Southern District of Florida

The Department of Justice announced today that it filed denaturalization actions in various U.S. district courts against 10 individuals accused of serious offenses—including sexual abuse of a child, health care and wire fraud, immigration fraud, and conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. The complaints were filed over the last 30 days. 

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a naturalized U.S. citizen’s citizenship may be revoked, and certificate of naturalization canceled, if the naturalization was illegally procured or procured by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation.

“These ten criminal aliens — including child sex abusers, a $900,000 Medicare fraudster, and a cocaine trafficker — lied their way into U.S. citizenship,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Each of these individuals lacked the good moral character required by law and procured citizenship through willful misrepresentations and concealment of their crimes. Under President Trump’s leadership, this Department of Justice will continue to aggressively pursue denaturalization to restore integrity to America’s naturalization process.”

“When you commit fraud during the naturalization process, you forfeit the right to keep your U.S. citizenship,” said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “These criminal aliens, comprised of drug traffickers, pedophiles, and fraudsters, lost that right and exploited our immigration system—harming real U.S. citizens. DHS is committed to ensuring we denaturalize and remove these fraudsters with every tool at our disposal.”

“We refuse to give a free pass to criminals who cheated their way into American citizenship,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Under this administration, if you defrauded the naturalization process, you will face the full force of the Justice Department. We’ve only scratched the surface — many more complaints are coming.”

1. Yoskmaikel Rodriguez Perez (Age 45/Cuba): Rodriguez Perez, a native of Cuba, became a lawful permanent resident in 2004 and naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2018.  Before obtaining citizenship, however, Rodriguez Perez operated a purported medical clinic and submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare in excess of $886,694.  Rodriguez Perez concealed this criminal conduct throughout the naturalization process and provided false testimony under oath to a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officer.  Rodriguez Perez later pleaded guilty and was convicted of conspiracy to commit healthcare and wire fraud.  On June 18, 2026, the United States filed a four-count denaturalization action in the Southern District of Florida.  The complaint alleges that Rodriguez Perez illegally procured his citizenship because he lacked the good moral character required for naturalization given his crime of moral turpitude, unlawful acts, and false testimony under oath during the naturalization process; and because he procured U.S. citizenship through the concealment of material facts and willful misrepresentations.
2. Ceflo Luviano-Mojica (Age 60/Mexico): On July 14, 2026, the United States brought a denaturalization action against Ceflo Luviano-Mojica, a native of Mexico, who misrepresented his prior arrest for Carrying a Concealed Firearm and for Grand Theft, for which he spent 30 days in jail. In 1998, Luviano pleaded guilty and was convicted in the Northern District of Georgia of, inter alia, Providing False Information in a Naturalization Application, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1015. Luviano admitted he had made a false statement both on his naturalization application and during his interview, when he testified under oath that he had never been arrested, charged, or imprisoned for breaking or violating any law. The United States filed a two-count denaturalization action in the Northern District of Georgia alleging that Luviano illegally procured his citizenship by lacking the good moral character required for naturalization and procuring U.S. citizenship through the concealment of material facts and willful misrepresentations.
3. Urbano Vazquez Ortega (Age 53/Mexico): On July 10, 2026, the United States brought a denaturalization action against Urbano Vazquez Ortega, who sexually assaulted children while employed as a priest in a Washington, D.C. church. Mr. Vazquez Ortega is a native of Mexico and was naturalized as a U.S. citizen on July 11, 2017. Mr. Vazquez Ortega was charged with and convicted in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia of multiple counts of Second-Degree Child Sexual Abuse. Between 2015 to 2017, Mr. Vazquez Ortega touched the breasts, genitalia, and buttocks of his victims and in one instance thrusted his tongue into the mouth of a minor female victim. In 2019, Mr. Vazquez Ortega was sentenced to fifteen years in prison and is presently incarcerated. The United States filed a five-count complaint against Mr. Vazquez Ortega to revoke his naturalized citizenship as he committed these crimes before, during, and after his naturalization as a U.S. citizen.
4. Murtaza Ali (Age 65/Pakistan): Ali is a native of Pakistan who filed multiple applications for immigration benefits under different aliases until he obtained a grant of an immigration benefit under the alias “Muhammad Iqbal.”  Ali, through the grant of the immigration benefit, obtained permanent residency under the alias “Muhammad Iqbal” and thereafter naturalized under this alias in 2009.  Following Ali’s naturalization, a fingerprint expert determined that the fingerprints provided with immigration benefits applications filed under the names “Mortaza Ali” and “Muhammad Iqbal” were made by the same person.  As a result, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas charged Ali with making False Material Statements to an Agency of the United States in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001.  In 2014, Ali pleaded guilty as charged, admitting that he had filed three separate applications for immigration benefits using three different identities.  On July 14, 2026, the United States filed a four-count denaturalization action in the Northern District of Texas alleging that Ali procured his citizenship by committing immigration fraud, engaging in unlawful acts that reflect adversely on his moral character, providing false testimony under oath during the naturalization process, and procuring citizenship through the concealment of material facts and willful misrepresentations.
5. Jimmy Aguero (Age 51/Peru): Mr. Aguero repeatedly sexually abused his minor stepdaughter prior naturalizing as a U.S. citizen on October 6, 2015. A jury found Aguero guilty on eight counts of the sexual abuse of a minor, and he was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment. The Department of Justice filed a complaint alleging that Mr. Aguero was statutorily barred from showing that he was a person of good moral character because of his convictions. The Department also alleged that he procured his naturalization by concealment of material facts.
6. Antonio Alcantara-Ruiz (Age 53/Mexico): On June 23, 2026, the United States brought a denaturalization action against Antonio Alcantara-Ruiz, a/k/a Emiliano Quintana-Gonzalez, a/k/a Antonio Quinn Alcantara, who misrepresented his identity to secure citizenship. Prior to the naturalization process, Alcantara purchased identity documents from a fellow Mexican citizen and used those documents to secure a replacement permanent resident card which contained Alcantara-Ruiz’s picture and fingerprint. Alcantara-Ruiz then used the false documents in support of his naturalization. The United States filed a 4-count complaint against Alcantara-Ruiz seeking to cancel his naturalized citizenship.
7. Omar Cantu-Montalvo (Age 44/Mexico): Cantu-Montalvo was admitted to the United States in March 1996 and subsequently obtained permanent residence. When he applied to naturalize in July 2005, Mr. Cantu-Montalvo stated in his application that he had never committed a crime or offense for which he had not been arrested. He later repeated that claim during his naturalization interview. His application was approved, and he naturalized in December 2005. In April 2016, however, Mr. Cantu-Montalvo pleaded guilty in federal district court to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine—a conspiracy he joined in April 2005, just a few months before he applied for naturalization. For his crime, the court sentenced Mr. Cantu-Montalvo to 100 months of imprisonment followed by a five-year term of supervised release. On June 15, 2026, the United States filed a complaint seeking to revoke Mr. Cantu-Montalvo’s citizenship because he illegally procured his citizenship as he was unable to demonstrate good moral character in light of his commission of a controlled substance offense. Additionally, Mr. Cantu-Montalvo is subject to denaturalization because he willfully misrepresented or concealed his offense while seeking United States citizenship.
8. Francisco Montano (Age 59/Mexico): Montano was legally admitted to the United States in February of 1987, but when he applied to naturalize in 1997, Montano failed to divulge that he had sexual abused a child during the mandatory five-year good moral character period prior to the naturalization process. Montano was later convicted in a Texas State court of two counts of Aggravated Sexual assault and four counts of Indecency with a Child that occurred during the five-year period. As Montano should not have been naturalized, the United States filed a complaint on June 30 in the Southern District of Texas to revoke his illegally-obtained citizenship.
9. Marcin Stanislaw Garbacz (Age 47/Poland): Garbacz, a native of Poland and former Roman Catholic priest, became a lawful permanent resident in 2008 and naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2014. Before obtaining citizenship, Garbacz engaged in a scheme to steal approximately $259,696 in cash collections from three parishes within the Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota. Garbacz also secretly recorded a 17-year-old showering during a church trip to Poland. Garbacz concealed this criminal conduct throughout the naturalization process. Garbacz was later convicted of multiple federal offenses, including wire fraud, making and subscribing a false tax return, and engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place involving a minor. On July 6, 2026, the United States filed a four-count denaturalization action in the Western District of Washington alleging that Garbacz illegally procured his citizenship by lacking the good moral character required for naturalization, providing false testimony under oath during the naturalization process, and procuring U.S. citizenship through the concealment of material facts and willful misrepresentations.
10. Martin Garcia Cardie (Age 60/Mexico): On July 6, 2026, the United States filed a Complaint in the District of Utah seeking the denaturalization of Martin Garcia Cardiel. Garcia Cardiel was admitted to the United States in December 2000 and subsequently obtained permanent residence. When he applied to naturalize in 2011, Mr. Garcia Cardiel wrote in his application that he had never committed a crime for which he had not been arrested. He further indicated in his application that he had never given false or misleading information to any United States government official while applying for any immigration benefit. He naturalized in October 2011. However, in 2022, a petit jury in the State of Utah convicted Mr. Garcia Cardiel of nineteen counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child based on acts the defendant committed in 2007. Evidence at trial indicated that the two victims were his neighbors, sisters who were 7 and 8 years old when the abuse began. Garcia Cardiel was sentenced to consecutive terms of imprisonment of 15 years to life.

These complaints were filed in the Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Georgia, Southern District of Iowa, District of Maryland, Western District of Pennsylvania, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, District of Utah, and Western District of Washington.

The claims made in the complaints are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

Ismael Zambada Garcia also known as El Mayo, 76, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was sentenced today to life in prison and ordered to pay $15 billion in forfeiture for his role as the principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise - the Sinaloa Cartel (the Cartel), one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world - and for his involvement in racketeering.

"Today, narco-trafficker El Mayo was sentenced to life in prison, marking the end of his reign over the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and deadly drug cartels in history. He will never again inflict carnage, corrupt public officials, or traffic deadly drugs into our communities that ruin Americans and their families," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "El Mayo's conviction is historic, and it reflects the Justice Department's commitment to the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations that threaten American lives. To those who remain: we will find you, we will prosecute you, and you, too, will face substantial time in prison."

"Ismael Zambada Garcia spent nearly four decades poisoning American communities to make billions of dollars in profit and ordering the murders of anyone who stood in his way. Today, that chapter closes for good," said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. "He will spend the rest of his life in a U.S. prison, exactly where he belongs. This sentence was made possible by the tireless bilateral cooperation between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement, who refused to let El Mayo's years of evading justice become a permanent state of affairs. We hope that today's sentence brings some measure of justice to the countless victims of the Sinaloa Cartel's narcotics trafficking and violence."

"Ismael `El Mayo' Zambada Garcia spent nearly four decades leading a cartel that poisoned American communities, corrupted public officials, and used murder and terror to protect its power," said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. "Today's life sentence ensures that his reign of violence is over for good. This result reflects years of determined work by prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida, who helped build and carry this case alongside our partners in Brooklyn, Texas, the Criminal Division, and federal law enforcement. No cartel leader is beyond the reach of American justice, and the Southern District of Florida will stay in the fight until the job is finished."

"The sentencing of Zambada Garcia to life in federal prison is a landmark moment in the fight against transnational criminal organizations," said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. "This Administration has made the total elimination of cartels a national priority because Mexican drug cartels are a multifaceted threat to the American way of life. Today's sentencing is yet another example of our commitment to accomplishing that goal. The Western District of Texas is literally on the front lines of that fight, and our AUSAs and support staff will continue to wake up every day and do the next right thing on behalf of the American people just as they did in this case and so many cases like it."

"Today's sentencing sends a clear message to every cartel, every foreign terrorist leader: No matter how powerful you become or how long you evade justice, DEA will not stop pursuing you," said Administrator Terrance C. "Terry" Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). "For decades, Ismael `El Mayo' Zambada García helped lead the Sinaloa Cartel - now designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization - fueling violence, corrupting public institutions, and trafficking fentanyl into the United States, where it has become a weapon of mass destruction that has claimed countless American lives. This outcome reflects the unwavering determination of DEA and our law enforcement partners, who never stopped pursuing this case. Justice does not have an expiration date, and neither does our resolve. We will continue targeting the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel and every criminal organization that threatens the American people."

"Today, the United States closes the book on one of the most violent and destructive criminal figures of our time - the most prolific drug trafficker in modern history: Ismael `El Mayo' Zambada Garcia," said Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). "For nearly two decades, HSI special agents and investigators interviewed countless witnesses, dissected every shred of evidence, and devoted themselves, through sleepless nights and early mornings, to making certain that 'El Mayo' and his co-conspirators would face justice on behalf of Sinaloa's victims. Through the Homeland Security Task Force framework, HSI fused its global investigative reach, financial expertise, and border authorities with the invaluable capabilities of the FBI, the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, and our Department of Justice counterparts. With this sentencing, HSI, together with our invaluable HSTF partners, has taken one of the world's most dangerous criminals off the map permanently."

“From its inception, the Sinaloa Cartel has proven to be one of the most significant drug trafficking organizations in the world. The cartel plagued communities across our country with corruption, the influx of narcotics, violence, and terror,” said Acting Assistant Director John R. Dozier Jr of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “We are proud of our contributions and thank our partners for their efforts which led to today’s sentencing, which will force one of the Cartel’s co-founders to spend the rest of their life behind bars. We will continue to leverage everything at our disposal to protect the American people and dismantle the drug trafficking organizations causing them harm.”

"El Mayo's sentencing is a testament to the dedication of dozens of law enforcement officers and attorneys who labored over this case for decades," said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Tyler of the FBI Washington Field Office. "It's also a victory for every American family who has lost a loved one to a drug overdose and every Mexican community that has lived in fear of cartel violence. In the wake of this sentencing, the FBI and our partners vow to continue to pour our collective resources into dismantling the cartel - bringing every faction leader, plaza boss, and assassin to justice."

Today's sentencing is the result of a joint prosecution by the U.S. Attorney's Offices for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) and Southern District of Florida (SDFL) and the Criminal Division's Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF). Zambada Garcia was previously charged by indictments filed in the Eastern District of New York (the EDNY/SDFL/MNF indictment), the Western District of Texas (WDTX), the District of Columbia, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of California, and the Central District of California. The EDNY/SDFL/MNF indictment charged Zambada Garcia with, among other things, being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise from January 1989 through January 2024. The WDTX Indictment charged Zambada Garcia with, among other things, RICO conspiracy for his participation in money laundering, murder, and drug conspiracies, and violations of state law for murder and kidnapping for conduct between Jan. 1, 2000, and April 11, 2012.

Pursuant to a plea agreement, Zambada Garcia agreed to the transfer of the WDTX indictment for plea and sentencing in the Eastern District of New York with the EDNY/SDFL/MNF indictment. Zambada Garcia then pleaded guilty to being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise and a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charge.  

Zambada Garcia's rise to power began with the Cartel's inception and ended with his arrest in July 2024. Previously known as the Mexican Federation, the Cartel is a drug trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico, that since approximately the late 1980s has imported lethal quantities of narcotics - including, among others, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl - into the United States and laundered billions of dollars in drug proceeds back to Mexico.

The Cartel's operations initially focused on cocaine distribution based on cooperative arrangements and close coordination with South American sources of supply and distribution networks. This changed in the 2000s when the Colombians, seeing increased law enforcement activity, started to abandon their U.S. distribution businesses in favor of permitting Mexican traffickers to invest in cocaine shipments at wholesale prices, which those Mexican traffickers would then distribute in the United States. As a result, Mexican traffickers and the Cartel began to take a more integral role in moving cocaine from Colombia into and throughout the United States. Under Zambada Garcia's leadership, the Cartel also recently branched out into the production and trafficking of fentanyl, including by purchasing fentanyl precursor chemicals from Chinese companies and producing many thousands of kilograms of fentanyl in laboratories both in rural areas and major cities in Mexico for distribution in the United States.

The Cartel's distribution networks also have supported money laundering efforts that have delivered billions of dollars in illegal profits generated from drug sales in the United States back to the Cartel. Increased profits allowed the Cartel's operations to grow a large-scale narcotics transportation network involving the use of land, air, and sea transportation assets, which eventually led to the Cartel shipping multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America, through Central America and Mexico, and finally into the United States.

Zambada Garcia has devoted his efforts over decades to growing, increasing, and enhancing the power of the Cartel, and to growing his individual power and position in the Cartel after his partner El Chapo was captured in 2016. Under Zambada Garcia's leadership, the Cartel regularly used brutal violence, intimidation, and murder to silence potential witnesses and dissuade law enforcement from performing its duties. Zambada Garcia has operated with impunity at the highest levels of the Mexican drug trafficking world while being assured of his continued success and safety from arrest through his payment of bribes to Mexican government officials and law enforcement officers. He controlled those corrupt officials and officers who protected his workers and drug shipments as his drugs were transported across Mexico and into the United States. Numerous witnesses have testified, including at the trials of El Chapo and corrupt former Mexican Secretary of Public Security Genaro García Luna, that corruption at all levels was necessary to allow the Zambada Garcia's criminal enterprise to function so effectively at such a large scale: from local police officers who escorted the drugs through Mexico, to corrupt officials who informed the Cartel of military actions, thwarted capture operations, and consulted with the Cartel about proceedings and investigations against it.

The DEA, HSI, and FBI investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Jayce Born and Kirk Handrich of the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit (NDDU) are leading the prosecution for the Criminal Division's Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, along with the Eastern District of New York's International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section as part of the work of EDNY's Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force and the Southern District of Florida's International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro, Robert M. Pollack, Adam Amir, Lauren A. Bowman, and Rebecca M. Urquiola are leading the prosecution for the Eastern District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Goldbarg and Monique Botero are leading the prosecution for the Southern District of Florida. The U.S. Attorneys' Offices for the Northern District of Illinois, Central District of California, and Southern District of California provided substantial assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antonio Franco and Kyle Myers are leading the prosecution for the Western District of Texas.

MNF's mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.

MNF's NDDU investigates and prosecutes the top command and control elements of international drug cartels, drug trafficking organizations and related transnational criminal organizations.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

“El Mayo” Spent Nearly Four Decades Leading the Sinaloa Cartel’s Trafficking of Tons of Fentanyl, Cocaine, and Other Deadly Drugs into the United States, and Ordered Ruthless Acts of Violence to Protect His Enterprise

MIAMI – Ismael Zambada Garcia, also known as El Mayo, 77, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was sentenced today to life in prison and ordered to pay $15 billion in forfeiture for his role as the principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise — the Sinaloa Cartel (the Cartel), one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world — and for his involvement in racketeering.

“Today, narco-trafficker El Mayo was sentenced to life in prison, marking the end of his reign over the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and deadly drug cartels in history. He will never again inflict carnage, corrupt public officials, or traffic deadly drugs into our communities that ruin Americans and their families,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “El Mayo’s capture and conviction is historic, and it reflects the Justice Department’s commitment to the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations that threaten American lives. To those who remain: we will find you, we will prosecute you, and you, too, will face substantial time in prison.”

“Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada Garcia spent nearly four decades leading a cartel that poisoned American communities, corrupted public officials, and used murder and terror to protect its power,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Today’s life sentence ensures that his reign of violence is over for good. This result reflects years of determined work by prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida, who helped build and carry this case alongside our partners in Brooklyn, Texas, the Criminal Division, and federal law enforcement. No cartel leader is beyond the reach of American justice, and the Southern District of Florida will stay in the fight until the job is finished.”

“Ismael Zambada Garcia spent nearly four decades poisoning American communities to make billions of dollars in profit and ordering the murders of anyone who stood in his way. Today, that chapter closes for good,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “He will spend the rest of his life in a U.S. prison, exactly where he belongs. This sentence was made possible by the tireless work of law enforcement across two countries who refused to let El Mayo’s years of evading justice become a permanent state of affairs. We hope that today’s sentence brings some measure of justice to the countless victims of the Sinaloa Cartel’s narcotics trafficking and violence.”

