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Friday 5 June 2026
Buffalo man pleads guilty to gun possessionRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Nazir Binhuguley, 24, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of life.
On May 6, 2025, law enforcement executed the search warrant at Binhuguley’s Trent Square apartment, seizing three firearms, ammunition, a high-capacity pistol magazine, drug paraphernalia, a quantity of suspected fentanyl, and approximately $2,165 in cash.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey E. Intravatola. The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Brendan Dunford, and the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Scott Forster.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 28, 2026, at 2:30 p.m. before Judge Arcara.
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Buffalo man going to prison on cocaine chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.–U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Rodney Pierce, 38, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, was sentenced to serve 72 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
In February 2020, investigators with the Erie County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Unit identified Pierce as an individual who delivered cocaine for co-defendant David Burgin. Law enforcement then set up a controlled purchase of cocaine from Pierce, at which time he was arrested. A subsequent search of his vehicle resulted in the seizure of approximately 1,250 grams of cocaine. Investigators then searched a Grimes Street residence associated with the drug dealing activities, seizing four firearms and ammunition, approximately two kilograms of cocaine, approximately 45 grams of crack cocaine, approximately 17.5 pounds of marijuana, approximately 100 grams of fentanyl, approximately $260,000 in cash, and drug paraphernalia.
David Burgin was previously convicted and sentenced.
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 Buffalo comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, Department of Homeland Security Emergency Removal Operations, Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Diplomatic Security Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy C. Lynch and Evan K. Glaberson. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Erika Shields, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Brendan Dunford, the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Farhana Islam, New York Field Division, and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Anthony Patrone.
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Bristol Man Sentenced for Attempted Murders of ATF AgentsRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – John Caleb Allen, 26, of Bristol, Florida, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for two counts of attempted murder of a federal agent; two counts of forcibly assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon; two counts of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; two counts of transfer of a machinegun; possession of an unregistered or unmarked silencer; and making a false statement to a federal firearm licensee. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “The case exemplifies the incredible danger our brave men and women in law enforcement face as they keep our communities safe from violent offenders like this defendant. The bravery of these ATF agents is matched only by the incredible professionalism with which they acted when they came under withering fire from the defendant. As the substantial sentence imposed on this defendant shows, attacks on law enforcement will be prosecuted by my office to the fullest extent of the law.”
Evidence at trial demonstrated that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) had been investigating the defendant for the illegal sale of machine gun conversion devices (MCDs). On June 3, 2025, ATF used a confidential source to purchase a firearm and a MCD from the defendant. One June 23, 2025, ATF used a confidential source to purchase 13 MCDs and two firearms from the defendant. Officers watched the defendant pick up the two firearms he sold to the confidential source from a federal firearms licensee (FFL), where he lied on ATF Form 4473. Based on their investigation, ATF obtained a federal search warrant for the defendant’s house.
While attempting to execute the search warrant, the defendant fired at the ATF agents approximately 14 times as they approached his front door. One of the officers had a bullet pass through his shirtsleeve and another officer was struck by a bullet in his body armor, but neither was seriously injured. Without returning fire, agents were able to get the defendant to peacefully exit the residence with his hands up several minutes later.
Agents located numerous firearms, including an unregistered firearm silencer, during the residential search.
“This investigation revealed extreme criminal behavior deserving of a steep penalty,” said ATF Tampa Field Division’s Special Agent in Charge Kirk Howard. “Florida residents are much safer with violent criminals like this individual in federal prison.”
Liberty County Sheriff Dusty Arnold said: “This sentence sends a clear message that violence against law enforcement officers will not be tolerated. Every day, law enforcement officers at the local, state, and federal levels put their lives on the line to protect our communities. In this case, ATF agents came under gunfire while simply carrying out their sworn duties, yet they responded with incredible professionalism, restraint, and courage.
I am grateful that no officers lost their lives during this incident and commend the ATF, DEA, and all agencies involved for their outstanding work throughout this investigation. The Liberty County Sheriff's Office was proud to assist in this case, and we remain committed to standing alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure violent offenders are held accountable for their actions.”
The case involved a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain prosecuted the case.
“The men and women in law enforcement serve daily to protect our communities, state, and nation. Attacks on law enforcement officers, like the one committed in this case, will not be tolerated.” said FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass “The safety of our law enforcement brothers and sisters is essential to our families, communities, visitors, and the great state of Florida.”
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.
Boston Man Sentenced for Threatening a Federal Law Enforcement OfficerRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for threatening a federal law enforcement officer.
Kenneth Pacheco, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick to 16 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In January 2028, Pacheco pleaded guilty to one count of threatening a federal law enforcement officer. Pacheco was arrested and charged in October 2025.In May 2025, law enforcement received a tip from an anonymous complainant alleging that an individual using the online moniker “Amir Haqqani” was using a Facebook account to make threats against the complainant and other individuals. In response, Pacheco was interviewed by law enforcement. In July 2025, a relative of Pacheco expressed concern that Pacheco may pose harm to himself and in response law enforcement spoke with Pacheco again. On Oct. 7, 2025, Pacheco responded to these interventions by lashing out with threats aimed at friends, acquaintances and a federal agent. Specifically, Pacheco threatened that people would “get hurt,” that he would “put people in the [] hospital” and that he would “blow” the agents “brains out.”
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 today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Looney of the National Security Unit prosecuted the case.
Billings man sentenced to more than 11 years in prison on drug trafficking chargesRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Billings man who tried to collect a package from the post office with 6,000 carfentanil pills hidden inside a stuffed animal was sentenced today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Timothy Christopher Payne was sentenced to 140 months in prison with five years of supervised release on one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He was also sentenced to 48 months in prison on one count of using a communication facility in a felony act related to a controlled substance. The two sentences will run concurrently.
Payne, 39, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to the two counts.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that a suspicious package addressed to Payne’s residence on Lewis Avenue in Billings held just over a pound of carfentanil that Payne intended to traffic.
On Oct. 17, 2025, the U.S. Postal Service flagged a package as suspicious that had been mailed to a “George Pina” but addressed to a residence associated with Payne. Investigators filed for a search warrant to open the package and as they waited for approval Payne arrived at the post office to pick up the parcel, using the name George Pina.
The day before, a mail carrier had attempted to deliver the package to Payne’s residence but it was too large to fit in his mailbox. The carrier continued on with her route and a few minutes later Payne flagged her down and attempted to retrieve the package. The carrier told him he would have to pick it up at the post office, which is what Payne tried to do the next day.
At the post office Payne was told the package had yet to arrive and so he left his phone number, requesting a call once it was ready for pickup. In the meantime investigators received their warrant and opened the package. Inside they found a stuffed animal that concealed a baggie of approximately 6,000 blue pills marked “M 30.” Technicians tested the pills, which together weighed approximately 575.6 grams or 1.2 pounds, and found they contained carfentanil, a synthetic fentanyl analogue.
Agents then called Payne and told him his package had arrived. Payne returned to the post office, picked up his parcel and walked back outside. Agents at that point arrested him, to which Payne responded repeatedly, “I knew you guys were here. I knew you guys were coming.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The United States Postal Inspection Service, Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.
Asheville Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Assault with Intent to Commit Murder and Firearms Offenses on the Blue Ridge ParkwayRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – James Tyler Lynch, 23, of Asheville, was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release last Thursday, for assault with intent to commit murder and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence stemming from a shooting incident that occurred on the Blue Ridge Parkway, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
“The Blue Ridge Parkway is a treasured place where families should feel safe,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “The federal government has a special interest in the safety of our national lands, and this 20-year sentence makes clear that violence will not be tolerated. I very much appreciate the National Park Service for all they do, but particularly for keeping our national lands as the peaceful sanctuary they should be.”
“The National Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch has a dedicated team of special agents who partner closely with the Department of Justice, working tirelessly to protect victims and ensure justice is served. America’s National Parks are some of the most extraordinary and pristine places in the country, but crimes can still occur. This sentencing reflects our agents’ unwavering commitment to pursuing justice when they do,” said Neil Gardner, Chief of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, National Park Service.
According to court documents and court proceedings, on May 29, 2024, Lynch met the victim at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park in Asheville. Lynch brought with him a loaded Kahr Arms, Model P380, .380 caliber pistol which he had concealed from the victim. After a brief conversation, Lynch told the victim they would give the victim a ride. Lynch instructed the driver of the vehicle to drive to Blue Ridge Parkway, while Lynch and the victim rode as passengers. Near milepost 399 along the Parkway, Lynch told the driver to pull off the roadway onto a dirt pullout, where Lynch told the victim to get out of the car. As the victim was walking away Lynch fired at least six shots seriously injuring the victim. After shooting the victim, Lynch and the driver fled the scene.
Court documents show that rangers responded to reports of a gunshot victim lying in the roadway. When they arrived, rangers found the victim who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his torso, hand, and pelvis. The victim was taken to the hospital and treated for permanent and life-threatening bodily injuries he sustained as a result of the shooting. Special Agents with the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch investigated the case that ultimately led to Lynch’s arrest.
Lynch will remain in federal custody until he is transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.
Arrests, Drug Seizures, and Federal Drug Trafficking Charges Surge in San Francisco Through Coordinated Federal-Local Law Enforcement EffortsRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners announced today the results of a surge in federal drug enforcement measures in San Francisco. Between early October 2025 to the end of May 2026, coordinated federal and local law enforcement efforts resulted in the seizure of over 2.2 kilograms of fentanyl, over 840 grams of methamphetamine, over $38,000 in drug proceeds, and approximately 89 arrests in San Francisco. Over the same period, the U.S. Attorney’s Office brought federal criminal charges against more than 40 defendants for drug trafficking in San Francisco.
“There are some problems that cannot be solved alone and this was one of them. San Francisco’s open-air drug markets were rending the fabric of the city, but working together with our federal, state, and local partners we have made significant progress cleaning up the streets of our great city and we will continue this important work. We owe the people who live and work here nothing less,” said United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian. “As we come off a successful Super Bowl and look forward to welcoming the world for FIFA, we hope that visitors will see what our citizens already know that our city and region are stronger and safer than ever.”
“The DEA is proud of our relationships with our federal, state, and local task force officers. These partnerships provide a force multiplier in the fight against Drug Trafficking Organizations to save American lives, “ said DEA Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris.
“The FBI remains fully committed to working side by side with our federal, state, and local partners to disrupt the criminal networks responsible for bringing dangerous drugs into our community. These results demonstrate what we can accomplish when we combine our authorities, intelligence, and resources toward a shared mission. Every arrest and every seizure represents a meaningful step toward improving the safety and well being of the people of San Francisco, and we will continue this coordinated effort with urgency and resolve,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Scott Schelble.
