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5 February 2025
Morgantown Sex Offender Sentenced to 10 Years After Traveling to Mexico to Purchase ChildRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Scott David Bixler, 43, of Morgantown, West Virginia, was sentenced to the statutory maximum sentence of 120 months imprisonment for failing to update his sex offender registration. Bixler will serve a lifetime of supervision following his prison sentence.
Bixler is a convicted sex offender and is required to register under the Sex Offender Registration Act (SORNA) for life. As part of his registration obligations, he is required to report any international travel. In July of 2023, Bixler fled to Mexico shortly before he was scheduled to appear in state court for sentencing related to criminal convictions for failure to register as a sex offender under West Virginia law.
When Bixler and his spouse were arrested in Mexico, they possessed two pellet guns, methamphetamine, a cell phone jammer, and a large amount of cash. The investigation also revealed that the Bixlers were attempting to purchase a young girl while in Mexico. Fortunately, Mexican authorities thwarted the plan and arrested the couple.
“The sentence handed down by the Court ensures that the Defendant will be confined in prison for the maximum time allowed by law,” said Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard. “I shudder to think what might have happened but for the dedication of AUSA Perri, the federal and state law enforcement agencies, as well as the Mexican authorities. Our community and children are safer because of their efforts and the sentence imposed.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Perri prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The FBI, the U.S. Marshals Services, and the West Virginia State Police investigated this case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Montgomery Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Ala. – Today, Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced the sentencing of a Montgomery, Alabama man for producing child sexual abuse material. On January 30, 2025, a federal judge ordered 49-year-old Cleveland Dewayne Chambers to serve 240 months in prison. The judge also ordered that Chambers remain on supervised release for seven years following his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to Chamber’s plea agreement and other court records, in July 2022, law enforcement in Pennsylvania were conducting a child exploitation investigation on an individual in the City of Eaton. Investigators in that case discovered electronic communications leading them to suspect Chambers was also involved in producing or sharing illegal images of children. Further investigation revealed that, from March 2022 through July 2022, Chambers communicated with a woman in St. Louis, Missouri, directing her to create images and videos of sexually explicit conduct with her two-year-old child. Chambers would then share and distribute the images and videos to others using a messaging application on his cellphone.
“Protecting children from exploitation is one of law enforcement’s most important responsibilities,” stated Acting United States Attorney Davidson. “Producing and trading in child sexual abuse material is an incredibly tragic crime that robs children of their innocence and inflicts long lasting harm. While all child sexual exploitation is unacceptable, the sexual abuse of a two-year-old is absolutely reprehensible. I applaud the efforts of all the agencies involved in this case for stopping Chamber’s criminal activity before more children were victimized.”
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. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) investigated this case, with assistance from the Montgomery Police Department and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Assistant United States Attorney Tara S. Ratz prosecuted the case.
Missouri Man Guilty of Travelling to Louisiana for Illicit Sexual Conduct with Twelve-Year-Old GirlRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ERIC CHARLES FULLER (“FULLER”), age 54, from Springfield, Missouri, pled guilty on February 4, 2025, before United States District Judge Greg Gerard Guidry, to interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(b).
According to court documents, on or about December 7, 2023, law enforcement personnel, operating undercover online and pretending to be a twenty-nine-year-old mother with a twelve-year-old daughter, met FULLER on a social network and messaging application. Over approximately the next month, on numerous occasions, FULLER discussed his interest in engaging in various sexual acts with the “mother” and daughter.” These discussions culminated in FULLER making arrangements to travel from his residence in Springfield, Missouri, to the New Orleans, Louisiana area to engage in sexual contact, individually and collectively, with the ”mother” and “daughter.” During his conversations, FULLER described the contact he anticipated as “highly taboo,” “highly illegal,” “risky,” “not the worst way to be,” and “a way to have a happier life.” FULLER drove from Springfield, Missouri on about January 11, 2024, and arrived at a predetermined location in Mandeville, Louisiana, on January 12, 2024, in order to engage in sexual conduct with the individual FULLER believed to be a twelve-year-old female.
FULLER faces a maximum term of imprisonment of thirty (30) years. FULLER also faces at least five (5) years, and up to a lifetime of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. FULLER may also be required to register as a sex offender. Sentencing before Judge Guidry has been scheduled for May 13, 2025.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, is in charge of the prosecution.
Midwest City Man Sentenced to Serve 160 Months in Federal Prison for Manufacturing Crack Cocaine and Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – ANTONIO LARINGO KNOX, 53, of Midwest City, has been sentenced to serve more than 13 years in federal prison for manufacturing cocaine base, commonly known as crack cocaine, and illegal possession of firearms after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On January 17, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a Superseding Indictment against Knox, charging him with manufacturing cocaine base and being a felon in possession of firearms, amongst other charges. On November 7, 2024, following a two-day trial, a federal jury convicted Knox of these two charges. According to evidence presented at trial, on September 12, 2023, Oklahoma City Police Department officers executed a search warrant at Mr. Knox’s home, where they found cocaine base, razor blades, digital scales, ammunition, and firearms. Mr. Knox admitted to manufacturing the cocaine base that was recovered.
At the sentencing hearing on January 31, 2025, U.S. District Judge Stephen P. Friot sentenced Knox to serve 160 months in federal prison, followed by 8 years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge Friot noted the nature and circumstances of the offense, along with Knox’s criminal history. Public record reflects that Knox’s criminal history includes convictions in Oklahoma County District Court for conspiring to distribute a controlled dangerous substance in case number CF-2004-3693 and possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm after a previous felony conviction in case number CF-2006-6617.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Hoch and Matthew Anderson prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Middlesex County Man Charged with Participating in Multimillion-Dollar Overbilling Scheme; Two Co-Conspirators Have Pleaded GuiltyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Middlesex County man was charged with participating in a conspiracy to defraud Williams-Sonoma, Inc. and another national transportation and logistics company through overbilling for trucking services, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced.
Jose Pena, 46, of Monroe Township, New Jersey was charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Pena owned and operated a trucking firm that subcontracted with a national transportation and logistics company (referred to in the Complaint as “Company-1”) to provide delivery services in the New Jersey/New York metropolitan area for Williams-Sonoma, Inc., a publicly-traded home goods company, out of Williams-Sonoma’s distribution center in Cranbury, New Jersey. From approximately June 2018 through September 2020, Pena conspired with others who worked at Williams-Sonoma and Company-1, among others, to overbill the victim companies for over $3.6 million in fabricated deliveries and services that Pena and his firm did not complete. In exchange for his co-conspirators’ participation in the scheme, Pena paid to them lavish kickbacks, including cash, checks, a sport utility vehicle, and a Rolex watch.
After an internal audit revealed the fraud and the victim companies no longer wished to contract with Pena, Pena hid his interest in another trucking firm that contracted directly with Williams-Sonoma in September 2021. Pena continued to work with a subset of his co-conspirators to overbill Williams-Sonoma for fabricated deliveries through June 2024, resulting in nearly $1 million in additional losses to Williams-Sonoma.
Two of Pena’s co-conspirators, Raymond DeLeon and Cintia Elaxcar, pleaded guilty last month for participating in this conspiracy in their capacities as former employees of Company-1.
Raymond DeLeon, 38, of Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on January 3, 2025 before Judge Zahid N. Quraishi in Trenton federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. DeLeon worked as an operations general manager for Company-1 and received over $200,000 in kickback payments in exchange for his role in causing the fraudulent billing requests to be submitted to the victim companies.
Cintia Elaxcar, 40, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on January 15, 2025 before Judge Quraishi in Trenton federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Elaxcar worked as a billing and dispatch manager for Company-1 and received over $435,000 in kickback payments in exchange for her role in causing the fraudulent billing requests to be submitted to the victim companies.
The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud – which Pena is charged with and which DeLeon and Elaxcar have each pleaded guilty to – carries a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison. It also carries a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.
Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents of the United States Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron Hatley, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Stern of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel:
Michael Critchley, Esq. for Pena
Nicholas Moschella, Esq. for DeLeon
Maria Noto, Esq. for Elaxcar
pena.complaint.pdf elaxcar.information.pdf deleon.information.pdfMichigan man sentenced to 20 years in prison for traveling to sexually abuse a minor who he removed from home in Washington and took back to MichiganRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 31-year-old South Haven, Michigan, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 20-years in prison for traveling with intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor and enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Keith Daniel Freerksen was arrested in South Haven Township on January 31, 2024, following an investigation that stretched from western Washington to Michigan.
At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Tana Lin noted the trauma inflicted on the victim and the victim’s family. For 30 days they searched for the victim, even calling every morgue in Washington State with fear their child was dead. Judge Lin said the victim, “Will continue to suffer trauma and pain.”
“What happened in this case is every parent’s nightmare – a predator comes into the home via social media and computer screens and manipulates your child to run away,” said U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. “This defendant secreted a child away, leaving a distraught family searching desperately for their loved one. When the victim should have been involved in normal teenage activities, the teen was instead manipulated and ensnared by the defendant.”
According to records filed in the case, the 14-year-old went missing on January 5, 2024. A local police detective requested help from the FBI. An agent who specializes in Violent Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking investigations occurring in Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, Island, and San Juan counties quickly assisted.
By analyzing information on Uber rides that had been purchased for the victim by an unknown person, law enforcement was able to identify Freerksen, a registered sex offender in Michigan, as a potential suspect. Using information on Freerksen’s registered vehicle, they were able to trace his movement across the northern tier of states using license plate readers. The readers also captured Freerksen’s return trip through Idaho and Illinois in the days after the teen went missing.
When the police in South Haven Township served a search warrant at the request of the FBI, they recovered the victim and arrested Freerksen. He was ultimately transported to Western Washington and has been detained at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac.
In asking for the 20-year sentence Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson wrote to the court, “It is very alarming that neither of Freerksen’s family members intervened when he returned home with the then fourteen-year-old victim in tow. Freerksen was undeterred by his previous sex offense conviction, corresponding imprisonment, and registration obligation. The rapid recidivism between Freerksen’s release from prison following child pornography offenses and the dedicated months he spent manipulating and enticing (the victim) is evidence he is either unwilling or unable to refrain from sexually abusing minors.”
The victim’s parents thanked law enforcement for finding and rescuing their child. The victim’s mother said, “I never imagined a predator would travel across the country to steal (my child).”
The twenty-year sentence will run concurrent with a fifteen-to-seventy-year indeterminate state sentence in Michigan. Freerksen will serve his time in the federal prison system. Judge Lin ordered twenty years of supervised release to follow prison. Freerksen will once again have to register as a sex offender.
The case was investigated by the Mount Vernon Police Department, FBI Seattle, and the Van Buren County, Michigan Sheriff’s Office and Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.
Member of deadly human smuggling ring sent to prisonRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 28-year-old Roma man has been sentenced for conspiring to smuggle illegal aliens resulting in multiple deaths, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Jose Refugio Torres pleaded guilty Sept. 27, 2023, admitting he conspired to transport illegal aliens from the Rio Grande Valley to destinations within the United States.
U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera has now imposed a 36-month-term of imprisonment to be immediately followed by one year of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the severity of human smuggling involving death and admonished Torres that should he ever return to the smuggling business, he could be facing potential life in federal prison.
“As this case sadly demonstrates, human smuggling is a crime that takes lives and puts the public at risk,” said Ganjei. “Securing the border is the Southern District of Texas’ number one priority, and breaking up these smuggling rings is a key component of that. We will continue to use all available resources to aggressively pursue those that flout our immigration laws and put profit ahead of human lives.”
“Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is dedicated to collaborating with our law enforcement partners to ensure the safety and security of citizens across all communities in the United States,” said HSI San Antonio Special Agent in Charge, Craig Larrabee. “We will remain focused on investigating and dismantling transnational criminal organizations that jeopardize the well-being of individuals.”
Jose Refugio Torres was involved in the attempted smuggling of illegal aliens in March 2019 by motor vehicle from the Rio Grande Valley to destinations within the United States. During this failed attempt in Duval County, a vehicle rolled over and caused the deaths of four people with serious injuries to six others.
The victims included citizens of Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Ecuador as well as a 17-year-old boy from Ecuador.
Torres was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
HSI conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol; Coast Guard; Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations; police departments in Port Mansfield and South Padre Island; Texas Rangers; Texas Game Wardens; sheriff’s offices in Kenedy, Duval and Willacy Counties; and the Willacy County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jose E. Arreola Jr. and Jose Esquivel Jr. prosecuted the case.
Maryland man convicted of supplying cocaine and fentanyl to Fredericksburg drug traffickerRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Maryland man today of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride, over 40 grams of fentanyl, and a detectable amount of p-fluorofentanyl.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, from at least July 1, 2022, through June 8, 2023, Sean Shaka Myles Sr., 50, of Baltimore, supplied Omar Jermel Dixon, 48, of Fredericksburg, with cocaine, fentanyl and p-fluorofentanyl, which Dixon then supplied to a number of individuals for redistribution in and around Fredericksburg.
Myles faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison when sentenced on June 18. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; Ibrar A. Mian, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; and Jason S. Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge David J. Novak accepted the verdict. The Fredericksburg Regional Narcotics Task Force assisted in the investigation of this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia L. Norman and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Gilliland, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office are prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-95.
Madison Carrig Imprisoned for Employer EmbezzlementsRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office announced that Madison Carrig, 30, of Whitehall, New York, was sentenced yesterday in United States District Court in Burlington to four months of imprisonment following her guilty plea to charges of access device fraud. Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss ordered that Carrig pay restitution in the amount of $141,000 and serve three years of supervised release following completion of her prison term. The court ordered Carrig to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on March 18 to begin serving her sentence.
Last July, the United States Attorney filed an information charging Carrig with two counts of access device fraud. Carrig pleaded guilty to the information this past August. According to the information, beginning in September 2022 and continuing until February 2023, Carrig was employed as the office manager of two automobile dealerships located in central Vermont. In that capacity, Carrig supervised all accounting activities at both dealerships. Among other things, she had authority to sign checks, initiate wire transfers and make deposits to the dealerships’ bank account. She also possessed a company credit card and was authorized to use the credit card to make business-related purchases. Between February 2023 and November 27, 2023, Carrig was employed as the controller of a third Vermont automobile dealership, in Rutland. She had authority to sign checks, initiate wire transfers and make deposits to the dealership’s bank account. She also possessed a company credit card and was authorized to use the credit card to make business-related purchases.
In the course of her employment, Carrig defrauded the three dealerships of approximately $140,000. She did this by embezzling cash receipts received from customers of the dealerships. She also misused company credit cards to purchase goods and services for her own use and benefit.
This case was investigated by the Vermont State Police.
Carrig is represented by Natasha Sen, Esq. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.
Lycoming County Man Charged with Child Exploitation CrimesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Christopher Stout, age 48, a resident of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, was indicted on February 4, 2025, by a federal grand jury with production of child pornography, online enticement, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that Stout used the internet and an electronic device to persuade and coerce a minor to engage in sexual conduct and to produce child pornography. The indictment also alleges that on or about July 28, 2024, Stout received child pornography and on August 23, 2024, Stout possessed child pornography.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations –Philadelphia-RAC Williamsport, the Hughesville Borough Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Lycoming County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Tatum R. Wilson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
The maximum penalty under federal law for the crimes charged in the Indictment is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Leader of Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 21 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A Honduran national was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio today to 262 months in prison for his role as a leader of a drug trafficking organization.
According to court documents, Marco Antonio Morales-Perez, 51, along with Pablo Torres-Zaragoza aka Jose Juan Zaragoza-Cardenas, 42, of Mexico, continued to lead an organization that trafficked methamphetamine and heroin to San Antonio and other areas of south Texas while they were both incarcerated at the Great Plains Correctional Institution in Hinton, Oklahoma on prior federal charges. Morales-Perez and Torres-Zaragoza used contraband cell phones that had been smuggled into the facility by drone to facilitate, broker and coordinate narcotics deliveries, relying on various contacts, acquaintances and intermediaries to ultimately accomplish the deliveries. Ultimately, more than 160 kgs of methamphetamine and 12 kgs of heroin was seized as part of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s investigative efforts.
“The significant sentences of these two leaders of this sophisticated drug trafficking organization sends a strong message that we are equipped to investigate and infiltrate complex organizations to hold accountable those at the highest levels who are having dangerous drugs delivered to our community,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “I’d also like to thank the many local law enforcement agencies along with state and federal partners who have provided the essential investigative support to help prosecute these drug traffickers.”
Torres-Zaragoza was sentenced Dec. 4, 2024 to 262 months in federal prison. Five additional co-defendants indicted alongside Morales-Perez have also been sentenced. Jesus Alfredo Palacios was sentenced to 150 months in prison; Juan Del Hoyo was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment; Manuel Montoya received a 34-month prison sentence; Jose Adam Alejandre-Navarro was sentenced to 108 months; and Israel Villegas Alcantar received a federal prison sentence of 47 months.
The DEA investigated the case with valuable assistance from San Antonio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA), the San Antonio Police Department, Bexar County Sheriff's Office, Great Plains Correctional Facility, Hollywood Park Police Department, Castle Hills Police Department, Live Oak Police Department, Leon Valley Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Houston Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Fuchs prosecuted the case.
This case resulted from the work 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.
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Lawton Man Sentenced to Serve Life in Federal Prison for Murder After Woman's Body is Found in Wildlife RefugeRead the Press Release
Co-Defendant Previously Sentenced to Serve 96 Months for Accessory After the Fact to Murder
OKLAHOMA CITY – TEVIN TERRELL SEMIEN, 30, of Lawton, has been sentenced to serve life in federal prison for second-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to public record, on May 17, 2023, Karon “Dinkers” Conneywerdy Smith, 68, was found dead in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Investigators searched Smith’s home, which was within Indian Country, and observed blood consistent with a violent struggle. Smith’s vehicle was missing as well. On May 21, 2023, Texas law enforcement observed Smith’s vehicle driving south of Dallas, Texas. Officers attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the vehicle fled at a high speed and eventually crashed into a lake. The two occupants of the vehicle, later identified as Semien and Nicole Leigh Logsdon, attempted to flee on foot but were apprehended.
On October 17, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a four-count Indictment against Semien and co-defendant Nicole Leigh Logsdon, 25, also of Lawton. The Indictment charged Semien with one count of first-degree premeditated murder, one alternative count of second-degree murder, and one count of illegally possessing a firearm after a previous felony conviction. Logsdon was separately charged with accessory after the fact to murder.
On April 22, 2024, Semien pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm. As part of his plea, Semien admitted to deliberately and intentionally killing Smith.
On January 10, 2024, Logsdon pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to murder and admitted to helping Semien in his attempt to avoid arrest and prosecution. On July 15, 2024, Logsdon was sentenced to serve 96 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
At the sentencing hearing on February 3, 2025, U.S. District Judge Stephen P. Friot sentenced Semien to serve life in federal prison. In announcing his sentence, Judge Friot noted the nature and circumstances of the offense, pointing out that Semien’s choices and conduct amounted to an “unfathomably cruel and depraved murder.” Judge Friot also noted Semien’s criminal history. Public record further reflects that Semien has previous felony convictions which include burglary in Jefferson County, Texas, and conspiracy to commit second degree burglary in Comanche County District Court case number CF-2022-292.
This case is in federal court because Smith and Logsdon are enrolled members of the Comanche Nation and the murder occurred within Indian Country.
This case is a result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City, Dallas, and New Orleans field offices; the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Comanche Nation Police Department; the Comanche County Sheriff’s Office; the Lawton Police Department; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Rice, Texas Police Department; and the Navarro County, Texas Sheriff’s Office. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaleigh Blackwell and Trial Attorney Mark Stoneman with DOJ’s Criminal Division (former AUSA with the Western District of Oklahoma) prosecuted the case.
The case furthers the Department of Justice’s Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons efforts to address violence against Native American individuals. More information about this initiative is at https://www.justice.gov/tribal/mmip.
Reference is made to public filings for more information.
Jury convicts a man of possessing 80 grams of meth for distributionRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On Jan. 28, a federal jury found a Jensen Beach man guilty of possession with intent to distribute meth.
On June 14, 2023, law enforcement officers stopped Otis Furman Crabbe, III, 54, of Jensen Beach, Fla., because of the dark window tinting of his white Mercedes Benz sedan, while he was driving in downtown Stuart, Fla. Crabbe told the officers that he was partially blind and that he needed the dark tinting due to light sensitivity. The law enforcement officers conducted a canine inspection of Crabbe’s vehicle and discovered a suitcase in his trunk containing approximately 80 grams of methamphetamine.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled on April 17 at 11:30 a.m. Crabbe faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Division and Sheriff John Budensiek, of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), made the announcement.
The HSI Fort Pierce Field Office and MCSO investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Breezye Telfair prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-14037.
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Jefferson Parish Man Sentenced for Federal Gun and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JAZZ GILDS (“GILDS”), age 39, a resident of Jefferson Parish, was sentenced on January 30, 2025, by United States District Judge Wendy B. Vitter, after previously pleading guilty to Counts 1 and 3 of a 3-count indictment. Count 1 charged him with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C). Count 3 charged him with being a felon in possession of firearms, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).
GILDS was sentenced to 108 months’ imprisonment as to Counts 1 and 3 of the indictment, to run concurrently. Judge Vitter also ordered GILDS be placed on supervised release for 3 years and pay a $200 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court documents, GILDS became involved in a physical altercation with two individuals at a Jefferson Parish hotel before fleeing in a stolen vehicle. Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office deputies later apprehended GILDS, who had attempted to flee on foot. A search of the vehicle uncovered a Ruger Model P942 .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol, and a stolen Anderson Manufacturing Model AM-15, 5.56x45 millimeter caliber semi-automatic rifle. Additionally, during a search of GILDS’s hotel room, deputies seized illegal narcotics and ammunition.
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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Troy Bell of the Violent Crime Unit.
Jacksonville Convicted Child Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Entice A 13-Year-Old to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Jeremy Wayne Leggett (38, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a child to engage in sexual activity. Leggett faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison, and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. Leggett is a registered child sex offender, having been previously convicted in Florida in 2020 of traveling to meet a minor to commit an unlawful sexual offense and transmitting harmful materials to a minor. Leggett was arrested on June 19, 2023, and has been in custody since then. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 28, 2025.
According to court documents, on June 16, 2023, an undercover FBI agent (UC) in the Jacksonville area, posing as a minor child, was working online in a particular social media application (app) to identify individuals seeking to contact and engage in sexual activity with children. The UC engaged in an online conversation with an app user “dAddi” who posted a notice in a public chatroom that read “Lookingfor[under 18 emoji] wannaspoiladaughter.” During this online conversation, user “dAddi,” who was subsequently identified as Leggett, was advised that the “child” was 13 years old. Leggett asked if the “child” “[l]ike[d] older men,” and sent the “child” a photo of himself. After more conversation, Leggett suggested that they meet in person for sexual activity, and he sent the “child” an explicit photo of himself. On June 17, 18, and 19, 2023, Leggett reinitiated text messages with the UC and continued attempting to persuade the “child” to meet for sex and to send him sexually suggestive photos.
