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Tuesday 16 June 2026
Stamford Man Sentenced to 100 Months in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking, Gun Possession OffensesRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that OMAR PARRA, also known as “D” and “Dee,” 39, of Stamford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 100 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for narcotics trafficking and firearm possession offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and Stamford Police Department identified Jimmy Arce as a distributor of fentanyl in southwestern Connecticut. During the investigation, investigators regularly observed Arce supplying Parra with fentanyl for redistribution, and made multiple controlled purchases of fentanyl, as well as crack cocaine, from Parra.
Parra was arrested on March 14, 2024. On March 15, 2024, a search of Parra’s residence and vehicle revealed distribution quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and crack; items used to process and package narcotics; a loaded .380 caliber semiautomatic handgun; and $16,574 in cash.
Parra has been detained since his arrest. On December 9, 2024, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, 500 grams or more of cocaine, and a quantity of heroin; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon; and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Parra’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for drug and arson offenses.
Arce pleaded guilty and on January 12, 2026, was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment.
This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, the Stamford Police Department, the Bridgeport Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Danbury, and Darien Police Departments. The DEA HIDTA Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Milford, and Danbury Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia Stolfi Collins and Geoffrey M. Stone.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Distribution and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield, Illinois, man, Peyton C. Dagenais, 29, was sentenced on June 11, 2026, to 204 months in prison, to be followed by a 15-year term of supervised release, for distribution and possession of child pornography. Restitution was ordered for each of the victims in the case.
At the sentencing hearing, the government established that Dagenais had a long history of child pornography possession and distribution and that his behavior had escalated to possessing physical items related to his sexual interest in children and expressed a desire to rape a child.
Also at the hearing, U.S. District Judge Colleen R. Lawless described the number of images possessed by Dagenais as rather extraordinary and said that the images were egregious. Judge Lawless also noted the defendant’s escalation in conduct and emphasized the need to protect the public from further acts of the defendant in crafting her sentence.
In February 2026, Dagenais pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. Dagenais remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service where he has been since his arrest in September 2025.
The statutory penalties for distribution of child pornography are not less than five years and up to 20 years’ imprisonment, up to a life term of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and restitution. The statutory penalties for possession of child pornography are not more than 10 years’ imprisonment, five years to a life term of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.“Any individual who shares, receives, and possesses child sexual abuse material contributes to the irreparable harm suffered by these victims,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory M. Gilmore. “This behavior poses a risk to all children as these predators constantly seek new images and that desire creates a greater risk of potential hands-on offenses.”
“This case highlights the reality of how digital exploitation can escalate into an imminent physical threat to children,” said FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge Ryan Presley. “By intercepting this defendant before his expressed desires turned into physical violence, we successfully protected the community from a dangerous predator. This lengthy sentence ensures that the defendant can no longer exploit children or threaten their safety. The FBI and our partners will remain relentless in pursuing these predators and ensuring they face justice.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, investigated the case with assistance from the Lewiston, Maine Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner K. Jacobs represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Dagenais was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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.
Springfield Man Sentenced for Leading Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his leadership role in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving four defendants and millions of dollars’ worth of controlled substances.
Keith L. Rayford, 52, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 25 years in federal prison without parole for one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy after a prior drug felony conviction. Rayford pleaded guilty on Aug. 6, 2025. Because Rayford committed the offense while on federal supervised release following a prior federal drug trafficking conviction, Judge Wimes sentenced Rayford to an additional five years in federal prison without parole, for a total sentence of 30 years in federal prison.
According to court documents, on June 8, 2023, officers with the Springfield, Mo., Police Department were conducting surveillance on Ted Tyson’s residence when they observed a cream-colored Chevrolet Avalanche pull into the driveway. Tyson walked out of the residence carrying a white plastic sack and approached the vehicle. Tyson walked back to the residence without the sack and the Avalanche left. Officers conducted a traffic stop on the Avalanche in a parking lot and identified the driver as Rayford. Rayford consented to a search of his vehicle, and officers located the white plastic sack, which was found to contain approximately $21,004 in U.S. currency. Officers then executed a search warrant at Tyson’s residence, where they located and seized a black trash bag containing three gallon-size Ziploc bags of methamphetamine, five firearms, assorted ammunition, digital scales and plastic baggies. Investigators later learned that Tyson was conspiring with Rayford, Corey Williams, and Shannon Wells to distribute controlled substances.
On Sept. 1, 2023, officers executed a search warrant at Corey Williams’ residence in Springfield. Search of the residence yielded approximately 97.76 grams of cocaine, approximately 326.95 grams of fentanyl, approximately 104.78 grams of heroin, approximately 330 fentanyl pills, four firearms, and approximately $54,500 in U.S. currency. On Sept. 6, 2023, officers arrested Williams in possession of approximately 37 pounds of methamphetamine and approximately 930 grams of cocaine. Investigators later discovered that Williams paid Rayford between $80,000 and $85,000 for the drugs, and that Williams was obtaining similar amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine from Rayford on a weekly basis. In total, Rayford was found to be responsible for the distribution of 3,085 pounds of methamphetamine, 97.61 pounds of cocaine, six kilograms of fentanyl, and 330 fentanyl pills.
Rayford is the third defendant to be sentenced in this case. Corey Williams was sentenced on Apr. 6, 2026, to 276 months in federal prison without parole for one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy, and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Shannon Wells was sentenced on June 15, 2026, to 124 months in federal prison without parole for one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy, and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Ted Tyson has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy, and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and is awaiting sentencing.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, and the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office.
Homeland Security Task Force
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Kansas City comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.
Southport Man Federally Indicted for Child Exploitation CrimesRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – John Massimiani, III, 46, of Southport, Florida, has been indicted in federal court on one count of transportation of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of destruction of property to prevent its search and seizure. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charges.
Massimiani appeared for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick in Tallahassee, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for July 20, 2026, at 8:30 am, before District Judge Mark E. Walker in Tallahassee, Florida.
If convicted, Massimiani faces a minimum of 5 years’ imprisonment, and up to 20 years’ imprisonment, on the transportation of child pornography count. Massimiani also faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment on the possession of child pornography count, and up to 5 years’ imprisonment for the destruction of property count.
The case is being jointly investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith L. Steer.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Southeast Missouri Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Tuesday sentenced a man caught with more than four pounds of meth to 10 years in prison.
Craig M. Perkins, now 55, pleaded guilty in March to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He admitted as part of his plea that during a court approved search of his home in Howardville, in New Madrid County, on May 21, 2025, investigators found about 4.2 pounds of meth. They found half an ounce of meth and 36 rounds of ammunition in a vehicle in the driveway. His phone contained text messages indicative of drug trafficking and photos of firearms and Perkins displaying large stacks of cash.
A motion filed in July of 2025 seeking to have Perkins held in jail until trial says that he has been a drug dealer in New Madrid County since at least 2002, and supplied dealers who sold meth to customers. The search of Perkins’ home followed seven purchases of meth from two of those dealers, the motion says.
The Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force and the Missouri State Highway patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton prosecuted the case.
Southeast Missouri Felon Caught with Machine Gun Sentenced to 46 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Tuesday sentenced a man caught with a fully automatic pistol to 46 months in prison.
Jadiah Dawontra Hines, 20, pleaded guilty in March to two counts: possession of a machine gun and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted possessing a stolen Glock .40-caliber pistol with a “switch,” or machine gun conversion device, attached, rendering it a fully automatic weapon. Hines had posted a photo on social media of himself with a small child seated between his legs and pointing the Glock in the air over the child’s head. When confronted by a woman about the picture, Hines threatened her, saying he would “shoot her in the face,” Hines’ plea says. The gun had been reported stolen in Scott County. Hines has prior convictions for stealing firearms in New Madrid and Mississippi counties and for stealing a vehicle in Scott County, and awaits sentencing in circuit court for violating his probation in those cases.
The Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Southbridge Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Drug Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON –A Southbridge man pleaded guilty on June 11, 2026 in federal court in Worcester to conspiring to distribute cocaine in Central Massachusetts.
Luis Sastre Pagan, 37, of Puerto Rico and formally of Southbridge, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for Sept. 15, 2026. Pagan was charged in November 2024, along with co-conspirators Eric Rivera and Miguel Lopez.
From in or about April 2023 through April 2024, Sastre Pagan participated in a conspiracy that shipped kilograms of cocaine into Central Massachusetts from Puerto Rico. Evidence showed that the defendant was in communication with co-conspirators before and after the deliveries and that Sastre Pagan was directing the activity of his co-defendants and other co-conspirators as to the activity of the drug trafficking organization in and around Southbridge and Worcester. Over the course of the investigation, four packages related to the drug trafficking organization were seized, each of which were found to contain cocaine. In total, between 15-50 kilograms of cocaine is attributable to Sastre Pagan as part of his participation in the conspiracy.
The charge of conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In August 2025, Rivera pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. In November 2025 he was sentenced to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In April 2026, Lopez was sentenced to six years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the DEA Puerto Rico and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Brown of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Seven people sentenced to prison for their roles in $31M coupon fraud schemeRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Sherise Williams, 40, of Palmetto, Florida, was sentenced today to three years and five months in prison for mail fraud. She is the final defendant to be sentenced for a multi-million-dollar fraudulent coupon scheme.
According to court documents, from at least April 2017 through May 2020, Lori Ann Talens, of Virginia Beach, used a computer to design, create, and produce a wide variety of counterfeit coupons in her Virginia Beach home, and used social media and apps to find groups of coupon enthusiasts and sell them the counterfeit coupons. These counterfeit coupons were often created with inflated values to receive items for free or at a greatly reduced price. Lori Ann Talens’ husband, Pacifico Talens Jr., 43, assisted in and profited from the operation.
Lori Ann and Pacifico Talens pleaded guilty to mail fraud, and Lori Ann also pleaded guilty to wire fraud and health care fraud for a separate scheme. Pacifico was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison. Lori Ann was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Williams and others purchased the counterfeit coupons from Lori Ann Talens in bulk quantities. For example, Williams purchased counterfeit coupons from Lori Ann Talens on 274 occasions for a total of $19,821.34. For every dollar paid to Lori Ann Talens, her customers received an estimated $50 in counterfeit coupons, at which ratio Williams caused an estimated total loss of $991,067 to retailers and manufacturers.
An analysis determined that the scheme caused a total loss of approximately $31,817,997 to retailers and manufacturers.
Amber Lynn Teague, aka Amber Johnson, 32, of Louisville, Kentucky, pled guilty on June 18, 2025, to mail fraud. On Dec. 16, 2025, Teague was sentenced to six months in prison.
Jennifer Irene Snyder, 38, of Lavon, Texas, pled guilty on July 11, 2025, to mail fraud. On Dec. 15, 2025, Snyder was sentenced to a year and three months in prison.
Melissa Kay Apodaca, 41, of Thornton, Colorado, pled guilty on June 30, 2025, to mail fraud. On Dec. 16, 2025, Apodaca was sentenced to a year and six months in prison.
Cindi Suzette Swindle, 56, of Jacksonville, Florida, pled guilty on Aug. 11, 2025, to mail fraud. On Dec. 11, 2025, Swindle was sentenced to a year in prison.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and FBI’s Norfolk Field Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Kosky prosecuted the case.
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 Nos. 2:24-cr-137 and 2:21-cr-39.
Serbian National Extradited to Face Charges of Transporting over $1 Million Worth of Stolen Luxury WatchesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Serbian national was extradited to the United States on June 5, 2026 to face charges for allegedly assisting in the possession and transportation of over 260 stolen luxury watches valued at $1.4 million. The defendant was arrested by Dutch authorities at an airport in Amsterdam while attempting to flee to his native Serbia.
Dusan Pericic, 41, was charged with possession and sale of stolen goods, transportation of stolen goods and conspiracy to possess, sell, and transport stolen goods. The defendant made his initial appearance in federal court in Boston on June 6, 2026 and is detained pending trial.