“Selling and using deadly narcotics in San Francisco will never be tolerated, and the San Francisco Police Department will continue to work closely with our federal partners to crack down on illegal drug markets across our city,” said SFPD Chief Derrick Lew. “I want to thank our partners at the United States Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and the DEA for their close partnership in this vital work. While we have more work to do, today’s announcement shows the progress San Francisco is making in taking major quantities of drugs off our streets and holding traffickers accountable.”
Many of the federal cases recently charged or resolved involve large quantities of drugs and carry mandatory minimum sentences for the offenders under federal drug statutes. Examples include:
- Kiet Ly, 46, of San Francisco, who was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 9, 2025. Ly pleaded guilty on December 10, 2025, to one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B) and one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition as a felon in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), as well as to related supervised release violations. According to the plea agreement, on or about July 19, 2025, law enforcement searched the car that Ly was driving in San Francisco and found 117 grams of methamphetamine and a Glock pistol loaded with seven bullets. Ly was sentenced to ten years in federal prison on May 14, 2026.
- Martha Alvarado Rodriguez, 50, and Solis Soto Alvardo, 35, both from Oakland, who were each charged by information with one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C). According to court documents and proceedings, Rodriguez and Alvardo sold fentanyl to undercover police officers on more than one occasion in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco. A search of their car found 73.9 gross grams of fentanyl, 33.5 gross grams of methamphetamine, and 16.2 grams gross of cocaine base. Rodriguez and Alvardo pleaded guilty on November 5, 2025, and were each sentenced to three years in federal prison on April 22, 2026.
- Andy Cruz, 40, of Oakland, who was charged on January 29, 2026, by a superseding information with possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B) and failure to appear in court as required. According to court documents and proceedings, Cruz had been selling drugs in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco and elsewhere since 2008. An earlier search of his home discovered nearly one kilogram of fentanyl, 76 grams of heroin, and 25 grams of methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison on March 25, 2026.
These efforts expand upon the U.S. Attorney’s Office-led “All Hands on Deck” law enforcement initiative to address endemic drug dealing – in particular of fentanyl and methamphetamine – in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco. Since its inception, the initiative has resulted in over 200 federal drug prosecutions and over 160 convictions, with cases still pending.
The recent increased operations involved coordination among the U.S. Attorney’s Office, DEA, FBI, ATF, IRS Criminal Investigations, the San Francisco Police Department, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, and California Highway Patrol. Additional operations are planned in the coming months.
A criminal complaint, information, or indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
18th Street Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An illegal alien has pleaded guilty to illegally selling a firearm and ammunition while he was unlawfully residing in Chelsea, Mass. The defendant, a Mexican national, was previously deported from the United States twice.
Luis Angel Rodriguez-Celaya, a/k/a “Menor,” a/k/a “La Gargola,” 27, pleaded guilty to one count of being an alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition and one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. United States District Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for Sept. 22, 2026.
According to charging documents, Rodriguez-Celaya met with a cooperating witness in Chelsea on Feb. 26, 2025 to conduct an illegal firearm transaction. Rodriguez-Celaya sold the witness a .22 caliber semiautomatic “Draco” pistol and eight rounds of .22 caliber ammunition for $1,500 cash. Rodriguez-Celaya was illegally present in the United States at the time of the transaction. He was deported from the United States twice before and warned not to return: first in March 2017 and again in May 2022.
The charge of being an alien unlawfully present in the United States in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations; Suffolk County and Middlesex County District Attorney’s Offices; and the Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Falmouth, Lynn, Medford, Nantucket and Revere Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting 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.
Thursday 4 June 2026
Worcester Man Sentenced to over 11 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine Pill OperationRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Worcester man was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for drug offenses involving methamphetamine and materials used for pressing illicit pills.
Tong Tran, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to 138 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In March 2026, Tran pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances after being charged in April 2025.
On or about Sept. 19, 2024, Tran was identified shipping a package at a Worcester Post Office. A search of the package revealed approximately 2.4 kilograms of orange pills containing methamphetamine – concealed in the packaging of a children’s toy. A partial fingerprint on the wrapping materials inside the box belonged to Tran. Tran was also photographed shipping two other packages containing methamphetamine pills.
On April 14, 2025, during a search of Tran’s residence, a pill press, binding agent and additional equipment used to manufacture pills, including pill dyes were located. The search also resulted in the seizure of 3.3 kilograms of methamphetamine and approximately $8,000 in cash.United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office; Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division; and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Auburn Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.
Wood County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Christian Gale Biles, 21, of Vienna, was sentenced today to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 29, 2024, law enforcement officers intercepted a suspicious package that had been shipped from California through the U.S. Mail and addressed to Biles’ residence in Vienna, West Virginia. Officers obtained and executed a search warrant for the package and found it contained approximately 5 pounds of methamphetamine. Officers resealed the package and conducted a controlled delivery of about 49 grams of methamphetamine. On March 4, 2024, Biles took possession of the package when it was delivered to the Vienna address. Officers arrested Biles later that day during a traffic stop, obtained and executed a search warrant for his residence, and found the package of methamphetamine on the kitchen counter.
As part of his guilty plea, Biles admitted that he knew the package contained methamphetamine in advance of his receiving it, that he took possession of the methamphetamine contained in the package, and that he intended to distribute the methamphetamine to another individual.
Investigators determined that Biles previously took possession of a package shipped from California to his address that contained approximately 4 pounds of methamphetamine.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney D. Keith Randolph prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-164.
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West Mifflin Felon Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Possession of AmmunitionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Davion Xavier Thompson, 22, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on January 23, 2026, Thompson—who has several prior firearms-related felony convictions—possessed an unserialized Glock-style handgun with an extended magazine. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
Judge Hornak scheduled sentencing for October 20, 2026. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, Thompson will remain detained.
Assistant United States Attorney Kelly M. Locher is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Narcotics Task Force, Allegheny County District Attorney’s Narcotics Enforcement Team (DANET), Stowe Township Police Department, and McKees Rocks Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Thompson.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Warwick Man Sentenced to 140 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Warwick man convicted of production and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) has been sentenced in federal court in Rhode Island.
Jeremy Giguere, 38, was sentenced on June 3, 2026, by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., to 140 years of imprisonment to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Giguere pleaded guilty on December 11, 2025, to four counts of production of CSAM and one count of possession of CSAM.
According to court documents, in September 2024, the Rhode Island Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received a report regarding disturbing CSAM videos uploaded to Giguere’s online photo storage account, linked to devices belonging to him. A state search warrant was executed at his residence on October 16, 2024. As a result of the search, almost five hundred CSAM videos and images were recovered from Giguere’s personal devices. Law enforcement determined through diligent investigation that Giguere also produced videos of himself sexually abusing a minor child and uploaded those videos to the storage account.
“The sentence imposed in this case reflects the depravity of these offenses and the devastating harm caused by the sexual exploitation of a child,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda. “By sentencing this predator to 140 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release, the Court has ensured that he will never again prey on an innocent child. Our message is clear: engaging in the sexual exploitation of a child will result in this Office using every resource at its disposal to ensure the end result is a very long sentence in federal prison.”
“This sentence underscores the extraordinary gravity of this defendant’s conduct and stands as a powerful reflection of the lifelong harm he inflicted on a child,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Grimming. “It sends a clear message that those who prey on children and create or trade in this kind of material will face the full force of federal prosecution. Homeland Security Investigations New England will continue to leverage every lawful investigative method and strengthen our partnerships at all levels of government to safeguard our neighborhoods and shield our most vulnerable from exploitation.”
“I commend the investigators, forensic examiners, and prosecutors whose dedication and professionalism helped bring this case to a just conclusion,” said Colonel Darnell S. Weaver, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police and Director of the Department of Public Safety. “The lengthy sentence reflects the abhorrent nature of these crimes and our collective commitment to protecting children from exploitation.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julie M. White.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Rhode Island State Police, the Rhode Island ICAC Task Force, and the Warwick Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc
To report suspected online child sexual exploitation and/or abuse, call the Know2Project Tipline at 1-833-591-KNOW (5669) or visit the NCMEC CyberTipline® at https://report.cybertip.org/.
Uzbek Nationals Charged in Human Smuggling and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), James C. Barnacle, Jr., and Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), Pete Gizas, announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging AKMAL RASULOV and ISKANDER SHUKUROV, both Uzbek nationals, with alien smuggling and money laundering. RASULOV and SHUKUROV were arrested this morning. SHUKUROV was ordered detained, and RASULOV has been released on bond. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken.
“Smuggling foreign nationals into the United States is a serious crime that puts every American at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Human smuggling also often involves exploitation, drug trafficking, and sexual abuse. It must be stopped. Drug cartels, foreign terrorist organizations, and anyone else who seeks to undermine our sovereignty and security through human trafficking and smuggling will be prosecuted.”
“Akmal Rasulov and Iskander Shukurov allegedly jeopardized our country’s security by providing foreign nationals illegal entry into the United States for a hefty fee,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. “Alongside our federal partners, the FBI is committed to disrupting networks attempting to infiltrate our nation's borders.”
“These charges reflect an alleged calculated effort to move people illegally into this country and wash the profits through our financial system, with no regard for the risks to our communities or our national security,” said HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Pete Gizas. “By arresting these defendants, we are cutting into the command structure of an alleged smuggling operation that treated our borders as a business model. HSI New York, as a leading member of the Homeland Security Task Force, will continue to relentlessly pursue human smugglers and the money they need to operate.”
As alleged in the Indictment:
Between at least 2021 and 2025, RASULOV and SHUKUROV operated an alien-smuggling business. RASULOV, SHUKUROV, and others charged thousands of dollars per person for each foreign national—principally citizens of Uzbekistan—in order to illegally transport them into the United States. RASULOV, SHUKUROV, and their co-conspirators arranged for the foreign nationals to either arrive at a U.S. port of entry without prior permission to enter the United States, or sneak across a land border without the required examination or inspection by immigration officers.
RASULOV and SHUKUROV worked with co-conspirators, including a Mexican citizen living in Mexico (“CC-1”). RASULOV and SHUKUROV repeatedly sent money to CC-1 so that CC-1 would connect aliens and smugglers in Mexico and then facilitate the transportation of the aliens from Mexico into the United States. RASULOV and SHUKUROV used international wire transfers to pay CC-1 for these services, including transfers from financial accounts in New York, New York. Some of the wire transfers included false information indicating that the payments were for “loan repayment” or “legal fees” to conceal the true purpose of the transactions.