“The sentencing of Zambada Garcia to life in federal prison is a landmark moment in the fight against transnational criminal organizations,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “This Administration has made the total elimination of cartels a national priority because Mexican drug cartels are a multifaceted threat to the American way of life. Today’s sentencing is yet another example of our commitment to accomplishing that goal. The Western District of Texas is literally on the front lines of that fight, and our AUSAs and support staff will continue to wake up every day and do the next right thing on behalf of the American people just as they did in this case and so many cases like it.” 

“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message to every cartel, every foreign terrorist leader: No matter how powerful you become or how long you evade justice, DEA will not stop pursuing you,” said Administrator Terrance C. “Terry” Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “For decades, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada García helped lead the Sinaloa Cartel — now designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization – fueling violence, corrupting public institutions, and trafficking fentanyl into the United States, where it has become a weapon of mass destruction that has claimed countless American lives. This outcome reflects the unwavering determination of DEA and our law enforcement partners, who never stopped pursuing this case. Justice does not have an expiration date, and neither does our resolve. We will continue targeting the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel and every criminal organization that threatens the American people.”

“Today, the United States closes the book on one of the most violent and destructive criminal figures of our time — the most prolific drug trafficker in modern history: Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada Garcia,” said Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “For nearly two decades, HSI special agents and investigators interviewed countless witnesses, dissected every shred of evidence, and devoted themselves, through sleepless nights and early mornings, to making certain that 'El Mayo' and his co-conspirators would face justice on behalf of Sinaloa’s victims. Through the Homeland Security Task Force framework, HSI fused its global investigative reach, financial expertise, and border authorities with the invaluable capabilities of the FBI, the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, and our Department of Justice counterparts. With this sentencing, HSI, together with our invaluable HSTF partners, has taken one of the world’s most dangerous criminals off the map permanently.”

“El Mayo's sentencing is a testament to the dedication of dozens of law enforcement officers and attorneys who labored over this case for decades,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Tyler of the FBI Washington Field Office. “It’s also a victory for every American family who has lost a loved one to a drug overdose and every Mexican community that has lived in fear of cartel violence. In the wake of this sentencing, the FBI and our partners vow to continue to pour our collective resources into dismantling the cartel — bringing every faction leader, plaza boss, and assassin to justice.”

Today’s sentencing is the result of a joint prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) and Southern District of Florida (SDFL) and the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF). Zambada Garcia was previously charged by indictments filed in the Eastern District of New York (the EDNY/SDFL/MNF indictment), the Western District of Texas (WDTX), the District of Columbia, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of California, and the Central District of California. The EDNY/SDFL/MNF indictment charged Zambada Garcia with, among other things, being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise from January 1989 through January 2024. The WDTX Indictment charged Zambada Garcia with, among other things, RICO conspiracy for his participation in money laundering, murder, and drug conspiracies, and violations of state law for murder and kidnapping for conduct between Jan. 1, 2000, and April 11, 2012.

Pursuant to a plea agreement, Zambada Garcia agreed to the transfer of the WDTX indictment for plea and sentencing in the Eastern District of New York with the EDNY/SDFL/MNF indictment. Zambada Garcia then pleaded guilty to being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise and a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charge. 

Zambada Garcia’s rise to power began with the Cartel’s inception and ended with his arrest in July 2024. Previously known as the Mexican Federation, the Cartel is a drug trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico, that since approximately the late 1980s has imported lethal quantities of narcotics — including, among others, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl — into the United States and laundered billions of dollars in drug proceeds back to Mexico.

The Cartel’s operations initially focused on cocaine distribution based on cooperative arrangements and close coordination with South American sources of supply and distribution networks. This changed in the 2000s when the Colombians, seeing increased law enforcement activity, started to abandon their U.S. distribution businesses in favor of permitting Mexican traffickers to invest in cocaine shipments at wholesale prices, which those Mexican traffickers would then distribute in the United States. As a result, Mexican traffickers and the Cartel began to take a more integral role in moving cocaine from Colombia into and throughout the United States. Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Cartel also recently branched out into the production and trafficking of fentanyl, including by purchasing fentanyl precursor chemicals from Chinese companies and producing many thousands of kilograms of fentanyl in laboratories both in rural areas and major cities in Mexico for distribution in the United States.

The Cartel’s distribution networks also have supported money laundering efforts that have delivered billions of dollars in illegal profits generated from drug sales in the United States back to the Cartel. Increased profits allowed the Cartel’s operations to grow a large-scale narcotics transportation network involving the use of land, air, and sea transportation assets, which eventually led to the Cartel shipping multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America, through Central America and Mexico, and finally into the United States.

Zambada Garcia has devoted his efforts over decades to growing, increasing, and enhancing the power of the Cartel, and to growing his individual power and position in the Cartel after his partner El Chapo was captured in 2016. Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Cartel regularly used brutal violence, intimidation, and murder to silence potential witnesses and dissuade law enforcement from performing its duties. Zambada Garcia has operated with impunity at the highest levels of the Mexican drug trafficking world while being assured of his continued success and safety from arrest through his payment of bribes to Mexican government officials and law enforcement officers. He controlled those corrupt officials and officers who protected his workers and drug shipments as his drugs were transported across Mexico and into the United States. Numerous witnesses have testified, including at the trials of El Chapo and corrupt former Mexican Secretary of Public Security Genaro García Luna, that corruption at all levels was necessary to allow the Zambada Garcia’s criminal enterprise to function so effectively at such a large scale: from local police officers who escorted the drugs through Mexico, to corrupt officials who informed the Cartel of military actions, thwarted capture operations, and consulted with the Cartel about proceedings and investigations against it.

The DEA, HSI, and FBI investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Jayce Born and Kirk Handrich of the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit (NDDU) are leading the prosecution for the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, along with the Eastern District of New York’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section as part of the work of EDNY’s Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force and SDFL’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Goldbarg and Monique Botero are leading the prosecution for the Southern District of Florida. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro, Robert M. Pollack, Adam Amir, Lauren A. Bowman, and Rebecca M. Urquiola are leading the prosecution for the Eastern District of New York. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Illinois, Central District of California, and Southern District of California provided substantial assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antonio Franco and Kyle Myers are leading the prosecution for the Western District of Texas.

MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.

MNF’s NDDU investigates and prosecutes the top command and control elements of international drug cartels, drug trafficking organizations, and related transnational criminal organizations.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of New York at www.nyed.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.nyed.uscourts.gov, under case number 09-cr-466.

###  

MIAMI – A California duo accused of operating a darknet drug trafficking business that sold fentanyl and methamphetamine nationwide, including in South Florida, and laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency has been indicted by a Southern District of Florida grand jury. 

According to court documents, Nicholas Aguilar, 44, and Jessica Marcolina, 37, both of Los Angeles, allegedly operated vendor accounts under the moniker “HotGirlzClub” on multiple darknet marketplaces, where they conspired to distribute controlled substances — including fentanyl and methamphetamine — to customers throughout the U.S., including in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Aguilar and Marcolina also allegedly conspired to launder cryptocurrency proceeds from the drug sales through transactions designed to conceal the source and ownership of the funds.

It is alleged that from as early as 2020, continuing through the date of their arrest, the defendants were consistently shipping parcels containing controlled substances using the U.S. Mail.  According to the complaint, in a seven-month period alone in 2025, law enforcement allegedly identified more than 500 shipped parcels believed to contain narcotics that were linked to the operation.

Searches of the defendants’ residences in California revealed distribution quantities of suspected controlled substances, drug packaging materials, printed warning labels, U.S. Postal Service (USPS) shipping supplies, a label maker, heat and vacuum sealer, a food processor containing suspected narcotics residue, electronic devices, fraudulent identification documents bearing the names of identity theft victims, and firearms. Law enforcement also recovered warning inserts identical to those included in undercover purchases. The inserts cautioned customers about the risk of overdose, advising them to “be safe until you know you tolerance for the product,” demonstrating the defendants’ awareness of the dangers posed by the narcotics they allegedly distributed.

The search also revealed that Aguilar possessed two loaded handguns and a rifle and operated an illicit firearms manufacturing operation that produced ghost guns, suppressors, and firearm upper and lower receivers.

Aguilar and Marcolina are charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, they each face up to life imprisonment on the drug trafficking conspiracy count and up to 20 years’ imprisonment on the money laundering conspiracy count. 

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Ronald A. Loecker of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Florida Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Miles Aley of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division; Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division; and Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation – Cyber Crimes Unit and the DEA Miami Counternarcotic Cyber Investigations Task Force, a multi-agency task force, including the DEA, IRS Criminal Investigation, FBI, USPIS, and the Fort Lauderdale Police Department are investigating the case. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Monique Botero is prosecuting the case. 

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the U.S. HSTF Miami comprises of agents and officers from IRS-CI, DEA, FBI, USIS, and the Fort Lauderdale Police Department with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern district of Florida.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-20280.

###

ALBANY, Ga. – U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes today announced the unsealing of a criminal complaint charging a Jamaican citizen and music artist residing in the United States on an O-1B visa, with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person after he was allegedly caught with multiple guns and 92 rounds of ammunition after fleeing deputies in Turner County, Georgia, in November. 

Ackeme Jermane Campbell, 32, of Jamaica and Davenport, Florida, who is in the United States on an O-1B non-immigrant visa, is charged by criminal complaint with one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Campbell faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The complaint was filed in the Middle District of Georgia on July 1 and unsealed on July 14.

Campbell was arrested in Miami, Florida, on July 5 and was detained without bond at his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eduardo I. Sanchez in the Southern District of Florida on July 9. Campbell is in federal custody.

According to the criminal complaint and court documents, Campbell, a music artist performing professionally as Chronic Law, was residing and performing in the United States pursuant to an O-1B non-immigrant visa. On Nov. 15, 2025, Campbell was allegedly driving a vehicle at an excessive speed in Turner County, Georgia. When deputies attempted to pull him over, Campbell fled, driving the car at over 120 miles per hour.

As captured on body camera, when the chase concluded, officers discovered that Campbell allegedly had a semiautomatic pistol with one magazine and 12 rounds of ammunition; a semiautomatic pistol with two magazines and 31 rounds of ammunition; a semiautomatic rifle with two magazines and 49 rounds of ammunition; and a gun that was reported stolen from Miami. 

Campbell allegedly admitted to agents that the firearms belonged to him and that he had not applied for the necessary waivers permitting ownership, as it is illegal for a visa holder to have firearms. As alleged, Campbell’s affiliation with a criminal gang and his high risk of flight from the country, coupled with the serious nature of the crime and the number of firearms and ammunition in his possession, determined his detention by the Court without bond.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

FBI-Miami, FBI-Atlanta, and the Turner County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Shiante McMahon of the Middle District of Georgia is prosecuting the case for the Government, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Pasek from the Southern District of Florida.

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

A Florida man pleaded guilty today to filing a false tax return filed on behalf of a trust he controlled.

According to court documents and statements made in court, McDonald Preval, of Miami, filed numerous false tax returns on behalf of himself and purported trusts he controlled. The trust tax returns reported that the trusts had earned significant income and made tax withholding payments to the IRS, purportedly entitling the trusts to large tax refunds. In fact, the trusts did not have the claimed income, and did not make payments in the amounts claimed on the returns, and therefore were not entitled to the refunds Preval claimed. He also filed tax returns for 2023 that did not include the income from his employment. The false tax returns Preval filed and caused to be filed on behalf of purported trusts and himself collectively sought tax refunds totaling more than $4.2 million.

Preval pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 6 and faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division and U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Melissa Siskind and Kavitha Bondada of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, Tax Section, are prosecuting the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs. 

MIAMI – Angelo Martino, 41, of Land O’Lakes, formerly employed as a ransomware negotiator, was sentenced today to 70 months for his role in conspiring with Blackcat/ALPHV (BlackCat) actors to extort multiple victims, as well as conspiring with other former cybersecurity professionals to attack additional victims in 2023. 

“Angelo Martino’s victims shared heartbreaking accounts of how their businesses were nearly destroyed, while the people they hired to help them instead betrayed them to ransomware gangs,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s sentence accounts for the harm Martino caused and demonstrates that the Department of Justice can and will identify and prosecute cybercriminals to the fullest extent of the law.”

“He was hired to help victims in a moment of crisis. Instead, Martino betrayed them, fed their confidential negotiating positions to ransomware criminals, and helped squeeze them for more money,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This case sends a clear message: we will pursue the hackers who deploy ransomware, the insiders who enable them, and the money they steal from American victims. Thanks to the outstanding work of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, Martino is going to federal prison, and more than $10 million in criminal proceeds has been seized.”

“Angelo Martino sold out the very victims he was hired to represent, handing their confidential negotiating positions to BlackCat actors to drive up ransoms and enrich himself,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “Today’s sentence demonstrates that the FBI will pursue not just the criminals who deploy ransomware, but the insiders who enable them. Working with our partners, the FBI will find those who betray that trust and hold them accountable.”

According to court documents, Martino abused his role at a U.S.-based cyber incident response company and conspired with the operators of the BlackCat ransomware variant beginning in April 2023 to extort five different ransomware victims. Specifically, Martino was paid by BlackCat attackers to provide confidential information about the negotiating position and strategy of his employer’s clients and enable the ransomware actors to maximize the ransoms paid by the victims. 

Additionally, Martino conspired with former cybersecurity professionals Kevin Martin, 36, of Texas, who was hired as Martino’s coworker after the conspiracy began, and Ryan Goldberg, 41, of Georgia, who was employed by a separate incident response company, to successfully deploy BlackCat ransomware against additional victims located throughout the United States between April 2023 and November 2023. After successfully extorting one victim for approximately $1.2 million in Bitcoin, the men split their share of the ransom three ways and laundered the funds through various means. 

Martino pleaded guilty on April 14 to a one-count information charging him with conspiring to interfere with interstate commerce through extortion. On May 1 Martin and Goldberg were sentenced to 48 months in prison by U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore.

To date, law enforcement has seized $10 million of assets from Martino, including digital currency, vehicles, a food truck, and a luxury fishing boat that Martino obtained through the scheme. A hearing to determine the amount of restitution to be ordered against Martino is set for Sept. 17.

Today’s announcement follows the Justice Department’s prior actions in December 2023 to disrupt BlackCat ransomware, during which the FBI developed a decryption tool that allowed FBI field offices across the country and law enforcement partners around the world to offer hundreds of victims the capability of restoring their systems, saving victims approximately $99 million in ransom payments. At that time, the FBI also seized several websites operated by the BlackCat ransomware actors. 

The FBI’s Miami Field Office is leading the investigation, with assistance provided by the U.S. Secret Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Haggerty and Quinshawna Landon for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Christen Gallagher and Jorge Gonzalez of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mitchell Hyman and Assistant U.S. Attorney Denielle N. Croke for the Southern District of Florida are handling asset forfeiture and restitution.

Significant assistance in this investigation was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Merrilyn Hoenemeyer for the Middle District of Florida and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx P. Calderón of the Southern District of Florida.

CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime and intellectual property (IP) crime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cyber and IP criminals and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds. 

This action is part of Operation Riptide, an ongoing FBI campaign targeting the criminal actors, infrastructure, and financial networks behind cybercrime, cyber-enabled crime, and fraud against the American people. Last year, Americans reported over $20 billion in losses to cybercrime, a 26 percent single-year increase. Operation Riptide is the FBI's sustained enforcement response to that threat.

If you are a victim of ransomware, contact your local FBI field office or file a report at ic3.gov.

If you have information about ALPHV/BlackCat, their affiliates or activities, you may be eligible for a reward through Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards program or Rewards for Justice program. Information can also be submitted through the following Tor-based tip line (Tor browser required): 

he5dybnt7sr6cm32xt77pazmtm65flqy6irivtflruqfc5ep7eiodiad.onion.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case numbers 26-cr-20065.

###

MIAMI – U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, joined by federal and local law enforcement partners, announced today the results of a two-month, multi-agency enforcement initiative targeting repeat violent offenders in Palm Beach County.  

In May, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Miami Field Division launched “Operation Hurricane,” an enhanced enforcement initiative focused on combating violent crime and disrupting the illegal possession and trafficking of firearms throughout South Florida. As part of the operation, ATF deployed personnel from across the country to work alongside federal and local law enforcement agencies, providing specialized expertise in tactical operations, technical support, and undercover investigations.

To date, the ATF-led initiative has resulted in federal charges against and the arrest of 38 federal defendants and 8 state defendants, most of whom are Palm Beach County residents facing firearms and narcotics trafficking offenses. Law enforcement also seized 94 firearms, including semiautomatic rifles and handguns, along with more than 600 rounds of ammunition. Additionally, investigators seized approximately 9.4 kilograms of illegal narcotics, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, crack, and other controlled substances.

“As we’ve seen in Memphis, Washington, D.C., and now South Florida, targeted law enforcement surges drive down crime,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald. “Operation Hurricane is the latest success: over two months of focused enforcement by ATF and its partners removed nearly 100 illegal firearms from communities, along with significant quantities of illegal drugs and controlled substances. We commend ATF and all our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners for their relentless efforts to hold violent repeat offenders accountable and make our neighborhoods safer.”

“Operation Hurricane shows the Homeland Security Task Force model at work: federal, state, and local law enforcement moving as one team to identify the drivers of violence and remove illegal guns and drugs from our streets,” said U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones. “This was dangerous, difficult work. Our agents and officers went into harm’s way to save lives in Palm Beach County and across South Florida. Because of their courage and professionalism, 46 defendants, 94 firearms, and kilograms of deadly narcotics are now off the street.”

“This enforcement initiative demonstrates ATF’s unwavering commitment to reducing violent crime by identifying and targeting the individuals who pose the greatest threat to our communities,” said ATF Director Rob Cekada. “ATF-led surge operations such as Operation Hurricane in south Florida supports the White House’s violent crime strategy and the Homeland Security Task Force – by focusing our investigative resources on known members of violent gangs, transnational criminal organizations, cartels and other prolific offenders. Our ATF Miami Field Division personnel removed 38 dangerous criminals from our streets, disrupted criminal groups, armed robbery crews, firearms trafficking cells, drug trafficking networks, and thus, made our neighborhoods significantly safer. These results will have a lasting impact and are a testament to the dedication of our special agents, and law enforcement partners who work every day to protect the public through strategic, intelligence-driven enforcement.” 

“These criminals posed a serious threat to the well-being of Palm Beach County residents and the actions of our dedicated law enforcement partners in getting these weapons and drugs off the streets will lead to safer communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Miles Aley of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division.

“This case demonstrates what is possible when law enforcement agencies work together with a shared commitment to protecting our community,” said Police Chief Tony Araujo of the West Palm Beach Police Department. Strong partnerships, open communication, and coordinated efforts were essential to advancing this investigation and bringing those responsible to justice.”

The charges were brought via federal indictments and criminal complaints over the past few weeks. 

Operation Hurricane Defendants:

Felon in possession of a firearm

Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine

Use, carry, and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance

Attempt to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance

Conspiracy to use, carry, and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

Use, carry, and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

Conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery

Attempt to commit Hobbs Act robbery

Felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition

Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine

Use, carry, and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

Conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance

Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

Conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance

Federal possession of unregistered firearms

Felon in possession of a firearms

Distribution of a controlled substance

Distribution of a controlled substance

Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance

Attempt to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance

Conspiracy to use, carry, and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

Use, carry, and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

Conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery

Attempt to commit Hobbs Act robbery

Felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition

Federal possession of unregistered firearms

Felon in possession of a firearm

Conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of a cocaine base

Possession with intent to distribute a Schedule II controlled substance

Possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of a cocaine base

Possession with intent to distribute controlled substances

Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a federal drug trafficking crime

Possession of firearms by a convicted felon

Conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance to include 28 grams or more of a mixture and substance 

Possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon

Conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of a cocaine base

Possession with intent to distribute a Schedule II controlled substance

Possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of a cocaine base

Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance

Attempt to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance

Conspiracy to use, carry, and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

Use, carry, and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

Conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery

Attempt to commit Hobbs Act robbery

Conspiracy to transfer firearms to another person in or otherwise affecting interstate or foreign commerce

Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

Conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance

Felon in possession of a firearm

Conspiracy to transfer firearms to another person in or otherwise affecting interstate or foreign commerce

Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

Conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance

Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

Conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance

Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

Conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance

Felon in possession of a firearm

Distribution of a controlled substance

Possession of a firearm during and in relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime

Conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance to include 28 grams or more of a mixture and substance 

Possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon

Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance

Attempt to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance

Conspiracy to use, carry, and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

Use, carry, and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

Conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery

Attempt to commit Hobbs Act robbery

Felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition

Conspiracy to traffic firearms and trafficking firearms

Possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon

Distribution of a Schedule II controlled substance

Distribution of 28 grams or more of a Schedule II controlled substance

Distribution of a controlled substance over 50 grams of a mixture

Distribution of a controlled substance over 40 grams or more 

Distribution of a controlled substance

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones acknowledged and commended the investigative efforts of ATF, DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and the West Palm Beach Police Department.

