District of Connecticut

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that HARRY WHITLEY, 23, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 60 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release, for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 4, 2024, Whitley, who had an active state arrest warrant and was on probation, was observed participating in a suspected drug transaction in New Haven.  He was arrested a short time later in Waterbury.  At the time of his arrest, Whitley possessed fentanyl, cocaine, and oxycodone; a Glock 17 9mm semiautomatic pistol with an extended magazine; and a Glock-style machine gun conversion device, commonly referred to as a “Glock switch.”

Whitley’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for firearm possession and larceny offenses.

Whitley has been detained since his arrest.  He pleaded guilty to the offense on March 19, 2026.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the New Haven Police Department, and the Connecticut State Police.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Lembo and Nathan Guevremont.

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.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the FBI, announced that ARNALDO PEREZ-RIOS, 28, of New Britain, pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to a cocaine trafficking offense.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in May 2025, members of the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and New Britain Police Department made controlled purchases of fentanyl from Perez-Rios.  Investigators also learned that Perez-Rios was using a storage unit at a storage facility on West Main Street in New Britain as part of his narcotics trafficking activity.  On July 24, 2025, a court authorized search of the storage unit revealed approximately 770 grams of cocaine and items used to package narcotics.

Perez-Rios was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on August 11, 2025.

Perez-Rios pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years.  He is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for September 1.

This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, which includes members from the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, and the East Hartford, Hartford, New Britain, West Hartford, Wethersfield, and Newington Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reed Durham and Natasha Freismuth.

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.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SAIF FAIQ, 22, of St. Louis, Missouri, pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to an offense related to his involvement in an attempted robbery of Bitcoin and a kidnapping in Danbury in August 2024.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 25, 2024, Danbury Police arrested six Florida men who were involved in a violent carjacking of a Lamborghini Urus and the kidnapping of two occupants of the vehicle on that date.  The investigation revealed that the kidnapping victims are the parents of an individual who participated in the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin.  In an attempt to steal some of that Bitcoin, Faiq and others planned and coordinated the attempted robbery and ultimately the kidnapping.  Faiq’s alleged co-coconspirator, who had an altercation with the victims’ son in a Miami nightclub in July 2024, was in regular communication with certain of the kidnappers in the days before the crime, provided funding for it, and helped arrange the participants’ transportation and lodging.  Faiq’s brother, Adam Iza, communicated via cellphone and encrypted messaging applications with certain of the kidnappers, directed them as to the logistics of the scheme, and also provided funding.  Faiq recruited participants for the crime, traveled to Connecticut for the planned home invasion and kidnapping, coordinated with Iza, and helped conduct surveillance on the victims.

Faiq pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (“Hobbs Act Robbery”), an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.  He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 28.

Faiq has been detained since his arrest on November 12, 2025. 

Iza pleaded guilty to the same offense on June 1, 2026, and is detained while awaiting sentencing.

Six other individuals were charged with offenses related to the carjacking and kidnapping.  All have pleaded guilty.

This matter is being investigated by the FBI New Haven Violent Crimes Task Force, FBI Los Angeles, FBI St. Louis, and the Danbury Police Department.  The FBI Task Force includes members from the Connecticut State Police and several local police departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen L. Peck and Daniel George.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Central District of California, the Eastern District of Missouri, the District of Columbia, and the District of New Jersey, and the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of Danbury, for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution of this matter.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that PAMELA AGUILAR, 65, of Shelton, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to an offense stemming from her embezzlement of more than $739,000 from a Connecticut company.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Aguilar was employed as Chief Financial Officer of a Danbury-based software company, identified in court documents as “Company A.”  Between approximately 2018 and 2025, Aguilar defrauded Company A by making ACH and wire transfers from Company A’s account to personal bank accounts, writing checks and making cash withdrawals from Company A’s account, and by making PayPal and credit card payments from Company A’s account for her own benefit. 

Through this scheme, Aguilar stole more than $739,466.44 from Company A.  She attempted to cover up her criminal behavior by providing false weekly cash reports and false monthly financial statements to Company A’s Chief Executive Officer.

Aguilar pleaded guilty to wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

Aguilar is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for August 27.

This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Brian C. Gallagher, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General, Northeastern Region, and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned a 10-count indictment charging MICHAEL SALVAGGI, 61, of Seymour, with offenses related to his alleged defrauding wholesale food companies of hundreds of thousands dollars.

The indictment was returned on May 28, 2026.  Salvaggi has been detained since March 7, 2026, when he was arrested in St. John’s County, Florida, pursuant to related state charges in Pennsylvania.  He is scheduled to be arraigned in New Haven on June 18.

As alleged in court documents, Salvaggi, representing that he owned trucking and wholesale food businesses in various names, including “A.J. Produce LLC,” “Express Transportation,” “Salvaggi Brothers Trucking,” and “Express Fresh Produce & Dairy,” contacted wholesale food suppliers in Connecticut and elsewhere and arranged to purchase quantities of food on credit or payment on delivery or pickup.  After the suppliers provided him with food, he paid them with fraudulent checks.  Numerous wholesale food companies suffered total losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars are a result of this scheme.

The indictment charges Salvaggi with eight counts of wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count, one count of mail fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of interstate transport of property taken by fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel J. Gentile.

Investigators are seeking to identify victims of this alleged fraud scheme.  Victims and individuals with information that may be helpful to the investigation are encouraged to complete and submit the form at this link.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that BILLIE CONLEY JR., 46, formerly of Shelton, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to a fraud offense stemming from a computer intrusion scheme.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Conley owned and operated Ridgefield Tech, LLC, through which he offered information technology consulting services.  In approximately September 2023, the owner (“Individual-A”) of a funeral services business (“Company-A”) hired Conley to assist her with setting up a computer network and video surveillance system for Company-A.  When Conley installed Company-A’s computer network, he also installed, without authorization, software that permitted him to remotely access the network.

Shortly after Conley installed the computer network, Company-A began experiencing a variety of service issues that required Individual-A to contract with Conley to resolve for a fee.  Conley offered Individual-A an “IT Service Agreement” that would allow Ridgefield Tech to provide computer services to Company-A on a monthly basis beginning in February 2024 in lieu of a “pay per service call” type of service, but Individual-A declined the service contract.  Between January and September 2024, Conley remotely disabled Company-A’s computer network on 21 separate days, which resulted in Company-A being unable to conduct business on those days.

In August 2024, Individual-A hired another company (“Company-B”) to resolve Company-A’s computer network issues.  Company-B was unable to regain control over much of the network infrastructure that Conley had installed, and Individual-A paid Company-B for labor and replacement equipment to recover the computer network.

The investigation also revealed that, between June and August 2024, Conley unlawfully used Company-A’s bank account to make approximately $9,070 in payments to companies he and Ridgefield Tech owed money.

Conley pleaded guilty to wire fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.  He also has agreed to pay restitution.

Conley has been detained in state custody on unrelated charges since December 2, 2024.  A sentencing date is not scheduled.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, today announced that THOMAS WALKER, 63, of Ridgefield, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to willful failure to account for and pay over employment taxes.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Walker owned and operated New England Country Day School (“NECDS”), a daycare and preschool located in Danbury.  Walker knew that he had a legal duty to collect and account for income taxes that were owed by the employees of the NECDS, and to pay over those withholdings to the Internal Revenue Service on a quarterly basis, along with the employees’ share of Social Security and Medicare taxes.  Beginning at least as early as 2018 through 2024, Walker failed to file the required employment tax forms and willfully failed to make most of the related payments of withholding taxes on behalf of NECDS, resulting in a tax loss of approximately $639,158 to the IRS.

The charge of willful failure to account for and pay over taxes carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.  Walker is released pending sentencing, which is scheduled for August 31.

This matter is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie T. Levick.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ERIC RIETTIE, also known as “Gambino” and “Lil E,” 27, of Stamford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 46 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for his involvement in a southwestern Connecticut narcotics trafficking ring.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2022, the FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, which was investigating gang activity in the South End and West Side of Bridgeport, identified Christian Pichardo as a supplier of various narcotics to gang members and other drug distributors.  During the investigation, investigators intercepted calls and text messages over court-authorized wiretaps between Pichardo and his associates, made controlled purchases of narcotics, and seized drugs from members of the conspiracy and their drug customers.  Some of the drugs seized during the investigation had been cut with fentanyl analogues, nitazines, and xylazine.  Nitazines are synthetic opioids stronger than fentanyl, and xylazine is a large animal tranquilizer.

Pichardo supplied fentanyl and crack cocaine to Riettie, which Riettie sold to his own customers.  Riettie sometimes supplied distribution quantities of narcotic pills to Pichardo.

Riettie was arrested on August 6, 2024.  On November 19, 2025, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.

Riettie, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison on September 4.

Pichardo pleaded guilty to a related charge and, on July 14, 2025, was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment.

This matter has been investigated by the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bridgeport, Stratford, and Norwalk Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Peck.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LESTER ARRINGTON, 34, of Naugatuck, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to a cocaine trafficking charge.