According to the charging documents Pericic allegedly obtained 36 luxury watches stolen from the Territorial Collectivity of Saint-Barthelemy. These watches were traced back to a retail burglary in Saint-Barthelmy of 269 luxury watches valued at $1.4 million. Pericic allegedly transported and arranged for the transportation of the stolen watches into the United Sates for sale to luxury watch dealers. He is alleged to have sold one of the stolen watches to an identified watch dealer for $34,300 in Florida. On Dec. 21, 2021, Pericic allegedly transported 36 of the stolen watches from Miami to Peabody, Mass. and enlisted a watch dealer to assist him in selling the watches.
The charges of possession and sale of stolen goods and transportation of stolen goods provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to possess, sell, and transport stolen goods provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Marshal Service. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Dutch authorities in securing Dusan Pericic’s arrest and extradition. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
San Diego Man Admits Role in Alien Smuggling Scheme that Held Migrants for Ransom; Distraught Families Paid Thousands but Two Remain MissingRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Isaac Jimenez, a U.S. citizen and San Diego resident, pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting his role in an alien smuggling conspiracy that held would-be migrants hostage in Mexico while demanding ransom payments from distraught families who paid tens of thousands of dollars in vain.
As part of his plea, Jimenez acknowledged that he coordinated alien smuggling events that brought migrants to the United States from Mexico illegally for a price. Jimenez further admitted he collected ransom payments from family members of migrants who, instead of being smuggled into the U.S., were held against their will in Tijuana, never to be seen again. In at least two cases, the victims—a father of four U.S. citizen children and a young woman from Tijuana—disappeared after their families made multiple ransom payments to secure their freedom.
According to his plea agreement, although Jimenez did not personally hold migrants captive, he knew his coconspirators were committing these acts in furtherance of the broader smuggling scheme. Despite that knowledge, he continued to participate in the conspiracy and committed acts to advance it.
For example, in September 2024, Jimenez personally collected $15,000 in ransom payments from the U.S. citizen wife of the father of four who was being held against his will in Mexico by the smuggling organization. Jimenez admitted he later transported the $15,000 to Mexico and delivered it to his coconspirators. Afterward, additional ransom demands were made by the organization, some of which the man’s spouse and other family members were able to pay. Despite these payments, the smuggling organization threatened to kill the man unless his family made additional payments. After the family could give no more money, all communications from the smuggling organization ceased. The man’s whereabouts remain unknown. According to his plea agreement, to the best of Jimenez’s knowledge, the man was killed in Mexico.
In December 2024, Jimenez agreed to coordinate the smuggling of a 20-year-old woman from Tijuana, Mexico, for a smuggling fee of $7,000. Before the woman was smuggled into the United States, however, Jimenez’s coconspirators in Mexico held her against her will and demanded $30,000 from her family in exchange for her release. The smuggling organization then sent video calls to the woman’s fiancé and family members showing them pointing firearms at her and kicking her in the chest and head. The conspirators threatened to kill the woman if their ransom demands were not met. Despite the woman’s family sending an additional $10,000 to the smuggling organization, she was still not released. To the best of Jimenez’s knowledge, the woman was killed in Mexico.
As part of his guilty plea, Jimenez has agreed to pay $24,500 to the family members of the missing migrants, for funeral and related expenses and as restitution for a portion of the ransom payments made to the smuggling organization in the course of the conspiracy.
Jimenez is scheduled to be sentenced on September 11, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Miller and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Samson Schatz.
DEFENDANT Case Number 25cr2648-JLS
Isaac Jimenez Age: 30 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy to Bring in Certain Aliens – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371, and Title 8, U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii)
Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine
Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain – Title 8, U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii)
Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison (and a mandatory minimum three years) and $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
Homeland Security Investigations
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
This case was investigated and prosecuted by the California Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Record-breaking Tallahassee Police Department Drug Bust Leads to Federal Indictment of Drug TraffickerRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – Chandale Maurice Mills, 42, of Tallahassee, Florida, has been indicted in federal court for possession with intent to distribute multiple controlled substances including more than 5 kilograms of cocaine, 500 grams of methamphetamine, 40 grams of fentanyl, and 50 kilograms of marijuana; possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking; and possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charges.
Mills appeared in federal court for his arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick in Tallahassee, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for July 27, 2026, at 8:30 am before Chief District Court Judge Allen C. Winsor in Tallahassee, Florida.
If convicted as charged, Mills faces ten years’ to Life imprisonment on the drug trafficking count, five years to Life for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and up to 15 years’ imprisonment for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
The case was investigated by the Tallahassee Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Recidivist Fraudster Sentenced to 160 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton announced that MATTHEW BLAKE MORROW-WU, a/k/a “Blake Wu,” a/k/a “Blake Ho,” a/k/a “Blake Morrow,” a/k/a “Matthew Wu,” a/k/a “Matthew Ho,” a/k/a “Matthew Blake Morrow,” was sentenced today to 160 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein for perpetrating a scheme to defraud a Manhattan architecture firm during the COVID-19 pandemic, after which he obstructed justice and pled from prosecution. On April 28, 2025, MORROW-WU pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, substantive wire fraud and mail fraud, impersonation of a federal officer, falsification of records, and obstruction of justice.
“Morrow-Wu, a recidivist, preyed on a small business during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent proceeds,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “When he was caught, Morrow-Wu then tried to cover up his crimes and fled from prosecution. Today’s sentence should make clear to fraudsters that there are significant consequences for their crimes.”
According to the charging documents and other filings and statements made in court proceedings:
Between approximately 2020 and January 2023, MORROW-WU defrauded a Manhattan architecture firm (“Firm-1”) and its owners of nearly $400,000 through fraudulent check deposits and credit card transactions. MORROW-WU carried out his scheme by using inside information obtained from Firm-1, which he used to steal money from Firm-1 and its clients, including by depositing Firm-1’s funds directly into his own bank accounts and accruing tens of thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges on Firm-1’s credit cards.
This scheme was the latest in MORROW-WU’s lengthy history of fraud, including prior convictions for identity theft, check fraud, credit card fraud, passport fraud, and obstruction of justice. In addition to these convictions, MORROW-WU—despite not being a licensed attorney—misappropriated the state bar license of an attorney with a similar name, which he used to fraudulently obtain legal employment and to fraudulently incorporate various law offices.
MORROW-WU also undertook significant efforts to conceal his fraudulent scheme, including by forging correspondence by Firm-1 and using his fake law practices as cover. Moreover, in October 2022, MORROW-WU sent the victims a forged target letter purporting to be from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, which threatened the victims with criminal prosecution for committing fraud.
MORROW-WU was arrested and charged with fraud offenses in January 2023. In February 2025, while on bail pending trial, MORROW-WU submitted to the Court a false letter from a purported doctor claiming, inaccurately, that MORROW-WU had metastatic cancer, in an effort to delay his then-upcoming trial. Thereafter, MORROW-WU was charged with obstruction offenses and, after failing to appear for a scheduled court conference, fled to California, where he was apprehended by law enforcement.
* * *
In addition to the prison term, MORROW-WU, 42, of Jersey City, New Jersey, was sentenced to 3 years of supervised release, ordered to forfeit $406,788.08, and ordered to pay $197,965.38 in restitution.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Postal Inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and thanked the U.S. Marshals Service and the Solano County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance with the apprehension of MORROW-WU.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jerry J. Fang, Michael R. Herman, Henry L. Ross, and Angela Zhu are in charge of the prosecution.
Prichard Police Officer Arrested on Charges of Civil Rights Violations, Bribery, Evidence Tampering, and ExtortionRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Prichard police officer has been arrested on a criminal complaint charging him with federal crimes he is alleged to have committed in his capacity as a law enforcement officer.
According to court documents, Emmanuel Naman Dotch, II, a police officer with the Prichard Police Department (PPD), has been charged with multiple criminal counts, including civil rights violations, conspiracy, taking bribes, tampering with evidence, and extortion.
The criminal complaint alleges that Dotch covered up crimes and concealed evidence for violent individuals to assist them in avoiding prosecution. The complaint affidavit further alleges that Dotch conspired with other PPD officers to conduct unlawful traffic stops and detentions of victims to deprive them of rights secured by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Finally, the charges allege that Dotch extorted individuals for bribes in exchange for letting them go free from arrest and agreed to accept corrupt payments to commit illegal acts, including transporting bulk marijuana, all while acting under the color of law as a police officer. As with all charges, this defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
This case was the result of the outstanding collaboration and coordination of the Alabama Homeland Security Task Force, along with state and local partners. United States Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama said, “I would like to thank the talented and dedicated law enforcement agents of the HSTF and our partner agencies who brought this investigation forward. The success of this case demonstrates the strength of interagency cooperation and the unwavering commitment of law enforcement partners to protecting the community and holding criminals accountable – no matter who they may be.”
This Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) investigation collected information from numerous sources and spanned a substantial timeframe. Members of the public with information that may be relevant to this case should reach out to the FBI online at www.tips.fbi.gov or by phone at 251-438-3674. Information may be submitted anonymously.
This arrest is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Mobile comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, ATF, the United States Marshals Service, DEA, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, Mobile Police Department, and the Mobile District Attorney’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.
Pensacola Felon Indicted on Narcotics and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
Pensacola, Florida – James Darnell Shoemo, Jr., 30, of Pensacola, Florida, has been indicted in federal court on one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges.
Shoemo appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Charles A. Stampelos for his initial appearance at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida. Trial is scheduled for September 8, 2026, at 8:30 am in Pensacola before District Court Judge M. Casey Rodgers.
If convicted, Shoemo, Jr. faces up to 30 years’ imprisonment on the possession with intent to distribute marijuana count; up to 15 years’ imprisonment on the possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon count; and a minimum mandatory 5 years’ imprisonment, and up to life imprisonment, consecutive to any other sentence on the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Operation Viper Results in 39 Arrests, the Seizure of 35 Firearms, Large Quantities of Narcotics, Money, and Nine Federal IndictmentsRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—In coordination with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas and Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Little Rock Field Office announce the results of Operation Viper. Operation Viper, a high-intensity fugitive apprehension initiative, resulted in 26 warrants executed, the arrests of 39 individuals, a seizure of 35 firearms, the seizure of $74,400 in illegal proceeds, approximately 100 pounds of marijuana, and large quantities of fentanyl and other illicit pills. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has indicted nine of individuals arrested for federal firearms violations.
“Together with our law enforcement partners, our office seeks to remove as many violent and repeat offenders from our communities as possible,” said U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Ross, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “The success of this collaboration reflects the ongoing commitment of our office, law enforcement, and first responder partnerships to lower violent crime and the consistent pursuit of violent offenders across Arkansas.”
“The success of Operation Viper reflects the unwavering commitment of the FBI and our strong partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies throughout Arkansas,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason Van Goor, FBI Little Rock Field Office. “Violent crime will not be tolerated in our state, and we will continue to aggressively target and hold accountable those who endanger our communities.”
On June 2, 2026, nine individuals arrested as part of Operation Viper were indicted by a federal grand jury, as follows:
Werrick Baines, 19, Jacksonville, Arkansas,
Kenny Lamar Branson, 41, Little Rock, Arkansas,
Ynohtna W. Carroll, 25, North Little Rock, Arkansas,
Leon Harris, 20, Little Rock, Arkansas,
Charles Edward Layton, III, 40, North Little Rock, Arkansas,
Jeffery Wayne Murdock, 41, Little Rock, Arkansas,
Terjun Tramaine Parker, 49, Alexander, Arkansas,
Zavier Marqise Rhodes, 23, North Little Rock, Arkansas, and
Kaylon Roshon Robinson, 27, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Federal charges for these individuals include felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a machinegun, and possession with intent to deliver marijuana.
