District of Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Dillingham man and former employee of Curyung Tribal Council, a federally recognized Tribe, was sentenced on April 17, 2026, to two years and a day in prison for stealing his co-workers’ identities and embezzling over $98,000 from the Tribe.

According to court documents, William Corbett, 37, was hired by Curyung Tribal Council in February 2023 as an accountant and IT specialist. From October 2023 through February 2024, Corbett wrote multiple unauthorized checks from the Tribe’s accounts to his accounts, falsified payroll documents of his co-workers and deposited their paychecks into his accounts, and made unauthorized personal purchases that he charged to the Tribe.

On June 10, 2025, Corbett pled guilty to one count of embezzlement and theft from an Indian tribal organization, two counts of wire fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. The court sentenced Corbett to a total of two years and a day in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay a $10,000 fine. On September 28, 2026, the court also ordered Corbett to pay $125,834.58 in restitution to the Tribe.

“The sentence and restitution order imposed in this case demonstrates the consequences of choosing to steal from Alaska’s Tribal organizations,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “My office is committed to prosecuting those who seek personal profit at the expense of our rural communities.”

The U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Inspector General Western Region investigated the case, with assistance from the Dillingham Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Beausang prosecuted the case.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Greenwood, South Carolina man was sentenced on September 23, 2026, to two years in prison for interfering with a Delta Airlines flight crew in December 2025.

According to court documents, Michael Shane Orndoff, Jr., 52, boarded Delta Airlines flight 27 from Atlanta, Georgia, enroute to Seoul, South Korea, when it had to be diverted to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport because of Orndoff’s intoxication and violent behavior. 

Approximately one hour after take-off, Orndoff had already consumed four to six large glasses of wine, becoming intoxicated and belligerent toward the flight crew and other passengers. Orndoff began to lean and breathe onto an adjacent female passenger. Around this time, the flight crew refused alcohol service to Orndoff. Orndoff then tried to have other passengers, including a minor, buy alcohol for him, and eventually he stole a bottle of wine from a service cart and locked himself in a bathroom. A short time later, he left the bathroom carrying the empty wine bottle, returned to his seat, and continued to harass nearby passengers. The pilots locked themselves in the cockpit and diverted the flight to Anchorage for safety. The female passenger approached a flight crew member at the front of the plane and asked for a different seat. Orndoff chased her to the front of the plane, pounded on the cockpit door, and demanded more alcohol. It took several passengers and flight crew members to subdue Orndoff with zip-ties.

Airport police boarded the plane when it landed and escorted Orndoff off the plane. Hours after Orndoff stole the bottle of wine, his blood alcohol concentration was .192.

“Regrettably, events such as this have become all too common,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Air travel is an essential mode of transportation, especially for Alaskans, and we remain committed to ensuring that every passenger can fly without fear of belligerent and dangerous behavior.” 

“While onboard a commercial aircraft, Mr. Orndoff’s violent and disruptive behavior jeopardized the safety of the flight crew and his fellow passengers,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Interfering with a flight crew is a federal crime that can have catastrophic consequences. The FBI will continue to investigate crimes aboard aircraft, pursue justice for victims, and help ensure the safety and security of all travelers.” 

The FBI Anchorage Field Office and the Anchorage Airport Police and Fire Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy Mackenzie prosecuted the case.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The United States has secured more than $1.3 million in civil damages and penalties following a judgment in a False Claims Act case involving a bribery scheme that targeted U.S. Department of War construction contracts at Eielson Air Force Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER).

According to court documents, Brian Lowell Nash II, a former Air Force Contracting Officer, agreed to accept more than $400,000 in bribe payments in 2019 from a government contractor, Ryan Dalbec, who, along with his wife, Raihana Nadem, owned a construction company called Best Choice Construction, LLC. In return, Nash provided Dalbec and Nadem with confidential bidding information on over $8,250,000 in U.S. Department of War contracts at Eielson AFB and JBER, helping the company secure multiple awards, including work tied to the F‑35 program at Eielson AFB and other projects at JBER.

All three individuals were previously convicted in federal court—Nash was sentenced to serve 30 months imprisonment, Dalbec was sentenced to serve 42 months imprisonment. 

Now, in a separate civil action, the United States has been awarded over $1.3 million in civil damages and penalties under the False Claims Act. The False Claims Act (FCA) creates a civil cause of action for the recovery of damages and penalties from those who submit false or fraudulent claims to the United States. The U.S. affirmatively sought and was granted treble damages, as well as penalties against Nash, Dalbec, Nadem, and Best Choice Construction. 

“We will hold accountable any defense contractor who attempts to undermine fair competition and defraud the American taxpayer through bribery and corrupt practices,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman for the District of Alaska. “To protect the integrity of our procurement system, we will marshal every enforcement tool available — from criminal prosecution to civil remedies under the False Claims Act — to ensure that corruption is exposed, taxpayers are safeguarded, and justice is fully served.”

“The Defense Criminal Investigative Service remains steadfast in our commitment to protecting the integrity of the Department of Defense’s procurement process. This settlement sends a clear message: those who engage in bribery and kickback schemes will be held fully accountable for their actions,” said John Helsing,  Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Western Field Office. “Efforts to corrupt or manipulate federal contracting—no matter how carefully concealed—undermine the public trust placed in our institutions and the missions they support. Today’s outcome reflects the determination of DCIS and our partners at the Department of Justice to uncover wrongdoing, enforce consequences, and safeguard taxpayer resources.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) conducted the investigation leading to the criminal indictments. The civil case was investigated by Defense Criminal Investigative Services and handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney and Civil Chief, Jackie Traini.

Whistleblowers who voluntarily report original information about fraud against the government may be eligible to receive a whistleblower reward. Whistleblower awards can range from 15 to 30 percent of the money collected. Those with information regarding fraud committed on government programs are encouraged to visit https://www.justice.gov/atr/whistleblower-rewards. 

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A former Ketchikan church elder pleaded guilty earlier this week to possessing child pornography of a child under the age of 12. 

According to court documents, in May 2024, relatives of Dwight John, 74, contacted the Ketchikan Police Department after they found a USB drive that contained what they thought was child sexual abuse material (CSAM). At the time of discovery, John was serving a sentence in Alaska state prison for sexually abusing a minor. 

A law enforcement officer reviewed the photos on the USB drive and found numerous sexually explicit images of a 10-year old girl known to John through an institution located in Mexico. Law enforcement officers later searched John’s cell phones and laptop computer, where they discovered dozens of sexually explicit photos of the minor victim and over 1,000 images of CSAM depicting prepubescent minors, including infants and toddlers. 

John admitted to producing sexually explicit photographs of the minor victim during his trips to Mexico in 2018 and 2019. 

John was charged through Operation Relentless Justice in late 2025, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 16, 2026, and faces between 10 to 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

“Dwight Chris John repeatedly exploited a vulnerable child in Mexico and engaged in the exploitation of children online in Alaska,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. “Yesterday’s guilty plea is an important step toward justice for these children. We will hold U.S. citizens accountable wherever they exploit children.” 

“Mr. John’s behavior was reprehensible, and his crimes were committed against some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman. “My office remains steadfastly committed to protecting children and will aggressively pursue those engaging in such repulsive conduct.” 

“Demonstrated by his reprehensible pattern of conduct involving online child exploitation, Mr. John posed a significant threat to children in Alaska and abroad,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Protecting children is one of the FBI’s highest priorities. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to pursue and hold accountable anyone who exploits our most vulnerable.”

The FBI Anchorage Field Office, Juneau Resident Agency investigated the case, with assistance from the Ketchikan Police Department, as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Schmidt and Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) are 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.

###

Dwight Chris John, 74, a former church elder in Ketchikan, Alaska, pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) depicting a minor under the age of 12. 

“Dwight Chris John repeatedly exploited a vulnerable child in Mexico and engaged in the exploitation of children online in Alaska,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. “Yesterday’s guilty plea is an important step toward justice for these children. We will hold U.S. citizens accountable wherever they exploit children.”

“Demonstrated by his reprehensible pattern of conduct involving online child exploitation, Mr. John posed a significant threat to children in Alaska and abroad,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Protecting children is one of the FBI’s highest priorities. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to pursue and hold accountable anyone who exploits our most vulnerable.” 

According to court documents, in May 2024, John’s relatives contacted the Ketchikan Police Department after they found a USB drive containing what they thought was CSAM. At the time of discovery, John was serving a sentence in an Alaska state prison for sexually abusing a minor. 

A law enforcement officer reviewed the photos on the USB drive and found numerous sexually explicit images of a young girl known to John through an institution located in Mexico. Law enforcement officers searched John’s cell phones and laptop computer, where they discovered dozens of sexually explicit photos of the minor victim and over 1,000 images of CSAM depicting prepubescent minors, including infants and toddlers. 

John admitted to producing sexually explicit photographs of the minor victim during his trips to Mexico in 2018 and 2019. 

John was charged through Operation Relentless Justice in late 2025, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 16 and faces a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Anchorage Field Office, Juneau Resident Agency investigated the case, with assistance from the Ketchikan Police Department, as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. 

Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Schmidt for the District of Alaska are 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.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Justice Department today announced the court-authorized seizure of internet domains associated with one of the world’s longest running Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) for-hire services known as “NightmareStresser.” 

Federal law enforcement has seized websites maintained by criminal service providers that allow paying customers to launch powerful DDoS attacks targeting victims in the District of Alaska and worldwide as part of coordinated actions to disrupt so called “Booter” or “Stresser” operators.

Booter services such as those named in this action allegedly facilitate attacks on a wide array of victims in the United States and abroad, including educational institutions, government agencies, gaming platforms and millions of people. In addition to affecting targeted victims, these attacks can significantly degrade internet services and can completely disrupt internet connections. 

According to the seizure warrant affidavit, the NightmareStresser Booter service targeted in this operation was used to launch hundreds of thousands of actual or attempted DDoS attacks targeting victims worldwide since 2022. 

This operation, in coordination with other international law enforcement actions, is intended to disrupt the infrastructure used by the NightmareStresser service to facilitate attacks on victims in the District of Alaska and across the United States. 

In recent years, booter services have continued to proliferate as they offer a low barrier to entry for users looking to engage in cybercriminal activity. These types of DDoS attacks are so named because they result in the “booting” or dropping of the targeted computer from the internet. For additional information on booter and stresser services and the harm that they cause, please visit: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/anchorage/fbi-intensify-efforts-to-combat-illegal-ddos-attacks. 

The seizures announced today were performed by the FBI Anchorage Field Office in coordination with The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Federal Policing Northwest Region.

These law enforcement actions were taken in conjunction with Operation PowerOFF, an ongoing, coordinated effort among international law enforcement agencies aimed at dismantling criminal DDoS-for-hire infrastructures worldwide, and holding accountable the administrators and users of these illegal services.

In previous law enforcement actions involving prosecutors and investigators in Anchorage and Los Angeles over the last eight years, the Justice Department charged twelve defendants who facilitated DDoS-for hire services and seized more than 100 internet domains associated with DDoS-for-hire services. The multi-prong investigation announced today builds on the success of the prior cases by targeting all known booter sites, shutting down as many as possible, and undertaking a public education campaign.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Alaska Adam Alexander and Ainsley McNerney are prosecuting this matter.

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, together with major federal law enforcement and interagency partners, announced actions taken by the Department of Justice’s Scam Center Strike Force to secure America against Southeast Asian cryptocurrency-related fraud and scams. The Strike Force and the Department of the Treasury took coordinated actions against Xinbi Guarantee (“Xinbi”), an illicit marketplace for scam services, and the Strike Force deployed to Madagascar to assist in the taking down of 13 Chinese-run scam compounds. Approximately $52 million of cryptocurrency involved in scam money laundering was restrained in one day, bringing the total restrained by the Scam Center Strike Force to approximately $938 million.

Joining in the announcement were U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska Michael J. Heyman, FBI Criminal Division Deputy Assistant Director Matthew Floyd, Special Agent in Charge Tara McLeese of the United States Secret Service Washington Field Office, and Lisa Palluconi, Deputy Director of the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. 

“If Chinese organized crime can buy a custom website and a money laundering service the way you order takeout, then every American with a retirement account is in the blast radius,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “My Strike Force will continue to dismantle Chinese organized crime, those who facilitate it, and protect Main Street America.” 

As alleged in a seizure warrant unsealed today, Xinbi is a Chinese-language illicit marketplace, run on Telegram, where vendors market their services to scam center operators. The Telegram channel operated primarily in Chinese, and the vendors post their available services on the Telegram channel, to include creating custom scam investment websites, laundering or “washing” money that scammers obtain from victims of wire fraud, and soliciting trafficking victims to work in scam compounds in Southeast Asia. Once a scammer “purchases” a service from the vendor, Xinbi as an organization holds money to be paid to the vendor until the vendors services are complete, to assure the scammers that the vendors will perform the services.  The seizure warrant alleged numerous instances where U.S. victims funds were traced to specific vendors who advertised their money laundering services on the Telegram channel, and posted cryptocurrency wallets for payment on Telegram. On September 7, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia authorized seizure of the Telegram channels hosting this marketplace. 

         A vendor advertisement on the Telegram channel for “cleaning” cryptocurrency for Chinese RMB.

         A vendor advertisement on Telegram for recruiting scammer (“Level 1”) agents.

Additionally, also pursuant to the same warrant, the Scam Center Strike Force seized two cryptocurrency wallets that Xinbi used to collect payments for vendors, which collectively held approximately $12 million in funds. Law enforcement also sought restraint of 47 additional cryptocurrency wallets that were believed to be associated with money laundering on Xinbi’s network and with vendors who had worked for scammers. Due to all these coordinated efforts, more than $52 million worth of cryptocurrency was restrained from Xinbi and its network of vendors that facilitate the organized crime groups running scam centers around the globe. The Strike Force thanks Tether for its proactive assistance in this investigation.

Today, in further coordinated action, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Xinbi as a significant transnational criminal organization and identified numerous cryptocurrency wallets associated with Xinbi.  OFAC also designated two other entities for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Xinbi.  As a result of today’s action by OFAC, all property and interests in property of these three sanctioned entities that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. For more information, please see the Department of Treasury’s press release at this link. 

“After scamming money from hardworking Americans, criminals operating overseas laundered it through the Xinbi Guarantee network, which operated under the false assumption that they were out of the reach of U.S. law enforcement, said Tara McLeese, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office. “The efforts of our agents and investigative analysts to trace stolen funds and unveil the scope of this criminal network shows that while the methods of fraud may change, our resolve does not.” 

“Global crime faces global justice, and the FBI will stop at nothing to protect the finances that hardworking Americans build over their lifetimes,” said FBI Chicago Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan Whalen. “Today’s seizure demonstrates law enforcement and prosecutors’ commitment to identifying, disrupting, and dismantling scam centers, no matter where they are in the world. The FBI is committed to working with domestic and international partners around the globe to stop scammers before they attack and hold these criminals accountable.”

“Scam centers are not just criminal enterprises—they are engines of exploitation that devastate victims, families, and communities," said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. " These schemes target our elderly and most vulnerable, draining their finances, eroding their trust, and in many cases leaving lasting emotional harm. The FBI is committed to dismantling these networks, holding offenders accountable, and restoring a sense of security to the communities they prey upon.”

Also today, U.S. Attorney Pirro announced that the Scam Center Strike Force will expand its scope to attack scam center compounds globally. In furtherance of that expanded focus, U.S. Attorney Pirro, together with U.S. Attorney Heyman and FBI Criminal Division Deputy Assistant Director Matthew Floyd, announced that the Strike Force had deployed a team to Madagascar to assist local law enforcement in cracking down on scam centers in that country. The Strike Force team, which was in country for two weeks, supported the local authorities related to the take down of 13 scam centers that were being operated by Chinese organized crime syndicates. The Strike Force team assisted in the processing of more than 3,200 electronic devices. The Strike Force team has also opened their own investigations on the basis of interviews conducted of the nearly 400 arrestees, at least approximately 30 of whom where Chinese leaders of the scam compounds, who were repatriated to China by the Chinese government. 

"Transnational criminal organizations don’t care about borders, and the Department of Justice won’t either,” said Michael J. Heyman, U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska.  We are proud to be part of the Scam Center Strike Force and will work to eliminate these international scam networks and bring justice to U.S. fraud victims across the country."

      Boxes of phones from Chinese run compounds in Madagascar, reviewed by the Strike Force 

      Room of scam center evidence seized by the Madagascar authorities, which the Strike Force team assisted in processing.

      **********************************************

About the Scam Center Strike Force

The Scam Center Strike Force was officially launched by U.S. Attorney Pirro in November 2025 to address the growing threat posed by Chinese organized crime syndicates operating scam centers primarily in Southeast Asia. The Strike Force targets cryptocurrency investment fraud, cyber-enabled fraud, human trafficking, and money laundering operations that have cost American victims billions of dollars. 

According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), cyber-enabled fraud schemes were responsible for almost 85% of all losses reported to IC3 in 2025. Within that category, CIF schemes have continued to grow, and the IC3 calculated the reported losses from CIF scams rose, from $4.57 billion in 2023, to $8.65 billion in 2025, an increase of 89%.[1] These figures, largely based on losses reported by victims, likely significantly under-represent the true loss amounts incurred by Americans, since most fraud victims do not report to IC3, if at all.