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RASULOV, 39, and SHUKUROV, 52, both of Brooklyn, New York, are each charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The statutory maximum and minimum penalties in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the investigative work of the FBI and HSI. He added that the investigation is ongoing.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Josiah Pertz is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the Indictment and the descriptions of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey Named Vice Chair of Washington/Baltimore HIDTARead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA - United States Attorney Matthew L. Harvey has been named as Vice Chair of the Washington-Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Executive Board, helping to lead efforts in the region to combat fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other drug trafficking across multiple states.
The Washington-Baltimore HIDTA is one of 33 HIDTA programs across the country, and supports 29 counties and 12 cities in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and West Virginia. In 2025, Washington-Baltimore HIDTA’s funded task forces dismantled or disrupted 125 drug trafficking/money laundering organizations, seizing more than $84 million in drugs across the region. HIDTA also supports substance use prevention and treatment initiatives, such as ODMAPS (Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program), a free, web-based tool that provides near real-time suspected overdose surveillance data.
“Combatting drug trafficking is at the heart of my work as the U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of West Virginia,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Harvey. “With overdose numbers still high in the Mountain State, there’s more work to do, and this new role will help further that mission.”
Harvey joins an executive board that is responsible for assessing drug threats and determining ways to combat the threats, as well as working on initiatives to help prevent further harm to residents in the region.
“The Washington/Baltimore HIDTA is proud to welcome U.S. Attorney Matthew Harvey as Vice Chair of our Executive Board. As the chief federal law enforcement official for the Northern District of West Virginia—and a former prosecutor in both Berkeley and Kanawha Counties—Mr. Harvey brings deep experience, strong leadership, and a proven commitment to public safety. His insight and dedication will be invaluable as he helps guide the work of the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA and advance our mission in the region,” said Jeff Beeson, Executive Director, Washington/Baltimore HIDTA.
The Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force and The Martinsburg Initiative - an evidence-based prevention program that focuses on aiding children in Berkeley County Schools – are both supported by HIDTA funding.
Two South Gate Men Plead Guilty to Federal Robbery Charge, Admit to Armed Robberies of Victims Leaving Local CasinosRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Two South Gate men pleaded guilty today to committing more than a dozen armed robberies, stealing gambling winnings from individuals leaving local casinos, stealing at least $274,600 in cash, casino chips, and other property.
Dereck Nathan Lopez, 22, and Juan Gabriel Gonzalez, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act).
Both defendants have been in federal custody since May 2025.
According to their plea agreements, Lopez and Gonzalez entered local casinos under false names to hunt gamblers appearing to win or cash-in many chips. Lopez and Gonzalez then followed the victims’ vehicles from the casino, ambushed them on the highway, brandished firearms, smashed the vehicle’s windows, demanded money or chips, and fled.
Lopez and Gonzalez admitted to 15 robberies and attempted robberies committed in Los Angeles County from May 2023 to December 2023, including three victims leaving a casino on a single night in December 2023.
For example, on October 26, 2023, the defendants, both using fake licenses, followed a victim around a casino in Gardena. Lopez and Gonzalez monitored the victim as he cashed out $11,000 in casino chips and left the Hustler Casino. As the victim drove home on the 110 freeway on ramp from Redondo Beach Boulevard, co-participants in the scheme stopped the victim’s vehicle. The co-participants approached both doors of the victim’s vehicle, pointed guns at him, and demanded money and for the victim to open the trunk. Co-participants stole $1,050 in cash and golf clubs worth $6,000 from the victim.
Lopez further admitted to illegally possessing firearms and ammunition at his home in December 2023. Lopez is not legally permitted to possess a firearm or ammunition because his criminal history includes a conviction in San Bernardino County Superior Court for grand theft in November 2023.
United States District Judge George H. Wu scheduled August 13 sentencing hearings for the defendants, who each will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Lopez and Gonzalez have agreed to serve 14 years in federal prison.
The FBI, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Justice Bureau of Gambling Control, and the Montebello Police Department are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler and Jena A. MacCabe of the Major Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
Toledo Assistant U.S. Attorney Recognized at at International Narcotics ConferenceRead the Press Release
TOLEDO, Ohio – Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank H. Spryszak was recently recognized for his dedication to eradicate illegal narcotics from the U.S. Mail system and noted for his support of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Toledo Field Office.
AUSA Spryszak, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Toledo branch, was presented with the “Prosecutor of the Year” Award from the International Narcotics Interdiction Association (INIA). The award was recently presented at the INIA annual conference held in San Diego, California.
AUSA Spryszak’s efforts to identify, prosecute, and support parcel interdiction has earned him a nickname —“the box guy.”
From February 2023 to March 2025, Spryszak worked side by side with USPIS and DEA agents to support more than 140 seized parcels and nearly 30 search warrants. The combined amounts of narcotics seized from parcels were approximately 72,971 grams of narcotics, including more than 9,300 grams of fentanyl. Law enforcement’s and Spryszak’s efforts resulted in 31 arrests over this approximate two-year period. Several defendants received sentences of 10 years or more in federal prison.
According to one nominator, “AUSA Spryszak’s diligence, perseverance, and devotion to duty are most heartily commended and keeping with the highest tradition of being a public servant. The USPIS would not be as effective and successful in Northwest Ohio without his direction and dedication. He is truly a team player.”
About the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS)
USPIS is the law enforcement branch of the United States Postal Service. To report mail theft or other crimes committed through, or towards, the United States Postal Service, call the USPIS at 1-877-876-2455 or visit uspis.gov/report. For more information about combatting mail theft visit uspis.gov/project-safe-delivery.
Photo L-R:
Gary Barksdale, Chief Postal Inspector, AUSA Frank Spyrszak, and Rafael Nunez, Deputy Chief Postal Inspector
Teen Pleads Guilty to Armed Robbery Spree in the Capitol Hill NeighborhoodRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Dereon Butler, 18, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to charges related to an armed robbery spree in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, in December 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“Ten innocent people on their morning commute were terrorized at gunpoint by these teens who viewed Capitol Hill as their hunting ground,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “These were deliberate, targeted robberies that left residents fearing for their lives. Age does not excuse violent crime and anyone who picks up a gun to commit a robbery in this city will face the consequences and be held to account.”
Butler pleaded guilty to three counts of armed robbery in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Butler was charged as an adult pursuant to Title 16 at the time of the offenses. His co-defendant, Markell Butler, 17, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and was sentenced on May 1, 2026. The Honorable Judge Errol Arthur scheduled sentencing for August 31, 2026.
According to the government’s evidence, in the early-morning hours of December 2, 2024, Butler and his co-conspirators utilized a stolen gray Kia Sorento and a stolen red Lexus sedan to go to the Capitol Hill neighborhood with the intention of locating and targeting commuting pedestrians to rob them at gunpoint. In all, ten different unsuspecting pedestrians were approached, across numerous locations, had a firearm brandished at them, and were robbed of their wallets, purses, cellphones, and other personal belongings. Butler then fled each scene before the police could arrive.
Dereon Butler was arrested on July 22, 2025, and has been in custody since.
Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Levy.
2025 CF3 008425
Stockton Felon Indicted for Illegal Possession of a Sawed-Off ShotgunRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Steven Refugio Rodriguez, 57, of Stockton, today charging him with being a felon in possession of firearm, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, on May 7, 2026, Rodriguez was stopped by a deputy sheriff for expired vehicle registration. Because Rodriguez was on parole and subject to a search, the deputy searched the car and found a Harrington and Richardson, 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun with an 8-inch barrel and several 12-gauge rounds. Rodriguez has multiple felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing firearms.
On May 3, 2021, Rodriguez was sentenced to 21 years in prison for assault with a machine gun on a peace officer. In November 2025, Rodriguez was granted compassionate release in state court on the grounds that he had only a few months to live, could not walk, feed himself, or perform daily tasks without assistance. Yet when deputies pulled him over on May 7, he showed no signs of trouble walking unassisted. While incarcerated in the San Joaquin County Jail, Rodriguez made several calls indicating that he planned to flee from prosecution once he posted bail.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zulkar Khan is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Rodriguez faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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.
Southeast Missouri Man Admits Victimizing Five ChildrenRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A Southeast Missouri man on Thursday admitted recording his sexual abuse of five young girls in 2024 and 2025.
Lantz D. Crawford, 26, of Ripley County, near Doniphan, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to five counts of production of child pornography. He admitted recording his sexual abuse of five girls, ages 2, 4, 5, 6 and 6, between the summer of 2024 and late 2025. In December of 2025, the mother of the 4-year-old girl contacted the Ripley County Sheriff’s Office after her daughter reported the abuse. Crawford’s phone was seized and investigators found child sexual abuse material (CSAM) involving young children.
Crawford faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison at sentencing, scheduled for September 3. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will recommend 60 years in prison.
The Ripley County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
South Bend Man Sentenced to 151 Months in Prison for Controlled Substance OffenseRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Michael Carpenter, 39 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after pleading guilty to distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Carpenter was sentenced to 151 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.
“The Defendant will spend over twelve years in prison because he chose to distribute about 352 grams of methamphetamine. Thanks to the efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Assistant United States Attorney Joel Gabrielse, the Defendant was prosecuted and sentenced for peddling this poison,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Mildred.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joel Gabrielse.
Shelton Woman Pleads Guilty to Fraud Offense Stemming from $739K Embezzlement SchemeRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that PAMELA AGUILAR, 65, of Shelton, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to an offense stemming from her embezzlement of more than $739,000 from a Connecticut company.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Aguilar was employed as Chief Financial Officer of a Danbury-based software company, identified in court documents as “Company A.” Between approximately 2018 and 2025, Aguilar defrauded Company A by making ACH and wire transfers from Company A’s account to personal bank accounts, writing checks and making cash withdrawals from Company A’s account, and by making PayPal and credit card payments from Company A’s account for her own benefit.
Through this scheme, Aguilar stole more than $739,466.44 from Company A. She attempted to cover up her criminal behavior by providing false weekly cash reports and false monthly financial statements to Company A’s Chief Executive Officer.
Aguilar pleaded guilty to wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
Aguilar is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for August 27.
This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller.
Seymour Man Charged with Defrauding Wholesale Food SuppliersRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Brian C. Gallagher, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General, Northeastern Region, and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned a 10-count indictment charging MICHAEL SALVAGGI, 61, of Seymour, with offenses related to his alleged defrauding wholesale food companies of hundreds of thousands dollars.
The indictment was returned on May 28, 2026. Salvaggi has been detained since March 7, 2026, when he was arrested in St. John’s County, Florida, pursuant to related state charges in Pennsylvania. He is scheduled to be arraigned in New Haven on June 18.