The federal prosecutions are being coordinated by West Palm Beach Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam McMichael and West Palm Beach Narcotics Chief Daniel Funk. 

These prosecutions are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Miami comprises of agents and officers from ATF, DEA, USMS, HSI, and HIDTA  with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

The charges contained in indictments and complaints are not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

###

Angelo Martino, 41, of Land O’Lakes, Florida, formerly employed as a ransomware negotiator, was sentenced today to 70 months for his role in conspiring with Blackcat/ALPHV (BlackCat) actors to extort multiple victims, as well as conspiring with other former cybersecurity professionals to attack additional victims in 2023. 

“Angelo Martino’s victims shared heartbreaking accounts of how their businesses were nearly destroyed, while the people they hired to help them instead betrayed them to ransomware gangs,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s sentence accounts for the harm Martino caused and demonstrates that the Department of Justice can and will identify and prosecute cybercriminals to the fullest extent of the law.”

“He was hired to help victims in a moment of crisis,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Instead, Martino betrayed them, fed their confidential negotiating positions to ransomware criminals, and helped squeeze them for more money. This case sends a clear message: we will pursue the hackers who deploy ransomware, the insiders who enable them, and the money they steal from American victims. Thanks to the outstanding work of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, Martino is going to federal prison, and more than $10 million in criminal proceeds has been seized.”

“Angelo Martino sold out the very victims he was hired to represent, handing their confidential negotiating positions to BlackCat actors to drive up ransoms and enrich himself,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI Cyber Division. “Today's sentence demonstrates that the FBI will pursue not just the criminals who deploy ransomware, but the insiders who enable them. Working with our partners, the FBI will find those who betray that trust and hold them accountable.”

According to court documents, Martino abused his role at a U.S.-based cyber incident response company and conspired with the operators of the BlackCat ransomware variant beginning in April 2023 to extort five different ransomware victims. Specifically, Martino was paid by BlackCat attackers to provide confidential information about the negotiating position and strategy of his employer’s clients and enable the ransomware actors to maximize the ransoms paid by the victims. 

Additionally, Martino conspired with former cybersecurity professionals Kevin Martin, age 36, of Texas, who was hired as Martino’s coworker after the conspiracy began, and Ryan Goldberg, age 41, of Georgia, who was employed by a separate incident response company, to successfully deploy BlackCat ransomware against additional victims located throughout the United States between April 2023 and November 2023. After successfully extorting one victim for approximately $1.2 million in Bitcoin, the men split their share of the ransom three ways and laundered the funds through various means. 

Martino plead guilty on April 14 to a one-count information charging him with conspiring to interfere with interstate commerce through extortion. On May 1 Martin and Goldberg were sentenced to 48 months in prison by Judge K. Michael Moore in the Southern District of Florida.

To date, law enforcement has seized $10 million of assets from Martino, including digital currency, vehicles, a food truck, and a luxury fishing boat that Martino obtained through the scheme. A hearing to determine the amount of restitution to be ordered against Martino is set for Sept. 17.

Today’s announcement follows the Justice Department’s prior actions in December 2023 to disrupt BlackCat ransomware, during which the FBI developed a decryption tool that allowed FBI field offices across the country and law enforcement partners around the world to offer hundreds of victims the capability of restoring their systems, saving victims approximately $99 million in ransom payments. At that time, the FBI also seized several websites operated by the BlackCat ransomware actors. 

The FBI’s Miami field office is leading the investigation, with assistance provided by the U.S. Secret Service.

Trial Attorneys Christen Gallagher and Jorge Gonzalez of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Haggerty and Quinshawna Landon for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mitchell Hyman and Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle N. Croke for the Southern District of Florida are handling asset forfeiture and restitution.

Significant assistance in this investigation was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Merrilyn Hoenemeyer for the Middle District of Florida and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx P. Calderón of the Southern District of Florida.

CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime and intellectual property (IP) crime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cyber and IP criminals and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds. 

This action is part of Operation Riptide, an ongoing FBI campaign targeting the criminal actors, infrastructure, and financial networks behind cybercrime, cyber-enabled crime, and fraud against the American people. Last year, Americans reported over $20 billion in losses to cybercrime, a 26 percent single-year increase. Operation Riptide is the FBI's sustained enforcement response to that threat.

If you are a victim of ransomware, contact your local FBI field office or file a report at ic3.gov.

If you have information about ALPHV/BlackCat, their affiliates or activities, you may be eligible for a reward through Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards program or Rewards for Justice program. Information can also be submitted through the following Tor-based tip line (Tor browser required): he5dybnt7sr6cm32xt77pazmtm65flqy6irivtflruqfc5ep7eiodiad.onion. 

Today, United States Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida announced criminal charges against 12 defendants in connection with alleged schemes to defraud Medicare, Medicaid, the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program (FEHBP), and private insurers. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The charges stem from schemes involving over $4 billion dollars in fraudulent claims for DME, skin substitutes and wound care products, laboratory testing, and community mental health services that were medically unnecessary, procured by kickbacks to marketers and beneficiaries, and not provided, some of which involved transnational criminal organization activity and significant patient harm and risk to public safety. 

"Health care fraud isn't just fraud, it's stealing from every American taxpayer. This Department of Justice is no longer satisfied with chasing stolen money after it's gone,” said U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones. “We're using data to detect suspicious claims earlier, prevent fraudulent payments whenever possible, seize the proceeds of fraud, and bring those responsible before the courts. If you choose to exploit our health care system for personal gain, expect to lose your money, your assets, and your freedom."

“Health care fraud is more than a financial crime. Every dollar stolen through fraud is a dollar diverted from patient care, medical services, and programs that millions of Americans depend upon. The impact is felt not only in government-funded health care programs, but throughout the entire health care system,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of FBI Miami. “The FBI and our partners work tirelessly to investigate health care fraud, but we cannot do it alone. If you believe you have information related to healthcare fraud or someone you know may have been a victim, file a complaint at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.”

“In the far-reaching enforcement action announced today, the HHS Inspector General’s Office and our law enforcement partners effectively shut down an expansive array of alleged high-dollar, corrosive health care fraud schemes and are bringing those we believe responsible to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Isaac M. Bledsoe of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Simply put, fraudsters who exploit Medicare and Medicaid patients and jeopardize these safety net health care programs to enrich themselves will be held accountable for their crimes.”

“Medicaid is your tax dollars meant to help sick children, disabled adults, and struggling families get the doctor visits, therapy, and daily care they need. When someone cheats the system, they steal from the very people who need it most,” said Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. “My office will keep working with our state and federal law enforcement partners to protect your taxpayer dollars so they work for the people who need it—not the cheaters.”

The charges announced today by U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. This Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history. In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters: one defendant in Kyrenia in connection with an over $3.7 billion scheme; two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme; and, in the Philippines, one of FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a previously-charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme. The Takedown involves the cutting-edge use of data analytics to target the worst actors; the seizure of over $182 million in cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other assets; and full-spectrum accountability for all criminal actors from doctor’s offices to corporate boardrooms.

This coordinated enforcement action involves a whole-of-government approach, including: 

• Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers.

• 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to over $73 million, over 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by the HHS-OIG under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund from payments that CMS caught and suspended before the funds were paid to the fraudulent providers.

• Civil charges against 13 defendants for $14.8 million in health care fraud schemes, as well as civil settlements with 31 defendants totaling $23 million.

• 928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since October 1, 2025.

The following individuals were charged in the Southern District of Florida in connection with the following types of health care fraud schemes:

Fraudulent Wound Care Schemes

Casilda Muniz Rodriguez, 57, of Hialeah, was charged by information with conspiracy to defraud the government in connection with her role setting up clinics in South Florida that fraudulently billed Medicare for over $117 million for skin substitutes and wound care products that were never provided. Muniz Rodriguez worked with the clinics’ true owners to set up the clinics and fraudulently listed only the names of nominee owners on the paperwork enrolling the clinics with Medicare. Muniz Rodriguez set up at least 11 of these fraudulent clinics, and Medicare paid over $55 million based on the clinics’ fraudulent claims. The case is being prosecuted by Acting Assistant Chief Jil Simon and Trial Attorney Emmanuel Hampton of the Florida Strike Force and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sally Molloy and Jacqueline DerOvanesian for the Southern District of Florida.

In this Takedown, the Department announced the seizure of over $27 million in fraudulent Medicare payments in the Southern District of Florida as part of a data-driven effort to target “bust-out schemes” involving 12 clinics that billed Medicare millions of dollars for skin substitutes and wound care products that were never provided to patients.  This novel and proactive “follow and seize the money” approach maximized recovery of stolen taxpayer dollars. 

Schemes Posing Significant Patient Harm and Risk to Public Safety

Dr. Jason Finkelstein, 53, of Fort Worth, Texas, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and health care fraud, in connection with an $89 million cardiovascular testing scheme. As alleged in the indictment, Finkelstein, a board-certified cardiologist licensed in 48 states, was the medical director of a cardiovascular testing company, Company 1, that conducted cardiovascular tests on student athletes at school campuses across the United States. Finkelstein conspired with others to use two companies that he owned, Cardiovascular Testing Services PA and Cardiovascular Healthcare Associates PA, to submit approximately $89 million in false and fraudulent claims to private and public insurers for cardiovascular tests conducted by Company 1, of which approximately $13.1 million was paid. As alleged in the indictment, Finkelstein was the only referring/ordering provider for Company 1’s claims, but he did not conduct any clinical examination to determine whether the student athletes had a clinical diagnosis that warranted the cardiovascular tests. Despite this, the claims fraudulently included false diagnoses for student athletes to induce the insurance companies to pay for the tests. The claims also falsely stated that Finkelstein was the reviewing provider for the tests, when, in fact, he signed and approved the cardiovascular test results within a few seconds of accessing the tests. In October 2024, Finkelstein signed the cardiovascular tests of one student athlete as “normal” even though some of the tests included unconfirmed interpretations noting potential cardiovascular abnormalities. Approximately 24 days later, the student died from sudden cardiac arrest while exercising with his basketball team. Even though Finkelstein was informed of the student’s death, Finkelstein did not change his practice of signing and approving the cardiovascular test results without meaningfully reviewing them, and Cardiovascular Testing Services PA and Cardiovascular Healthcare Associates PA continued to bill insurers for those tests. In connection with today’s announcement, HHS-OIG separately issued a consumer alert to inform student athletes, family members, and the public about cardiovascular testing scams. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Aisha Schafer Hylton of the Florida Strike Force.

Eduardo Javier Ibarra Arrowsmith, 61, of Miami, was charged by criminal complaint with fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents and aggravated identity theft in connection with a scheme to fraudulently certify naturalization applicants as disabled in order to exempt them from the English language and civics requirements of the U.S. citizenship naturalization test. As alleged in the complaint, Ibarra, a Cuban national and convicted felon posing as a licensed medical doctor, impersonated a deceased Miami-Dade neurologist and used that doctor’s credentials — including his name, National Provider Identifier number, and Florida medical license number — to fraudulently complete and sign at least 34 USCIS Form N-648 Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions, resulting in 14 naturalization applicants obtaining U.S. citizenship without completing the required testing. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Noah P. Dorman for the Southern District of Florida.

Transnational Organizations and International Cooperation

Ibrahim Hilmi, 58, of Miami, was charged by indictment with health care fraud and wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and money laundering, in connection with a $3.76 billion health care fraud scheme. As alleged in the indictment, Hilmi was involved in the operation of ABRH Care, Inc., and Sunshine Senior Solutions LLC, two entirely fraudulent durable medical equipment companies that submitted claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and other insurers for billions of dollars of medical equipment and wound dressings that the companies never provided. Hilmi used his control of Sunshine Senior Solutions’ corporate bank accounts to deposit the proceeds of these fraudulent claims into those accounts, and to wire millions of dollars of fraud proceeds out of the United States to a foreign entity located in Hong Kong. In total, ABRH and Sunshine Senior Solutions submitted at least $3.76 billion in fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and other insurers, but only approximately $5.7 million was deposited into ABRH and Sunshine Senior Solutions bank accounts. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Claire Horrell of the Florida Strike Force.

Giorgi Kimeridze, 43, a national of the country of Georgia, was charged by complaint with conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with his role in a multi-billion-dollar health care fraud and money laundering scheme to target, exploit, and steal from Medicare, which was uncovered through Operation Gold Rush. As alleged in the complaint, Kimeridze participated in the laundering of fraud proceeds obtained from at least two durable medical equipment (DME) companies that were part of the health care fraud scheme. Together the DME companies billed Medicare, Medicare Supplemental Insurers, Medicare Advantage Organizations, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) more than $1 billion, of which approximately $4.9 million was paid. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Claire Horrell of the Florida Strike Force and Leonid Sandlar of the Northeast Strike Force.

DME and Laboratory Testing Schemes

Laura Seiler-Anstett, 55, of Coral Springs, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and health care fraud, in connection with a $58.3 million DME scheme. As alleged in the indictment, Seiler-Anstett, a biller and consultant, submitted and conspired with others to submit approximately $58.3 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, of which approximately $30 million was paid. The fraudulent claims were for orthotic braces that were medically unnecessary, ineligible for reimbursement, and procured through the payment of illegal kickbacks and bribes. The fraudulent claims were submitted to Medicare on behalf of fourteen DME supply companies. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Aisha Schafer Hylton of the Florida Strike Force.

Rajiv Shah, 65, of Palm Beach Gardens, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and health care fraud, in connection with an over $64 million scheme to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary DME. As alleged in the indictment, Shah, as the owner and operator of ACC-Q Data, LLC, a medical billing company, conspired with owners and operators of DME companies to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare. Medicare paid over $23 million based on those claims. Shah advised the DME companies how to avoid scrutiny from Medicare for the medically unnecessary DME and how to conceal the fraudulent nature of these claims. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jody King of the Florida Strike Force.

Anthony Tursi, 39, of Boynton Beach, was charged by information with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks in connection with a $62 million scheme to bill Medicare for medically unnecessary genetic testing. As alleged in the information, Tursi owned a call center through which he sold doctors’ orders for genetic tests to laboratories by running deceptive telemarketing campaigns to persuade the Medicare beneficiaries to agree to the tests. His call center then would “doctor chase” the beneficiaries’ physicians to sign orders for the tests by sending them faxes containing false, fraudulent, and misleading representations designed to induce them into ordering the tests. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Reginald Cuyler Jr. of the Florida Strike Force. 

Medicaid Fraud

Yilian Cruz, 36, of Miami Lakes, Inti Cruz, 55, of Miami Lakes, and Adaimis Perez Arencibia, 39, of Miami, were charged by information with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with a scheme involving over $1 million in fraudulently obtained Medicaid reimbursements for PSR services. As alleged in the informations, the Cruzes were the married co-owners of De La Cruz Mental Health LLC (De La Cruz), a Miami mental health clinic where Perez Arencibia worked as a therapist. The Cruzes worked with other co-conspirators to pay illegal kickbacks to elderly Medicaid beneficiaries in order to recruit them as patients and trained therapists, including Perez Arencibia, to implement a false and fraudulent policy that permitted elderly patients to attend only two of their scheduled four PSR days per week while falsely signing attendance sheets reflecting attendance on all four days despite knowing that patients attended only two days. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Noah P. Dorman for the Southern District of Florida.

Rene Yartu Couceiro, 57, of Miami, was charged by information with conspiracy to make false statements relating to health care matters in connection with a Medicaid and Medicare fraud scheme involving a Miami mental health clinic’s payment of “donations” in the form of cash payments to Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries for agreeing to receive psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy that was not all provided as represented.  As alleged in the information, Couceiro was a therapist who conducted group mental health therapy sessions for patients who were expected to attend therapy sessions approximately four days per week.  More than half of his patients allegedly were permitted to attend only some of their scheduled therapy sessions while still signing attendance records for all four scheduled therapy days.  During an audio/video-recorded meeting with a cooperating patient, Couceiro had the patient sign an attendance record for TMS therapy when the patient had not received therapy on that day.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Noah P. Dorman for the Southern District of Florida.

As discussed above, $27,425,929 of health care fraud proceeds were seized pursuant to seizure warrants and civil forfeiture complaints from bank accounts belonging to 12 different clinics in South Florida: Always Medical Center Corp., Caso Quality East Corp., CRC Management, Envy South Florida Medical Center, H Services Corp., Hamilton State Inc., Medmed 137 Inc., Miami Special Care, Nakelly Medical Center Corp., Pronto Medical Center, Theron Medical Center LLC, and VCG Best Services. The seizure warrants and civil forfeiture complaints allege that the clinics were “bust outs” — billing Medicare for amniotic wound allografts and services that were never provided. The seizure initiative is being led by Acting Assistant Chiefs Jil Simon and Keith Clouser, and Trial Attorney Owen Dunn, of the Florida Strike Force, Assistant Chief Jamie de Boer of the National Rapid Response Strike Force, and  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sally Molloy, Elizabeth Young, Gabrielle Charest-Turken, Nadya Cheatham, Sandra Demirci, Daren Grove, Mitch Hyman, and Brian Zack of the Southern District of Florida.

The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, Texas, and West Coast Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Southern District of California, District of Colorado, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Georgia, District of Hawaii, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nebraska, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, District of New Mexico, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, Northern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania, District of Puerto Rico, District of Rhode Island, District of South Carolina, District of South Dakota, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Western District of Wisconsin; and State Attorneys General’s Offices, through their MFCUs, in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. In addition, the MFCUs for Alabama, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virginia participated in the investigation of the federal cases announced.

Descriptions of each case involved in the enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here.

The civil forfeiture complaints for the Southern District of Florida are available here.

Prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida’s Health Care Fraud Unit of the Economic Crimes and Cyber Frauds Section and the Department’s Health Care Fraud Unit of the Fraud Division comprise the Florida Strike Force and worked with the following law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute the cases filed during the Takedown: the HHS-OIG; FBI; Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS); the Florida Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; Department of Labor Office of Inspector General; IRS; DEA; and Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. 

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.

An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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A Brazilian man pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring to launder the proceeds of drug trafficking, and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida accepted the guilty plea today. On June 1, the district court also accepted the guilty pleas of five co-defendants. 

According to court documents, Omar Aliperti De Mello Correa, 34, a U.S. citizen residing in Orlando; Ygor Fokin Saviolli, 35, a Brazilian national; Gabriel Cezar Menezes, 29, a Brazilian national; Joao Andrade De Mello, 29, a Brazilian national; Tadeu Sebastiane Rabelo Alves Barbosa, 30, a Brazilian national; and Leandro De Avila Goncalves, 42, a Brazilian national, all illegally residing in Orlando, were part of a sophisticated money laundering organization that operated across the United States and spanned several countries. 

Members of the conspiracy arranged for bulk cash proceeds from the sale of controlled substances to be received by U.S.-based couriers and deposited at banks across the country in order to conceal and return those profits to, among others, the sources of drug supply operating outside the United States. Dozens of pickups across the country were coordinated through WhatsApp message chains that included facilitators and couriers. Saviolli provided upfront funds to facilitate the operations of the money laundering organization and oversaw the receipt and laundering of the bulk cash drug proceeds. Menezes also served as a facilitator, providing direction to and oversight of couriers, and personally picked up bulk cash on multiple occasions. Correa, De Mello, Barbosa, and Goncalves all served as couriers for the money laundering organization, conducting bulk cash pickups in cities including Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Rochester, New York, and Tampa, among others. During the course of the conspiracy, the organization concealed more than $30 million in cash. 