In addition to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas, and FBI’s Little Rock Field Office, additional agencies involved in Operation Viper include, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals Service, Arkansas State Police, Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, White County Sheriff’s Office, Little Rock Police Department, North Little Rock Police Department, Pine Bluff Police Department, Arkansas Community Correction, and the STAR Team from the Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services.
*An Indictment is an allegation and all individuals named in the Indictment are innocent until proven guilty in a federal court of law.
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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
X (formerly known as Twitter):
@USAO_EDAR
North Carolina Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Violating the Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification ActRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – – James Terry Lawson Jr., 43, pleaded guilty today to failing to register and update his registration as a sex offender as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) after traveling in interstate commerce and relocating to West Virginia.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from on or about October 1, 2024, through on or about May 1, 2025, Lawson resided in Vienna, West Virginia, without registering as a sex offender. Lawson was convicted of indecent liberties with children in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, Superior Court on December 3, 2003, and is required to register under SORNA.
Lawson has a criminal history that also includes prior convictions for failing to register as a sex offender on May 27, 2004, September 21, 2009, and July 14, 2017.
Lawson is scheduled to be sentenced on October 5, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police and the United States Marshals Service (USMS).
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
SORNA is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 and provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. SORNA seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs, in part by requiring registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:26-cr-3.
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Newport News felon sentenced to four years in prison for firearm possession and gate crashing at Naval Station NorfolkRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced today to four years in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and unlawful entrance upon a naval installation.
According to court documents, during a traffic stop on Dec. 16, 2024, Newport News Police found Malik Rashun Hughes, 27, in possession of a stolen handgun loaded with a large-capacity magazine containing sixteen rounds of ammunition. As a previously convicted felon, Hughes cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
On July 19, 2025, Hughes stole a vehicle in Virginia Beach. He crashed into another vehicle near Naval Station Norfolk. As he fled the scene of the collision, Hughes illegally entered the installation, ignoring directions from a sentry at the entry control point. When police attempted to stop the vehicle, Hughes attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended in possession of an air soft gun and a half-consumed bottle of tequila.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division investigated this case with assistance from the Newport News Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mack Coleman prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-cr-55.
New York City Public School Teacher Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Joseph Taylor McKeel, a public school teacher at a high school in New York City, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. The proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Cross-Goldenberg. When sentenced, McKeel faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty plea.
“McKeel possessed graphic images of child sexual abuse, including sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, all while employed in a position of trust as a high school biology teacher,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Prosecuting those who victimize children by feeding the market for child pornography will always be a top priority of our Office and our law enforcement partners.”
“Joseph McKeel, a New York City public-school teacher, exploited children by obtaining child pornography that included infants and toddlers. This is not just a horrific violation of law and abuse of children, but a profound betrayal of the trust placed in him as a teacher. Our FBI/NYPD Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Task Force will relentlessly pursue those who engage in such despicable conduct,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
As set forth in court filings, McKeel, a high school biology teacher, possessed hundreds of images of child pornography. McKeel was arrested in March 2026 on his way to work carrying a backpack that contained a thumb drive with over 150 images of child sexual abuse, along with a pipe used for smoking methamphetamine. An additional device containing child sexual abuse material was found during the execution of a search warrant at McKeel’s residence.
This prosecution is 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, 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.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca Sussman and Samuel Rackear are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
JOSEPH TAYLOR MCKEEL
Age: 33
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-CR-148 (RPK)
Modesto Dark Web Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Devlin Hosner, 37, of Modesto, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to 10 years in prison for a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, Hosner and co-defendant Holly Adams, 36, made hundreds of thousands of dollars selling fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills and methamphetamine on the dark web, and laundered the proceeds through cryptocurrency mixers, wallets, and other online tools. In September 2021, state law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at their residence. Hosner tried to block their entry while Adams destroyed pills by pouring them into a chemical solution. Both were arrested, released, and soon resumed selling fentanyl on the dark web while unknowingly under federal investigation.
In March 2022, federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at a hotel room in Riverside County where Hosner and Adams were staying and seized nearly a kilogram of fentanyl-pressed pills and 60 grams of methamphetamine.
On Dec. 9, 2026, Hosner pleaded guilty. Adams pleaded guilty on June 18, 2024, and was sentenced to 12 years in prison on June 3, 2025.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Northern California Illicit Digital Economy (NCIDE) Task Force, which includes agents from the IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The NCIDE Task Force is a federal task force focused on targeting all forms of illicit dark web and cryptocurrency activity in the Eastern District of California and beyond. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stefanki prosecuted the case.
Mexican national sentenced for role in large-scale international cocaine trafficking offenseRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Mexican national was sentenced today to 14 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to import approximately 1,900 kilograms of cocaine into the United States.
According to court documents, Jesus Rauda-Avila was a member of a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) led by Marisela Flores-Torruco that was responsible for importing multi-hundred-kilogram quantities of cocaine into the United States.
The DTO, which had operations in New York, Texas, and elsewhere in the United States, sourced its cocaine from Colombia and provided logistical and financial support to coordinate the narcotics’ passage through Central America and Mexico and into the United States. During the investigation, law enforcement made several cocaine seizures, including approximately 971 kilograms of cocaine on April 21, 2017, and 500 kilograms of cocaine on May 10, 2017, nearly all of which was attributable to the DTO.
From 2016 to October 2017, in coordination with Flores-Torruco’s DTO, Rauda-Avila arranged and directed the transportation of funds, drivers, and vehicles from northern Mexico to southern Mexico to purchase and pick up cocaine, which was subsequently transported into the United States for distribution. Rauda-Avila conducted at least ten such narcotics purchases in partnership with Flores-Torruco’s DTO, each involving between 100 and 400 kilograms of cocaine.
Rauda-Avila pled guilty to conspiring to import cocaine to the United States. Two of Rauda-Avila’s and Flores-Torruco’ co-conspirators, Qiyun Chen, and Jose Francisco Mendoza-Gomez, have been convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia for their roles within the DTO, as have several individuals involved with the related Chinese money laundering network. Flores-Torruco pled guilty to possession, manufacture, or distribution of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison. Chen pled guilty to money laundering conspiracy and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Mendoza-Gomez pled guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit, investigated the case, with assistance from DEA’s offices in Cartagena (Colombia), Bogota (Colombia), Panama City, Mexico City, and Guatemala City. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service provided substantial assistance in the investigation. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Mexico.
Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher M. Carter and Edgardo J. Rodriguez for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Chelsea R. Rooney of the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Washington, D.C., comprises agents and officers from the FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; DEA; Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; Naval Criminal Investigative Service; Transportation Security Administration Federal Air Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Washington Baltimore HIDTA, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section's (MNF) mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit investigates and prosecutes sophisticated money laundering schemes involving financial facilitators, gatekeepers, and other individuals and entities laundering criminal proceeds, and litigates complex civil forfeiture cases to recover assets on behalf of victims.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-147.
Mexican National Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Role in Large Scale International Cocaine Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
A Mexican national was sentenced today to 14 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to import approximately 1,900 kilograms of cocaine into the United States.
According to court documents, Jesus Rauda-Avila, 46, was a member of a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) led by Marisela Flores-Torruco that was responsible for importing multi-hundred-kilogram quantities of cocaine into the United States.
“Jesus Rauda-Avila conspired with a drug trafficking organization to import almost 2,000 kilograms of cocaine into the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This level of Mexican DTO importation is the root of the injection of drugs and violence into our communities. Because of people like this defendant, countless Americans lives are ruined, and their families are left picking up the pieces. The Criminal Division will pursue drug traffickers at this level and remove them from our law-abiding society.”
“This case highlights DEA’s global reach and commitment to justice for those who threaten the safety and security of the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Cindy Marx of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Special Operations Division. “The case against Rauda-Avila exposes the scope of international drug conspiracies, and today's sentence reflects what's possible when DEA, as part of HSTF, works hand-in-hand with our federal and international partners to dismantle the criminal organizations that threaten Americans."
The DTO, which had operations in New York, Texas, and elsewhere in the United States, sourced its cocaine from Colombia and provided logistical and financial support to coordinate the narcotics’ passage through Central America and Mexico and into the United States. During the investigation, law enforcement made several cocaine seizures, including approximately 971 kilograms of cocaine on April 21, 2017, and 500 kilograms of cocaine on May 10, 2017, nearly all of which was attributable to the DTO.
From 2016 to October 2017, in coordination with Flores-Torruco’s DTO, the defendant arranged and directed the transportation of funds, drivers, and vehicles from northern Mexico to southern Mexico to purchase and pick up cocaine, which was subsequently transported into the United States for distribution. The defendant conducted at least ten such narcotics purchases in partnership with Flores-Torruco’s DTO, each involving between 100 and 400 kilograms of cocaine.
Rauda-Avila pleaded guilty to conspiring to import cocaine to the United States. Three of the defendant’s co-conspirators — Marisela Flores-Torruco, Qiyun Chen, and Jose Francisco Mendoza-Gomez — have been convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia for their roles within the DTO, as have several individuals involved with the related Chinese money laundering network. Flores-Torruco pleaded guilty to possession, manufacture, or distribution of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 16 years and 8 months in prison. Chen pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Mendoza-Gomez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit, investigated the case, with assistance from DEA’s offices in Cartagena (Colombia), Bogota (Colombia), Panama City, Mexico City, and Guatemala City. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service provided substantial assistance in the investigation. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Mexico.
Trial Attorney Chelsea R. Rooney of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edgardo J. Rodriguez and Christopher M. Carter for the Eastern District of Viriginia prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Washington, D.C., comprises agents and officers from the FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; DEA; Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; Naval Criminal Investigative Service; Transportation Security Administration Federal Air Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Washington Baltimore HIDTA, with the prosecution being led by the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit investigates and prosecutes sophisticated money laundering schemes involving financial facilitators, gatekeepers, and other individuals and entities laundering criminal proceeds, and litigates complex civil forfeiture cases to recover assets on behalf of victims.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
McAlester Resident Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that John Edward Peasha, II, a/k/a John Edward Peasha, Jr., age 44, of McAlester, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Indictment charged Peasha with knowingly possessing one 9mm semi-automatic pistol and 11 rounds of ammunition on February 6, 2026, after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the McAlester Police Department, and the Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Peasha will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Knutson represented the United States.
Maryland Brothers Plead Guilty to Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Maryland twin brothers pled guilty to tax-evasion charges in federal court, today, for their roles in a tax-fraud scheme.
Dennis March, 55, and Greg March, 55, both of Berlin, each pled guilty to one count of tax evasion for concealing income and failing to pay business and individual taxes.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty pleas with Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington D.C. Field Office. This prosecution is part of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
According to their guilty pleas, from 2017 until April 2023, Dennis and Greg March both willfully evaded paying the lawful taxes they owed on their business and personal income-tax returns for 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. During this time, the March brothers committed multiple affirmative acts in Maryland that constituted tax evasion and attempted tax evasion. In total, the March brothers each unlawfully concealed more than $4.5 million in income generated from 2017 to 2023, and each failed to pay nearly $1.8 million in taxes on that income.
Beginning in 2017, and continuing into 2023, the March brothers, along with a third business partner, jointly owned and controlled various business entities and ventures, including Elite Marketing Group LLC, Elite MG LLC, and Principal Law Group. Through the operation of Principal, Elite, Elite MG, and their other entities, the March brothers and their business partner generated significant revenues and income from 2017-2023.
Instead of paying the taxes they owed, the March brothers worked to hide their incomes. They concealed their incomes by arranging payments to a shell entity that they controlled. This allowed the brothers to treat payments as expenses or costs of their businesses, when in reality, these payments were effectively distributions of income to themselves. The brothers also failed to file numerous legally required IRS forms, including required business and personal tax returns.