On June 19, 2023, Leggett and the “child” made arrangements to meet at a location in Jacksonville. Later that evening, Leggett went to the agreed-upon location and drove around the parking lot for about 30 minutes. When law enforcement officers attempted to make contact with Leggett, he quickly reversed his vehicle and fled the scene. A short time later, officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and FBI agents located Leggett at a home in Jacksonville and he was arrested.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
International Arms Dealer Charged with Exporting U.S. Firearms to RussiaRead the Press Release
Earlier today, an indictment was filed in federal court in Brooklyn charging Sergei Zharnovnikov, an arms dealer and citizen of Kyrgyzstan, with conspiring to export firearms from the United States to Russia without the necessary licenses and with illegal smuggling. Zharnovnikov traveled from Kyrgyzstan to the United States last month and was arrested on January 24, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he was attending the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show to meet with U.S. arms dealers. Zharnovnikov has been detained pending trial and will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date.
John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Devin DeBacker, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) and Jonathan Carson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field Office (BIS-OEE), announced the arrest and charges.
“As alleged, the defendant operated a sophisticated scheme to circumvent export controls and to export semi-automatic firearms and send them to Russia,” stated United States Attorney Durham. “Today’s indictment sends a message to the world that we will vigorously enforce statutes that control and restrict the export of items that could be detrimental to the foreign policy or national security of the United States, in this case, preventing U.S.-made firearms from getting into the wrong hands.”
Mr. Durham thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada for its assistance with the case.
“Violations of export control laws carry significant consequences for perpetrators in the U.S. and abroad,” said DeBacker, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to working with our partners to hold accountable those who violate our laws to smuggle firearms to prohibited destinations such as Russia.”
“Attempting to illegally sell arms to Russia using multiple companies may seem like a method to evade United States sanctions, it is however a definite way to end up under arrest. Sergei Zharnovnikov is alleged to have knowingly conspired with others to violate the export control laws of the United States to provide U.S made firearms to Russian companies. The FBI will continue to enforce the export control laws enacted to safeguard our national security,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy.
“The Bureau of Industry and Security is committed to aggressively investigating the illegal transshipment of US firearms to adversaries like Russia through third countries,” said BIS-OEE Special Agent in Charge Carson. “Companies that provide false information to BIS to obtain export authorizations to circumvent our controls will be found out and held accountable.”
As alleged in the indictment and other court filings, since at least March 2020, the defendant, together with others, conspired to export firearms on the United States DOC Control List from the U.S. to Russia. The defendant, the General Director and owner of an arms dealer located in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyzstan Company-1), entered into a five-year, $900,000 contract with a company located in Chesapeake, Virginia (U.S. Company‑1) to purchase and export U.S. Company-1 firearms to Kyrgyzstan. DOC issued a license for U.S. Company-1 to export firearms to Kyrgyzstan Company-1, but the license prohibited the export or re-export of the firearms to Russia. Nevertheless, the defendant exported and re-exported U.S. Company‑1 firearms to Russia via Kyrgyzstan. These illegally exported firearms included semi‑automatic hybrid rifle-pistols from U.S. Company-1.
As alleged, after Kyrgyzstan Company-1 entered into a contract with U.S. Company-1, a second arms dealer company in Bishkek associated with the defendant (Kyrgyzstan Company-2) entered a contract with a Russian arms dealer (Russian Company-1) located in Moscow. The contract between Russian Company-1 and Kyrgyzstan Company-2 provided that Kyrgyzstan Company‑2 would export “Goods” to Russian Company-1 in the amount of $10 million and noted that the “Goods” could be delivered in batches. In correspondence in 2018, Russian Company-1 described the defendant’s company, Kyrgyzstan Company-1, as its “partner company.”
On or about February 3, 2021, U.S. Company-1 received an export license from DOC to export over $800,000 worth of firearms and parts to Kyrgyzstan Company-1. The license stated that items within the scope of the license “may not be reexported or transferred (in-country),” subject to certain exceptions not applicable here.
On or about July 2, 2022, the defendant emailed his banker: “Make payment according to the invoice attached to the letter,” and attached a commercial invoice from U.S. Company-1, which listed, among other things, 25 semi-automatic rifle-pistols with 25 unique serial numbers. Two days later, on or about July 4, 2022, Kyrgyzstan Company‑2, sent $67,000 to Kyrgyzstan Company-1. The next day, on or about July 5, 2022, Kyrgyzstan Company‑1 paid U.S. Company-1 $65,564—the full amount listed in the invoice from U.S. Company-1.
According to an Electronic Export Information (EEI) made on July 7, 2022, Company-1 exported semi-automatic rifles from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Kyrgyzstan Company-1 pursuant to its February 3, 2021 export license on or about July 10, 2022. According to the EEI filing, the value of the export from U.S. Company-1 to Kyrgyzstan Company-1 was over $59,000. The EEI filing’s corresponding license application indicated that the firearms were for “commercial resale in Kyrgyzstan.”
On or about August 8, 2022, the defendant received a spreadsheet titled “Supply [U.S. Company-1] ([Russian Company-1]) weapon numbers.” Russian Company-1 is a Russian company, and the DOC license did not authorize the export or re-export of the U.S. Company-1 firearms to Russia. The spreadsheet listed the same semi-automatic rifle-pistol the defendant purchased from U.S. Company-1 and serial numbers matching the U.S. Company‑1 Invoice.
On or about November 14, 2022, the General Director of Russian Company‑1 executed a form used by tax authorities of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union, which includes both Kyrgyzstan and Russia. The form listed the seller as Kyrgyzstan Company‑2 and the buyer as Russian Company-1 with an address in Moscow, Russia, and identified the goods as the same semi‑automatic rifle‑pistols that U.S. Company-1 exported to Kyrgyzstan Company‑1, the defendant’s company. The defendant did not apply for, obtain or possess a license to export or re-export the semi‑automatic pistol-rifles to Russia.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of the charges, the defendant faces up to 30 years’ imprisonment.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorney Ellen H. Sise is in charge of the prosecution, along with Trial Attorney Leslie Esbrook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES), with assistance from Litigation Analyst Rebecca Roth and CES Trial Attorney Scott Claffee.
The case was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions and economic countermeasures that, beginning in 2014, the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the Department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.
The Defendant:
SERGEI ZHARNOVNIKOV
Age: 46
Bishkek, KyrgyzstanE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-45 (ENV)
25-cr-45_-_indictment.pdfInmate Sentenced to More than Four Years in Prison on Assault ChargeRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge sentenced a federal inmate for assaulting a corrections officer, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples.
U.S. District Court Judge R. David Proctor sentenced Christopher McCallum to 51 months in prison based on his September 2024 guilty plea to assault of an officer.
According to the plea agreement, McCallum was a federal inmate of the Bureau of Prisons at FCI Talladega, serving a sentence for a previous federal conviction. On February 29, 2024, McCallum became disruptive, walked toward the staff with clinched fists, and ultimately assaulted a female corrections officer. McCallum punched her in the head and upper torso area. The corrections officer sustained multiple injuries.
FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Felton prosecuted the case.
Indy Man Sentenced to 3 Years Probation for Manufacturing and Mailing 30,000 Fake IDsRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS— James Watt, 26, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 3 years of probation after pleading guilty to unlawful production of document or authentication feature and money laundering.
According to court documents, between March 13, 2019, and February 16, 2023, James Watt worked for a public website that allowed customers to purchase fake driver’s licenses, paid for mostly by Bitcoin. The website’s tag line boasted “Your #1 Trusted Source for Fake IDs.”
Over the course of four years, Watt manufactured more than 30,000 fraudulent driver’s licenses and other forms of false identification. Customers would upload photos of themselves and an address to which to send the new I.D. Watt then mailed the false identifications via U.S. Postal Service collection boxes throughout Indianapolis, usually late at night to avoid detection.
In exchange for this work, Watt was paid more than 14 Bitcoin. As of January 16, 2025, 14 bitcoin was worth more than $1.3 million.
Although many of the fake IDs were purchased by underage college students, many IDs were purchased by adults far older than 21, implying their use for another nefarious purpose. Identification is needed to board a plane, buy cough medicine, rent a car, open a bank account, apply for government assistance, pick-up a prescription, visit a casino, and purchase a firearm. Through Watt’s help, his customers were able to get fake identifications for all these purposes.
“Watt nearly became a millionaire simply through the manufacturing and mailing of thousands of fake IDs, essentially running a one-man BMV,” said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “While Watt was not the operator of the website, he had a far more critical role, utilizing equipment and skill to manufacture quality fake identifications and brazenly violate the law thousands of times over. I commend the IRS-CI and USPIS for their thorough investigative work leading to today’s outcome.”
“I am proud of our inspectors who work so diligently to protect the mail from being utilized to further illicit activities,” said Acting Inspector in Charge Felicia George. “Thanks to our collaborative investigative efforts with IRS-CI, we were able to identify and take down part of a large-scale operation, while also seizing the proceeds of it from our area of responsibility. I would like to thank the inspectors, agents, and AUSA Eakman for their hard work on this case.”
The U.S. Postal Investigation Service and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James P. Hanlon.
Acting U.S. Attorney Childress thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Eakman, who prosecuted this case.
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Illegal Alien Sentenced to Prison for Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An El Salvadoran man living in Chelsea, Mass. was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for unlawful reentry.
Benancio Martinez-Diaz, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to four months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Martinez-Diaz will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. In October 2024, Martinez-Diaz pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry. In July 2024, Martinez-Diaz was indicted by a federal grand jury in this case.
Between 2006 and 2014, Martinez-Diaz was deported/removed from the United States on five separate occasions. He was most recently removed on or about May 30, 2014. On or about Oct. 8, 2023, Martinez-Diaz was arrested on state charges and Immigration and Customs Enforcement was notified and a detainer was lodged.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Chelsea Police Chief Keith Houghton made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Honduran Man Pleads Guilty to Immigration CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Nolvin Alfredo-Diaz, also known as “Alfredo Diaz” and “Nolvin Alfredo Diaz,” 42, a Honduran national, pleaded guilty today to reentry of a removed alien.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 21, 2024, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Alfredo-Diaz in Lewisburg. Alfredo-Diaz admitted that he was a citizen of Honduras in the United States illegally and that he had previously been deported from the United States. Alfredo-Diaz had no identification documents permitting him legal status in the United States.
Fingerprints matched Alfredo-Diaz to two prior removals from the United States to Honduras. On December 27, 2006, Alfredo-Diaz was removed from the United States to Honduras following his felony conviction for controlled substance-possession Schedule I, to wit, heroin, in Denver County, Colorado, District Court on September 25, 2006. On September 6, 2007, Alfredo-Diaz was found in Denver, Colorado, and convicted of controlled substance-possession Schedule II, to wit, cocaine, in Denver County, Colorado, District Court on December 20, 2007. On July 21, 2010, Alfredo-Diaz was found in Canon City, Colorado, and was removed from the United States to Honduras on August 5, 2010.
Alfredo-Diaz never obtained the express consent of the Secretary of U.S. Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States for either of the prior removals, nor did he seek to reenter the United States through other legal means.
Alfredo-Diaz is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and up to three years of supervised release. Alfredo-Diaz will be subject to deportation proceedings at the conclusion of any sentence.