As alleged in court documents, Salvaggi, representing that he owned trucking and wholesale food businesses in various names, including “A.J. Produce LLC,” “Express Transportation,” “Salvaggi Brothers Trucking,” and “Express Fresh Produce & Dairy,” contacted wholesale food suppliers in Connecticut and elsewhere and arranged to purchase quantities of food on credit or payment on delivery or pickup. After the suppliers provided him with food, he paid them with fraudulent checks. Numerous wholesale food companies suffered total losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars are a result of this scheme.
The indictment charges Salvaggi with eight counts of wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count, one count of mail fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of interstate transport of property taken by fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel J. Gentile.
Investigators are seeking to identify victims of this alleged fraud scheme. Victims and individuals with information that may be helpful to the investigation are encouraged to complete and submit the form at this link.
Seven Charged with Scheme to Cash Stolen U.S. Treasury Checks Throughout New EnglandRead the Press Release
BURLINGTON – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on May 28, 2026, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Davon Olin, 36, of Hackensack, New Jersey and The Bronx, New York; Corey Vasquez, 35, of The Bronx, New York; James Michael Roosevelt Williams, 34, of The Bronx, New York; Mark Ochoa, 34, of The Bronx, New York; Lindsay Sheehan, 37, of The Bronx, New York, and two others with wire fraud conspiracy, bank fraud conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft. Olin appeared in United States District Court for the District of New Jersey on June 3, 2026, and was detained pending further proceedings to occur on June 8, 2026. Ochoa and Williams appeared in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on June 3, 2026, and were ordered released upon satisfaction of conditions. Sheehan is expected to appear later today. Vasquez was previously arrested on state charges in Kentucky, and Vasquez’s appearance in federal court has not yet been scheduled. Two additional defendants have not yet been arrested.
According to court records, from approximately August 2024 to August 2025, Davon Olin obtained stolen, legitimate U.S. Treasury checks in the names of various individuals. Olin then obtained false identification documents, including driver’s licenses, using the names, dates of birth and social security numbers of the intended U.S. Treasury check recipients and photographs of Vasquez, Ochoa, Sheehan and other group members. Working with Vasquez and Williams, Olin provided the false identification documents to check depositors, including Vasquez, Ochoa, and Sheehan, who then presented the stolen U.S. Treasury checks and their false driver’s licenses to banks in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and elsewhere to open accounts and deposit the stolen checks, thereby fraudulently obtaining government funds. The scheme involved more than $500,000.00 in stolen U.S. Treasury checks.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that the seven defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Each defendant faces up to 30 years of imprisonment if convicted. Cory Vasquez, Mark Ochoa, and Lindsay Sheehan also face aggravated identity theft charges which carry a mandatory 2-year consecutive sentence. The actual sentences, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the investigatory efforts of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and the United States Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Eugenia A. P. Cowles. The seven defendants have not yet retained nor been appointed counsel.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
San Diego CPA Pleads Guilty to $5 Million Tax Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Oladapo Olagbemi, a longtime certified public accountant, pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he filed thousands of false income tax returns on behalf of clients that resulted in more than $5 million in improper deductions and credits.
Olagbemi, who managed San Diego-based D.A.O. Accounting, Consulting, and Taxation, pleaded guilty to four counts of aiding and assisting the preparation of false tax returns. Shortly before tax day, April 15, 2026, he signed a plea agreement in which he admitted to multiple schemes between tax years 2019 and 2023 to help clients get illegitimate refunds by claiming business expenses, charitable gifts, and energy credits to which the taxpayers were not entitled.
Olagbemi is scheduled to be sentenced on August 28, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Ruth Bermudez Montenegro.
Based on Olagbemi’s plea agreement, one of his schemes was preparing false Schedules 1, C, and E accompanying his client’s individual income tax returns between at least 2020 and 2023. He prepared returns that reported false business losses totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. Taxpayer clients had no such reportable business, and the expenses he claimed for them were non-deductible personal expenses. Olagbemi knew the taxpayers were not entitled to report such losses or the resulting decreases in taxable income. During that four-year period, he prepared at least 5,470 Form 1040 returns with Schedules C. At least 3,981 of those had no gross receipts for the falsely claimed businesses.
Another of Olagbemi’s schemes was preparing false Forms 2106 to accompany taxpayers’ Form 1040 returns. On this form, Olagbemi advised and presented to the IRS purported business expenses and resulting decreases in taxable income, even though he knew the taxpayer was not permitted to use the 2106 form because they were not a fee-based state or local government official. Between 2020 and 2023, Olagbemi was involved in presenting to the IRS at least 1,684 Forms 2106 with individual clients’ tax returns. After Olagbemi became aware of the IRS’s investigation of his fraudulent use of Schedule C returns, he increased his use of fraudulent use of Forms 2106—and prepared several of them even after being notified by the IRS about the proper uses of this form.
Olagbemi also used Schedules A to prepare and submit false income tax returns. On these documents, he falsely claimed or overstated gifts to charity and corresponding itemized deductions of tens of thousands of dollars, even though he knew the taxpayer was not entitled to report such charitable contributions.
Further, based on the plea agreement, Olagbami prepared individual tax returns falsely claiming residential energy credits. He prepared and presented false Forms 5695 to accompany Form 1040 tax returns between at least 2021 and 2023. On these Forms 5695, he advised a taxpayer client to falsely claim solar water heating property costs, even though he knew the client did not purchase or have any such costs and was not entitled to report them or the corresponding tax credits.
Based on the plea and restitution agreements, Olagbemi agreed to restitution of least $1,522,794 based on his schemes and resulting tax losses between 2018 and 2023. He also agreed to be permanently prohibited from preparing, assisting in, directing, or supervising the preparation or filing of federal tax returns for anyone other than himself.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Horn.
DEFENDANT Case Number 26CR1982-RBM
Oladapo Olagbemi Age: 72 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Aiding and Assisting in Preparation of False Income Tax Returns – Title 26, United States Code, Section 7206(2)
Maximum penalty (per count): Three years in prison; fine of up to $250,000
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation
Sacramento Man Pleads Guilty for Role in Shipping Half-a-Million Fentanyl Pills Across the United States Following Homeland Security Task Force InvestigationRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Reginald Jones, 36, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to 15 counts of drug trafficking offenses and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, Jones and his fellow conspirators shipped hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills around the country for more than a year. On several occasions, law enforcement seized packages shipped by Jones and his co-conspirators, and found fentanyl pills, often hidden inside children’s toys. In total, law enforcement seized approximately 450,000 fentanyl pills connected to the conspiracy through seized shipments and search warrants. Based on additional evidence, law enforcement estimates that members of the conspiracy have shipped more than one million fentanyl pills to customers in several different states.
During searches connected to the conspiracy, agents found hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills, more than $80,000 in cash, and 17 firearms. Some of the pills and a firearm were hidden inside a secret compartment in Miller’s vehicle.
Jones is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta on Oct. 8, 2026. Jones faces a mandatory sentence of at least 10 years in prison, a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
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 Sacramento is composed of agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with assistance from the Sacramento Police Department, the Folsom Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Citrus Heights Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ross Pearson is prosecuting the case.
Rochester man going to prison on meth chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Chad Burgess, 40, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute five grams of methamphetamine, was sentenced to serve 88 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
On March 26, 2025, the Niagara County Drug Taskforce executed a search warrant at a Locust Street residence for suspected narcotics trafficking. During the search, officers recovered approximately 125 grams of methamphetamine and approximately 45 grams of crack cocaine. Burgess admitted that the methamphetamine and crack cocaine belonged to him, purchasing the drugs approximately 1-2 days prior.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Adler. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Niagara County Drug Taskforce, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Anthony Patrone.
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Repeat Felon Pleads Guilty to Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
Gainesville, Florida – Robert Anthony Yancy, Jr., 25, of Tampa, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Convicted felons are legally prohibited from possessing firearms because they have demonstrated through their criminality that they pose a danger to the law-abiding citizens of our community. Keeping our citizens safe from the predations of serial felons, like this defendant, remains a top priority for my office, and we will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases to deliver the safe streets our citizens deserve.”
Court documents reflect that on the evening of January 2, 2026, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on the defendant’s vehicle. During the stop, law enforcement detected the odor of marijuana and saw evidence of marijuana inside, which led to a search of the vehicle. In addition to locating marijuana and a scale with residue, law enforcement found a handgun in the vehicle. The defendant cannot possess a handgun because he is a six-time prior convicted felon.
Yancy faces a maximum term of fifteen years’ imprisonment.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner is prosecuting the case.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 4, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville before Chief United States District Judge Allen Winsor.
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 available 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.
Reno Man Indicted for Sexual Abuse of a ChildRead the Press Release
RENO – A Reno man made his initial appearance in court on Wednesday for allegedly sexually abusing a child on the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, in Reno.
As alleged in the indictment, on December 1, 2025, Bruce Sanchez engaged in sexual contact with a nine-year-old child who is an enrolled member of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony.
Sanchez was charged with one count of aggravated sexual abuse within Indian Country and three counts of abusive sexual contact within Indian Country. United States Magistrate Judge Carla Baldwin set a trial to begin on August 4, 2026, before United States District Judge Anne R. Traum.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto for the FBI Las Vegas Field Office made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI Reno Resident Agency and Reno-Sparks Indian Colony Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Penelope Brady is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Reno Man Indicted for Second Degree Murder of a WomanRead the Press Release
RENO – A Reno man was charged in an indictment and made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Reno on Wednesday for allegedly murdering a woman in February 2022.
According to allegations in the indictment and statements made in court, on or about February 2, 2022, Delshay Astor participated in the murder of Anna Scott on the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony. Anna Scott was shot and killed, then her body was put into her car and set on fire. The victim was a member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.
“This indictment reflects my Office’s continued commitment to ensure that no victim is left behind, no matter how much time has passed,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “It is my hope that our pursuit of justice and accountability for Anna’s gruesome death will bring some comfort to Anna’s family, friends and community.”
“FBI Las Vegas has a strong, long-standing commitment to investigating violent crime on tribal lands alongside our law enforcement partners,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto for the FBI Las Vegas Field Office. “We do not forget. We do not give up. And we will hold violent offenders accountable, no matter how long it takes.”
“While the arraignment of Mr. Astor on Wednesday does not bring Anna back, it serves as an important step in finally delivering justice to her family, friends, and community,” Sheriff Darin Balaam said. “While this complex investigation took over four years, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office and our law enforcement partners did not forget, and we did not give up. Indicting Mr. Astor would not have been possible without the partnership of the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to holding those responsible accountable in a court of law.”