In September 2021, the March brothers sought to use the income generated through the tax-evasion scheme to purchase various real-estate properties, including in Florida, which they jointly controlled with their business partner. Their purchases included several Florida real-estate properties worth more than $2 million and payments to a Florida building company for the construction of two homes on undeveloped Florida lots. From 2017 to 2022, the March brothers withdrew more than $3.5 million in currency from business bank accounts.
The brothers are each facing five years in federal prison for tax evasion. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for Friday, November 6, at 1 p.m.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the IRS-CI for its work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ari D. Evans and Harry M. Gruber who are prosecuting this federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Man Sentenced to More Than 33 Years in Prison for Operating Online Chat Group That Shared Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to more than 33 years in federal prison for operating an online chat group that shared large amounts of child pornography.
CHRISTOPHER MARTIN operated and led a group chat on the instant-messaging mobile application Kik. Martin moderated the chat and enforced the rules. The primary rule was that if members wanted to stay in the group, they had to constantly share photos and videos of child pornography. For example, when a prospective user wanted to join the group, Martin wrote, “Send what you got. Anything young is fine for group trade . . . Send youngest.” If group members were slow to share child pornography, Martin would pressure them to do so, writing, “If you don’t send [images to the group] you will be removed [from the group].” Martin was also a prolific sharer and trader of child pornography in his group chat.
Martin, 46, of Markham, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal charges of transportation of child pornography. On June 11, 2026, U.S. District Chief Judge Virginia M. Kendall sentenced Martin to 33 years and nine months in federal prison.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.
“Defendant’s offense is extremely serious,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Elie Zenner argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Defendant’s facilitation of the sharing of hundreds of images and videos of young children being abused helped to drive the creation of those images and videos, and the creation of future images and videos of other abused children.”
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Lehigh Valley Man Sentenced to over Six Years in Prison for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Fraud and Defrauding Local Car DealershipsRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Justin Heimbach, 34, of Bath, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 76 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and $598,257 in restitution by United States District Judge John M. Younge for schemes to defraud the federal government and multiple local car dealerships.
The defendant was charged by indictment in August 2024 and pleaded guilty in February of this year to six counts of mail fraud and four counts of wire fraud.
In March of 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which created the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program (PUA). The PUA program provided unemployment benefits to individuals not eligible for regular unemployment compensation, or extended unemployment benefits.
As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, Heimbach, who operated a construction company called TeamKJ Construction, engaged in a scheme that caused fraudulent PUA applications to be filed in the names of individuals allegedly no longer employed by TeamKJ as a result of COVID-19.
In reality, the applications contained a number of materially false statements, including that the applicant had lost their job with TeamKJ as a result of COVID-19 and the date the applicant lost their job with TeamKJ due to the pandemic.
In addition, Heimbach defrauded multiple Lehigh Valley car dealerships by purchasing vehicles in the names of other construction companies registered to or associated with him, and writing checks for those vehicles on bank accounts that had an insufficient balance to cover the transaction.
This case was jointly investigated by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and FBI Philadelphia’s Allentown Resident Agency and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney S. Chandler Harris.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Lawrence Man Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Prison for Fentanyl DistributionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lawrence, Mass. man was sentenced on June 12, 2026 in federal court in Boston for distribution of and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Jhonatan Monegro Rosario, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 30 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In March 2026, Monegro Rosario pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
Over a five-month period, on the North Shore of Massachusetts, Monegro Rosario distributed thousands of counterfeit Oxycodone pills made with fentanyl. Additionally, the investigation revealed that Monegro Rosario possessed a pill press which could be used to manufacture large quantities of counterfeit pills.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Dell’Anno and Brad A. Rocheville of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Justice Department Requires OhioHealth to Stop Using Anticompetitive Healthcare Contract Terms That Raise Costs for Ohio PatientsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division filed a proposed settlement today to resolve the United States’ civil antitrust lawsuit against OhioHealth Corporation (OhioHealth) challenging the company’s anticompetitive contract restrictions. The proposed settlement would make healthcare more affordable by forbidding OhioHealth from imposing terms in its contracts with commercial health insurers that deter budget-conscious healthcare plans that would lower costs for Ohio consumers and employers.
“Since day one, President Trump and this administration have been laser focused on affordability and cutting costs for the American people,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Today’s settlement is another example of how this Department of Justice is bringing down healthcare costs for consumers and fighting the anti-competitive behavior that drove them up in the first place.”
“Providing affordable healthcare to Americans is uncontroversial and this Department of Justice will not tolerate corporate prioritization of revenue in contravention of our antitrust laws,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “This settlement reduces costs and brings back competition in the healthcare system and we are proud of the work of the Antitrust Division in reaching this successful outcome.”
This litigation and the proposed settlement, which the State of Ohio joined, are part of the Antitrust Division’s ongoing enforcement efforts to promote competitive healthcare markets.
“As I stated when we filed this lawsuit, healthcare competition is critical,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “This settlement will secure lower healthcare costs for Ohioans, and ending these anticompetitive contract terms will restore competition for patients in the Columbus area.”
“The Antitrust Division is fully committed to our important work in making healthcare affordable for our nation’s patients and employers,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Sarrine of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “We are incredibly proud to have achieved this strong result for Ohioans.”
As alleged in the United States’ complaint, OhioHealth has used its market power to enact contractual restrictions that encumber or fully preclude insurers from offering innovative and budget-conscious health-insurance plans or plan features. OhioHealth has made insurers include OhioHealth in all of the networks for the commercial insurance products they offer, irrespective of OhioHealth’s prices versus those of its competitors. Purchasers of health insurance in Ohio have therefore been left with fewer choices and higher prices.
If approved by the court, the proposed consent judgment would:
- Void OhioHealth’s existing contract provisions that prohibit or deter insurers from offering innovative and budget-conscious health-insurance plans or plan features;
- Prevent OhioHealth from seeking or obtaining such contract provisions in the future;
- Prevent OhioHealth from penalizing or threatening to penalize health insurers from offering innovative and budget-conscious health-insurance plans or plan features; and
- Appoint a monitor for a five-year term and impose obligations on OhioHealth to submit regular reports to the Antitrust Division to ensure compliance with these remedies.
As required by the Tunney Act, the proposed settlement, along with a competitive impact statement, will be published in the Federal Register. Any interested person should submit written comments concerning the proposed settlement within 60 days following the publication to Jill Maguire, Acting Chief, Healthcare and Consumer Products Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 450 Fifth Street NW, Suite 4100, Washington, DC 20530. At the conclusion of the public comment period, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio may enter the final judgment upon finding it is in the public interest.
OhioHealth owns or manages 16 hospitals and outpatient facilities throughout the State of Ohio.
Justice Department Files to Intervene and Dismiss Lawsuit that Would Hamper America’s AI Innovation and SecurityRead the Press Release
Note: View motion for intervention and dismissal here.
Yesterday, the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) filed a motion to intervene and to dismiss a private citizen lawsuit seeking to power down a large artificial intelligence (AI) facility in Southaven, Mississippi.
The filings concern a case where private litigants sued xAI and its subsidiary MZX Tech LLC, alleging violations of Clean Air Act permitting requirements, even though the State of Mississippi — which is charged with administering the permitting program — decided no permit was required. Plaintiffs’ allegations concern the power source for an AI data facility which trains and develops new AI models that are critical to the economy and the Department of War. The private litigants seek an injunction and damages.
“Ultimate responsibility for enforcing federal law belongs to the Executive Branch, not private interest groups,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “The Department of Justice is committed to maintaining that constitutional order while protecting national security and promoting American energy and innovation.”
“The Department of Justice will not sit idly by while private organizations use environmental laws to undermine our national security,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of ENRD. “This case reflects the important work of the Environment and Natural Resources Division to unleash American energy for the sake of innovation and security.”
President Donald J. Trump’s recently issued executive order Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security tasks federal agencies, committees, and officials to prioritize the promotion of AI innovation and security across the federal government. The Department of War is one of many agencies that protect Americans by utilizing AI. Overly burdensome regulation, including private lawsuits that seek to implement their own environmental enforcement, can threaten technological growth, American energy independence, and national security.
The Clean Air Act gives the federal government authority to intervene in citizen suits, and the Constitution gives responsibility for enforcing the laws to the President. That includes the power to exercise enforcement discretion in the national interest. In its filing, ENRD asked the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi to dismiss the lawsuit, which would turn off critical power during an energy emergency and hinder the War Department’s use of AI for national defense.
xAI Motion to Intervene - ENRD.pdfJuneau man sentenced to 40 years for sexually abusing a minor to produce child pornographyRead the Press Release
JUNEAU, Alaska – A Juneau man was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for sexually abusing a young boy to produce child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) and post the visuals on the dark web.
According to court documents, from March to August 2024, William Steadman, 35, manipulated and groomed a vulnerable 10-year-old boy he had access to in his community. He sexually abused the minor and produced 43 images and 63 videos depicting the abuse. He posted some of these visuals to platforms on the dark web. Steadman bragged about his sexual abuse and manipulation of the minor on the platforms.
Prior to the charged offense, Steadman was previously convicted of possessing child pornography in Alaska state court in 2018, requiring him to register as a sex offender. Following his release from state custody, Steadman began a dark web collection of thousands of visuals depicting child sexual abuse and eventually distributing CSAM he produced of the minor victim. Steadman possessed over 3,300 images and over 1,100 videos of CSAM, representing thousands of additional minor victims.
On Sept. 6, 2024, Steadman was arrested on a criminal complaint in Juneau. Roughly two weeks later, Steadman was indicted by a federal grand jury for his crimes. On March 31, 2025, Steadman pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography. At sentencing, the Court also ordered Steadman to spend the rest of his life on supervised release once he completes his prison sentence. The Court ordered restitution to be determined on a later date. In handing down the sentence, the Court emphasized the defendant’s long track record of recidivism and the need to protect the public from Steadman for a significant amount of time.
“Today’s sentence holds William Steadman accountable for his depraved, sustained, and repeated sexual abuse and production of CSAM with a young child who had been entrusted to his care,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Protection of America’s children and the prosecution of those who abuse and take advantage of them will always be at the forefront of the Criminal Division’s mission.”
“Mr. Steadman’s conduct in this case was evil, and his desire to repeat and escalate his heinous offenses garnered a weighty prison sentence to protect the community from him for as long as possible,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “My office has a phenomenal team of prosecutors dedicated to seeking justice against those who prey on the most vulnerable. Anyone who targets Alaska’s children will be found and held accountable for their perverse crimes.”
“The U.S. Secret Service is unwavering in its commitment to pursue predators who exploit and harm children,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Forrest of the U.S. Secret Service Criminal Investigative Division. “We will continue to work tirelessly alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure that anyone that commits these vile crimes is held fully accountable and their victims receive the justice they deserve.”
The Secret Service’s Internet Crimes Against Children Team investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mac Caille Petursson and Jack Schmidt, and Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
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Juneau Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing a Minor and Producing CSAMRead the Press Release
A Juneau, Alaska, man was sentenced today to 40 years in prison and lifetime supervised release for sexually abusing a young boy, producing child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) depicting the boy, and posting the visuals on the dark web.
According to court documents, from March to August 2024, William Steadman, 35, manipulated and groomed a vulnerable 10-year-old boy he had access to in his community. He sexually abused the minor and produced over 100 images and videos depicting the abuse. He posted some of these visuals to platforms on the dark web where he bragged about his sexual abuse and manipulation of the minor.
“Today’s sentence holds William Steadman accountable for his depraved, sustained, and repeated sexual abuse and production of CSAM with a young child who had been entrusted to his care,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Protection of America’s children and the prosecution of those who abuse and take advantage of them will always be at the forefront of the Criminal Division’s mission.”
“Mr. Steadman’s conduct in this case was evil, and his desire to repeat and escalate his heinous offenses garnered a weighty prison sentence to protect the community from him for as long as possible,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “My office has a phenomenal team of prosecutors dedicated to seeking justice against those who prey on the most vulnerable. Anyone who targets Alaska’s children will be found and held accountable for their perverse crimes.”