“This federal criminal case underscores our office’s commitment to pursuing illegal reentry cases, especially in circumstances where the offender has a criminal history,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “Here, Mr. Diaz has two felony convictions for drug offenses and has been removed from the United States on multiple occasions. This will be Mr. Diaz’s third felony conviction. Our office will diligently and aggressively pursue these types of immigration cases.”
Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-146.
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Guatemalan Nationals Charged for Alleged Possession of Firearms Following IH-35 Road Rage ComplaintRead the Press Release
WACO, Texas – Two Guatemalan nationals were arrested in Waco on criminal charges related to their alleged aiding and abetting the possession of a firearm as undocumented noncitizens.
According to court documents, Anderson Morales-Calderon and Ever Morales-Calderon were subjected to a traffic stop on Jan. 24, by officers from the Troy Police Department (TPD) and Lorena Police Department (LPD) as response to a road rage complaint called into 911. The 911 caller alleged that an individual pointed a rifle at a semi-truck on IH-35. During the traffic stop, officers observed two air rifles and one .22 rifle in plain view in the back seat and on the back floorboard of the vehicle. Further investigation revealed that both Anderson and Ever Morales-Calderon were unlawfully present in the United States.
The two defendants were in federal court in Austin Tuesday for their initial appearances. If convicted, they each face up to 10 years in federal 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are investigating the case with the assistance of the TPD and LPD.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Smith-Burris 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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Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Entering the US After a Prior RemovalRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Guatemalan national pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to entering the United States after a prior removal.
According to court records, in November 2024, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent conducted a records check on Jorge Martinez-Urizar, 50. The check showed that he had been removed from the country on three prior occasions, most recently in July 2005, and that he had not filed any applications or petitions granting him permission to reenter or remain in the United States lawfully. Martinez was removed in 2005 after serving a 70-month sentence in Oregon for a 1999 conviction for assault in the second degree and unlawful use of a weapon.
Martinez-Urizar faces a maximum prison term of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000.
ICE investigated the case.
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Guatemalan National Charged with Transportation, Distribution, and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – A federal complaint has been unsealed charging GUSTAVO GORDILLO, 41, of Guatemala, with transportation, distribution, and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to an affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint, in July 2020, investigators with the Oklahoma City Police Department (OCPD) received a cyber tip after files containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) were uploaded to a Google Photos account. The affidavit alleges that the suspect who uploaded the photos, later determined to be Gordillo, lived in Oklahoma City. OCPD detectives investigated the tip, as well as additional tips from Facebook, and learned that Gordillo had communicated with a child living out of state. The affidavit further alleges Gordillo provided CSAM to and received CSAM from the child. In December 2024, additional investigation led law enforcement to a residence in the Oklahoma City metro that was connected with Gordillo. Gordillo was charged by Complaint on January 27, 2025, and was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and OCPD on January 29, 2025.
Public records show Gordillo had entered into the United States on a temporary visa that had expired.
If found guilty as charged in the Complaint, Gordillo faces up to sixty years in federal prison. The public is reminded these charges are merely allegations, and that Gordillo is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the result of an investigation by HSI and OCPD. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Edgmon is prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Four sentenced in conspiracy using victim’s Social Security numbers to steal fundsRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI – A 41-year-old Newark man has been ordered to federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identify theft, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Cory Scott Becker pleaded guilty Oct. 24, 2024.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now imposed a 36-month-term of imprisonment for Becker. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence of his and others’ roles and the scheme to steal funds.
Christopher Carr, 37, Corpus Christi, previously received 12 months and a day in prison, while Joseph Aguilar, 37, Corpus Christi, and Emmett Jimenez, 45, Yoakum, received 12 and 18 months, respectively.
The investigation began after a complainant reported $30,000 was taken out of her account at a credit union in Corpus Christi. The bank’s risk management team discovered that from Feb. 16, 2022, until approximately March 8, 2022, 44 unauthorized transactions occurred from approximately 18 accounts.
Law enforcement interviewed account owners and verified the unauthorized withdrawals. The investigation revealed they were made through an interactive teller machine which allows fund withdrawals using a holder’s Social Security and bank account numbers.
Authorities subsequently discovered Becker, Carr, Aguilar and Jimenez conspired to use the numbers and accounts to illegally withdraw funds from credit union account holders.
Becker was permitted to remain on bond pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Liesel Roscher prosecuted the case.
Four Bronx Men Charged with Federal Firearms Offenses for Engaging in School Zone ShootoutRead the Press Release
Danielle R. Sassoon, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Jessica S. Tisch, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced today the unsealing of a complaint charging LEO BONILLA, RIMEL MACK (“RIMEL”), YOMEL MACK (“YOMEL”), and BRYANT TORRES in connection with a shootout on or about August 24, 2024, that occurred in the vicinity of P.S. 396 and Middle School 390 on Andrews Avenue in the Bronx, New York, during which at least five individuals discharged a total of at least 20 rounds, and at least three people were shot and injured. BONILLA, YOMEL, and TORRES will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang, and RIMEL remains at large.
U.S. Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon said: “As alleged, the four defendants exchanged gunfire in broad daylight on Andrews Avenue in the Bronx, a heavily populated residential area with two public schools. The shootout resulted in multiple rounds being fired indiscriminately, endangering the lives of residents and school-aged children. This Office will continue to protect our children and our neighborhoods from gun violence.”
NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said: “Every single day, the members of the NYPD are out in the streets going after criminals who endanger our kids and our communities. Today’s charges and the record low shootings we experienced in January make clear that our precision policing strategies are working. I thank the U.S Attorney’s Office for their partnership and commitment to keeping New Yorkers safe.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint:
On or about August 24, 2024, a shootout (the “Shootout”) occurred in the vicinity of P.S. 396 and Middle School 390 on Andrews Avenue in the Bronx, New York (the “Schools”), during which at least five individuals discharged a total of at least 20 rounds, and at least three people were shot and injured. As depicted on the map below, the Schools are located on Andrews Avenue, with P.S. 396 serving students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and Middle School 390 serving students in grades six through eight. The Shootout began with shots fired from a residential building on Andrews Avenue (the “Residential Building”), marked on the map below by a red flag. The Shootout then continued in the middle of Andrews Avenue in front of the Schools.
At approximately 4:30 p.m., RIMEL MACK, YOMEL MACK, and TORRES, the defendants, walked southbound on Andrews Avenue towards West Burnside Avenue in the Bronx. After they approached West Burnside Avenue, RIMEL, YOMEL, and TORRES turned around and went back northbound on Andrews Avenue. Earlier that day, YOMEL had been stabbed, so RIMEL, YOMEL, and TORRES were believed to be “spinning the block,” or in other words, seeking retaliation and demonstrating toughness and dominance in the neighborhood. At approximately the same time as the three defendants were spinning the block, BONILLA, the fourth defendant, walked in and out of the front door of the Residential Building. As RIMEL, YOMEL, and TORRES walked northbound past the Residential Building, BONILLA emerged and fired multiple shots in their direction:RIMEL, YOMEL, and TORRES then drew firearms and began shooting back in the direction of BONILLA. In the exchange of gunfire, both YOMEL and TORRES were hit. TORRES crawled across Andrews Avenue near a parked black SUV (on the side of the street where the Schools are located). Surveillance video captured TORRES reaching up near the rear driver’s-side tire of the SUV—the same location where a black SCCY CPX-2 9mm firearm was later recovered.
RIMEL and YOMEL ran towards the middle of Andrews Avenue and began to flee northbound away from BONILLA, but RIMEL ran back to the sidewalk on the side of the street with the Residential Building and fired multiple rounds back in the direction of BONILLA. RIMEL and YOMEL then fled northbound on Andrews Avenue. As the two fled northbound, YOMEL (left) and RIMEL (right) fired multiple gunshots at an individual hiding underneath a red pickup truck (the “Victim”):Following the Shootout, BONILLA fled southbound on Andrews Avenue. RIMEL and YOMEL continued to flee northbound on Andrews Avenue, and YOMEL was eventually taken to Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx. TORRES and the Victim were transported to Bronx Care Hospital. TORRES suffered three gunshot wounds to his buttocks and a fractured pelvis. The Victim suffered nine gunshot wounds, including two to his left arm, two to his right hip, one to his left hip, two to his left knee, and two to his left arm.
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BONILLA, 41, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of possession of ammunition after a felony conviction, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
RIMEL, 26, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess a firearm in a school zone, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and one count of possession of a firearm in a school zone, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
YOMEL, 29, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of possession of ammunition after a felony conviction, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, one count of conspiracy to possess a firearm in a school zone, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to possess a firearm in a school zone, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
TORRES, 26, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess a firearm in a school zone, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and one count of possession of a firearm in a school zone, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Ms. Sassoon praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Hoffman is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Former NYC Fraud Investigator Sentenced to Prison for Stealing Homeless Victims' Identities to Apply for Unemployment BenefitsRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, defendant Olabanji Otufale, a former New York City Department of Homeless Services fraud investigator, was sentenced by United States District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto to 27 months in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Otufale and co-conspirator Marc Lazarre pleaded guilty in July 2024.
John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Jocelyn Strauber, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) announced the sentence.
“The defendant abused his position of trust as a fraud investigator to access and steal vulnerable homeless victims’ personal identifying information for his personal benefit,” stated United States Attorney John J. Durham. “Otufale betrayed the public trust and conspired to use his access for illicit financial gain. Today’s sentence should serve as a lesson to this defendant and all public employees that exploiting positions of power for personal financial gain will be punished.”
“Olabanji Otufale exploited his position within the Department of Homeless Services to steal the identities of homeless individuals and furtively reaped their allocated social services benefits. These abhorrent actions violate the trust and expected privacy placed in local agencies responsible for storing sensitive information. The FBI will never tolerate public service employees who prey upon our city’s vulnerable populations for fiscal profits,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy.
DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said, “The defendant, a City fraud investigator with the Department of Homeless Services, had a duty to protect DHS and the vulnerable New Yorkers it serves from fraud. Instead, he used his access and position to steal personal information of applicants for social services, in a scheme to illegally obtain unemployment benefits. The sentence imposed today makes clear that we and our law enforcement partners will hold accountable those who misuse their City positions for personal profit. I thank the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the FBI for their continued partnership in the effort to protect critical public funds.”
In the fall of 2020, Otufale conspired with others to steal the personal identifying information of more than ten homeless individuals and use that stolen information to fraudulently apply for unemployment insurance benefits in the names of those homeless individuals without their knowledge or consent.
At the time of the scheme, Otufale was a fraud investigator with the New York City Department of Homeless Services (the Department). In that role, Otufale was responsible for ensuring individuals who applied for homeless services—such as housing in homeless shelters—were qualified to receive services from the Department.
Otufale, however, used his access to a database maintained by the Department to commit fraud himself, stealing the personal identifying information—names, social security numbers, dates of birth—of vulnerable victims who had given that personal information to the Department when they applied for services. Otufale then texted this victim information to a co-conspirator, Marc Lazarre, who applied online for unemployment benefits in the names of the homeless victims. Otufale and Lazarre conspired to split the fraudulent benefits they received. Lazarre is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2025.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Sara K. Winik, Laura Zuckerwise and Katherine P. Onyshko are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Nadya Osman.
The Defendants:
Olabanji Otufale
Age: 41
Brooklyn, NYMarc Lazarre
Age: 39
Secaucus, NJE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-170 (KAM)
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Embezzling from EmployerRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The former finance director of a Florida-based company pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $5.7 million from his employer.
Paul Schnitzer, 51, of Clermont, Fla., pleaded guilty to wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for May 6, 2025. Schnitzer was first charged in May 2024, indicted by a grand jury in June 2024, and detained in October 2024 after violating his conditions of pretrial release.