If convicted, Astor faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada, Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto for the FBI Las Vegas Field Office, and Sheriff Darin Balaam for the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.
The FBI and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. The United States Marshals Service also assisted with operational support. Assistant United States Attorney Penelope Brady is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Puerto Rico Pharmacies Agree to Pay $4.6 Million to Federal Authorities in Medicare and Medicaid Fraud CasesRead the Press Release
San Juan, Puerto Rico – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico has recovered over $4.1 million from four Puerto Rico pharmacies and their owners during the period from February 26 to May 28, 2026.
The pharmacies and owners have agreed to pay $4.6 million to resolve allegation of Medicare and Medicaid fraud between January 2021 and January 2024, for billing for diverted prescriptions sold to unsuspecting patients which had been misrepresented as properly sourced, despite unverifiable origins. Officials warn that such practices threaten patient safety and the integrity of federal health programs, which require medications to come from approved distributors. Diverted drugs may be improperly stored or handled, affecting their safety and effectiveness. The below-listed pharmacies and their owners agreed to pay and have paid the civil penalties outlined below:
Pharmacy
Owner(s)
Amount of Penalties
Amount of Penalties Collected to Date
Farmacia Unity (Aibonito)
Raúl Morera
Enid Rivera
$600,000
$165,000
Farmacia La Rampla (Yabucoa)
Edwin Gómez
$1,000,000
$1,000,000
Farmacia Monte Verde (Bayamón)
María T. Rivera
Valerie Cintrón
$1,000,000
$1,000,000
Farmacia Santa Olaya (Bayamón)
Jaime Figueroa
$2,000,000
$2,000,000
These cases were investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, with support from other federal and local agencies.
U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rafael López Rivera investigated and prosecuted the cases.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
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Previously Removed Illegal Alien from Mexico Charged for Drug an Immigration Crimes in the District of UtahRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging a previously removed illegal alien from Mexico with drug and immigration crimes after law enforcement seized drugs from a residence in Salt Lake County.
Francisco Javier Gonzalez-Diaz, 40, residing illegally in West Jordan, Utah, was initially charged by complaint on May 19, 2026.
According to allegations in court documents, on May 14, 2026, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residence in West Jordan. Prior to the execution of the search warrant, Gonzalez-Diaz, the target of the investigation, was located by law enforcement in his vehicle. During the search of Gonzalez-Diaz’s residence, law enforcement located and seized 471 grams of fentanyl pills, 120 grams of heroin, and 303 grams of methamphetamine. All the drugs field-tested positive. According to immigration officials, Gonzalez-Diaz is not a citizen of the United States and has been removed from the United States on at least one prior occasion.
Gonzalez-Diaz is charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and reentry of a previously removed alien. His initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for June 4, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
United States Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated jointly by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Utah County Major Crimes Task Force (UCMC), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Pete Reichman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Plymouth Man Indicted on Production of Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on June 2, 2026, Christopher L. Rentmeester (age 45, of Plymouth) was federally indicted for the production of child pornography. The indictment charges Rentmeester with two counts of production of child pornography (also known as child sexual abuse material, or CSAM), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2251(a) and 2251(e). The criminal conduct is alleged to have occurred between 2022 and 2024.
Rentmeester faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment and up to 30 years’ imprisonment, on each count if convicted.
The Plymouth Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abbey M. Marzick.
An indictment contains allegations only and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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For further information contact:Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
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Pittsburgh Resident Sentenced to 54 Months in Prison for Use of Stolen Identities and Credit Card Information in Rental Car Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 54 months of incarceration, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on his conviction of violating federal identity theft laws, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on William Knight, 32, on June 3, 2026.
According to information presented to the Court, from in and around October 2022 to in and around February 2023, Knight and other conspirators used personal identification information and credit card numbers of individuals that the conspirators had purchased through the dark web to rent vehicles from a rental car company. An employee of the rental car company was also part of the conspiracy. The conspirators then rented the vehicles to others in the community, many of whom were involved in drug trafficking and other illegal conduct.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Rivetti commended the United States Secret Service and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Knight.
Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Firearms Stolen During Gun Store RobberyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court on June 3, 2026, to possessing stolen firearms, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Jaemir Beard, 19, of the Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Robert J. Colville.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on March 17, 2025, Beard and two juvenile males were found in possession of six firearms that had been stolen from a firearms store in Mars, Pennsylvania, through a burglary earlier that day. Beard and one of the juveniles were attempting to sell the firearms through social media and text messages. At the time of his arrest, Beard also was in possession of a key to the stolen vehicle used in the commission of the burglary.
Judge Colville scheduled sentencing for October 1, 2026. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Barbara K. Doolittle is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Northern Regional Police Department, and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Beard.
Philadelphia Man Charged with Child Sexual Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Preston Serrano, aka “Jared,” “naggotfiggas,” and “6_____#0,” 24, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged by indictment with three counts of use of an interstate commerce facility to entice a minor, and attempt to entice a minor, to engage in sexual conduct, three counts of production and attempted production of child pornography, one count of receipt and attempted receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession and attempted possession of child pornography.
The defendant has been detained in federal custody since May 6, following his arrest on a criminal complaint and warrant.
As alleged in the indictment and other court filings, from approximately April 2022 to October 2025, Serrano used online platforms to sexually exploit several minor girls, persuading these minors to self-produce sexually explicit images or videos of themselves and send these images to him. The indictment also alleges that he received and possessed child pornography.
If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years’ imprisonment and a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Philadelphia, with assistance from HSI Norfolk, the Newport News (Va.) Police Department, the Chatham County (Ga.) Police Department, and the Thunder Bay Police Department in Ontario, Canada, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Morgan.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov. To report suspicious activities, call 787-729-6969.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Make and Distribute Animal Crush Videos Involving MonkeysRead the Press Release
A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty in federal court in Cincinnati today to conspiring to create and distribute “animal crush” videos through his active participation in certain online groups. The videos depicted extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.
According to court documents, Hugh T. Campbell conspired with others to create and distribute videos depicting acts of sadistic violence against monkeys. Making and sharing such videos violates the federal anti-animal crush law.
Campbell and his co-conspirators used encrypted chat applications to direct money to individuals in Indonesia willing to carry out requested acts of torture on camera. As stated in a court document, Campbell sent chats commenting on torture videos including “That video was awesome. Nice and gruesome,” and “It’s just so unsatisfying to see a live monkey at the end.”
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gercace II for the Southern District of Ohio, and Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie for the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office made the announcement.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, and the FBI investigated the case.
Senior Trial Attorney Adam C. Cullman of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section is prosecuting the case.
Pair Sentenced for Trafficking Fentanyl, Meth, and Cocaine and from FloridaRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A pair of men from Southwest Virginia, who regularly drove to Florida and brought fentanyl, cocaine, and kilograms of methamphetamine back into the Commonwealth for redistribution, were sentenced in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.
Terry Brandon Watson, 41, of Atkins, Virginia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy. Marcus Hunter Moran, 30, of Marion, Virginia, was previously sentenced to five years in federal prison. Both men previously pled guilty to charges related to that conduct.
“This office will aggressively pursue those who target our citizens with fentanyl, methamphetamine and other narcotics,” First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today. “I applaud the work of the FBI and the Smyth County Sheriff’s Office in helping ensure accountability in this case.”
According to court documents, in February 2025 the Federal Bureau of Investigation determined that Watson and Moran were regularly traveling from Smyth County, Virginia to Florida to pick up controlled substances to sell in the Western District of Virginia.
Beginning on March 15, 2025, law enforcement began tracking Watson and Moran’s car as the pair traveled to Florida to pick up a load of illegal drugs. The following day, law enforcement stopped Moran and Watson as they returned from Florida. Moran was driving and Watson was in the passenger seat. Officers found two pounds of methamphetamine in the passenger compartment, along with two ounces of fentanyl and an ounce of powdered cocaine.
The investigation showed that Moran and Watson had traveled from the Western District to Florida at least four times to pick up methamphetamine and other drugs. Each time, Moran drove the vehicle for Watson. On other occasions, Watson used other drivers to make the trip.
First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Smyth County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Whit Pierce is prosecuting the case.
Oregon Man Indicted for Bomb Threats Made to Ohio SchoolsRead the Press Release
TOLEDO, Ohio – As a result of ongoing investigations into several bomb threats made to schools in northern Ohio, an 18-year-old man from Oregon has now been indicted.
On June 3, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Nathan Hayes, 18, of Sweet Home, Oregon, with six counts of making Threatening Communications Involving Explosives.
Allegations in the indictment indicate that the threats were made on or about March 4 to the following schools located in the Northern District of Ohio:
- Ottawa Hills High School, Lucas County, Ohio
- Bowling Green High School, Wood County, Ohio
- Shaker Heights High School, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
- Rocky River High School, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
- Auburn Career Center, Lake County, Ohio
- Cardinal High School, Geauga County, Ohio
According to a criminal complaint filed May 21, law enforcement began investigating bomb threats earlier this year that were made to at least 17 high schools in Ohio. The threats resulted in multiple schools being placed on lockdown while law enforcement searched for bombs or other signs of terrorism. However, the threats were found to be swatting, or hoax, calls originating from out of state. Following an investigation, federal agents identified Hayes as the caller. As alleged in the criminal complaint and affidavit, he used multiple aliases to threaten schools and organizations, offered swatting services for sale, and doxed at least one person in Illinois. Doxing is the act of publicly revealing someone's private, personally identifying information online without their consent. He also monitored media coverage to see public reaction to his swatting calls. Hayes is set for an initial appearance in federal court on June 12.
If convicted Hayes faces up to 10 years in prison.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Toledo Resident Agency.
Assistant United States Attorney Dexter L. Phillips is leading the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
One of Atlanta Police Department's Top 5 Most Wanted Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Marcus Lydell Molden, Jr, who was recently listed on the Atlanta Police Department’s top five fugitives list, has pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon. In addition to the federal charges, Molden also faces charges in Fulton County for various violent crimes and gang-related offenses.
“A convicted felon several times over, Marcus Molden was strictly prohibited from possessing any firearm, let alone an illegally converted machinegun with an extended magazine,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Thankfully, shortly after Molden secured a position on the Atlanta Police Department’s ignoble ‘most wanted’ list, federal and local law enforcement captured him, seized his ultra-dangerous weapon, and made our community safer.”
“Violent offenders must understand there are serious consequences for the illegal possession of firearms. ATF and our law enforcement partners will dedicate all necessary time and resources to ensure those responsible are brought to justice,” said ATF Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd.