According to court documents and statements made in court, as part of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation, on February 23, 2026, Connecticut State Police troopers stopped a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, in which Arrington was a passenger, in Trumbull.  A K9 sniff of the vehicle alerted for the presence of narcotics, and a subsequent search of the vehicle revealed approximately 21 kilograms of cocaine hidden in two compartments (“traps”) that were installed under each front seat.  Arrington was arrested on state charges at that time.

Arrington pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.  He is released on a $150,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for August 31.

The driver of the Subaru Crosstrek, Reginald Rogers, pleaded guilty to the same charge last week.  Arrington and Rogers have agreed to the forfeiture of the vehicle.

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 toward 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 New Haven comprises agents and officers from the FBI, DEA, HSI, ATF, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, U.S. Department of Labor, and Connecticut State Police, with prosecutions led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.  The Bridgeport, Danbury, Stamford, and Stratford Police Departments assisted this investigation.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justyn P. Stokely and Lauren C. Clark.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ADAM IZA, 25, of California, pleaded guilty today in Bridgeport federal court to an offense related to his involvement in an attempted robbery of Bitcoin and a kidnapping in Danbury in August 2024.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 25, 2024, Danbury Police arrested six Florida men who were involved in a violent carjacking of a Lamborghini Urus and the kidnapping of two occupants of the vehicle on that date.  The investigation revealed that the kidnapping victims are the parents of an individual who participated in the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin.  In an attempt to steal some of that Bitcoin, Iza and others planned and coordinated the attempted robbery and ultimately the kidnapping.  Iza’s alleged co-coconspirator, who had an altercation with the victims’ son in a Miami nightclub in July 2024, was in regular communication with certain of the kidnappers in the days before the crime, provided funding for it, and helped arrange the participants’ transportation and lodging.  Iza communicated via cellphone and encrypted messaging applications with certain of the kidnappers, directed them as to the logistics of the scheme, and also provided funding.

Iza pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (“Hobbs Act Robbery”), an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.  He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 12.

Iza has been detained since September 24, 2024, after he was charged in the Central District of California with unrelated federal offenses.

Six other individuals were charged with offenses related to the carjacking and kidnapping.  All have pleaded guilty.

This matter is being investigated by the FBI New Haven Violent Crimes Task Force, FBI Los Angeles, FBI St. Louis, and the Danbury Police Department.  The FBI Task Force includes members from the Connecticut State Police and several local police departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen L. Peck and Daniel George.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Central District of California, the Eastern District of Missouri, the District of Columbia, and the District of New Jersey, and the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of Danbury, for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution of this matter.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that EDWARD W. MILLER, 70, of Lawrence, New York, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today in Bridgeport federal court to a fraud offense stemming from his embezzlement of more than $500,000 from a trust.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Miller was an attorney licensed to practice law in New York.  In December 2014, an individual, identified in court documents as “M.P.,” established a trust for the purpose of managing certain real property, including a commercial building that M.P. owned in New Canaan, Connecticut.  Edwards was named as the trustee for the trust (the “M.P. Trust”) and was directed to open a trust bank account to manage the finances of the real property in the M.P. Trust, including depositing rental income from the commercial building into the trust account, paying costs associated with the management of the building, and distributing funds to M.P.  Miller was also responsible for overseeing the maintenance of the building in the M.P. Trust.  The trust provided that Miller would be paid five percent of total monthly rents collected and any agreed-upon commissions for new tenant leases and renewals.

Between approximately February 2016 and September 2022, Miller embezzled more than $500,000 from the M.P. Trust by writing and negotiating unauthorized checks from the M.P. Trust to himself, his law practice, and to his relatives for his own benefit.  He also made unauthorized withdrawals and transfers from the M.P. Trust bank account for his own benefit.  After M.P. died in 2022, Miller made false representations and promises to M.P.’s beneficiaries about the identification, whereabouts, and disbursement of the trust’s assets.

Miller pleaded guilty to wire fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.  Miller has previously paid restitution of $509,372.82 as part of a settlement of a separate civil lawsuit filed by the victims.

Miller is released on a $200,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for August 13.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JEMUEL VEGA-GOMEZ, 26, of New Britain, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for trafficking cocaine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2024, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and New Britain Police Department investigated a drug trafficking organization, headed by Wilfredo Ortiz, that was operating out of Supreme Automotive, a car dealership located on Main Street in New Britain.  The investigation included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, physical and electronic surveillance, and several controlled purchases of narcotics, primarily cocaine, from Ortiz and other members of the conspiracy.  Vega-Gomez was identified during the investigation engaging in suspected narcotics trafficking activity.

Vega-Gomez, Ortiz, and several other members of the drug trafficking organization were arrested on November 14, 2024.  In association with the arrests, investigators conducted court authorized searches of Supreme Automotive and residences and other locations connected to the organization and seized more than five kilograms of cocaine, more than 200 grams of fentanyl, approximately 30 grams of heroin, a kilogram press, seven firearms, ammunition, approximately $75,000 in cash, and 26 vehicles.  A search of Vega-Gomez’s residence revealed more than two kilograms of cocaine, a .45 caliber handgun, two firearm magazines, ammunition, and approximately $14,500 in cash.

Vega-Gomez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.  He has been detained since his arrest.

Ortiz pleaded guilty and, on March 9, 2026, was sentenced to 135 months of imprisonment.

This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles Police, and the New Britain, Hartford, West Hartford, Waterbury, Naugatuck, East Hartford, Brookfield, Milford, Norwich, Orange, North Haven, Meriden, Berlin, and Manchester Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Freismuth, Reed Durham, and David Nelson.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that AMONDA MENDEZ, also known as “M-Dot” and “Dot,” 35, of Stamford, pleaded guilty yesterday in New Haven federal court to a narcotics trafficking offense and admitted that she violated the conditions of her supervised release from a prior federal conviction.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in June 2016, Mendez was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 10 years of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for narcotics trafficking and firearm possession offenses.  She was released from federal prison in January 2025.  Between April and July 2025, law enforcement made multiple controlled purchases of crack cocaine and fentanyl, and one purchase of a loaded .40 caliber pistol, from Mendez.  The pistol had been reported as stolen.

Mendez was arrested on July 28, 2025.  On that date, a search of her person revealed approximately 48 grams of crack cocaine and $1,934 in cash, a search of her Stamford residence revealed approximately 163 grams of crack, and a search of another Stamford residence connected to Mendez revealed $2,456 in cash.

Mendez pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base (“crack”).  At sentencing, due to enhanced penalties as a result of her prior federal conviction, Mendez faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.

Mendez has been detained since her arrest.

This matter has been investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Stamford Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Gresham.

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.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that KIMBERLY DELACRUZ, also known as “K,” 31, of Norwalk, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to 30 months of imprisonment and 18 months of supervised release for her role in a southwestern Connecticut narcotics trafficking ring.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in May 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and Norwalk Police Department identified Delacruz’s paramour, Jose Orjuela, as the leader of a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in the Norwalk area.  The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that Orjuela and others transported kilogram-quantities of cocaine from Texas and Ohio, and kilogram-quantities of fentanyl and heroin from New York City, and distributed the narcotics in and around Norwalk through a network of associates.  Orjuela and Delacruz stored narcotics and drug proceeds at their Marlin Drive residence in Norwalk, and also used the Darien residence of a co-conspirator to store narcotics and drug proceeds, convert cocaine into crack cocaine, and package narcotics for street sale.  Delacruz assisted Orjuela in the packaging and distribution of narcotics.

Orjuela, Delacruz, and others were arrested on April 29, 2024.  In association with the arrests, investigators executed multiple federal search warrants and seized approximately 15,000 dose bags of suspected fentanyl, approximately 350 grams of raw heroin, and quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine.

Orjuela was apprehended while attempting to flush several hundred grams of fentanyl down a toilet in his residence.

On July 22, 2025, Delacruz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin.

Delacruz, who is released on a $50,000 bond, is required to report to prison on July 15.

On May 14, 2026, Orjuela was sentenced to 188 months of imprisonment.

This investigation has been conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, the Norwalk Police Department, the Darien Police Department, the Stamford Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service.  The Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Milford, and Danbury Police Departments.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and Kenneth L. Gresham.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that REGINALD ROGERS, 37, of Woodbridge, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to a cocaine trafficking charge.

According to court documents and statements made in court, as part of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation, on February 23, 2026, Connecticut State Police troopers stopped a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Rogers was driving in Trumbull.  A K9 sniff of the vehicle alerted for the presence of narcotics, and a subsequent search of the vehicle revealed approximately 21 kilograms of cocaine hidden in two compartments (“traps”) that were installed under each front seat.  Rogers was arrested on state charges at that time.

Rogers pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.  He also agreed to forfeit the vehicle he used to transport the narcotics.

Rogers is released on a $150,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for August 26.

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 toward 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 New Haven comprises agents and officers from the FBI, DEA, HSI, ATF, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, U.S. Department of Labor, and Connecticut State Police, with prosecutions led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.  The Bridgeport, Danbury, Stamford, and Stratford Police Departments assisted this investigation.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justyn P. Stokely and Lauren C. Clark.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that TYSHAWN COLEMAN, also known as “Ty” and “Mazi,” 36, formerly of New Britain and Hartford, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 81 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for trafficking narcotics and for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.