Between January 2022 and May 2024, Schnitzer made more than 100 transfers out of his employer’s operating bank account into an investment account he controlled, disguised as “equity distributions.” To hide these transfers, Schnitzer falsified financial reports to the Massachusetts-based investment firm that owned the company. Schnitzer also secretly used a line of credit to replenish the balance in the company’s operating account after he had stolen from it.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the loss to the victim. 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 Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
February Federal Grand Jury 2024-A Indictments AnnouncedRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the February Federal Grand Jury 2024-A Indictments.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Derrick Adams. Felon in Possession of a Firearm; Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises. Adams, 45, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm, knowing he was previously convicted of a felony. He is further charged with knowingly possessing marijuana with intent to distribute and maintaining a residence for the purpose of drug distribution. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Attila Bogdan is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-036
Odon Ambros-Cagan. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Ambros-Cagan, 24, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Mar. 2020. The investigative agency is ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Augustus Forster is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-023
Christopher Ray Barrett. Carjacking; Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Barrett, 40, of Tulsa, is charged with taking a vehicle by force and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Further, Barrett is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mike Flesher and Jessica Wright are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-024
Brandon Allen Boone. First Degree Burglary in Indian Country; Assault of an Intimate/Dating Partner by Strangling and Attempting to Strangle in Indian Country; Attempted Witness Tampering by Corrupt Persuasion. Boone, 25, of Bristow and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is charged with breaking into an occupied home and strangling an intimate dating partner. Further, Boone attempted to prevent the victim from speaking with law enforcement officials. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Police Department, and the Bristow Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mallory Richard and Emily Dewhurst are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-025
Dylan Lee Boyd. Aggravated Sexual Abuse by Force and Threat in Indian Country; Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country; Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country; Commission of Felony Sex Offense Involving a Minor by a Registered Sex Offender (superseding). Boyd, 27, of Quapaw and a member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, is charged with knowingly engaging in a sexual act by force and threat with a minor victim under 16 years old in Nov. 2020. He allegedly knowingly engaged in sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact with the minor victim. Boyd is further charged with committing a felony offense with a minor while being required to register as a sex offender. The Quapaw Nation Marshals Service is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey P. Todd is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-114
Luis Fernando Contreras-Luviano. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Contreras-Luviano, 39, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in May 2022. The investigative agency is ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Augustus Forster is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-026
Jose Guadalupe Franco-Colchado. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Franco-Colchado, 27, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Mar. 2019. The investigative agency is ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyson McCoy is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-027
Steven Leon Gibbs, Jr. First Degree Burglary in Indian Country; Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country. Gibbs, 34, of Glenpool and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is charged with breaking into a home, and assaulting the victim with a dangerous weapon. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Weems and Stephen Flynn are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-035
Santiago Lopez Gonzalez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Gonzalez, 43, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Jan. 2023. The investigative agency is ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy Mackenzie is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-028
Jason Lynn. Second Degree Murder in Indian Country. Lynn, 31, transient and a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is charged with unlawfully killing Alan Underwood in Jan. 2025. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Elmore and Stephen Flynn are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-038
Simon Martinez-Gonzales. Kidnapping of a Child. Martinez-Gonzales, 44, a Mexican National, is charged with kidnapping a minor child in Dec. 2024. The Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Border Patrol, Webb County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bartlesville Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mallory Richard and Ashley Robert are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-029
Terry Lee Roland, Jr. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition After a Misdemeanor Conviction of Domestic Violence. Roland, 33, of Tulsa and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is charged with assaulting a victim with a firearm and brandishing that firearm during a crime of violence. He is further charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition after being convicted of felonies and a domestic violence misdemeanor. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen N. Scaife and Valeria Luster are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-037
Zakkary Shawn Wayne Romannose. Assault with Intent to Commit Murder in Indian Country; Maiming in Indian Country; Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country. Romannose, 32, of Vinita and a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribe, is charged with attempting to commit murder. He is further charged with torturing the victim by maiming him, which resulted in serious bodily injury. The FBI, Mayes County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Brandon is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-034
Luis Ubense Ulloa. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Ulloa, 33, a Honduras national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in May 2023. The investigative agency is ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-030
Benigno Villezcas-Alcantar. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Villezcas-Alcantar, 41, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Aug. 2015. The investigative agency is ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-031
Price Grayson Wasson. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Wasson, 22, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Brasher is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-022
Drug Dealer Receives 168 Months After Selling Fentanyl to Law Enforcement over a Dozen TimesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Dre’Shaun Burns, age 31, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on January 30, 2025, in federal court in Omaha for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl as well as possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Burns to 168 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Burns’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
Between April 2020 through June 2022, Burns sold fentanyl analogue to confidential informants over a dozen times. On June 16, 2022, the investigation came to a head when law enforcement executed a search warrant of Burns’s mom’s residence in Omaha. During the search, law enforcement recovered 371 grams of fentanyl analogue near two firearms. Burns’s DNA was on this bag of drugs as well as the two firearms.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Distributor of Child Sexual Abuse Material Sentenced to 20 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A West Palm Beach federal judge has sentenced 38-year-old Texas man James William Latta to 20 years in prison followed by 25 years supervised release for advertising and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) through social media.
During the summer of 2024, Latta used a social networking application to communicate with a person he believed was the mother of an eight-year-old child. Latta sent sexually explicit videos of himself during the exchanges and asked about sex between the mother and child. Latta also created and operated chat rooms on the social networking application through which he distributed CSAM. In one chatroom – with dozens of members – Latta distributed CSAM more than 200 times over two months, posting a hyperlink to a website with more than 3,000 images and videos of CSAM. Latta was identified and arrested in Texas. After his arrest, he was transferred to the Southern District of Florida, where he pled guilty.
In addition to imposing prison and supervised release terms, District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks ordered Latta to register as a sex offender. A hearing will be scheduled to determine the amount of restitution Latta must pay his victims.
U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of HSI Miami made the announcement.
HSI West Palm Beach investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Schiller is prosecuting it.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov or https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/project-safe-childhood.
Anyone with information regarding child sexual exploitation and abuse is encouraged to call (877) 4-HSI-TIP [(877) 447-4847].
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-80115.
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Connecticut Man Sentenced for Selling Fraudulently Obtained Gold CoinsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Connecticut man was sentenced today for fraudulently obtaining more than 100 gold coins and then transporting them outside of Massachusetts.
William Dawson, 52, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to five years of probation, with one year of home confinement, and ordered to pay restitution. In April 2024, Dawson pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of property taken by fraud. Dawson was arrested and charged in October 2023.
Dawson held himself out as a property buyer and reseller. Person-1 operated a home cleanout business in Massachusetts that sold property contained in decedent estates. In or around December 2022, Person-1 was retained by a decedent estate to clean out a residence in Shrewsbury, Mass. In that home, Person-1 found 170 Queen Elizabeth II Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coins, collectively worth approximately $290,000. With approval from the estate, Person-1 agreed to sell 120 of the gold coins to Dawson.
In January 2023, Dawson met with Person-1 in Millbury and purchased the 120 gold coins with two checks totaling $198,800. However, Dawson had significantly less than $198,800 in the relevant bank account when he wrote the checks to Person-1. Later that same day, Dawson called Person-1, falsely claiming that his car had been broken into and that the gold coins had been stolen. The next day, Dawson traveled to a pawn shop in Pawtucket, R.I. where he sold 43 of the gold coins in exchange for $80,442. On several occasions in February 2023, Dawson traveled to a pawn shop in Cranston, R.I., where he sold 19 more of the gold coins in exchange for a total of approximately $35,094.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Andrew Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Milford Police Department and the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.
Cincinnati men plead guilty to stealing mail, postal keys as part of armed robberiesRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – Two local men pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to stealing USPS arrow keys during armed robberies of postal carriers.
Antonio Toombs, 21, and Lorenzo Brandon, 22, participated in two separate armed robberies on the same day.
Toombs and Brandon each pleaded guilty to two counts of stealing mail or property of the United States Postal Service, a crime punishable by up to 25 years in prison.
According to their plea agreements, on Oct. 21, 2023, Toombs, Brandon and a juvenile participated in the assaults and armed robberies of two postal carriers. At approximately 12:40pm, they assaulted the first victim near Hanna Avenue in Cincinnati and stole the postal carrier’s arrow key. Later that day, around 3:40pm, they did the same against a second victim near Harry Lee Lane in Cincinnati.
Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendants is determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors and will be imposed at future hearings.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Pittsburgh Division, announced the guilty pleas entered before U.S. District Court Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan is representing the United States in this case.
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Carrizo Springs Business Owner Indicted for 7 Counts of Tax FraudRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A federal grand jury in San Antonio returned an indictment charging a Carrizo Springs man with seven counts of failure to account for and pay over withholding taxes.
According to court documents, Mark Douglass Plocek, 60, handled the day-to-day operations, including payroll, as an owner, operator and vice president of Production Lease Operating Services Oil & Gas Services LP (PLOS). The indictment alleges that, from the second quarter of 2016 through the third quarter of 2019, Plocek used PLOS to make hundreds of thousands of dollars for his personal benefit while, at the same time, failing to truthfully account for and pay over to the IRS payroll tax withheld from PLOS’s employees’ paychecks. Plocek allegedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on discretionary living expenditures including but not limited to gambling, purchasing real estate and investing in an unrelated restaurant business.
Plocek made his initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard B. Farrer of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison for each count. 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.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William Harris is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Bradenton Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years for Production and Receipt of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Buddy Allen Travis (42, Bradenton) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for the production and receipt of child sexual abuse material. Travis pled guilty on October 1, 2024.
According to court documents, Travis persuaded a 14-year-old minor victim to engage in sexual activity with him using Facebook. Travis engaged in sexual conversations with the minor victim and asked her to produce and send sexually explicit images of herself to him. Travis also sent obscene images of himself to the minor victim.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Derry.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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 locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Arizona supplier sentenced to 10 years in prison for illegal fentanyl conspiracyRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – An Arizona fentanyl supplier who mailed drugs to Ohio was sentenced in U.S. District Court here today to 120 months in prison.
Court documents say Jose Ruben Leyva, 46, of Phoenix, used the U.S. Postal Service to mail at least seven parcels containing controlled substances to drug traffickers in Columbus, including Ontario M. Yarbrough, 26, of Columbus.
From April until October 2023, Leyva mailed narcotics to central Ohio. Two parcels intercepted on Oct. 11 and Oct. 12 each contained between 499 and 500 grams of fentanyl.
Yarbrough operated a drug house in the city’s Hilltop area. During the same sixth month period, Yarbrough received and accepted five packages and tracked at least 13 packages from Arizona to the Columbus area. Yarbrough accepted the parcels at various locations in the city.
Investigators executed a search warrant at Yarbrough’s house after he received one of the packages. They found that the package contained almost 500 grams of fentanyl. They also seized ten other bags of white powder, two firearms and ammunition, cash and drug trafficking material from the house.
A search warrant executed days later at Leyva’s Arizona house recovered pills and powder containing fentanyl, two firearms, packaging and mailing materials, other drug paraphernalia and cash.
The defendants pleaded guilty in June and July 2024. Yarbrough was sentenced in November 2024 to 135 months in prison.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Pittsburgh Division, and officials with the Ohio HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Damoun Delaviz is representing the United States in this case.
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Air Force Member Sentenced to 96 Months for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan T. Lehr announced that Kyle J. Logan, age 25, of Safety Harbor, Florida was sentenced on January 30, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for possession of child pornography. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Logan to 96 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Logan will be placed on a 5-year term of supervised release. Logan was also ordered to pay special assessments of $5,000.00 under each of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (JVTA) and the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act (AVAA).