Saviolli, whose plea was accepted today, and the five co-defendants each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Saviolli is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 11. Menezes, Correa, De Mello, Barbosa, and Goncalves are scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 20. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI is investigating the case, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Rochester Resident Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Brasilia Attaché Office and Miami Field Office. 

Trial Attorneys James Hepburn and Jessee Alexander-Hoeppner of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Monique Botero for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. 

The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section’s (MNF) mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.

MNF’s International Unit investigates and prosecutes cross-border money laundering schemes involving transnational criminal organizations, cartels, foreign official corruption and related money laundering affecting the U.S. financial system and prosecutes criminal cases and civil forfeiture matters to recover the proceeds of those crimes.

MIAMI – A Bahamian national who was unlawfully present in the U.S. and wanted for murder in the Bahamas pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing a firearm as an illegal alien.   

According to court records, Shelton Thompson, 38, of the Bahamas, has been unlawfully present in the U.S. since August 2024. During a traffic stop, law enforcement encountered Thompson and determined that he was illegally present in the U.S. after initiating a traffic stop.  A subsequent search of his residence uncovered a firearm that Thompson was prohibited from possessing under federal law. 

“South Florida's proximity to international borders makes vigorous enforcement of immigration and firearms laws essential to public safety,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Individuals who enter or remain in this country unlawfully and illegally possess firearms will be investigated and prosecuted. We will continue to use every lawful tool available to protect our communities from dangerous offenders.”

Thompson faces up to 15 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement. 

FBI Miami is investigating the case, with assistance from U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Coast Guard. 

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Pierce is prosecuting the case.

This case is being prosecuted by the Border and Immigration Crimes Enforcement (BICE) Section. BICE was created by U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones in November of 2025 to strengthen South Florida’s border security posture, protect maritime and land points of entry, enforce federal immigration law, and dismantle transnational smuggling networks operating through the region. The Section brings together narcotics, immigration, fraud, and violent-crime expertise into a single coordinated unit focused on border-driven threats.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-20087.

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MIAMI – Three noncitizens have pleaded guilty in separate federal cases to illegally voting in federal elections and related election offenses.

Federal law requires that a person be a U.S. citizen to register and vote in federal elections. According to court records, the defendants knowingly registered and voted in federal elections despite being ineligible to do so because they were to U.S. citizens.

“Voting in federal elections is one of the most important rights and responsibilities of American citizenship,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Federal law is clear: only United States citizens may vote in federal elections. These defendants admitted that they knowingly violated that law. The Southern District of Florida is committed to protecting the integrity of our elections and ensuring that those who undermine public confidence in the electoral process are held accountable.”

Moises Lima Junior, a Brazilian national who became a lawful permanent resident on Jan. 17, 2024, registered to vote on Feb. 18, 2024, and falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen. On Oct. 21, 2024, Lima Junior knowingly voted in a federal election despite knowing he was not a U.S. citizen. He pleaded guilty to making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and voting by an alien on February 12 and was sentenced on May 27.

Gordon Louis, a Haitian national and a convicted felon, knowingly voted in the 2020 general election for federal offices, including President, Vice President, and member of the House of Representatives, despite knowing he was not a U.S. citizen. Louis pleaded guilty to voting by an alien and was sentenced on April 15.

Roberto Figueredo, a Cuban national whose lawful permanent resident status had been revoked and who had been ordered removed from the U.S., submitted a Florida voter registration application on Jan. 29, 2020, falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen and falsely affirming that he was eligible to vote. At the time, Figueredo was a convicted felon whose voting rights had not been restored. On Oct. 1, 2020, he knowingly cast a ballot in a federal election. Figueredo pleaded guilty to casting a false ballot and voting by an alien on Sept. 30, 2025 and was sentenced on February 4.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, made the announcement.

HSI Miami and HSI Fort Lauderdale investigated the cases, with assistance from the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Killoran and Timothy Farina prosecuted the cases.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case numbers 25-cr-60254 (Lima Junior), 25-cr-20237 (Louis), and 25-cr-80094 (Figueredo).

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MIAMI – A Dominican national has been sentenced to federal prison for using a stolen identity to fraudulently obtain more than $100,000 in Social Security disability benefits and health care services through Medicare.

Senior U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck sentenced Juan Francisco De La Cruz Mejia, 38, of Miami Springs, to 52 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to theft of government funds, Social Security fraud, health care fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

“This defendant stole an American citizen's identity and used it to siphon taxpayer-funded benefits for years,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Social Security and Medicare exist to serve eligible beneficiaries, not fraudsters. The Southern District of Florida will continue to prosecute those who steal public benefits, abuse government programs, and exploit the trust of American taxpayers.”

“This sentencing demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting the integrity of Social Security programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Conor Washington of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Eastern CDI Division. “The defendant, a foreign national unlawfully present in the United States, stole an American citizen’s Social Security number and used it to illegally receive more than $100,000 in Social Security benefits. SSA OIG will continue to aggressively investigate benefit fraud schemes to safeguard taxpayer funds and protect the public.”

“Identity theft and health care fraud undermine the integrity of federal health care programs that exist to serve some of our nation’s most vulnerable individuals,” said Special Agent in Charge Isaac M. Bledsoe of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “By stealing another person’s identity to improperly access Medicare benefits, the defendant siphoned taxpayer-funded resources meant to care for legitimate Medicare enrollees. HHS-OIG will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate and hold accountable those who attempt to defraud federal health care programs.”

According to court records, beginning in February 2021, De La Cruz Mejia unlawfully used the name and Social Security number of another individual to obtain Social Security Title II disability benefits to which he was not entitled. He continued the scheme for more than four years, causing the Social Security Administration to suffer losses exceeding $105,000.

Between February 2021 and August 2025, De La Cruz Mejia received and used $105,057.90 in Social Security disability benefits obtained through stolen identity. In April 2021, he also used the same identity to enroll in Medicare.

By fraudulently obtaining Medicare coverage, De La Cruz Mejia received medical services and prescriptions drugs under another person’s identity, causing health care providers to submit claims to Medicare for services rendered to him. The claims — including Medicare Parts A, B, and D benefits and durable medical equipment — totaled approximately $3.4 million in billed charges, resulting in Medicare payments of approximately $108,057.63.

SSA OIG and HHS-OIG investigated the case.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nikole Hiciano prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-20460.

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MIAMI – Following a two-week trial in Fort Lauderdale, a South Florida nursing school owner and operator pleaded guilty for her role in a scheme that sold fraudulent nursing diplomas and transcripts to individuals seeking nursing licenses and employment throughout the U.S.

Carleen Noreus, 52, of Plantation, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to money laundering.

“Nursing licenses must be earned through education, training, and demonstrated competence, not purchased through fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “By selling thousands of fraudulent diplomas and transcripts, the defendant undermined the integrity of the nursing profession and our healthcare system. The Southern District of Florida remains committed to holding accountable those who profit by corrupting professional licensing processes and placing the public at risk.” 

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Noreus served as president of Carleen Home Health School, Inc. in Plantation and vice president of Carleen Home Health School II, Inc. in West Palm Beach. 

Noreus conspired with others to sell fraudulent nursing diplomas and educational transcripts to individuals who had not completed the required coursework or clinical training to earn Registered Nurse (RN), Licensed Practical Nurse/Vocational Nurse (LPN/VN), or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) credentials.

The fraudulent diplomas and transcripts falsely represented that purchasers had successfully completed the academic and clinical requirements of the schools when, in reality, they had not. These documents enabled purchasers to sit for the national nursing board examinations and, after passing those examinations, obtain nursing licenses and employment in the healthcare field.

Evidence admitted at trial established that between April 17, 2018, and Oct. 8, 2025, Noreus was responsible for providing 2,956 fraudulent nursing diplomas through the schools. State authorities have since terminated both schools as a result of the investigation.

Of the individuals who obtained fraudulent credentials from the school, approximately 2,274 passed nursing board examinations, allowing them to obtain nursing licenses and work as nurses in Florida and across the country.

Noreus faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is part of the second phase of Operation Nightingale, a nationwide effort targeting fraudulent nursing diploma schemes operated by for-profit nursing schools in South Florida. The investigation uncovered an illegal shortcut to professional licensure and employment that resulted in fraud-related charges against 13 defendants, including Noreus, for their roles in selling fraudulent nursing diplomas and transcripts. 

In Phase I of Operation Nightingale, 30 defendants were charged and convicted in 2023 through guilty pleas or trial verdicts.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones; Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Isaac M. Bledsoe of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, (HHS-OIG), Miami Regional Office, made the announcement.

FBI Miami and HHS-OIG are investigating the case.

Senior Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Clark and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon M. Juenger presented the case at trial on behalf of the government. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff is handling asset forfeiture.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-60039.

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MIAMI – A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida has returned an indictment charging a Gainesville man with federal hate crime and firearm offenses for allegedly attempting a mass shooting targeting Jewish victims because of their race and religion.

According to court records, Forrest Kendall Pemberton, 27, of Gainesville, armed himself with an AR-15-style rifle equipped with a silencer and traveled to the office of a non-profit organization dedicated to lobbying the U.S. government in support of Israel. On December 23, 2024, he allegedly attempted to carry out a mass shooting targeting the organization’s employees because they were Jewish.

Pemberton is charged with attempted hate crime, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a short-barreled rifle. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment on the attempted hate crime count, a mandatory consecutive sentence of up to 30 years’ imprisonment on the firearm count, and up to five years’ imprisonment on the possession count. 

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Jacksonville Field Office, made the announcement.

FBI Jacksonville is investigating the case, with assistance from FBI Miami; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Miami Field Office; the Gainesville Police Department; and the Tallahassee Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Abbie D. Waxman of the National Security Division for the Southern District of Florida and Special Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Perras and Trial Attorney Manpreet “Monica” Uppal-Gupta of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-60040.

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A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida has returned an indictment charging a Florida man with federal hate crime and firearm offenses for allegedly attempting a mass shooting targeting Jewish victims because of their race and religion.

According to court records, Forrest Kendall Pemberton, 27, of Gainesville, armed himself with an AR-15-style rifle equipped with a silencer and traveled to the office of a non-profit organization dedicated to lobbying the U.S. government in support of Israel. On Dec. 23, 2024, he allegedly attempted to carry out a mass shooting targeting the organization’s employees because they were Jewish.

Pemberton is charged with attempted hate crime, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a short-barreled rifle. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison on the attempted hate crime count, a mandatory consecutive sentence of up to 30 years in prison on the firearm count, and a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the possession count.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley of the FBI Jacksonville Field Office made the announcement.

FBI Jacksonville is investigating the case, with assistance from FBI Miami; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Miami Field Office; the Gainesville Police Department; and the Tallahassee Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Abbie D. Waxman of the National Security Division for the Southern District of Florida and Special Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Perras and Trial Attorney Manpreet “Monica” Uppal-Gupta of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

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

MIAMI – A Nicaraguan national has been extradited from Costa Rica to face charges in two indictments unsealed today alleging a scheme to furnish counterfeit United States passports and traffic in counterfeit United States currency.

According to court records, between January and June 2020, Armando Morales Obando, 63, residing in Costa Rica, allegedly conspired with others to manufacture and sell counterfeit U.S. passports to individuals in South Florida. Morales Obando allegedly negotiated the sale of five fraudulent U.S. passports, coordinated the collection of payments totaling $5,500, and arranged for the passports to be shipped from Nicaragua to Broward County. The counterfeit passports allegedly contained the identifying information of real individuals but bore photographs of other persons and were represented as valid documents for international travel.

Additionally, Morales Obando allegedly conspired with others to manufacture and distribute counterfeit U.S. currency. Morales Obando and his co-conspirators allegedly created $20,000 in counterfeit U.S. currency and exchanged it for $6,000 in genuine U.S. currency.

Morales Obando is charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S., two counts of passport fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. In a related case, Morales Obando is charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S. and uttering counterfeit currency. If convicted, Morales Obando faces up to 20 years in federal prison on the counterfeit currency count, up to 10 years in prison on each passport fraud count, up to five years in prison on each conspiracy counts, and a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence on each aggravated identity theft count. 

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Ryan McSeveney of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Miami Field Office, and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami made the announcement. The Costa Rican government provided valuable assistance in securing the extradition of Morales Obando.

The DSS Miami Field Office and HSI Miami are investigating the case, with assistance from the DSS Overseas Criminal Investigations Unit at U.S. Embassy San José, and U.S. Secret Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Maultasch is prosecuting both cases.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case numbers 24-cr-20431 and 24-cr-20552.

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MIAMI – A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida returned a multi-count indictment charging a Miami woman for allegedly orchestrating a years-long scheme to obtain and sell the confidential Medicare beneficiary identifier numbers (BINs) of thousands of patients for use in Medicare fraud schemes. A related criminal information was also filed charging a former health care network employee with conspiring to unlawfully disclose the protected patient information.  

According to court documents, Kenia Marrero, 46, of Miami, paid Joan Navarro Bruguet, 51, of Miami, a former employee of a Miami-based regional health care provider network identified in court filings as “Provider A,” to secretly provide Marrero with confidential patient information, including names, dates of birth, and Medicare BINs. Beginning in or around January 2022 and continuing through February 2025, Navarro Bruguet allegedly accessed Provider A’s confidential patient records using his work computer, photographed patient information displayed on his screen using his personal cellphone, and sent the images to Marrero through an encrypted messaging application.   

Court records allege that Marrero paid Navarro Bruguet approximately $500 for each patient list containing around 100 Medicare beneficiaries. Marrero then allegedly worked with others, including Juan Carlos Cardella — who has already been sentenced in this district on related charges — to redistribute and resell the stolen patient information, for as much as $7,000 per list, to individuals involved in Medicare fraud schemes.  

According to the court records, the scheme resulted in the unlawful disclosure of confidential Medicare information belonging to more than 6,000 beneficiaries.   

The indictment further alleges that Marrero participated in a durable medical equipment (DME) fraud scheme that submitted more than $5 million in fraudulent Medicare claims using patient identifiers obtained through the conspiracy. Court documents also allege that Marrero deposited more than $460,000 in Medicare fraud proceeds into a bank account associated with the fraudulent DME company. 

In addition, the indictment alleges that during a recorded in-person meeting in January 2026, Marrero instructed a Provider A employee to “deny everything,” to “stay strong and deny and never say anything to anyone,” and to do “no more texting on the phone,” but if there were a need to text, that they should “do like we always do and ask me about candles.”

Marrero is charged with conspiracy to buy, sell, and distribute BINs; conspiracy to commit health care fraud; four counts of health care fraud; four counts of aggravated identity theft; and two counts of money laundering.  Navarro Bruguet is charged with conspiracy to buy, sell, and distribute BINs.

If convicted, Marrero and Navarro Bruguet each face up to five years in federal prison for conspiracy to buy, sell, and distribute BINs. Marrero also faces up to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and each health care fraud count, up to 10 years for each money laundering count, and a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years for each aggravated identity theft count.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Issac Bledsoe of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, (HHS-OIG), Miami Regional Office; and Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

HHS-OIG Miami and FBI Miami are investigating the case. Provider A provided early and ongoing assistance in the investigation of this matter. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eduardo Gardea, Jr. is prosecuting the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabrielle Raemy Charest-Turken is handling asset forfeiture.

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

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the 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. 

The Department of Justice, HHS-OIG, and the FBI encourage members of the public to remain vigilant against any signs of identity theft or suspicious claims submitted to their health insurance plans, including Medicare.  Individuals should carefully review their explanation of benefits (“EOB”) documents; and if they see any sign of suspicious or unauthorized claims in their Medicare records, they should call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or Report Medicare Fraud online at https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case numbers 26-cr-20183 (Marrero), 26-cr-20198 (Navarro Bruguet), and 25-cr-20280 (Cardella).

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MIAMI – A Chicago man made his initial appearance in federal court after allegedly attempting to open an emergency exit door and the flight deck door during a commercial flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Chicago, Illinois, forcing the aircraft to divert to Miami.

According to court records, Juan Gabriel Reyes, 51, of Chicago, Illinois, became disruptive during the flight and repeatedly failed to comply with instructions from flight attendants. Reyes allegedly attempted to open both an emergency exit door and the flight deck door while the aircraft was in flight. He then allegedly assaulted another passenger before passengers and crew members restrained him. The aircraft was diverted to Miami, where Reyes was arrested.

Reyes is charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants and assault within maritime and territorial jurisdiction. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the interference charge and up to one year in prison on the assault charge. 

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

FBI Miami is investigating the case, with assistance from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Olinghouse is prosecuting the case.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-mj-02992.

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MIAMI – Three South Florida men were sentenced to prison for their participation in a scheme to defraud Medicare and launder more than $2.2 million in illicit health care fraud proceeds.

• Marco Scamarone, 34, of Tamarac, was sentenced to 70 months in prison.

• Jose Mendez, 34, of Coral Springs, was sentenced to 78 months in prison.

• Renee Vazquez, 33, of Tamarac, was sentenced to 60 months in prison.

“These defendants stole from Medicare, laundered the proceeds through shell companies, and used fraudulent medical equipment businesses to enrich themselves at taxpayer expense,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Medicare exists to serve seniors and vulnerable patients, not to fund kickbacks, shell companies, and criminal profit. Today’s sentences send a clear message: if you steal from federal health care programs in South Florida, you will face prison time, forfeiture, restitution, and federal accountability. Fraud does not pay, and defendants do not get to keep the proceeds of their crimes.”

According to court documents and statements made in court, the defendants owned and operated two fraudulent durable medical equipment (DME) companies: Braces and Orthotics LLC, located in the Eastern District of Virginia, and Stone Oak Durable Medical Equipment LLC, located in the Southern District of Florida. Between January 2022 and February 2023, the fraudulent DME companies submitted approximately $6.9 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for orthotic braces that were medically unnecessary and ineligible for Medicare reimbursement. The conspiracy involved illegal kickbacks and bribes paid to an offshore marketing company exchange for the referral of beneficiaries and fraudulent doctors’ orders. The three men conspired to launder the proceeds of their fraud through a series of shell companies under their control or the control of their associates — ultimately laundering more than $2.2 million in illicit funds for their own benefit and the benefit of their co-conspirators.

In December 2025, Scamarone, Mendez, and Vazquez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. At sentencing, Scamarone and Mendez were ordered to pay $2,217,840.35 in forfeiture and $3,016,324.20 in restitution. Vazquez was ordered to pay $1,723,773.18 in forfeiture and $2,249,392.09 in restitution.

Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott Lampert for the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles for the FBI Miami Office; and Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito for the U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General (DOL-OIG) made the announcement.

HHS-OIG, FBI, and DOL-OIG investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Pogozelski for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Claire Horrell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the 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.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-60148.

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MIAMI – Francisco Javier Ravelo, of Coral Gables, was sentenced to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release, during which he is not permitted to have any unsupervised contact with animals. Ravelo was sentenced in connection with his involvement with online groups dedicated to distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys in violation of the federal Animal Crushing statute.

Ravelo pleaded guilty in March to distributing more than 40 so-called “animal crush videos.” 

According to court documents and statements made during his sentencing hearing, Ravelo owned and administered several online chat groups dedicated to distribution and discussion of sexual and violent videos depicting monkeys being mutilated and tortured. The court ruled that Ravelo controlled access to and moderated his invitation-only private groups, where he was a leader and organizer, which served as a basis for Ravelo’s upward variance prison sentence. The court described the material distributed as “evil.” The court explained that it fashioned the sentence to show that “in society we will not tolerate this kind of material being distributed in any way, shape, or form” and further, that the harshness should serve as a deterrence for others in the monkey hate community.

“The production and distribution of obscene animal crush videos is a felony,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “In passing the Animal Crushing statute, Congress recognized that cruelty to animals desensitizes participants to the suffering of human beings. Today’s sentence is a warning to all future would-be creators and consumers of animal crushing that they risk federal prosecution and imprisonment for these crimes.” 

“This case is deeply disturbing, and the 60-month sentence reflects the seriousness of the conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Ravelo did not merely view this material. He owned and administered private online groups dedicated to distributing obscene videos of monkeys being sexually abused, mutilated, and burned. As a former state court judge who presided over domestic violence cases, I know that deliberate cruelty to animals is one of the clearest warning signs of dangerousness. Animal crushing is a serious federal crime, and those who organize, distribute, and celebrate this kind of cruelty will face federal prison.”