On March 6, 2026, President Trump signed an Executive Order directing the Administration to prioritize cybercrime, fraud, and predatory schemes draining American families of their life savings. Through the Executive Order, President Trump is unleashing every available tool to stop foreign-backed criminal networks that exploit vulnerable Americans through cyber-enabled fraud. The Scam Center Strike Force is a critical node in executing the mission outlined in the President’s Order. 

Founded by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, the Strike Force has been joined it its work by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, Justice Department’s Criminal Division, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations-DC, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Alaska, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Western Washington. The Strike Force works in collaboration with other federal agencies, including the Treasury and State Departments. The Strike Force works in strategic partnership with private industry and calls on all U.S. businesses to take more proactive steps to protect users from scam operations. 

The Scam Center Strike Force will use every tool available to help secure Main Street Americans from these scams. With its interagency and public partners, it will educate Americans on how to identify these scams, prevent generational wealth from flowing from America into the pockets of Chinese organized crime, and work with unwavering focus to return stolen funds to victims. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Karen P. Seifert for the District of Columbia directs the Strike Force. Today’s seizures were handled by AUSA Seifert and AUSA Rick Blaylock, Jr., of the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office as well as AUSA Mac Caille Peturrson, of the U.S. Attonrey’s Office for the District of Alaska, along with the FBI’s Chicago Field Office and U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office, with substantial assistance from Paralegals Peter Bleicken and Jessica In, both of the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Madagascar investigations are being handled by AUSA Peturrson, with AUSAs Seifert and Blaylock, along with FBI’s Honolulu Field Office. The FBI thanks authorities in Madagascar for their assistance. 

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A Fairbanks man was sentenced yesterday to 30 years in prison for carrying a machinegun during a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, in early 2025, the Fairbanks Police Department conducted eTraces on firearms recovered at multiple crime scenes. Several firearms were linked to Mason Lanon, 23. 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) ran a query in the ATF National Tracing Center (NTC) for Lanon. They determined that between September 2024 and March 2025, Lanon purchased 20 firearms from licensed firearms dealers. Five of the firearms purchased by Lanon were recovered and linked to crimes in the local area. 

ATF contacted FFLs in the Fairbanks area for records of Lanon’s firearm purchases. Between the NTC and FFL records, Lanon was associated with over 70 firearms in a one-year period. 

As part of the investigation, on May 26, 2025, law enforcement conducted a controlled purchase for one firearm from Lanon. On Aug. 7, 2025, law enforcement conducted another controlled purchase of one firearm with a suspected machinegun conversion device (MCD) installed and over 14 grams of cocaine from Lanon. During this purchase, Lanon was in possession of a second firearm with an MCD installed. 

Investigators concluded that Lanon is the leader of a local gang known as the Soul Reaper Gang and built a reputation as the “go to guy” for gangs in Fairbanks to obtain firearms and some drugs. 

On Nov. 20, 2025, Lanon was indicted by a federal grand jury with one count of unlicensed dealing in firearms, one count of distribution of a controlled substance and one count of carrying a machinegun during a drug trafficking crime. On June 2, Lanon pleaded guilty to one count of carrying a machine gun in relation to a drug trafficking crime. 

“Mr. Lanon’s illegal firearm and drug dealing directly fueled violence and crimes throughout the Fairbanks community, including within his gang affiliations,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “This sentence should serve as a reminder that the act of carrying a machinegun during a drug trafficking crime will result in decades behind bars. I commend our law enforcement partners for uncovering the extent of Mr. Lanon’s trafficking and ceasing his ability to continue his reign of chaos.” 

“I cannot overstate the dangerousness of machinegun conversion devices (MCDs), especially in the hands of violent criminals,” said ATF Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais. “The illegal trafficking of these devices, particularly alongside firearms and narcotics, represents a direct and serious threat to our communities. Offenders like Mr. Lanon should take note: ATF will leverage every investigative tool and partnership available to take these illegal devices off the streets to prevent them from being used to fuel violent crime.”

“Mr. Lanon’s actions put firearms directly into the hands of individuals committing violent crimes in Fairbanks,” said Fairbanks Police Department Chief of Police Ron Dupee. “FPD's firearm tracing and investigative assistance played a key role in stopping that pipeline. We will not tolerate gun traffickers operating in our city threatening our way of life.” 

The ATF Anchorage Field Office, Alaska State Troopers and Fairbanks Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the DEA Anchorage Field Office. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Vosacek prosecuted the case.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Two Anchorage men were sentenced over the past two months to decades in prison for their roles in a local drug trafficking conspiracy.

According to court documents, from March 2024 to March 2025, Aaron Washington, 60, led a drug trafficking organization involving James Barber, 44, and multiple other people who conspired to import drugs, mainly fentanyl, from the Lower 48 and distribute the drugs in Alaska.

Washington used co-conspirator drug suppliers located in Arizona and Washington state. Washington arranged for the drugs to be transported back to Alaska either in his checked baggage, in his co-defendants' checked baggage or via mail shipment. Phone data revealed that Washington communicated with co-conspirators at length to arrange for the pick-up, purchase, shipment and distribution of drugs. Barber, who worked as a paralegal, used his professional skills to provide legal advice to Washington on facilitating the drug trafficking organization.

Evidence presented during Barber’s trial showed that between November 2024 and March 2025, Barber regularly went to the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to pick up luggage containing one to two kilograms of fentanyl on behalf of the drug trafficking conspiracy.

On one occasion, Washington flew from Anchorage to Phoenix on Nov. 14, 2024, to purchase fentanyl from a codefendant. Washington flew back to Anchorage on Nov. 18. Surveillance video showed Washington bypassing the luggage carousel and heading for the taxi line, while Barber picked up a checked suitcase and left separately.

On another occasion later that month, Washington again flew to Phoenix and returned with two kilograms of fentanyl purchased from a co-conspirator. Law enforcement seized the fentanyl pursuant to a search warrant at the airport. Texts between Washington and Barber indicated that Barber was planning to pick up the luggage at the airport but failed to do so. Washington took the empty bag and took a taxi home.

Law enforcement recorded at least seven other trips with similar circumstances to both November incidents and connected roughly 20 kilograms of fentanyl, 70 grams of heroin, 165 grams of methamphetamine and 10 grams of cocaine to the drug trafficking conspiracy. 

Barber was convicted by a federal jury in April 2026 and sentenced today to 27 years in prison and will spend 20 years on supervised release upon completion of his prison sentence. Washington pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances in February 2026 and was sentenced on July 15, 2026, to 25 years in prison and will serve 10 years on supervised release upon the completion of his prison sentence. 

“Mr. Washington and Mr. Barber acted with arrogance, gambling with Alaskans’ lives—and in Barber’s case, using his paralegal experience to circumvent the law and expand a drug trafficking network in our state,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “It is this kind of disregard for the law and for human life that fuels substance abuse nationwide. My office is committed to disrupting that pipeline here in Alaska. This isn’t just a warning; it is a promise that we will work relentlessly to find anyone pumping poison into our communities and hold them accountable.”

“These sentences follow a thorough investigation that led to multiple arrests, significant drug seizures, and the complete dismantlement of a multi-state drug trafficking organization operated and advanced by Mr. Washington and Mr. Barber,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively target violent offenders and dismantle drug trafficking organizations that fuel violence and addiction in our communities, while holding drug traffickers accountable for their crimes.”

All other co-defendants in this case have pleaded guilty and have either received their sentence or are awaiting sentencing. 

The FBI Anchorage Field Office investigated this case, with assistance from the Alaska State Troopers and Anchorage Police Department as part of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, and from the Mat-Su High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) team. Additional assistance was provided by the Airport HIDTA team and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tom Bradley, Mac Caille Petursson and Alana Weber prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region One comprises agents and officers from  Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations – Seattle; the United States Attorney’s Office(s) for the Districts of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Eastern Washington, and Western Washington; the Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); CBP – Office of Field Operations; CBP – Air & Marine Operations; U.S. Border Patrol; U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Investigative Service; and Transportation Security Administration, Law Enforcement/Federal Air Marshal Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - An Anchorage businesswoman was sentenced today to 3.8 years in prison for lying on federal loan applications and stealing identities to fraudulently obtain nearly $1 million in COVID-19 relief funds.

According to court documents, Cheryl Labrie, 39, was the owner of AKBS LLC, doing business as Liberty Tax Service and Alaska’s Bookkeeping Solutions, providing bookkeeping and tax preparation services in Alaska, including for several marijuana businesses. Over the course of more than a year, Labrie applied for and obtained multiple emergency relief loans and advances, totaling nearly $1 million.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Small Business Administration (SBA) provided funds to qualifying small businesses to offset the impacts of the pandemic. The two SBA programs relevant to this case are the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The funding for these programs was limited and when it ran out there were thousands of applications from small businesses pending that were never funded.

Between April 2020 and November 2021, Labrie falsified applications and submitted fraudulent IRS documents seeking four loans and two forgiveness applications from the EIDL and PPP programs. She obtained over $970,000 in federal tax-payer dollars through these applications. Labrie falsely certified on her applications that she had never been convicted or pleaded guilty to a crime and had never been placed on pretrial diversion or probation. Labrie had two prior convictions and was on probation when she filed the applications. 

She also falsely stated that the funds would be used for business expenses, like payroll relief for AKBS LLC. Instead, Labrie used the fraudulently obtained federal funds for her personal use including purchasing a parcel of land on the hillside and making a downpayment for a personal residence.  Labrie also used the relief funds to pay off her prior criminal restitution and other unauthorized debts. To disguise her misuse of federal funds, Labrie co-mingled the funds with cash from her marijuana clients, structured transactions through multiple accounts, and utilized money orders and cashier checks before spending the funds for personal purposes. 

Labrie also used the personal identifying information of seven marijuana business employees, without their permission, to falsely claim them as employees of AKBS LLC to obtain funds her business was not eligible to receive. 

On Jan. 18, 2024, Labrie was indicted by a federal grand jury on 12 criminal counts. On March 20, 2025, and Feb. 18, 2026, a federal grand jury in Alaska returned superseding indictments against LaBrie, ultimately charging her with seven counts of aggravated identity theft, six counts of wire fraud, and two counts of money laundering. On April 13, 2026, Labrie pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. 

During sentencing, in addition to incarceration, the Court also ordered Labrie to serve three years on supervised release upon completion of her prison sentence. The total loss amount in this case was more than $970,000, and the Court ordered Labrie to pay the total loss amount in full through restitution. 

“Ms. Labrie orchestrated an elaborate web of deceit to steal nearly $1 million from the American taxpayers, funds that could have benefited struggling businesses during a national emergency,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Tackling fraud against the American purse is a priority for my office and this administration. We must protect the systems set in place to assist law abiding U.S. citizens in times of need.”

“Lying to gain access to SBA’s pandemic response programs will be met with justice,” said SBA OIG’s Acting Special Agent in Charge, Tim Larson. “OIG will aggressively pursue evidence of fraud against SBA’s programs aimed at assisting the nation’s small businesses struggling with the pandemic challenges. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and pursuit of justice.”

The investigation was led by the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, with significant assistance from the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, FBI Anchorage Field Office and IRS Criminal Investigation Anchorage Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Steward and Mac Caille Petursson prosecuted the case.

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.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment last month charging a Wasilla man with making threats in interstate commerce and stalking.

According to court documents, between Sept. 18 and 23, 2025, James Lawhorn, 54, allegedly sent communications on Facebook to multiple accounts, on a city website, and by telephone that contained threats to injure and murder the mayor of a city in Michigan. Some messages included: 

• “We must get this scum out of our country now. Put a bullet in this mf’s head now.”
• “This mayor needs to be killed now…. Hang him and all his family now.  He is not safe on the streets anymore.”
• “All Muslims must now die in America because of this fucking fag. No sleep until he is in the dirt along with all his scum family and friends and Muslims.”

In total, Lawhorn sent more than 20 threatening messages. The messages contained violent rhetoric and threats of assassination, including via hanging and firing squad.

Lawhorn is charged with seven counts of making threats in interstate commerce and one count of stalking. The defendant made his initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew M. Scoble of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Anchorage Field Office is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Steward is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A California woman was arrested last week in Santa Barbara, California, after a federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging her with distributing methamphetamine that resulted in the fatal overdose of an Unalaska fishing industry worker.

According to court documents, between Jan. 21 and Feb. 2, 2025, Darlene Moreno, 44, of Port Hueneme, California, distributed methamphetamine to a 48-year-old victim in Unalaska. On Feb. 2, the victim allegedly used the methamphetamine and fatally overdosed.  Law enforcement recovered a baggie of crystal-like substance from the victim and sent the substance for testing. Lab results confirmed the substance was 98% pure methamphetamine. The State of Alaska medical examiner ruled the victim’s cause of death as methamphetamine intoxication.

Court documents allege that investigators found social media conversations between the victim and Moreno discussing the purchase of methamphetamine. Moreno allegedly shipped a package containing methamphetamine from California to Unalaska on Jan. 21, 2025. The victim picked up the package on Jan. 31, two days before they fatally overdosed. 

Moreno is charged with one count of distribution of methamphetamine resulting in death and one count of use of a communication facility in committing, causing and facilitating the commission of a drug trafficking felony. The defendant is scheduled to make her initial court appearance today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. If convicted, she faces between 20 years to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman of the District of Alaska, Special Agent in Charge Paul Schultz of the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) Northwest Field Office and Chief Kim Hankins of the Unalaska Police Department made the announcement.

The CGIS Northwest Field Office and Unalaska Police Department are investigating the case, with assistance from the FBI Anchorage Field Office and U.S. Postal Inspection Service Anchorage Domicile. The FBI Los Angeles Field Office, Oxnard Police Department in California, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department in California and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department in California assisted with operational support.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy Mackenzie is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region One comprises agents and officers from  Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations – Seattle; the United States Attorney’s Office(s) for the Districts of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Eastern Washington, and Western Washington; the Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); CBP – Office of Field Operations; CBP – Air & Marine Operations; U.S. Border Patrol; U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Investigative Service; and Transportation Security Administration, Law Enforcement/Federal Air Marshal Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Fairbanks woman was sentenced today to 21 years in prison for her role in distributing fentanyl that resulted in the overdose death of a local man in 2022.

According to court documents, from May to July 2022, Samantha Pearson, 39, and Edward Ginnis, 40, of Fairbanks, conspired together and with others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute drugs in the Fairbanks area. Specifically, Ginnis distributed drugs to Pearson, who then sold the substances to others. Ginnis and Pearson’s actions were a small part of a larger drug trafficking enterprise allegedly being directed by an inmate in a California prison.

On or about June 11, 2022, Ginnis received a shipment of drugs through the mail that contained fentanyl. Later that day, Ginnis sent text messages to several distributors asking if they had potential purchasers. Pearson offered to help sell drugs. On June 25, Adam Sakkinen, 32, an individual who struggled with heroin usage, messaged Pearson asking to purchase drugs. Around noon, Pearson agreed to sell drugs to Sakkinen. Sakkinen sent Pearson $50.00 before messaging that he was on his way. At 12:34 p.m., Sakkinen called Pearson. 

Later, at 12:58 p.m. that same day, local fire and emergency medical services responded to a single car accident on the side of a road in Badger, Alaska. First responders found Sakkinen unconscious behind the wheel of a car with drug paraphernalia in his hands and near him. Law enforcement officials tested the paraphernalia, and it tested positive for fentanyl.

First responders administered six doses of Narcan to Sakkinen and he regained a pulse. Sakkinen was transported to two hospitals and was put on life support at a hospital in Anchorage. Sakkinen spent 11 days in the intensive care unit before he passed away. A sample of Sakkinen’s blood was sent for testing and lab results found that he had 20 nanograms per milliliter of fentanyl in his bloodstream at the time of his death. Reports show that the average lethal level of fentanyl in the bloodstream is eight nanograms per milliliter.

On Jan. 18, 2025, Pearson and Ginnis were indicted on federal drug trafficking charges. Pearson and Ginnis both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in death on April 20, 2026, and April 3, 2025, respectively. On July 8, 2025, Ginnis was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

In handing down Pearson’s sentence, the Court recognized the devastating impact fentanyl has had in Alaskan communities, stating that “this was more of a poisoning than an overdose.” The Court also emphasized the need for general deterrence by stating that the public should know that if someone sells an illegal substance and another person dies, the sentence imposed will be harsh.

“This sentence is the conclusion of a multi-year investigation and prosecution to hold Ms. Pearson and Mr. Ginnis accountable for their greed-motivated decision to distribute the drugs that took an innocent life,” said U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon. “I commend the phenomenal investigatory and prosecutorial efforts put forth by the Assistant U.S. Attorneys and law enforcement in Alaska throughout this case. It takes all of us to dismantle the drug pipeline targeting our country.”

“Fentanyl traffickers who choose profit over human life will be held accountable,” said Robert A. Saccone, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration Seattle Field Division. “The defendant’s role in distributing the fentanyl that killed a member of the Fairbanks community underscores the deadly consequences of this poison. Through Fentanyl Free America, DEA is relentlessly disrupting the criminal networks driving this crisis, reducing the availability of fentanyl, and protecting American lives. DEA and our law enforcement partners will not stop until those responsible are brought to justice.”