“Getting Marcus Molden off the streets was a priority for the Atlanta Police Department because of the danger he posed to our community,” said Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum. “I am proud of the officers and investigators whose relentless work led to his arrest, and I am grateful for the strong partnership with our federal law enforcement partners that helped bring this case to a successful outcome. This guilty plea reflects the impact of coordinated enforcement efforts and our shared commitment to holding violent offenders accountable. Most importantly, it means a dangerous offender has been removed from our streets, making Atlanta safer for the residents, businesses, and visitors we serve every day.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In the summer of 2025, the Atlanta Police Department (APD) classified Molden, a convicted felon, as one of APD’s most wanted fugitives. In July 2025, officers and detectives with APD’s gangs and automobile crimes units, along with federal law enforcement partners, observed Molden enter the passenger seat of a vehicle with a firearm tucked in his waistband.
After stopping the vehicle, officers found a black Glock pistol under the passenger seat. The magazine was designed to hold up to 22 rounds of ammunition, and a machinegun conversion device, which allowed the gun to function as a fully automatic firearm, was attached to the pistol.
Sentencing for Marcus Lydell Molden, Jr, a/k/a Meat, 25, is scheduled for September 15, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Victoria M. Calvert. In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.
Members of the public are reminded that the defendant is presumed innocent of the pending Fulton County charges, and it will be the State’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
The federal case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Atlanta Police Department.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve A. Hsieh is prosecuting 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Ohio Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Justin Antonio Jones, 40, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced today to six years and five months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 29, 2024, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in Mingo County, West Virginia. During the traffic stop, officers heard what they believed was the sound of a slide moving on a semi-automatic firearm coming from the area of another vehicle parked nearby. Officers investigated the sound and encountered Jones standing by the other vehicle. Jones ignored officers when they directed him to show his hands and began walking away. Officers saw Jones place an object beneath the passenger side front tire of that vehicle and recovered a Keltec model PF-9 9mm pistol from that spot.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Jones knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance on October 27, 2008, and on May 22, 2012, both in Mingo County Circuit Court.
Jones has a criminal history that includes four additional felony convictions, also for drug offenses, and was serving a term of probation imposed in Kentucky at the time of his current offense.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Mingo County Sheriff’s Office.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney D. Keith Randolph 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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. 2:25-cr-191.
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Oahu Man Indicted for Receiving and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Fletcher Bailey Kop, 41, of Oahu, Hawaii, was indicted on June 4, 2026 for receiving and possessing child pornography. Kop was previously charged by criminal complaint on April 21, 2026 and has been detained since his arrest.
According to court records, Kop was identified as a potential witness to a burglary in December 2025. As part of the investigation, Kop consented to a search of his cellphone, which uncovered over 100 images of child pornography, including of girls aged 10-12 years old engaged in sexual acts with adult men. Federal investigators obtained a warrant to continue searching Kop’s phone and uncovered over 60 videos constituting child pornography. Some of the videos were of girls potentially as young as 5 years old.
If convicted, Kop faces up to 20 years in prison, including a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years, and fine of up to $250,000, plus a term of supervised release.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. In the case of conviction, any sentence would be imposed by a United States District Judge based on the statutory sentencing factors and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Eucker is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 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.
Norfolk woman sentenced to over a year in prison for embezzling from her employer to pay gambling debtsRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk woman was sentenced today to a year and six months in prison for wire fraud relating to her embezzlement of over $123,000.
According to court documents, Katherine Louise Henderson, 55, was employed as the treasurer for a manufacturer of brake products in Norfolk and had access to the company’s financial records and accounts, including the ability to approve payroll. To cover losses incurred through online gambling and to support her shopping habit, Henderson embezzled funds from the company by issuing herself unauthorized payroll funds above her salary. She also created a payroll account for her husband despite the fact he never worked for the company and was unaware that Henderson had created a payroll account for him.
Henderson intercepted vendor payments and diverted them to her personal accounts, then changed the company’s records to make it appear the payments had been successfully deposited into company accounts. Henderson’s fraud was discovered in August 2023 while she was on vacation. During her absence, a company employee requested payment from a vendor. The vendor provided proof that the payment had already been made and an investigation revealed that the payment had been diverted to Henderson’s account.
In total, Henderson embezzled $123,104.42 from her employer.
The 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 No. 2:26-cr-14.
New York City Man Indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Gerry Lasain Hardy, age 43, of New York City, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury for failing to register as a sex offender after relocating to New York City.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, the indictment alleges that from June 2024 and continuing to March 2026, despite being required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”), upon relocating to New York, Hardy failed to register his address as required by SORNA.
The United States Marshals Service (USMS) investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Scalera is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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New River Couple Sentenced for $12 Million AHCCCS Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Thvoughn Lynden Curry, 34, and Alexis Daneen Curry, 34, both of New River, Arizona, were sentenced Monday by Senior U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow for their role in a scheme to defraud the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), Arizona’s Medicaid Agency, of over $12 million.
Both defendants were previously convicted at trial of one count of Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud, three counts of Health Care Fraud, and eight counts of Transactional Money Laundering following a four-day bench trial earlier this year. Thvoughn Curry was sentenced to 88 months in prison, and Alexis Curry was sentenced to 70 months in prison. Both were also ordered to three years of supervised release and to pay restitution of over $12 million to AHCCCS.
“The President tasked us to eliminate fraud and recoup every taxpayer dollar possible, and we’ve delivered in this case, bringing the Currys to justice for stealing millions from the government,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “Beyond their own fraud, the Currys also preyed upon Arizonans fighting deadly addictions, placing them in imminent danger, with some victims overdosing on illicit drugs under 1 Family Clinic’s care. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will use every legal means available to track down and prosecute fraudsters and protect vulnerable citizens.”
“Healthcare fraud is a direct attack on our community’s safety net,” said IRS-CI Phoenix Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Scott Brown. “The Currys diverted millions from Arizona’s Medicaid program to line their own pockets, depleting vital resources from those who depend on these services. These sentences reflect the seriousness of that harm and reinforce IRS-CI commitment to protecting the integrity of taxpayer funded healthcare programs. Those who abuse these systems and violate the public’s trust can expect to be held accountable.”
"Fraud on this scale is not just a financial crime, it directly harms the vulnerable populations AHCCCS exists to serve,” said Roberta Harrison, Interim Director of AHCCCS. “This sentencing reflects the strength of our partnerships with law enforcement and underscores our commitment to aggressively pursuing those who attempt to misuse public funds.”
“The successful conviction and six-year prison sentence in this case are the direct result of outstanding collaboration between our law enforcement partners," said Mesa Police Chief Dan Butler. "Complex investigations often extend beyond the jurisdiction of a single agency, and this case highlights the importance of sharing resources, information, and expertise. We appreciate the efforts of every investigator, prosecutor, and agency involved in bringing this case to a successful conclusion and ensuring justice was served.”
The Currys defrauded AHCCCS through “1 Family Clinic, LLC,” their purported outpatient behavioral health clinic in Mesa, Arizona. They first defrauded AHCCCS by submitting a fraudulent application to enroll as an AHCCCS provider, falsely claiming that Alexis Curry was the sole owner and manager. In the application, the Currys did not disclose Thvoughn Curry’s role in the business, even though they were required to do so because he was an owner and managing employee. At the time, Thvoughn Curry had an active, outstanding warrant for state felony fraud charges.
Once approved by AHCCCS based on the fraudulent application, the Currys engaged in fraudulent billing practices. Between approximately Feb. 1, 2021, and March 31, 2023, the Currys routinely billed AHCCCS in a uniform, nearly identical pattern for services that were not actually provided. The Currys targeted AHCCCS’s American Indian Health Plan for fraudulent billing. Throughout the course of the scheme, 1 Family billed an average of more than 12 hours of service per member per day. The clinic, however, was open for far fewer hours than that, and even when the clinic was open, 1 Family failed to provide the licensed substance abuse therapy they billed to AHCCCS.
Prosectors further argued in court documents that the Curry’s conduct preyed on vulnerable, low-income Arizonans with real treatment and rehabilitation needs. According to medical records, residents were often left unsupervised, with several overdosing and experiencing life threatening health emergencies.
As a result of their fraudulent billings, AHCCCS paid 1 Family Clinic more than $12 million—funds that were intended to be used for legitimate healthcare services for low-income individuals.
The evidence at trial showed that the Currys spent much of the money they received from AHCCCS on themselves. They purchased properties and luxury vehicles, including a 2019 Lamborghini Urus for more than $300,000.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation in this case and received substantial assistance from the Mesa Police Department and AHCCCS-Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Corbet and Lindsay Short, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 23-CR-1293
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-091_Curry
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
New Orleans Man Guilty of Federal Controlled Substances Act and Federal Gun Control Act ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On May 27, 2026, REUBEN WEBB (“WEBB”), age 33, a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty to two counts of a four-count indictment charging him with violations of the Federal Controlled Substances and the Federal Gun Control Acts, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. In Count 2, WEBB is charged with possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C). In Count 3, WEBB is charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).
U.S. District Judge Greg G. Guidry will sentence WEBB on September 2, 2026.
According to court documents, beginning in August 2024, the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, (ATF) conducted a joint criminal investigation within the Uptown neighborhood of New Orleans. On September 9, 2024, NOPD conducted surveillance from the Real Time Crime Center, focusing on the 8800 block of Fig Street. While conducting surveillance, detectives observed a known individual standing on the front porch of a residence, in possession of a firearm. Minutes later, WEBB arrived at the same residence, driving a gray Jaguar F-Pace with no license plate. WEBB exited the driver’s seat while possessing a firearm. Shortly after, WEBB walked to a nearby store. Uniformed officers entered the store and attempted to apprehend WEBB, but he fled the store. Officers detained WEBB shortly thereafter. When the officers searched WEBB’s waistband area, they discovered a Glock Model 29 Gen 4, 10-millimeter pistol, bearing serial number BYWN588. The firearm was equipped with a magazine containing fifteen (15) live rounds of 10mm ammunition with one live round in the chamber.
After WEBB’s September 2024 arrest, members of law enforcement continued to investigate him. After learning that he continued to illegally possess firearms and engage in drug trafficking, despite being on bond from his earlier arrest, NOPD detectives obtained a search warrant for WEBB’s Instagram account. This search revealed pictures of WEBB in possession of firearms and Tapentadol. The search also revealed messages regarding the sale of controlled substances between WEBB and others. In response, detectives obtained court authorization to monitor WEBB’s location.