“The U.S. Secret Service (USSS) is unwavering in its commitment to pursue predators who exploit and harm children,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Forrest of the USSS Criminal Investigative Division. “We will continue to work tirelessly alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure that anyone that commits these vile crimes is held fully accountable and their victims receive the justice they deserve.”
Prior to the charged offense, Steadman was previously convicted of possessing child pornography in Alaska state court in 2018, requiring him to register as a sex offender. Following his release from state custody, Steadman began amassing a collection of CSAM that included 3,300 images and over 1,100 videos of CSAM, representing thousands of additional minor victims.
On Sept. 6, 2024, Steadman was arrested on a criminal complaint in Juneau. Roughly two weeks later, Steadman was indicted by a federal grand jury for his crimes. On March 31, 2025, Steadman pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography.
The USSS’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated the case.
Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mac Caille Petursson for the District of Alaska prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Journey to Hope Health and Healing and Former CEO Agree to Pay $10.2 Million to Resolve False Claims AllegationsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE: Journey to Hope, Health and Healing (Journey) and its former CEO, Kenneth L. Richardson, Jr., have agreed to pay $10.2 million to resolve allegations that the opioid treatment provider submitted false claims to the Rhode Island Medicaid program and Medicare for substance use disorder treatment services that were not provided.
Journey, when owned and led by Richardson, operated outpatient treatment facilities in Rhode Island that provided substance use disorder treatment services, including methadone-assisted treatment and mental health care services.
The settlement resolves allegations made by the State of Rhode Island and the United States in a complaint in intervention, that between January 2015 to July 2021, Journey and its management knowingly submitted false claims to the Rhode Island Medicaid program for millions of dollars.
In April 2023, the United States and the State of Rhode Island filed a complaint in intervention (complaint) under the federal and state False Claims Acts and alleged that Journey failed to provide required treatment plans and adequate counseling services to certain patients receiving methadone treatment. The complaint also alleged that Journey maintained patient caseloads at a volume so high that it was physically impossible for counselors to provide required counselling services.
The complaint further alleged that Journey and its management knowingly falsified documents by altering and backdating records to make it appear to accreditation officials and Rhode Island Medicaid auditors that they were complying with the accreditation requirements necessary to bill Rhode Island Medicaid.
Under the settlement agreement, Journey and its CEO will pay $10.2 million to the United States and the State of Rhode Island to resolve their alleged liability under the federal and state False Claims Acts. The settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Acts by former Journey employees Sara Quaresma and Michael Delmonico. Under those provisions, private parties may file civil actions on behalf of the government and receive a portion of any recovery. Under the settlement agreement, the whistleblowers will receive approximately $2.04 million of the settlement proceeds.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island, Peter Cote, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; the R.I. Office of the Attorney General; the R.I. Executive Office of Health and Human Services; and the R.I. Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals.
The case was handled by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Bethany Wong with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Bolan; Special Assistant Attorney General Kate Constance Brody of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control and Patient Abuse Unit; and Genevieve M. Allaire Johnson, the former Director of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control and Patient Abuse Unit.
Jewelry Robbers Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Gina Parra-Martinez (age 39) and Diego Ramirez-Aldana (age 29) have been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle for the robbery of an estimated $1.3 million of jewelry. Parra-Martinez was sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison. Ramirez-Aldana was sentenced to five years and one month in federal prison. Both previously pleaded guilty. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court records and testimony at the sentencing hearing, in March 2024, Ramirez-Aldana, Parra-Martinez and at least four others robbed a jewelry vendor who was visiting Tampa to sell her jewelry at an exhibition at a hotel near the University of South Florida campus. The night of the exhibition, the victim and her sister took a rideshare from the exhibition back to their hotel. Surveillance video showed that as soon as they arrived, a vehicle pulled up, five masked individuals got out of the vehicle, rushed the victims, pushed them, and stole the victims’ bags. The estimated total value of the jewelry stolen was $1.3 million. The robbers also took $9,000 dollars in cash.
Investigators later tied four vehicles and numerous cellphones to the location of the robbery and vicinity surrounding the location. Ramirez-Aldana’s cellphone was traced to the immediate vicinity of the jewelry exhibition hours before the robbery. In one of the vehicles used in the robbery, law enforcement discovered loose gems on the floorboard. The robbery victim identified these gems as belonging to her. Forensic processing of the vehicle showed that a latent print on the false registration in the vehicle belonged to Ramirez-Aldana.
Parra-Martinez’s cellphone was traced to the vicinity of the jewelry exhibition on the day prior to the robbery. Surveillance footage from the jewelry exhibition showed a woman matching Parra-Martinez’s physical appearance walking through the exhibition wearing a baseball cap. Parra-Martinez’s fingerprint was recovered from a bag that contained bleach, wigs, and a ski mask located in another vehicle associated with the robbery.
After the Tampa robbery, Parra-Martinez traveled back to New York. A search warrant was executed for an address where she was staying in April 2024. Parra-Martinez left that address and boarded a plane to California hours before agents executed the search warrant. Parra-Martinez changed clothes mid-flight, left her luggage at the baggage claim in California, and evaded capture for several months until her eventual arrest.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman.
Jefferson County Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of Children After Jury Selected for His TrialRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Birmingham man has pleaded guilty to producing child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr.
After jury selection in a trial before Chief U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala, Robert Lee Ford, Jr., 35, pleaded guilty to two-counts of sexual exploitation of children.
According to the plea agreement, on January 24, 2025, a deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to Children’s of Alabama hospital after receiving a report of an assault on a child. The child’s mother reported that her 14-year-old daughter had been assaulted by Ford. After further investigation and with assistance from the FBI, deputies executed a state search warrant on Ford’s apartment and arrested Ford on state charges. The FBI continued investigating and executed federal search warrants on Ford’s online accounts. A review of these accounts revealed videos of child sexual abuse material Ford had produced using the minor victim on multiple dates in December 2024 and January 2025.
“Children deserve to be protected from those who seek to exploit and abuse them,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr. “By pleading guilty, the defendant has admitted responsibility for his crimes and will now be held accountable for the harm he caused the victim. I am grateful for the dedication of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners who drove this case to a successful conclusion. This case is about protecting children and ensuring that those who exploit them are brought to justice.”
“The exploitation of a child is a heinous crime. Those who prey on children should know this: the FBI will use every available resource to identify you, find you, and hold you accountable,” said Mike Kochanowski, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI Birmingham. “We will never stop pursuing individuals who victimize children, and we will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure they face justice.”
If you suspect or become aware of a child being sexually abused or exploited, please contact law enforcement. To alert the FBI Birmingham Office, call 205-326-6166. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at www.cybertipline.org.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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 and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case along with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Leann White and J. Patrick Lamb are prosecuting the case.
Illegal alien and local man earn prison sentences after assaulting officersRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – Two men have been ordered to federal prison for smuggling illegal aliens and for assaulting federal agents in the course of their duties, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Adrian Isaac Pimentel-Garcia, a 20-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, and Juan Carlos Lopez Jr., 24, Laredo, both pleaded guilty March 3 in separate, but similar cases to bringing an alien to the United States and assault on federal officers.
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana has now ordered both Pimentel-Garcia and Lopez to serve a total of 36 months in federal prison. At the hearings, the court heard from the victims who described how their experiences would affect them for the rest of their careers but still expressed forgiveness. Lopez must serve a three-year-term of supervised release. Not a U.S. citizen, Pimentel-Garcia is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment.
In handing down the sentence in the Lopez case, Judge Saldana emphasized that but for the Grace of God, no one died. She noted that his careless behavior could have led to the death of an agent, an alien or even himself but also complimented the agent’s professionalism.
On Dec. 5, 2025, Border Patrol agents discovered a group of aliens who had just crossed into the United States from the Rio Grande in south Laredo. Law enforcement found them in a nearby residential area where they were climbing fences around homes. Pimentel-Garcia had been leading the aliens and climbed a rooftop to escape. When the agent attempted to stop the attempt, Pimental-Garcia jumped off a fence and dropkicked a Border Patrol agent in the face, knocking him to the ground. Pimental-Garcia then tried to flee by foot.
Assisting agents then detained Pimental-Garcia and the three aliens he was illegally guiding into the United States.
The day prior, Border Patrol agents discovered Lopez was driving a vehicle picking up aliens as they exited the Rio Grande near southwest Laredo. Authorities attempted a traffic stop, but Lopez sped off and led law enforcement on a vehicle pursuit. Lopez drove his vehicle from paved roads onto dirt ones that ended at a cliff. When law enforcement stopped the patrol vehicle behind him, he exited to detain Lopez. However, Lopez soon revved his engine and sped back into the agent’s path. He was able to narrowly avoid being hit and severely injured. However, Lopez did strike the patrol vehicle of another agent and caused injury to that law enforcement officer.
Lopez attempted to flee on foot, but authorities soon took him and seven smuggled aliens into custody.
FBI and Border Patrol conducted both investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Manuel A. Cardenas Jr. prosecuted the cases.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Honduran National Sentenced to 7 Months in Prison for Immigration OffenseRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Nery Leonel Rivera, 49 years old, a felon from Honduras who had been previously removed from the United States in 2015, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to felony reentry of removed alien, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Rivera was sentenced to 7 months in prison.
“The Defendant is a convicted felon and his repeated violations of our nation’s borders laws are not victimless crimes in that he was caught trying to steal an identity that would allow him to perpetuate his violations. He was convicted of possession of cocaine in 2013, removed from the United States and returned to his home country of Honduras in March 2015. He violated our nation’s borders and laws when he reentered the United States a few months later and was removed a second time in September 2015. He violated our nation’s borders and laws yet again and progressed in his disregard for our nation’s laws. Investigators found Rivera in Indiana while investigating a report of stolen identity. Rivera had paid cash to purchase the identity of another person and used a fake Social Security card and forged birth certificate to misrepresent to his employer that he was a United States citizen. Thanks to the efforts of the US Department of Homeland Security, the Indiana State Police, and AUSA Jerome W. McKeever, the Defendant was prosecuted and convicted for his crimes,” U.S. Attorney Adam L. Mildred said.
This case was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security with assistance from the Indiana State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jerome W. McKeever.
Hohenwald Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Transporting Tennessee Teen Across State Lines for Illegal Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – A Hohenwald, Tennessee, man was sentenced June 12, 2026, to 108 months in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for coercing and enticing a 16-year-old girl to travel with him from Tennessee to Kentucky and then to Texas so that he could continue an illegal sexual relationship with her.
Drew Roden, 25, pleaded guilty on July 28, 2025, to coercion and enticement to travel in interstate commerce to engage in illegal sexual activity, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(a).
According to court documents and admissions made in connection with the plea, Roden, then 22 years old, met the minor victim in December 2022. He was informed at the time that she was 16 years old but continued to pursue contact with her. Roden eventually purchased a cell phone for the minor victim and encouraged her to leave her family's home in Spring Hill, Tennessee, at night to meet him.
In late January 2023, Roden drove the victim from Tennessee to Bowling Green, Kentucky, and ultimately to Houston, Texas, so that he could continue the illegal sexual relationship.
While the minor victim was missing, Roden repeatedly lied to her family, his own family, and concerned acquaintances about her whereabouts, despite being urged by multiple people to bring her home safely. The minor victim's family contacted the Spring Hill Police Department, which referred the matter to the FBI. Agents with the FBI's Nashville Field Office traced Roden's location to Houston and coordinated with the FBI's Houston Field Office, where Roden was located and arrested on Feb. 2, 2023, approximately one week after the victim was last seen at her family's home.
“Adults who exploit children for their own sexual gratification are among the most serious offenders,” said U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek for the Middle District of Tennessee. “By sexually victimizing a teenager sentence, the defendant’s conduct warranted a sentence that reflects our unwavering commitment to pursuing those who prey on children. Thanks to our valued law enforcement partners for their hard work.”