“Those who traffic fentanyl in Alaska endanger entire communities and destroy families,” said Colonel Maurice Hughes, Director of the Alaska State Troopers. “This sentence reinforces a simple point: drug traffickers will be held accountable for the destruction that they cause. The Alaska State Troopers, alongside our local, state, and federal partners, will continue to relentlessly pursue these criminals, disrupt their operations, and protect Alaskans from the deadly impact of these illicit substances.” 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska has been recused from this case with the exception of certain personnel. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven D. Clymer from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York has been appointed as Special Attorney to the United States Attorney General to assist with this and other recused cases.  He reports to and acts under the direction of the Deputy Attorney General, or his delegee, or U.S. Attorney Bradford in these cases. Special Attorney Clymer supervises personnel from the District of Alaska who have been exempted from the recusal.

The DEA Seattle Field Division and Anchorage District Office, Alaska State Troopers, North Slope Borough Police Department, North Pole Police Department and Fairbanks Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephan Collins, Chris Schroeder and Alana Weber are prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region One comprises agents and officers from  Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations – Seattle; the United States Attorney’s Office(s) for the Districts of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Eastern Washington, and Western Washington; the Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); CBP – Office of Field Operations; CBP – Air & Marine Operations; U.S. Border Patrol; U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Investigative Service; and Transportation Security Administration, Law Enforcement/Federal Air Marshal Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - An Anchorage man was sentenced Tuesday to over six and a half years in prison for possessing a firearm as a felon while he committed a crime of domestic violence. 

According to court documents, in November 2024, Detallion Owens, 29, violently assaulted a domestic partner while a child was present. Court documents explain that Owens was intoxicated and started an argument with the victim. As the argument progressed, Owens pulled out a gun, pulled the slide back to rack a bullet and pointed it at the victim’s head while she was holding a newborn child. Owens continued the argument and then stole the victim’s phone and keys before fleeing in her car. 

Law enforcement officers later found Owens as the sole occupant of the victim’s car and attempted to barricade the car to prevent him from fleeing. Owens attempted to flee by ramming the stolen car forward and backward into the police cars, but he was unsuccessful. Owens then attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended by officers. Law enforcement officers found Owens’ loaded handgun in plain view on the driver’s seat and later discovered it was stolen. Officers also recovered the victim’s phone and a loaded magazine that fell from Owens’ person during the struggle with police. 

At the time of this incident, Owens had a felony conviction for robbery in the first degree, prohibiting him from possessing firearms. He was also actively on state probation for armed robbery and assault convictions at the time of this offense. 

On Jan. 21, 2025, Owens was indicted by a federal grand jury. On May 6, 2025, Owens pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. At sentencing, the Court also ordered Owens to serve three years on supervised release upon completion of his prison sentence. 

“Mr. Owens perpetrated a frightening act of domestic violence in front of a child, earning a lengthy sentence under federal criminal law,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “I want to commend the police officers and law enforcement that apprehended Mr. Owens as swiftly as possible before more damage occurred. Charging domestic violence offenders with being a felon in possession of a firearm is one of the tools my office will continue to leverage in the federal system to make the community safer.”

“The sentence imposed today reflects the serious danger this defendant posed to our community. The defendant’s actions were not isolated acts of poor judgement, but deliberate, violent choices that put innocent lives at grave risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Seattle Field Division. “ATF remains committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and hold accountable those who use firearms to threaten, intimidate, and endanger others.”

The ATF Seattle Field Division and Anchorage Field Office investigated the case with significant assistance from the Anchorage Police Department. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mac Caille Petursson 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.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska announced today the allocation of funds from the Justice Department to hire a permanent criminal Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) specifically focused on prosecuting federal cases impacting rural Alaska and our Tribal communities. This position allocation is a direct result of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s recent trip to Alaska.

On July 7 and 8, Acting Attorney General Blanche traveled to Anchorage and the Western Alaska communities of Bethel and Emmonak. During his visit, he heard firsthand the need for increased resources to address public safety concerns in rural communities. 

Most recent reports estimate that Alaska’s violent crime rate is 5.4 times the national rate. They also estimate aggravated assaults as 6.7 times higher and rapes as 3.1 times higher than the national rates. According to 2024 state crime data, 41% of murder victims from that year were Alaska Native, despite making up less than 15% of the state’s population. These statistics are reinforced by rural communities, Tribal leaders and advocates from across the state sharing their experiences in rural communities. These include the destruction drug trafficking and substance abuse have caused in their regions and villages and how violent crime and drug trafficking are inextricably linked to one another.

This AUSA will work with law enforcement from across the state to review public safety concerns and pursue prosecutions for illegal firearms offenses, drug crimes, child exploitation, violent crimes and fraud. The job announcement is open and currently accepting applications. This job is open to all U.S. Citizens or Nationals. 

“Violent crime and drug trafficking have devastated many of our Alaskan communities, particularly those in rural areas. While we’ve seen some recent improvement, Acting Attorney General Blanche heard our requests for additional federal assistance in addressing public safety concerns in rural and Tribal communities,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “I want to thank every Alaskan that has sat with me, members of my team, law enforcement and DOJ leaders to share their experiences. This new Indian Country/Rural Alaska AUSA will work with law enforcement in every corner of our state to pursue federal charges against criminals who target women, children and communities with their illegal actions.” 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska is seeking applications from experienced and motivated attorneys who have superb research and writing skills, as well as a criminal law background and a desire to prosecute cases impacting rural Alaska. Interested applicants can learn more about the job opportunity by visiting the job posting or on USAJobs here: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/877127200

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage woman was sentenced today to 12 and a half years in prison for trafficking drugs and laundering tens of thousands of dollars in illegal drug proceeds. 

According to court documents, Mao “Molly” Lee, 37, possessed methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl and cocaine with the intent to distribute them into the community and laundered just under $100,000 in illegal drug proceeds, all as a repeat offender. 

In 2014, Lee was convicted of federal drug trafficking crimes and sentenced to just over three years in prison. Upon her release from prison, Lee absconded from court mandated supervision, committed nearly a dozen supervision violations and committed additional federal drug trafficking crimes.

In February 2019, Lee was arrested at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport on new federal drug trafficking charges after she attempted to smuggle over 300 grams of methamphetamine and 18 grams of heroin to Kodiak. Lee was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the second offense but was granted compassionate release in 2023 to serve the remainder of her sentence on supervised release. Within three months of her release, she absconded from supervision, resumed drug trafficking and began laundering money. 

During September to November 2024, Lee distributed drugs within Anchorage on multiple occasions. In total, Lee was responsible for trafficking over 75 grams of methamphetamine, over 25 grams of heroin, roughly six grams of fentanyl and under a gram of cocaine. 

Between July 2023 and November 2024, Lee conspired with others to launder over $90,400 in drug proceeds through Cash App and attempted to launder nearly an additional $32,000 in drug proceeds. 

On Aug. 21, 2025, Lee was indicted by a federal grand jury for the most recent offenses. On March 30, 2026, Lee pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute and one count of money laundering conspiracy. She also admitted to multiple supervised release violations from her previous federal conviction. 

Lee’s two previous federal drug trafficking convictions defined her as a career offender, which warranted a sentencing enhancement. During sentencing, the Court also ordered Lee to serve eight years on supervised release following her release from prison and pay a $25,000 fine. 

“Ms. Lee made a career out of drug trafficking, choosing a life of crime and dishonesty at every turn,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “We’ve seen the devastating effects drug trafficking has had on our communities and addressing this threat has been a priority for my office over the past year and a half. One by one, we will take down every drug trafficker that threatens the safety of our state.”

“This sentence sends a clear message that repeat drug traffickers who continue to poison our communities will be held accountable,” said Robert A. Saccone, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration Seattle Field Division. “Every seizure and every prosecution disrupt the supply chain that fuels addiction and overdose deaths. Through DEA’s Fentanyl Free America, we are working alongside our law enforcement partners to reduce the availability of illicit fentanyl, dismantle the criminal organizations responsible for its distribution, and save American lives.”

The DEA Seattle Field Division and Anchorage District Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Anchorage Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation Anchorage Field Office, U.S. Marshals Service and Anchorage Police Department. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ainsley McNerney and Chris Schroeder 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. 

UPDATE: This release has been updated to include additional law enforcement agencies. 

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Justice Department recently announced that the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) awarded nine grants, totaling over $6.1 million, to Tribal governments, nonprofits, and law enforcement agencies located or operating in Alaska. With these recent awards, DOJ has awarded over $97 million in fiscal year (FY) 2025 funding to Alaska to directly support law enforcement, combat violent crime, provide services to crime victims, and bolster their efforts to keep women safe in their state. 

“Law enforcement, juvenile justice, and victim advocacy programs are essential services, particularly at the state and local community levels,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “The Trump Administration recognizes this commonsense truth and has provided strong support tailored to Alaska’s specific needs. These recent grants are part of a broader effort to make America, and Alaska, safe again.” 

“Alaska faces public safety challenges unlike anywhere else in the country and meeting them requires solutions that are just as unique and focused,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “In Alaska, federal, state, local and Tribal partners stand shoulder to shoulder to protect our communities. We are pleased to know that these grants will go directly to communities and agencies to improve public safety and provide resources for Alaskans in all corners of our state.”

OVW Funding:

This month, OVW awarded over $3.9 million in grants to combat violence against women in Alaska. These grants will support services for victims of domestic and sexual violence in and beyond Alaska Native villages, better access to safety and justice for victims with disabilities, training on successful strategies for keeping victims safe and holding perpetrators accountable, cybercrimes enforcement, and programs that involve men and youth in preventing violence against women and girls.

These grants follow the Trump Administration’s unprecedented investment of OVW grant dollars in Alaska’s public safety efforts last year. OVW has awarded 45 grants totaling more than $30 million to Tribal and state governments and nonprofit organizations in Alaska to bolster their efforts to keep women safe.

OJP Funding:

This month, OJP awarded over $2.2 million in grants to the Alaska Department of Public Safety and Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice. The funds will be used to enhance statewide drug interdiction and enforcement through the Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit (SDEU); deliver specialized de-escalation and intervention training to law enforcement including local and tribal police departments, state troopers, Village Public Safety Officers, and the Alaska State Troopers’ Advanced Training Unit; and maintain compliance with the Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Act, reduce juvenile recidivism rates (specifically targeting Alaska Native juveniles), and improve the juvenile justice system.

For more information on the OJP, visit: www.ojp.gov. For more information on the OVW, visit: www.justice.gov/ovw.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Soldotna man was arrested last week in Sterling on criminal charges related to his alleged possession and receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). 

According to court documents, Adam O’Guinn, 29, had allegedly been identified as using PayPal to make approximately 27 purchases from known sources of CSAM. Upon the execution of a search warrant at the defendant’s residence, law enforcement allegedly discovered CSAM on his phone. O’Guinn allegedly purchased CSAM over at least two years.  

O’Guinn is charged with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography. The defendant made his initial court appearance on July 2 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, O’Guinn faces between five and 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman of the District of Alaska and William Ferrari, Deputy Assistant Director, Diplomatic Security Service – Office of Investigations made the announcement.

The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service is investigating the case, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service’s Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force and the Alaska State Troopers. If anyone has information concerning O’Guinn’s alleged actions, please contact the U.S. Department of State at DSSFraudTips@state.gov.  

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Alexander and Jordyn Caldwell are prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

UPDATE: This release has been updated to correct the tip email listed. 

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man was sentenced today to 4.75 years in prison for trafficking firearms and illegally possessing a machine gun.

According to court documents, starting in January 2025, Kendon Rowcroft-Ivy, 20, began communicating via text message with an individual to arrange the sale of firearms. On Jan. 31, 2025, Rowcroft-Ivy met with the individual and sold them two machine gun conversion devices for $1,000. On Feb. 4, 2025, Rowcroft-Ivy sold the same individual 10 other conversion devices and a pistol with a silencer. Two days later, Rowcroft-Ivy sold the individual a 3D printed machinegun with a conversion device and ammunition for $700.

Machine gun conversion devices, aka “switches”, shoot automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single pull of the trigger. None of the firearms Rowcroft-Ivy sold to the individual were registered to him and the defendant never possessed a federal firearms license to deal firearms legally. 

In total, Rowcroft-Ivy sold two firearms, 13 machinegun conversions devices (“MCDs”), and a silencer to two individuals over the course of 10 days for a total of $12,500.

In March 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Rowcroft-Ivy on three counts of trafficking in firearms, one count of unlicensed dealing in firearms, three counts of illegal possession of machine guns and one count of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Rowcroft-Ivy was placed on pretrial release with conditions that prohibited him from possessing firearms and controlled substances, including marijuana, but rearrested following a search of his residence and vehicle in September 2025.

Law enforcement learned that Rowcroft-Ivy was not living at the address he provided to pretrial services, and that he continued his criminal behavior while on pretrial release. Rowcroft-Ivy’s social media accounts revealed he continued to possess firearms, and advertise firearms and marijuana for sale.

During a search of his residence and vehicle on Sept. 18, 2025, law enforcement found multiple firearms, ammunition, and distribution level quantities of marijuana. 

On March 12, 2026, Rowcroft-Ivy pleaded guilty to three counts of trafficking in firearms and one count of illegal possession of a machine gun. At sentencing, the Court also ordered Rowcroft-Ivy to serve three years on supervised release upon completion of his prison sentence. 

“The defendant sold over a dozen firearms, including machinegun conversions devices and a 3D printed firearm, putting the Anchorage community at significant risk, as 3D printed firearms are extremely dangerous, increasingly abundant and difficult to track,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Multiple violations of his pretrial supervision and boasting posts on social media showcased Mr. Rowcroft-Ivy’s complete disregard for the law and accountability of his crimes. The message is simple, if you traffic illegal firearms, switches and ghost guns, you face time in federal prison.”

“The dangerousness of illegal machineguns and machinegun conversion devices cannot be overstated,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Seattle Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais. “By distributing these items in bulk quantities, Mr. Rowcroft-Ivy became a direct threat to public safety, putting both law enforcement officers and Alaskans at risk. There will be no refuge for those who traffic these illegal firearms, and we will leverage every available resource to bring them to justice.”

The ATF Seattle Division investigated the case, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration Seattle Field Division and Anchorage Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mac Caille Petursson prosecuted the case.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A former Army soldier pleaded guilty today to child exploitation crimes he committed while living in Alaska and Texas, including attempted production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) depicting minors known to him and trafficking of CSAM. 

According to court documents, beginning in March 2021, Seth Herrera, 36, previously of El Paso, Texas, started using The Onion Router (TOR) and multiple encrypted and/or privacy-enhancing applications to access, possess, receive and transport CSAM on his cell phones. Herrera would use his phones to browse the dark web, searching for CSAM and use encrypted messaging applications like Telegram and Potato Chat to seek out, access and receive CSAM. He created his own publicly accessible group on one of the platforms where he stored his preferred CSAM files. In six weeks, he uploaded over 100 files to this group. 

Across various applications, Herrera participated in hundreds of groups and channels dedicated to CSAM. At the time, the defendant belonged to over 400 Telegram groups and over 1,400 Telegram channels alone. Some groups focused on CSAM involving bestiality, incest and infants/toddlers. Law enforcement seized Herrera’s devices in May 2024 and discovered tens of thousands of CSAM videos and images, depicting sadistic and masochistic content of boys and girls ranging in age from infant through pubescent.

Starting in December 2022, Herrera also used various AI chatbots on Telegram and other websites to create morphed CSAM. In some instances, Herrera would take non-explicit images of children, some known to him personally, and use AI to undress and morph bodies, and make it appear as if they were engaging in sexually explicit conduct. 

While fueling his desire for online CSAM, beginning in March 2021, Herrera started taking surreptitious photos and recordings of minors known to him in El Paso, Texas. In December 2022, Herrera captured screenshots of minors via security cameras around his home. In one instance, Herrera used AI chatbots to enhance and improve the quality of an explicit screenshot. In total, Herrera secretly produced at least 28 photos and two videos of one minor from security cameras.

Herrera moved to Alaska in August 2023 and transported all his CSAM files across state lines because they were stored in password protected photo vaults on his phones. 

On Aug. 23, 2024, Herrera was arrested at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, where he served as a Specialist, after a federal grand jury indicted him on transportation, receipt and possession of child pornography. On May 14, 2025, a grand jury in the Western District of Texas indicted Herrera on production and receipt of child pornography related to his conduct in El Paso. Herrera entered his plea under a global plea agreement after the Western District of Texas transferred their case to the District of Alaska on June 15, 2026. 

He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 29 and faces between 15 and 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman of the District of Alaska, U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons of the Western District of Texas, Acting Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle Special Agent in Charge April Miller and Special Agent in Charge Michele Starostka of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s (Army CID) Western Field Office made the announcement.

HSI Seattle and the Army CID investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mac Caille Petursson and Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) are prosecuting the case. CEOS Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg and Western District of Texas Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory J. Rasmussen prosecuted the case in Texas. 