According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force revealed that Tyshawn Coleman and his brother, Troy Coleman, were selling fentanyl and crack cocaine in Hartford.  In November and December 2020, investigators made five controlled purchases of fentanyl, totaling 900 dose bags of the drug, from Troy Coleman.  On April 13, 2021, Troy Coleman was shot multiple times outside of a restaurant located at 2393 Main Street in Hartford.  Troy Coleman, who possessed fentanyl and crack cocaine at the time of the shooting, was released from the hospital approximately one week later.

As the investigation continued, an undercover law enforcement officer purchased fentanyl from Tyshawn Colman in late April and early May 2021.  On May 5, 2021, investigators conducted a court authorized search of Tyshawn Coleman’s apartment on Sisson Avenue in Hartford.  The search revealed distribution quantities of fentanyl and crack cocaine, items used to process and package narcotics for street sale, a .40 caliber “ghost gun” with a loaded high-capacity magazine, a loaded 9mm pistol with an obliterated serial number, and additional loaded gun magazine, ammunition, and $4860 in cash.  Troy Coleman was located and arrested on unrelated charges later that day.  Tyshawn Coleman remained a fugitive until his arrest on July 16, 2025.

Tyshawn Coleman has been detained since his arrest.  On January 21, 2026, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl.

Tyshawn Coleman’s criminal history includes two convictions for conspiracy to commit murder, three convictions for accessory to first-degree assault, a conviction for first degree assault, a conviction for sale of a controlled substance, and a federal firearm conviction in 2020 for which his was sentenced to 46 months of imprisonment.

Tyshawn Coleman was on federal supervised release at the time of this offense.  Judge Shea sentenced him to 57 months of imprisonment for the fentanyl distribution charge, and a consecutive 24 months of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release.

Troy Coleman, also known as “Hoy” and “TJ,” pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 67 months of imprisonment.

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan J. Keefe.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WILLIAM ROSARIO LOPEZ, 40, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 348 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release for committing several armed robberies of Connecticut gas stations in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the evidence presented during his trial:

On March 18, 2020, Rosario Lopez entered the Shell Gas Station located at 1302 Hartford Turnpike in Vernon.  Wearing a black mask, he pointed a small silver pistol at the store employee, grabbed him by the collar, directed him to walk to the cash register, and struck him in the back of the head as they were walking to the cash register.  After the employee provided Rosario Lopez with cash from the register, Rosario Lopez ordered the employee to lay on the floor and then fled the store.

On March 22, 2020, at approximately 10 p.m., Rosario Lopez entered the Fleet Gas Station located at 1611 Meriden Waterbury Turnpike in Southington.  Wearing a surgical-type mask, he pointed a silver pistol at the store employee and demanded money.  The employee provided Rosario Lopez with a small amount of cash and, after explaining that all of the money was already in the safe and that he did not know the combination, Rosario Lopez kicked the employee, ordered him to lay on the floor, and then fled the store.

On March 22, 2020, approximately one hour after the Southington robbery, Rosario Lopez entered the Shell Gas Station located at 883 Hamilton Avenue in Waterbury.  Wearing a surgical-type mask, he pointed a small silver pistol at the store employee and demanded money.  After the employee opened the cash register and provided cash to Rosario Lopez, Rosario Lopez ordered the employee to lay on the floor and then fled the store.

On March 23, 2020, less than two hours after the Waterbury robbery, Rosario Lopez entered the Shell Gas Station located at 696 Main Street in Ansonia.  Wearing a surgical-type mask, he pointed a small silver pistol at the store employee, demanded money and threatened to shoot the employee.  After the employee was unable to open the cash register quickly, Rosario Lopez fired one round in the direction of employee and then fled.  The employee was not struck by the projectile.

On March 26, 2020, Rosario Lopez entered the Citgo Gas Station located at 788 West Main Street in New Britain.  Wearing a surgical-type mask, he waited for another customer to leave the store, approached the counter, pointed a small silver pistol at the store employee and demanded money.  The employee opened the cash register and Rosario Lopez took cash from the register drawer.  Rosario then fled the store.

Rosario Lopez was arrested on April 9, 2020.  In association with his arrest, investigators searched a vehicle he used during the robberies and recovered a silver .25 caliber semiautomatic pistol and 14 rounds of ammunition.  He has been detained since his arrest.

On April 28, 2025, the jury found Rosario Lopez guilty of four counts of obstruction of interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act Robbery), one count of attempted obstruction of interstate commerce by robbery, four counts of brandishing a firearm during a robbery, and one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.

Rosario Lopez’s criminal history includes convictions in New York for attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon, and convictions in Puerto Rico for importation and unlawful possession of a firearm, false imprisonment, aggravated assault with a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm, threatening a witness, and aggravated robbery.

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Connecticut State Police, and the Vernon, Southington, Waterbury, Ansonia, New Britain, New Haven, and Guilford Police Departments.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth L. Gresham, Daniel P. Gordon, and Robert S. Ruff.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, J. Buck Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, announced that GIANNA PARENTE, 23, of Naugatuck, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to bank fraud.

According to court documents and statements made in court, between approximately July 2022 and February 2023, Parente was involved in a scheme in which individuals (“runners”) were recruited to provide their debit cards and banking information so that Parente and others could deposit fraudulent checks into the runners’ accounts at Bank of America.  Some of the checks were stolen from the U.S. Mail, with original payee information and dollar amounts “washed” and altered.  After depositing the fraudulent checks into the accounts, Parente and her co-conspirators then withdrew or attempted to withdraw money before the bank realized the checks were fraudulent.

Bank fraud carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years.

Parente is released on a $25,000 bond pending sentencing, which is not scheduled.

This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Lembo.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MARIO RENE GARCIA MARTINEZ, also known as “Mario Rene Martinez Garcia,” 41, a citizen of Guatemala unlawfully residing in the U.S., pleaded guilty today in New Haven federal court to child exploitation offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on two occasions in February 2024, in Connecticut, Garcia Martinez used his smartphone to record images and videos of himself sexually abusing a prepubescent minor female while she was sleeping.

Garcia Martinez pleaded guilty to production of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years, and possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

Garcia Martinez has been detained since his arrest on March 6, 2025.  A sentencing date is not scheduled.

This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the West Haven Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel E. Cummings and Anastasia E. King with the assistance of the Office of the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Ansonia-Milford.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

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.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin today announced that MARISOL RODRIGUEZ, also known as Marisol Colon, 49, of Lehigh Acres, Florida, was arrested yesterday on a federal criminal complaint charging her with health care fraud offenses.

Following her arrest, Rodriguez appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford and was released on a $100,000 bond.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (CTMAP) is a Connecticut Department of Social Services-administered program that provides medical assistance to low income persons.  CTMAP’s benefit packages, referred to as “HUSKY” or “Connecticut Medicaid,” are jointly funded by the State of Connecticut and the federal government.

The complaint alleges that Rodriguez, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) who formerly resided in Newington, Connecticut, defrauded the Connecticut Medicaid Program by submitting fraudulent claims for what appear to be medication management services that, in fact, were not provided to Medicaid patients.  As an APRN, Rodriguez was licensed to prescribe controlled substances to Medicaid recipients, and she billed Medicaid for medication management services to these patients.  Rodriguez repeatedly billed Medicaid for services not rendered, including for services purportedly rendered to patients, sometimes for months or years after the patients stopped seeing her; while working full-time at a different employer; while she collected unemployment benefits after being terminated by that employer; and for services purportedly rendered to patients that were hospitalized, incarcerated, or deceased.  

It is alleged that between approximately January 2022 and August 2025, more than 15,000 Medicaid claims totaling more than $1.35 million were paid to Rodriguez.  An analysis conducted by the Connecticut Department of Social Services revealed that Rodriguez’s Medicaid billings during that time ranked her first among a peer group of 116 APRNs, and that she made approximately 5,000 more claims and was paid approximately $500,000 more than the second highest billing APRN.

It is further alleged that, for actual patients, Rodriguez frequently did not adequately review a patient’s medical history prior to prescribing controlled substances and did not consider or address how the prescriptions were necessary or safe when combined with the patient’s other prescriptions.

The complaint charges Rodriguez with health care fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, and making false statements relating to health care matters, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the Connecticut Department of Social Services.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang.

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.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTIAN LOPEZ, also known as “Face,” 42, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to a fentanyl distribution offense.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in October 2021, the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force learned that Luis Salaman, also known as “Bebe,” was distributing large quantities of narcotics throughout New Haven.  Between November 2021 and March 2022, investigators made multiple controlled purchases of distribution quantities of fentanyl from Salaman and his associates, including Lopez.  In December 2021, Lopez was involved in two fentanyl transactions totaling approximately 300 grams.

Lopez pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years.  Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for August 20.

Lopez has been detained since his arrest on April 10, 2023.

Salaman was convicted after trial and, on March 11, 2026, was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment.