This case was investigated by the Spring Hill Police Department and the FBI's Nashville and Houston Field Offices.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica R. Morrison for the Middle District of Tennessee prosecuted the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney Adam Braskich of the Department of Justice's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.
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Guatemalan Illegal Alien Sentenced for Role in Firearms Trafficking Conspiracy in HSTF CaseRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A Guatemalan illegal alien, unlawfully in the United States, received a federal prison term, today, for charges stemming from a federal firearms investigation.
Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced Lester Ramos Perez, 29, to 78 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for his role in a firearms trafficking conspiracy and possessing a firearm as a prohibited person. Ramos Perez is prohibited from possessing firearms due to his citizenship status.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Special Agent in Charge Akil Baldwin, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Maryland; Steven Schrank, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Atlanta; Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD); and Chief Marc R. Yamada, Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD). This prosecution is part of the Trump Administration’s Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative.
According to the guilty plea, in July 2024, ATF and HSI special agents began investigating Ramos Perez after suspecting that he was trafficking firearms from Alabama to Baltimore. Then in September 2024, Ramos Perez started living in Waldorf, Maryland.
During the investigation, through various law enforcement techniques, agents learned that Ramos Perez conspired with others to traffic firearms. Ramos Perez and a co-conspirator conspired to sell firearms during a controlled recorded transaction in Alabama and Maryland.
At least two of the firearms Ramos Perez sold to law enforcement were stolen. Additionally, at least two of the firearms Ramos Perez sold to law enforcement are classified as machineguns. Ramos Perez was also advised during this investigation that the individual he was selling firearms to possessed a criminal record and that they were purchasing the firearms on behalf of someone else. Ramos Perez knew he was selling the firearms to a prohibited person and that the person he was selling them to was not the ultimate owner/end-user/possessor of the firearms that he was illegally selling.
The Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Baltimore comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI); the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the District of Maryland; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); the United States Marshals Service (USMS); the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA (W/B HIDTA); the Maryland State Police (MSP); the Baltimore Police Department (BPD); and the Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD) with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the ATF, HSI, BPD, and MCPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Y. Hagan who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md .
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Former Senior Airman sentenced to 25 years for sexually exploiting childrenRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A district judge sentenced a former Senior Airman stationed at Scott Air Force Base to 25 years in federal prison after he admitted to sexually exploiting minors and distributing images and videos of child sexual abuse material.
Michael E. McCay, 33, pleaded guilty in January to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of distribution of child pornography. Following imprisonment, he will serve the rest of his life on supervised release.
“Our brave servicemembers protect the vulnerable and serve our nation with honor. McCay’s conduct is deeply shocking because it betrays everything it means to serve,” said United States Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “His 25-year sentence highlights our commitment to protect vulnerable children from this type of exploitation.”
According to court documents, a review of McCay’s electronic devices in February 2023 identified over 22,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse material. McCay also used his devices to communicate with purported minor victims. During these communications, McCay would purport to be a minor and request sexually explicit images from them. McCay’s conduct occurred in numerous locations as McCay was previously stationed in the United Kingdom, Turkey, and the Southern District of Illinois.
In January 2024, a review of McCay’s new electronic devices occurred after McCay sent money via CashApp to a suspected minor. During this second search, law enforcement found thousands of additional images and videos of child sexual abuse material along with additional communications with suspected minors.
From April 2023 through January 2024, McCay communicated with two minor victims and requested sexually explicit images from them. The child victims were 11 and 12 at the time. McCay had nearly two-dozen videos and images of the minor victims on his electronic device and McCay distributed some of those files to others.
“The exploitation of children has a lasting and profound effect on everyone involved, from the victims to the investigators,” said Special Agent Elijah Bell, with the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations. “Through the collaboration between our agents, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, our local law enforcement partners, and the Northamptonshire Police Department in the United Kingdom, we were able to swiftly pursue justice.”
The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ali Burns prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Former Postal Service Employee Pleads Guilty to Failing to Deliver 14,700 Pieces of MailRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former United States Post Office employee pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to failing to deliver approximately 14,700 pieces of mail to U.S. Postal customers in Brighton, Dorchester and Mattapan.
Khalea Turner, 29, of Hull, pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of mails. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. Turner was charged in May 2026.
From approximately November 2022 to January 2026, Turner worked as a full-time letter carrier and covered routes in the three Boston neighborhoods, as well as the Fort Point neighborhood. During his time as a letter carrier, Turner obstructed approximately 14,700 pieces of mail by storing the mail in a U-Haul storage locker that he rented in Weymouth, Mass. On Jan. 9, 2026, the mail was recovered by law enforcement. Included in the recovered mail were U.S. passports, jury notifications, government checks, education documents and immigration paperwork, addressed to USPS customers along Turner’s delivery routes in Brighton, Dorchester and Mattapan.
The charge of obstruction of mail provides for a sentence of up to six months in prison, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $5,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon statutes that govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lucy Sun and Colin T. Missett of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
Former Police Officer Convicted of Federal Charge in Connection with Insurance Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal jury convicted a Maryland man for his role in conspiring to commit an insurance fraud scam.
The jury found Davion Percy, 40, of Suitland, guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with the auto-insurance fraud scheme.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty verdict with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office; and Chief George Nader, Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD).
According to court documents, between December 2019 and February 2020, Percy, then the Chief of the Marlow Heights Special Police Department, conspired with PGPD officer Michael Anthony Owen, Jr., 37, of Accokeek, Maryland, and Maryland National Capital Park Police officer Conrad D’Haiti, 56, La Plata, Maryland, and others to engage in mail and wire fraud designed to obtain money in the control of Liberty Mutual Insurance.
In late 2019, Percy, Owen, and D’Haiti devised a scheme to help D’Haiti avoid paying the loan balance on a 2007 Jaguar XKR that D’Haiti purchased earlier that year. Then the vehicle subsequently developed significant mechanical issues.
The three co-conspirators committed insurance fraud by fabricating the vehicle’s theft and associated loss. Specifically, Percy agreed to arrange for another co-conspirator to stage the Jaguar’s theft for the purpose of creating a total insurance loss.
On January 4, 2020, at Percy’s direction, D’Haiti parked and left the Jaguar at the rear of the Marlow Heights Shopping Center. Later that day, also at Percy’s direction, D’Haiti provided Percy with $350 at National Harbor, Maryland, to assist with staging the car theft. Then on January 23, a Liberty Mutual special investigator found the vandalized Jaguar in Marlow Heights, Maryland.
D’Haiti and Owen subsequently made a false theft report to a PGPD officer who filed a fictitious police report. Then D’Haiti used this false report to substantiate his theft claim against Liberty Mutual. In February 2020, Liberty Mutual paid the Jaguar’s lienholder, Navy Federal Credit Union, $17,585 on the false claim.
Percy faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and PGPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adeyemi Adenrele and Caroline Schechinger who are prosecuting the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Former Nepal Orphanage Director Indicted for Illicit Sexual Conduct with a Minor Outside the United StatesRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in North Carolina returned an indictment today charging a North Carolina man with engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor outside the United States.
According to court documents, Michael Hess, 73, of Davidson, traveled to Nepal between March 2005 and July 2008 and engaged in illicit sexual conduct with a minor victim. Hess founded Papa’s House, supported by the Nepal Orphans Home, in 2005.
Hess is charged with one count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places. He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division made the announcement.
The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit and Charlotte Field Office are investigating the case and received assistance from their New Delhi Law Enforcement Attaché Office.
Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section is prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.
Anyone who has information regarding the case against Hess or who may know someone victimized by the defendant is requested to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or through the FBI online tip portal. Identified victims may be eligible for certain services and rights under federal and/or state law.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Joplin Man Sentenced to 33 Years for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Joshua Stanley Miloszewski, 37, of Joplin, Mo., was sentenced in federal court on June 15, 2026, for sexual exploitation of a minor and receiving and distributing child pornography.
Miloszewski was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 400 months in federal prison without parole, followed by a life term of supervised release. Miloszewski was sentenced to 300 months for sexual exploitation of a minor and 100 months for receiving and distributing child pornography, with both sentences running consecutive to each other.
According to court documents, Miloszewski, who pleaded guilty on Dec. 18, 2025, used a cellular device to record sexually explicit activity between himself and a 16-year-old minor victim identified in court documents as Jane Doe. Miloszewski’s cellular device contained both images and videos of Miloszewski and Jane Doe engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and Jane Doe reported she had taken nude images of herself and sent them to Miloszewski using a cellular device.
Miloszewski will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the FBI, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the Joplin Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Former Haverhill Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Stolen Government MoneyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Haverhill man pleaded guilty on June 10, 2026 in federal court in Boston to receiving stolen Social Security disability benefits over a period of more than five years.
Christopher D. Leon, 56, pleaded guilty to one count of receiving stolen government money or property. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Sept. 23, 2026. Leon was charged in May 2026.
Leon received approximately $87,817 in stolen Social Security disability benefits from November 2019 through August 2025. According to a statement of agreed facts, Leon lived with an applicant for Social Security disability benefits at the time of her death. After her death, the Social Security Administration (SSA) mailed a notice of award to Leon’s address. Once the Social Security benefits began to be paid via direct deposit to the decedent’s bank account, Leon used the deceased beneficiary’s debit card to access the improperly paid funds through ATM cash withdrawals each month.
The charge of receiving stolen government money or property provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Amy Connelly, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Boston–New York Field Division made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
On March 26, 2026, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the creation of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, a district-wide initiative established in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered across Massachusetts. The Team is led by two senior federal prosecutors serving as Fraud Coordinators, whose mission it is to aggressively investigate and prosecute misuse of taxpayer-funded benefits in Massachusetts.
Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected benefit fraud in Massachusetts by calling 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621).
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Five men arrested & charged in plot to attack & kill government officials, others attending Ultimate Fighting Championship at White HouseRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Justice Department announced today charges against five men for an alleged plot to carry out an attack to kill government officials and others attending the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Freedom 250 event held at the White House last Sunday.
The FBI launched an investigation into the plot and identified a group of conspirators who procured weapons and made plans to carry out the attack. The FBI made arrests over the weekend in Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska, and California. The investigation remains ongoing.
“The FBI, our law enforcement partners and our U.S. Attorneys did what they do every day to make America Safe through quick response and vigilance in investigating, disrupting, and dismantling this alleged plan before it could be carried out,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “We will take immediate and aggressive action to identify and prosecute those who incite and plan acts of violence.”
“On June 10, FBI and our law enforcement partners became aware of a potential threat to the UFC America 250 event in Washington, D.C. involving individuals outside of the National Capital Region — and thanks to the rapid action of this FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team — we are built to detect, respond to, and bring to justice those who threaten the lives of American citizens — particularly during large gatherings like the historic UFC 250 fight. That’s exactly what we did here. I want to thank our great agents and partners, this work remains ongoing and we will continue to update the public as permitted.”
U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II said: “The investigation of this plot began on June 10 here in the Southern District of Ohio. Thanks to the urgent and diligent work of our AUSAs, our law enforcement partners, and our sister U.S. Attorney Offices, five men from around the country are now in custody for an alleged plan to carry out an attack to kill government officials and others attending the UFC Freedom 250 event held at the White House on Sunday.
“As alleged in our complaint, the investigation revealed that a man from Knox County, Ohio, amassed weapons, ammunition and tactical gear at his home in Ohio, connected with like-minded individuals online & had identified targets for an attack.
“We are proud to have some of the Nation’s finest investigators and AUSAs in this District and are immensely grateful for their work to thwart this attack.”
“Protecting the President of the United States and the White House grounds is priority number one for the U.S. Secret Service,” said Director Sean M Curran of the U.S. Secret Service. “The landscape has changed, and as a result we have seen a dramatic rise in threats against our protectees. I am proud of the men and women of the Secret Service that vigorously monitor, investigate, and arrest those that plot to interfere with our protective mission. We are grateful for our extraordinary partnerships we share with DHS, DOJ, Acting Attorney General Blanche, FBI-JTTF, Park Police, and DC Police.”