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.

###

A former Army soldier pleaded guilty today to child exploitation crimes he committed while living in Alaska and Texas, including attempted production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) depicting minors known to him, and trafficking of CSAM.

According to court documents, beginning in March 2021, Seth Herrera, 36, previously of El Paso, Texas, started using The Onion Router (TOR) and multiple encrypted and/or privacy-enhancing applications to access, possess, receive, and transport CSAM on his cell phones. Herrera used these phones to browse the dark web and used encrypted messaging applications to seek out, access and receive CSAM. He created his own publicly accessible group on one of the platforms where he stored his preferred CSAM files. In six weeks, he uploaded over 100 files to this group. 

Across various applications, Herrera participated in hundreds of groups and channels dedicated to CSAM. At the time, the defendant belonged to over 400 Telegram groups and over 1,400 Telegram channels alone. Some groups focused on CSAM involving bestiality, incest, and infants/toddlers. Law enforcement seized Herrera’s devices in May 2024 and discovered tens of thousands of CSAM videos and images, depicting sadistic and masochistic content of boys and girls ranging in age from infant through pubescent.

Starting in December 2022, Herrera also used various AI chatbots on Telegram and other websites to create morphed CSAM. In some instances, Herrera would take non-explicit images of children, some known to him personally, and use AI to undress and morph bodies, and make it appear as if they were engaging in sexually explicit conduct. 

While fueling his desire for online CSAM, beginning in March 2021, Herrera started taking surreptitious photos and recordings of minors known to him in El Paso, Texas. In December 2022, Herrera captured screenshots of minors via security cameras around his home. In one instance, Herrera used AI chatbots to enhance and improve the quality of an explicit screenshot. In total, Herrera secretly produced at least 28 photos and two videos of one minor from security cameras.

Herrera moved to Alaska in August 2023 and transported all his CSAM files across state lines because they were stored in password-protected photo vaults on his phones. 

On Aug. 23, 2024, Herrera was arrested at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, where he served as a Specialist, after a federal grand jury indicted him on transportation, receipt and possession of child pornography. On May 14, 2025, a grand jury in the Western District of Texas indicted Herrera on production and receipt of child pornography related to his conduct in El Paso. Herrera entered his plea under a global plea agreement after the Western District of Texas transferred their case to the District of Alaska on June 15, 2026. 

He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 29 and faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska, U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas, Acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Michele Starostka of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s (ARMY CID) Western Field Office made the announcement.

HSI and Army CID investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mac Caille Petursson for the District of Alaska are prosecuting the case. CEOS Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory J. Rasmussen for the Western District of Texas prosecuted the case in Texas. 

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.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A federal jury convicted an Anchorage man yesterday for attempting to meet with a child for sexual purposes. 

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between Aug. 29 and 30, 2025, August Seabrease, 40, used his cell phone to access various social media and messaging applications to chat with what he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. Seabrease turned the conversations sexual, requesting the minor send explicit photos and discussing an in-person meeting for implied sexual purposes. 

Throughout the conversation, Seabrease explicitly asked how old the minor was and she stated she was 13. In one message, he acknowledged that he was three times her age. Over the course of two days, Seabrease sent the person he believed to be a minor a photo of his genitalia and incessantly requested photos of the minor through messages. He specified “naughty pics,” “sexy pics,” “fresh pics,” “more pics,” and “right now.”

Seabrease arranged to meet with the minor the following night at a mall in Anchorage. On Aug. 30, 2025, law enforcement observed Seabrease leave his home and drive to the local mall. He circled the mall parking lot several times before parking. Law enforcement contacted him shortly after to arrest him and seized his cell phone. 

On Sept. 2, 2025, Seabrease was formally charged by criminal complaint and a federal grand jury indicted him roughly two weeks later. The federal jury found Seabrease guilty of one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor following a two-day trial.

U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska, Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office and Special Agent Timothy Weinhold, Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 631 Commander made the announcement.

The FBI Anchorage Field Office and U.S. Department of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mac Caille Petursson and Michelle Delgado are 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.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A former member of the Alaska Bar pleaded guilty today to possessing drugs with intent to distribute in Alaska.

On May 21, 2025, Justin Facey, 46, was arrested after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with drug trafficking and firearm crimes. The indictment against Facey alleged that he used his residence in Anchorage to distribute and use controlled substances, namely fentanyl and methamphetamine, and possessed four firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes. He pleaded guilty to one count of possessing drugs with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Court documents explain that Facey was suspended from practicing law on Feb. 24, 2025, following numerous bar complaints. Prior to that, Facey was an Anchorage defense attorney with his own practice. 

Facey is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 6, 2026, and faces between 10 to 40 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford of the District of Oregon, Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Saccone of the Drug Enforcement Administration Seattle Field Division and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schelgel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office made the announcement.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska has been recused from this case with the exception of certain personnel. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven D. Clymer from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York has been appointed as Special Attorney to the United States Attorney General to assist with this and other recused cases.  He reports to and acts under the direction of the Deputy Attorney General, or his delegee, or Acting U.S. Attorney Narus in these cases. Special Attorney Clymer supervises personnel from the District of Alaska who have been exempted from the recusal.

The DEA Anchorage District Office and FBI Anchorage Field Office, with assistance from the Anchorage Police Department, are investigating the case. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Alexander and Jennifer Ivers are prosecuting the case.

###

JUNEAU, Alaska – A Philippine national was sentenced yesterday to over four years in prison for stealing the identities of U.S. citizens and using one identity to impersonate a U.S. citizen to board a cruise destined for Alaska.

According to court documents, on May 11, 2025, Enrico Ronquillo, 38, represented that he was a U.S. citizen when he boarded a cruise ship in Seattle. Ronquillo used a U.S. citizen’s name, date of birth and address in his online passenger application for boarding the ship. Cruise ships traveling in international waters are required to maintain accurate passenger manifests for inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Ronquillo is not a U.S. citizen but is a lawful permanent resident.    

On May 14, 2025, CBP officers boarded the cruise ship when it arrived in Juneau. A CBP officer searched Ronquillo’s backpack and found two birth certificates and a California driver’s license that appeared to be fraudulent. The fraudulent driver’s license and birth certificate contained the personally identifiable information (PII) of an identity theft victim known to investigators. The victim told investigators he lost his original driver’s license in 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Ronquillo was also carrying a large amount of cash in his pockets and in his backpack. It was later determined that he fraudulently used yet another individual’s credit card information to obtain money while at the ship’s casino.

On June 10, 2025, Ronquillo was indicted by a federal grand jury. On Feb. 19, 2026, he pleaded guilty to one count of false impersonation of a U.S. citizen and one count of aggravated identity theft. In handing down the sentence, the Court also ordered Ronquillo to serve one year on supervised release upon completion of his prison sentence, and to pay over $25,000 in restitution. Ronquillo will be subject to deportation proceedings. 

“Mr. Ronquillo knowingly used stolen identities and personal information of innocent U.S. citizens to gain passage on a cruise ship and enrich himself at its casino,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “My office remains committed to protecting U.S. citizens from those who exploit them for personal gain. Identity theft and impersonating a U.S. citizen carry real consequences, including time behind bars.”

“This fraudster stole the identity of a U.S. citizen and impersonated the victim while on board a cruise ship, where he then continued to commit financial fraud crimes on the high seas,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Zachary Pomerantz of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “The FBI is committed to safeguarding Americans from fraud and identity theft schemes, and ensuring that these fraudsters cannot operate with impunity, no matter where they reside or where their crimes are committed.”

“This case highlights the vigilance and dedication of our CBP officers in protecting the integrity of our nation’s borders and travel systems. Identity theft and false impersonation threaten the security of our communities and the trust placed in our processes,” said David A. Salazar CBP Director of Field Operations in San Francisco. “CBP will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to detect, deter, and bring to justice those who attempt to exploit our systems. I commend our officers and all agencies involved for their outstanding work in this investigation.”

The FBI Anchorage Field Office, Juneau Resident Agency, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigated the case, with assistance from the Alaska State Troopers, Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Transportation Security Administration Office of Law Enforcement, Federal Air Marshals Service and the FBI Los Angeles Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Schmidt 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.

UPDATE: This release has been updated with corrections to the title and FBI quote. 

###

JUNEAU, Alaska – A Juneau man was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for sexually abusing a young boy to produce child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) and post the visuals on the dark web.

According to court documents, from March to August 2024, William Steadman, 35, manipulated and groomed a vulnerable 10-year-old boy he had access to in his community. He sexually abused the minor and produced 43 images and 63 videos depicting the abuse. He posted some of these visuals to platforms on the dark web. Steadman bragged about his sexual abuse and manipulation of the minor on the platforms. 

Prior to the charged offense, Steadman was previously convicted of possessing child pornography in Alaska state court in 2018, requiring him to register as a sex offender. Following his release from state custody, Steadman began a dark web collection of thousands of visuals depicting child sexual abuse and eventually distributing CSAM he produced of the minor victim. Steadman possessed over 3,300 images and over 1,100 videos of CSAM, representing thousands of additional minor victims. 

On Sept. 6, 2024, Steadman was arrested on a criminal complaint in Juneau. Roughly two weeks later, Steadman was indicted by a federal grand jury for his crimes. On March 31, 2025, Steadman pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography. At sentencing, the Court also ordered Steadman to spend the rest of his life on supervised release once he completes his prison sentence. The Court ordered restitution to be determined on a later date. In handing down the sentence, the Court emphasized the defendant’s long track record of recidivism and the need to protect the public from Steadman for a significant amount of time.

“Today’s sentence holds William Steadman accountable for his depraved, sustained, and repeated sexual abuse and production of CSAM with a young child who had been entrusted to his care,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Protection of America’s children and the prosecution of those who abuse and take advantage of them will always be at the forefront of the Criminal Division’s mission.”

“Mr. Steadman’s conduct in this case was evil, and his desire to repeat and escalate his heinous offenses garnered a weighty prison sentence to protect the community from him for as long as possible,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “My office has a phenomenal team of prosecutors dedicated to seeking justice against those who prey on the most vulnerable. Anyone who targets Alaska’s children will be found and held accountable for their perverse crimes.”

“The U.S. Secret Service is unwavering in its commitment to pursue predators who exploit and harm children,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Forrest of the U.S. Secret Service Criminal Investigative Division. “We will continue to work tirelessly alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure that anyone that commits these vile crimes is held fully accountable and their victims receive the justice they deserve.”

The Secret Service’s Internet Crimes Against Children Team investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mac Caille Petursson and Jack Schmidt, and Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

###

A Juneau, Alaska, man was sentenced today to 40 years in prison and lifetime supervised release for sexually abusing a young boy, producing child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) depicting the boy, and posting the visuals on the dark web.

According to court documents, from March to August 2024, William Steadman, 35, manipulated and groomed a vulnerable 10-year-old boy he had access to in his community. He sexually abused the minor and produced over 100 images and videos depicting the abuse. He posted some of these visuals to platforms on the dark web where he bragged about his sexual abuse and manipulation of the minor. 

“Today’s sentence holds William Steadman accountable for his depraved, sustained, and repeated sexual abuse and production of CSAM with a young child who had been entrusted to his care,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Protection of America’s children and the prosecution of those who abuse and take advantage of them will always be at the forefront of the Criminal Division’s mission.”

“Mr. Steadman’s conduct in this case was evil, and his desire to repeat and escalate his heinous offenses garnered a weighty prison sentence to protect the community from him for as long as possible,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “My office has a phenomenal team of prosecutors dedicated to seeking justice against those who prey on the most vulnerable. Anyone who targets Alaska’s children will be found and held accountable for their perverse crimes.” 

“The U.S. Secret Service (USSS) is unwavering in its commitment to pursue predators who exploit and harm children,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Forrest of the USSS Criminal Investigative Division. “We will continue to work tirelessly alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure that anyone that commits these vile crimes is held fully accountable and their victims receive the justice they deserve.”

Prior to the charged offense, Steadman was previously convicted of possessing child pornography in Alaska state court in 2018, requiring him to register as a sex offender. Following his release from state custody, Steadman began amassing a collection of CSAM that included 3,300 images and over 1,100 videos of CSAM, representing thousands of additional minor victims. 

On Sept. 6, 2024, Steadman was arrested on a criminal complaint in Juneau. Roughly two weeks later, Steadman was indicted by a federal grand jury for his crimes. On March 31, 2025, Steadman pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography. 

The USSS’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated the case.

Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mac Caille Petursson for the District of Alaska prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Wasilla neurologist was sentenced today to 3.4 years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court documents, law enforcement became aware of Jeffrey Sponsler, 68, in February 2025, when another individual saw him masturbating to a video of two nude children being played from a laptop. Based on that information and after obtaining a warrant, law enforcement searched Sponsler’s home for electronics and other evidence of child exploitation. 

During the search, law enforcement discovered dozens of electronics throughout the house, including desktop computers, laptops, external hard drives, memory cards, DVDs and even VHS tapes. He also possessed copies of several books depicting nude children and very young adults. 

Forensic review of his devices revealed an extensive collection of CSAM. Sponsler ordered videos and pictures of nudist and naturist communities abroad. He then used his computer to edit images from the videos to create his own videos and slideshows of CSAM focused on girls roughly 7 to 12 years old. He edited photos by zooming in on young girls’ genitalia. He saved the edits and put them into a PowerPoint presentation, and creating slideshows of exclusively children’s genitalia. 

Sponsler’s unique method of collecting CSAM makes it difficult to calculate exactly how many images and videos he possessed. One external hard drive contained about 59,000 images and videos of nude minors. Among those, there were at least 110 images and 18 videos that Sponsler cropped himself to create CSAM, totaling at least 1,500 CSAM images defined by the sentencing guidelines.

Prior to his arrest, Sponsler was a practicing neurologist and owned his own clinic, Alaska Brain Center. He also owned Alaska Music and Arts, a karate, music and dance studio.

On May 21, 2025, Sponsler was indicted by a federal grand jury and subsequently arrested. On March 5, 2026, Sponsler pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. During sentencing, the Court also ordered Sponsler to pay a $20,000 fine and serve 15 years on supervised release following completion of his federal prison sentence. 

“Mr. Sponsler meticulously curated his collection of CSAM to feed his fixation of children and was able to fly under the radar of law enforcement for many years due to his unique collection methods,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Thankfully, a concerned member of the community reported Sponsler’s behavior and he will no longer live as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, fronting as a trusted member of the community and professional, while sexualizing children from behind closed doors at day’s end.”

“Sponsler portrayed himself as a trusted member of our community, when in reality, he had been viewing, organizing, and collecting a disturbing amount of CSAM for his own perverse gratification,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Our children are safer now thanks to a concerned citizen who reported Sponsler’s crimes to the FBI. This sentencing reinforces the message that sexual exploitation crimes against children will not be tolerated by our community, the FBI, and our dedicated law enforcement partners.” 

The FBI Anchorage Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Alaska State Troopers.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Ivers prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

###

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A Wainwright man was sentenced today to over 16 years in prison for sexually exploiting multiple minor victims to produce and receive child pornography.

According to court documents, on Oct. 22, 2024, the North Slope Borough Police Department received a report from a 15-year-old minor victim about Robert Segevan, 32. The minor victim reported that Segevan requested sexually explicit pictures on Snapchat. Throughout the course of the investigation, four other minor victims came forward, ranging from 11 to 13 years old. The victims reported that anytime they attempted to block him, Segevan would create a new account and continue to ask for explicit pictures.

Law enforcement obtained search warrants for Segevan’s accounts. The warrants revealed that between August and October 2024, Segevan contacted multiple females suspected to be minors asking for sexually explicit images. Law enforcement seized multiple devices and found 62 images and 21 videos that depicted child sexual abuse with some victims as young as five years old. 

On July 30, 2026, Segevan was arrested after being charged by criminal complaint and was formally indicted by a federal grand jury roughly one month later. On March 6, 2026, Segevan pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child: attempted production of child pornography, one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and one count of receipt of child pornography. 

At sentencing, the Court ordered Segevan to serve 15 years on supervised release upon completion of his prison sentence. In handing down the sentence, the Court emphasized the need to protect Segevan’s community from his predatory behavior.

“Mr. Segevan persistently targeted minors known to him, going as far as creating new digital accounts when the minors blocked him over and over again for his sick conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “I want to commend the courageous victims who came forward to disclose Segevan’s crimes and our law enforcement partners that ultimately stopped his perverse pattern of behavior. We must work together to protect Alaska’s children.”

“Segevan’s child exploitation crimes against multiple young victims were deliberate, predatory, and have no place in our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “The FBI and our partners remain steadfast in our commitment to protect our most vulnerable, identify offenders, and secure justice for victims of these atrocious crimes.”

“The North Slope Borough Police Department is dedicated to protecting our communities and ensuring that those who target and exploit our youth are held fully accountable,” said Deputy Chief Phillip Brymer of the North Slope Borough Police Department. “This case highlights the vital importance of our local investigators working hand-in-hand with federal partners like the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. We hope this sentencing brings a sense of justice and closure to the victims and their families.”