This investigation was conducted by FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, including members from the FBI, the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, and the New Haven, Milford, East Haven, West Haven, and Wallingford Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JULIO CESAR FERNANDEZ-SALAZAR, 44, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to unlawful reentry of a removed alien.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Fernandez-Salazar has used numerous aliases, including Julio Fernandez, Julio Cesar Salazar, J. Cesar Fernandez-Salazar, Paulo Cesar Salazar, Alejandro Lugo, Jorge Ortigoza, and Julio C. Fernandez-Salazar.  Fernandez-Salazar was first convicted of an immigration violation in October 2007 in the District of Arizona, was sentenced to 45 days of imprisonment, and was voluntarily returned to Mexico.  In June 2009, after he returned to the U.S. and was convicted in Tempe Municipal Court in Arizona of failure to appear and driving with a suspended license, Fernandez-Salazar was deported to Mexico.  In July 2009, U.S. Border Patrol encountered and arrested Fernandez-Salazar near the U.S./Mexico border and he was again deported to Mexico.

Fernandez-Salazar illegally reentered the U.S. and, in April 2017, was convicted in Maricopa County of unlawful imprisonment and solicitation to commit misconduct involving weapons.  In April 2018, he was convicted in the U.S. District Court in Arizona of unlawful reentry and was again deported to Mexico.

On November 27, 2024, Fernandez-Salazar was arrested by the Connecticut State Police in Colchester and charged with illegal operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and other offenses.  He was subsequently released on bond.

On July 18, 2025, the U.S. District Court in New Haven issued a criminal complaint charging Fernandez-Salazar with unlawful reentry.  He was located and arrested in Arizona on February 25, 2026, and has been detained since that date.

Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for June 15, at which time Fernandez-Salazar faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

This matter has been investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Lembo.

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.

KENNETH DENNING, 69, of Holland, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty today in New Haven federal court to offenses stemming from his operation of the Electric Blue, a strip club in Tolland, Connecticut, where he and his employees promoted and facilitated prostitution.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Denning owned and oversaw the operation of the Electric Blue, which employed dancers who performed nude dances and lap dances for customers.  The Electric Blue was owned by “Denning Enterprises,” a holding company nominally owned by Denning’s wife but controlled by Denning, from the 1990’s until it was sold in January 2025.

Denning and his employees typically required dancers to pay a “house fee” of up to $50 each shift, and dancers were encouraged to engage in commercial sex transactions with customers in private and semi-private rooms, including a “lap dance room,” “VIP rooms” and “Champagne rooms.”  Customers, who had paid a cash cover charge to enter the Electric Blue, paid the club a fee, typically in cash, to use one of the private rooms, and then negotiated an additional fee directly with the dancer.  The dancers kept these negotiated fees, which often were hundreds of dollars.

Club employees collected the cash received by the club, placed the cash in envelopes noting the source of the cash, and then placed the envelopes in a safe in Denning’s office.  They referred to this cash as “Kenny’s money,” and used this money to pay business expenses and fund Denning’s personal expenditures, including trips to casinos where Denning spent large sums of money.  As an example, on February 23, 2023, Denning deposited approximately $21,700 in cash at the Mohegan Sun Casino for gambling purposes.

Denning and his bookkeeper provided spreadsheets of the Electric Blue’s purported income to the club’s tax return preparer that purposefully omitted “Kenny’s money.”  On March 16, 2023, investigators seized $45,421 in cash from a safe inside Denning’s office at the Electric Blue.  Documentation found with the cash indicated that approximately $39,751 of the cash represented “Kenny’s money” that was collected between March 2 and March 15, 2023.  Based upon an extrapolation analysis of this two-week period, investigators calculated that Denning and employees caused nearly $3 million in material taxable business receipts not to be reported to the IRS for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 tax years.

In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act provided emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the distribution of Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”), through the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”), which provided working capital to eligible small businesses to meet operating expenses.  Denning applied for and received an EIDL loan during the pandemic by falsely certifying that the business did not “present live performances of a prurient sexual nature.”  On the EIDL application, Denning characterized the Electric Blue’s business activity as “Eating & Drinking Places.”  In July 2020, the Electric Blue received $149,900 in EIDL funding.  Denning almost immediately transferred $20,000 of those funds from the Electric Blue’s business bank account into his personal bank account.

Denning pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to use an interstate facility to promote or facilitate prostitution, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years; one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years; one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; and two counts of engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from unlawful activity, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years on each count.

Denning has agreed to pay restitution of $550,000 to the IRS and $150,000 to the SBA.  He also has agreed to forfeit the $45,421 in cash seized from the Electric Blue in March 2023, and $1,047 seized from his residence when he was arrested on May 15, 2024.

Denning is released on a $250,000 bond pending sentencing, which is not scheduled.

This matter has been investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection – Liquor Control Division, and the Massachusetts State Police, with the assistance of the Willimantic Police Department and the Manchester Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Dearington and Alexis L. Beyerlein.

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.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that IOAN ROSTAS, 36, a citizen of Romania, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in March 2023, Rostas, who was in immigration removal proceedings in New York and placed into the Alternative to Detention (“ATD”) program, absconded from the ATD program.  In September 2023, an immigration judge ordered Rostas removed from the U.S. to Romania in absentia.  In October 2023, law enforcement in Berkeley County, West Virginia, arrested Rostas, who was using a false identity, and charged him with obstructing an officer.  On October 25, 2023, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Pennsylvania arrested Rostas pursuant to a previously lodged ICE detainer.  He was removed from the U.S. on November 17, 2023.

It is further alleged that on April 26, 2026, police in Manchester, Connecticut, encountered Rostas sitting in a parked vehicle that law enforcement in Georgia had been seeking in connection to group that had been committing retail thefts along the east coast of the U.S.  Rostas initially provided an officer with a forged international license bearing someone else’s name, and a search of the vehicle revealed a second forged international license with another person’s name, a large amount of new clothing with tags and security devices still attached, and 10 bottles of perfume with “tester” stickers attached.  Rostas was arrested and charged with state forgery, larceny, interfering with an officer, and criminal impersonation offenses.  He was later released on bond and turned over to ICE in Hartford pursuant to an ICE detainer.

Rostas, who has been detained since his arrest, appeared yesterday in Hartford federal court.

If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Rostas faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.

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.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOHN O’ROURKE, also known as JOHN CASEY, 27, a citizen of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to unlawful reentry of a removed alien.

According to court documents and statements made in court, O’Rourke has used several other aliases including “John O’Rouke,” “Michael Casey,” “John Joyce,” “Robert Davanzo,” “David Collins,” and “James McCormack.”  On October 7, 2024, U.S. Border Patrol apprehended O’Rourke, under an alias, and four other individuals near Fort Covington, New York, close to Canadian border.  An investigation revealed that O’Rourke did not have legal status in the United States and, on October 15, 2024, he was removed by foot from New York to Canada.

O’Rourke subsequently unlawfully reentered the U.S.  On February 18, 2025, O’Rourke was arrested under the name John Casey in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and charged with state offenses including evading responsibility and breach of peace. On March 2, 2026, O’Rourke was arrested under the name John Casey in Pleasonton, California, on an arrest warrant issued by a judge in Torrington, Connecticut, charging O’Rourke with larceny in the first degree, making home improvements without a valid home improvement certificate, and mispresenting or impersonating a registered contractor. O’Rourke also has a pending state case in Danbury, Connecticut for larceny.

Additional investigation revealed that O’Rourke has pending cases stemming from arrests under various aliases in Suffolk County, New York, in November 2023; Everett, Washington, in September 2025; Linden, New Jersey, in December 2025; and Snohomish County, Washington, in January 2026.  He also is being sought by law enforcement in Surrey, England.

O’Rourke has been detained since his arrest in California on March 2, 2026.  Judge Oliver scheduled sentencing for August 6, at which time O’Rourke faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.

This matter has been investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj. N. Patel.

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.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSE ORJUELA, also known as “Hov,” 37, of Norwalk, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to 188 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release for trafficking narcotics and unlawfully possessing a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in May 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and Norwalk Police Department identified Orjuela as the leader of a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in the Norwalk area.  The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that Orjuela and others transported kilogram-quantities of cocaine from Texas and Ohio, and kilogram-quantities of fentanyl and heroin from New York City, and distributed the narcotics in and around Norwalk through a network of associates.  Orjuela stored narcotics and drug proceeds at his Marlin Drive residence in Norwalk, and also used the Darien residence of his co-conspirator, Christopher Pomponi, to store narcotics and drug proceeds, convert cocaine into crack cocaine, and package narcotics for street sale.

Orjuela, Pomponi, and others were arrested on April 29, 2024.  In association with the arrests, investigators executed multiple federal search warrants and seized approximately 15,000 dose bags of suspected fentanyl, approximately 350 grams of raw heroin, and quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine.

Orjuela was apprehended while attempting to flush several hundred grams of fentanyl down a toilet.  A search of a vehicle parked outside of his residence revealed a loaded 9mm pistol.

Orjuela has been detained since his arrest.  On April 30, 2025, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 500 grams or more of cocaine, and a quantity of heroin, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Pomponi pleaded guilty and, on November 12, 2025, was sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment.

This investigation has been conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, the Norwalk Police Department, the Darien Police Department, the Stamford Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service.  The Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Milford, and Danbury Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and Kenneth L. Gresham.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RICHARD McDANIEL, also known as “Shay,” 45, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 60 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for trafficking cocaine and fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, between March and June 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven Task Force and the Waterbury Police Department investigated a drug trafficking organization headed by Robert Harrison, also known as “Firm” and “Lox.”  During that time, investigators made eight controlled purchases of narcotics from Harrison and his associates, including McDaniel.