This investigation began in April 2023, when a minor victim living in West Virginia, contacted her local police to report she met an Air Force member, Logan, while playing Call of Duty online. The minor reported she had been in a relationship with Logan, which started after meeting him on the gaming platform and communicating with him on Discord. The minor reported being twelve years old at the time she began speaking to Logan. During the communication with Logan, their conversations turned sexual, and the minor disclosed Logan requested she send sexually explicit pictures of herself to Logan, which she did.
The United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) opened an investigation into Logan who was stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, and ultimately interviewed Logan about his conduct with the minor. Logan admitted to knowing the minor was fifteen years old and requesting and receiving sexually explicit photos of the minor. AFOSI obtained search warrants for Logan’s Discord account and electronic devices. The searches revealed Logan possessed videos and images of the minor who initially reported Logan, as well as images and videos of a second victim. Ultimately, Logan was held accountable for possessing a total of 14 videos and 119 images of child pornography.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
5 Arrested in Law Enforcement Operation Targeting Fraudulent Withdrawal of Benefits Designated for Low-Income FamiliesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A multi-agency law enforcement operation has resulted in the arrest of five illegal aliens who allegedly used information from “skimmed” electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards to “clone” counterfeit cards and steal funds that had been disbursed to low-income individuals by the State of California, the Justice Department announced today.
Three of the defendants have been ordered detained without bond, and two of the five defendants arrested on Sunday are expected to make their initial appearances in United States District Court today.
During the operation on Sunday, approximately 70 law enforcement officers began monitoring ATM locations across the Los Angeles area to identify individuals who were making multiple cash withdrawals with cards encoded with information that had been stolen from cards used by the California Department of Social Services (DSS) to provide CalFresh and CalWORKs benefits to qualified recipients.
Authorities made arrests after determining that the suspects making withdrawals at the ATMs were not entitled to access funds that had been deposited into accounts belonging to legitimate EBT beneficiaries.
“These defendants who are illegally in the United States targeted and stole from some of the poorest members of our community,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally. “This fraudulent activity has contributed to significant financial losses, undermining an essential lifeline for struggling families. The U.S. Attorney’s office, in close collaboration with our law enforcement counterparts, will continue to root out this criminal conduct and protect our most vulnerable citizens from further exploitation.”
“This successful operation targeted transnational criminal organizations that have been stealing from our less fortunate neighbors and the taxpayers,” said HSI Los Angeles Acting Special Agent in Charge John Pasciucco. “HSI Los Angeles and our partners will work day and night to ensure that this help continues to be available to those who need it most, and not in the pockets of greedy criminals.”
Late Monday, federal prosecutors filed three criminal complaints charging the five defendants with the use of unauthorized access devices (the cards with stolen EBT account numbers and PINs used to make the cash withdrawals). The defendants arrested Sunday allegedly made unauthorized withdrawals, obtaining as much as $25,480. The defendants named across three criminal complaints are:
- Marcel Musat, 53, of Romania, who is charged with one count of use of unauthorized access devices and allegedly had approximately 45 cloned cards on his person when he was arrested. Musat admitted to investigators he had overstayed his visa and therefore is illegally in the United States. At a hearing Tuesday afternoon, Musat was ordered held without bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned on March 11.
- Ionut Calciu, 31, of Romania, who is charged with one count of use of unauthorized access devices and allegedly possessed 10 counterfeit EBT cards when he was arrested. According to court documents, Calciu previously was convicted of aggravated robbery in Romania. Calciu, who is an illegal alien, is scheduled to appear in court today.
- Florian Serban, 51, of Romania, who is charged with one count of use of unauthorized access devices and he allegedly possessed 58 re-encoded California EBT cards. Serban is due to appear in court today.
- Wesley David Adrian Dimoua-Moua, 36, of France, who is charged with one count of use of unauthorized devices and allegedly had 11 counterfeit EBT cards when he was arrested. Dimoua-Moua is a visa overstay illegally present in the United States. At a hearing Tuesday afternoon, Dimoua-Moua was ordered held without bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned on February 24.
- Hichem Mohamed El Mabrouk, 35, of France, who is charged with one count of use of unauthorized access devices and allegedly was in possession of 37 re-encoded California EBT cards when he was arrested. At a hearing Tuesday afternoon, El Mabrouk was ordered held without bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned on March 11.
DSS detected more than $126.8 million stolen from victim EBT cards in 2024, according to court documents. This fraud has targeted CalWORKs and CalFresh (previously known as “food stamps”), both of which are intended to help low-income beneficiaries purchase food and provide for basic needs.
The investigation has revealed that the fraudulent withdrawal of these benefits is done with “cloned” cards, which are debit cards, gift cards or other devices with magnetic strips that have been encoded with information from legitimate EBT cards. Court documents allege that at least some of those involved in the fraudulent withdrawals also possessed “skimming” devices that could be used to record personal identification information from victims.
Criminal complaints and indictments contain allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Homeland Security Investigation’s El Camino Real Task Force, which includes special agents with HSI and the United States Secret Service, as well as officers with the Los Angeles Police Department, is conducting the investigations in this matter.
A number of law enforcement agencies provided significant support during Sunday’s operation, including the California Department of Social Services, the United States Marshals Service, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Hermosa Beach Police Department, the Baldwin Park Police Department, the Culver City Police Department, the El Monte Police Department, the Inglewood Police Department, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General.
Assistant United States Attorneys Diane Roldán, Alexander H. Tran and Sophia Carrillo of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting these cases.
3 men believed to be part of South American Theft Group indicted for federal crimes related to burglary of NFL player’s Cincinnati homeRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury in Cincinnati has charged defendants believed to be operating as part of a South American Theft Group with transporting stolen goods interstate and falsifying records in a federal investigation. The three men allegedly committed the Dec. 9, 2024, burglary at the home of a local NFL player.
A federal complaint was filed on Feb. 3 and the indictment was returned today, charging Jordan Francisco Quiroga Sanchez, 22, Bastian Alejandro Orellana Morales, 23, and Sergio Andres Ortega Cabello, 38, all of Chile.
“Our investigation remains ongoing as these individuals seem to be the alleged tip of the iceberg of South American Theft Groups committing crimes throughout our district and elsewhere,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “We owe it to the victims, whether they are or are not professional athletes, to follow the evidence into these alleged criminal networks and hold the law-breakers accountable. I cannot thank our law enforcement partners enough for their commitment to working together to track down these perpetrators. Today is a day that law enforcement scored and spiked the ball.”
“South American Theft Groups have been a major concern in the Cincinnati area,” said FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola. “We appreciate the partnerships of all the agencies involved in the Southwest Ohio South American Theft Group Task Force for their hard work on this investigation.”
“The Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission was created for – and excels at – these types of complex, multi-jurisdictional cases,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “I’m proud of the work done so far, and look forward to more results as our task force continues its work.”
According to charging documents, law enforcement responded to the NFL player’s home around 8:14pm on Dec. 9, 2024, in reference to a reported burglary. An associate of the homeowner had been dropped off at the residence shortly after 8pm and discovered rooms were unusually messy and a primary bedroom window on the back side of the home had been broken.
It is believed the burglary likely occurred between 6pm and 8pm. The homeowner was away from his residence playing in an NFL game in Dallas. During a security detail shift change at the home at approximately 6pm, security personnel walked the perimeter of the house and no windows appeared to be broken at that time.
Continued investigation at the Cincinnati home led investigators to discover a trail camera image of a man carrying luggage and walking through the wooded area behind the home.
Law enforcement tracked the subjects in various states following the burglary, and subsequently located the vehicle at the La Quinta hotel on University Boulevard in Fairborn. The Ohio State Highway Patrol later stopped the vehicle for a traffic violation.
Phone analysis shows Cabello allegedly deleted photographs of the stolen goods and the back of the victim’s home during the traffic stop with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, thus falsifying records in a federal investigation. Additional cell phone analysis revealed other photos of the defendants in southeast Florida days after the burglary with luxury luggage and wearing the stolen jewelry.
Also in the car with the defendants were punch tools to break glass, as well as an old Louisiana State University shirt and a Cincinnati Bengals hat believed to be taken from the victim’s home.
The men were taken into local custody at the time of the traffic stop.
Interstate transportation of stolen property is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Falsification of records in a federal investigation carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison. The three men were previously charged locally and those state charges remain pending.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission’s Southwest Ohio Burglary Task Force; Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey; Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Charles A. Jones; Clark County Sheriff Christopher D. Clark; and Angie M. Salazar, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Detroit; announced the charges.
Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Springer is representing the United States in this case.
Charging documents merely contain allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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29-Year-Old Arrested, Charged with Threatening to Shoot up Elementary SchoolRead the Press Release
A man who threatened to shoot up a Lubbock elementary school has been arrested and charged, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad Meacham.
Stephen Patrick Furr, 29, was charged via criminal complaint with interstate threatening communications and arrested Monday afternoon. He made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Amanda ‘Amy’ R. Burch Wednesday morning.
“The foresight of a single tipster – coupled with the prompt action of law enforcement – may have saved dozens of young lives,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham. “The adage holds true: If you see something, say something. You may help law enforcement avert a tragedy.”
“The defendant’s concerning social media posts were reported to the FBI, and the resulting law enforcement response ensured no one was harmed,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “The FBI and our partners are committed to protecting the communities we serve, and we encourage the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious or threatening behavior to law enforcement.”
According to the complaint, on Feb. 2, the FBI received a tip about threats posted on BlueSky, a microblogging site.
“Thinking about going out and buying a gun,” the user posted. “When in Texas, shoot [expletive] [expletive] am I right? Good thing I live next to an elementary school.”
The posts escalated from musings about a possible future shooting to statements that the user had a gun and intended to carry out a school shooting: “Will be fun to legally shoot up a school,” the user posted. “I can already smell the blood.”
“Anyone wanna sign my gun?” he added.
The user also posted images from the March 2019 shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, which killed 51 people and injured 89 more.
Agents identified the user of the account as Mr. Furr and visited him at his home in Lubbock on Feb. 3.
According to the complaint, Mr. Furr was “disheveled and unkempt.” He allegedly screamed incoherent profanities and stated that he would not talk to the agents until the President confirmed their identity.
Officers contacted two of Mr. Furr’s family members, who stated that Mr. Furr had also threatened them.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Like all defendants, Mr. Furr is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office – Lubbock Resident Agency conducted the investigation with the Lubbock Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Haag is prosecuting the case.
Members of the public can report potential threats to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.
4 February 2025
Wisconsin Man Indicted for Selling and Smuggling Firearms to Buyers in Saudi ArabiaRead the Press Release
A six-count indictment was unsealed today charging Mark John Buschman, 60, of Viroqua, Wisconsin, for allegedly selling firearms and related parts without a license to buyers in Saudi Arabia, shipping the prohibited items, and then lying to federal inspectors about it.
According to the indictment, Buschman allegedly conducted an illegal export conspiracy for more than five years, lasting from about February 2019 to about December 2024. Buschman obtained firearms and firearms parts in the U.S. and advertised the items for sale on eBay and other online marketplace-style websites. When buyers in Saudi Arabia expressed interest in the items for sale, he agreed to sell and ship the items out of the country to them. Throughout the course of the conspiracy, Saudi Arabian-based buyers paid the defendant approximately $398,000.