The FBI Anchorage Field Office and North Slope Borough Police Department are investigating the case, with assistance from Anchorage Police Department as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carly Vosacek and Ibad Jafri prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

UPDATE: This release has been updated to include a quote from the North Slope Borough Police Department. 

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Chickaloon man was sentenced yesterday to two years in prison for orchestrating a scheme to defraud the U.S. government of COVID-19 relief funds.

According to court documents, Christopher Staggs, aka “Chrisopher Blackburn,” 44, fraudulently obtained over $170,000 through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The CARES and ARPA Acts included the Paycheck Protection Loan Program (PPP) and the temporary Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which provided temporary benefits to individuals who lost work because of the pandemic. Staggs defrauded both programs during the criminal scheme and related offense conduct.

Shortly following the passing of the CARES Act in 2020, Staggs began using his Chicago-based LLC, “ABN Circle,” as a front to file false and fraudulent unemployment insurance applications in Alaska and other states. Staggs harvested personally identifiable information (PII) from individuals who were either completely unaware or believed Staggs was assisting them in applying for unemployment benefits.

Staggs would receive the payments for each individual’s unemployment insurance. Staggs then paid some of these individuals a fraction of the unlawful proceeds he received in their name, while others had their identity stolen and received no proceeds. Staggs then split the remaining proceeds between him and his co-conspirators. 

The investigation revealed a spreadsheet that laid out the scheme in detail; including the names used to file the false applications; his victims’ social security numbers; usernames and passwords associated with accounts used to file the false applications; and the total amount of laundered proceeds. Law enforcement also discovered detailed emails he sent to his co-conspirators explaining both the spreadsheet and the nature of the scheme.

On July 18, 2024, Staggs and co-defendant Zeb Bewak, 42, of Anchorage, were indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Staggs was also indicted on eight counts of wire fraud, and Bewak was also indicted on even counts of wire fraud. On Feb. 18, 2026, Staggs pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and on March 6, 2025, Bewak pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Bewak is scheduled to be sentenced on June 15, 2026. 

At sentencing, the Court also ordered Staggs to serve three years on supervised release following completion of his prison sentence. The Court ordered restitution to be determined at a later date. 

“For years, Mr. Staggs used his intelligence to defraud people and systems, as well as avoid accountability. He saw the global pandemic as an avenue to continue that thirst, facilitating a grubby scheme upon the government that also victimized the very people the victim-programs were intended to assist,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “This kind of manipulation is unacceptable. My office is committed to using every available resource, like the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, to neutralize threats to the American purse.” 

“In the wake of a global health crisis, Mr. Staggs and his co-conspirators selfishly exploited taxpayer-funded programs to line their own pockets, diverting resources away from those in need,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Together with our partners, the FBI will aggressively investigate and hold accountable anyone who seeks to abuse government programs for personal gain.”

The FBI Anchorage Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the State of Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander prosecuted the case.

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.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man was sentenced today to 10.8 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to traffic deadly drugs to Alaska and into the Anchorage community.

According to court documents, Andrew Akulaw, 42, conspired with co-defendant, Rodney Godwin, 52, the leader of the drug trafficking organization. From April to December 2023, Godwin organized and operated a drug trafficking organization while under indictment for a separate drug trafficking crime. Godwin’s organization imported and distributed over 3.8 kilograms of fentanyl, 1.8 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1.6 kilograms of cocaine and 1.3 kilograms of heroin within Alaska. 

Court documents detail that Akulaw’s role in the conspiracy was to receive large shipments of drugs in the mail and through air cargo, as well as collect outstanding drug proceeds. Law enforcement learned of Akulaw’s involvement in the drug trafficking organization on Sept. 5, 2023, when Akulaw got into a car accident. At the scene of the accident, first responders discovered a firearm in Akulaw’s pocket, a fanny pack with a large amount of drug proceeds, and an Arizona driver’s license for another individual. Law enforcement had to use a fingerprint scanner to identify Akulaw. In doing so, law enforcement learned that Akulaw had two active State of Alaska arrest warrants. 

At the hospital after the accident, Akulaw directed his fanny pack be given to a co-conspirator. Officers seized the fanny pack and through a search warrant, found almost thirty thousand dollars.

Throughout the investigation, law enforcement attributed over 3.7 kilograms of drugs directly to Akulaw. 

On May 23, 2024, Akulaw and seven co-defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury in this matter. On Nov. 18, 2025, Akulaw pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and also pleaded guilty to a felon in possession of a firearm in a separate federal case.

“Mr. Akulaw has spent decades committing violent crimes and violating supervision, ultimately turning to distributing deadly drugs in his own community,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Poisonous drugs have no place in our state, and we will not stop fighting the threat illegal narcotics pose to Alaskan communities. Working with our law enforcement partners to find those who traffic them and dismantle their operations remains a top priority for my office and the U.S. Department of Justice.”

“Akulaw not only facilitated the flow of deadly drugs into and throughout Alaska, but also the collection and enforcement of drug debts to sustain its operations,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Thanks to the tenacious work by the investigative team, another dangerous member of this drug trafficking organization has been brought to justice. The FBI will continue working with our partners, at every level, to ensure drug traffickers are held accountable and removed from our streets.”

Co-defendants in this case include: 

• Rodney Godwin, of Anchorage, pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a continue criminal enterprise on May 10, 2025, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Nov. 24, 2025, which will run consecutively to a previous 20-year federal drug trafficking sentence.
• Calvin Oktollik, 39, of Anchorage, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances on July 28, 2025, and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14, 2026.
• Miles Apatiki, 39, of Anchorage, pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy on Jan. 6, 2026, and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, 2026
• Jennifer Godwin, 41, of Anchorage, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances on July 11, 2025, and was sentenced to three years in prison on May 6, 2026.
• Reigna Archuleta, 40, of Anchorage, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and one count of carrying firearms during a drug trafficking crime on Dec. 19, 2025, and will be sentenced at a later date.
• David Henry, 52, of Palmer, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances on Dec. 4, 2025, and was sentenced to 6.6 years in prison on April 16, 2026.
• Page Peak, 27, of Sterling, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances on July 30, 2025, and was sentenced to five years’ probation on March 3, 2026.

The FBI Anchorage Field Office and Anchorage Police Department investigated the case as part of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Anchorage Domicile, IRS Criminal Investigation, Alaska State Troopers and U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth Beausang and Mandy Mackenzie prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region One comprises agents and officers from  Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations – Seattle; the United States Attorney’s Office(s) for the Districts of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Eastern Washington, and Western Washington; the Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); CBP – Office of Field Operations; CBP – Air & Marine Operations; U.S. Border Patrol; U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Investigative Service; and Transportation Security Administration, Law Enforcement/Federal Air Marshal Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man was sentenced today to 5.8 years in prison for receiving child pornography, as well as creating artificial intelligence (AI) generated images depicting the sexual abuse of minors.

According to court documents, on Aug. 13, 2024, Anthaney O’Connor, 32, contacted law enforcement to report an active-duty airman’s sexual interest in minor children. O’Connor met this person, Caleb French, 28, on an online dating platform. O’Connor provided law enforcement with two images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) French sent him that depicted prepubescent children. He also provided law enforcement with several text messages between him and French where they discussed viewing CSAM together.

The text messages prompted law enforcement to request a full search of O’Connor’s cell phone, where they found messages claiming he could create virtual reality (VR) point of view (POV) CSAM using images of real children that French took in his community. Law enforcement also recovered more CSAM on his cellphone, including six AI/cartoon drawings depicting children. 

On Dec. 19, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant on O’Connor’s residence to recover multiple digital devices. Law enforcement recovered an additional 20 images of CSAM from those devices, some of which were AI generated or depicted prepubescent children. In total O’Connor possessed 32 images and three videos containing CSAM. 

On Jan. 21, 2025, O’Connor was indicted on one count of distribution of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. On July 31, 2025, O’Connor pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography. 

During sentencing, the Court ordered O’Connor to serve 20 years on supervised release following the completion of his custodial sentence, as well as a $35,000 special assessment. In handing down the sentence, the Court emphasized the defendant’s significant criminal history and that the CSAM industry is consumer driven, highlighting the need for general deterrence so the public understands that possessing or receiving any sort of CSAM could result in serious federal penalties.

“Anthaney O’Connor not only received, consumed, and distributed depraved images depicting sexual abuse of young children, but actively collaborated to view the material in virtual reality,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “He boasted about his ability to generate virtual reality simulations using images of real children. Some of the material he possessed was generated by sophisticated artificial intelligence tools. AI used in this criminal manner adds a new element to child sexual abuse crimes. The Criminal Division is already at the cutting edge to curb this dangerous avenue for child sexual abuse.”

“Possessing and exchanging CSAM, including AI-generated images of children, is an abhorrent crime,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Protecting children and dismantling this predatory industry is a top priority for my office, and Mr. O’Connor is another example of our aggressive efforts to stop such disgusting conduct. Let this serve as a clear reminder that we will relentlessly pursue anyone who endangers children, period.”

“Protecting our children from the depraved actions of individuals like O’Connor is a top priority for the FBI and our law enforcement partners,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “O’Connor’s possession of real as well as AI-generated CSAM is alarming, abhorrent and will never be tolerated.  The FBI will continue working aggressively with our partners to make sure those who harm our most vulnerable are held accountable for their crimes.”

French was charged with one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography through a separate case. On May 20, 2025, French pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography, and on Oct. 15, 2025, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 20 years on supervised release once his prison sentence is complete.  

The FBI Anchorage Field Office and United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) investigated the case. 

District of Alaska Assistant U.S. Attorney Mac Caille Petersson and Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (“CEOS”) prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

###

An Alaskan man was sentenced today to 70 months in prison and 20 years of supervised release for trafficking in child pornography, including images of pre-pubescent children. 

Anthaney O’Connor, 32, of Anchorage, pleaded guilty on July 31, 2025, to receipt of child pornography, also known as child sexual abuse material or “CSAM.” According to court documents, O’Connor received CSAM from another offender, who was an active-duty Airman stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The CSAM included images depicting prepubescent children. The two of them also planned to view CSAM together using a virtual reality system. In stored messages with this other offender, O’Connor explained that he could use images of real children and make them sexually explicit for use in this system, so that the user could experience a virtual simulation of what the images depicted. O’Connor also distributed CSAM to other individuals and possessed multiple images of obscene visual depictions of child sexual abuse of children that were created by artificial intelligence. 

“Anthaney O’Connor not only received, consumed, and distributed depraved images depicting sexual abuse of young children, but actively collaborated to view the material in virtual reality,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “He boasted about his ability to generate virtual reality simulations using images of real children. Some of the material he possessed was generated by sophisticated artificial intelligence tools. AI used in this criminal manner adds a new element to child sexual abuse crimes. The Criminal Division is already at the cutting edge to curb this dangerous avenue for child sexual abuse.”

“Possessing and exchanging CSAM, including AI-generated images of children, is an abhorrent crime,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Protecting children and dismantling this predatory industry is a top priority for my office, and Mr. O’Connor is another example of our aggressive efforts to stop such disgusting conduct. Let this serve as a clear reminder that we will relentlessly pursue anyone who endangers children, period.”

“Protecting our children from the depraved actions of individuals like O’Connor is a top priority for the FBI and our law enforcement partners,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “O’Connor’s possession of real as well as AI-generated CSAM is alarming, abhorrent and will never be tolerated. The FBI will continue working aggressively with our partners to make sure those who harm our most vulnerable are held accountable for their crimes.”

The FBI and United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) investigated the case. 

Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mac Caille Petursson of the District of Alaska prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty to and was sentenced Tuesday to a year and a half in prison for committing wire fraud through a 2022 Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) fraud scheme.

According to court documents, between January and February 2022, Adepoju Babatunde Salako, 33, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, devised a scheme to defraud the Alaska Department of Revenue (DOR) PFD program. Specifically, Salako fraudulently obtained the personal identifying information (PII) for legitimate Alaskan residents and submitted seven separate applications to the Alaska DOR to obtain their PFD funds. Salako was never an Alaskan resident and had never traveled to Alaska up until his arrival in the state for his sentencing in this matter.

Court documents detail that Salako created new email accounts that he controlled for each legitimate Alaska resident whose PII he fraudulently obtained. Using the PII, Salako gained control of at least seven already established “myAlaska” online accounts—the platform Alaska residents use to apply for the PFD. Once inside the accounts, Salako changed the account information to route communications from “myAlaska” directly to the email accounts he controlled for each individual. Salako also changed each applicant’s bank information to route the PFD payments to bank accounts he controlled.

Court documents further explain that Salako tried to shield his identity and location by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to appear as though six of the seven application submissions were submitted from an Internet Protocol (IP) address in Alaska. The other application was submitted using an IP address in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Records from Salako’s personal email account showed logins from the same Philadelphia IP address.

The State of Alaska determined the applications to be fraudulent and denied the applications. In 2022, the DOR, which administers the PFD program, paid $3,284.00 to each eligible PFD applicant. But for the DOR’s diligent review of PFD applications, Mr. Salako would have successfully defrauded the State of Alaska and the seven identity theft victims of $22,988.00

Salako pleaded guilty to seven counts of wire fraud. Salako’s prison sentence will run concurrent to a related COVID relief fund and international money laundering case in the District of Colorado, in which he was sentenced to six and a half years in prison and ordered to pay $2.5 million in restitution to the victims of his crimes. 

“Mr. Salako spent considerable time planning and perpetrating his scheme to defraud the Alaska PFD,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Thanks to the great work of the Alaska Department of Revenue and FBI, he didn’t succeed; but even attempting to defraud the PFD will not be tolerated and could result in federal prison.”

“The Alaska PFD program is intended to benefit current and future generations of eligible Alaskans, not criminals like Salako who seek to exploit the program through fraud and identity theft,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Despite efforts to mask his identity, Salako was identified through strong program safeguards and diligent investigative work in partnership with the Alaska Department of Revenue. This sentence reflects our commitment to safeguarding the integrity of government programs and holding fraudsters accountable for their crimes, regardless of where they reside.”

“This case should send a clear message that stealing an identity to exploit the Permanent Fund Dividend will not be tolerated,” said Department Investigations Manager Scott Stair of the State of Alaska Department of Revenue, Criminal Investigations Unit. "The Department of Revenue remains committed to protecting Alaskans from financial fraud and holding accountable anyone who seeks to profit though deception.”

The FBI Anchorage Field Office and State of Alaska Department of Revenue, Criminal Investigations Unit investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ainsley McNerney prosecuted the case.

If you suspect you've been a victim of PFD fraud, contact the Alaska Department of Revenue, Criminal Investigations Unit. Online Fraud Tips can be filed at https://pfd.alaska.gov/fraud-tip-form. You can also contact the Fraud Hotline: (907) 500-0360.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A criminal complaint was unsealed in the District of Alaska today charging a Canadian man with operating the KimWolf Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Internet of Things (IoT) botnet. The U.S. complaint was unsealed following the defendant’s arrest in Canada by Canadian authorities.

According to court documents, on April 10, 2026, U.S. authorities criminally charged Jacob Butler, aka “Dort,” 23, of Ottawa, Canada, with offenses related to the development and operation of the KimWolf botnet. KimWolf was a DDoS-for-hire service which infected over a million devices worldwide, including devices located in Alaska. The complaint remained sealed pending Butler’s arrest.

Following coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Butler was taken into custody yesterday in Ottawa, Canada, pursuant to an extradition warrant.

In March 2026, U.S. authorities, in partnership with international law enforcement partners, conducted a court-authorized law enforcement operation to seize Command and Control (C2) infrastructure used by the Aisuru, KimWolf, JackSkid and Mossad IoT botnets.

According to court documents, KimWolf targeted infected devices which were traditionally “firewalled” from the rest of the internet, such as digital photo frames and web cameras. The infected devices were enslaved by the botnet operators. The operators then used a “cybercrime as a service” model to sell access to the infected devices to other cybercriminals. The operators and their customers forced the victim devices to participate in DDoS attacks, targeting computers and servers located throughout the world, including Department of Defense Information Network (DoDIN) IP addresses.

KimWolf was tied to DDoS attacks which were measured at nearly 30 Terabits per second, a record in recorded DDoS attack volume. These attacks resulted in financial losses which, for some victims, exceeded one million dollars. The KimWolf botnet is alleged to have issued over 25,000 attack commands.

Law enforcement allegedly connected Butler to the administration of the KimWolf botnet through IP address, online account information, transaction records, and online messaging application records obtained through the issuance of legal process. 

In addition to Butler’s arrest, the Central District of California unsealed seizure warrants which targeted online services supporting 45 DDoS-for-hire platforms. These seizures broadly disrupted the DDoS platforms, including at least one that collaborated with Butler’s KimWolf botnet. U.S. authorities also seized domain records associated with many of these services, redirecting them to an authorized “splash page,” which displays a warning to potential visitors that DDoS services are illegal.

Butler is charged with one count of aiding and abetting computer intrusion. If convicted, Butler faces up to 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska and Special Agent in Charge Kenneth DeChellis of the DCIS Cyber Field Office made the announcement.

DCIS is investigating the case, with assistance from the FBI Anchorage Field Office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California handled the recent infrastructure seizures.