On June 20, 2024, law enforcement executed federal search warrants for locations connected to Harrison’s organization.  A search of Harrison’s residence on Frost Road in Waterbury, his auto repair business on Todd Hollow Road in Waterbury, and a recording studio he operated on Woodtick Road in Waterbury, revealed more than 370 grams of cocaine, narcotic pills, four loaded handguns, gun magazines, numerous rounds of ammunition, and approximately $18,208 in cash.  A search of McDaniel’s residence on Lone Oak Avenue revealed approximately 700 grams of cocaine, approximately 300 grams of fentanyl, drug processing and packaging materials, a money counter, and approximately $2,450 in cash.  McDaniel was arrested on state charges on that date

McDaniel was arrested on federal charges on October 15, 2024.  On December 15, 2025, he pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl.           

McDaniel has been detained since March 20, 2025, when he bond was revoked.

Harrison pleaded guilty and, on August 11, 2025, was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment.

This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven Task Force and the Waterbury Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha M. Freismuth.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BRANDON TURNER, also known as “Bizz,” 31, of Stamford, pleaded guilty today in Bridgeport federal court to a narcotics trafficking offense.

According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and the Stamford Police Department’s Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit identified Turner as a narcotics distributor.  In July 2024, investigators made a controlled purchase of fentanyl from Turner.  On April 21, 2025, employees of an apartment complex where Turner had been employed as a maintenance worker found a tool bag in a storage room that contained approximately 790 grams of fentanyl and one kilogram of cocaine.  The investigation, which included a review of surveillance camera and the use of DNA analysis, determined that Turner had placed the bag in the storage room.  A related court-authorized search of Turner’s vehicle revealed additional quantities of fentanyl and cocaine.

Turner pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.  Turner, who is detained, is scheduled to be sentenced on August 5.

The DEA’s Bridgeport HIDTA Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport, Danbury, Norwalk, Stamford, and Stratford Police Departments.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel E. Cummings.

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.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BRYAN JOYCE, 40, of Southington, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 90 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for offenses related to his selling privately made AR-15-style firearms, ammunition, and marijuana.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in January 2022, the Connecticut State Police received information that Joyce was offering to sell assault weapons and other firearms, including privately manufactured firearms (PMFs or “ghost guns”), as well as ammunition and firearms accessories.  On January 28, 2022, Joyce sold an undercover law officer a privately made AR-15 style rifle, a privately made 9mm handgun, and a box of ammunition, in exchange for $2,000.  On March 4, 2022, Joyce sold the undercover officer two loaded AR-15 style rifles and approximately 400 grams of marijuana, for $5,800.  For an additional charge, Joyce offered to supply the undercover officer with fully automatic firearms.

On March 21, 2022, Joyce was arrested at a parking lot in Waterbury where he met with the undercover officer who had arranged to purchase five more privately made AR-15 style rifles and a kilogram of marijuana.  A search of Joyce’s vehicle revealed the five firearms, marijuana, and numerous rounds of ammunition.

The investigation revealed that Gregory Leary was Joyce’s firearm supplier.  A subsequent search of Leary’s Wolcott residence revealed six privately made AR-15 style rifles; two privately made 9mm semiautomatic handguns; a loaded Remington 12-gauge shotgun; a Glock .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun; a Glock 9mm semiautomatic handgun stamped “San Antonio Police Department”; numerous firearm parts and accessories; equipment used to manufacture firearms; and $7,129 in cash.

Joyce is a felon with a criminal history that includes state convictions for drug, larceny, and burglary offenses.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

On October 8, 2024, Joyce pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, three counts of unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon, one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, marijuana, and one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

Joyce, who had been released on bond, has been detained since April 2024 after he was arrested after a domestic violence incident.

Leary pleaded guilty and admitted that he manufactured and sold more than 25 firearms to Joyce.  On November 7, 2023, he was sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Connecticut State Police Statewide Firearms Trafficking Task Force (SFTTF) and Statewide Urban Violence Cooperative Crime Control Task Force (SUVCCCTF/Gangs Unit), assisted by the Statewide Narcotics Task Force (SNTF) Southwest and North Central Offices, and the Bridgeport, Shelton, Orange, Waterbury, and Hartford Police Departments.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SEAN SAYER, 23, of Naugatuck, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to child exploitation offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 20, 2025, an eight-year-old boy (“minor victim”) in Oregon contacted Sayer by text message and asked Sayer if he was @fornight_legends on TikTok.  Sayer responded affirmatively and, over the next three days, exchanged with the minor victim more than 1,300 messages in which Sayer repeatedly and aggressively demanded sexually explicit images and videos of the minor victim in exchange for playing Fortnite with him online.  The minor victim sent Sayer at least 15 videos constituting child sexual abuse material or child pornography.

Sayer was arrested on June 18, 2025.  A subsequent forensic review of Sayer’s cellphone revealed screenshots of Snapchat conversations Sayer had with numerous additional minor victims who Sayer coerced or enticed to send him sexually explicit photos of themselves.  To date, investigators have identified approximately 89 separate minor victims.

In addition, electronic devices seized from Sayer revealed more than 5,000 videos and 1,000 images containing child sexual abuse material, including images and videos depicting sexual violence against prepubescent minors.

Sayer pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of 30 years of imprisonment on each count, and one count of possession of child pornography, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

Sayer, who was released on bond, has been detained since February 17, 2026, after his bond was revoked.

This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, with the assistance of the Eugene (Ore.) Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary G. Vitale.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that GERALD COLEY, also known as “G Rock,” 56, of Bridgeport, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 37 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for trafficking narcotics in southwestern Connecticut.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and Stamford Police Department identified Rodney Canada as the leader of a drug trafficking organization that was distributing large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine in Stamford and elsewhere in southwestern Connecticut.  An investigation in 2024, which included court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that Canada, Coley, and others orchestrated the street level distribution of narcotics through other members of the conspiracy.  Investigators intercepted more than 5000 text messages and calls in which Canada coordinated his drug trafficking activities. 

Coley was intercepted numerous times over a wiretap discussing drug trafficking activity with Canada.  He also managed cash for the drug trafficking organization and sometimes supplied Canada with drugs he acquired in New York City.

Coley, Canada, and other members of the conspiracy were arrested on May 14, 2024.  On that date, investigators conducted court-authorized searches at locations in Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, and Darien, and seized approximately three kilograms of cocaine, nearly 400 grams of raw fentanyl, more than 500 bags of fentanyl, five firearms, a bulletproof vest, and seven vehicles.  A search of Coley’s Bridgeport residence revealed approximately 20 grams of crack cocaine, more than 700 grams of marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.

On December 17, 2025, Coley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.  He has been detained since his arrest.

Coley’s criminal history spans more than 30 years and this is his third federal conviction.  In 2001, he was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison for trafficking crack cocaine, and in 2014, he was sentenced to 48 months for unlawfully possessing a firearm and violating the conditions of his federal supervised release.

Canada pleaded guilty and, on December 15, 2025, was sentenced to 110 months of imprisonment.

This investigation has been conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, the Stamford Police Department, the Bridgeport Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Danbury, and Darien Police Departments.  The DEA HIDTA Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Milford, and Danbury Police Departments.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia Stolfi Collins and Geoffrey M. Stone.

DOMINICK N. DONOFRIO, 73, last residing in Middlefield, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 36 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for defrauding a client of more than $2.5 million.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Donofrio was the president and owner of Windstar Financial Services, Inc. (“Windstar”) based in Madison, Connecticut.  In January 2013, Wisconsin-based Randall Robert Binversie Holdings (“Binversie”), which was interested in purchasing a renewable fuel business, hired Donofrio to provide business and financial consulting services.  In early 2014, Donofrio informed Binversie of the opportunity to purchase Tioga Fuel, a home heating oil company in Philadelphia, and its properties (collectively, the “Tioga properties”), and convinced Binversie that the purchase price was $2,050,567.  In fact, Donofrio had fraudulently marked up the purchase price by approximately $1,300,000.  Donofrio subsequently completed the transaction.

In pleading guilty, Donofrio admitted that he defrauded Binversie of more than $2.5 million.  The loss amount includes the difference between the actual purchase price and the inflated purchase price of the Tioga properties; more than $987,000 in fraudulent consulting, negotiation, and legal fees Binversie paid in 2013 and 2014; approximately $87,000 that Donofrio stole from Tioga Fuel’s account during the acquisition; and approximately $136,000 that Donofrio obtained from Binversie as interest payments on a fictitious $1.25 million “loan,” an amount that Donofrio represented to Binversie that Windstar had fronted during the acquisition.

On July 30, 2019, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania returned an indictment charging Donofrio with the offense.  Donofrio was a fugitive until his arrest on July 24, 2024, in Mystic, Connecticut.  After he failed to appear for a pretrial conference in Philadelphia on July 22, 2025, he was again arrested on December 3, 2025, and has been detained since that date.  The case was transferred to the District of Connecticut for further prosecution.  On February 4, 2026, he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Francis of the District of Connecticut and Anita Eve of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TONY STERLIN CANTAVE, 46, of Cheshire, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to three months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for defrauding a COVID-19 pandemic relief program.