“Ravelo’s conviction and today’s sentencing make it clear that those who commit these horrific crimes cannot evade justice,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Wright of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans. “Even when offenders use advanced technology and exclusive, invitation-only groups to hide their illegal activities, HSI will relentlessly pursue them and ensure they are held accountable. Our team worked tirelessly to stop Ravelo’s egregious crimes and prevent further harm, and we remain committed to bringing others who commit these offenses to justice.”

HSI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke E. Latta for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Emily R. Stone of the ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-20477.

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MIAMI – The owner of a company that produced and sold renewable fuel and fuel credits was sentenced today to serve 18 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release, and to pay $2,857,029 in restitution and a $150,000 fine, for his role in a scheme that generated over $7 million in fraudulent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) renewable fuel credits and sought over $6 million in fraudulent tax credits connected to the purported production of biodiesel.

According to court documents, Christopher Burdett owned a biofuel company based in Fort Pierce, that claimed to turn various feedstocks into biodiesel. However, when reporting the number of gallons they produced to the IRS and EPA, Burdett and General Manager Royce Gillham vastly overstated their production volume to generate more credits. When auditors sought more information from the company, Burdett and Gillham provided false information about their fuel production and customers. 

“This was not a paperwork error or a regulatory misunderstanding. It was fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Burdett inflated biodiesel production numbers, misled auditors, generated more than $7 million in fraudulent EPA renewable fuel credits, and sought more than $6 million in fraudulent tax credits from the American taxpayer. Today’s sentence of 18 months makes clear that fraud against public programs carries real consequences. Public incentive programs depend on honesty. When companies lie to regulators and try to turn environmental programs into vehicles for fraud, they will face federal prosecution, prison time, and financial accountability. Fraud does not pay, and defendants do not get to keep the proceeds of their crimes.”

“The defendant lied to and defrauded the federal government, fuel producers, and fuel consumers of the United States by claiming and profiting from renewable fuel credits for fuel that was never produced or sold. His actions compromised and undermined a program designed to provide an abundant source of clean renewable fuel,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Leslie Carroll of EPA’s criminal enforcement program in Florida. “Today’s sentencing shows that there are severe consequences for individuals who defraud the Clean Air Act Renewable Fuel Standards program and their customers.”

“Claiming fraudulent tax credits is not just cheating the system — it’s stealing from the American public,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Scott A. Johnson of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Florida Field Office. “We will remain committed to protecting taxpayer dollars and ensuring that those who engage in these schemes are held accountable.”

Burdett previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and to file false claims. For his role in the scheme, Gillham was previously sentenced to 37 months in prison.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones, Assistant Administrator Jeffrey Hall of the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, and Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker of IRS-CI’s Florida Field Office made the announcement. 

The EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and IRS-CI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Funk for the Southern District of Florida and Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

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.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-14071.

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The owner of a company that produced and sold renewable fuel and fuel credits was sentenced today to serve 18 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release, and to pay $2,857,029 in restitution and a $150,000 fine, for his role in a scheme that generated over $7 million in fraudulent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) renewable fuel credits and sought over $6 million in fraudulent tax credits connected to the purported production of biodiesel.

According to court documents, Christopher Burdett owned a biofuel company based in Fort Pierce, Florida, that claimed to turn various feedstocks into biodiesel. However, when reporting the number of gallons they produced to the IRS and EPA, Burdett and General Manager Royce Gillham vastly overstated their production volume to generate more credits. When auditors sought more information from the company, Burdett and Gillham provided false information about their fuel production and customers. 

Burdett previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and to file false claims. For his role in the scheme, Gillham was previously sentenced to 37 months in prison.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), U.S. Attorney Jason A Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Administrator Jeffrey Hall of the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, and Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI)’s Florida Field Office made the announcement. 

The EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and IRS-CI investigated the case.

Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Funk for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

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.

MIAMI – A grand jury returned an indictment Thursday charging a Fort Lauderdale man with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after allegedly firing at a police K-9 during a pursuit in Fort Lauderdale.

According to court records, on April 18, law enforcement responded to a residential burglary in which a firearm had been stolen. Officers established a perimeter and, with assistance from aviation and K-9 units, located Christian Bouie, 30, of Fort Lauderdale, hiding in a tree in a nearby yard. When ordered to come down, Bouie fled, scaled a fence, and ran into an adjacent property.

As a police K-9 pursued him, Bouie allegedly pulled out a firearm and fired two rounds at the dog, striking the dog. Bouie continued fleeing before officers ultimately apprehended him. After taking Bouie into custody, officers recovered a firearm from his pocket.

“Police K-9s protect our officers, our neighborhoods, and our families,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This indictment alleges that a convicted felon unlawfully possessed a firearm and fired at a police K-9 during a pursuit in Fort Lauderdale. When armed felons allegedly endanger law enforcement and the public, our Office will prosecute those cases to the fullest extent of federal law.”

Bouie has prior felony convictions, including a conviction for robbery with a firearm, and is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law.

If convicted, Bouie faces up to 15 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Jason Stankiewicz of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, made the announcement. 

ATF Miami Field Division is investigating the case, with assistance from the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James M. Ustynoski is prosecuting the case.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-60143.

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MIAMI – A federal jury in Fort Lauderdale convicted a multi-convicted felon who ignited a vehicle on fire, loaded with fentanyl disguised as oxycodone pills, crack cocaine, cash, and a firearm while law enforcement officers stood nearby during a Palm Beach County drug trafficking investigation.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Willie James Skipper, Jr., 42, of Boynton Beach, was under law enforcement surveillance on Oct. 31, 2025, after officers observed him engaging in suspected hand-to-hand narcotics exchanges in an area of Palm Beach County known for violent crime and open-air drug trafficking. A narcotics-detection K-9 later alerted to Skipper’s vehicle. 

“This case shows the lethal mix we are confronting in South Florida: fentanyl disguised as prescription pills, crack cocaine, cash, firearms, and violence,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The evidence at trial showed that Willie James Skipper Jr., a multi-convicted felon, set fire to a vehicle loaded with drugs and a firearm while law enforcement officers stood just feet away. That explosion could have killed officers and innocent people nearby. Thanks to the courage of our federal, state, and local partners, this defendant was stopped, convicted, and now faces serious federal prison time.”

While officers waited for a tow truck to impound the vehicle, Skipper walked to a nearby gas station, purchased gasoline, returned to the vehicle, poured gasoline onto it, and ignited the vehicle, causing a major explosion while officers were positioned within feet of the vehicle. Skipper then fled on foot before being taken into custody.

A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed distribution quantities of fentanyl disguised as oxycodone pills, crack cocaine, large amounts of cash, and a loaded firearm concealed in hidden compartments.

During trial, expert witnesses and law enforcement officers testified regarding the dangers posed by fentanyl disguised as legitimate prescription medication, the violent nature of the vehicle fire, and the risk of catastrophic injury posed by nearby propane tanks. Additional testimony established that DNA evidence linked Skipper to both the narcotics and the firearm recovered from the vehicle.

The jury convicted Skipper of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and arson.  

Skipper faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Certain remaining counts were severed by the Court and are pending. The defendant is presumed innocent of the pending charges unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones; Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jason Stankiewicz of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division; and Sheriff Ric Bradshaw of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) made the announcement.

FBI Miami, ATF Miami Field Office, and PBSO are investigating the case. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shannon O’Shea Darsch and Brian Ralston are prosecuting the case.  

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-80049.

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MIAMI – A Tennessee man who paid a minor in Colombia to produce sexually explicit videos and traveled overseas to engage in commercial sex acts with the minor victim has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II sentenced Ramon Arellano Sandoval, 64, of Antioch, Tennessee, to 360 months in prison after a jury convicted him of attempted sex trafficking of a minor and attempted production of visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of a minor in February 2026. 

“Ramon Arellano Sandoval targeted a 14-year-old child in Colombia, paid her to create child sexual abuse material, and then traveled overseas to exploit her in person,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Today’s 30-year sentence makes clear that distance is no shield from justice. If you use the internet, money, or international travel to prey on a child, we will find you, prosecute you, and seek the full measure of federal punishment.”

“This sentence underscores our unwavering commitment to combating human trafficking and protecting vulnerable children from exploitation,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami. “HSI, together with our international partners, will continue to pursue United States citizens who prey on minors, ensuring they are held accountable regardless of their location.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Arellano Sandoval exchanged thousands of text and video messages with the victim, who lived in rural Colombia and was 14 years old at the time.  Despite knowing the victim was underage, Arellano Sandoval repeatedly solicited sexually explicit videos from her and directed her to produce child sexual abuse material, often in exchange for electronic payments.  Arellano Sandoval also flew to Colombia to have commercial sex with the minor victim.     

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Acting Special Agent in Charge Figueroa made the announcement. 

HSI Miami investigated the case with assistance from HSI Bogota and its Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit (TCIU), as well as the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Human Trafficking Unit (HTU). 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tim Farina and Camille Smith prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20519.

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Three Florida men were sentenced Tuesday to prison for their participation in a scheme to defraud Medicare and launder more than $2.2 million in illicit health care fraud proceeds.

• Marco Scamarone, 34, of Tamarac, Florida, was sentenced to 70 months in prison.
• Jose Mendez, 34, of Coral Springs, Florida, was sentenced to 78 months in prison.
• Renee Vazquez, 33, of Tamarac, Florida, was sentenced to 60 months in prison.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the defendants owned and operated two fraudulent durable medical equipment (DME) companies: Braces and Orthotics LLC, located in the Eastern District of Virginia, and Stone Oak Durable Medical Equipment LLC, located in the Southern District of Florida. Between January 2022 and February 2023, the fraudulent DME companies submitted approximately $6.9 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for orthotic braces that were medically unnecessary and ineligible for Medicare reimbursement. The conspiracy involved illegal kickbacks and bribes paid to an offshore marketing company exchange for the referral of beneficiaries and fraudulent doctors’ orders. The three men conspired to launder the proceeds of their fraud through a series of shell companies under their control or the control of their associates — ultimately laundering more than $2.2 million in illicit funds for their own benefit and the benefit of their co-conspirators.

In December 2025, Scamarone, Mendez, and Vazquez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. At sentencing, Scamarone and Mendez were ordered to pay $2,217,840.35 in forfeiture and $3,016,324.20 in restitution. Vazquez was ordered to pay $1,723,773.18 in forfeiture and $2,249,392.09 in restitution.

Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott Lampert for the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles for the FBI Miami Office; and Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito for the U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General (DOL-OIG) made the announcement.

HHS-OIG, FBI, and DOL-OIG investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Claire Horrell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Pogozelski for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the 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.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

Francisco Javier Ravelo, of Coral Gables, Florida, was sentenced yesterday to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release, during which he is not permitted to have any unsupervised contact with animals. Ravelo was sentenced in connection with his involvement with online groups dedicated to distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys in violation of the federal Animal Crushing statute.

Ravelo pleaded guilty in March to distributing more than 40 so-called “animal crush videos.” 

According to court documents and statements made during his sentencing hearing, Ravelo owned and administered several online chat groups dedicated to distribution and discussion of sexual and violent videos depicting monkeys being mutilated and tortured. The court ruled that Ravelo controlled access to and moderated his invitation-only private groups, where he was a leader and organizer, which served as a basis for Ravelo’s upward variance prison sentence. The court described the material distributed as “evil.” The court explained that it fashioned the sentence to show that “in society we will not tolerate this kind of material being distributed in any way, shape, or form” and further, that the harshness should serve as a deterrence for others in the monkey hate community.

“The production and distribution of obscene animal crush videos is a felony,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “In passing the Animal Crushing statute, Congress recognized that cruelty to animals desensitizes participants to the suffering of human beings. This sentence is a warning to all future would-be creators and consumers of animal crushing that they risk federal prosecution and imprisonment for these crimes.” 

“Ravelo’s conviction and this sentencing make it clear that those who commit these horrific crimes cannot evade justice,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Wright of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans. “Even when offenders use advanced technology and exclusive, invitation-only groups to hide their illegal activities, HSI will relentlessly pursue them and ensure they are held accountable. Our team worked tirelessly to stop Ravelo’s egregious crimes and prevent further harm, and we remain committed to bringing others who commit these offenses to justice.”

HSI investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Emily R. Stone of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke E. Latta for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

MIAMI – The U.S. Department of Justice today announced the unsealing of a superseding indictment charging Raul Modesto Castro Ruz, 94, of Holguin, Cuba; along with Lorenzo Alberto Perez‑Perez of Las Tunas, Cuba; Emilio José Palacio Blanco; José Fidel Gual Barzaga; Raul Simanca Cardenas; and Luis Raul Gonzalez‑Pardo Rodriguez, for their alleged roles in the Feb. 24, 1996 shoot‑down of two unarmed U.S. civilian aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue (BTTR), also known as Hermanos al Rescate, over international waters.

“Over three decades later, we are committed to holding those accountable for the murders of four brave Americans: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “For the first time in nearly 70 years, senior leadership of the Cuban regime has been charged in the United States for alleged acts of violence resulting in the deaths of American citizens. President Trump and this Justice Department are committed to restoring a simple principle: if you kill Americans, we will pursue you. No matter who you are. No matter what title you hold.”

“Today’s superseding indictment of Raul Castro and five Castro regime co-defendants is a major step toward accountability in the 1996 murders of four Brothers to the Rescue members - including three U.S citizens - Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr, Mario de la Pena, and Pablo Morales,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “For 30 years these families have waited for answers - and this FBI never forgot. We will continue working with our Justice Department partners to bring to justice those who attacked our civilians.”

“For 30 years, the families of these men have waited. The Miami community has waited. Our country has waited. Today is a step toward accountability,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This passage of time does not erase murder. It does not diminish the value of these lives. And it does not weaken our commitment to the rule of law.”

BTTR was an organization based in Miami that conducted humanitarian flight operations across the Florida Straits to search for Cuban migrants in distress. As alleged, beginning in the early 1990s, Cuban intelligence agents infiltrated the organization and relayed detailed information about its flight operations back to the Cuban government. These reports were allegedly used by military leadership in planning the Feb. 24, 1996 operation.

The superseding indictment charges conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, two counts of destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder.

According to the allegations, on Feb. 24, 1996, three BTTR aircraft flew from South Florida toward Cuba. Cuban military fighter jets under the chain of command overseen by Raul Castro fired air‑to‑air missiles at two unarmed civilian Cessna aircraft — destroying them without warning while they were flying outside Cuban territory, killing four U.S. nationals, including three U.S. citizens: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales.

The indictment further alleges that, in the weeks prior to the attack, Cuban military pilots conducted training exercises designed to locate and intercept slow‑moving civilian aircraft. On the day of the incident, three BTTR planes departed from Opa‑locka Airport for a planned humanitarian flight south of the 24th parallel. Two of the aircraft — tail numbers N2456S and N5485S — were allegedly targeted and shot down in international airspace, resulting in the deaths of all four victims.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment on the murder and conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals counts. Castro Ruz and Perez-Perez face up to five years in prison for each of the destruction of aircraft counts. The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentencing of any defendant will be determined by a judge.

Luis Raul Gonzalez‑Pardo Rodriguez, 65, of Havana, Cuba, is in U.S. custody pending sentencing later this month in the Middle District of Florida for making false statements in an immigration document.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office also acknowledged the assistance of the Florida Attorney General’s Office. “We are grateful for the support provided by Attorney General James Uthmeier and his team during this investigation,” said U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones.

Today’s announcement is in conjunction with a ceremony at the Freedom Tower in Miami to honor the victims. Participants at today’s press conference included Acting Attorney General Blanche, U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones, U.S. Senator Ashley Moody, Deputy Director Christopher G. Raia of the FBI, and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abbie D. Waxman and Michael E. Gilfarb for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case, with the investigation led by the FBI Miami Field Office.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 03-cr-20685.

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MIAMI – United States Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones announced today that Sean M. Lewis has been sworn in as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Lewis will serve in the Office’s newly created Civil Rights Section within the Criminal Division, under the leadership of Joe diGenova, and will be based in the Fort Pierce office.

Lewis brings nearly two decades of trial, appellate, and judicial experience to the Southern District of Florida. He previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney in both the District of Columbia and the Western District of Michigan, where he prosecuted violent crime, narcotics, white collar, child exploitation, and sexual assault cases. During his federal prosecutorial career, Lewis tried dozens of cases to verdict, handled substantial appellate work, and argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

Lewis is widely recognized for his work as the federal prosecutor in the case against Lawrence Gerard Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor whose crimes shocked the nation. Nassar was sentenced in federal court to 60 years in prison for child-pornography and obstruction-of-justice offenses, with the federal sentence ordered to run consecutive to any state sentences. The Department of Justice’s Western District of Michigan release identified Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Lewis as the prosecutor in that case.

“Sean Lewis is exactly the kind of prosecutor we want helping lead this work in South Florida,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones. “He has stood in court for victims in some of the most serious and nationally significant cases in the country, including the federal prosecution of Larry Nassar, where justice required courage, precision, and an unwavering commitment to the vulnerable. Sean brings deep trial experience, appellate judgment, and a prosecutor’s heart to our newly created Civil Rights Section. Under Joe diGenova’s leadership, this section will protect constitutional rights, pursue those who abuse power or target others because of who they are, and ensure that every community in our district receives the full protection of federal law.”

Before joining the Southern District of Florida, Lewis served as a General Magistrate in Florida’s Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, where he presided over trials and evidentiary hearings, resolved civil pretrial matters, conducted Baker Act and Marchman Act hearings, and prepared findings of fact, conclusions of law, and recommended orders for circuit court judges.

Lewis previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Western District of Michigan from 2012 to 2021 and in the District of Columbia from 2008 to 2012. In those roles, he prosecuted and tried serious federal and local offenses, briefed and argued criminal appeals, mentored younger attorneys, trained law enforcement officers, and served as liaison to the 11 federally recognized Indian Tribes in the Western District of Michigan.

Earlier in his career, Lewis was an associate at Covington & Burling LLP, where he worked on white collar investigations, complex civil litigation, and pro bono matters. He also served as a law clerk to Judge James L. Ryan of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Lewis earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School, where he graduated cum laude, was elected to the Order of the Coif, and served on the University of Michigan Law Review. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from Grove City College, with studies in political science and French.

The newly created Civil Rights Section will focus on enforcing federal criminal civil rights laws throughout the Southern District of Florida, including cases involving hate crimes, official misconduct, human trafficking, threats, and other offenses that strike at the dignity, safety, and constitutional rights of victims.

###

Note: See the indictment here.

MIAMI – Venezuela’s former Minister of Industry and National Production made his initial appearance in court today pursuant to an indictment unsealed in the Southern District of Florida charging him for his alleged role in a sprawling international money laundering conspiracy involving the corruption and exploitation of a Venezuelan public welfare program intended to provide food to vulnerable Venezuelans.

According to court records, Alex Nain Saab Moran, 55, of Colombia, allegedly conspired with others to bribe Venezuelan public officials to secure lucrative Comité Local de Abastecimiento y Producción (CLAP) contracts to import food into Venezuela. Saab is accused of conspiring with others to fraudulently misrepresent the nature and source of the food supplies, including falsely documenting imports from Colombia and Mexico.

“Thanks to the efforts of the Homeland Security Task Force, Alex Saab will be prosecuted and held fully accountable under U.S. law for his alleged role in this scheme,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“Alex Saab allegedly used American banks to launder hundreds of millions of dollars stolen from a Venezuelan food program meant for the poor and proceeds from the illegal sale of Venezuelan oil,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This is unacceptable. The Criminal Division will not allow foreign actors to exploit the American financial system and use it as a safe haven for the proceeds of their corruption.”