International partners in this investigation included the Ontario Provincial Police, Sûreté du Québec, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and German Bundeskriminalamt (BKA).

Additionally, the U.S. Justice Department thanks Akamai, Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare, DigitalOcean, Epieos, Google, Hydrolix, Lumen, Nokia, Oracle, PayPal, Registrar of Last Resort, Salesforce Counter-Threat Ops, The Shadowserver Foundation, Sony Interactive Entertainment, SpyCloud, Synthient, Team Cymru, Unit 221B, XLAB and EUROPOL’s PowerOFF team for their assistance provided during this investigation and operation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander is prosecuting the case.

If anyone has information on the alleged threats or other DDoS threats, please contact U.S. authorities at DCIS-PowerOff@DoDIG.mil.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Two Wasilla men were sentenced Tuesday for running an illegal guide-outfitter business out of Kodiak that resulted in the harvest of Sitka black-tailed deer and black bears in violation of the Lacey Act. One defendant received a six-month prison sentence and $20,000 fine for a felony conviction, and the other received a four-year probationary sentence and $30,000 fine for a misdemeanor conviction.

According to court documents, in March 2021, Theodore Turgeon, 29, and his co-defendant, Charles Emmi, 29, created a business called “The Rock Outfitters LLC” to provide “coastal and great lakes passenger transportation.” Turgeon and Emmi attempted to obtain a transporter license from the Alaska Department of Commerce Big Game Commercial Services Board but were denied because of Turgeon’s 2018 federal conviction for violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

In June 2022, within months of the Big Game Board’s denial, Emmi obtained a transporter license under the guise of a new business, “The Rock Kodiak,” which did not list Turgeon as an owner. Emmi and Turgeon also jointly owned a boat, the M/V Sound Choice, that they used to facilitate the illegal guide service. Neither defendant ever held a big game guide-outfitter license in the State of Alaska.

On Nov. 9, 2022, Turgeon and Emmi collected $16,000 from a four-person hunting party to provide transporter services to hunt waterfowl and Sitka black-tailed deer out of Kodiak. This trip took place sometime between Nov. 17 and 22, 2022.

During the trip, Turgeon illegally provided one client, who was a resident of Texas, with guide services when he outfitted the client with his personal rifle, sighted the scope on his rifle, accompanied the client into the field and spotted two deer for the client. Turgeon further assisted the client in the field with quartering and packing the doe and buck out of the field, all in violation of Alaska law. Turgeon and Emmi transported this client to port, and the client took the harvested meat and other animal parts to Texas. 

In addition to illegal guiding on this trip, Emmi and Turgeon also submitted false records to the Big Game Board. Alaska law requires transporters to submit a Transporter Activity Report (TAR) to the Big Game Board. A TAR documents who was transported, to where, and what type of game and weight was harvested. The TAR that they submitted for the November 2022 hunt listed only two of the four transported clients and under-reported the harvested game by at least two deer.

In May 2024, Emmi and Turgeon contracted with three clients, who were residents of Arizona, South Carolina and Oregon, and collected $13,500 from the clients to provide transportation services out of Cordova to hunt black bear. Emmi and Turgeon illegally guided all three clients by assisting with spotting black bear from the M/V Sound Choice, directing the clients where to offload from the skiff and stalk black bear, and remaining in the field. All three clients successfully harvested black bear with Emmi and Turgeon’s illegal guiding services.

During the May 2024 trip, Turgeon admitted to clients that he illegally guided them during the hunt, and stated, “f[***] the State of Alaska’s regulations.”

On Dec. 9, 2026, Emmi pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor counts of Lacey Act violations, commercial activity in illegally taken wildlife and Turgeon pleaded guilty to four felony counts of Lacey Act violations, commercial activity in illegally taken wildlife.

Turgeon’s full sentence, as handed down by the Court, is as follows:

• Six months in federal prison;
• Three years on supervised release following his prison sentence;
• $20,000 fine;
• Forfeit $14,982.61 in lieu of forfeiting the M/V Sound Choice and forfeit the rifle and scope used in November 2022 illegal hunt;
• And a worldwide hunting and fishing ban, and barred from obtaining a transporter or guide license for his period of supervised release.

Emmi’s full sentence, as handed down by the Court, is as follows:

• Four years on federal probation;
• $30,000 fine;
• Forfeit $14,982.61 in lieu of forfeiting the M/V Sound Choice;
• 100 hours of community service;
• And a worldwide hunting and fishing ban, barred from obtaining a transporter or guide license for his period of probation.

In handing down the sentence the Court emphasized the importance of abiding by State of Alaska’s wildlife regulations to safeguard the wildlife population for the enjoyment of future generations.

“Mr. Turgeon expressed complete disdain and blatantly disregarded the laws protecting our natural resources,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Guide outfitting is an important part of Alaska’s outdoor community and ensuring it is done lawfully to protect future resources is paramount. This case should serve as a reminder that committing Lacey Act violations in Alaska could result in federal criminal convictions and hefty penalties.”

“The Lacey Act is critical to protecting America's wildlife resources from exploitation and depletion,” said Assistant Director Doug Ault, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. “Illegal guided hunts threaten Alaska's natural resources and disadvantage ethical hunters and guides who operate lawfully. This sentencing sends a clear message that those who violate federal wildlife laws will be held accountable.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ainsley McNerney prosecuted the case.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A St. Mary’s man was sentenced last week to three years in prison and is required to pay over $64,000 in restitution for running illegal guiding services and collecting thousands in fraudulent proceeds from the scheme.

According to court documents, in October 2021, Michael Beans, 36, began openly advertising guide-outfitter and transporter services for the 2022, 2023 and 2024 bull moose hunting seasons on specific social media hunting forums. At all times relevant to the case, Beans was not licensed by the state of Alaska as a big game guide-outfitter nor transporter.

Beans contacted prospective hunters by text, phone or social media messaging platform, and communicated that he would reduce the hunting rates if hunters paid in full early or assisted Beans by advancing fees months before the hunt occurred. In some messages, Beans conveyed costs of the hunt and then received deposits to formalize the booking through mobile money transferring applications or other electronic financial services.

Between October 2021 to December 2022, Beans fraudulently collected more than $59,000 in deposits, advanced payments and other funds from roughly 37 non-Alaska resident hunters for guide-outfitted and/or big game transporter services for bull moose hunts when not licensed to do so by the state of Alaska.

On Sept. 1, 2022, the first group of hunters arrived in St. Mary’s from across the country. Beans cancelled all contracted hunts without meeting any of the hunters in person. Beans did not refund any hunters for the cancelled hunts, except for $700 returned to one hunter.

From Sept. 19 to Sept. 24, 2022, three hunters arrived in St. Mary’s to hunt with Beans. The defendant tried to cancel the hunt, but the hunters located Beans in St. Mary’s and he took them on the hunt consistent with their agreement. Acting as the guide-outfitter or transporter, Beans assisted the hunters in killing three bull moose, even though he was not licensed to do so.

On Oct. 1, 2024, Beans pleaded guilty to one count of Lacey Act violations and one count of wire fraud. In handing down the sentence, the Court also ordered Beans to serve three years on supervised release upon completion of his prison sentence. Beans is also required to pay $64,110 in restitution that will be broken out to each victim in this case.

“Mr. Beans egregiously exploited unsuspecting hunters and orchestrated a hunt that resulted in the illegal killing of three bull moose,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “His actions not only violate the law but are also an affront to the law-abiding guide-outfitters who respect Alaska’s wildlife community. My office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners statewide to ensure that the regulations governing hunting in Alaska are enforced and upheld, and those who flagrantly violate them are brought to justice.”

“Alaska's guide and transporter licensing requirements exist to protect wildlife resources, ensure lawful hunting practices, and maintain a level playing field for licensed operators who follow the law," said Assistant Director Doug Ault, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. "Illegal guided hunts for bull moose and other species undermine those safeguards and threaten public trust in Alaska's world-renowned hunting system.  In this case, Mr. Beans not only operated without proper licensure but also deceived dozens of hunters, collecting substantial payments for hunts he largely failed to deliver and leaving many victims without refunds.  This sentencing reflects our commitment to aggressively investigating wildlife crimes and holding violators accountable.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and the Alaska Wildlife Troopers investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ainsley McNerney prosecuted the case.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A California man that acted as the leader for an Alaska drug trafficking organization was sentenced yesterday to 15 years in prison for his role in the illegal enterprise.

According to court documents, in Spring 2022, Tyrone Hampton, 44, moved his pregnant wife and co-defendant, Stephanie Blanchard, 39, and two other associates from Southern California to Alaska to participate in the drug trafficking trade. The two associates were co-defendants Keith Crossley, 37, and Lawrence McGirt, 27. All three men were gang members in Southern California.

Upon arrival in Alaska, Hampton and his co-conspirators began selling illegal drugs, primarily heroin and fentanyl. One of the locations Hampton used for drug trafficking was an apartment in Wasilla. On April 12, 2022, the landlord of the apartment called law enforcement to trespass multiple people frequenting the apartment.

Hampton’s main drug supplier was codefendant Kevyn Watson, 43, a fellow gang member from California. At the time, Watson was serving a 40-year prison sentence in prison in Oklahoma. He had access to multiple contraband cellphones in prison. Watson used the phones to coordinate continued drug trafficking using his associates in California. Hampton and Watson coordinated the shipment of multiple packages of drugs to Alaska through the mail.

At some point in April 2022, Hampton’s cousin and co-defendant, Charles Holyfield, 41, of Arizona, reached out to Hampton about a debt that Hampton owed him. During that conversation, the two men agreed to have Holyfield mail illegal fentanyl pills from a supplier in Arizona to Alaska to be sold for a high profit and split the proceeds together. On April 25, Holyfield mailed over 2,500 fentanyl pills by stuffing them inside one of two pillows and packaging the pillows up in a box and addressing it to the Wasilla apartment building. Hampton directed Blanchard to send Holyfield $2,000 via wire transfer for the cost of the pills.

The next day, UPS attempted to deliver Holyfield’s package to the apartment in Wasilla but could not because there was no apartment number written on the label. UPS marked the package as “suspicious.” They searched the package, found fentanyl pills and alerted the Alaska State Troopers. This same day, Hampton directed Holyfield to board a flight to Alaska and Hampton picked him up from the airport. Hampton, Holyfield and Blanchard spent a night in a local motel.

On April 27, Hampton, Blanchard and Holyfield drove from the motel to the Wasilla apartment and realized the package had not arrived yet. What the defendants didn’t know is the Alaska State Troopers (AST) had seized the drugs, resealed the package with sham drugs and obtained a state search warrant for the Wasilla apartment.

That same day, AST conducted a controlled delivery of the package and waited until Hampton, Holyfield, McGirt and Crossley returned to the building to execute the warrant and arrest them. Troopers recovered the package inside a closet and found evidence of a makeshift methamphetamine lab in the apartment.

On April 28, UPS notified AST that they received another suspicious package destined for the Wasilla apartment. Inside the package, AST found a tupperware container with one kilogram of heroin wrapped in six levels of packaging. Through the investigation, law enforcement determined that Watson and Hampton coordinated the shipment of this package, referring to the one kilogram of heroin as “the whole chalupa” in text messages. Hampton directed Keith Crossley and Lawrence McGirt to each transfer $2,500 in drug proceeds via wire transfer to two individuals in California as partial payment to Watson for the shipment of heroin.

Court documents explain that in just over six weeks, Hampton deposited over $26,900 into his bank account through Cash App or ATM deposits. Extrapolated out over a year, Hampton was earning more than $228,000 a year dealing drugs in Alaska. He had no other legitimate source of income.

On June 20, 2025, Hampton pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of money laundering conspiracy. During sentencing, the Court also ordered Hampton to spend 10 years on supervised release after serving his federal prison sentence. In handing down the sentence, the Court emphasized that Hampton was motived by profit and preyed upon vulnerabilities to distribute fentanyl into Alaska. The Court also focused on Hampton’s characterization as a career offender that spent his life offending and hurting people and the communities he lived in.

“Mr. Hampton is a career criminal that moved his family and friends to Alaska for the sole purpose of peddling poison to our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “With no legitimate source or income, an extensive criminal history, gang membership, and a propensity to seek out crime, Mr. Hampton poses a significant risk to community safety. Communities in both Alaska and California are safer knowing that this defendant will be behind bars for the next 15 years.”

“Hampton led a multi-state fentanyl and heroin trafficking conspiracy, recklessly endangering countless lives in Alaska and in the Lower 48,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “As a result of this investigation, Hampton and his co-conspirators will now be held accountable for their crimes. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue using all available tools to disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises, holding traffickers accountable for the havoc they wreak on our communities.”

“Daily, drugs and those who peddle them put our friends and neighbors at risk. Taking drugs off the streets is critical to the safety of our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Carrie Nordyke, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Seattle Field Office. “IRS-CI and our law enforcement partners are committed to the health and safety of our communities; we will continue to bring traffickers like Mr. Hampton to justice.”

“This sentence should serve as serious warning to anyone trafficking drugs in our state. The Alaska State Troopers and our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners will find you, arrest you, and hold you accountable for your actions," said Alaska State Trooper Colonel Maurice Hughes. "The incredible work by all of the agencies involved in this investigation and prosecution demonstrates the level of effort that Alaska law enforcement will put into dismantling illicit drug operations targeting Alaska.”

• Blanchard pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy on April 24, 2023. She was sentenced to two and a half years in prison and three years’ supervised release on Aug. 10, 2023.
• Crossley pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy on June 7, 2024. He was sentenced to roughly two years and eight months in prison and three years’ supervised release on Oct. 7, 2024.
• Holyfield pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances on Jan. 27, 2023. He was sentenced to time served and two years’ supervised release on Sept. 17, 2025.
• McGirt was found incompetent to stand trial due to a severe mental illness, and his case was dismissed on March 4, 2026.
• Watson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of money laundering conspiracy on May 17, 2024. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and 10 years’ supervised release on Aug. 22, 2024.

The FBI Anchorage Field Office, Alaska State Troopers and IRS-CI Anchorage Field Office investigated the case, with assistance provided by the Anchorage Airport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Team and Mat-Su HIDTA Team.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Schroeder and Ainsley McNerney prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region One comprises agents and officers from  Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations – Seattle; the United States Attorney’s Office(s) for the Districts of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Eastern Washington, and Western Washington; the Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); CBP – Office of Field Operations; CBP – Air & Marine Operations; U.S. Border Patrol; U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Investigative Service; and Transportation Security Administration, Law Enforcement/Federal Air Marshal Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.

###

JUNEAU, Alaska – A Southeast Alaska commercial fisherman was sentenced yesterday to five years’ probation, a $15,000 fine and a world-wide fishing and hunting ban throughout his time on probation for his role in a conspiracy to illegally harvest halibut with another commercial fisherman, in violation of the Lacey Act.

According to court documents, from September 2019 to August 2022, Vincent Jacobson, 52, conspired with Jonathan Pavlik, 41, both of Yakutat, to fraudulently use Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) permits to commit violations of federal law and regulations. An IFQ permit is a permit any individual commercially fishing for halibut in the waters off Alaska is required to have. It requires a permit holder to be aboard a vessel at all times during a fishing trip, including when fishing gear is set and when fish are harvested from the set gear.

On Aug. 24, 2022, Pavlik allegedly directed his crew aboard the F/V New Era to receive halibut on his behalf from Jacobson aboard the F/V Epic. The halibut was harvested by the F/V Epic at a time that neither Pavlik nor his crew were aboard, which is a violation of federal law and regulations. Pavlik later landed the halibut under his IFQ permit, allegedly falsely reporting the vessel of harvest and that the halibut was creditable to his IFQ balance, when the halibut had been harvested from fishing gear that was set by the F/V Epic and transferred to the F/V New Era, while Pavlik was not aboard the vessel.

The next day, while aboard the F/V New Era, Pavlik allegedly retained halibut from fishing gear that had been set by Jacobson aboard the F/V Epic at a time when Pavlik was not aboard the vessel. Pavlik then landed halibut under his IFQ permit, allegedly falsely reporting the vessel of harvest and that the halibut was creditable to his IFQ balance, when the halibut had been harvested from fishing gear that was set by the F/V Epic while he was not aboard the vessel. Pavlik then allegedly paid Jacobson for the illegally caught halibut from both days. 

Jacobson participated in two additional fishing trips in 2019 and 2020 with nearly identical conduct. 

On Aug. 28, 2025, Jacobson pleaded guilty to one count of Lacey Act conspiracy.

“In the heart of IFQ season, this sentence should serve as a reminder that there are significant consequences for breaking the laws that help sustain and maintain Alaska’s vital fishing industry,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Mr. Jacobson knew the rules and regulations surrounding commercial halibut fishing and used that knowledge to game the system. This conduct is an affront to law abiding commercial fisherman and he now has a federal criminal conviction because of it.”

“Protecting the future of Alaska’s fisheries requires honest fishing practices, promoting fairness and equity for all industry participants. NOAA enforces federal statutes to ensure all participants conduct their business within a level playing field” said Benjamin Cheeseman, Assistant Director of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, Alaska Division. “These sentences ensure lawful stakeholders are given the opportunity to conduct successful business, by sending a powerful message to potential offenders. We remain vigilant in ensuring offenders are deterred, and preserving Alaska’s fisheries for our Nation’s future.”