In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act provided emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the distribution of Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”), through the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”), which provided working capital to eligible small businesses to meet operating expenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in June 2020, Cantave applied for EIDL funding through the SBA.  The application contained several materially false statements, including that the business for which Cantave sought the loan, Arbitrage 1 Media, was an ongoing, legitimate business involved in the limousine and transportation business, and that he was not more than 60 days delinquent in his child support obligations.  After the SBA reviewed and approved the fraudulent EIDL application, Cantave received $96,200.  He then used the proceeds from the loan to pay for personal and non-business expenses, including $16,607.26 to pay off an automobile loan.

Judge Bolden ordered Cantave to pay $109,605.21 in restitution.

On June 24, 2025, Cantave pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government money and one count of making an illegal monetary transaction.

Cantave, who is released on bond, is required to report to prison on July 15.

This is Cantave’s third federal conviction.  In December 1999, he was sentenced in New Haven federal court to 18 months of imprisonment for a firearm offense, and in February 2015, he was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 13 months of imprisonment for his participation in a U.S. Postal Service money order fraud scheme.

This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang.

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.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that on May 8, 2026, JAMES PAGLIARO, 27, of Middletown, New York, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 600 months of imprisonment and a lifetime of supervised release for sexually exploiting minor girls with whom he initiated contact through social media apps.

According to court documents and statements made in court, between April 2024 and March 2025, Pagliaro sent sexually explicit messages, many of which included sexually explicit photographs of himself, to thousands of minor girls on social media applications, including Snapchat and TikTok, in an apparent attempt to ensnare and cultivate child “sex slaves.”  He successfully coerced at least four girls, including a 15-year-old girl in Connecticut, a 15-year-old girl in the United Kingdom, a 15-year-old girl in New Jersey, and a 16-year-old-girl in Florida, into producing hundreds of sexually explicit images and videos for his sexual gratification.  He also traveled to Connecticut at least three times to engage in sexual conduct with the 15-year-old Connecticut victim, whom he forced to engage in sex acts and threatened with violence.

A forensic evaluation of Pagliaro’s phone revealed that he exchanged tens of thousands of text messages with his victims, including many messages highlighting their age, and spoke with them on phone and video calls on hundreds of occasions.  Pagliaro initially professed his love to his victims, promising them that he would marry them once they turned eighteen, but later threatened them, sending photographs of guns, ammunition and knives and telling the Connecticut victim, for example, that he could murder someone’s entire family without having any trouble sleeping at night and that she should “keep that in mind.”  Pagliaro also forced his victims to create humiliating, degrading, and dangerous videos as punishments for their perceived failures, which included sending explicit videos on the wrong social media platform, and he encouraged at least one victim to commit suicide.  He also had the Connecticut victim sign a three-page slavery contract purporting to memorialize her “eternal slavery” to Pagliaro and encouraged her to recruit other minors to engage in sexual conduct with him. 

The forensic evaluation of Pagliaro’s phone revealed that he also possessed thousands of other videos and images of children in sexually explicit conduct, including videos depicting the sexual exploitation of infants and toddlers.

“This defendant exploited social media apps to cast a wide net to ensnare young girls into committing sexually degrading acts for his own gratification,” said U.S. Attorney Sullivan.  “When successful, he used grooming techniques and psychological manipulation to coerce, abuse, and terrorize his victims.  This prosecution and the Court’s imposition of a long prison term should serve as a stark warning for anyone who may use technology to prey upon children.  I thank HSI and our local law enforcement partners who investigated this matter, brought justice to his victims, and protected countless others from additional harm.”

“Pagliaro is a depraved child predator who has earned every day of his 50-year sentence,” said Homeland Security Investigations New England Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Grimming.  “He contacted hundreds of children online and successfully ensnared several girls, making them first believe they were in a real, loving relationship before slowly exerting more control, more abuse, and more violence.  The victims in this case exhibited extraordinary bravery coming forward despite Pagliaro’s threats against them and their families and we hope that this sentence brings some comfort and peace as they move toward healing.  HSI remains relentless in its pursuit of justice for survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation.”

Pagliaro was arrested on March 19, 2025.  On February 13, 2026, he pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography, enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, and traveling to engage in sexual activity with a minor.  He has been detained since his arrest.

This investigation was conducted by HSI New England, HSI Hudson Valley, the Orange County (N.Y.) Sheriff’s Office, and the Danbury, Ridgefield, and Watertown Police Departments.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Gordon.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RONNELL ROGERS, 33, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 72 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for distributing fentanyl and for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 5, 2022, Rogers was sentenced in New Haven federal court to 37 months of imprisonment for narcotics distribution and firearm possession offenses, and a consecutive 14 months of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction for unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon.  The sentence was subsequently reduced by seven months and Rogers was released from federal prison in March 2024 and began serving a three-year term of supervised release.

On May 2, 2024, New Haven Police arrested Rogers during a traffic stop that followed a controlled purchase of fentanyl.  At the time of his arrest, Rogers possessed fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin packaged for distribution, including meth pills shaped like cartoon characters that could be mistaken for candy.

Judge Dooley sentenced Rogers to 63 months of imprisonment for the narcotics offense, and an additional nine months of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release.

Rogers has been detained in federal custody since May 30, 2024, when his supervised release was revoked.  On October 10, 2025, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl.

This matter was investigated by the New Haven Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel George.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHAEL LUISI, 53, of Meriden, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 72 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for narcotics trafficking and firearm possession offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2024, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and New Britain Police Department investigated a drug trafficking organization, headed by Wilfredo Ortiz, that was operating out of Supreme Automotive, a car dealership located on Main Street in New Britain.  The investigation included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, physical and electronic surveillance, and several controlled purchases of narcotics, primarily cocaine, from Ortiz and other members of the conspiracy.  Luisi had an ownership interest in Supreme Automotive and was involved in the acquisition and distribution of cocaine.

Luisi, Ortiz, and several other members of the drug trafficking organization were arrested on November 14, 2024.  In association with the arrests, investigators conducted court authorized searches of Supreme Automotive and residences and other locations connected to the organization and seized more than five kilograms of cocaine, more than 200 grams of fentanyl, approximately 30 grams of heroin, a kilogram press, seven firearms, ammunition, approximately $75,000 in cash, and 26 vehicles.  A search of Luisi’s former residence in Berlin revealed evidence of narcotics distribution, a Bushmaster rifle, a Glock 9mm handgun, a Polymer 80 handgun (“ghost gun”), and $36,120 in cash.

On April 7, 2025, Luisi pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Ortiz pleaded guilty and, on March 9, 2026, was sentenced to 135 months of imprisonment.

This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles Police, and the New Britain, Hartford, West Hartford, Waterbury, Naugatuck, East Hartford, Brookfield, Milford, Norwich, Orange, North Haven, Meriden, Berlin, and Manchester Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Freismuth, Reed Durham, and David Nelson.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the FBI, today announced that KENNY LAPORTE, 39, of Hartford, has been charged by indictment with drug distribution and firearm possession offenses.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, an investigation determined that Laporte was distributing large quantities of fentanyl and other narcotics to customers and other drug sellers in the Hartford area and was using a residence on Amity Street in Hartford to store the drugs.  In April and May 2025, investigators made multiple controlled purchases of distribution quantities of fentanyl from Laporte.

Laporte was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on May 29, 2025.  On that date, a search of the Amity Street residence and a garage behind the residence revealed approximately 1.7 kilograms of fentanyl, 150 grams of powder cocaine, 25 grams of crack cocaine, 22 grams of heroin, nine handguns, ammunition, jewelry, and $21,000 in cash.  Laporte possessed an additional $1,675 in cash at the time of his arrest.

Laporte’s criminal history includes felony convictions for narcotics, firearm, and assault offenses.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

On April 28, 2026, a grand jury in New Haven returned a seven-count indictment charging Laporte with five counts of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, controlled substances, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count; one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of cocaine, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life, and one count unlawful possession of firearms by a felon, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Laporte appeared today in Hartford federal court and pleaded not guilty to the charges in the indictment.  He is released on a $100,000 bond pending trial.

This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hartford Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shan Patel.

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.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RAMEL PIRES, 28, of Norwich, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarah F. Russell in New Haven to 24 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for unlawfully possessing a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 26, 2024, a Groton City Police officer attempted to stop Pires who was driving his vehicle erratically.  Pires increased his speed before turning into the driveway of a residence.  The officer approached Pires and determined he was intoxicated.  A search of Pires revealed that he possessed marijuana packaged for distribution, and a search of his vehicle revealed a loaded 9mm Canik TP9 Elite SC handgun.  Pires was arrested on state charges at that time.

Pires’ criminal history includes a conviction for a firearm possession offense stemming from an incident in 2020 when he shot at an individual during a fight, and a conviction for assaulting a police officer.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

On January 12, 2026, Pires pleaded guilty in federal court to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.  He has been detained since his state arrest.

This matter was investigated by the Groton City Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Gresham.