Court documents indicate that serial numbers from some of the firearms and firearms parts were removed before he shipped the items. The defendant then prepared the items further before shipping them by concealing the firearms and firearm parts inside of common household appliances and tools such as toasters, coffee makers, space heaters, fans, and landscaping edge trimmers. For example, the defendant concealed rifle barrels in items such as car axles, and smaller pistols inside of toasters. Using a fake return address, the defendant shipped the items through the U.S. Postal Service to freight forwarders, which are companies that specialize in the logistics of shipping items from one country to another. The defendant allegedly shipped the items to freight forwarding companies that operated out of Ohio, New Jersey, Oregon, and elsewhere without declaring that the shipments contained firearms and firearms parts.
Buschman is charged by indictment with conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States; attempted smuggling of goods from the United States; transporting and shipping firearms with removed, obliterated, or altered serial numbers; mailing firearms as nonmailable prohibited items; unlawful dealing in firearms without a license; and making false statements to law enforcement. If convicted on all counts, Buschman faces a maximum penalty of 42 years in prison and fines of up to $1.5 million. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Homeland Security Investigations Cleveland Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Cleveland Office, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives are investigating the case with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Shepherd and Jerome J. Teresinski for the Northern District of Ohio, Trial Attorney Christopher Cook of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan for the Western District of Wisconsin prosecuted the case.
Wisconsin Man Indicted for Selling and Smuggling Firearms to Buyers in Saudi ArabiaRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A six-count indictment was unsealed today charging a Viroqua, Wisconsin, man for allegedly selling firearms and related parts without a license to buyers in Saudi Arabia, shipping the prohibited items, and then lying to federal inspectors about it.
According to allegations in the indictment, Mark John Buschman, 60, conducted an illegal export conspiracy for more than five years, lasting from about February 2019 to about December 2024. Buschman obtained firearms and firearms parts in the U.S. and advertised the items for sale on eBay and other online marketplace-style websites. When buyers in Saudi Arabia expressed interest in the items for sale, he agreed to sell and ship the items out of the country to them. Throughout the course of the conspiracy, Saudi Arabian-based buyers paid the defendant approximately $398,000.
Court documents indicate that serial numbers from some of the firearms and firearms parts were removed before he shipped the items. The defendant then prepared the items further before shipping them, by concealing the firearms and firearm parts inside of common household appliances and tools such as toasters, coffee makers, space heaters, fans, and landscaping edge trimmers. For example, the defendant concealed rifle barrels in items such as car axles, and smaller pistols inside of toasters. Using a fake return address, the defendant shipped the items through the U.S. Postal Service to freight forwarders, which are companies that specialize in the logistics of shipping items from one country to another. The defendant allegedly shipped the items to freight forwarding companies that operated out of Ohio, New Jersey, Oregon and elsewhere, without declaring that the shipments contained firearms and firearms parts.
Buschman is charged by indictment with conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States; attempted smuggling of goods from the United States; transporting and shipping firearms with removed, obliterated, or altered serial numbers; mailing firearms as non-mailable prohibited items; unlawful dealing in firearms without a license; and making false statements to law enforcement.
If convicted on all counts, Buschman faces a penalty of 42 years in prison and fines of up to $1.5 million. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cleveland Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Cleveland Office (of the Pittsburgh Division), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). Elements of the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also assisted HSI. The Vernon County Sheriff's Office and the La Crosse County Sheriff's Office assisted with the execution of the arrest and search warrants.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Shepherd and Jerome J. Teresinski for the Northern District of Ohio. Trial Attorney Christopher Cook of the Department’s National Security Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan of the Western District of Wisconsin U.S. Attorney’s Office, assisted during the investigation of this case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
White Supremacist Leader Found Guilty of Conspiring to Destroy Regional Power GridRead the Press Release
After a six-day trial, a jury found Brandon Russell, 29, of Orlando, Florida, guilty of conspiracy to damage an energy facility.
According to evidence presented at trial, from at least November 2022 to Feb. 3, 2023, Russell conspired to carry out attacks against critical infrastructure, specifically transformers located within electrical substations, in furtherance of his racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist beliefs. Russell posted links to open-source maps of infrastructure, which included the locations of electrical substations, and he described how a small number of attacks on substations could cause a “cascading failure.” Russell also discussed maximizing the impact of the planned attack by hitting multiple substations at one time.
Russell recruited a Maryland-based woman, Sarah Beth Clendaniel, to carry out the attacks in Baltimore and elsewhere. They planned to damage energy facilities involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity and to cause a significant interruption and impairment of the Baltimore regional power grid. The intended monetary loss associated with the planned attacks would have exceeded $75 million. Clendaniel identified five substations to target, and Russell attempted to secure a weapon for Clendaniel. Clendaniel stated that if they hit a number of substations all in the same day, they “would completely destroy this whole city,” and that a “good four or five shots through the center of them . . . should make that happen.” She further added, “[i]t would probably permanently completely lay this city to waste if we could do that successfully.”
Russell faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to damage an energy facility and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17.
On Sept. 25, 2024, Clendaniel was sentenced to 18 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for conspiring with Russell to damage or destroy an energy facility. Clendaniel was also sentenced to 15 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and 3 years of supervised release.
The FBI investigated the case.
The Justice Department’s National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case.
Waterville Man Sentenced to 3 Years for Firearms TheftRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Waterville man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for conspiring to steal firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer and for stealing those firearms.
U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Damiean Marcial-Alexander, 22, to three years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $17,253.37 in restitution. Marcial-Alexander pleaded guilty on May 30, 2024.
According to court records, in April 2022, Marcial-Alexander and Ryan Ansart broke into a Waterville firearms dealer and stole multiple firearms, including a Glock, Model 17 Gen5 9mm pistol and a Smith & Wesson .38 special revolver. According to an ATF Theft/Loss Report submitted by the store owner, 15 firearms in all were reported stolen, six revolvers and nine semi-automatic pistols. Evidence collected included Instagram and text messages planning the theft, including a map to the location from Marcial-Alexander’s apartment, as well as photos of the two men holding some of the stolen firearms.
Ryan Ansart (22, West Springfield, Mass.) pleaded guilty on August 22, 2024, to his role in the conspiracy and theft and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 11.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with assistance from the Waterville Police Department.
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Two Individuals Indicted on Federal Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A federal grand jury in Council Bluffs returned a two-count indictment on January 29, 2025 charging two individuals with offenses related to distribution and receipt of child pornography.
The following individuals are charged in the Indictment:
- Jason J. Traina, 52, Rockland County, New York is charged with distribution of child pornography. On January 31, 2025, Traina made his initial appearance in the Southern District of New York. The government argued Traina should remain detained pending trial. The United States Magistrate Judge released Traina on conditions of home detention and location monitoring.
- Carrie Marie Campbell, 40, of Council Bluffs, is charged with receipt of child pornography. On February 3, 2025, Campbell made her initial appearance in the Southern District of Iowa. Campbell was temporarily ordered detained until a detention hearing.
Traina and Campbell each face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Council Bluffs Police Department are investigating this case, with assistance from the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office, FBI Safe Streets NY, and the Stony Point Police Department.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Two Individuals Charged with Running a Fencing Operation for South American Theft Groups in Manhattan’s Diamond DistrictRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal court in Brooklyn, an indictment was unsealed charging Dimitriy Nezhinskiy and Juan Villar with conspiracy to receive stolen property related to their purchasing of stolen goods that traveled across state lines. The defendants were arrested today, Nezhinskiy in New Jersey and Villar in Manhattan. They will be arraigned tomorrow before United States Magistrate Judge Lara K. Eshkenazi.
John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD) and Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD) announced the charges.
“As alleged, the defendants created an illicit market and fueled demand for burglaries by South American Theft Groups and other crews around the country by purchasing stolen watches, jewelry and other luxury items, and then re-selling them in their New York City store,” stated United States Attorney Durham. “My Office will continue to pursue organized groups who engage, enable, or encourage the pillaging of residential homes and businesses that has a corrosive effect on the sense of security in our communities.”
“For almost five years, Dimitriy Nezhinskiy and Juan Villar allegedly served as unlawful brokers to perpetuate the sale of stolen luxury items by purchasing them from burglary crews. The defendants’ alleged actions incentivized highly organized South American Theft Groups to continue their meticulous looting scheme against a myriad of affluent residences and businesses across the country. With our law enforcement partners, the FBI will continue to dismantle any criminal activity curated to capitalize on victims’ losses and establish an economic demand for ill-obtained merchandise within our city,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy.
“We will not tolerate crime of any kind in New York, whether it be street crime, retail theft, or these organized operations that target residential homes to steal and resell luxury goods,” said NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “Today’s indictment is the result of our strong work with our law enforcement partners and our commitment to cracking down on these crime rings that threaten our communities.”
“We want to thank our partners in federal law enforcement for this collaborative effort to bring this criminal to justice,” stated NCPD Commissioner Ryder. “The men and women of the Nassau County Police Department, particularly the dedicated Detectives of the Major Case Squad, work tirelessly to investigate crimes and arrest those who prey upon our citizens.”
As alleged in the indictment, between approximately 2020 and 2025, the defendants conspired with each another and others to receive and purchase stolen property, including jewelry, watches, handbags and assorted luxury items that had been stolen outside of the state of New York and transported into New York. As detailed in court filings, Nezhinskiy and Villar regularly served as “fences” for burglary crews based out of South America who traveled around the United States committing burglaries, typically targeting wealthier neighborhoods or jewelry vendors, and stealing luxury accessories. Nezhinskiy and Villar’s operation provided an essential market for the stolen goods, perpetuating the dangerous criminal activities of the burglary and theft crews composed largely of foreign nationals.
For example, evidence links Nezhinskiy and Villar to thefts around the country, including crimes committed by Bryan Leandro Herrera Maldonado, a prolific burglar who committed at least 16 residential burglaries across the United States between 2019 and 2020. Additionally, phone records and video surveillance links Nezhinskiy to at least two members of a four-man burglary crew believed to be involved in the December 9, 2024 burglary of a high-profile athlete in Ohio, and showed Nezhinskiy in contact with that crew less than one week before the burglary in Ohio.
In addition, between October 2022 and January 2024, an undercover detective conducted seven controlled sales of purported stolen property, including high-end handbags and luxury accessories, to Nezhinskiy or Villar, or both, at their business location in Manhattan’s Diamond District. During these controlled sales, the undercover detective provided the defendants with items that the undercover told the defendants had been stolen, and received cash in exchange for the stolen goods.
Today, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the location on 47th Street in Manhattan where Nezhinskiy and Villar operate a pawn shop and seized large quantities of suspected stolen property, including dozens of high-end watches and jewelry. Law enforcement also recovered large quantities of cash and marijuana. Simultaneously, law enforcement executed a search warrant at storage units belonging to Nezhinskiy in New Jersey where an additional cache of suspected stolen property was found. From inside Nezhinskiy’s storage units, law enforcement recovered large quantities of luxury goods and clothing, including high-end handbags, wine, sports memorabilia, jewelry, artwork and power tools consistent with those commonly used in burglaries and opening safes.
The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of receipt of stolen goods, the defendants face up to 10 years in prison.
The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division and the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael R. Maffei, Katherine P. Onyshko and Sean M. Sherman are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
DIMITRIY NEZHINSKIY
Age: 43
North Bergen, New JerseyJUAN VILLAR
Age: 48
Queens, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-40 (WFK)
25-cr-40_dimitriy_nezhinskiy_et_al_indictment.pdfTifton, Georgia, Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga. – A Tifton resident faces up to 40 years in federal prison for distributing kilograms of Mexico-sourced methamphetamine after he was caught with a pound of methamphetamine while wearing an ankle monitor for a prior drug trafficking charge and attempted to flee from deputies.