• Pavlik was charged with four counts of Lacey Act conspiracy, five counts of Lacey Act—unlawful sale, and five counts of Lacey Act—false labeling. He is awaiting the scheduling of his trial.
• Kyle Dierick, 36, of Yakutat, was charged with one count of one count of Lacey Act conspiracy. He is awaiting the scheduling of his trial.
• Michael Babic, 43, of Cordova, was charged with one count of Lacey Act conspiracy. He is awaiting the scheduling of his trial.
• Timothy Ross, 58, of Washington, pleaded guilty to one count of Lacey Act conspiracy on Sept. 8, 2025, and was sentenced to five years’ probation and a $15,000 fine on Dec. 10, 2025.

The NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement Alaska Division is investigating the case, with assistance from the Alaska Wildlife Troopers.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mac Caille Petursson prosecuted the case.

###

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A former Fairbanks teacher was arrested yesterday after a federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging him with sexually exploiting a child to produce and possess child sexual abuse materials (CSAM).

According to court documents, beginning on an unknown date and continuing until Aug. 25, 2023, Skyler Evans, 34, coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct with the intention of producing visuals of that conduct. The indictment also alleges that beginning on an unknown date and continuing until March 25, 2025, Evans possessed and attempted to possess CSAM.

Evans is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a child – production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. The defendant is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on May 4, 2026, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, he faces between 15 and 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Anchorage Field Office is investigating the case, with assistance from the Fairbanks Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Vosacek 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 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 Justice.gov/PSC.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Savoonga woman was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison for trafficking large amounts of illegal drugs into her small community on behalf of a drug trafficking organization allegedly run by a California inmate.

According to court documents, in December 2022, law enforcement officials identified a suspicious parcel addressed to Michelle Pungowiyi, 51, at a P.O. Box in Savoonga, a rural Alaska community with a population of around 835 people, located on St. Lawrence Island. Law enforcement officials, armed with a federal search warrant, opened the parcel and found over 3,000 illicit fentanyl pills.

A few weeks later, law enforcement officials identified another suspicious parcel addressed to Pungowiyi at the same P.O. Box. Law enforcement officials executed another federal search warrant and found over 4,000 illicit fentanyl pills.

In February 2023, law enforcement officials learned of a third parcel addressed to Pungowiyi at the same P.O. Box, but they were unable to stop the parcel in time, and it was delivered on Feb. 13.

Investigators determined that Pungowiyi was in contact with the alleged ringleader of the organization. Text messages between Pungowiyi and the alleged ringleader documented that the first two packages containing drugs never reached their Savoonga destination.

“Ms. Pungowiyi tried to traffic over 7,000 illegal fentanyl pills into the small community of Savoonga, enough to potentially kill the entire village population eight times over,” said U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon. “Her role in this drug trafficking organization shows that suppliers and dealers will stop at nothing to exploit Alaskans, no matter where they are located. Thanks to the incredible law enforcement and prosecutorial work, we are taking drug traffickers out of the pipeline one after another.”

“Ms. Pungowiyi trafficked deadly fentanyl into her own remote Alaskan village targeting her vulnerable community with enough poison to kill them all,” said Robert A. Saccone, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “Through Fentanyl Free America, DEA is working alongside our partners to disrupt the criminal networks responsible for flooding communities with deadly drugs and to hold accountable those who profit from dealing in death. We will continue to pursue traffickers at every level and use every available tool to protect the American people from this unprecedented threat.”  

“The distribution and use of illegal and dangerous narcotics have no place in the U.S. Postal Service and the State of Alaska. The conviction of Pungowiyi removes a plague from their community and a dangerous criminal,” said Inspector in Charge Anthony Galetti of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Seattle Division. “Every day, Postal Inspectors here in Alaska work with our law enforcement partners to do everything we can to identify those responsible for using the U.S. Mail to transport illegal and dangerous narcotics and we thank them for their support and efforts in this investigation.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska has been recused from this case expect for certain personnel. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven D. Clymer from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York has been appointed as Special Attorney to the United States Attorney General to assist with this and other recused cases.  He reports to and acts under the direction of the Deputy Attorney General, or his delegee, or U.S. Attorney Bradford in these cases. Special Attorney Clymer supervises personnel from the District of Alaska who have been exempted from the recusal.

The Drug Enforcement Administration Seattle Field Division Office and Anchorage District Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Seattle Division and Anchorage Domicile, and Alaska State Troopers investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Schroeder prosecuted the case.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man was sentenced yesterday to seven years in prison for robbing two banks last year.

According to court documents, on Sept. 16, 2025, Ezekiel Thomas, 38, was released on bail in several pending state cases, including a bank robbery in Bethel.

In the afternoon of Sept. 18, a man entered a bank in Anchorage and gave a demand note to a bank employee. The note implied people would be hurt if the employee did not provide money. The employee gave him $590, and the man left the bank.

The next day, agents with the FBI Anchorage Field Office received a call from the Palmer Police Department regarding a robbery at a bank in Palmer. Officers detained the bank robber and believed he was the same subject from the Anchorage bank robbery that occurred a day prior. Law enforcement identified the subject as Thomas.

According to court documents, the day of the robbery, Thomas entered the Palmer bank and gave an intimidating note to a bank employee. The employee gave Thomas roughly $2,270 and he left the bank before being detained by Palmer law enforcement.

“Mr. Thomas is a career criminal that chose to brazenly rob two banks while out on state bail over a span of 24-hours,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Thank you to Palmer Police Department for their swift response that resulted in Mr. Thomas’ arrest, and to the FBI for their diligent investigation that brought this reoffender to justice.”

“Spanning multiple communities in Alaska, Mr. Thomas carried out these bank robberies while he was already on state probation for a prior bank robbery conviction. His crimes demonstrate a blatant disregard for the law and for the safety of others,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Following a collaborative investigation with local law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, this sentence reflects our shared commitment to public safety and holding repeat offenders like Mr. Thomas accountable.”

The FBI Anchorage Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from Palmer Police Department and the Anchorage Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Bradley prosecuted the case.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison for committing drug trafficking and firearms crimes while on pretrial release in multiple state cases.

According to court documents, in 2013, Paul Baldwin Jr., 35, was convicted of a federal drug trafficking crime and sentenced to seven years in prison. Baldwin was released from federal prison in 2019 and placed on supervision. His supervision was terminated in December 2021. Within months of termination, he was trafficking drugs again.

In September 2022, Anchorage Police Officers responded to a residence for a call. Upon arrival, officers saw Baldwin walking back and forth between the residence and a vehicle in the driveway. When officers pulled in the driveway, Baldwin fled on foot.

Officers searched the vehicle in the driveway and discovered a pistol, over 80 grams of illegal fentanyl pills and over $16,000 in cash. At the time of the search, Baldwin was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms.

Roughly a week later, officers arrested Baldwin at an apartment in Anchorage. At the time of the arrest, officers observed Baldwin attempting to flush nearly 200 grams of heroin down the toilet. He was also in possession of another pistol and officers found over $1,000 in cash and illicit fentanyl pills in his pockets as well as illegal fentanyl pills and over $420 in cash inside Baldwin’s backpack. Officers later recovered an additional 44 grams of illegal fentanyl pills hidden on his person.

In March 2023, law enforcement attempted to stop a vehicle that Baldwin was driving in Fairbanks, but Baldwin fled at a high rate of speed before losing control and hitting a snow berm. Officers searched Baldwin’s person and discovered over 14 grams of illegal fentanyl pills, over $5,600 in cash and key cards for a room at a local hotel. Law enforcement officers searched the hotel room at the local hotel and found over 290 grams of illegal drugs, $2,450 in cash and a lump of suspected gold.

Following his arrest, Baldwin made multiple recorded phone calls from jail to another person asking them to look for something at a residence. Law enforcement recovered roughly 198 grams of illegal fentanyl pills and 145 grams of heroin.

In January 2023, Baldwin was indicted by a federal grand jury with being a felon in possessing of a firearm. In May 2023, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment adding three additional charges, including two counts of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute. In August 2024, while he was pending trial in this federal case, Baldwin was released for a period of one day to attend a relative’s funeral and failed to return to jail. He was arrested roughly two months later.

On Jan. 8, 2026, Baldwin pleaded guilty to one count of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms.

“Mr. Baldwin is an armed drug trafficker that has, over and over, endangered our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Dangerous repeat offenders will not be tolerated. Our law enforcement partners are working diligently every day to hold habitual offenders, like Mr. Baldwin, accountable and taking them off the streets.”

“Mr. Baldwin engaged in drug trafficking while illegally carrying a firearm as a convicted felon – a combination that put innocent lives at risk in our community,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Protecting our communities from drug trafficking and violence remains a top priority for the FBI. We will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to disrupt these activities and keep our neighborhoods safe.”

The FBI Anchorage Field Office and the Anchorage Police Department investigated this case as part of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force. Additional assistance was provided by the Alaska State Troopers as part of the Fairbanks Areawide Narcotics Team (FANT) and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Miller prosecuted the case.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The U.S. Justice Department today announced court-authorized actions taken to disrupt some of the world’s leading Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Internet of Things (IoT) botnet services.

U.S. authorities continue to focus resources on charging DDoS botnet administrators and seizing infrastructure, like websites, that allow paying users to launch powerful DDoS attacks. These attacks flood targeted computers and servers with information to prevent them from being able to access the internet. In recent years, DDoS, aka “booter,” services have continued to proliferate as they offer a low barrier to entry for users looking to engage in cybercriminal activity.

DDoS services, such as those named in this action, allegedly attacked a wide array of victims in the United States and abroad, including schools, government agencies, gaming platforms, critical infrastructure, including Department of War resources, and millions of people. In addition to affecting targeted victims, these attacks can significantly degrade internet services and completely disrupt internet connections.

In the District of Alaska, U.S. authorities seized services associated with eight DDoS-for-hire domains, including “Vac Stresser” and “Mythical Stress,” which both purport to launch tens of thousands of DDoS attacks per day. The District of Alaska also conducted searches of DDoS-for-hire backend servers. 

Today’s announcement builds on the success of the prior cases by targeting known DDoS sites, shutting down large numbers of them simultaneously, and undertaking a public education campaign. In the last four years, more than 11 defendants have been charged in Anchorage and Los Angeles for facilitating DDoS-for-hire services. More than 100 domains associated with such services have been seized.

In conjunction with the website seizures, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Department of War Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and the Netherlands Police have launched an advertising campaign using targeted placement ads in search engines, which are triggered by keywords associated with DDoS activities. The purpose of the ads is to deter potential cybercriminals searching for DDoS services in the United States and around the globe, and to educate the public on the illegality of DDoS activities.

“Criminal DDoS-for-hire services impact internet services for victims across the country, including Alaska,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “This threat highlights the continued need to combat cybercrime services like booter providers. We continue to prioritize addressing these threats through collaborative domestic and international partnerships to safeguard critical internet infrastructure and services for all Americans.”

“Today’s announcement is the result of continued partnership between law enforcement and the private sector, targeting criminal DDoS services that threaten the integrity of the internet,” said Special Agent in Charge Kenneth DeChellis of the DCIS, Cyber Field Office. “DDoS is a clear threat to the Department and will continue to be a target of our investigative efforts.”

For additional information on DDoS services and the harm that they cause, please visit: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/anchorage/fbi-intensify-efforts-to-combat-illegal-ddos-attacks.

This law enforcement action was taken in conjunction with Operation PowerOFF, an ongoing, coordinated effort among international law enforcement agencies aimed at dismantling criminal DDoS-for-hire infrastructures worldwide, and holding accountable the administrators and users of these illegal services. Principal partners in Operation PowerOFF include EUROPOL; the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of Alaska and Central District of California; DCIS; FBI’s Anchorage Field Office; HSI’s Columbus Field Office; the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (ICHIP) attorney advisor, who is based at Eurojust in The Hague; Germany’s Bundeskriminalamt (BKA); Netherlands Police; Polish Central Cybercrime Bureau; Japan’s National Police Agency, France’s Police Nationale, and many others.

Assistance was provided by Akamai, Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare, Digital Ocean, Epieos, Google, Hydrolix, PayPal, Registrar of Last Resort and The ShadowServer Foundation, The University of Cambridge and Unit 221B.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander of the District of Alaska is prosecuting this case.  

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A federal jury convicted an Anchorage man yesterday for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy targeting Alaska.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, James Barber, 44, conspired with the organization’s leader, Aaron Washington, 59, and multiple other people, who have already pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, to import drugs, mainly fentanyl, from Phoenix and Seattle and distribute the drugs in Alaska.

Evidence presented at trial showed that between November 2024 and March 2025, Barber regularly went to the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to pick up luggage containing one to two kilograms of fentanyl on behalf of the drug trafficking conspiracy.

On one occasion, Washington flew from Anchorage to Phoenix on Nov. 14, 2024, to purchase fentanyl from a codefendant. Washington flew back to Anchorage on Nov. 18. Surveillance video showed Washington bypassing the luggage carousel and heading for the taxi line, while Barber picked up a checked suitcase and left separately.

On another occasion later that month, Washington again flew to Phoenix and returned with two kilograms of fentanyl purchased from a co-conspirator. Law enforcement seized the fentanyl pursuant to a search warrant at the airport. Texts between Washington and Barber indicated that Barber was planning to pick up the luggage at the airport but failed to do so. Washington took the bag and took a taxi home.

Law enforcement recorded at least seven other trips with similar circumstances to both November incidents. At the time of these offenses, Barber was released on pretrial supervision in a prior federal criminal case.

The jury found Barber guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and one count of attempted possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. The jury also found Barber guilty of an enhancement because he committed the crimes while he was on federal supervised release for a separate criminal matter. Barber faces a sentence of 10 years to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Co-defendants in this case are as follows:

• Washington, of Anchorage, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances on Feb. 17, 2026, and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 28, 2026.
• Charlotte Hill, 55, of Anchorage, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances on Feb. 6, 2026, and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16, 2026.
• Erika Willers, 28, of Tukwila, Washington, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances on Feb. 5, 2026, and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10, 2026.
• Glenn Cooper, 44, of Anchorage, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances on March 27, 2026, and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10, 2026.
• Kenneth Degroff, 38, of Anchorage, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances on Feb. 5, 2026, and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10, 2026.
• Afshin Manzar, 46, of Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances on Dec. 17, 2025, and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 11, 2026.

U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brandon Waddle of the FBI Anchorage Field Office.

The FBI Anchorage Field Office investigated this case, with assistance from the Alaska State Troopers and Anchorage Police Department as part of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, and from the Mat-Su High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) team. Additional assistance was provided by the Airport HIDTA team and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tom Bradley and Alana Weber are prosecuting the case.

###

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – An Utqiagvik man was sentenced last Friday to 18 years in prison for sexually exploiting minor victims to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court documents, in August 2024, the FBI received an anonymous tip suggesting that Donovan Nungasak, 32, had CSAM on his phone. The tip prompted an investigation that revealed Nungasak was corresponding with at least one underage victim for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Nungasak sent photos of his genitalia to the minor victim and possessed multiple sexually explicit photos of her.

After Nungasak was indicted in May 2025, two additional victims came forward. One minor victim reported that Nungasak began communicating with her when she was roughly 15 years old. He sent her messages on Instagram and Snapchat and requested nude images of her. The minor victim would send nude images and Nungasak would send money via an online money transferring service.

The third minor victim began receiving messages from Nungasak on Facebook Messenger and Snapchat when she was in high school. Nungasak requested sexually explicit images of her and sent her photographs of his genitalia. The third minor victim blocked Nungasak and did not send any sexually explicit images.

Throughout the investigation, law enforcement found 41 images of CSAM on Nungasak’s phone, some depicting prepubescent females. Law enforcement also spoke to a witness that came forward after Nungasak had told the witness that he liked younger girls because he could “groom” them to his liking.

Nungasak was arrested at his residence in Utqiagvik on April 28, 2025, and a grand jury returned an indictment charging him with child exploitation offenses on May 21, 2025. Nungasak pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography on Oct. 30, 2025. In handing down the sentence, the Court ordered Nungasak to serve 20 years on supervised release upon completing his custodial sentence.

“Mr. Nungasak targeted young females because he liked to control and exploit their perceived vulnerabilities and then lied about his conduct when confronted on multiple levels” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “His sick torment is over thanks to the actions of law enforcement, our attorneys and the victims and witnesses that came forward during the investigation. He will now spend nearly two decades behind bars.”

“There is no greater priority than safeguarding our children from predators like Nungasak, whose disturbing pattern of conduct involved grooming minors for CSAM in his own local community,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Brandon Waddle of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “The FBI and our partners are steadfast in our commitment to identify, investigate, and hold accountable any individual that seeks to harm our most vulnerable.”

The FBI Anchorage Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the North Slope Borough Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Vosacek prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 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 Justice.gov/PSC.

###

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A Fort Wainwright soldier was sentenced today to 32 years in prison for possessing thousands of images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and for producing CSAM.