“This indictment alleges that a humanitarian food program intended to support vulnerable Venezuelans was instead manipulated for massive personal enrichment,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “According to the charges, the defendant used bribery, shell companies, and fraudulent documents to siphon hundreds of millions of dollars for personal gain. When illicit proceeds are moved through the United States financial system, our courts have jurisdiction and our prosecutors will act. The charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”

“DEA has long investigated the alleged financial crimes and networks tied to Alex Saab and the former Maduro regime,” said Administrator Terrance Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “These charges are a direct result of DEA’s continued commitment to dismantle the corrupt networks operating throughout Venezuela. This Administration’s support of law enforcement and DEA’s relentless pursuit of those enabling cartel activities allowed us, along with our HSTF partners, to return Alex Saab back to the United States to face justice once again.”

“The FBI remains deeply committed to dismantling complex financial networks that fund illicit activities,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office. “By working closely with our federal partners, we have successfully disrupted a sophisticated operation facilitated by Alex Saab and his co-conspirators designed to conceal the origins of illegally obtained wealth. We will continue to deploy every investigative resource at our disposal to track dirty money, protect the integrity of our financial institutions, and ensure that those who profit from crime are held fully accountable under the law.”

“This indictment underscores Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) ongoing commitment to follow the money, expose foreign corruption, and hold accountable those who exploit vulnerable people for personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of HSI Miami. “HSI will continue to leverage the full capabilities of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) to aggressively pursue transnational criminal networks that attempt to exploit the U.S. financial system to hide illicit profits and erode public trust.”

Rather than fulfilling the contracts, Saab and his co-conspirators secretly used shell companies, fraudulent invoices, falsified shipping records, and other fabricated documents — along with a network of bribes and kickbacks — to siphon off hundreds of millions of dollars that were intended to be used to purchase food for needy Venezuelans. Portions of the illicit proceeds were allegedly spent or concealed through transfers to and through bank accounts in the U.S.

The indictment further alleges that, from 2019 through at least January 2026, the conspiracy expanded as U.S. economic sanctions crippled Venezuelan exports, especially oil, placing severe strain on the country’s finances and its ability to meet its foreign debt obligations, including payments to Saab and his co-conspirators as part of the CLAP program. Exploiting their corrupt relationships with government officials, Saab and his co-conspirators allegedly gained access to billions of dollars’ worth of oil owned by Venezuelan state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) and sold it under false pretenses.

Proceeds from those illegal sales were then transferred to and through U.S. bank accounts to further promote and conceal the CLAP scheme.

Saab is charged with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

DEA Miami Field Division is investigating the case, with assistance from FBI Miami and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Monique Botero for the Southern District of Florida and Deputy Chief Joseph Palazzo from the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section are prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Miami comprises of agents and officers from the DEA Miami Field Division, FBI Miami, and HSI Miami with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Miami.

MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-20020.

###

Note: See the indictment here.

Venezuela’s former Minister of Industry and National Production made his initial appearance in court today pursuant to an indictment unsealed in the Southern District of Florida charging him for his alleged role in a sprawling international money laundering conspiracy involving the corruption and exploitation of a Venezuelan public welfare program intended to provide food to vulnerable Venezuelans.

According to court records, Alex Nain Saab Moran, 55, of Colombia, allegedly conspired with others to bribe Venezuelan public officials to secure lucrative Comité Local de Abastecimiento y Producción (CLAP) contracts to import food into Venezuela. Saab is accused of conspiring with others to fraudulently misrepresent the nature and source of the food supplies, including falsely documenting imports from Colombia and Mexico.

“Thanks to the efforts of the Homeland Security Task Force, Alex Saab will be prosecuted and held fully accountable under U.S. law for his alleged role in this scheme,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“Alex Saab allegedly used American banks to launder hundreds of millions of dollars stolen from a Venezuelan food program meant for the poor and proceeds from the illegal sale of Venezuelan oil,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This is unacceptable. The Criminal Division will not allow foreign actors to exploit the American financial system and use it as a safe haven for the proceeds of their corruption.”

“This indictment alleges that a humanitarian food program intended to support vulnerable Venezuelans was instead manipulated for massive personal enrichment,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “According to the charges, the defendant used bribery, shell companies, and fraudulent documents to siphon hundreds of millions of dollars for personal gain. When illicit proceeds are moved through the United States financial system, our courts have jurisdiction and our prosecutors will act. The charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”

“DEA has long investigated the alleged financial crimes and networks tied to Alex Saab and the former Maduro regime,” said Administrator Terrance Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “These charges are a direct result of DEA’s continued commitment to dismantle the corrupt networks operating throughout Venezuela. This Administration’s support of law enforcement and DEA’s relentless pursuit of those enabling cartel activities allowed us, along with our HSTF partners, to return Alex Saab back to the United States to face justice once again.”

“The FBI remains deeply committed to dismantling complex financial networks that fund illicit activities,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office. “By working closely with our federal partners, we have successfully disrupted a sophisticated operation facilitated by Alex Saab and his co-conspirators designed to conceal the origins of illegally obtained wealth. We will continue to deploy every investigative resource at our disposal to track dirty money, protect the integrity of our financial institutions, and ensure that those who profit from crime are held fully accountable under the law.”

“This indictment underscores Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) ongoing commitment to follow the money, expose foreign corruption, and hold accountable those who exploit vulnerable people for personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of HSI Miami. “HSI will continue to leverage the full capabilities of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) to aggressively pursue transnational criminal networks that attempt to exploit the U.S. financial system to hide illicit profits and erode public trust.”

Rather than fulfilling the contracts, Saab and his co-conspirators secretly used shell companies, fraudulent invoices, falsified shipping records, and other fabricated documents — along with a network of bribes and kickbacks — to siphon off hundreds of millions of dollars that were intended to be used to purchase food for needy Venezuelans. Portions of the illicit proceeds were allegedly spent or concealed through transfers to and through bank accounts in the U.S.

The indictment further alleges that, from 2019 through at least January 2026, the conspiracy expanded as U.S. economic sanctions crippled Venezuelan exports, especially oil, placing severe strain on the country’s finances and its ability to meet its foreign debt obligations, including payments to Saab and his co-conspirators as part of the CLAP program. Exploiting their corrupt relationships with government officials, Saab and his co-conspirators allegedly gained access to billions of dollars’ worth of oil owned by Venezuelan state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) and sold it under false pretenses.

Proceeds from those illegal sales were then transferred to and through U.S. bank accounts to further promote and conceal the CLAP scheme.

Saab is charged with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

DEA Miami Field Division is investigating the case, with assistance from FBI Miami and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Monique Botero for the Southern District of Florida and Deputy Chief Joseph Palazzo from the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section are prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Miami comprises of agents and officers from the DEA Miami Field Division, FBI Miami, and HSI Miami with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Miami.

MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.

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

MIAMI – Sunseeker International Limited and Sunseeker USA Sales Co. Inc. (Sunseeker) pleaded guilty this week to two violations of the Lacey Act for using illegally obtained Burmese Teak on yachts that it imported into the U.S. Sunseeker agreed to pay a fine of $200,000, and to implement a compliance plan, among other penalties. Sunseeker manufactures luxury performance motor yachts and superyachts.

“Congress amended the Lacey Act in 2008 to prohibit the importation of illegally harvested timber,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “By enforcing the law, we ensure a level playing field for companies that follow the law. Timber trafficking is the third most lucrative form of transnational crime, so enforcing the law keeps money from flowing into criminal enterprises.”

“South Florida is one of the world’s great gateways for luxury vessels, but our ports are not open to illegal goods,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Sunseeker admitted that illegally obtained Burmese teak was used on yachts imported into the United States. That matters. Trafficking in illegal timber, wildlife, and other protected natural resources harms legitimate businesses, supports corrupt supply chains, and turns the natural world into profit for criminal organizations. This guilty plea, fine, and compliance requirements are a direct step toward accountability.”

“Timber trafficking is a transnational crime that damages forests and puts legitimate businesses at a disadvantage,” said Assistant Director Doug Ault of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. “We are actively disrupting illegal timber supply chains and holding violators accountable under the Lacey Act. This case is part of our ongoing work to protect natural resources and ensure American markets aren’t a destination for illegal goods.”

Sunseeker manufactures its vessels in the United Kingdom (U.K.) and sells them internationally, including in the U.S. Sunseeker pleaded guilty to using Burmese Teak on their yachts, specifically, a Teak balcony door intended to be incorporated into a yacht, and Teak parts incorporated into two yachts priced at approximately $2.98 million and $1.07 million, respectively.

The illegal logging of Teak in Myanmar has been a known problem since at least 2017. Both the U.S. and the U.K. have imposed sanctions against Myanmar and the U.S. has sanctioned the Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE), the sole authorized seller of export Teak harvested in Myanmar. U.S. sanctions prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or those transiting the U.S. that involve any property or interest in property associated with the MTE. The U.K. has concluded that timber harvesting, specifically Teak, has financially supported dictatorships in Myanmar.

Sunseeker was previously charged in the U.K. and pleaded guilty in 2023 to three criminal violations of the U.K.’s Timber and Timber Products Regulations (UKTR). The company was sentenced and fined approximately $450,000. The Teak imports that Sunseeker imported into the U.S. came from the illegal Teak imports charged in the U.K. case.

Sunseeker is set to be sentenced on Aug. 20.

Last month, ENRD hosted a TIMBER Working Group roundtable where ENRD PDAAG Gustafson outlined ENRD’s commitment to enforcing timber trafficking laws. It is estimated that the U.S. Forest products industry loses $500 million annually to trafficking through depressed wood prices and lost export opportunities.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosenfeld for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Emily R. Stone of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case.

ENRD is a member of the Department of Justice’s Trade Fraud Task Force, a cross-agency law enforcement effort that also involves the Criminal and Civil Divisions’ Fraud Sections, ENRD, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, the Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide. The Task Force was created to leverage all of the Department’s tools and authorities to prevent trade fraud that deprives the government of vital revenue, threatens critical domestic industries, undermines consumer confidence, and weakens national security. The Task Force is designed to pursue enforcement actions against parties who seek to evade tariffs and other duties, as well as smugglers who seek to import prohibited goods into the American economy. The Justice Department encourages whistleblowers to alert the government to credible allegations of fraud, including utilizing the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act or through the Criminal Division’s Corporate Whistleblower Program at CorporateWhistleblower@usdoj.gov using the form available here.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-20181.

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Sunseeker International Limited and Sunseeker USA Sales Co. Inc. (Sunseeker) pleaded guilty this week to two violations of the Lacey Act for using illegally obtained Burmese Teak on yachts that it imported into the United States. Sunseeker agreed to pay a fine of $200,000, and to implement a compliance plan, among other penalties. Sunseeker manufactures luxury performance motor yachts and superyachts. 

“Congress amended the Lacey Act in 2008 to prohibit the importation of illegally harvested timber,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “By enforcing the law, we ensure a level playing field for companies that follow the law. Timber trafficking is the third most lucrative form of transnational crime, so enforcing the law keeps money from flowing into criminal enterprises.”

“South Florida is one of the world’s great gateways for luxury vessels, but our ports are not open to illegal goods,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Sunseeker admitted that illegally obtained Burmese teak was used on yachts imported into the United States. That matters. Trafficking in illegal timber, wildlife, and other protected natural resources harms legitimate businesses, supports corrupt supply chains, and turns the natural world into profit for criminal organizations. This guilty plea, fine, and compliance requirements are a direct step toward accountability.”

“Timber trafficking is a transnational crime that damages forests and puts legitimate businesses at a disadvantage,” said Assistant Director Doug Ault, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. “We are actively disrupting illegal timber supply chains and holding violators accountable under the Lacey Act. This case is part of our ongoing work to protect natural resources and ensure American markets aren’t a destination for illegal goods.”

Sunseeker manufactures its vessels in the United Kingdom (U.K.) and sells them internationally, including in the United States. Sunseeker pleaded guilty to using Burmese Teak on their yachts, specifically, a Teak balcony door intended to be incorporated into a yacht, and Teak parts incorporated into two yachts priced at approximately $2.98 million and $1.07 million, respectively.

The illegal logging of Teak in Myanmar has been a known problem since at least 2017. Both the U.S. and the U.K. have imposed sanctions against Myanmar and the U.S. has sanctioned the Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE), the sole authorized seller of export Teak harvested in Myanmar. U.S. sanctions prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or those transiting the U.S. that involve any property or interest in property associated with the MTE. The U.K. has concluded that timber harvesting, specifically Teak, has financially supported dictatorships in Myanmar.

Sunseeker was previously charged in the U.K. and pleaded guilty in 2023 to three criminal violations of the U.K.’s Timber and Timber Products Regulations (UKTR). The company was sentenced and fined approximately $450,000. The Teak imports that Sunseeker imported into the U.S. came from the illegal Teak imports charged in the U.K. case.

Sunseeker is set to be sentenced on Aug. 20.

Last month, ENRD hosted a TIMBER Working Group roundtable where ENRD PDAAG Gustafson outlined ENRD’s commitment to enforcing timber trafficking laws. It is estimated that the U.S. forest products industry loses $500 million annually to trafficking through depressed wood prices and lost export opportunities.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Emily R. Stone of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosenfeld for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

ENRD is a member of the Department of Justice’s Trade Fraud Task Force, a cross-agency law enforcement effort that also involves the Criminal and Civil Divisions’ Fraud Sections, ENRD, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, the Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide. The Task Force was created to leverage all of the Department’s tools and authorities to prevent trade fraud that deprives the government of vital revenue, threatens critical domestic industries, undermines consumer confidence, and weakens national security. The Task Force is designed to pursue enforcement actions against parties who seek to evade tariffs and other duties, as well as smugglers who seek to import prohibited goods into the American economy. The Justice Department encourages whistleblowers to alert the government to credible allegations of fraud, including utilizing the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act or through the Criminal Division’s Corporate Whistleblower Program at CorporateWhistleblower@usdoj.gov using the form available here.

MIAMI – A Jamaican national pleaded guilty to illegally exporting dozens of firearms, magazines, and ammunition from the U.S. to Jamaica by concealing them inside furniture and shipping them overseas.

Taugea Ubert Dayes, 33, who performs under his stage name “Countree Hype,” pleaded guilty to one count of smuggling goods from the U.S. and one count of delivering a firearm to a common carrier without written notice.

“Illegal firearms trafficking fuels violence far beyond our borders,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This defendant concealed dozens of firearms inside furniture and attempted to ship them overseas to evade detection and arm the black market in Jamaica. Firearms smuggling is not a paperwork offense. It is a public safety threat that fuels violence, empowers criminal organizations, and destabilizes communities. We will continue working with our international law enforcement partners to stop the flow of illegal weapons at its source.”

According to court records, on March 7 and 8, 2025, Dayes concealed 30 firearms, 32 magazines, and over 100 rounds of ammunition inside five office chairs. He wrapped the items in tinfoil and foam and sewed them into the seat cushions. On March 10, 2025, Dayes shipped the chairs from the U.S. to Jamaica using a freight shipping service. Jamaican law enforcement seized the firearms in Kingston eight days later.

Dayes faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami made the announcement.

HSI Miami is investigating with assistance from the HSI Kingston Attaché, HSI Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit (TCIU), and the Firearms and Narcotics Investigation Division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Roca Shaw and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kseniya Smychkouskaya are prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is a part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program.  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through the PSN program a broad spectrum of law enforcement and community stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs to reduce violence crime and gun violence, and to make our local neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-20344.

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MIAMI – United States Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida announced today his appointment to the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys (AGAC), a select body of United States Attorneys chosen by the Attorney General to advise Department leadership on national law enforcement priorities, Department policy, and the administration of justice.

On September 30, 1973, Attorney General Elliot Richardson took a historic step by appointing fifteen United States Attorneys to serve on the very first Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys. The Committee’s purpose was to give United States Attorneys a powerful voice in Department policies and to advise the Attorney General of the United States. That foundational mission remains as vital today as it was more than five decades ago. Its members represent a broad cross-section of federal judicial districts, geographic locations, and offices of every size — small, medium, and large. The Committee meets approximately eight times each year with the Attorney General and works hand-in-hand to advance the law enforcement goals set by the President of the United States. Operating solely at the discretion and pleasure of the Attorney General. The Advisory Committee was formally institutionalized on February 20, 1976, by Attorney General Order 640-76, cementing its enduring role as a cornerstone of Department of Justice strategy.

Established in 1973 and formalized by federal regulation, the AGAC is the principal advisory body through which United States Attorneys provide direct recommendations to the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, and the Associate Attorney General on federal prosecution, public safety, and Department operations. Its work includes recommending policy reforms, improving coordination between Main Justice and United States Attorneys’ Offices, promoting consistency in the application of federal law, and helping shape national criminal justice initiatives.

The AGAC is composed of a group of United States Attorneys from across the country and is designed to ensure broad geographic, operational, and subject-matter representation. Members work through subcommittees and working groups on issues including violent crime, national security, immigration enforcement, cybercrime, fraud, victim services, and intergovernmental coordination. Under United States Department of Justice policy and regulation, the Committee plays a central role in ensuring that the experience of federal prosecutors in the field informs national Department strategy.

“This is a significant honor and a serious responsibility,” said United States Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones. “The Attorney General’s Advisory Committee helps shape how the Department of Justice confronts the most urgent threats facing the American people, from violent crime and cartel activity to cybercrime, fraud, and national security threats. I am honored by the trust placed in me and look forward to bringing the perspective of the Southern District of Florida to that work. South Florida sits at the crossroads of global commerce, international travel, immigration, finance, and national security. The lessons we learn here matter nationally, and I intend to ensure our experience strengthens the Department’s mission to protect Americans, restore impartial justice, and defend the rule of law.”

As United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Reding Quiñones has prioritized violent crime reduction, criminal immigration enforcement, public corruption, cyber-enabled/crypto fraud, and transnational criminal organizations. His appointment to the AGAC reflects both his leadership in one of the nation’s most complex federal districts and the important role the Southern District of Florida plays in confronting emerging threats to public safety and national security.

Reding Quiñones was sworn in on August 13, 2025, as the first U.S. Attorney confirmed during President Trump’s second administration. An Air Force colonel with more than 23 years of military service, he previously served as a Florida trial judge, as a national security official in the Department of Justice’s National Security Division focused on counterterrorism and intelligence, and as a federal prosecutor in both the Eastern District of Virginia and the Southern District of Florida.

The Executive Office for United States Attorneys provides operational support to the AGAC and coordinates its work with Department leadership to ensure the nation’s 94 United States Attorneys’ Offices remain aligned in carrying out federal law enforcement priorities.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.

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MIAMI – A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida returned a six-count indictment today charging Brandon Sartor, 33, of Hyattsville, Maryland, with sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and related charges.

According to court documents, Sartor compelled two adult women to perform commercial sex acts in Miami and elsewhere for his financial benefit from December 2024 until April 2025 and transported these two victims across state lines with the intent that they engage in prostitution.

Sartor is charged with sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; using a facility of interstate commerce to facilitate the promotion of a prostitution business enterprise; transporting individuals across state lines with the intent that they engage in prostitution or other criminal sexual activities; and felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison along with mandatory restitution.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida made the announcement.

FBI Miami and the Anne Arundel County Sheriff’s Office in Maryland are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dwayne Williams for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Elizabeth Hutson of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are prosecuting the case.

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-20188.

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A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida returned a six-count indictment today charging Brandon Sartor, 33, of Hyattsville, Maryland, with sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and related charges.

According to court documents, Sartor compelled two adult women to perform commercial sex acts in Miami and elsewhere for his financial benefit from December 2024 until April 2025 and transported these two victims across state lines with the intent that they engage in prostitution.

Sartor is charged with sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; using a facility of interstate commerce to facilitate the promotion of a prostitution business enterprise; transporting individuals across state lines with the intent that they engage in prostitution or other criminal sexual activities; and felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison along with mandatory restitution.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida made the announcement.

FBI Miami and the Anne Arundel County Police Department in Maryland are investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Elizabeth Hutson of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dwayne Williams for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

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

MIAMI – A grand jury in Miami returned an indictment Wednesday charging five illegal aliens for their roles in an attempted smuggling venture that sought to bring dozens of undocumented migrants into the U.S. aboard a small, overloaded vessel off the coast of Miami-Dade County.

According to court records, Verdant Roosevelt Scott, 38, of The Bahamas; Zamfir Nitu, 50, of Romania; Donald Coote, 37, of Jamaica; Sergio Alejandro Correa Ramirez, 30, of Colombia; and Gheorghe Ion Chiperi, 43, of Moldova, made their initial appearances in federal court on April 30 and May 1.