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.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSE C. RIVERA, 37, of Manchester, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 66 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for narcotics trafficking and firearm possession offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2024, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and New Britain Police Department investigated a drug trafficking organization, headed by Wilfredo Ortiz, that was operating out of Supreme Automotive, a car dealership located on Main Street in New Britain.  The investigation included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, physical and electronic surveillance, and several controlled purchases of narcotics, primarily cocaine, from Ortiz and other members of the conspiracy.

During the investigation, law enforcement identified Nelson Alejandro-Capo as a supplier of cocaine to Ortiz.  Alejandro-Capo, using co-conspirator Eli Samuel O’Farrill-Fernandez as a middleman, supplied Ortiz with approximately six kilograms of cocaine.  On October 10, 2024, Alejandro-Capo met with Rivera at Rivera’s former residence in Rocky Hill.  On October 26, 2024, Rivera was intercepted over a wiretap talking with O’Farrill-Fernandez and discussing the purchase of 100 grams of cocaine.

Rivera, Ortiz, O’Farrill-Fernandez, and several other members of the drug trafficking organization were arrested on November 14, 2024.  In association with the arrests, investigators conducted court authorized searches of Supreme Automotive and residences and other locations connected to the organization and seized more than five kilograms of cocaine, more than 200 grams of fentanyl, approximately 30 grams of heroin, a kilogram press, seven firearms, ammunition, approximately $75,000 in cash, and 26 vehicles.  A search of Rivera’s Rocky Hill residence revealed approximately 206 grams of fentanyl, approximately 278 grams of cocaine, drug processing materials, a loaded handgun and an additional gun magazine, and $13,364 in cash.

On November 25, 2025, Rivera pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Released on a $150,000 bond, he is required to report to prison on July 6.

Ortiz, Alejandro-Capo, and O-Farrill-Fernandez pleaded guilty and are currently serving prison terms of 135 months, 144 months, and 120 months, respectively.

This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles Police, and the New Britain, Hartford, West Hartford, Waterbury, Naugatuck, East Hartford, Brookfield, Milford, Norwich, Orange, North Haven, Meriden, Berlin, and Manchester Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Freismuth, Reed Durham, and David Nelson.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and J. Buck Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, announced that TULIO NUNEZ, 25, of the Bronx, New York, pleaded guilty today in New Haven federal court to offenses related to the theft of U.S. Mail.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 2, 2023, Nunez drove to Campbell Avenue in West Haven and parked in front of a postal collection box.  Nunez’s associate then exited the vehicle, opened the service door of the collection box using a counterfeit postal arrow key, removed a basket filled with mail, and placed it in the passenger seat of the vehicle.  Law enforcement officers who were conducting surveillance of the postal collection box then converged on the vehicle.  Nunez unsuccessfully attempted to flee by reversing his vehicle and striking a law enforcement vehicle before he and his associates were apprehended and charged with state offenses.

On September 23, 2025, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging Nunez with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, possession of a key adopted by the post office, and theft of mail.

Nunez pleaded guilty to all three counts of the indictment.  At sentencing, which is scheduled for July 27, he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

Nunez has been released on a $10,000 bond since his federal arrest on September 25, 2025.

This matter has been investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the West Haven Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Lembo and Shan Patel.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHELE RENE MUZYKA, 61, of Cheshire, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to one day of imprisonment, time already served, and three years of supervised release, for illegally distributing controlled substances.  Judge Bolden also ordered Muzyka to pay a $25,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service.

According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement began investigating Muzyka, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), after pharmacists in New Britain and Middletown made complaints that Muzyka was prescribing high doses of benzodiazepines and amphetamines to clusters of patients who appeared to know each other or were related, and at times were picking up each other’s prescriptions.  At least one pharmacist stopped filling prescriptions written by Muzyka because the pharmacist was concerned that the prescriptions were unlawfully written or were fraudulent.

An undercover investigation subsequently determined that, between January 2024 and June 2025, Muzyka unlawfully distributed amphetamines, such as Adderall, and benzodiazepines, such as Xanax and alprazolam, to individuals who did not have a legitimate medical need.  During office visits, Muzyka did not conduct medical examinations of certain patients and did not confirm conditions that would medically require treatment using these controlled substances.  Muzyka charged patients $200 in cash for the office visits in which she prescribed the controlled substances, including to an undercover agent who posed as a Medicaid beneficiary.  Although she was enrolled as a Medicare and Medicaid provider, Muzyka declined to accept the undercover agent’s Medicaid plan and instead charged her $200 cash fee.  Medicaid paid $287.58 for the unlawful prescriptions written for the undercover agent.

The investigation also determined that between February 2020 and June 2023, five individuals to whom Muzyka prescribed amphetamines and benzodiazepines died of overdoses due to the combined effects of fentanyl, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, and other drugs.

Muzyka was arrested on June 23, 2025.  On January 21, 2026, she pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute, distribution of, and dispensing of controlled substances.

Muzyka has surrendered her controlled substance licenses and her APRN license.

This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Drug Control Division.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Boyles.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment yesterday charging ADAM WOLFE, 27, of Stamford, with child exploitation and destruction of evidence offenses.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in November 2023, HSI and Ridgefield Police began investigating Wolfe for possessing child sex abuse material.  On November 22, 2023, investigators interviewed Wolfe at his former residence in Ridgefield and Wolfe gave consent for a search of his iPhone and laptop.  Forensic analysis of the laptop revealed thousands of individual child sex abuse images that were recovered from the “recycle bin” of the laptop.  Analysis of the iPhone revealed that Wolfe had deleted a TOR browser, which is often used to access child pornography on the dark web, during his interview with law enforcement on November 22, 2026.

Wolfe was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on September 30, 2024.

The indictment charges Wolfe with one count of receipt of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; one count of possession of child pornography, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; and one count of destruction, alteration, or falsification of records, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

Wolfe has been released on a $50,000 bond since his arrest.  His arraignment is not yet scheduled.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Ridgefield Police Department, and the Watertown Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Gordon through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.  To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TIMEEK HEATH, 42, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarah F. Russell in New Haven to 18 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for drug and firearm trafficking offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in August and September 2024, investigators made two controlled purchases of distribution quantities of fentanyl from Heath.  Lab analysis of the fentanyl revealed that it contained dangerous additives including xylazine and tramadol.  On September 5, 2024, Heath sold a loaded Glock, Model 23, .40 caliber pistol to the same purchaser of the drugs, an individual he knew was a convicted felon.  A trace of the firearm revealed that it was stolen from a car at a gas station in Waterbury in 2024.

On November 10, 2025, Heath pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl, and one count of firearms trafficking.

Heath is currently detained.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel J. Gentile.

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.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut announced that JONY GALEANO LOPEZ-GARCIA, also known as Yoni Lopez Garcia, 27, a citizen of Guatemala residing in Hartford, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in November 2017, Lopez-Garcia was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona.  He was deported to Guatemala in December 2017 and warned that he could not return to the U.S. for a period of five years.  Lopez-Garcia subsequently reentered the U.S. in January 2018.  He was convicted in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas of illegally entering the U.S.  In February 2018, he was deported to Guatemala and warned that he could not return to the U.S. for a period of 20 years.  Lopez-Garcia subsequently unlawfully reentered the U.S.

It is further alleged that on November 27, 2025, Hartford Police arrested Lopez-Garcia under the name Yoni Lopez Garcia and charged him with assault first degree, conspiracy to commit assault first degree, assault third degree, carrying a dangerous weapon, threatening second degree by physical threat, and other offenses.

Lopez-Garcia, who was released on bond in his state case, was arrested today.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and was ordered detained.

If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Lopez-Garcia faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.

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.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ANGEL GIANCARLO BELLIDO COSIO, also known as “Jesus Requejo,” 36, a citizen of Peru unlawfully residing in the U.S., was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 36 months of imprisonment for his participation in a distraction theft and identity theft scheme.

According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an investigation into a series of distraction thefts of wallets from victims, typically elderly women, at Trader Joe’s grocery stores, TJ Maxx stores, and other retail stores in Connecticut and elsewhere.  The investigation revealed that Bellido Cosio and at least two other Peruvian nationals rented vehicles to travel throughout the U.S. in order to steal wallets from unwary victims and then use the victims’ credit and debit cards to purchase electronic devices and other items at other stores.  Bellido Cosio and his co-conspirators stopped at shipping providers along their route to ship the goods they purchased to a co-conspirator’s address in New Jersey.  Bellido Cosio was living in Paterson, New Jersey, at the time of the offense.

Court documents detail Bellido Cosio’s role in the theft from at least 10 victims in Connecticut, Rhode Island, North Carolina, and Tennessee, and the purchase of more than $53,000 in goods using the victims’ credit or debit cards.

Rental records reveal that Bellido Cosio and his co-conspirators rented vehicles 14 times for a total of 144 days and drove the vehicles more than 65,000 miles around the U.S. during the scheme.

Bellido Cosio and a co-conspirator, Angel Eugenio Bances Chaponan, were arrested on March 13, 2024, shortly after they stole a wallet from a victim at store in Orange, Connecticut, and used the victim’s credit card to purchase a MacBook for approximately $2,850 and an iPad Pro for approximately $1,050.

On January 30, 2026, Bellido Cosio pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.  He has been detained since his arrest and faces immigration proceedings when he completes his prison term.

