castillo Rodriguez, 24, Ariannys Beatriz Gutierrez-Carrillo, 24; operated an illegal commercial sex and sex trafficking enterprise out of Nashville motels from July 2022 through March 2024.
According to the indictment, once the defendants facilitated the victims’ arrival in the United States, the defendants utilized online commercial sex websites to post advertisements for the victims and then used the internet and their cellular phones to direct commercial sex buyers to engage in commercial sex with the victims at the motels before collecting the proceeds from that commercial sex for the defendants’ benefit.
“This indictment demonstrates our commitment to stop human trafficking whenever and wherever we find it, and to hold those involved accountable” said Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee. “We are coming after transnational criminal organizations like TdA, but this case shows that we will also do whatever it takes to stop those who would traffic women and girls no matter who is behind their suffering.”
“The success of this operation to stop Tren da Aragua operating in our communities is a significant step forward in our ongoing battle against human trafficking and transnational organized crime,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Nashville Rana Saoud. “This investigation exemplifies the importance of collaboration among local, state, and federal agencies in ending these crimes in our communities while leaving a trail of suffering in their wake.”
“We will not allow TdA – or any criminal organization – to get a stronghold in Tennessee,” said TBI Director David Rausch. “We are thankful for our local, state, and federal partners who joined us in investigating this case, and we stand prepared to continue aggressively investigating human trafficking in our state, holding traffickers and buyers accountable and helping victims take their first steps toward becoming survivors.”
“Human trafficking is among the most heinous crimes the FBI encounters,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “This devastating crime exploits vulnerable members of communities nationwide, including those in Tennessee. The FBI and our partners are committed to rescuing victims, investigating and prosecuting traffickers, and supporting survivors.”
“While the focus of this investigation centers around human trafficking, Tren de Aragua is involved in all manner of criminal activity, to include the sale of narcotics and dangerous drugs,” said Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Louisville Division. “The dedicated men and women of DEA will continue to work side by side with our federal, state and local partners to rid our communities of the transnational criminal gangs, like TdA.”
“The trafficking of human beings is abhorrent to all of us, it’s a modern-day form of slavery,” said Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake. “I want to be very clear, our police department will always make human trafficking an investigative priority regardless of where the suspects are from and will work with our partners for an intentional and coordinated law enforcement response.”
A grand jury in the Middle District of Tennessee previously returned the four-count indictment charging all eight defendants for their respective roles in facilitating the recruiting of young women from impoverished parts of Venezuela and other South and Central American countries, then facilitating their transportation across the U.S. southern border and across state lines to engage in commercial sex in the Nashville area.
Three of the defendants, Yilibeth del Carmen Rivero-De Caldera, Kleiver Daniel Mota-Rivero, and Yuribetzi Del Valle Gomez Machuca are additionally charged with sex trafficking conspiracy for conspiring to use force, fraud, and coercion to compel the women into engaging in commercial sex acts for the defendants’ profit that include invoking alleged ties to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) and its reputation for violence.
The indictment further charges defendant Kleiver Daniel Mota-Rivero with one count of possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.
Mother and son defendants Rivero-De Caldera and Mota-Rivero are charged with conspiring to impose a coercive debt scheme upon the victims to compel them to continue engaging in commercial sex acts until the defendants deemed their debts repaid. Defendants Rivero-De Caldera and Mota-Rivero previously were arrested and detained on state charges relating to their conduct.
If convicted of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, the defendants face a maximum penalty of life in prison. A conspiracy to commit interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and a conspiracy to commit interstate and foreign travel or transportation in aid of racketeering enterprises carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
If convicted of possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, Mota-Rivero also faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, the DEA, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, and additional federal, state, and local Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) partners who coordinated related law enforcement operations across multiple jurisdictions. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke K. Schiferle for the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorneys Lindsey Roberson and Jessica Arco of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888 which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Dominican National Charged with Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A federal grand jury indicted a Dominican national for attempting to sell five pounds of methamphetamine.
Edwin Tomas Arias Ubri, 27, living in Amesbury, Mass. was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Arias Ubri is expected to be arraigned in federal court in Boston on Feb. 27, 2025.
On Jan. 14, 2025, over a text exchange, Arias Ubri allegedly agreed to supply five pounds of methamphetamine to a confidential source. According to court records, Arias Ubri was observed departing the area of the confidential sources’ residence, and was subsequently stopped by law enforcement. During a search of his vehicle a white shopping bag was allegedly located that contained approximately five pounds of a crystalline substance. According to court documents, Arias Ubri entered the country illegally in 2022.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, five years and up to life of supervised release, and a fine of up to $10,000,000. The defendant will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of an imposed sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Stephen D. Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Amesbury, Salem, and Melrose, Massachusetts Police Departments and the Salem, New Hampshire Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney John O. Wray of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Corning sex offender pleads guilty to new child pornography chargesRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Ryan M. Newman, 33, of Corning, NY, pleaded guilty to production of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Meredith A. Vacca. As a convicted sex offender at the time of his crimes, Newman faces an enhanced minimum penalty of 25 years in prison, of maximum penalty of 50 years, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that Newman was convicted of child pornography crimes by New York State in 2012, sentenced to serve a local jail term and 10 years’ probation, and required to register as a Level 3 Sex Offender, which is someone considered to be at high risk of re-offending and a threat to public safety.
In January 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a report from Snapchat that a user had uploaded a video of child pornography. NCMEC sent the tip to the New York State Police, who executed a search warrant on Newman’s person and residence in 2022. The search determined that Newman uploaded the child pornography video to Snapchat and possessed other child pornography on his electronic devices. Newman remained out of custody following the 2022 search warrant by the State Police. In April 2024, the FBI Corning received a tip that pornography involving a child in the Corning area, was distributed to an undercover agent in Illinois. Subsequent investigation determined that Newman sexually abused the child and produced the child pornography. Newman was taken into custody by the FBI and Corning Police.
Newman is also charged in Steuben County Court.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Corning Office, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, and the Corning Police Department, under the direction of Chief Kenzie Spaulding.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 11, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Vacca.
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