According to the charges, Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio; Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa, California; Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills, California; Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Missouri; and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska, conspired to plan and execute a mass casualty event targeting U.S. officials in attendance at UFC Freedom 250 hosted on the White House grounds. The conspirators allegedly planned to deploy drones armed with explosives in and around the UFC Freedom 250 event in order to force an evacuation of the event and then planned to deploy snipers to fire upon “high value targets” within the fleeing crowd.
Tycen Proper
According to filed complaints in the Southern District of Ohio, the Western District of Missouri, the District of Nebraska, and the Central District of California, investigators interviewed Proper at a medical facility on June 11. During the interview, he allegedly said he had planned with others a coordinated attack against the U.S. government during the UFC event at the White House. He said members of the group who wanted to participate in the attack began communicating with each other around March. More serious members of the group, including Proper, moved their communications to an encrypted chat app. They planned to fly small drones with explosives to detonate over the north side of the UFC arena, forcing high value targets to evacuate the premises; the group would then act as snipers and shoot these individuals. Before executing the plan, Proper and other conspirators allegedly planned to rendezvous in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Proper allegedly amassed firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and tactical gear at his home in Ohio, and he identified potential targets, including multiple members of Congress.
Bryan Roa
According to the complaint filed in the Central District of California, law enforcement executed a search warrant of Roa’s residence and vehicle where they allegedly seized a rifle, handgun, tactical belt, ammunition and a rifle magazine, a two-way radio, and an infrared laser target pointer. A search of Roa’s phone allegedly found messages in a group with Thomas, Proper, and others discussing an attack at the UFC event at the White House, with some users discussing using drones rigged with explosives to initiate the attack, with rooftop snipers killing individuals. Law enforcement also allegedly found Instagram videos Roa had posted of himself shooting guns.
Michael Thomas
According to the complaint filed in the Central District of California, Thomas allegedly participated in a group chat planning an attack at the UFC event at the White House. In a group chat, on June 7, he allegedly wrote “$1300 gets us the drones and the charges. Yes we should all pitch in and we need it asap…”
In another group chat, Thomas, under a pseudonym, allegedly described “tiers” of operators within their anti-government group, with tier 1 being operators on the ground, tier 2 being drivers and drone operators, tier 3 being logistical suppliers, and tier 4 being social media influencers. “Tier one status is not something to take lightly. … We will make sure they have…All the tier 2 support we can provide. We will try to break them out of jail if we need to.” In the same group chats, Thomas discussed meeting with Roa in person in Southern California in order to conduct “marksmen training” and reflected that the group needed to train for “gorilla style warfare.”
In a June 13 search warrant, FBI agents allegedly seized from Thomas’ residence a rifle, 30-round extended magazines for the rifle, 180 of rounds of ammunition, and a pistol.
Daniel Eskridge
Eskridge was charged with conspiracy to commit murder on White House grounds. According to an affidavit filed in the Western District of Missouri, the FBI identified Eskridge while reviewing electronic communications on Proper’s cell phone. The co-conspirators had electronic chats on encrypted social media platforms. In those chats, members of the group allegedly discussed assassinating several U.S. Senators, Representatives, and prominent business executives. Members of the group targeted some legislators based on the group’s perceived belief that the legislators accepted money from pro-Israel lobbies. When discussing potential targets, Eskridge indicated that the target was “big and someone a majority of the country knows.” In the discussions, power grids were also identified as potential targets. On May 22, Eskridge distributed a picture of tactical equipment, including a rifle, helmet, and ballistic vest.
Also according to the affidavit, in a separate chat group, a conversation took place in early June when Eskridge and some of the other chat group members discussed their plan to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event. Specifically, Thomas stated, “Pensilvania [sic] avenue.” Eskridge said the group should obtain $1,300 in U.S. currency and they needed “5 teams of 3 each team consisting of 1 sniper, 1 tier one operator as support/ look out, [and] one drone operator.” Eskridge said the money would provide them the funding to purchase “drones and charges,” and encouraged the group to all “pitch in.” On June 13, law enforcement officials executed a federal search warrant of Eskridge’s residence. Agents recovered rifles, a shot gun, pistol, and other tactical gear.
Abraham Alvarez
According to the charges filed in Nebraska, the FBI identified Alvarez as the individual using the name “Shepherd” in an encrypted chat app that was used to plan an attack on the UFC Freedom 250 event scheduled to be held at the White House on June 14. The FBI assessed that Alvarez, also known as “Shepherd,” was responsible for planning, organizing, and directing the planned attack, based on conversation excerpts in June when Shepherd posted, “This is the best action I see. Position your teams in the purple dots (counter sniper and drones) Long range (circled area) (great shot) Easy out into the river.” Shepherd also allegedly posted other messages including replying to another member on making drones with explosives, “As many and as deadly as we can get.”; that he was working on drones; and had one drone and was working on more.
The complaint further alleges that Shepherd provided a picture and directions for a safe zone at an old church in Nebraska. He instructed the other members to take back roads or the river down to the “pick up location.” Later that same evening, Shepherd also provided locations in the area for drone launch points and sniper positions.
If convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. Conspiracy to commit violence on White House grounds carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
A criminal complaint merely contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Five Men Arrested and Charged in Plot to Attack and Kill Government Officials and Others Attending the Ultimate Fighting Championship at White HouseRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today charges against five men for an alleged plot to carry out an attack to kill government officials and others attending the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Freedom 250 event held at the White House last Sunday.
The FBI launched an investigation into the plot and identified a group of conspirators who procured weapons and made plans to carry out the attack. The FBI made arrests over the weekend in Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska, and California. The investigation remains ongoing.
“The FBI, our law enforcement partners and our U.S. Attorneys did what they do every day to make America Safe through quick response and vigilance in investigating, disrupting, and dismantling this alleged plan before it could be carried out,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “We will take immediate and aggressive action to identify and prosecute those who incite and plan acts of violence.”
“On June 10, FBI and our law enforcement partners became aware of a potential threat to the UFC America 250 event in Washington, D.C. involving individuals outside of the National Capital Region — and thanks to the rapid action of this FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team — we are built to detect, respond to, and bring to justice those who threaten the lives of American citizens — particularly during large gatherings like the historic UFC 250 fight. That’s exactly what we did here. I want to thank our great agents and partners, this work remains ongoing and we will continue to update the public as permitted.”
“Protecting the President of the United States and the White House grounds is priority number one for the U.S. Secret Service,” said Director Sean M Curran of the U.S. Secret Service. “The landscape has changed, and as a result we have seen a dramatic rise in threats against our protectees. I am proud of the men and women of the Secret Service that vigorously monitor, investigate, and arrest those that plot to interfere with our protective mission. We are grateful for our extraordinary partnerships we share with DHS, DOJ, Acting Attorney General Blanche, FBI-JTTF, Park Police, and DC Police.”
According to the charges, Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio; Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa, California; Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills, California; Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Missouri; and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska, conspired to plan and execute a mass casualty event targeting U.S. officials in attendance at UFC Freedom 250 hosted on the White House grounds. The conspirators allegedly planned to deploy drones armed with explosives in and around the UFC Freedom 250 event in order to force an evacuation of the event and then planned to deploy snipers to fire upon “high value targets” within the fleeing crowd.
Tycen Proper
According to filed complaints in the Southern District of Ohio, the Western District of Missouri, the District of Nebraska, and the Central District of California, investigators interviewed Proper at a medical facility on June 11. During the interview, he allegedly said he had planned with others a coordinated attack against the U.S. government during the UFC event at the White House. He said members of the group who wanted to participate in the attack began communicating with each other around March. More serious members of the group, including Proper, moved their communications to an encrypted chat app. They planned to fly small drones with explosives to detonate over the north side of the UFC arena, forcing high value targets to evacuate the premises; the group would then act as snipers and shoot these individuals. Before executing the plan, Proper and other conspirators allegedly planned to rendezvous in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Screenshot of messages and maps on Proper’s phone, from the complaint filed in the Central District of California. Screenshot of messages and maps on Proper’s phone, from the complaint filed in the Central District of California.Proper allegedly amassed firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and tactical gear at his home in Ohio, and he identified potential targets, including multiple members of Congress.
A photo of Proper’s gun, from the complaint filed in the Central District of California.Bryan Roa
According to the complaint filed in the Central District of California, law enforcement executed a search warrant of Roa’s residence and vehicle where they allegedly seized a rifle, handgun, tactical belt, ammunition and a rifle magazine, a two-way radio, and an infrared laser target pointer. A search of Roa’s phone allegedly found messages in a group with Thomas, Proper, and others discussing an attack at the UFC event at the White House, with some users discussing using drones rigged with explosives to initiate the attack, with rooftop snipers killing individuals. Law enforcement also allegedly found Instagram videos Roa had posted of himself shooting guns.
Roa’s Instagram post of him shooting guns, from the complaint filed in the Central District of California.Michael Thomas
According to the complaint filed in the Central District of California, Thomas allegedly participated in a group chat planning an attack at the UFC event at the White House. In a group chat, on June 7, he allegedly wrote “$1300 gets us the drones and the charges. Yes we should all pitch in and we need it asap…”
In another group chat, Thomas, under a pseudonym, allegedly described “tiers” of operators within their anti-government group, with tier 1 being operators on the ground, tier 2 being drivers and drone operators, tier 3 being logistical suppliers, and tier 4 being social media influencers. “Tier one status is not something to take lightly. … We will make sure they have…All the tier 2 support we can provide. We will try to break them out of jail if we need to.” In the same group chats, Thomas discussed meeting with Roa in person in Southern California in order to conduct “marksmen training” and reflected that the group needed to train for “gorilla style warfare.”
In a June 13 search warrant, FBI agents allegedly seized from Thomas’ residence a rifle, 30-round extended magazines for the rifle, 180 of rounds of ammunition, and a pistol.
Daniel Eskridge
Eskridge was charged with conspiracy to commit murder on White House grounds. According to an affidavit filed in the Western District of Missouri, the FBI identified Eskridge while reviewing electronic communications on Proper’s cell phone. The co-conspirators had electronic chats on encrypted social media platforms. In those chats, members of the group allegedly discussed assassinating several U.S. Senators, Representatives, and prominent business executives. Members of the group targeted some legislators based on the group’s perceived belief that the legislators accepted money from pro-Israel lobbies. When discussing potential targets, Eskridge indicated that the target was “big and someone a majority of the country knows.” In the discussions, power grids were also identified as potential targets. On May 22, Eskridge distributed a picture of tactical equipment, including a rifle, helmet, and ballistic vest. The photograph is below.
Photo of tactical equipment from Eskridge, from the affidavit filed in the Western District of Missouri.Also according to the affidavit, in a separate chat group, a conversation took place in early June when Eskridge and some of the other chat group members discussed their plan to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event. Specifically, Thomas stated, “Pensilvania [sic] avenue.” Eskridge said the group should obtain $1,300 in U.S. currency and they needed “5 teams of 3 each team consisting of 1 sniper, 1 tier one operator as support/ look out, [and] one drone operator.” Eskridge said the money would provide them the funding to purchase “drones and charges,” and encouraged the group to all “pitch in.” On June 13, law enforcement officials executed a federal search warrant of Eskridge’s residence. Agents recovered rifles, a shot gun, pistol, and other tactical gear.
A photograph of the equipment from the June 13 search is below:
Tactical gear recovered by the FBI from a June 13 search of Eskridge’s residence, from the affidavit filed in the Western District of Missouri.Abraham Alvarez
According to the charges filed in Nebraska, the FBI identified Alvarez as the individual using the name “Shepherd” in an encrypted chat app that was used to plan an attack on the UFC Freedom 250 event scheduled to be held at the White House on June 14. The FBI assessed that Alvarez, also known as “Shepherd,” was responsible for planning, organizing, and directing the planned attack, based on conversation excerpts in June when Shepherd posted, “This is the best action I see. Position your teams in the purple dots (counter sniper and drones) Long range (circled area) (great shot) Easy out into the river.” Shepherd also allegedly posted other messages including replying to another member on making drones with explosives, “As many and as deadly as we can get.”; that he was working on drones; and had one drone and was working on more.