On May 15, 2025, NOPD detectives located WEBB in the same 2019 Jaguar F-Pace car as before and detained him. A narcotics-trained canine was deployed to conduct an open-air sniff investigation upon WEBB’s vehicle. The canine alerted to the right and left door handles of the vehicle. As a result, after obtaining a search warrant for WEBB’s vehicle, officers located yet another Glock Model 29, Gen 4, 10-millimeter pistol, bearing serial number BNTG133, inside of the glove box.
A search warrant was also obtained for WEBB’s residence in the 2400 block of General Ogden Street. During the search, detectives recovered items/paraphernalia used by drug traffickers for distributing controlled substances, including packaging materials, two digital scales, a vacuum sealer, as well as 180 tablets of Tapentadol.
Additionally, officers recovered a stolen, Kel-Tec Model PLR-16, AR-15 pistol, bearing serial number PD468, one (1) live round of 10mm caliber ammunition, two (2) boxes of .223 live rounds of ammunition, one (1) live round of .40 caliber ammunition, one black magazine containing thirty-eight (38) live rounds of 2.23x56 caliber ammunition, and one Magpul 60 round drum magazine.
Federal law prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed of the Violent Crime Unit.
New Mexico Man Gets Life in Federal Prison for 2023 Carjacking MurderRead the Press Release
EL PASO, Texas – A New Mexico man was sentenced in a federal court in El Paso to life in prison for the carjacking, kidnapping and murder of a Las Cruces man, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in December 2023, Brayden Matthew Alvarado, 23, of Vado, New Mexico, carjacked a man before driving him onto Fort Bliss desert property and fatally shooting him in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun.
On Dec. 13, 2023, the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division conducted a crime scene investigation and collected the body of a deceased individual. Two days later, an autopsy identified the individual as Abel Patrick Tarin, who had previously been reported missing by the Las Cruces Police Department and Dona Ana Sheriff’s Office.
Tarin’s vehicle was subsequently located, having been towed and impounded in El Paso. A search of the vehicle resulted in blood evidence and the discovery of a gunshot hole on the interior, as well as several fingerprints belonging to Alvarado. Further investigation led to Alvarado’s arrest on Dec. 22, 2023.
Alvarado was indicted on Jan. 17, 2024. On Aug. 14, 2025, a federal jury found him guilty of kidnapping resulting in death and carjacking resulting in death. The kidnapping conviction carries a mandatory life in prison penalty.
The FBI, Army CID, El Paso Police Department, and Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mallory Rasmussen, Lori Hughes and Patricia Acosta prosecuted the case.
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New Hampshire Man Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Prison for Robbing Five Massachusetts BanksRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New Hampshire man was sentenced in federal court in Boston for committing a string of five bank robberies across Northern Massachusetts.
Reinaldo Ortiz, 47, of Manchester, N.H., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 57 months in prison, to be followed three years of supervised release, with six months in home confinement. In November 2025, Ortiz pleaded guilty to five counts of bank robbery. Ortiz was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in January 2023 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2023.
Between March 9 and March 24, 2022, Ortiz drove from New Hampshire to Massachusetts and robbed a string of banks in Fitchburg, Lowell, Chelmsford, Wilmington and Lexington, obtaining approximately $21,709. Ortiz entered each of the banks disguised in a mask and demanded cash from the teller’s drawer. When the tellers complied, Ortiz made off with several thousand dollars in cash and fled the scene of the robbery. A subsequent investigation found Ortiz’s fingerprints on a glove discarded outside one of the robbed banks and that his cellphone movement was consistent with the robbery route.
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 today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Manchester (N.H.) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin A. Tolkoff and Jessica L. Soto of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
National Fraud Enforcement Division’s Healthcare Fraud Unit Secures Six Trial Convictions Involving over $1.1 Billion in Fraud in Under Three Weeks: Convictions Span five Federal Districts & six Distinct Categories of Healthcare FraudRead the Press Release
The Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division today announced that its Health Care Fraud Unit, one of the most active white-collar litigating components across the Department, secured federal jury trial convictions in six trials in just under three weeks. The convictions in six trials between May 13 and June 1 spanned federal courtrooms across the United States, including in Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Detroit, New York and Nashville.
Six trial convictions in under three weeks ties the Health Care Fraud Unit record for number of trials to result in a conviction in a single month period. The cases behind these recent convictions, however, represent a greater level of sophistication and complexity: more than $1.1 billion in fraud losses across six distinct schemes, including a digital health platform that industrialized Medicare fraud at national scale, a proactive data-driven prosecution of a physician who out-billed every other Medicare provider in the country for Botox, and prosecutions requiring simultaneous command of health care data analytics, financial forensics, sophisticated digital evidence, and expert testimony. These results reflect not merely the volume of trials but the caliber of the Fraud Division’s trial practice that carried each one of them to conviction. The Health Care Fraud Unit has completed nine trials to date in 2026 (all of which have resulted in convictions) and 17 trials in 2025, maintaining an extraordinary pace of white-collar trial activity.
The Health Care Fraud Unit operates through an integrated team model, pairing specialized trial-ready prosecutors with data analysts, investigators, and paralegals who work together from the opening of an investigation through the return of a verdict. Leadership reinforces this specialization and emphasis on trial preparation: specialized Assistant Chiefs for Trials oversee and support trial teams across the country, facilitating trial preparedness and institutional knowledge. The results demonstrated over this period reflect a team of trial lawyers who are prepared to take cases to trial and hold accountable those who defraud our nation’s health care programs and steal from the American taxpayer.
“What sets the Fraud Division apart is not only our ability to proactively detect, investigate and dismantle fraud schemes before they cause further harm, but the depth and skill of the trial lawyers who carry those cases across the finish line. The American people should rest assured that we are prepared to seek accountability at trial for health care fraudsters, whether for a $1 million fraud in Michigan or a $1 billion fraud in South Florida,” said Colin McDonald, Assistant Attorney General for the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “The Fraud Division is providing full-spectrum accountability to any fraudster who seeks to use Americans’ hard-earned savings as their personal piggy-bank.”
United States v. Blackman Trial Conviction (Industrial-Scale Telehealth Platform Fraud, $1 Billion):
Brett Blackman was the founder and CEO of HealthSplash, which owned DMERx, an internet platform that did not facilitate legitimate medicine but instead industrialized fraud. Foreign call centers blasted spam mailers targeting hundreds of thousands of Medicare’s most vulnerable patients, pressuring elderly beneficiaries into accepting medically unnecessary orthotic braces. When patients agreed, DMERx connected the leads to telemedicine companies that took illegal kickbacks in exchange for signing bogus physicians’ orders, orders that falsely certified a doctor had personally examined the patient, when in many cases the doctor never spoke with them at all. The government’s undercover agent posed as a Medicare beneficiary and documented the scheme in real time: a foreign call center pushed the agent into multiple braces, and a DMERx doctor then signed orders claiming to have conducted in-person tests that are physically impossible to perform remotely. To conceal the conspiracy, Blackman and his co-conspirators manipulated physicians’ orders to evade Medicare audits and used sham contracts to disguise kickback flows. All told, the scheme generated more than $1 billion in false billings, of which Medicare paid more than $450 million. Blackman was convicted of health care fraud conspiracy, kickback conspiracy, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. His co-defendant Gary Cox, convicted at a prior trial, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. (Southern District of Florida)
United States v. Mailyan Trial Conviction (Proactive Data Driven Lead for Botox Billing Fraud: Obstruction, Fabricated Records, $45 Million):
This prosecution began not with a witness or a complaint, but with a data anomaly. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team identified Dr. Violetta Mailyan as a statistical extreme: she had been paid more by Medicare for Botox injections than any other physician in the United States, collecting more than $24 million over four years, roughly six times the next-highest provider group, all neurologists. What the data predicted, the trial evidence confirmed. Mailyan billed for thousands of Botox injections that were never administered, including while she was on vacation in Cabo, Mexico; Maui, Hawaii; Las Vegas; Pennsylvania; and New York. She billed for a patient who was federally incarcerated at the time of the purported injection. She submitted more than $19 million in claims on days when her clinic was closed. She back-dated claims to bill for injections purportedly provided before patients had even contacted her clinic to request an appointment. When federal investigators closed in and a grand jury subpoena arrived, Mailyan fabricated and back-dated patient consent forms and medical records and delivered the altered documents to agents, adding obstruction charges to the fraud counts. Post-verdict, the jury found a Tesla Model X, a Tesla Cybertruck, brokerage accounts valued at over $7.3 million, and four California properties subject to forfeiture as proceeds of the fraud. (Central District of California)
United States v. Scott Trial Conviction (Home Health Kickback Network: Hospital Nurse Bribed via CashApp, Stolen Patient Identities):
Ruby Scott, a licensed nurse and owner of Delta Home Health Care LLC in Michigan, built her patient pipeline by corrupting a hospital discharge nurse, a relationship she had first cultivated at a prior employer and then carried with her when she launched Delta. The nurse used her hospital access to identify Medicare patients and fax their confidential records to Delta without their knowledge or consent. Scott transmitted over $130,000 in illegal kickbacks to the nurse through CashApp, PayPal, check, and cash. Scott then used those stolen patient profiles to bill Medicare for home health services, falsely certifying that physicians had evaluated and cleared the patients as homebound, when in fact no physician had ever seen them for that purpose. Scott went further, appropriating the identities of real doctors to fabricate the existence of physician certifications those doctors never performed. A witness testified that one patient for whom Delta collected thousands of dollars in payments had never received any services from the company at all. Delta failed to maintain records for over one-third of its billed patients, patients for whom Medicare paid more than $1.2 million. Total losses exceeded $1.6 million. Scott was convicted of five counts of health care fraud, conspiracy, and four counts of paying illegal kickbacks. (Eastern District of Michigan)
United States v. Brown-Arkah Trial Conviction (Substance Abuse Clinic as Narcotics Hub: Narcotics Diversion, Undercover Video, $52 Million):
Tony Brown-Arkah owned American Medical Centers, a Brooklyn clinic nominally offering substance abuse treatment that functioned in practice as a vehicle for drug diversion, kickbacks, and large-scale fraud against Medicare and Medicaid. The clinic lured patients by prescribing Suboxone, a Schedule III narcotic used to treat opioid use disorder that, as a trial witness testified, is commonly abused by prison inmates by boiling the medication and administering it as eye drops, then directed patients who did not want their prescriptions to a van parked on the clinic steps where they could sell them for cash. Prescriptions were signed by a nurse practitioner who lived in Florida and never saw or spoke with patients. Laboratory results showing the absence of Suboxone in patients’ systems, a significant clinical red flag for diversion, were ignored. Brown-Arkah billed Medicare and Medicaid for office visits where he, a non-clinician, was the only person who met with the patient, and for services that were never provided at all. He paid patients cash kickbacks to recruit additional patients and received thousands of dollars monthly from a laboratory in exchange for referring patients to unnecessary testing, concealing those payments through a shell company and sham contracts, and then lying to law enforcement about them. A confidential source captured Brown-Arkah on undercover video offering an illegal cash kickback, during which he described competitors who engage in the same conduct and observed, apparently without self-awareness: “that’s why they go to jail.” Total fraud losses exceeded $52 million across Medicare and Medicaid. (Eastern District of New York)
United States v. Popovych Trial Conviction (Physical Therapy Clinic Kickback Ring: Ambulette Drivers, Coded Texts, Falsified Records)
Olga Popovych managed a network of Brooklyn physical therapy clinics whose patient referral pipeline ran not through physician referrals but through cash payments to ambulette drivers, the operators who transported Medicare patients from their homes to therapy appointments. Popovych was personally involved in distributing the kickbacks and communicated about them with co-conspirators through coded text messages, having suspected law enforcement was watching the clinics. To conceal who was actually providing care, Popovych falsified medical records to indicate that licensed physical therapists had treated patients on days those therapists were not present at the clinic. Between 2018 and 2020, Medicare paid the clinics more than $8 million on the strength of those fabricated records. Evidence at trial also showed Popovych took steps to conceal the scheme when she suspected surveillance, communicating in code with co-conspirators about the payment of kickbacks. After a one-week trial, the jury convicted Popovych of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to make false statements, four counts of health care fraud, and three counts of making false statements relating to health care matters. (Eastern District of New York)
United States v. Marks Trial Conviction (Nurse Prescribed Nearly 1 Million Highly Addictive Opioid Pills to Tennessee Community)
Heather Marks was an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner who was licensed by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to distribute controlled substances. Marks prescribed controlled substances to patients seeking pain treatment at Lifeforce Pain and Wellness (Lifeforce), a pain clinic located in Carthage, Tennessee. Lifeforce was a small, rural clinic that purported to provide pain treatment. Marks and others overprescribed highly addictive opioids, including oxycodone and oxymorphone, to Lifeforce patients from September 2016 through May 2018. Marks herself prescribed nearly a million opioid pills to almost 1,000 Lifeforce patients over the course of the conspiracy. These patients were often addicted to illegal drugs and the opioids Marks and others prescribed to them at Lifeforce. Marks ignored obvious signs of Lifeforce patients taking illegal drugs at the time she prescribed them opioids, which put these patients in danger of overdosing. Marks further prescribed opioids to Lifeforce patients who she knew were likely selling the opioids on the street. Lifeforce patients would often travel hundreds of miles to obtain opioid prescriptions at Lifeforce because they knew Marks would prescribe the opioids they needed to either abuse or sell on the street. The jury convicted Marks of conspiracy to illegally distribute controlled substances and eight counts of illegally distributing controlled substances. (Middle District of Tennessee)
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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.