Law enforcement detected the suspect vessel on radar traveling west toward Miami-Dade County. Shortly after midnight on April 26, a law enforcement vessel interdicted the boat approximately five miles offshore.

When law enforcement approached, the vessel was operating without navigation lights. After law enforcement activated their lights and sirens, the vessel slowed and ultimately stopped. Roosevelt, who was operating the vessel, was taken into custody.

Agents identified 25 aliens onboard the small center-console vessel, including Roosevelt. All were transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter WINSLOW GRIESSER for biometric screening and records checks.

Those checks revealed that Coote, Correa Ramirez, Nitu, and Chiperi had previously been deported from the U.S.

Roosevelt is charged with 24 counts of encouraging and inducing aliens to enter the U.S. and two counts of aiding or assisting certain aliens to enter based on his role as the vessel’s operator. The remaining four defendants are charged with illegal reentry of a deported alien.   If convicted, Roosevelt faces up to 10 years in prison.  Zitu and Coote face up to 20 years in prison because of their prior aggravated felony convictions and Correa Ramirez, and Chiperi face up to two years in prison.

The remaining 20 aliens were not charged and were repatriated to The Bahamas.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami made the announcement.

HSI Miami is investigating the case, with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations and the USCG.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner Stiehl is prosecuting the case.

An indictment/complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-20178.

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Law Enforcement in the People’s Republic of China Confirmed That a Defendant Was Arrested as Part of a Parallel Investigation

MIAMI – A Chinese national and a Las Vegas man have been charged by federal indictment for their roles in a scheme to import large quantities of the powerful synthetic opioid protonitazene in the U.S. and distribute it as counterfeit pills. These charges stem from an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), with assistance and collaboration with the People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of Public Security.

According to court records, beginning in approximately September 2024, Jia Guo, a/k/a “idmaster21,” a/k/a “imyourBDOguy,” a/k/a “OXY GUY,” of China, and Seven Schmidt, a/k/a “Vegas,” of Nevada, operated a drug trafficking organization that sourced protonitazene overseas and shipped it into the U.S. for distribution. Protonitazene — often used in counterfeit pill production — is significantly more potent than fentanyl. A quantity as small as 200 grams can produce hundreds of thousands of pills, each potentially lethal.

“This case shows why President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Force matters,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The indictment alleges that a China-based supplier and a domestic distributor worked together to bring a deadly synthetic opioid into the United States and turn it into counterfeit pills for distribution across the country. These pills are made to look familiar, but one pill can kill. If you use South Florida as a gateway to import synthetic opioids, make counterfeit pills, or profit from addiction, you will face federal prosecution. The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”

“The bilateral investigation with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security underscores DEA Asia Pacific Division’s unwavering commitment to the protection of American lives: disrupting criminal organizations responsible for distributing dangerous synthetic opioids across the United States is one of DEA’s main priorities,” said Special Agent in Charge David L. King of the DEA Asia Pacific Division. “We commend the Chinese Ministry of Public Security for their thorough and swift investigative work on this case, which was initially presented at the February 2026 Bilateral Drug Enforcement Intelligence Working Group, hosted by DEA Asia Pacific Division in Colorado.”

“This was the very definition of agents and officers working in unison to bring these criminals to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Miles Aley of the DEA, Miami Field Division. “Lives will be saved because of their efforts.”

“The US Postal Inspection service remains committed to removing these poisons from our communities,” said Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the USPIS, Miami Division. “These charges serve as a warning to others that, using the US Mail to distribute dangerous drugs has consequences.”

Guo allegedly coordinated the illegal procurement and shipment of protonitazene from China to co-conspirators, including an associate in Miami-Dade County. That associate allegedly used pill presses to manufacture counterfeit pills, which were then distributed to drug dealers throughout the U.S.

Schmidt allegedly ordered distribution quantities of the counterfeit pills and arranged for their shipment from South Florida to Nevada using the U.S. Postal Service.

As part of the investigation, China’s Ministry of Public Security took law enforcement action in China against Guo. In April 2026, Chinese officials arrested Guo and the freight forwarder, who Guo conspired with to send controlled substance parcels to the U.S. As part of the investigation, the Ministry of Public Security seized 10 parcels filled with controlled substances that Guo sent which were for recipients in the U.S. The Justice Department thanks the Ministry of Public Security for its assistance and coordinated efforts.

Guo and Schmidt are charged with conspiracy to import protonitazene into the United States from China and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute protonitazene. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the two counts.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones, Special Agent in Charge Aley, Special Agent in Charge King, and Inspector in Charge Rojo made the announcement.

DEA Miami, USPIS Miami, and DEA Beijing are investigating the case with the assistance from and in collaboration with China’s Ministry of Public Security. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Homestead (FL) Police Department, the Henderson (NV) Police Department, DEA Dallas, DEA Las Vegas, DEA Seattle, the Miami-Dade Sherriff’s Office, and the Miami Beach Police Department also provided invaluable assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Monique Botero is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell Hyman is handling asset forfeiture. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Prosecutorial, Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) Beijing Resident Legal Advisor, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in this matter.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Miami comprises of agents and officers from DEA and USPIS with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-20161.

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MIAMI – A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida returned an indictment charging a Canadian illegal alien and his alleged co-conspirator for their roles in a cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering scheme that caused more than $13 million in losses.

According to court documents, Trenton Richard David Johnston, 19, of Canada, who overstayed his visa and remained in the U.S. unlawfully, operated a sophisticated fraud scheme while living in the Miami area. Johnston and other co-conspirators allegedly impersonated support representatives from a popular search engine and cryptocurrency-related companies to gain unauthorized access to victims’ digital accounts and cryptocurrency wallets. Once access was obtained, the conspirators allegedly transferred victims’ cryptocurrency holdings for their own benefit. Investigators estimate that victims have suffered losses exceeding $13 million, with additional victims continuing to be identified.

The indictment further alleges that Brandon Michael Tardibone, 28, of Miami, knowingly harbored Johnston while Johnston was unlawfully present in the U.S. by providing him lodging at a luxury Miami-area residence in an effort to evade immigration authorities.

In addition, Johnston and Tardibone are accused of laundering proceeds of the fraud scheme through a series of financial transactions designed to conceal the nature and source of the funds. Trenton and Tardibone allegedly used more than $1 million in illicit proceeds to lease luxury vehicles, purchase high-end jewelry, and finance an extravagant nightlife and entertainment lifestyle.

Johnston is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Tardibone is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and harboring an alien in the U.S. If convicted, Johnston faces up to 20 years in prison on the conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering counts. Tardibone faces up to 20 years in prison on the money laundering conspiracy charge and up to 10 years in prison on the harboring charge.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami made the announcement.

HSI Miami is investigating the case, with assistance from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Golden Beach Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jackson K. Dering V and Robert F. Moore are prosecuting the case.

An indictment/complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-20181.

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MIAMI – The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil denaturalization complaint yesterday against Victor Manuel Rocha in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.   Rocha is a native of Colombia who was convicted of serving as an unregistered agent for the Republic of Cuba.

“Under no circumstances should an agent of a foreign adversary be permitted to hold the title of American citizen,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate. “Our mission is clear: to root out these fraudsters and preserve the sanctity of the naturalization process for those who adhere to our laws. Any individual who lied during the naturalization process to gain a foothold in this country will be met with the full weight of the Department of Justice.”  

“Victor Manuel Rocha was not a low-level operative. He was a former United States Ambassador and senior government official who admitted he secretly served the Cuban regime for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The Southern District of Florida helped take down one of the most prolific Cuban spies ever uncovered in the United States. This civil denaturalization case is about finishing the job. The complaint alleges that Rocha obtained American citizenship through lies, concealment, and betrayal. A person who secretly serves communist Cuba should not keep the privilege of United States citizenship, even while in prison.”

The U.S. seeks an order revoking Rocha’s naturalization based on his admission in criminal proceedings that he began spying for Cuba in 1973 before he naturalized in 1978. When he applied for naturalization, Rocha represented under penalty of perjury that he had not committed crimes for which he had not been arrested; he was not affiliated with the Communist Party of Cuba; he had not advocated, believed in, or knowingly supported and furthered the interests of Communism; and he believed in the U.S. Constitution and the form of government of the U.S. None of these were true.

In 2023, Rocha was charged with several counts related to spying for the Republic of Cuba and passport fraud. U.S. v. Rocha, No. 1:23-cr-20464-Bloom (S.D. Fla. Dec. 5, 2023). In April 2024, Rocha admitted that, starting in or around 1973, he secretly supported the Republic of Cuba and its clandestine intelligence-gathering mission against the U.S. by serving as a covert agent of Cuba’s intelligence services. He pleaded guilty and was convicted of Conspiracy to Act as an Agent of a Foreign Government and to Defraud the United States and Acting as an Illegal Agent of a Foreign Government. He was sentenced to and is serving a 15-year sentence.

The U.S. will bring seven independent counts seeking the revocation of his U.S. citizenship. Rocha was not qualified for naturalization for several reasons, including that he committed unlawful acts, gave false testimony during his naturalization examination, was not attached to the principles of the U.S. Constitution and not well-disposed to the good order and happiness of the U.S., was affiliated with the Communist Party of Cuba, and advocated for communism. The U.S. will also seek the revocation of his naturalization because he procured his citizenship by concealing material facts or willful misrepresenting several facts in naturalization proceedings related to spying for Cuba.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Denaturalization Unit of the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida are litigating the case.

The claims made in the complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cv-23236.

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A federal jury in Miami today convicted four defendants for their roles in the July 7, 2021, assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.

Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages were convicted of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to carry out a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 956, resulting in death; providing material support and resources to carry out a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 956, resulting in death; conspiracy to kill and kidnap a person outside the United States; conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States; and expedition against a friendly nation. Intriago was also convicted of a third count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the U.S.; smuggling goods from the U.S.; and submitting false or misleading export information.

“These defendants conspired to replace and ultimately to assassinate Haitian President Jovenel Moïse,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.  “Using U.S. soil as a staging ground for a violent plot overseas is a grave violation of our laws and, more fundamentally, our sovereignty.  We commend the investigative and prosecution team for their exceptional work.”

“This verdict delivers justice for the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and holds accountable those who helped turn South Florida into a staging ground for a deadly foreign plot,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “These defendants pursued power, influence, and profit through violence. They supported a conspiracy that crossed borders, destabilized a friendly nation, and ended with the murder of a sitting president. The jury has spoken, and the rule of law has answered.”

“The FBI is going to leverage everything at its disposal to go after conspirators of assassinations,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “Those convicted today played key roles in furthering the capacity for political violence with the aim of reaping the financial benefits of the disorder that followed. We would like to thank our partners who helped ensure that those involved faced justice for their disregard for the rule of law and the life of another human being.”

“Today’s verdict sends an unequivocal message: the United States will not serve as a staging ground for those seeking to destabilize foreign nations through violence. While the assassination of President Moïse was carried out on Haitian soil, the conspiracy was fueled by greed and orchestrated within our own borders,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of FBI Miami. “By holding these four men accountable for their roles in this cold-blooded attack, we are honoring the rule of law and ensuring that those who profit from political chaos find no refuge.”

“This case exposed a far-reaching criminal conspiracy driven by power, profit, and political ambition that extended well beyond Haiti’s borders,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami. “HSI and our partners followed the evidence across jurisdictions and international boundaries to help hold accountable those responsible for this heinous plot to assassinate a sitting president and destabilize a partner nation.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Pretel Ortiz, Intriago, Veintemilla, and Solages embarked on a scheme in early 2021 to violently overthrow President Moïse and install their handpicked successor so that the defendants could obtain lucrative government contracts in Haiti. To carry out the plot, the defendants recruited allies in the U.S., Colombia, and Haiti, including 22 former Colombian Army soldiers and Haitian gang leaders. Eight of the co-conspirators, including two of the Colombian mercenaries and several of the group’s Haitian and American allies, pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy, and six of them testified at trial.

Between April and July 2021, the defendants developed and refined multiple plans to kidnap or kill President Moïse. From late May to early June 2021, the group discussed a plan to kidnap President Moïse at his sister’s house, drug him, and force him to resign. When that failed, the defendants switched tactics and developed a new strategy for kidnapping President Moïse when he returned from an international trip on June 19, 2021. Many of these schemes relied on the defendants’ putative Haitian gang allies. Ultimately, the defendants decided to order their Colombian mercenaries to attack President Moïse’s home and kill him. In preparation, co-conspirators in Haiti obtained black-market weapons and ammunition for the Colombian mercenaries.

On July 7, 2021, Solages and a team of Colombian mercenaries carried out the attack on President Moïse’s residence with the help of several Haitian allies. During the assault, a squad of former Colombian special forces soldiers, called the Delta Team, along with other mercenaries stormed the residence, fatally shot President Moïse in his bedroom, and seriously wounded the First Lady of Haiti, Martine Moïse. Trial evidence established that bullets recovered from President Moïse during the autopsy, and another recovered from First Lady Moïse during surgery, matched a rifle carried and used by the Colombian Delta Team. Extensive digital communications introduced at trial further showed that the defendants spent months discussing and coordinating plans to kidnap or kill President Moïse.

Veintemilla played a central role in financing the conspiracy. Starting in April 2021, Veintemilla agreed to finance the scheme through a $175,000 loan agreement financed with proceeds derived from others’ Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) funds that were funneled through an account controlled by a co-conspirator. Trial evidence also showed that Veintemilla was involved in the operational details. After learning of the assassination in the early morning hours of July 7, 2021, Veintemilla immediately called a co-conspirator and proclaimed: “the rat (President Moïse) is in the box.”

Pretel Ortiz, who referred to himself as “Colonel Gabriel” and routinely wore fake U.S. military-style uniforms, rank, and insignia, directed the plot’s tactical planning and operation, including coordinating with the Colombian mercenaries. Hours before the assassination, Pretel Ortiz told his co-defendants: “I put my men on the ground and we are still fighting to reach the objective.”

Intriago, Pretel Ortiz’s business partner, handled the day-to-day logistical aspects of the plot, including payroll, equipment, and provisions for the co-conspirators.  On June 10, 2021, Intriago helped smuggle bulletproof vests and other tactical equipment—including radios, flashlights, and goggles—from Miami to Haiti for use by the Colombian mercenaries during the assassination. In late June 2021, Intriago traveled to Haiti and photographed himself with the group’s Haitian allies. On the eve of the assassination, Intriago messaged his co-conspirators: “We finally got the tools to do the work.”

Solages served as the defendants’ primary liaison in Haiti and repeatedly traveled between South Florida and Haiti to coordinate with Haitian gang leaders, obtain weapons and ammunition in Haiti, and conduct surveillance of President Moïse’s residence. Solages also accompanied the Colombian mercenaries during the attack and instructed them to kill everyone inside the house, including “the dog, the cat, and parrot.”

All four defendants face maximum penalties of life in prison. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra for the Southern District of Florida will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

FBI Miami and HSI Miami investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the Department of State; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement; and the Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean McLaughlin, Jason Wu, and Altanese Phenelus for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Andrew Briggs of the Justice Department’s National Security Division Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

MIAMI – A federal jury in Miami convicted four defendants for their roles in the July 7, 2021, assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.

Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages were convicted of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to carry out a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 956, resulting in death; providing material support and resources to carry out a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 956, resulting in death; conspiracy to kill and kidnap a person outside the United States; conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States; and expedition against a friendly nation. Intriago was also convicted of a third count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the U.S.; smuggling goods from the U.S.; and submitting false or misleading export information. All four defendants face life in prison. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

“These defendants conspired to replace and ultimately to assassinate Haitian President Jovenel Moïse,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.  “Using U.S. soil as a staging ground for a violent plot overseas is a grave violation of our laws and, more fundamentally, our sovereignty.  We commend the investigative and prosecution team for their exceptional work.”

“This verdict delivers justice for the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and holds accountable those who helped turn South Florida into a staging ground for a deadly foreign plot,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “These defendants pursued power, influence, and profit through violence. They supported a conspiracy that crossed borders, destabilized a friendly nation, and ended with the murder of a sitting president. The jury has spoken, and the rule of law has answered.”

“The FBI is going to leverage everything at its disposal to go after conspirators of assassinations,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “Those convicted today played key roles in furthering the capacity for political violence with the aim of reaping the financial benefits of the disorder that followed. We would like to thank our partners who helped ensure that those involved faced justice for their disregard for the rule of law and the life of another human being.”

“Today’s verdict sends an unequivocal message: the United States will not serve as a staging ground for those seeking to destabilize foreign nations through violence. While the assassination of President Moïse was carried out on Haitian soil, the conspiracy was fueled by greed and orchestrated within our own borders,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of FBI Miami. “By holding these four men accountable for their roles in this cold-blooded attack, we are honoring the rule of law and ensuring that those who profit from political chaos find no refuge.”

“This case exposed a far-reaching criminal conspiracy driven by power, profit, and political ambition that extended well beyond Haiti’s borders,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami. “HSI and our partners followed the evidence across jurisdictions and international boundaries to help hold accountable those responsible for this heinous plot to assassinate a sitting president and destabilize a partner nation.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Pretel Ortiz, Intriago, Veintemilla, and Solages embarked on a scheme in early 2021 to violently overthrow President Moïse and install their handpicked successor so that the defendants could obtain lucrative government contracts in Haiti. To carry out the plot, the defendants recruited allies in the U.S., Colombia, and Haiti, including 22 former Colombian Army soldiers and Haitian gang leaders. Eight of the co-conspirators, including two of the Colombian mercenaries and several of the group’s Haitian and American allies, pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy, and six of them testified at trial.

Between April and July 2021, the defendants developed and refined multiple plans to kidnap or kill President Moïse. From late May to early June 2021, the group discussed a plan to kidnap President Moïse at his sister’s house, drug him, and force him to resign. When that failed, the defendants switched tactics and developed a new strategy for kidnapping President Moïse when he returned from an international trip on June 19, 2021. Many of these schemes relied on the defendants’ putative Haitian gang allies. Ultimately, the defendants decided to order their Colombian mercenaries to attack President Moïse’s home and kill him. In preparation, co-conspirators in Haiti obtained black-market weapons and ammunition for the Colombian mercenaries.

On July 7, 2021, Solages and a team of Colombian mercenaries carried out the attack on President Moïse’s residence with the help of several Haitian allies. During the assault, a squad of former Colombian special forces soldiers, called the Delta Team, along with other mercenaries stormed the residence, fatally shot President Moïse in his bedroom, and seriously wounded the First Lady of Haiti, Martine Moïse. Trial evidence established that bullets recovered from President Moïse during the autopsy, and another recovered from First Lady Moïse during surgery, matched a rifle carried and used by the Colombian Delta Team. Extensive digital communications introduced at trial further showed that the defendants spent months discussing and coordinating plans to kidnap or kill President Moïse.

Veintemilla played a central role in financing the conspiracy. Starting in April 2021, Veintemilla agreed to finance the scheme through a $175,000 loan agreement financed with proceeds derived from others’ Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) funds that were funneled through an account controlled by a co-conspirator. Trial evidence also showed that Veintemilla was involved in the operational details. After learning of the assassination in the early morning hours of July 7, 2021, Veintemilla immediately called a co-conspirator and proclaimed: “the rat (President Moïse) is in the box.”

Pretel Ortiz, who referred to himself as “Colonel Gabriel” and routinely wore fake U.S. military-style uniforms, rank, and insignia, directed the plot’s tactical planning and operation, including coordinating with the Colombian mercenaries. Hours before the assassination, Pretel Ortiz told his co-defendants: “I put my men on the ground and we are still fighting to reach the objective.”

Intriago, Pretel Ortiz’s business partner, handled the day-to-day logistical aspects of the plot, including payroll, equipment, and provisions for the co-conspirators. On June 10, 2021, Intriago helped smuggle bulletproof vests and other tactical equipment—including radios, flashlights, and goggles—from Miami to Haiti for use by the Colombian mercenaries during the assassination. In late June 2021, Intriago traveled to Haiti and photographed himself with the group’s Haitian allies. On the eve of the assassination, Intriago messaged his co-conspirators: “We finally got the tools to do the work.”