The complaint further alleges that Shepherd provided a picture and directions for a safe zone at an old church in Nebraska. He instructed the other members to take back roads or the river down to the “pick up location.” Later that same evening, Shepherd also provided locations in the area for drone launch points and sniper positions.
Screenshot of a church, sent by Alvarez, “Shepherd,” to encrpyted chat group, from the complaint filed in the District of Nebraska.If convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. Conspiracy to commit violence on White House grounds carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
A criminal complaint merely contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Felon Sentenced to 71 months in Federal Prison for Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
Hagåtña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant Joseph Ryan Constantino Mallo, age 45, was sentenced to 71 months imprisonment for the crime of Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). The Court also ordered three years of supervised release and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
On December 5, 2025, at approximately 10:00 p.m., Guam Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop on a black Toyota Camry traveling on Route 10 in Mangilao after observing erratic driving and learning the vehicle’s insurance had expired. The driver, Joseph Ryan Constantino Mallo, stated he did not have a valid driver’s license. Officers also noted that Mallo appeared extremely nervous and attempted to block their view of the vehicle’s center console. With his consent, officers searched the vehicle and recovered a loaded Raven Arms MP‑25 pistol from a pouch in the center console. Records confirmed the firearm had been reported stolen in 2017. Both passengers denied knowledge of the firearm.
After being advised of his rights, Mallo admitted he had acquired the firearm two days earlier from an acquaintance who said he needed money. Mallo stated he purchased it for about $100, kept it in the borrowed vehicle for protection, and acknowledged he did not have a firearms identification card and knew he was not permitted to possess a firearm. He denied knowing the weapon was stolen and later provided a signed written statement consistent with his account.
Mallo has a lengthy felony record in both the Superior Court of Guam and the District Court of Guam, including a prior federal conviction for being a Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition.
“Traffic stops are high-risk enforcement activity for police nationwide,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “I applaud GPD and ATF for taking another armed felon off our streets. Repeat offenders can expect federal prosecution and lengthy sentences. We will not tolerate this danger to our communities.”
“The unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon poses a serious threat to the safety and security of our communities,” stated ATF Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais. “This case demonstrates our unwavering commitment to holding prohibited individuals accountable when they choose to disregard the law and place others at risk.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Guam Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devarup Rastogi prosecuted the case in the District of Guam.
Felon Sentenced for Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm During Daytime Armed Assaults in Burlington, VermontRead the Press Release
BURLINGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on June 16, 2026, Jason Douglas, age 42, of Saint Albans, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 65 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Douglas pleaded guilty on February 26, 2026 to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court records, during the middle of the day on July 29, 2024, Burlington Police Officers responded to College Street in Burlington, Vermont after reports that a man, later identified as Douglas, had pointed a firearm at another man during a dispute. Security footage from the area confirmed witness reports that Douglas had emerged from a vehicle carrying a handgun, loaded a round into the chamber of the firearm, and pointed the firearm at another man. While officers were investigating this first incident, officers received another report of Douglas pulling a handgun on a man during a fight on Main Street in Burlington. Douglas’s vehicle was located shortly thereafter, and a Ruger LCP .380-caliber pistol, loaded with a round in the chamber, was seized from the driver’s side of the vehicle. Douglas has an extensive criminal history in both Grand Isle and Franklin Counties, including convictions for kidnapping, burglary, unlawful restraint, domestic assault, simple assault, and hindering arrest. Some of these convictions stemmed from Douglas’s involvement in a violent armed home invasion in 2003 and a violent armed altercation in 2005. Douglas’s prior felony convictions prohibited Douglas from possessing a firearm under federal law.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the swift intervention of the Burlington Police Department to disarm Douglas, and thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for their investigatory assistance. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ophardt added: “Douglas twice engaged in brazen daytime armed assaults in downtown Burlington with a loaded handgun. Dedicated officers of the Burlington Police Department took quick action and promptly apprehended Douglas. I am extremely grateful for the partnership of BPD and ATF; together we will continue to hold violent offenders like Douglas accountable through federal prosecutions.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wendy Fuller and David Golubock. Douglas was represented by Devin McLaughlin, Esq.
FBI Minneapolis Field Office announces Operation Ballistic BacklogRead the Press Release
Rapid City, SD—FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson announced Operation Ballistic Backlog today, an initiative carried out by the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in partnership with the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Department of Public Safety (OST-DPS), to address a critical need for firearms evidence testing on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. This initiative is part of the FBI’s larger, overarching surge of investigative resources to address unresolved violent crime on tribal lands called Operation Steadfast Promise.
Other initiatives make up parts of Operation Steadfast Promise. For example, FBI surged investigative resources to support Operation Not Forgotten, now in its fourth year. For 2026, Operation Not Forgotten identified a backlog of approximately 500 serviceable firearms in custody of the OST-DPS which had not been entered into the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is a crucial investigative tool managed by ATF that compares spent ammunition casings with other evidence found at crime scenes. NIBIN analyzes microscopic tool marks left on casings by the firearm used to discharge the casing and can match those markings to firearms or other spent casings in evidence, often resulting in investigative leads which may help resolve unsolved gun crimes such as assaults and murders. Since its inception, NIBIN has resulted in more than a million investigative leads on unresolved gun crimes. Many of those leads led to the conviction of drug traffickers, gang members, and murderers. The firearms in OST-DPS custody are being test fired at the OST Criminal Justice Center on Pine Ridge. The resulting casings will be run through NIBIN using the ATF’s Mobile Testing Lab, now at the FBI’s Rapid City Resident Agency during Ballistic Backlog.
“The FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office serves all of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, including the tribal lands that share the same geography,” said FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson. “Our agents, analysts, and professional support employees work tenaciously to investigate major crimes on tribal lands, including many gun crimes such as major assaults and murder. This year’s initiatives like Ballistic Backlog and Operation Not Forgotten enhance our ability to make meaningful improvements in public safety and violent crime reduction. We appreciate the crucial partnership of ATF and the resources they have brought to bear in this initiative. We are also grateful for the ongoing partnerships with the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and United States Attorney Parsons’ Office which prosecutes the offenders identified by law enforcement investigations on Pine Ridge.”
“NIBIN is one of the most powerful crime gun intelligence tools for law enforcement, and ATF is the agency that operates it nationwide in support of any law enforcement partner that needs it,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Spence Burnett, St. Paul Field Division. “When the FBI came to us and asked for our support on Operation Ballistic Backlog, we didn't hesitate. We brought our NIBIN mobile unit to South Dakota because violent offenders should not be able to hide behind an unsolved case, and we are proud to put that capability to work here in support of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.”
“The Tribe sees firsthand the effects of gun violence on our people,” said Oglala Sioux Tribe Attorney General Jessica Four Bear. “Many in our communities live in continued apprehension and fear from hearing gunshots throughout the night. This is not acceptable, and it is not the Lakota way of life. As part of this coordinated approach, the Tribe is taking steps to address youth gun violence. Our responsibility is to uphold the law in a manner that honors who we are as Lakota people. We will continue to pursue approaches that reduce youth access to firearms, support families, and promote safety across the Reservation. The Tribe calls for cultural support in our homes and families. We encourage all relatives to remind our youth of Lakota values; respect, generosity, courage, and wisdom, and to model these teachings every day. Lateral violence is not the Lakota way of life. Our strength is found in kinship. Community members are encouraged to report concerns, secure firearms responsibly, and engage youth in cultural activities and mentorship. Together, with vigilance, compassion, and cultural grounding, we will ensure safer nights and a stronger future for the Oglala Nation.”
“We hear our relatives’ concerns and we share them. Our officers are committed to a visible, consistent presence, and enforcement that keep our families safe,” said Jason Lone Hill, Chief of Police, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. “Working with our federal partners strengthens our ability to protect the community with our limited resources.”
“Operation Ballistic Backlog is a promise kept by this Administration to clear the backlog of untested firearms evidence and help deliver timely justice to protect the men, women, and children who live in the Pine Ridge Reservation and across South Dakota. Every unexamined cartridge or casing could hold the key to solving a murder or violent crime, and now—thanks to the leadership of the FBI, ATF, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety—we are going to carefully test every piece of available ballistic evidence and follow the evidence where it leads,” said U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons.In a concrete example of how crucial NIBIN testing is to advancing investigations of gun crimes in this community, last week SAC Dotson announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the murder of six-year-old Logan Warrior Goings. On May 5, 2022. Logan was at a family residence in Oglala, near the community of Pine Ridge, when one or more unidentified assailants shot approximately 14 rounds into the home, killing Logan. NIBIN testing linked a firearm found in another part of the state to the murder.
Anyone with information on the murder of Logan Warrior Goings or any other major crimes on Tribal lands is urged to call 800-CALL-FBI or submit information to tips.fbi.gov.Dorchester Man Pleads Guilty to Robbery of Local BankRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dorchester man pleaded guilty on June 11, 2026 in federal court in Boston to the robbery of a local bank. The defendant has a prior federal conviction for bank robbery and state convictions for armed and unarmed robberies.
Joseph Wilcox, 58, pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery in relation to the robbery of Santander Bank in East Boston. U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy scheduled sentencing for Sept 17, 2026. In October 2025, Wilcox was indicted by a federal grand jury. Wilcox was arrested on a criminal complaint on Oct. 1, 2025.
At approximately 11:40 a.m. on Sept. 6, 2025, Wilcox entered a Santander Bank in East Boston, approached the bank teller, showed a note stating, “give me all 20’s” and told the teller, “don’t **** with me.” The teller ultimately gave Wilcox $4,150 in cash.
According to court records, Wilcox has a prior federal conviction from 2015 for three counts of bank robbery; a 2010 state conviction for unarmed robbery; and a 2004 state conviction for armed robbery.The charge of bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $ 250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julissa Walsh of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Des Moines Man Sentenced to 21 Months’ Imprisonment for Computer FraudRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – A Des Moines man was sentenced on June 11, 2026, to 21 months’ imprisonment for computer fraud inflicted on the Saydel Community School District for over a year and a half.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, in April 2023, Ezekiel Dean Potter, 34, was terminated from his job in the IT department of Saydel Community School District. Prior to his termination, Potter downloaded over 300 usernames and passwords for District accounts and programs, which he used over the next year and a half to access or attempt to access various District online accounts and applications to disrupt District operations.
The attacks began in June 2023 when Potter took down one of the District’s social media pages. After that, Potter began trying to revoke District employee access to critical systems and delete District accounts and information. When successful, this resulted in districtwide technology outages and required significant remediation efforts from District employees, among other interruptions. Potter’s misconduct culminated in a series of attacks in January 2025 on District applications that resulted in suspending classes for multiple hours.
It was later determined Potter orchestrated many of the attacks from the offices of his subsequent employers. At one of those employers, Potter left a USB drive that contained hundreds of District usernames and passwords, along with other sensitive District information. After realizing he left the drive behind, Potter attempted to have a former coworker to “wipe” it.
In addition to his sentence of imprisonment, Potter was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $59,668.81 in restitution to the Saydel Community School District and its insurer.
“Ezekiel Potter’s theft and malicious use of sensitive data to target his former employer resulted in significant disruptions to school operations,” said Eugene Kowel, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Omaha Field Office. “Whether it’s a large corporation or a school district here in the heartland, the FBI and our partners will use every investigative method to bring to justice criminals like Potter who weaponize privileged access to computer systems to harm victims and commit fraud.”
United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Polk County Sherriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Lubben prosecuted the case.