Bances Chaponan and a third co-conspirator, Erick Christian Luna de la Cruz, pleaded guilty to related charges.  On September 17, 2024, Bances Chaponan was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment.  Luna de la Cruz awaits sentencing.

This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Manchester (Conn.) Police Department, with the assistance of the Orange (Conn.) Police Department, the Fairfax County (Va.) Police Department, the Spartanburg County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Office, the Spartanburg Police Department, the Warwick (R.I.) Police Department, the Cary (N.C.) Police Department, and the Metropolitan Nashville (Tenn.) Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan J. Guevremont and Michael S. McGarry.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSE LUIS RODRIGUEZ, 46, a citizen of the Dominican Republic unlawfully residing in the United States, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to passport fraud and identity theft offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in June 2025, an individual who had been recently released from prison (the “victim”) applied for a Connecticut identification card at the Waterbury branch of the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (“DMV”).  When processing the victim’s application, the DMV determined that there was already an active driver’s license for the victim that had been issued in 2001 and renewed multiple times.  An investigation determined that Rodriguez, who lived in Waterbury, was the unlawful holder of the driver’s license and had assumed the victim’s identity.  Investigators discovered that the victim’s identity had two different FBI fingerprint profiles, and that the Waterbury Police Department had arrest records and booking photographs of Rodriguez posing at the victim.

On March 5, 2020, Rodriguez used the name, date of birth, and place of birth of the victim to apply for a U.S. passport in Waterbury.  He received the passport and used it for travel and identification purposes.

Rodriguez was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on December 30, 2025, after he submitted the false passport to the U.S. Department of State and falsely represented himself as the victim and as a U.S. citizen.

Rodriguez pleaded guilty to one count of using a passport secured by a false statement, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of two years.  Judge Oliver scheduled sentencing for July 27.

Rodriguez has been detained since his arrest.

This matter has been investigated by the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, with the assistance of the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles and the Waterbury Police Department.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen.

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.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LEVERN MARION, 37, of West Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 72 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for distributing narcotics.

According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation that included surveillance, trash pulls, traffic stops, and a controlled purchase of narcotics revealed that Marion was distributing controlled substances in and around New Haven.  Marion was arrested on March 27, 2024.  On that date, a court authorized search of a residence on Washington Avenue in New Haven that Marion used to store drugs revealed approximately 800 grams of cocaine, approximately 175 grams of crack cocaine, and numerous wax folds containing fentanyl.

On October 22, 2025, Marion pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and a quantity of fentanyl.

Marion, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison on June 3.

This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven Task Force and the New Haven Police Department.  The DEA New Haven Task Force includes participants from the DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Connecticut State Police and the New Haven, Waterbury, East Haven, Branford, West Haven, Ansonia, Meriden, Naugatuck, and Shelton Police Departments.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Pierpont, Jr.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JORDAN JAMISON, also known as “J” and “JO,” 30, of Waterbury, Connecticut, and Paramus, New Jersey, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to 144 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release for trafficking fentanyl and cocaine.  Judge Oliver also ordered Jamison to pay a $350,000 fine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, a DEA New Haven District Office Task Force investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics, physical and electronic surveillance, and other investigative techniques, determined that Jamison and an associate were trafficking fentanyl and cocaine into the Waterbury area, utilizing an apartment on High Street in Naugatuck and a house on Hunthill Road in Waterbury to store and package narcotics, and distributing the drugs to a network of street-level sellers.

On February 5, 2025, Jamison and his associate travelled together on a flight to California and, later that day, attempted to mail a package from Monterey Park to Connecticut.  Investigators seized the package, which contained approximately one kilogram of fentanyl and three kilograms of cocaine.

On February 11, 2025, a court-authorized search of the Naugatuck stash location revealed approximately 5.4 kilograms of fentanyl and 1.4 kilograms of cocaine packaged for street distribution, and more than 300 grams of xylazine, an animal tranquilizer used by narcotics traffickers as a fentanyl additive.

Jamison has been detained since his arrest on February 13, 2025.  On January 29, 2026, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine.

In April 2020, Jamison was sentenced in New Haven federal court to two days of imprisonment, a $3,600 fine, and forfeiture of $6,056, for a heroin trafficking offense stemming from his role in a Waterbury-based narcotics trafficking ring.

This investigation has been conducted by the DEA New Haven District Office (NHDO) Task Force, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, DEA Los Angeles Airport Group, DEA New Jersey Division Office, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Paramus Police Department, and Hackensack Police Department.  The NHDO Task Force includes members from the DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Connecticut State Police and the New Haven, Waterbury, East Haven, Branford, West Haven, Ansonia, Meriden, Naugatuck, and Shelton Police Departments.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brendan J. Keefe and Natasha M. Freismuth.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the FBI, and Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, today announced that the following five individuals have been charged by indictment with offenses related to the trafficking of cocaine through the U.S. Mail from Puerto Rico to Connecticut:

EDGARDO CASTRO PEREZ, 36, of Tolland, Connecticut, and San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico
ROSELYN OSORIO-SOTO, 38, of Tolland, Connecticut, and San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico
EDGAR CASTRO PEREZ, 27, of Hartford
JUAN JOSE TORRES-ORTIZ, 42, of Hartford
ENRIQUE ARROYO-ROBLES, 28, of Hartford

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in June 2025, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and U.S. Postal Inspection Service began investigating a drug trafficking organization that was coordinating the shipment of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Connecticut through the U.S. Mail.  Typically, Osorio-Soto and Edgardo Castro Perez mailed the cocaine parcels from post offices in Puerto Rico to various addresses in central Connecticut.  Torres-Ortiz collected the packages and transported them to secondary locations where Edgar Castro Perez and Arroyo-Robles stored them until the cocaine was distributed further.  Members of the organization used residences on Merlot Way in Tolland and Woodland Drive in Hartford to store narcotics, drug paraphernalia, cash, and firearms.  During the investigation, investigators identified at least 12 suspicious parcels shipped to Connecticut and seized and searched four parcels, each of which contained multiple kilograms of cocaine.

It is further alleged that on September 17, 2025, Torres-Ortiz picked up a parcel after it had been delivered to an address in Middletown and drove to Hartford where he transferred the parcel to Edgar Castro Perez, who then drove to the residence in Tolland.  Investigators stopped Castro Perez in the driveway of the residence and seized the parcel, and found that it contained approximately three kilograms of cocaine.  On that date, a court-authorized search of the Tolland residence revealed four automatic firearms, three semi-automatic handguns, gun magazines, ammunition, and $133,292 in cash.  A search of the Hartford residence revealed a loaded .45 caliber handgun.

The five defendants were originally charged by federal criminal complaint.  Arroyo-Robles was arrested on March 31, 2026; Edgardo Castro Perez, Osorio-Soto, and Edgar Castro Perez were arrested on April 1, 2026; and Torres-Ortiz was arrested on April 2, 2026.  Arroyo-Robles possessed a distribution quantity of cocaine and $2,321 in cash at the time of his arrest.

On April 8, 2026, a grand jury in Bridgeport returned an indictment charging each of the defendants with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.  If convicted of this charge, based on the quantity of drug attributed to each defendant, Edgardo Castro Perez, Osorio-Soto, and Torres-Ortiz face a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life; Edgar Castro Perez faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years; and Arroyo-Robles faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

The indictment also charges Edgar Castro Perez and Torres-Ortiz with possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, 500 grams or more of cocaine, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, and Arroyo-Robles with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of cash and firearms seized during the investigation.

Osorio-Soto, Edgar Castro Perez, Torres-Ortiz and Arroyo-Robles were arraigned on April 22, 2026, entered pleas of not guilty, and are released on $50,000 bonds.  Edgardo Castro Perez, who has been detained since his arrest, is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in Hartford federal court.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).  The Task Force includes members from the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, and the East Hartford, Hartford, New Britain, West Hartford, Wethersfield, and Newington Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Reed Durham.

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.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that CARLOS GONZALEZ NAVA, 26, a citizen of Mexico unlawfully residing in the U.S., waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty yesterday in New Haven federal court to drug trafficking and firearm possession offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2025, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Homeland Security Investigations began investigating a series of suspicious parcels that were being mailed from southern California to multiple addresses in New London.  The investigation revealed that a drug trafficking organization was shipping large quantities of narcotics, primarily heroin and cocaine, through the U.S. Mail to Connecticut, and that Gonzalez Nava was the primary recipient of the drugs.  In November 2025, a court-authorized search of one intercepted parcel revealed nearly a kilogram of heroin, and in February 2026, a search of another intercepted parcel revealed approximately 400 grams of cocaine.

Gonzalez Nava was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on March 11, 2026.  On that date, a search of his New London residence revealed four firearms, including semi-automatic pistols and a shotgun.

Gonzalez Nava pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and a quantity of cocaine, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, and unlawful possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.  He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford on July 16.

Gonzalez Nava has been detained since his arrest.

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 toward 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 New Haven comprises agents and officers from the FBI, DEA, HSI, ATF, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, U.S. Department of Labor, and Connecticut State Police, with prosecutions led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Konstantin Lantsman and Natasha M. Freismuth.