Travarious Deshawn Mike, 29, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of methamphetamine before U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner on Feb. 3. Mike faces a maximum of 20 years in prison per count, to be followed by at least three years of supervised release and a $1,000,000 fine. A sentencing date will be determined by the Court. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The defendant was transporting large quantities of methamphetamine from an Atlanta source into the Tifton community. Even after his initial arrest, he willfully continued to violate the law and traffic dangerous drugs into Southwest Georgia,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Shanelle Booker. “Our office collaborates closely with local, state and federal law enforcement to ensure that repeat offenders who are causing significant harm in the Middle District of Georgia are stopped and held accountable for their actions.”
“This investigation resulting in the seizure of meth, heroin and firearms is a clear reminder of the dangerous networks we continue to dismantle,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “The GBI remains committed to disrupting drug trafficking and criminal activity, especially those tied to dangerous sources of supply. This is a significant step in protecting our communities.”
According to court documents and statements referenced in court, GBI agents recorded Mike providing methamphetamine during a controlled buy utilizing a confidential informant (CI) on Aug. 15, 2022, at the Church's Chicken in Tifton. A court-authorized tracking device monitored by the GBI captured Mike departing Tifton for Atlanta on Aug. 30, 2022. GBI agents observed Mike travel to two Mexican restaurants for brief periods, then immediately begin to travel back down I-75 towards Tifton. Crisp County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) deputies initiated a traffic stop on his vehicle after it observed a defective brake light and a window tint violation. A CCSO trained K9 made a positive alert on Mike's car. During a search of the vehicle, agents seized 502 grams of heroin in Mike's bookbag.
At the same time, GBI requested the Tifton Police Department’s (TPD) assistance to conduct surveillance on Mike’s Tifton residence. TPD initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle leaving Mike’s residence, locating 8,068 grams of 67.9% pure methamphetamine. The occupant was a drug courier delivering the narcotics from a Mexican source of supply near Atlanta to Mike and had made the trip before. GBI executed a court-authorized search warrant at Mike's residence that same day and found four semiautomatic pistols, a revolver, rounds of ammunition, methamphetamine and a set of digital scales. A vehicle parked outside Mike's residence and belonging to a co-defendant contained 783 grams of 80% pure methamphetamine, 168 grams of a heroin and fentanyl mixture, 97 oxycodone/fentanyl pills, seven grams of crack cocaine, plastic baggies and a digital scale. Interviews, evidence and text messages on seized cell phones belonging to Mike and co-defendants revealed that Mike was purchasing methamphetamine from a Mexican source of supply based in the metro Atlanta area. Mike subsequently bonded out of jail.
On June 5, 2024, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) observed a white Dodge Charger driven by Mike commit a traffic violation in Monroe County, Georgia. MCSO deputies attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but Mike tried to escape and reached speeds over 125 mph. During the pursuit, Mike discarded a brick-shaped package out the window, which burst into a white crystal-like substance. Other MCSO officers secured the scene where the substance was discarded, finding approximately one pound of methamphetamine. Mike lost control of the vehicle and crashed onto the side of the highway. He attempted to flee on foot but was immediately apprehended. At the time of his arrest, Mike was wearing an ankle monitor and advised that he was out on bond for another drug trafficking incident.
The case was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), the Tifton Police Department, the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Redavid is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Three Mexican Nationals arrested with 14 kilograms of crystal methamphetamineRead the Press Release
Seattle – Three citizens of Mexico were arrested late last week in Bellevue, Washington, in connection with a drug deal involving more than 25 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. All three men are being held at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac, Washington, on a criminal complaint.
According to records filed in the case, on January 29, 2025, law enforcement began communicating with a transnational drug organization about purchasing crystal methamphetamine. The deal was set for the next day: 30 pounds of crystal methamphetamine for $62,000 to be exchanged at a restaurant parking lot in Bellevue.
After seeing the drugs, law enforcement swooped in to arrest the drug traffickers. The traffickers attempted to flee but were taken into custody. The men are charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of controlled substances with attempt to distribute.
The three men are identified as:
Eber Omar Barrones-Madrid, age 24
Juan Jose Prado-Estrada, age 25
Jose Manuel Ochoa-Sanchez, age 27
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Vince Lombardi.
Temple Hills Man Found Guilty of Arson Conspiracy Targeting Convenience StoresRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – After a 5-day trial, a federal jury found Stephen Kennedy, 33, of Temple Hills, Maryland, guilty of conspiracy to commit arson, arson affecting interstate commerce, commercial robbery, using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, carrying and explosive device during the commission of a felony, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The Defendant was found not guilty as to one count of arson affecting interstate commerce.
The verdict was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Acting Maryland State Fire Marshal Jason M. Mowbray; St. Mary’s County Sheriff Steven A. Hall; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Chief Tiffany D. Green of the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department.
According to the 8-count superseding indictment, from at least January 2021 to January 2022, Kennedy and other conspirators, including co-defendant Donnell Kelly, conspired to commit arsons at 7-Eleven convenience stores so that they could later steal cash contained in ATMs in the stores. Specifically, the indictment alleges that Kennedy and Kelly traveled to 7-Eleven locations while they were open for business and deployed explosive devices to set fire to the buildings, and on at least one occasion, demanded the contents of the cash register. The defendants burned the stores to force their closure and shut off power to the security cameras, which enabled them to return to the unguarded locations to burglarize the ATMs. This resulted in losses to the ATM company of at least $90,000. To conceal the evidence of their crimes, one of Kennedy’s co-conspirators made false police reports regarding stolen license plates.
Kennedy faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the arson conspiracy and for arson affecting interstate commerce; a maximum of 20 years in prison for commercial robbery; a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years and up to life in federal prison for using a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence; a ten year sentence for carrying an explosive during the commission of another federal felony; and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Co-defendant Donnell Kelly pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit arson and was sentenced to 10 years with supervised release for a term of 3 years, on October 2, 2024 before Judge Peter J. Messitte. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for Kennedy on May 30, 2025 at 2:30 p.m.
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.
U.S. Attorney Barron commended the ATF’s Baltimore Field Division’s Arson & Explosive Investigations Group, the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department, and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, the ATF Washington Field Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Alexandria, Virginia Fire and Police Departments for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Rosenthal and Christopher Sarma, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.# # #
Superseding Indictment Charges Chinese National in Relation to Alleged Plan to Steal Proprietary AI TechnologyRead the Press Release
Note: View the superseding indictment here.
A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment today charging Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, 38, with seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets in connection with an alleged plan to steal from Google LLC (Google) proprietary information related to AI technology.
Ding was initially indicted in March 2024 on four counts of theft of trade secrets. The superseding indictment returned today describes seven categories of trade secrets stolen by Ding and charges Ding with seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets.
According to the superseding indictment, Google hired Ding as a software engineer in 2019. Between approximately May 2022 and May 2023, Ding uploaded more than 1,000 unique files containing Google confidential information from Google’s network to his personal Google Cloud account, including the trade secrets alleged in the superseding indictment.
While Ding was employed by Google, he secretly affiliated himself with two People’s Republic of China (PRC)-based technology companies. Around June 2022, Ding was in discussions to be the Chief Technology Officer for an early-stage technology company based in the PRC. By May 2023, Ding had founded his own technology company focused on AI and machine learning in the PRC and was acting as the company’s CEO.
The superseding indictment alleges that Ding intended to benefit the PRC government by stealing trade secrets from Google. Ding allegedly stole technology relating to the hardware infrastructure and software platform that allows Google’s supercomputing data center to train and serve large AI models. The trade secrets contain detailed information about the architecture and functionality of Google’s Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) chips and systems and Google’s Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) systems, the software that allows the chips to communicate and execute tasks, and the software that orchestrates thousands of chips into a supercomputer capable of training and executing cutting-edge AI workloads. The trade secrets also pertain to Google’s custom-designed SmartNIC, a type of network interface card used to enhance Google’s GPU, high performance, and cloud networking products.
As alleged, Ding circulated a PowerPoint presentation to employees of his technology company citing PRC national policies encouraging the development of the domestic AI industry. He also created a PowerPoint presentation containing an application to a PRC talent program based in Shanghai. The superseding indictment describes how PRC-sponsored talent programs incentivize individuals engaged in research and development outside the PRC to transmit that knowledge and research to the PRC in exchange for salaries, research funds, lab space, or other incentives. Ding’s application for the talent program stated that his company’s product “will help China to have computing power infrastructure capabilities that are on par with the international level.”
If convicted, Ding faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine for each trade-secret count and 15 years in prison and $5,000,000 fine for each economic-espionage count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey Boome and Molly K. Priedeman for the Northern District of California and Trial Attorneys Stephen Marzen and Yifei Zheng of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
Today’s action was coordinated through the Justice and Commerce Departments’ Disruptive Technology Strike Force. The Disruptive Technology Strike Force is an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states.
A superseding indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Superseding Indictment Charges Chinese National in Relation to Alleged Plan to Steal Proprietary AI TechnologyRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment today charging Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, 38, with seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets in connection with an alleged plan to steal from Google LLC (Google) proprietary information related to artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Ding was originally indicted in March 2024 on four counts of theft of trade secrets. The superseding indictment returned today describes seven categories of trade secrets stolen by Ding and charges Ding with seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets.
According to the superseding indictment, Google hired Ding as a software engineer in 2019. Between approximately May 2022 and May 2023, Ding uploaded more than 1,000 unique files containing Google confidential information from Google’s network to his personal Google Cloud account, including the trade secrets alleged in the superseding indictment.
While Ding was employed by Google, he secretly affiliated himself with two People’s Republic of China (PRC)-based technology companies. Around June 2022, Ding was in discussions to be the Chief Technology Officer for an early-stage technology company based in the PRC. By May 2023, Ding had founded his own technology company focused on AI and machine learning in the PRC and was acting as the company’s CEO.
The superseding indictment alleges that Ding intended to benefit the PRC government by stealing trade secrets from Google. Ding allegedly stole technology relating to the hardware infrastructure and software platform that allows Google’s supercomputing data center to train and serve large AI models. The trade secrets contain detailed information about the architecture and functionality of Google’s Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) chips and systems and Google’s Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) systems, the software that allows the chips to communicate and execute tasks, and the software that orchestrates thousands of chips into a supercomputer capable of training and executing cutting-edge AI workloads. The trade secrets also pertain to Google’s custom-designed SmartNIC, a type of network interface card used to enhance Google’s GPU, high performance, and cloud networking products.
As alleged, Ding circulated a PowerPoint presentation to employees of his technology company citing PRC national policies encouraging the development of the domestic AI industry. He also created a PowerPoint presentation containing an application to a PRC talent program based in Shanghai. The superseding indictment describes how PRC-sponsored talent programs incentivize individuals engaged in research and development outside the PRC to transmit that knowledge and research to the PRC in exchange for salaries, research funds, lab space, or other incentives. Ding’s application for the talent program stated that his company’s product “will help China to have computing power infrastructure capabilities that are on par with the international level.”
United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Dan Costin made the announcement.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, defendant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each count under 18 U.S.C. § 1832 and a maximum of 15 years in prison for each count under 18 U.S.C § 1831. Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey Boome and Molly K. Priedeman and Trial Attorneys Stephen Marzen and Yifei Zheng of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.
Today’s action was coordinated through the Justice and Commerce Departments’ Disruptive Technology Strike Force. The Disruptive Technology Strike Force is an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states.
Ding Superseding Indictment