Solages served as the defendants’ primary liaison in Haiti and repeatedly traveled between South Florida and Haiti to coordinate with Haitian gang leaders, obtain weapons and ammunition in Haiti, and conduct surveillance of President Moïse’s residence. Solages also accompanied the Colombian mercenaries during the attack and instructed them to kill everyone inside the house, including “the dog, the cat, and parrot.”

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones, Special Agent in Charge Skiles, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Figueroa made the announcement.

FBI Miami and HSI Miami investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the Department of State; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement; and the Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean McLaughlin, Jason Wu, and Altanese Phenelus for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Andrew Briggs of the Justice Department’s National Security Division Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-20104.

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MIAMI – A federal judge accepted the guilty plea of a South Florida tax preparer who prepared and submitted false tax forms to support more than 200 fraudulent loan applications under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

According to court documents, Roody Metelus, 47, of Westlake, owned and operated JRS Tax Services, LLC, in Dania Beach. From approximately January 2021 through January 2022, Metelus worked with others to fabricate tax documents for clients — many of whom were wage earners — to falsely portray them as self-employed business owners eligible for PPP funds.

“Pandemic relief programs were created to help small businesses survive an economic crisis, not to enrich tax preparers through fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This defendant fabricated tax records, exploited his clients’ trust, and helped generate more than $4.1 million in fraudulent loan applications to steal taxpayer-funded relief. Those who abuse emergency government programs for personal gain will be prosecuted, and they will not keep the proceeds of their crimes.”

“Tax fraud is fraud, and this defendant is now a felon,” said Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Florida Field Office. “I caution anyone thinking of submitting false documents to the United States Government or defrauding federal relief programs, you will face a similar fate.” 

Using these false records, Metelus and his co-conspirators sought more than $4.1 million in PPP loans. Approximately 116 of those applications were funded, resulting in roughly $2.3 million in proceeds.  Metelus required clients to pay him a percentage of the loan funds once disbursed.

Metelus pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.  He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Loecker made the announcement.

The IRS-CI, Florida Field Office, is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Aimee Jimenez is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove is handling asset forfeiture.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-60019.

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MIAMI – A Port St. Lucie man who attempted to obtain thousands of fentanyl pills through the mail and kept a firearm alongside drug proceeds was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon imposed the sentence on Juneem Jermain Barnes, 34, after he pleaded guilty to attempting to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing fentanyl, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

“Fentanyl is killing Americans every day, and those who distribute it are fueling that crisis for profit,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This defendant trafficked thousands of counterfeit pills designed to look like legitimate prescription medication and kept a loaded firearm alongside drug proceeds and distribution tools. That combination of fentanyl and firearms is a direct threat to public safety. In South Florida, if you poison our communities for profit, you will be prosecuted and sent to federal prison.”

According to court documents, Barnes attempted to receive a mail parcel containing at least 15,000 fentanyl pills at his residence. The pills were pressed to resemble pharmaceutical oxycodone. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Barnes’s home and discovered an additional parcel containing fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone, three pounds of marijuana, more than $35,000 in cash, a money counting machine, and other items used to package and distribute narcotics. Law enforcement also located a Glock Model 19X 9mm handgun near the cash and counting machine. In total, law enforcement seized approximately 2,000 grams of fentanyl.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones, Special Agent in Charge Miles Aley of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, and Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division, made the announcement.

DEA Miami Field Division, West Palm Beach District Office, and USPIS Miami investigated the case with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, West Palm Beach Resident Agency, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Palm Beach Gardens Police Department, and Jupiter Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel E. Funk prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-14065.

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MIAMI – The Justice Department today announced the sentencings in separate cases of two U.S. nationals, Matthew Issac Knoot, of Nashville, Tennessee, and Erick Ntekereze Prince, of New York, for their roles in facilitating Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) remote information technology (IT) workers. Knoot was sentenced to 18 months in prison and Prince was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Both men received and hosted laptop computers at their residences that victim U.S. companies shipped to IT workers they had hired and who the victim companies believed were located at the defendants’ residences.

Knoot and Prince also installed remote desktop applications on laptops that enabled their co-conspirators to work from locations overseas while appearing to the victim companies to be working from the defendants’ residences. In total, the defendants’ separate fraudulent schemes generated more than $1.2 million in revenue for the DPRK and impacted nearly 70 victim companies in the U.S.

“These sentences hold accountable U.S nationals who enabled North Korea’s illicit efforts to infiltrate U.S. networks and profit on the back of U.S. companies,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “These defendants helped North Korean ‘IT workers’ masquerade as legitimate employees, compromising U.S. corporate networks and helping generate revenue for a heavily sanctioned and rogue regime. The National Security Division will continue to pursue those who, through deception and cyber-enabled fraud, threaten our national security.”

“This scheme shows how national security threats now enter through ordinary business systems,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “These defendants helped North Korean IT workers pose as legitimate employees, gain access to American companies, and generate money for a sanctioned regime. These were not paperwork violations. They were deliberate acts that exposed U.S. businesses, compromised trust, and supported one of the world’s most dangerous adversaries. These sentences send a clear message: if you help foreign actors infiltrate American companies for profit, you will face federal prison and lose the money you made.”

“These kind of foreign-based attacks on American businesses will not be tolerated and those involved will be held accountable for their actions,” said U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek for the Middle District of Tennessee. “This case demonstrates our coordinated effort with federal law enforcement to protect businesses in Tennessee and across the country.”

“The FBI and our partners will continue to disrupt North Korea’s ability to circumvent sanctions and fund its totalitarian regime,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “These cases should leave no doubt that Americans who choose to facilitate these schemes will be identified and held accountable. Hosting laptops for DPRK IT workers is a federal crime which directly impacts our national security, and these sentences should serve as a warning to anyone considering it.”

Southern District of Florida: U.S. v. Erick Ntekereze Prince

Today, U.S. District Court Judge Darrin P. Gayles for the Southern District of Florida sentenced Prince to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Prince was also ordered to forfeit $89,000, which is the amount the DPRK IT workers paid him for his assistance with the scheme.

According to court documents, Prince enabled at least three DPRK IT workers to obtain remote employment at U.S. companies from approximately June 2020 through August 2024. In furtherance of the scheme, Prince used his company Taggcar Inc. to fraudulently supply “certified” IT workers to victim U.S. companies, knowing that the IT workers were located outside the U.S. and using false and stolen identities to gain employment. In addition, Prince hosted victim U.S. company-provided laptops at New York residences and installed remote access software on those laptops without authorization so that the DPRK IT workers could create the false appearance that they were remote working from Prince’s residence.

On Jan. 21, 2025, Prince, U.S. national Emanuel Ashtor, Mexican national Pedro Ernesto Alonso de los Reyes, and North Korean nationals Jin Sung-il and Pak Jin-Song were charged by indictment alleging their participation in a criminal scheme that obtained work for North Korean IT workers from more than 64 U.S. companies. The victim companies paid the DPRK IT workers associated in this case more than $943,069 in salary payments, the vast majority of which were sent to the IT workers overseas. Prince and his conspirators’ actions also caused the victim companies more than $1 million in costs associated with auditing and remediating their devices, systems, and networks. Ashtor is awaiting trial, de los Reyes is in custody in The Netherlands awaiting extradition, and the Sung-il and Jin-Song are fugitives.

The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Cronin for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia Jr. of the National Security Division (NSD)’s National Security Cyber Section prosecuted the case.

Middle District of Tennessee: U.S. v. Matthew Isaac Knoot

On May 1, U.S. District Court Judge Eli Richardson for the Middle District of Tennessee sentenced Knoot to 18 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release. Knoot was also ordered to pay $15,100 in restitution to the victim companies, and to forfeit an additional $15,100, which is the amount the DPRK IT workers paid him for his assistance with the scheme.

According to court documents, Knoot ran a laptop farm from his Nashville residences between approximately July 2022 and August 2023. The victim companies shipped laptops addressed to “Andrew M.” to Knoot’s residences. Following receipt of the laptops, and without authorization, Knoot logged on to the laptops, downloaded and installed unauthorized remote desktop applications, and accessed the victim companies’ networks. The remote desktop applications enabled a North Korean IT worker to work from locations in China, while appearing to the victim companies that “Andrew M.” was working from Knoot’s residences in Nashville.

On Aug. 7, 2024, Knoot was charged by indictment alleging his participation in a criminal scheme that obtained work for North Korean IT workers from at least four U.S. companies. The victim companies paid the DPRK IT workers associated with Knoot’s laptop farm more than $250,000 for their work between approximately July 2022 and August 2023. Most, if not all, of this sum was falsely reported to the IRS and Social Security Administration in the name of the actual U.S. person, Andrew M., whose identity the conspirators had stolen. Knoot and his conspirators’ actions also caused the victim companies more than $500,000 in costs associated with auditing and remediating their devices, systems, and networks. Knoot and the DPRK IT workers conspired to receive payments from the victim companies and transfer those funds to Knoot and to accounts outside of the U.S., including accounts associated with North Korean and Chinese individuals. Knoot’s role in this scheme ended when the FBI executed a court-authorized search of his home on Aug. 8, 2023, after which Knoot made multiple false and misleading statements and destroyed evidence to obstruct the investigation.

The FBI Nashville Field Office investigated the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Kurtzman for the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia Jr. of NSD’s National Security Cyber Section prosecuted the case, with significant assistance from Paralegal Specialist Shelby Duty.

Today’s announcement represents the Department’s latest actions to combat North Korean IT worker schemes as part of a joint NSD and FBI Cyber and Counterintelligence Divisions effort, the DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative. This effort prioritizes targeting and disrupting the DPRK’s illicit revenue generation schemes and its U.S.-based enablers. The Department previously announced other actions pursuant to the initiative, including in January 2025, June 2025, November 2025, and April 2026.

As described in Public Service Announcements published in May 2024, January 2025, and July 2025, North Korean remote IT workers posing as legitimate remote IT workers have committed data extortion and exfiltrated the proprietary and sensitive data from U.S. companies. DPRK IT worker schemes typically involve the use of stolen identities, alias emails, social media, online cross-border payment platforms, and online job site accounts, as well as false websites, proxy computers, and witting and unwitting third parties located in the U.S. and elsewhere. North Korean IT workers leverage these third parties, which include U.S.-based individuals, to gain fraudulent employment and access to U.S. company networks to generate this revenue.

Other public advisories about the threats, red flag indicators, and potential mitigation measures for these schemes include a May 2022 advisory released by the FBI, Department of the Treasury, and Department of State; a July 2023 advisory from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and guidance issued in October 2023 by the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). As described the May 2022 advisory, North Korean IT workers have been known individually to earn up to $300,000 annually, generating hundreds of millions of dollars collectively each year, on behalf of designated entities, such as the North Korean Ministry of Defense and others directly involved in the DPRK’s weapons programs.

The U.S. Department of State has offered potential rewards for up to $5 million in support of international efforts to disrupt the DPRK’s illicit financial activities, including for cybercrimes, money laundering, and sanctions evasion.

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WASHINGTON — The Justice Department today announced the sentencings in separate cases of two U.S. nationals, Matthew Issac Knoot, of Nashville, Tennessee, and Erick Ntekereze Prince, of New York, for their roles in facilitating Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) remote information technology (IT) workers. Knoot was sentenced to 18 months in prison and Prince was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Both men received and hosted laptop computers at their residences that victim U.S. companies shipped to IT workers they had hired and who the victim companies believed were located at the defendants’ residences.

Knoot and Prince also installed remote desktop applications on laptops that enabled their co-conspirators to work from locations overseas while appearing to the victim companies to be working from the defendants’ residences. In total, the defendants’ separate fraudulent schemes generated more than $1.2 million in revenue for the DPRK and impacted nearly 70 victim companies in the United States.

“These sentences hold accountable U.S nationals who enabled North Korea’s illicit efforts to infiltrate U.S. networks and profit on the back of U.S. companies,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “These defendants helped North Korean ‘IT workers’ masquerade as legitimate employees, compromising U.S. corporate networks and helping generate revenue for a heavily sanctioned and rogue regime. The National Security Division will continue to pursue those who, through deception and cyber-enabled fraud, threaten our national security.”

“These kind of foreign-based attacks on American businesses will not be tolerated and those involved will be held accountable for their actions,” said U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek for the Middle District of Tennessee. “This case demonstrates our coordinated effort with federal law enforcement to protect businesses in Tennessee and across the country.”

“This scheme shows how national security threats now enter through ordinary business systems,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “These defendants helped North Korean IT workers pose as legitimate employees, gain access to American companies, and generate money for a sanctioned regime. These were not paperwork violations. They were deliberate acts that exposed U.S. businesses, compromised trust, and supported one of the world’s most dangerous adversaries. These sentences send a clear message: if you help foreign actors infiltrate American companies for profit, you will face federal prison and lose the money you made.”

“The FBI and our partners will continue to disrupt North Korea’s ability to circumvent sanctions and fund its totalitarian regime,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “These cases should leave no doubt that Americans who choose to facilitate these schemes will be identified and held accountable. Hosting laptops for DPRK IT workers is a federal crime which directly impacts our national security, and these sentences should serve as a warning to anyone considering it.”

Southern District of Florida: U.S. v. Erick Ntekereze Prince

Today, U.S. District Court Judge Darrin P. Gayles for the Southern District of Florida sentenced Prince to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Prince was also ordered to forfeit $89,000, which is the amount the DPRK IT workers paid him for his assistance with the scheme.

According to court documents, Prince enabled at least three DPRK IT workers to obtain remote employment at U.S. companies from approximately June 2020 through August 2024. In furtherance of the scheme, Prince used his company Taggcar Inc. to fraudulently supply “certified” IT workers to victim U.S. companies, knowing that the IT workers were located outside the United States and using false and stolen identities to gain employment. In addition, Prince hosted victim U.S. company-provided laptops at New York residences and installed remote access software on those laptops without authorization so that the DPRK IT workers could create the false appearance that they were remote working from Prince’s residence.

On Jan. 21, 2025, Prince, U.S. national Emanuel Ashtor, Mexican national Pedro Ernesto Alonso de los Reyes, and North Korean nationals Jin Sung-il and Pak Jin-Song were charged by indictment alleging their participation in a criminal scheme that obtained work for North Korean IT workers from more than 64 U.S. companies. The victim companies paid the DPRK IT workers associated in this case more than $943,069 in salary payments, the vast majority of which were sent to the IT workers overseas. Prince’s and his conspirators’ actions also caused the victim companies more than $1 million in costs associated with auditing and remediating their devices, systems, and networks. Ashtor is awaiting trial, de los Reyes is in custody in The Netherlands awaiting extradition, and the Sung-il and Jin-Song are fugitives.

The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Cronin for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia Jr. of NSD’s National Security Cyber Section prosecuted the case.

Today’s announcement represents the Department’s latest actions to combat North Korean IT worker schemes as part of a joint NSD and FBI Cyber and Counterintelligence Divisions effort, the DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative. This effort prioritizes targeting and disrupting the DPRK’s illicit revenue generation schemes and its U.S.-based enablers. The Department previously announced other actions pursuant to the initiative, including in January 2025, June 2025, November 2025, and April 2026.

As described in Public Service Announcements published in May 2024, January 2025, and July 2025, North Korean remote IT workers posing as legitimate remote IT workers have committed data extortion and exfiltrated the proprietary and sensitive data from U.S. companies. DPRK IT worker schemes typically involve the use of stolen identities, alias emails, social media, online cross-border payment platforms, and online job site accounts, as well as false websites, proxy computers, and witting and unwitting third parties located in the U.S. and elsewhere.  North Korean IT workers leverage these third parties, which include U.S.-based individuals, to gain fraudulent employment and access to U.S. company networks to generate this revenue.

Other public advisories about the threats, red flag indicators, and potential mitigation measures for these schemes include a May 2022 advisory released by the FBI, Department of the Treasury, and Department of State; a July 2023 advisory from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and guidance issued in October 2023 by the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). As described the May 2022 advisory, North Korean IT workers have been known individually to earn up to $300,000 annually, generating hundreds of millions of dollars collectively each year, on behalf of designated entities, such as the North Korean Ministry of Defense and others directly involved in the DPRK’s weapons programs.

The U.S. Department of State has offered potential rewards for up to $5 million in support of international efforts to disrupt the DPRK’s illicit financial activities, including for cybercrimes, money laundering, and sanctions evasion.

Middle District of Tennessee: U.S. v. Matthew Isaac Knoot

On May 1, the U.S. District Court Judge Eli Richardson for the Middle District of Tennessee sentenced Knoot to 18 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release. Knoot was also ordered to pay $15,100 in restitution to the victim companies, and to forfeit an additional $15,100, which is the amount the DPRK IT workers paid him for his assistance with the scheme.

According to court documents, Knoot ran a laptop farm from his Nashville residences between approximately July 2022 and August 2023. The victim companies shipped laptops addressed to “Andrew M.” to Knoot’s residences. Following receipt of the laptops, and without authorization, Knoot logged on to the laptops, downloaded and installed unauthorized remote desktop applications, and accessed the victim companies’ networks. The remote desktop applications enabled a North Korean IT worker to work from locations in China, while appearing to the victim companies that “Andrew M.” was working from Knoot’s residences in Nashville.

On Aug. 7, 2024, Knoot was charged by indictment alleging his participation in a criminal scheme that obtained work for North Korean IT workers from at least four U.S. companies. The victim companies paid the DPRK IT workers associated with Knoot’s laptop farm more than $250,000 for their work between approximately July 2022 and August 2023. Most, if not all, of this sum was falsely reported to the IRS and Social Security Administration in the name of the actual U.S. person, Andrew M., whose identity the conspirators had stolen. Knoot’s and his conspirators’ actions also caused the victim companies more than $500,000 in costs associated with auditing and remediating their devices, systems, and networks. Knoot and the DPRK IT workers conspired to receive payments from the victim companies and transfer those funds to Knoot and to accounts outside of the United States, including accounts associated with North Korean and Chinese individuals. Knoot’s role in this scheme ended when the FBI executed a court-authorized search of his home on Aug. 8, 2023, after which Knoot made multiple false and misleading statements and destroyed evidence to obstruct the investigation.

The FBI Nashville Field Office investigated the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Kurtzman for the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia Jr. of the National Security Division (NSD)’s National Security Cyber Section prosecuted the case, with significant assistance from Paralegal Specialist Shelby Duty.

MIAMI – Three Dominican nationals pleaded guilty for their roles in importing approximately 1,694 kilograms of cocaine into South Florida.

Erasme Catalino Paulino Rodriguez, 35; Joseito Diaz De Oleo, 48; and Ober Alexander Villavicencio Jimenez, 36 — all of the Dominican Republic — pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import a controlled substance.

“This was a large-scale maritime cocaine smuggling operation aimed at bringing nearly 1.7 metric tons of poison into South Florida,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “That amount of cocaine fuels addiction, violence, and cartel profits on a massive scale. These guilty pleas disrupted a major trafficking pipeline and reflect the strength of coordinated federal enforcement at sea and on land. If you move narcotics toward our shores, you will be intercepted, prosecuted, and sent to federal prison.”

According to court documents, on Dec. 2, 2025, approximately six nautical miles off the coast of Government Cut in Miami-Dade County, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) interdicted the M/V Best Bet, a 65-foot sport-fishing vessel. After escorting the vessel to U.S. Coast Guard Station Miami Beach, law enforcement discovered 1,694 kilograms of cocaine concealed in hidden compartments.

Rodriguez, De Oleo, and Jimenez admitted they piloted the Best Bet east from Miami to a pre-determined location near the Turks and Caicos, where they met a smaller vessel carrying four Dominican men who transferred duffle bags filled with cocaine.  The defendants then concealed the drugs on board and began the return trip to Miami, where they were intercepted.

Each defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to life imprisonment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones, Special Agent in Charge Miles Aley of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, made the announcement.

DEA Miami Field Division and HSI Miami are investigating the case, with assistance from the USCG, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (AMO), and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Miami Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn Kirkpatrick is prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Miami comprises of agents and officers from DEA Miami, HSI Miami, USCG, U.S. Customs and Border Protection AMO, and FBI Miami with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-20541.

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