Since March 2007, the National Fraud Division’s Health Care Strike Force program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
NYPD, ATF, and SDNY Bring Relief to Sotomayor Houses Residents—Charge 10 Members and Associates of Violent Bronx Street GangRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), Jessica S. Tisch, and Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”), Bryan DiGirolamo, announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging 10 defendants with participating in a years-long racketeering conspiracy as members of the violent Bronxdale/YDS gang that included multiple attempted murders, assaults, armed robberies, and other crimes between 2020 and May 2026. Two defendants, EDWIN POZO, a/k/a “Swerv,” and SETH COLON, were arrested yesterday, and soon both will have been presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary Stein, COLON yesterday and POZO today. The eight remaining defendants, MODOU TOURAY, a/k/a “LDOT,” JEREMIAH MARTINEZ, a/k/a “JJ,” JERIMIAH MORGAN, a/k/a “Goon,” TYSHAWN MORRIS, a/k/a “YaYa,” DAMION ELLIOT, a/k/a “Upit,” DAVON BEST KELLY, a/k/a “Benz,” NYJAH WYNTER, a/k/a “Glizzy,” and RAEKWON KING, a/k/a “Buzzin,” are in custody in other jurisdictions and will be transferred to the Southern District of New York. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman.
“As alleged, the Bronxdale/YDS gang wreaked havoc on the residents of the Sotomayor Houses for years,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “With this indictment, the NYPD, ATF, and SDNY bring some measure of relief to the Sotomayor Houses residents, and the members and associates of the Bronxdale/YDS gang will face justice for their alleged crimes. New York public housing cannot be a haven for gang activity, and the women and men of our Office are fighting every day to rid New York public housing of gun-toting, drug-dealing, violent gangs.”
“For too long, these ten defendants, members of the Bronxdale/YDS gang, treated our communities as their own violent playground,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “They shot a victim in the chest, slashed a rival in the neck, conspired to commit armed robberies of drug dealers, and terrorized the residents at the Sotomayor Houses. Their criminality had no limits as they committed wire fraud and other illegal activities across New York City. Thanks to the hard work of our NYPD investigators, alongside our partners at the ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, we are ensuring violent criminals are held accountable and keeping New Yorkers safe.”
“Violent street gangs thrive on fear, intimidation, and the reckless use of firearms, but these charges send a clear message: those who endanger our communities will be identified, investigated, and held accountable,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bryan DiGirolamo. “The success of this year-long investigation is a testament to the exceptional collaboration between the ATF-NYPD Crime Gun Enforcement Team and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Together, we are leveraging intelligence, technology, and relentless investigative work to disrupt violent criminal networks and protect the people of New York. ATF remains steadfast in its mission to combat violent gun crime and support our law enforcement partners in pursuing justice.”
As alleged in the Indictment and statements made in public court proceedings:
From at least in or about 2020 through at least in or about May 2026, TOURAY, MARTINEZ, MORGAN, COLON, MORRIS, POZO, ELLIOT, KELLY, WYNTER, KING, and others known and unknown were members and associates of Bronxdale/YDS (short for “Youngest” or “Youngins” “Doin Shit”), a street gang and organization that operated principally in the Sotomayor Houses, a public housing development of the New York City Housing Authority (previously named the Bronxdale Houses) in the Bronx, New York. Members and associates of Bronxdale/YDS engaged in, among other activities, acts involving murder, assault, robbery, the distribution of controlled substances, and wire and bank fraud in and around the greater metropolitan area of New York City, including in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens, in New York counties north of New York City, and in parts of New Jersey. In addition to being charged with participation in the alleged racketeering conspiracy, several of the defendants are charged with additional offenses, including:
On or about May 24, 2021, MORRIS and POZO slashed a man believed to be a rival gang member with a knife, causing a large laceration on his neck.
On or about May 13, 2022, MORRIS struck a rival gang member in the head with a metal rod, causing a laceration to that rival gang member’s head.
On or about September 29, 2023, TOURAY and MORGAN used a firearm to shoot an individual, striking that individual in the chest.
From at least in or about 2020 through at least in or about 2024, TOURAY, MARTINEZ, MORGAN, ELLIOT, WYNTER, POZO, and MORRIS conspired to commit armed robberies of drug dealers in the Bronx and elsewhere.
On or about October 2, 2024, TOURAY and KELLY committed a gunpoint robbery of a rideshare driver in the Bronx.
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A chart containing the names, charges, and minimum and maximum penalties for the defendants is set forth below.
The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD and the ATF. Mr. Clayton also thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bergen County, New Jersey, Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent Organizations & Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon D. Harper and Jared D. Hoffman are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
ChargeDefendantsMinimum and Maximum PenaltiesCount One
Racketeering Conspiracy
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d)
MODOU TOURAY
TYSHAWN MORRIS
JEREMIAH MARTINEZ
JERIMIAH MORGAN
NYJAH WYNTER
DAMION ELLIOT
DAVON BEST KELLY
SETH COLON
EDWIN POZO
RAEKWON KING
Maximum: 20 years in prisonCount Two
Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering
18 U.S.C. §§ 1959(a)(3) and (a)(5), and 2
TYSHAWN MORRIS
EDWIN POZO
Maximum: 20 years in prisonCount Three
Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering
18 U.S.C. §§ 1959(a)(3) and 2
TYSHAWN MORRISMaximum: 20 years in prisonCount Four
Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering
18 U.S.C. §§ 1959(a)(3) and (a)(5), and 2
MODOU TOURAY
JERIMIAH MORGAN
Maximum: 20 years in prisonCount Five
Conspiracy to Commit Hobbs Act Robbery
MODOU TOURAY
JEREMIAH MARTINEZ
JERIMIAH MORGAN
DAMION ELLIOT
NYJAH WYNTER
EDWIN POZO
TYSHAWN MORRIS
Maximum: 20 years in prisonCount Six
Hobbs Act Robbery
18 U.S.C. § 1951 and 2
MODOU TOURAY
JERIMIAH MORGAN
Maximum: 20 years in prisonCount Seven
Firearms Offense
18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c)(1)(A)(i), (ii), and (iii), and 2
MODOU TOURAY
JERIMIAH MORGAN
Maximum: Life in prison
Minimum: 10 years in prison, which must be consecutive to any other term imposed
Count Eight
Hobbs Act Robbery
18 U.S.C. § 1951 and 2
MODOU TOURAY
DAVON BEST KELLY
Maximum: 20 years in prisonCount Nine
Firearms Offense
18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c)(1)(A)(i), and (ii), and 2
MODOU TOURAY
DAVON BEST KELLY
Maximum: Life in prison
Minimum: 10 years in prison, which must be consecutive to any other term imposed
Count Ten
Possession of Ammunition after Felony Conviction
18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)
JERIMIAH MORGANMaximum: 15 years in prison^
As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Mustang Man Charged with Distributing Synthetic Opioid Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – A federal indictment has been unsealed, charging SHANE MICHAEL BURGESS, 24, of Mustang, Oklahoma, with distributing a controlled substance analogue resulting in death, announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to the Indictment, on December 12, 2025, Burgess distributed a substance containing N-Propionitrile Chlorphine, a synthetic opioid known as cychlorphine, to another individual. The Indictment further alleges that the recipient died as a result of using the cychlorphine distributed by Burgess.
On June 2, 2026, a federal grand jury charged Burgess with distribution of a controlled substance analogue resulting in death.
If found guilty, Burgess faces a minimum of 20 years and up to life in federal prison, as well as a fine of up to $1,000,000.
The public is reminded that this charge is merely an allegation, and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Joynes is prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.