According to court documents, on Sept. 11, 2024, the Fort Eustis Resident Unit of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (Army CID) received a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) cybertip reporting that five images of alleged CSAM were uploaded to the online platform, Discord. Fort Eustis Army CID reviewed the images and determined they depicted CSAM of prepubescent female children.

A subsequent investigation resulted in law enforcement executing search warrants in October 2024 for the residence of David Andres Mayoral, 21, his electronic devices and his Discord account.

A review and forensic examination of Mayoral’s account and electronic devices revealed over 2,500 images and over 680 videos of CSAM, and an additional 1,000 computer generated/artificial intelligence images depicting CSAM. Some images depicted the violent rape of children.

Court documents detail conversations Mayoral had with numerous adults and minors across several social media platforms where he discussed distribution and receipt of CSAM, rape, descriptions of sexual acts, violence and other sadistic behavior, including encouraging self-mutilation and attempting to obtain location information for victims so he could “kidnap” them. Mayoral also admitted to sexually abusing a nine-year-old victim.

Mayoral was arrested on Fort Wainwright on March 13, 2025, and a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with three counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography on March 20, 2025. Mayoral pleaded guilty to all four charges on Aug. 15, 2025.

Mayoral is required to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following completion of his custodial sentence. In handing down the sentence, the Court emphasized the need to protect children from the defendant’s unrelenting abuse.

“Mr. Mayoral hid behind the perceived anonymity of the internet and exploited children for his own sick desires,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “He was unable to hide from the dedicated law enforcement that ultimately uncovered his perversions. He will now spend over three decades behind bars.”

“Mayoral’s predatory crimes against children, both online and offline, were depraved and an affront to our society,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Brandon Waddle of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Protecting our children is one of the highest callings in law enforcement. I commend the outstanding work by members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force in their commitment to holding child predators accountable and seeking justice for victims.”

“Mayoral betrayed the Army’s core values by preying upon and exploiting our most precious and vulnerable,” said Special Agent in Charge Michele Starostka, Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, Western Field Office.  “This sentencing is a result of Army CID’s relentless commitment to protecting our communities from child predators.”

FBI Anchorage Field Office and Army CID investigated the case as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Vosacek prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 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 Justice.gov/PSC.

###

JUNEAU, Alaska – Following a five-day trial, a federal jury convicted a Washington man today of distributing fentanyl pills that resulted in the overdose death of two men in Skagway.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between Jan. 1 to 13, 2023, Jacob Cotton, 34, of Spokane, Washington, agreed to sell and mail approximately 150 fentanyl pills to an individual for distribution in Skagway. The object of the conspiracy was to have Cotton buy fentanyl in Spokane for a cheaper price, ship it to Alaska and then charge a premium price for purchase in Skagway. Cotton and the individual agreed to split any distribution proceeds.

At the time of the agreement, Skagway was “dry,” meaning there was no fentanyl available in the community.

On Jan. 9, Cotton shipped a parcel containing the pills from Spokane to the individual in Skagway via the U.S. Postal Service. The parcel was delivered sometime between Jan. 11 and 12. On Jan. 12, the individual contacted multiple people indicating the pills were available for purchase, and sold pills to multiple people, including a 44-year-old man.

On Jan. 13, around 11:30 p.m., the individual selling the pills was found unresponsive on his bathroom floor and later declared decease after attempts to revive him. This victim was 28 years old at the time of his death. On Jan. 14, around 4:30 pm., the 44-year-old man was found dead in his bedroom. The State of Alaska Medical Examiner’s Office later determined both victims died from acute toxic effects of fentanyl.

On Jan. 15, law enforcement searched the 28-year-old victim’s residence and recovered a plastic bag with 62 fentanyl pills hidden in a computer tower.

During trial, prosecutors presented evidence of records confirming Cotton’s shipment of drugs, digital messages and other forms of payment connected to the illegal drug sales.

Cotton was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl resulting in death and one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death. The federal jury also found Cotton guilty of a “death resulting” enhancement for both victims, which required proof that the fentanyl pills Cotton distributed were the cause of each victim’s death. A sentencing hearing will be set for a later date. Cotton faces between 20 years and life in prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska, Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Saccone of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Seattle Field Division and Skagway Police Chief Jerry Reddick made the announcement. 

The DEA Seattle Field Division and Anchorage District Office, and Skagway Police Department, as part of the Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs Task Force (SEACAD), investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jack Schmidt and Carly Vosacek are 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 drug trafficking and violent crime.

###

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The U.S. Justice Department participated in a court-authorized law enforcement operation today to disrupt Command and Control (C2) infrastructure used by the Aisuru, KimWolf, JackSkid and Mossad Internet of Things (IoT) botnets.

The operation was conducted simultaneously to law enforcement actions conducted in Canada and Germany, which targeted individuals who operated these botnets. The four botnets launched Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks targeting victims around the world. Some of these attacks measured approximately 30 Terabits per second, which were record-breaking attacks.

During the operation, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s (DoDIG) Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) executed seizure warrants which targeted multiple U.S.-registered internet domains, virtual servers, and other infrastructure allegedly engaged in cyber-enabled criminal activity, including DDoS attacks against IP’s owned by the Department of Defense Information Network (DoDIN).

According to court documents, the four botnets targeted in the operation together infected millions of devices worldwide. The majority of these devices were IoT devices, such as digital video recorders, web cameras, or WiFi routers. The KimWolf and JackSkid botnets are accused of targeting and infecting devices which are traditionally “firewalled” from the rest of the internet.  The infected devices were enslaved by the botnet operators. The operators then used a “cybercrime as a service” model to sell access to the infected devices to other cyber criminals. The operators and their customers forced the victim devices to participate in hundreds of thousands of DDoS attacks, targeting computers and servers located throughout the world. As of March 2026, the number of infected devices hijacked worldwide by the botnet administrators exceeded three million, with hundreds of thousands of infected devices located in the United States.

Some victims reported the DDoS attacks resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in losses and remediation expenses. Cybercriminals used these botnets to launch hundreds of thousands of attacks, in some cases demanding extortion payments from victims. Court documents allege that the Aisuru botnet issued more than 200,000 DDoS attack commands, the KimWolf botnet issued more than 25,000 DDoS attack commands, the JackSkid botnet launched more than 90,000 DDoS attack commands and the Mossad botnet launched more than 1,000 DDoS attack commands.

This operation, in coordination with other international law enforcement actions, is intended to disrupt communications associated with the Aisuru, KimWolf, JackSkid, and Mossad botnets, preventing further infection to victim devices and limiting or eliminating the ability of the botnets to launch future attacks.

“Today, the United States joined international law enforcement partners in coordinated enforcement actions to disrupt DDoS threats impacting Alaskans and victims around the world,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Effective collaboration bolsters our collective ability to combat emerging threats. The United States is steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding critical internet infrastructure and fighting the cybercriminals who jeopardize its security, wherever they might live.”

“Today’s disruption of four powerful botnets highlights our commitment to eliminate emerging cyber threats to the Department of Defense and its warfighters,” said Special Agent in Charge Kenneth DeChellis of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Cyber Field Office.  “Cybercriminals infiltrate infrastructure beyond physical borders and DCIS participates in international operations to help safeguard the Department’s global footprint. Collaboration among law enforcement and industry partners has proven vital to this success.”

“By working closely with DCIS and our international law enforcement partners, we collectively identified and disrupted criminal infrastructure used to carry out large-scale DDoS attacks,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “This operation reflects the strength of that collaboration and our shared commitment to combatting cybercrime and protecting victims worldwide.”

DoDIG DCIS is investigating the case, with assistance from the FBI Anchorage Field Office.

Law enforcement agencies from Canada and Germany conducted their own operations targeting botnet administrators and botnet infrastructure. International partners include:

• Germany: Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) Cyber and Public Prosecutor’s Office in Cologne (ZAC NRW)
• Canada: Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Sûreté du Québec (SQ)

Additionally, the U.S. Justice Department thanks Akamai, Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare, DigitalOcean, Epieos, Google, Hydrolix, Lumen, Nokia, Okta, Oracle, PayPal, Registrar of Last Resort, The Shadowserver Foundation, Sony Interactive Entertainment, SpyCloud, Synthient, Team Cymru, Unit 221B, XLAB and Netherlands Politie and EUROPOL’s PowerOFF team for their assistance provided during this investigation and operation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska Adam Alexander is prosecuting this matter.

If anyone has information on the alleged threats or other DDoS threats, please contact U.S. authorities at DCIS-PowerOff@DoDIG.mil.

###

An Anchorage doctor was sentenced yesterday to six and a half years in prison and three years of supervised release for executing a $12.5 million health care fraud scheme and evading over $4 million in taxes on the profits of that 15-year scheme. Her husband and co-defendant was sentenced to three years of probation, with two years to be served in home confinement.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Dr. Claribel Tan, 61, and her husband, Daniel Tan, 70, operated a rheumatology medical clinic in Anchorage starting in 2005. Claribel Tan specialized in the treatment of autoimmune and musculoskeletal diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and psoriatic arthritis, and she prescribed injectable medications to treat those conditions. Although these conditions are often chronic, degenerative and irreversible, certain medicines can slow down or arrest their progression. Daniel Tan assisted as an officer manager at the clinic.

Beginning in 2009 and continuing through 2024, the Tans deceived patients about the medications Claribel Tan administered through injections and then fraudulently billed health insurance plans for reimbursement of medications that the Tans did not purchase. Claribel Tan routinely and surreptitiously injected patients with free samples, expired medications and medications other than those prescribed. The Tans then knowingly billed insurance plans as if she had provided a proper injection to each patient. Specifically, the Tans claimed to have administered 4,829 units of the medications to patients, and billed the insurance plans for that amount, despite only purchasing 369 units of medication.

Daniel Tan helped execute the scheme by ordering insufficient medication for the clinic and creating and submitting fraudulent insurance claims. The Tans also made false statements about the length of Claribel Tan’s office visits with her patients and submitted fraudulent claims to insurance plans for services she never provided. In addition to creating significant health risks for the patients, the Tans’ fraud scheme caused a loss of over $12.5 to more than 10 insurance plans.

The Tans also filed false tax returns to conceal their fraud. Knowing full well the clinic had not purchased the quantity of medications for which they billed insurance plans, they fraudulently overstated the clinic’s expenses on its tax returns for 2014, 2015 and 2017, which allowed them to underreport the clinic’s total income during those years. And from 2018 to 2021, the Tans willfully failed to file tax returns for the clinic. The Tans’ tax fraud scheme caused a total loss to the IRS of more than $4.2 million.

In July 2019, federal law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on the clinic, which uncovered stockpiles of expired medications prescribed to patients for at-home use, free samples clearly marked as not-for-sale and improperly stored and reconstituted syringes of medications. Some of the expired medications, pictured below, were improperly intermingled with other medication stored at the clinic. 

Following the search warrant, the Tans temporarily began purchasing the medications for which they billed insurance companies. In 2021, however, they reverted to their fraudulent billing practices and once again failed to actually purchase the medications they claimed to administer. They persisted in the scheme until they were indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2024.

In November 2025, the Tans both pleaded guilty in the District of Alaska to one count of health care fraud and one count of tax evasion.

In 2024 and 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office seized approximately $10.4 million in health care fraud proceeds from the Tans. As part of their plea agreements, the Tans agreed to forfeit the seized funds to the U.S. The Tans also submitted a $6.3 million payment towards their future restitution judgment. A district judge will schedule a separate hearing to determine restitution. The Tans also paid approximately $1.8 million to the United States to settle civil claims under the False Claims Act arising from the health care fraud scheme. Claribel Tan also has surrendered her medical license.

More information about the case is available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ak/united-states-v-tan-et-al. Victims who believe they may be entitled to restitution can email usaak.victim.witness@usdoj.gov for more information.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska made the announcement.

Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI, Defense Contract Audit Agency, Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Criminal Investigations Division, Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, Office of Personnel Management Office of the Inspector General, and State of Alaska Division of Insurance Investigation Unit investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Dominick Giovanniello of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth Beausang of the District of Alaska prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jackie Traini of the District of Alaska led the civil fraud investigation.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage doctor was sentenced today to six and a half years in prison for executing a $12.5 million health care fraud scheme and evading over $4 million in taxes on the profits of their 15-year scheme. Her husband and co-defendant was sentenced to three years’ probation, with two years to be served in home confinement for his role in the fraudulent scheme.

According to court documents, since 2005, Dr. Claribel Tan, 61, and her husband, Daniel Tan, 70, operated a rheumatology medical clinic in Anchorage. Dr. Tan specialized in the treatment of autoimmune and musculoskeletal diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and psoriatic arthritis, and prescribed injectable medications to treat those conditions. These conditions are often chronic, degenerative and irreversible, but certain medicines can slow or arrest the progression of such diseases. Mr. Tan performed office and management work for the clinic. As part of their scheme, the Tans deceived their patients about the kinds and doses of medications Dr. Tan administered through injections in the office, and fraudulently billed health insurance plans for reimbursement of medications that the Tans did not purchase or administer to patients.

Beginning in 2009 and continuing through 2024, Dr. Tan routinely and surreptitiously underdosed patients, injected them with free samples or a different medication than prescribed, injected them with expired medication, and injected them with medications purchased by other patients. Covert video recordings of Dr. Tan treating two of her patients confirmed her deceit.

The Tans then knowingly billed insurance plans as if Dr. Tan had provided a proper injection to each patient. Specifically, the Tans claimed to have administered 4,829 units of the medications to patients, and billed the insurance plans for that amount, despite only purchasing 369 units of medication.

Mr. Tan helped execute the scheme in part by creating and submitting fraudulent insurance claims and ordering insufficient medication for the clinic. The Tans also made false statements about the length of Dr. Tan’s office visits with her patients and submitted fraudulent claims to insurance plans for services that Dr. Tan never provided. The Tans’ fraud scheme created significant health risks to the patients and caused a loss of over $12.5 to more than 10 insurance plans.

In July 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant on the clinic, uncovering stockpiles of expired medications prescribed to patients for at-home use, free samples clearly marked as not for sale, and improperly stored and reconstituted syringes of medications. Some of the expired medications, pictured below, were intermingled with other medication stored at the clinic. 

Following the search warrant execution, the Tans appeared to temporarily begin purchasing all the medications they billed insurance companies for. In 2021, they reverted to fraudulent billing practices, continuing the scheme until they were indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2024.

The Tans also created false tax records to conceal the health care fraud scheme. The Tans knew that the clinic had not purchased the quantity of medications that they billed insurance plans for, and they fraudulently overstated the clinic’s expenses on the clinic’s tax returns for 2014, 2015, and 2017, allowing them to falsely underreport the clinic’s income. From 2018 to 2021, the Tans willfully failed to file tax returns for the clinic. The Tans’ tax fraud scheme caused a loss of over $4.2 million to the IRS.

In November 2025, the Tans both pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud and one count of tax evasion.

In 2024 and 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office seized approximately $10.4 million in health care fraud proceeds from the Tans. At sentencing, the Court ordered Dr. Tan to serve three years on supervised release following the completion of her custodial sentence, as well as the scheduling of a separate hearing to determine restitution. As part of their plea agreements, the Tans agreed to forfeit the seized funds to the U.S. The Tans also submitted today a $6.3 million payment towards their future restitution judgment. The Tans further paid the U.S. an additional $1.8 million to settle civil claims under the False Claims Act arising from the health care fraud scheme. Dr. Tan has also surrendered her medical license.

More information about the case is available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ak/united-states-v-tan-et-al. Victims who believe they may be entitled to restitution can email usaak.victim.witness@usdoj.gov for more information.

“For well over a decade, Dr. Tan and her husband operated a fraud scheme and squirreled away millions of dollars at the expense of their patients, callously disregarding the medical needs of those suffering from debilitating diseases so they could become rich,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Finally, their dangerous deceit is over. Law enforcement seized their fraudulent retirement plan, and Dr. Tan will be spending years in federal prison.  I want to thank our attorneys and incredible law enforcement partners for diligently seeking justice in this case.”

“For over 15 years, the Tans deceived unsuspecting patients seeking treatment for debilitating diseases while exploiting the TRICARE program for personal gain,” said John Helsing, Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s Western Field Office. “As the investigative arm of the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General, DCIS remains fully committed to holding accountable those who defraud TRICARE and endanger our nation’s warfighters, retirees, and their family members who rely on this program for care.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Tan didn’t just steal from the government or the healthcare system; they let their patients suffer from treatable diseases for financial gain,” said Carrie Nordyke, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle Field Office. “This ruling speaks to the human cost of fraud and our duty to hold criminals accountable for it.”

The DCIS Western Field Office and IRS Criminal Investigation Seattle Division led the investigation, with assistance from the FBI Anchorage Field Office, Defense Contract Audit Agency, Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Criminal Investigations Division, Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, Office of Personnel Management Office of the Inspector General and State of Alaska Division of Insurance Investigation Unit.

Trial Attorney Dominick Giovanniello of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth Beausang and Bill Reed of the District of Alaska prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jackie Traini of the District of Alaska led the civil fraud investigation.

UPDATE: This release has been updated to include OPM OIG as an investigating agency. 

###